On the Legitimacy of Israel as a State

I questioned, in a Facebook post, the legitimacy of Israel's self-proclaimed right to exist. It seems to me, anyway, that God did not give Israel to the Jews, but rather England did. And I think Palestine is the main test of Israel's right to exist.

The way Israel is treating the Palestinians is not justifiable. Israel isolates them from the outside world. It would be better if the Palestinians could leave, or become a part of Israel. But this is impossible. Why? Because Israel sees it in their best interests to isolate them. The problem, of course, is that the Palestinians probably have a more legitimate claim to that land than Israel.

Israel is forced to battle Palestine. Peace is impossible for them. Why? Because if they make peace, the Arab states will take advantage of a weak stance and attack Israel one way or another. I believe this is the case. Also, I believe that there are Arab states who might ultimately win in the conflict (if peace were made) which are worse states than Israel. States like Syria.

But really, all this is a battle more for the State of Israel than for anyone else. Israel was founded on questionable principles. The right of an ethnic-based State to be formed by an external oppressor because it's in the Bible is questionable. The right of any ethnic-based state to be formed is questionable. If Israel has any shred of legitimacy to its existence, I think the true test will be Palestine. Also, I think Israel fully realizes this, which is why they are in so much trouble about it.

Israel has very few options. They can't exterminate the Palestinians. They can't let them emigrate to Israel or elsewhere. They can't make peace with them. They can't fight them too hard. They can't fight them too soft. There are no choices for them. And the way they behave in Palestine is very similar to the way a failing regime behaves when its legitimacy comes into question. They imprison people without cause, place them in concentration camps, incite violence to legitimize violence, spend more money on security than research, and so forth. I've never been to Palestine, but from what I've read of the situation there, it's like a concentration camp. It's very similar to psychiatry. A failing regime grasping at straws to ward off its inevitable defeat.

I've had experience living in a concentration camp kind of existence. And when you're inside the concentration camp, sometimes it's a difficult decision you have to make whether to threaten or use violence or not. Because sometimes an oppressor will only respond to violence. This is a fact. I had to threaten to stab hospital wards with a pen in order to force them to bring food to my seclusion room. The decision was part of a long series of pressures I put on them (this one being the only truly violent one), which probably resulted in enough food to survive. Barely.

But oppressors all ultimately act the same. They inevitably spend all their energy on bolstering security rather than gaining knowledge or helping people. This is why fewer and fewer people choose to be psychiatrists: the pay really isn't very good, the training is exhausting, and the fact that they will be pigeonholed into an existence where they must oppress people every day really makes it hard. Why is the pay not so good? Probably because psychiatry prisons are locked down tighter than military compounds. They spend all their money on more and more traumatic seclusion rooms, rather than actually helping people, or gaining knowledge. Why don't they spend money on knowledge? Because as research comes out about psychiatry, it shows them that they're all doing it wrong; that psychiatry is an illegitimate institution.

And the fact that these oppressors act the same, when they're not bolstered by an external oppressive force, indicates that they all eventually cannibalize themselves in the end. So the smartest strategy for someone who is NOT living in a concentration camp system is non-violence. It is to put political pressure on the oppressors, forcing them to cannibalize themselves, without resorting to violence, and thereby legitimizing their oppression. The problem comes when your motivation is bad. People with bad motivation will collect up these victims of oppression and pray on their sufferings to the point of inciting them to violence. It will legitimize both oppressors, until they go to war and one oppressor is defeated. All oppressors act the same.

In a lot of ways, America is behaving the same way. But I'm not sure that the outcome for any of these oppressors is set in stone. I feel America will survive. America is a legitimate state with a troubled history of oppression. That's how I feel. But in order to survive, America has to do soul searching. This is what is happening with the Occupy / Tea Party movements. This is happening internally within the Republican Party, I'm aware, and may also be happening in the Democratic Party. Obama has made surprising decisions, such as the decision following the will of the people not to go to war with Syria. Even this decision may have been a mistake, but it's an example of soul searching.

The problem for Israel is that I'm not sure they have the luxury to be able to do soul searching, surrounded as they are by all these Arab states who do not believe in their right to exist. America is a world superpower, very rich, and having the most powerful military in the world. We can do soul searching. Allowing Israel to do soul searching for the benefit of Palestinians, unfortunately, is not very much on the to-do list for these Arab states. A lot of them are very authoritarian, and rely on strong security forces. And the problem is, these security states require some kind of propaganda to keep their publics supportive of the current regimes. Palestine is a good propaganda point for any dictator in a Muslim majority state.

So really, the right for Israel to exist is less of a test for Israel as it is a test for Arab Muslims. Are these Muslims going to point to the passages in the Qur'an which say that Jews will be hiding behind rocks and the rocks will tell them to kill them? While conveniently ignoring the passages enjoining us not to dispute with the People of the Book except by means better than mere disputation? Or are these Muslims going to work to promote more and more functional democracies at home, so they can deal with Israel intelligently? This is the test. Arabs as a nation have a right to exist on their own land, of course, but many of their states, I feel, are as illegitimate as Israel's or more so. The fate of Israel rests on the fate of Palestine. And the fate of Palestine, and Palestinians, I feel, rests on the ability for Arab Muslims to combat oppression in their own states so they can restrain their own militants from attacking Israel, and allow Israel to sort out its right to existence on its own. If Israel is purely an oppressor, the more it becomes isolated from support from the outside, the more they will cannibalize themselves. If not, they will survive, and peace will prevail.

The Super-Rich Are More Rich than They Need to Be

Society is degenerating, partly because people who could be accumulating wealth if given the opportunity do not have the opportunity. This is because money is being syphoned to the super-rich, instead of growing among the poor and middle-class. The very wealthy accumulate wealth without regard for the greater good of the economy, which is becoming more and more suitable for small businesspeople.

However, part of the problem is the attitude of the poor and middle-class. Throughout my life, I've observed the attitude of others with regards to changing the world. With rare exception, everyone I've come across simply has no wish to change the world. I don't know if this is because public school beats it out of them, or if it is because of a hereditary attitude that has been promulgating itself since the time when people would be hanged, crucified, or burned for trying to change the world, or perhaps if it is just a personal lack of conviction in their own ideas. Whatever it is, I think it is a problem. Part of the reason the rich can get away with accumulating wealth that should've been ours is because 99% of people are at a loss for what to do with extra wealth when they get it. Maybe a new home theater system. A Winnebago. A trip to the Bahamas. Start a business? Make a film? No, no. That is for people who want to change the world.

The super-rich are going to become more meaningless over time, because our cultural consciousness and economy are becoming decentralized, making centralized wealth less important. But what will replace our major corporations if nobody wants to change the world? They will be replaced with a bunch of mindless sheep begging to be invaded by people with the chutzpah to actually do things. I hear complaints about how Americans aren't accumulating wealth like they used to. I complain about that, because I tend to get stuck in the economic doldrums spending all the money I get on rent and utilities. But I complain about it because I actually have ambitions to change the world, which cannot be realized without extra wealth. Unfortunately, I'm a minority. Most people could care less about accumulating extra wealth, because they are more concerned with living comfortably and quietly smothering themselves with their own down pillows.

I don't care if you want to be a follower rather than a leader. We need followers just as much as we need leaders. All I ask is that if you are going to be a follower, at least try to follow people who are changing the world, rather than just paying a salary. Follow people who challenge you. Follow people who reward enterprise and good decisions. Follow people with a conscience, and with vision. To survive, society needs to constantly change. And it won't change unless we change it. People who refuse to change the world, even if they're not natural leaders, aren't doing anyone any favors.

How to Tell if there's a Conspiracy

Conspiracies exist. Everywhere. A conspiracy is defined as an attempt to do something unethical, which you don't want anyone beyond your circle of friends to know about. Of course, there are times when doing something unethical is necessary, usually to protect yourself. However, unfortunately, there are certain people in the world who are ignorant of the effects of unethical actions, which are always bad. These kinds of people commit conspiracies and think they'll "get away with it." You never get away with a conspiracy, but if you were trying to protect yourself, or something similar to that, then you may be able at least to survive the negative effects of the natural consequences of when the truth comes to light.

How to Tell if There's a Conspiracy:

You check the independent channels. They won't know all of the truth. This is because they're independent. They don't have a lot of social resources, so they can't access all of the truth. Some of them, you can't trust. Some of them have been infiltrated by conspirators who don't want the truth to be known.

You check the people who you think are committing the conspiracy. They'll mechanically repeat the exact same thing: "There is no conspiracy here." Or something relevantly similar to that. If they actually did make a mistake, and as a matter of fact they are decent people and not conspirators, they will send out marketing information revealing exactly what the mistakes were, who made them, and what they're doing to correct the problem.

You check the people who you trust, who have seen the truth. This is called an empirical observation. Eventually, you'll find a couple empirical observations through the appropriate channels which contradict the last mechanically repeated statement, "There is no conspiracy here." Then you know there's a conspiracy.

However. Even at this point, not all the questions have been answered. You don't know for certain who is the one committing the conspiracy. Depending on how much you've been hurt by the conspiracy, it's up to you to determine how extensive of an investigation you want to make to determine who the real conspirators are, and it's also up to you to determine how you're going to use violent means (like the government or the law) to neutralize the conspiracy and bring the criminals to justice.

This goes for corporate conspiracies, Illuminati conspiracies, government conspiracies, raver conspiracies, Satanist conspiracies, Buddhist conspiracies, etc.

Clarifications of Buddhism: Nonviolence, not Anti-Violence!

One of the problems faced by American Buddhists today, I think, is that we are too peaceful. Many of the teachings of Buddha indicate a strong central value of peace. But to many, this kind of peace simply means inaction.

Instead of trying to be grossly peaceful, we should try to be subtilely peaceful. We should have a deep and meaningful sense of peace.

Consider the Dorje Shugden controversy in Tibetan Buddhism. Dorje Shugden is an enlightened, wrathful protector whose worship The Dalai Lama has outlawed. He outlawed this practice, according to Wikipedia, because he read a story about Dorje Shugden saw, wherein the deity saw a bunch of Gelugpa Buddhists studying Nyingmapa Buddhism, and so he slaughtered them, because Dorje Shugden is a Gelugpa Buddhist and wanted to maintain the purity of Gelugpa Buddhism.

I can definitely understand the pressing need for Tibetan Buddhism to be adopted by Westerners, and I can definitely see how Buddhism may not have been so easily introduced if His Holiness didn't adopt such a firm perspective. Far be it from me to criticize the Dalai Lama.

But honestly, what's so bad about slaughtering people? Slaughtering people is something human beings do, and we need to recognize this. We can't just take our human nature lightly. There's an important lesson in our violence.

In my opinion, if we're going to slaughter people, we should do so in a mutual hatred stemmed from mutual respect. As Sonny said in the classic Dog Day Afternoon: "The guy who kills me... I hope he does it because he hates my guts, not because it's his job." We shouldn't kill people dispassionately, leaving them confused about why they are victimized for no apparent reason, and leaving us with a spiritual crisis because we don't understand our actions or the meaning of our lives. If we kill people, it should be because we fucking hate them. And because they fucking hate us. Period. End of story.

The Maoris, whom I have studied a bit, built a well-developed warrior ethic based on this idea. They are warriors. They hate people, and they kill them. They also send them medics to lovingly heal them up and make them strong and ready to fight, not because they love them, but because they hate them and want to fucking kill them. In this deep hatred is a profound feeling of love. If a Maori wants to kill your fucking guts, you should take it as a compliment.

But if an American wants to kill you, unfortunately, it's probably because his boss wants a little higher of a profit margin. Understandably, as Americans, this leaves us a little disoriented. Should I identify as an American, despite this desperate cynicism, or should I adopt a wholly new culture? Being American is thus difficult for us. However, unfortunately, this difficulty in being American, due to people's natural tendency to overgeneralize and miss the point of things, results in an unwarranted extension of the idea of restraining violence into the territory of anti-violence, which disregards not only the cynical American approach to violence, but the wholesome Maori approach as well. In this way, the baby is thrown out with the bath water.

So if Dorje Shugden wants to slaughter people, so what? He's enlightened; he can do what he wants. We should be less concerned with whether or not slaughtering people is justified, and more concerned with opening up to the other, and being receptive when the other opens up to us. There are teachings we must learn from others. And we Buddhists have wholesome things to contribute. Being anti-violent is actually a kind of closed-mindedness.

If we decide to be nonviolent, that's great. But how does this apply to others? This is our moral choice. Not theirs. It is far more important to be open to the ideas of others. And here's a crucial point. When we are open to others, and their wishes, belief systems, and so forth, we will begin to see the actual basis for nonviolence, rather than our mere projected basis for it. We will begin to see the most appropriate way to express our inner wishes, and we will see that regardless of violent intent, on either side of a dispute, if we are truly open to each other, the most equitable and intelligent way to resolve the dispute will come to light. And this way will probably (though not certainly) have no violence. In other words, the resolution will certainly be non-violent, but not anti-violent.

Moral codes are not dogma. Moral codes are a system of restraint that we apply to develop a sense of higher importance. Dogma, on the other hand, is the belief that a certain moral value has an essential quality by the virtue of which it is completely infallible and must be followed in every circumstance without fail. I tend to think instead of nonviolence as a guiding moral principle, we Western Buddhists tend to adopt anti-violence as dogma.

The Problem with Psychiatry in Three Quick Arguments

I've composed an open letter to psychiatrists which sums up, in three linear, deductively valid, logical arguments exactly what is wrong with psychiatry. Previously I was wondering how deep the rabbit hole goes; this is precisely how deep it goes. I'm mailing this to psychiatrists, and I want a response. I think I deserve one, and I hope others, especially those directly harmed by psychiatry, can see why.

Revolution in Equestria

It was a ray of sunshine which woke Applejack that morning. She thought it strange, being used to waking at the sound of the rooster. But no matter, she thought, merely a small setback for a hard day's work. Undeterred, she hopped right out of bed. After a quick breakfast, she set out to begin the day's harvest, but was greeted by a surprise visitor.

"Well howdy do, Mr. Filthy. I wasn't expecting you today. What can we do ya for? Another couple a bushels for the department store?" Applejack said.

"Applejack," Filthy Rich said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that, Filthy. What seems to be the hangup?"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to terminate our relationship."

Applejack stumbled.

"T... t... terminate?"

"Yes. I have just turned over our supply chain, for quite a profit. In fact, me and the family are going for an extended vacation to Canterlot. It was quite a deal."

"But... Mr. Filthy... our apple farm... Why, your our biggest buyer..."

"Yes, I know. It was a tough decision, but I believe it was the best we could make."

This can't be right, thought Applejack, it just can't.

"Well, I have to tell you, you're making a mighty awful mistake... our apples are the best in Equestria."

"We don't buy from Equestria anymore."

"Why... don't buy from Equestria... where do you buy from?"

"Funny story that... someone from a distant land called Earth by the name of Mr. Zhang stopped by the other day and offered just about everything we sell for practically nothing. I could hardly believe it, but when the shipments started coming in... well, business has never been better. Anyway, I'm off to Canterlot. Good luck, Applejack."

Applejack stood stunned as Filthy left the farm for what appeared to be the last time.

---

Though in her heart she was unsettled, Celestia smiled as she read the latest report on friendship from Twilight. But her meditations were interrupted as Luna burst through the door of the castle.

"Sister. I have terrible news."

"What is it, Luna? What's wrong?"

"A man from Earth is buying the supply chain for all the shops in Equestria. Twenty percent of the vendors now buy exclusively from Earth, and more are signing on by the minute."

Celestia weighed her response.

"I know, Luna," she replied. "I've already met Mr. Zhang. He's quite a disagreeable man."

"We must do something," said Luna. "If we don't act, within a week Mr. Zhang will own half the economy of Equestria."

"I've already decided."

Good, thought Luna. She's thought of something already. I knew she would be quick on her hooves.

"Sister, I'm sure you've chosen best," Luna said, "And I'll offer my resources any way I can. I can summon an army, if you wish, or we can use the elements of harmony and other magic to produce desirable objects to compete with this... Earth."

"No, sister. Nothing like that."

"Then how? How will we counter this threat?"

Celestia considered how best to put it. "If Zhang had come to our attention sooner, or if we had more influence on the land of Earth, we could have done as you suggest. But now, too many ponies' livelihoods depend on Mr. Zhang. If Zhang wants to buy some of our economy, I believe we will have to let him. It may hurt for a while, but given time, I have faith that the ponies of Equestria will make the right choice."

Luna could hardly believe what she was hearing. Let him? When the very integrity of the nation and pride of its people depended on action?

"You do not understand the graveness of this threat, sister. We are royals. I say we act like it. Nationalize the magic industry. Unionize the Grand Galloping Gallop. That event alone employs half of Equestria, and generates more income than all the shops combined. We'll show everyone what happens to foreigners who try to overrun Equestria."

"Luna, I'm sorry, but I've decided."

Luna shook her head in disbelief, and her disbelief turned to anger.

"Celestia. You are wrong. We have to act. We have to issue a decree. If you don't do it, I will."

Celestia turned a hardened gaze to her sister. "Luna, this has gone on long enough. We are not issuing a decree. Remember, I imprisoned you once, I can do it again."

Luna reared her head.

"You spineless coward!"

And with that, she turned to leave.

Celestia sprang up on her hooves. "Luna, consider carefully. Whatever you intend to do, I've already thought of it."

But Luna would not be deterred. The ponies will make the right choice, the dark princess thought, echoing Celestia's words. Fine. If she wants them to choose, we'll let them choose. We'll just see the kind of choices magical ponies are capable of.

---

"Applejack, calm down. I'm sure it's not that bad," Twilight said.

"But Twilight! All of the apples... from Earth... what about my farm?"

"You grow the best apples in Equestria. I'm sure somepony will want to buy them."

"You don't understand... he was my biggest buyer! And the apples will go to harvest in two weeks! Who can I find to buy them so quickly?"

"We'll just have to put our heads together," Twilight said. "We'll find a solution."

Applejack sniffled.

"Applejack, it's okay. Together, as friends, we're unstoppable," Twilight said.

Just then, Rainbow Dash burst through the door.

"Twilight! Luna's in Ponyville, and you wouldn't believe the things she's saying! Come see for yourself!" And Rainbow flew straight off.

"This is great, just the distraction we needed. Applejack, why don't we go see the princess, and we'll worry about the farm later, okay?"

"Okay, Twilight. I just hope we come up with something..."

"We will, I promise."

Twilight and Applejack left the library and made their way to the town center. All the ponies were gathered, and the excitement was palpable.

"Hey, this is quite the gathering," Twilight said to one of the crowd, hoping to get Applejack into the spirit of things. "What's all this about?"

"Luna is talking about a new order, freedom of choice, I just... can't believe it! Shh, she's still speaking..."

Twilight was confused—freedom of choice? I make choices all the time... I feel free... what could she mean?

"And furthermore," Luna declared, "I decree that the night shall be a time of freedom and enjoyment. Anypony who wants to exercise his or her lifestyle choices, has the freedom to do so any time, but especially at night."

The ponies looked on in wonder.

"I also decree that the Everfree Forest, a place of freedom, as well as all national parks and buildings, shall be common property, to be available to anypony as he or she chooses."

What an amazing idea, Twilight thought. Common property? Why this surely means that instead of being served to whatever pony shows up first, it must be shared... and sharing means friendship, doesn't it?

"And for the sake of everypony and their unalienable rights, I have one final decree. This may be frightening at first, but it is very important. I decree,"

The crowd was hanging on the next word.

"...That my sister and I both renounce our role as rulers of Equestria."

The crowd gasped.

"That's right. From now on, you will choose your ruler. Of course, the ruler must be of royal family. But nevertheless, the choice remains with you."

A revolutionary idea! Twilight thought. It would make more sense if any pony could be chosen instead of just those of royal family, but this is a significant change.

"Look, it's Celestia!" someone shouted.

Celestia descended from the sky and landed next to Luna. She turned to her sister and hissed, "What you've done is rash beyond words."

"You think so? Well the next move is yours. Try to undo my decree, I dare you; you'll have a revolution," she hissed back.

Celestia addressed the crowd. "What you've heard is correct. Your destiny is in your own hooves; You may now choose your own ruler. Me and Luna humbly present ourselves as candidates. Elections will be held tomorrow."

Rainbow dashed up to Twilight and Applejack.

"Did you hear that?" She said. "Can you believe it? Choose our own ruler! Why I would make the most awesome ruler in all of Equestria!"

"Rainbow, didn't you hear? She said only royals can run," Twilight said.

"Well I'm pretty royal," Rainbow said, "I mean, come on! I'm just full of royal awesomeness, and I can think of some changes I'd make right now..."

"I just hope there's something I can do for my farm," Applejack said, still downtrodden.

"Don't worry," Twilight said. "I'm going to pay the Princess a visit. I have some ideas I want to discuss with her. We'll address the farm situation. I'm sure she'll be favorable."

---

The sun shone through the ornate stained glass windows of the royal palace, and Twilight was optimistic.

"So, your highness, about candidates. You said only royals can run, right?" Twilight began.

"That's right," Luna said.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you and Celestia are the only royals in Equestria. Don't you think that narrows the possibilities a bit too much?"

"No," Luna said. "I'm sure in your studies you've come across royal heritage, right?"

"I tried to study that subject, but every time I make a request to Canterlot, the answer comes back that the knowledge is secret," Twilight said.

Luna glared at Celestia.

"That's right," Celestia said, "It's secret in order to protect ponies from descending into chaos. But I think what Luna is getting at is that there are ways for anypony to become royal."

"Really? How?" Twilight asked.

"It's a difficult subject and takes time to explain," Luna said. "We'll have all the time in the world to discuss it later, but I'm sure there are more pressing concerns?"

"Well yes. But just to make sure I got this right, anyone can become royal?" Twilight asked.

"That's right," Luna said.

"Well that's reassuring. So. Moving on... I was just wondering, your highness, what changes do each of you plan to implement?" Twilight said.

"Well, for one, I..." Celestia began.

"Let's skip the games," Luna snapped. "We both know you're not going to win, Celestia."

"I thought it was a free choice," Celestia retorted.

"Everypony associates me with freedom. Do you really think after I just gave them their freedom they would turn around and choose the old order? You're smarter than that."

Celestia flushed red. "That's a pretty arrogant assumption."

"Remember, you said ponies would make the right choice? Well, they will. Believe me."

The two sisters glared at each other.

"Okay, well... that's... edifying." Twilight said. "Shall we start with you, then, Luna?"

"What do you want to know? I have a lot of ideas, and unlike those of my opponent," Luna shot a look at Celestia, "They are all very innovative."

"I'm sure they are," Twilight said carefully. "And one area that needs... innovation, is the farm situation. Applejack says that Filthy Rich no longer does business with her. What can we do about that?"

"Twilight Sparkle, that is, and always has been, my first and biggest concern. Applejack isn't alone; half the small businessponies of Equestria have the same problem."

"Right," Twilight said, with sparkles in her eyes. "So my thinking is this: Applejack makes the best apples in all of Equestria. If she simply has a market to sell them in, she can't go wrong. But the value of the bit has not kept pace with the new goods on the marketplace. This is, in my opinion, because it runs under the old system. The palace determines the value of the bit, based on the needs of the most profitable businessponies, but the rest of Equestria must follow along even if it doesn't apply to them. So why not set up local currencies and allow the marketplace to determine the value of the bit? That will liberate the marketplace, and give Applejack new opportunities to sell her products."

"Twilight, your knowledge of economics is impressive, but I think you're wrong." Luna sighed. "It's hard to explain, but without the palace-controlled bit, nopony would be able to trade with one another. It just doesn't work that way."

"But I thought the whole idea of the new order was freedom of choice..." Twilight said, taken aback.

"Choices come with contexts, like unicorns come with magic. Like a unicorn without a horn, a choice without a context is meaningless. The palace-controlled bit is the context of trade. That's just how it works."

"But... what can we do to help Applejack?" Twilight asked.

"The solution is simple. Nopony really wants to buy Earth apples. They cause indigestion. They taste bad. They look ugly. Ponies only buy them because they're cheap," Luna said.

"But how do we get ponies the money to buy good apples?" Twilight wondered.

"The first step, as I've been saying all along," Luna said, "Is to unionize the Gallop."

Celestia snorted.

"If we allow ponies to band together to determine the rewards of labor," Luna continued, "More money flows, more ponies have money, and more business goes to your friend."

"If you unionize the Gallop," Celestia said, "It'll be everypony for himself. You'll have to deal with more worker demands than the palace has seen in the history of Equestria."

"It's the only solution which makes sense," Luna said.

"It's the worst solution I've heard," Celestia retorted.

"You've offered no solutions," Luna said. "You just want to wish the problem away."

"You just want to take control over all of Equestria," Celestia responded. "It's what you've wanted from the beginning."

"You're the one who won't give up control. My motivations are good."

"You have no royal instinct. You make no sense."

"You have no imagination."

"Guys," Twilight said, "Are you sure my solution doesn't make sense?"

"YES!" They both shouted.

"Oh," Twilight said, startled, "Okay then. Well, we'll just have to see who wins, right?"

"Right," Luna said, glaring at Celestia.

With that, Twilight left the palace. She couldn't help but think, I have a bad feeling about this.

---

Pinky Pie's party to celebrate the election was rapidly becoming one of the most successful she'd ever thrown. And even Applejack, still reeling from her loss, was getting into the excitement.

"Luna won!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I mean, can you believe it? This is so cool!"

"Yeah, if this isn't a topsy-turvy change, it'll do until the change gets here," Applejack said.

"I wish Celestia would've won," Rarity said. "Equestria was just fine before the election. It's all too sudden."

"I don't think so," Fluttershy said. "I mean, I think Luna has good ideas. She's right that we should be kinder to the workers at the gallop."

"I didn't really care who won," Pinkie said. "It means a great party! Democracy is fun!"

"Yeah, I just wish it were more... of a democracy democracy. Ya know?" Rainbow said. "I mean, only royals get to run. What's up with that?"

"Well, the princesses were a little nebulous on that point," Twilight said, "But apparently anyone can become royalty. I just don't know how it's done."

"Really?" Rainbow said, "I would make the best royalty ever! Man I'm going to be the next President of Equestria, and I'll make up the coolest rules..."

"You're not President yet, Rainbow," Twilight said, sarcastically.

"All this really means," Rarity said, "Is that we have one ruler now instead of two. I don't know what Luna has in mind, speaking of rules, but such a drastic change rings of chaos to me."

"Well I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow," Twilight said. "I don't think all her ideas are the best, but it'll be interesting to find out what she does. And I'm sure it'll all turn out okay."

"Yeah, don't worry about rules," Pinkie exclaimed, "Time for party!"

---

The next day everypony eagerly awaited the new decrees of their President. And Luna showed up right on time to satisfy them. Only Twilight had some idea of what the decrees were going to be, but even she couldn't help but show a little excitement.

Luna began, "I am happy to see all of you gathered here today. I know you have a hard day's work ahead of you, and as the small businesspony is my first concern, I'll be as brief as possible. First of all, I understand that everypony has thoughts and ideas and fantasies that are unique to them. And the soul of free choice is free exercise of ideas."

The ponies seemed confused.

Luna continued, "As you know, the old rules have been restrictive. But the rules have changed, and society should change with it. I am the last pony to stand in the way of freedom. Therefore, I decree... homosexuality is now legal."

The ponies gazed in amazement. But Twilight was skeptical. What does this have to do with anything? She thought. She's just trying to win political points.

"And furthermore," Luna continued, "If anypony wants to share photographs of their experiences with the Brony market, that, too, is acceptable."

The audience applauded, hesitantly.

"Also, I decree that the Grand Galloping Gallop is to be unionized. That's right: all ponies have the right to bargain for fair pay in their employment."

Twilight knew this, of course. But Luna delivered one unexpected decree, and she could deliver more.

"There is one more thing," Luna said. "Like everypony here, I value harmony and solidarity among all Equestrians. But there are circumstances where friendship, though indispensable, is not enough. There are times, in short, when defense, even armed defense, is necessary. The time has come for pony self-determination. Therefore, I decree... the palace will immediately form a national standing army."

Twilight's heart sunk in her chest. A standing army? She considered the idea. Of course, she's right: there are times when we need to defend ourselves. But Twilight couldn't help but feel something was wrong. She looked around; surprisingly, the idea seemed to go over well with the others. But how far would this go?

"Of course," Luna continued, "No pony is required to join the army unless they so choose. Recruiters will be taking names as soon as the infrastructure is in place."

Two unexpected decrees. Would there be more?

"That is all for now," Luna said. "I will deliver more decrees as they become necessary. Thank you for your support, and enjoy freedom to the fullest!"

Luna left the stage, and the audience cheered. Then, all the ponies discussed the new decrees. It was a strange turn of events. Twilight surveyed the audience, and made out Princess Celestia. Her gaze was hard as stone. Twilight knew she wouldn't confine herself to the shadows forever. She had something in mind.

---

"Celestia, Celestia. I had no idea it was in you. You, hiding behind your palace walls, nothing but meditation all day, ordering people around. So... boring," Discord crooned. "I would've thought maybe ordering some lowly underling to liberate me, but you doing it yourself? This is, interesting."

"I wouldn't have, believe me, but it was my only choice," Celestia said. "Luna forced my hand. The very idea of democracy invites nothing but chaos. Well, if it's chaos she wants, it's chaos she'll get."

"I like the way you think, Celestia. But my powers are weak. You could turn me into stone any minute. A day or two of being a rock, I can stand. But I know you'd imprison me for all eternity. And I don't want to be a rock forever. It's just not my style. But you obviously freed me for a reason."

"Get to the point," Celestia snapped.

"Ah yes. The point is, if I do whatever it is you want, what's to stop you from turning me back into stone the second I do it? If I do your bidding, what do I get in return?"

Celestia thought about it. "Clearly the rules have changed. In a democracy, you need a little chaos."

"Oh, I like where this is going," Discord said.

Celestia continued, repulsed at the idea she was about to suggest. "Owing to the new... situation, I'm willing to give you charter over some aspect of the palace government."

"What piece?"

"We'll work out the details. But I need to hear ideas."

"Well," Discord said, thoughtfully. "The thought of a charter, I say. That's just wonderful: my own piece of government. And that gives me a very good idea. Let me tell you what I propose."

---

"Spike, start writing," Rainbow ordered.

"I really think you're wasting your time," Spike said. "I've sent over two hundred of your letters to the Princess, and she hasn't responded to any of them."

"I don't care, Spike. She needs to listen to me. And I'm going to keep writing until she does."

"But..." Spike protested.

"Don't make me make you!"

"Oh right," Spike retorted, "What are you going to do?"

"I... Spike! Just start writing!"

"It's not your job to order me around," Spike grumbled. But he sighed and pulled out the pen and paper.

"Dear Princess Luna," Rainbow began. "This is bullhockey. You told Twilight Sparkle that anyone can be a royal. But I'm still waiting to claim my rightful title. And anyway, when is your term as President up? I've suggested two hundred thirty-two decrees, and you've followed up on none of them. So when do I get to decree them myself? Sincerely, your angry opponent, Rainbow Dash."

"Are you sure you want to call yourself an 'angry opponent?' I mean that seems a little... unstrategic," Spike said.

"Just send it, Spike," Rainbow said.

Spike sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm sending it."

"And if she doesn't respond to THIS one," Rainbow said, "Boy, there'll be trouble."

"You said that the last time," Spike grumbled as he sent the letter.

The door of the library opened, and Twilight came in.

"Twilight!" Spike said. "How was your visit with the Princess? Not too good I take it..."

"It was a disaster. I went to the palace three times."

"And?" Rainbow asked expectingly.

"All three times she didn't even open the doors!"

"That... that... tyrant!" Rainbow punched the air.

"And the last time, one of the palace guards even told me to leave, claiming I was 'trespassing' on palace property," Twilight continued.

"Why I'd show him..." Rainbow said.

Spike asked, "Didn't he know you were a student of the original ruler of Equestria?"

"He mentioned that. He was very respectful. But I knew he wasn't going to give an inch," Twilight said. "I have a feeling something bad is afoot."

"Oh I knew that from the beginning," Rainbow fumed. "This whole 'democracy' thing is a sham."

"Well, just because Luna doesn't implement all your plans doesn't mean democracy is a sham, Rainbow," Twilight mused. "Still, I don't like how this feels. Something is wrong. Why did Luna kick Celestia out in the first place? Why is she afraid of her? And when I visited them, they were both fighting. Fighting! Something terrible has come between them. And what about this Mr. Zhang? What does he want?"

"Oh don't get me started on Mr. Zhang," Rainbow said. "I think we should have kicked him out the moment he got here. In fact, I even suggested that in one of my letters."

"I don't know, Twilight," Spike said, "But I think Mr. Zhang is at the root of all this."

"I agree," Twilight said, "But one thing's for sure. We're never going to solve him unless Celestia and Luna learn to work together."

"Amen to that," Spike said.

"Look," Rainbow said, "It's Princess Celestia! She's leading a parade. And there's Rarity and Applejack... Maybe Celestia can solve all this..."

"Celestia! I knew she was planning something," Twilight said. "Let's go have a look."

Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow joined the procession. Twilight knew something big was about to happen, and she knew a change would be good. But every pony in the crowd seemed angry. She knew the answer would come when the procession stopped, which it did, at City Hall.

Celestia turned to face the crowd. But it was Applejack who spoke first.

"Everypony," She said, "I know Luna's democracy is a good idea. A great one. And I reckon a lot of thought went into it. But my poor farm is suffering, Big Macintosh is overworked, and I just can't abide the way Princess Luna's been treating the small businesspony."

The crowd nodded in approval.

"I mean, she's taxing us to death. She's cut farm subsidies and wants to cut them further. She wants to unionize everything, but I'm not getting a lick of income to pay for it. Ponies, we have to do something."

Rarity spoke next: "When I first began my own clothing business, I had full control over the production line, and everything worked like clockwork. But now Luna has changed the entire economy. Materials that used to be inexpensive are now expensive, and as a result I have much less creative control. But it's even worse than that.

"One of the most respected clothing outfits in Canterlot was suffering, and, I agree, it got to the point where something had to be done to save the company. But I cannot agree with what Luna did. She... socialized it! The owner of Haute Hooves is a personal friend of mine, and her work is absolutely brilliant. But that day she completely lost control over her company. HER company! When she visited me, she was in tears. I know some of the workers disagreed with her management style, but I think that everypony who has the courage to start their own business, the fortitude to keep it running, and the creative genius to satisfy the customer, should have control over their business."

An angry shout came from the crowd: "The Princess is a socialist!"

"I think something just has to change," Applejack said. "It just has to!"

"I couldn't agree more," Celestia began. "Ponies of Equestria: I've always had the interests of everypony at heart. And Luna's system, while innovative, is unfair. She controls everything, and doesn't listen to the common pony. We need checks and balances. That is why, by the authority of the people, I decree that we form a legislative branch. And I declare this assembly here today the first official political party. We shall be called, the Grand Old Pony Party of Equestria!"

A raucous cheer rose up from the crowd. Twilight could hardly contain herself; the absolute brilliance of the idea overwhelmed her.

"Wow!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Our own political party! I would've chosen a cooler name, but this is awesome! Maybe I can finally make the changes I've wanted!"

Your move, little sister, Celestia thought with pride.

---

As a way of thumbing her nose, Celestia invited Princess Luna to be the first to address the new legislative assembly. But Luna seemed completely cool and collected. What could she be thinking? Celestia thought. Doesn't she realize how much power she's lost? As Luna strode to the podium, Celestia was nervous.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts," Princess Luna began. "When Celestia and I ruled Equestria together, I learned many things. But most of all, I learned that of all things, ideas are the most powerful. And the idea of freedom is the most precious idea a pony could have. To reify freedom, to make it real, is a supreme gift. By forming this assembly, you ponies have done just that. I always thought that the Presidency had too much power, and from the beginning, I promised the end of royalty. Therefore, whatever decrees and ideas you come up with, I will faithfully execute. I am nothing but grateful for this opportunity to serve my country."

What is she hiding? Celestia thought.

"Thus, please hesitate no further. I decree this assembly in session," Luna said. And without another word, she left.

Celestia approached the podium. "Very well," she said. "What shall we do first?"

Discord made his way into the gallery, careful not to be spotted by anypony, especially not Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, or Twilight Sparkle, who were watching intently from the opposite side of the gallery. This was his moment to shine. He could barely keep still in his seat.

"First of all," one pony began, "the social depravity of Equestria is deeply disturbing. Therefore, I decree homosexuality illegal!"

"You can't do that!" Rainbow Dash said, who was also in the assembly.

"Now now," Celestia said, "We have to vote on it."

"Oh, sorry," The pony said. "I move that we decree homosexuality illegal!"

"NAY!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Celestia cleared her throat. "All in favor?"

"AYE!" the cry rose.

"All opposed?"

"NAY!" Rainbow repeated, joined by several ponies. But the Aye's had clearly won the vote.

"Very well," Celestia declared. "Homosexuality is now illegal! Next item..."

"I move that we decree pornography illegal!" Another pony said.

"Very well... that may have been good for business, but we'll vote on it," Celestia said. "All in favor?"

"AYE!" the ponies cried.

"All opposed?"

"NAY!" said Rainbow and a couple of ponies.

"This is ridiculous," Rainbow exclaimed.

"The ayes have it! Pornography is now illegal. And now on to..."

"And socialism! Socialism too!"

Rarity was a little confused, but she couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Okay, all in favor?"

"AYE!"

"All opposed..."

"...nay?"

"The ayes have it! Socialism is now..."

"I move we abolish the palace currency, dismantle the pony express system, and declare patriotic hoof-stomping the official form of applause!"

The din of hooves stomping resounded in the chamber.

"Wait I don't think that's..." Celestia began, but was interrupted.

"Oh, now the PRINCESS wants to tell us what to do? We should've never made her speaker. We should've never put all this power in one person!"

"This isn't right," Rarity said. "This is wrong. Princess Celestia should be allowed to speak..."

"Well we have to vote on it, but remember these ideas are to become laws..."

"I move we vote on it RIGHT NOW! You have a problem with that, Princess?" The pony sneered.

Celestia glared at him. "Very well. All in favor of this sudden expedient?"

"Aye!" Several ponies said.

"All opposed."

"NAY!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Your ideas are stupid!"

But the Ayes clearly had it. Celestia swallowed her pride. "Okay," she said. "Very well. The proposal is now law."

"I move we disband the army!" Said one pony. But an angry murmur grew in the assembly; the army was the main source of income for a large number of ponies.

"All in favor?" Celestia said.

"AYE!" Rainbow shouted.

"All opp..."

"NAY!" Shouted everyone else.

"What?? That was the best idea so far!" Rainbow said incredulously.

"Oh," Fluttershy said. "I remember that was Rainbow's first idea." Her heart went out to Rainbow.

"Come on," Applejack said to herself. "Do something for the small businesspony."

"I have in my very hooves a list of socialists in Equestria," said a certain pony. "Ponyville is a rat's nest of socialism, and I happen to know their ringleader is known socialist Twilight Sparkle."

"What? That's not true!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Therefore, I move that we abolish all taxes in Canterlot, but raise taxes in Ponyville! All in favor?"

"It's my job to say that, remember?" Celestia said, angrily.

"Who cares what your job is?" The pony yelled. "I'm a legislator, I say what your job is!"

"That's not how it works!" Celestia said.

"Oh, more orders from the PRINCESS! Who wants to kick out this wannabe queen?"

"AYE!" came the yell.

Celestia suppressed a tremor of fear. "You can't just... kick me out! We have to VOTE on it!"

"We don't need to vote! Everypony knows your tricks!"

"YOU are OUT OF ORDER!" Celestia shouted. "I decree..."

But the other pony's eyes grew wild with anger. "FUCK YOU, ESTABLISHMENT PONY!"

Celestia gasped.

"Why that..." Rarity exclaimed, but was too shocked to finish the sentence.

"Oh Celestia!" Fluttershy gasped.

"KICK HER OUT!" The ponies yelled.

Rainbow Dash could barely think of what to say. "Ponies! Don't you understand democracy at all? We have to work together!"

"You're a friend of Twilight Sparkle, the socialist! Kick her out too!"

"All in favor!" Someone shouted.

"AYE!!"

Celestia was astounded. Discord's eyes caught her glance, and his look said it all. She knew what he was thinking: You were once ruler of all Equestria, but now you're a nothing nopony. Get out of here: your time is over.

Tears welled up in Celestia's eyes. She left in a flurry. Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight looked on in astoundment.

"Hey! Let me go! You can't... I'm a LEGISLATOR!" Rainbow Dash struggled and fought, but the other ponies were too many and too strong. Discord smiled to himself: He hadn't said a word, yet he was the ruler of the assembly, and he knew it. Yes, he thought, this is by far the best trick I've ever pulled.

---

Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had convened themselves at Twilight's place. Twilight, however, wasn't there.

"We just have to put our hooves together and come up with something," Applejack said.

"I wish Twilight was here," said Rainbow, crestfallen. "She's the pony with all the ideas."

"She's gone to find Celestia. And I don't blame her," Applejack said.

"That poor, poor pony," Fluttershy said. "I mean, kicking her out like that... that's just so impolite. The way they treated her..."

"Tell me about it," Rainbow said.

As the other ponies discussed, Rarity sat alone in the corner, barely holding back tears. Spike couldn't bear it.

"Rarity, I swear, if there is anything I can do..." he said.

Rarity looked at him, and the tears flowed in quiet streams. "Oh Spike," Rarity said. "I should've never joined that dreadful party!"

"Rarity, I know you ponies will come up with something. I've seen you in worse scrapes before, and a pony like you? You're the most radiant, beautiful, magical..." Spike was interrupted as Rarity embraced him and held him close. And together they shared a common tear: for each other, for Celestia, for the gang... for Equestria.

---

Twilight Sparkle finally found Celestia deep in the Everfree Forest. She had never seen Celestia like this before: her beautiful hair, which had once flowed so free, seem to droop like a willow. And Celestia could not hold back the sobs.

"Celestia," Twilight gasped, taken aback at her state.

"Oh Twilight," Celestia said. "Everything is all wrong. It's all messed up."

"I know, but surely we can do something. There's always a solution. We just have to have faith, and think this through."

"What's there to think about? Luna runs the show now."

"Well what are her motivations? Do you know what Luna wants in the first place?"

"Of course," Celestia said. "She wants to stop Mr. Zhang. And it's so terrible; I want exactly the same thing. But she had to come in and make all these changes; she wouldn't consult me. She doesn't trust me! My own sister! All I want is what's best for Equestria..."

"She's taken over, hasn't she?" Twilight said.

"She's gotten everything she's wanted. And I know in my heart she's a good pony, and a good ruler. But lately, I just... I feel I've lost... my trust."

"Celestia, I'm so sorry..." Twilight said.

"She's my friend, Twilight. My friend!" The word had so much meaning between them, and Celestia uttering it like this was a desperate plea. "I should've never trusted Discord."

"Wait, Discord is behind this?" Twilight could hardly believe it.

"Of course he is. Couldn't you see the signs? He controls the whole legislature."

"But the legislature was your idea! What happened?"

"No Twilight, it was his idea. And he kicked me out. And one of the ponies... swore at me!"

"Oh Celestia," Twilight said, "This is terrible! What can we do?"

"Twilight," Celestia said, composing herself, "I have no power anymore in Equestria. There is only one thing that can save us now: The magic of friendship."

---

Twilight Sparkle overlooked Ponyville from the library. A large crowd, organized by Rainbow Dash, had formed; they called themselves Occupy Ponyville. Rainbow had decreed that they vote by consensus, and that nopony was to be the leader. Throughout the night came impassioned speeches of how the system was broken. How Discord had organized a puppet legislature; how Mr. Zhang was behind all of this; how big businessponies were the only ones whose voices mattered.

It was all very touching, Twilight thought, but what exactly did Rainbow hope would happen? The legislature was legislating like crazy against Occupy, and the police were loyal to the businessponies. In all her years of studying friendship, Twilight had never seen less of it in Equestria than now. And lurking in the shadows, as always, was Princess Luna. That night she was visiting Ponyville, and Twilight could see her from the library. She was nonchalantly sharing a word or two with the local army chapter. Despite everything, Twilight thought, she hadn't a care in the world. And why not? After all, Luna firmly controlled the army. The army was her idea in the first place. For all the legislating that Discord's ponies had done, they hadn't weakened her position a bit.

Twilight had always admired Luna, but she couldn't help but find herself mistrusting her. Why did Luna want an army in the first place? What was she planning? Twilight wanted to find out. But after the incident at the palace, the thought of approaching Luna frightened her. She ruminated over the situation, but as much as she disliked the idea, she couldn't think of another solution. She had to talk to her. She thought she had an idea of what Luna was up to, but she needed to confirm it. And she had to trust that Luna would remember her for who she was: a faithful student, a steadfast admirer, and a loyal subject. She made up her mind: She was going to talk to her directly. She could only hope that Celestia was right, and that Luna had some spark of good in her still.

As Twilight made her way through the crowd, she noticed the signs clasped by the ponies' hooves. She saw Applejack; hers said, "GOPP AGAINST DISCORD." Fluttershy's said, "Make love, not Chaos." She saw one pony with a sign that said, "Lost a job: found an Occupation." And one that said, "Fillies for freedom forever!"

Finally Twilight reached the place where Luna was slowly pacing. Twilight was nervous, and the armyponies eyed her suspiciously. But she was resolved to talk to Luna. She approached the dark Princess, and cleared her throat.

"Princess Luna?" She said.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna acknowledged, barely noticing her.

"Can we please talk?"

"What is there to talk about?"

"Well back there in the assembly... I was just thinking... this couldn't be what you had in mind by democracy."

"And why not?"

"Well Discord runs the whole show."

"Yes. You need a little bit of chaos in democracy. Surely someone with your intellect could've realized that."

"But aren't you afraid they'll take away your power? I mean, the way they treated Celestia..."

Luna shook her head. "Twilight. You may be an expert on friendship, but you know nothing of government. They're not going to do a thing to me."

Twilight was ennobled; she seemed to be opening up to her. "Are you sure? I mean, whatever they say becomes law."

"Yes, but I control the army. And you must remember the original rules: whatever I say becomes law, too."

"Perhaps... but I was just wondering... what's this about the army in the first place?"

"National defense," Luna said, shortly. Twilight considered this, but she just couldn't believe it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe that. In the entire history of Equestria, no country has ever even come close to rivaling our power. Our economy, though perhaps a bit downtrodden, is still the most resilient I've studied. And now you say we need an army, too?"

"You don't like it?" Luna asked simply.

"No, frankly, I don't," Twilight said.

"Then why don't you join your friend Rainbow?" Luna said. "See what happens."

Twilight was still nervous, but she felt she had to be stern. "Luna, your ideas are brilliant. But I just have to question your style of leadership. Homosexuality, okay. I mean, it's not my thing... maybe Rainbow Dash... and I'm not too sure about Fluttershy sometimes... but they can make their own decisions, and I respect them. They're my friends," Twilight said. "And unionizing the Gallop—not the decision I would've made, but I can live with it. But going to war? That's just wrong. I know it. I feel it in the very fiber of my being."

"Who said I was going to war?" Luna glared at Twilight.

"Come on," Twilight said, her heart filling more and more with courage. "We both know that's the goal. Who do you plan to attack?"

"I don't like the way this conversation is going."

"Or do you plan to take back Equestria? Declare yourself absolute ruler?"

Luna looked away.

"I know what it is," Twilight said, suddenly realizing. And the realization frightened her; but more than that, it made her angry. "Earth! You can't stand Mr. Zhang. And in retaliation, you plan to attack the entire planet!"

Luna turned suddenly to Twilight. "What would you have me do?" She snarled. "In less than a year's time, Mr. Zhang's army could wipe out all of Equestria, and he has all the businessponies in his pocket. Inaction is not an option."

"Luna," Twilight said sincerely, "You can't fight all of Earth."

"Well unless you have another idea, Twilight, that's exactly what I intend to do."

Twilight was heartbroken. She wanted to say more, but she knew the discussion was over.

"Rainbow was right," Twilight said. "Democracy is broken."

Twilight strode determinedly through the Occupy crowd. She paused, looked at the ground, and shook her head. She found the podium, where Pinkie Pie was addressing the crowd.

"And that... meanie! She... swore! At Celestia!" Pinkie said.

"Uncalled for!" Somepony responded.

"So uncivilized!" Said another.

"The Grand Old Pony Party may have been a good idea," Pinkie continued, "But I've thrown a million parties, and if there's one thing I know about parties, it's that you have to be KIND!"

"That's right!" Fluttershy declared, stomping her hoof for emphasis.

Twilight sniffed. She knew her friends were all in this together. She had to speak.

"Pinkie, I have something to say," Twilight said.

"Go ahead Twilight!" Pinkie responded, stepping off the podium. Twilight stepped up and addressed the crowd.

"From the beginning of democracy, I have been nothing short of amazed at the philosophical brilliance of the whole experience," Twilight said. "And all you ponies, who made it real, I admire you from the depths of my heart."

Twilight knew she had the audience captivated.

"But I could never choose sides between Celestia and Luna. I never understood why at one point they ruled together, as friends, but now they suddenly began to fight," Twilight continued. "And now all of Equestria is fighting too. Friendship, in this midnight struggle, seems distant as a mere dream."

A stir of emotion ran through the crowd. Nopony, they all knew, knew more about friendship than Twilight.

"But now it is resoundingly clear. This standing army Luna formed—the worst idea in the history of Equestria!"

"That's RIGHT!" Rainbow shouted.

"This army was not formed for no reason at all. Luna has dark plans, and I believe she is working with Discord. She doesn't want to defend us. She doesn't want that at all. She wants war!"

The crowd murmured; shocked and angry.

"She plans to go to WAR with Earth! With an entire planet!"

"No!" somepony shouted.

"I'm afraid it's true: I heard it from her directly. But fillies and gentlecolts... and friends."

They were hanging on her words.

"WE have the power to stop her. This is a DEMOCRACY now, whether Luna likes it or not!"

The crowd shouted in assent.

"In a democracy, even if you voluntarily choose to join an army, the President cannot send everypony to war without their consent!"

"That's right! It's our CHOICE!" came the response.

"That is why, I say all of us, right now, join together as FRIENDS and march right up to Princess Luna and declare, with all our hearts, that she can NOT go to war with Earth!"

Several ponies stomped at the ground in approval.

"She may not listen. She may even have us imprisoned. But we have no other choice. And I for one, will not stand by quietly while runs roughshod over our rights. The destiny of Equestria is to be decided, by us, right now: this night. Who's with me?!"

The ponies all shouted with approval, and loudly stomped their hooves.

"I knew she could do it," Fluttershy said quietly to herself, a tear in her eye.

---

Discord and Luna had locked themselves away in Ponyville city hall, where they prepared for the culmination of weeks of planning.

"And you think Mr. Zhang will go along with it," Luna said with lingering disbelief.

"Of course he will! Nothing like a good, chaotic war to stir up Earth's economy," Discord said.

"And you know we're supposed to be undermining him," Luna said.

"Well, of course, but that's just a small detail. And with his support, the businessponies will be in the bag. All the power of Equestria is behind you! Earth doesn't stand a chance!"

"You know the legislature is not going to go along with this," Luna added.

"Well yes, of course. But they're the legislature! Not going along with stuff is what they do. You're the real power here. Now, let's go over what you're going to say again."

"Alright," Luna said.

"Ooh this is so fun!" Discord clapped. "Go on, go on."

Luna cleared her throat. "Ponies of Equestria," she began. "I know some of you may disagree with what I am about to say. I know we all cherish peace and friendship."

"They'll just eat this up," Discord giggled.

"But we all know Mr. Zhang is the biggest challenge that Equestria..."

"Threat! Say threat," Discord said.

"We all know Mr. Zhang is the biggest threat that Equestria has seen. And while the bonds of friendship usually demand love, we all know sometimes they demand force."

"Ooh, this is delicious..."

"I was elected leader of Equestria, and as leader, I see clearly the two paths before us. One leads to action, to defend our great nation, and the other leads to inaction. But I cannot let this threat go unchecked. That is why I decree..."

"Here it comes..."

"That Equestria is now at WAR with Earth, and all of its people." Luna stomped her hoof at the word.

"Brilliant. You truly are the ruler of Equestria. Celestia couldn't hold a candle to you."

Luna gulped. Celestia, she thought. My dear sister...

"What's wrong?" Discord asked nervously. "Oh, don't worry about Celestia. I'm sure she's found a new country to rule over. Now, let's address the crowd! I see they've gathered here already, ahead of schedule. This is perfect!"

Luna hardened her resolve. She had planned for this moment since the very beginning—since her first argument with Celestia in the palace. And now was the moment of truth. She left the city hall and took the stage.

Celestia had decided, against her better judgement, to join the crowd. She stood in the back, no longer the graceful ruler of old, but a defeated and disenfranchised pony like everyone else. But she wasn't resentful. She had done what she could—what she thought best. The rest was up to Princess Luna. And despite everything her mind had told her, her heart still clung to the distant hope that Luna was still her sister. So she stood, unnoticed, awaiting her latest decree.

"Show me what a police state looks like!" Rainbow shouted.

"THIS IS WHAT A POLICE STATE LOOKS LIKE!" The ponies responded.

"Show me what a police state looks like!" Rainbow repeated. The crowd responded again.

"War is Luna-cy!" Twilight began the chant. Everypony repeated: "WAR IS LUNA-CY! WAR IS LUNA-CY!"

"Let her speak!" Rarity shouted.

"Yeah!" Spike shouted. "Let her seal her political doom!"

Luna took the opportunity to begin. "Fillies and gentlecolts: I know some of you will disagree with what I am about to say."

"Say what you like! It's your actions we disagree with!" Rainbow shouted.

"We all know Mr. Zhang is the biggest challenge, and threat, that Equestria has seen. And while the bonds of friendship usually demand love, we all know sometimes they demand force."

"It's a lie," Fluttershy said, angrily.

"I was elected leader of Equestria, and as leader, I see clearly the two paths before us. One leads to action, to defend our great nation, and the other leads to inaction. But I cannot let this threat go unchecked."

"This threat YOU INVENTED!" Twilight shouted.

"And that is why, I decree..." Luna looked directly at Twilight Sparkle, and their gazes met, both as firm as stone.

"That you have a CHOICE."

The crowd was shocked to silence. A chill ran through Twilight's spine. Discord was too stunned to speak.

"We are all Equestrians," the dark Princess continued, "And we must stand together as brothers and sisters, and as friends. Fillies and gentlecolts, this is OUR country. Mr. Zhang's country may have been founded on money, but our nation was founded on magic. And no matter how grievous the threats, we must never allow that magic to be broken."

A lump grew in Twilight's throat. Friendship! Luna had understood all along!

"You all know what I would have us do. And you all know the loyal Equestrian army is ready to act at my command. But I cannot rightly order an entire country to war without the consent of the public."

The ponies stared in wonder. Luna looked over the crowd. Suddenly she saw her. Celestia! She'd come! Luna fought back tears.

"Ponies of Equestria!" Luna was filled with hope and confidence. "The time of chaos is over. This gathering before us has proven as much. As for Earth, it is the legislature that has the final decision. I have faith that they, and all of you, will make the right choice."

With that, Luna left. The crowd was too stunned to respond. After a long, silent moment, they began to murmur among themselves.

Rainbow Dash didn't believe a word of it. "The legislature? Discord rules there. How could they possibly make the right choice?"

Twilight considered. "Don't be so sure, Rainbow. Remember, Princess Luna invented democracy. She owns the very word, 'Choice.' It's the whole basis of her campaign."

"But this legislature wants to undo all of that!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Isn't Discord still the head honcho?"

"I'm not sure it's still in his hands," Twilight said, thoughtfully. "Once you unleash chaos you can't put it back or control it."

"How can that be good for us?" Rarity said. "Chaos is just what he wants!"

Twilight's eyes shone with clarity. "That's the brilliance of it! That's what Luna had in mind all along! Democracy isn't made up of just chaos, it's made up of flesh-and-blood ponies WITHIN chaos. And so the wish of everypony will prevail, as long as the ponies themselves allow the spirit of friendship to shine through. And if there's one thing I've learned about friendship, it always does."

"Really?" Rainbow said.

"Always."

And Twilight knew Rainbow understood.

"Well good. I'm still mad about them kicking me out, though," Rainbow said. "I mean are you sure they'll make the right choice? Cause I'm sure I could start my own army... I know I'd make an AWESOME commando..."

"Here we go," Spike rolled his eyes.

---

Discord was shaken by Luna's speech. But it couldn't be true, he thought. He still controlled the legislature didn't he? It was his original idea. The best idea he ever had. It came from HIM. There was no way the ponies would do something he didn't want... but there was only one way to find out. He was going to go to the legislature and see for himself. But when he got there he was met with a series of unwelcome surprises.

First, Mr. Zhang himself had shown up. And he was not happy. Filthy Rich was with him.

"Discord, I want to remind you of something," He said. "I'm the one in control. It's what I do. I'm a controller. And you should know, my little pony, that control always trumps chaos. It's a law of nature."

Discord was uncomfortable. He didn't like to be put in his place.

"Now you promised me you had control over this legislature. All I have to say is, you'd better be right, or your days are up."

"Oh, you're not worried about Luna are you? And that speech? Come on," Discord laughed. (Zhang didn't flinch.) "Luna was just politicking! She's a politician! You can't trust politicians. Believe me, I've known a lot of them."

"I know a lot of politicians too, pony. You say they can't be trusted? Believe me, next to artists, I trust them the least. I hope, for your sake, you're right."

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang," Filthy said. "Whatever happens, I have the utmost confidence in the economic policies of Planet Earth, and you have my unwavering economic support."

Discord gulped. And was met with another surprise: a pony had taken the podium. They had elected another speaker!

"I call this session to... er..." Derpy-hooves fumbled. "I call this session to beginning...-ness. What should we discuss first?"

The legislature was silent. Discord did not like silence. Finally, a pony dared to speak.

"I move," the pony gulped, "That we apologize to Princess Celestia. We were unfair to her."

"I can't apologize to an establishment pony!" The pony who swore said angrily. "We were founded on anti-establishment principles, and that is my core belief!"

Discord grinned. This might turn out okay after all, he thought.

"You are out of order!" Derpy-hooves said, "Um... I think?"

"Well said, Derpy," said the first pony. "Will the senator from Fillydelphia please take a seat?" He looked sternly at him, and the pony had no choice but to obey.

"The way we've conducted ourselves," the pony continued, "Is nothing short of reprehensible. While I agree that we need to keep the establishment in check, Celestia would never have wanted the complete, utter, and disgusting chaos we brought forth upon this assembly."

Discord flinched.

"Therefore, I second the original motion, and move the previous question."

"Um... that means we vote, right?" Derpy said.

"Yes, Derpy," the pony sighed.

This wasn't going well at all, Discord thought. Not only was there no chaos, but they had invented new rules! He stole a nervous glance at Mr. Zhang, who was biding his time.

"Okay then!" Derpy proclaimed. "All in favor?"

"Aye," the ponies said quietly, faces red.

"All opposed?"

Only one pony didn't say "Aye," but he was too embarrassed to demur.

"Very well... the motion... er... is... moved. We will apologize to Celestia."

"And furthermore," the pony began again, "Owing to the grievousness of our behavior, I think we should suspend all further business of this assembly until we do so immediately."

"That's unfair!" The foul-mouthed pony shouted. "My constituents have more pressing concerns!"

"You don't have any constituents," the first pony declared.

"No kidding," somepony murmured.

"Um... do we have to vote on that?" Derpy was confused. "Um... Oh! We can suspend rules! I move we suspend rules!"

"And apologize immediately," the first pony added.

"I move we suspend rules and apologize immediately!"

"She can't make motions, can she?" One pony said, under his breath, to the pony next to him.

"Who cares? Let's just get this over with," the other pony whispered.

"All in favor?" Derpy asked.

"Aye," the ponies said.

"All opposed?"

Silence.

"Alright! Let's go!" Said Derpy. "Um... where is she?"

"I'm right here," Celestia said, from the gallery. "And you're doing great, Derpy. I couldn't have done better myself."

Perfect, Discord thought. Celestia had shown up, too.

"But there's no need to apologize," Celestia continued. "I wanted you to have chaos. It was my worst mistake. And anyway, there are more pressing matters. I know I have no formal authority, but I think we should decide the matter of the impending war with Earth."

"We don't want a war with Earth, though," Derpy said.

"We have to vote on it, Derpy," a pony legislator said.

"Oh, right. Let's vote on it. All in favor?"

Silence.

"All opposed?"

A resounding, collective "NAY!"

"You can't do that!" Discord sprung to his feet. "The president wants to go to war! You have to do what she says!"

"Sit down, Discord!" said a pony.

"Order in the... er... house!" Derpy shouted.

"You can't order me around! I made you! You're all here because of ME!"

"Kick him out!"

"Would an officer please escort Mr. Discord to the exit?" Derpy said.

"With pleasure," Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow was here, too? Discord thought incredulously.

"You get that meanie, Rainbow!" Pinkie said.

And Pinkie?! Discord thought.

Discord was filled with rage. "No!! NO!! You ponies... you AURGHHH!! You got it all wrong!! You got... What's HAPPENING?? What's HAPPENING TO ME???"

Suddenly, Discord's body started flickering electrically. Then it started to bubble and change shape. All the ponies gasped.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Discord screamed.

The hall was filled with a great boom, and a snap, like lightning. Discord went through a variety of weird shapes, then finally settled on a large cube, with each face a mirror, and his shouting changed to a soft hum. All the ponies gazed in wonder, including Rainbow, though she was a tinge disappointed at not having been able to escort Discord to the exit.

"What... is it?" Rainbow asked.

Mr. Zhang was sweating. Whatever Discord had transformed into, he couldn't recognize it. And if I can't recognize it, he thought, I can't put it on assembly lines, I can't put it in boxes, I can't control it...

Filthy Rich closed his gaping jaw. "Huh," he said, thinking, as the humming cube stood suspended in space. Then an idea occurred to him. He walked up to the cube and put his hooves up to touch it.

"Don't touch it!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"I think if I just..." The ponies gasped as Filthy touched it. He put his hooves completely into it. Nothing happened. Then Filthy pulled out a weird rectangle thingy with little cubes on it.

"Yes," Filthy said, "Yes!"

Filthy turned to the legislature. "I know what this is... I know exactly what this is! Look at the thingy I'm holding, everypony!"

"I'm looking... what is it?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh this is great. I could manufacture these, and distribute them using my distribution chain... EVERYpony is going to want to get their hooves on one of these! I'll have to make a couple other thingy-type thingies of course, and we'll have to hook them all together, and we'll have a great big thingy-thingy of thingy-thingies..."

"Yes, but what... IS it?" Rainbow asked impatiently.

"It's a such-thinger! It's a dream-producer! I don't know what to brand it yet," Filthy said. "But all your dreams, you just type them into this thingy here, like this," Filthy began poking at the cubes on the rectangle, "And all the dreams hook together, and go into the cube there," Filthy pointed at the cube, "And then it pops out... like this!" Filthy pulled out a balloon.

"Ooh, a balloon!" Pinkie said.

"But we already HAVE balloons," Rainbow said.

"You don't understand! It's not just balloons... it's ANYTHING! You see, before, whenever a pony wanted to come up with an idea, they had to travel all over Equestria, and they never knew if they'd ever find another pony who shared their dreams, and find investors... and investors are hard to find. Believe me, I know. But now, every pony, everywhere in Equestria, can get one of these," Filthy pointed to the rectangle he held, "And share their dreams instantly!"

"But the balloon disappeared," Pinkie pointed out.

"I think the balloon was an illusion," Celestia said, skeptical.

"Ah yes," Filthy said. "A, um, minor detail. But believe me. I can recognize a business opportunity when I see one. And Everypony is going to want one of these. In fact," Filthy turned to Mr. Zhang, "I think all the Earth people will want one too. I'd be more than happy to go in with you. What do you say?"

"I would never support such an insane idea," Mr. Zhang said. "It's preposterous."

"Very well," Filthy said, disappointed. "I won't get the profits I wanted, but, a minor setback. Everypony, I hereby declare... I am pulling out all my investments in the planet Earth. I invest only in places with imagination, and there is more than plenty of that right here. From now on, I invest only in Equestria!"

The ponies cheered with joy.

"You can do that," Mr. Zhang snarled, "But it'll be the worst mistake of your career. I still have half the ponies of Equestria in my pocket."

"You may have that," Filthy said, "But Equestria is a free market society, and with my money, I can do as I please."

"This isn't over," Mr. Zhang said, and he left the assembly. But the other ponies were too excited to care. Even Princess Celestia found herself caught up in the excitement.

"So I can have... any thing I want?" Rainbow asked.

"Ooh, even chocolate-covered bunny-balloons filled with cake and ice cream?" Pinkie exclaimed.

"It'll only be an illusion," Celestia reminded her.

"But still... that's... pretty cool!" Rainbow said. "Sign me up, Mr. Filthy!"

Celestia was happier than she had ever been. The legislature, which was sort of her idea, turned out to be a good one; and now even the profit-minded Filthy Rich had decided to pull all his investments out of Earth. Perhaps, she dared to think, Equestria might be okay after all! She only regretted that Princess Luna was not here to share this moment with her. But no matter, she would tell her all about it.

Pinkie typed into the rectangle. "I want... a balloon!" She said. And a balloon popped out, then disappeared.

"I want..." Pinkie said, typing again, "Another balloon!" And another balloon popped out, then disappeared.

"Aw, come on Pinkie, you have to think of something really cool. Move over," Rainbow took her space. "I want, a giant dragon with rainbow scales and lightning shooting out of his ears!"

The ponies gasped as what she wanted materialized in front of her, then disappeared. Ah, we can tell Luna later, Celestia thought. It was her turn to wish up something; and it was going to be really captivating. Now, what will it be?

A Silver Lining on Wisconsin: My Analysis

The results of Wisconsin's recall election are understandably upsetting. However, there is some silver lining. We can't judge too quickly that American democracy is dead, because the richest 1% is, perhaps, not as monolithic and negative of a force as we may think.

Yes, the richest of the rich spent $63 million to buy the recall election. The bad news is, that's a lot of money. The good news is, that's a LOT of money. In fact, it is so much money that, I would argue, as long as activists continue to fight for democracy, buying elections like this is a) unsustainable and b) not necessarily effective.

The Voters

There are around 5 million people in Wisconsin (Wikipedia). Around 1/2 of them voted (Huffington Post). That's 2.5 million votes. Walker only won 4% more votes in this election than his 2010 election (Huffington Post). That means, all that money spent was worth around 100,000 voters. That's about $630 per voter. (If you count all citizens in Wisconsin, it's around $315 per voter, but according to what I was told by Democratic Party campaign officials, most campaigns don't even bother to spend money on people who never vote.)

Now keep in mind that the only counties which did significantly better for Walker were the Republican counties (Huffington Post). So that means the voter pool is even smaller.

Of course arithmetic like this may not mean much, but it should give us some kind of ballpark idea of how much money must be spent to buy every single important election nationwide. If people continue to mobilize like they did in Wisconsin, it will force the richest of the rich to spend a LOT of money, probably in the hundreds of billions, every couple of years. Simply multiplying half the American public by the $650 figure gets us almost $100 billion, and this figure assumes, of course, that Americans cast 150 million votes.

And note that this doesn't assume that Americans will cast 150 million votes in a single election. No, it assumes something more like casting 150 million votes in EVERY election. Every two years, voters must decide state senate, state house, gubernotorial, federal Senate, federal House, and Presidential elections, not to mention judiciary elections. And each of these elections is important. Wisconsin proves this, if nothing else. And the more public offices voters must consider, the more money must be spent on each voter. The $650 figure only applies to a single candidate in a single election.

Now for some more down-to-Earth data: My reading of a study by Gregor A. Huber and Kevin Arceneaux ("Identifying the Persuasive Effects of Presidential Advertising") is that you're probably not going to get much more than 8 or 9 percentage points no matter how much advertising you use. Nate Silver also suggests that there is a diminishing return on advertising, as people eventually find it annoying, as well as the deleterious effect of the perception that a candidate is buying his office. Of course the effect of the advertising probably also depends on a large variety of factors, including the effectiveness of the ad campaign, the likability of the candidate, and so on. But this is important, because it means, in theory, there are some elections that money simply cannot buy.

There are other variables, too.

First of all, Walker's campaign is a recall campaign, not a general election campaign. This is important because, as the New York Times tells us, 60% of people believe that recall elections should only be held because of official misconduct, and 10% believe that recall elections should never be held at all. Understandibly, these people were more likely to vote to keep Walker in office. If this were a general election, the results might be different.

Also, lest we forget, Walker and his legislation had to get pretty brutal to hold onto his seat, and he may face indictment for corruption (Current TV). All things considered, this is by no means a landslide victory for Walker. And he had to outspend his opponent by at least 7-1 to obtain this far from decisive victory (MSNBC).

Patrons of Our Democracy Store

So far we might have assumed that corporations and the 1% are some kind of united, monolithic Republican force. That every single 1%-er will cough up his or her fair share of the hundreds of billions of dollars they need. But this may be giving them too much credit. The Sunlight Foundation and Forbes and New American Gazette show us that not every rich person is necessarily political. And of those that are political, not all of them are Republicans. And corporations respond to the demands of the public more often than we may think, because they are more interested in making a profit than buying an election most of the time.

And even of the monolithic Republican contributors, it seems highly unlikely that they can or want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars every couple of years. If they wanted to spend hundreds of billions of dollars, they might as well just pay taxes and leave elections alone, because it will likely cost about the same, and it's less dangerous. Why is it less dangerous? Because it's less likely to produce large-scale protest movements.

Street-Wise Democracy

First of all, it's important to note that the Wisconsin and Occupy protests are getting it right. They're permanent, non-violent, and large. The question is, of course, will they have any effect. According to Paul Schumaker ("Policy Responsiveness to Protest-Group Demands"), either community support and intra-group support individually will predict a positive outcome more than either agency, elected-official, or media support individually. According to Schumaker and Michael O'Keefe ("Protest Effectiveness in Southeast Asia"), some factors correlated with positive response include whether the regime is democratic, and whether the group is permanent or whether it's large. In other words, the Wisconsin protests have everything going for them.

Conclusion?

I recognize that the information I've presented is not very conclusive, largely because of its speculative nature, and because the different studies seem to be measuring different things. For example, the Schumaker and O'Keefe studies seem to be studying the policy response of the government, while the advertising studies seem to be measuring election outcomes. Also, the Schumaker and O'Keefe studies do not measure the interrelatedness of the various correlations.

But we can be sure of one conclusion: giving up is NOT the proper response. Protest movements may take time, but they are effective. One thing the data clearly do not show is that deep media influence necessarily trumps protest movements. There is a silver lining: We may win yet.

Why Psychiatry is So Evil

This is the end game for people with psychosis. Dissidents will be silenced, and creative minds will be subdued.

Some Thoughts on an Age of Aquarius Part 5: Hacking vs. Lying

All parts include: Part 1: Ignorance; Part 2: Seduction; Part 3: Compassion; Part 4: Psychiatrists; Part 5: Hacking vs. Lying.

Hacking vs. Lying

In my opinion, this is the most interesting of the series because it involves a brief philosophical treatment of a very new concept. I am going to use the "programmer subculture" definition of "hacker," which is someone who manipulates computers in ways they weren't meant to be. I will distinguish this from "cracking," which is simply unlawful access to a computer.

Hacking is not cracking. Nevertheless, I feel there must be a little leeway given against the law in use of the term. If you do something online that's only a minor transgression of the law, but nevertheless have ethically praiseworthy or at least neutral motives, then I believe you are still "hacking."

How does this relate to lying? Well, it raises certain ethical issues. Hacking is essentially "gaming the system." It is a blatant misrepresentation of your motives. And we needn't be talking about computers here. We can talk about things like political maneuvering done in congress, or journalist misrepresentation in search of a story. The fact of the matter is, however, that it usually involves computers. And this is what makes hacking ethically neutral, as opposed to lying, misrepresentation, or "gaming the system" per se, which are all unethical.

So what's the difference? Hacking is done openly. Example: you're calling a company with an automated menu on the phone. You know you will have to misrepresent yourself in order to talk to a human. You're not cracking, because your motives are ethically sound—maybe you want to know the washing instructions for your kid's new sweater. If you were straight up misrepresenting and not hacking, you wouldn't ever want to tell anyone what you did. But that's not the case. You were hacking, because if someone asks what you did, you can tell them; it's not a big deal. If there are restrictions to who gets to know what you did and why, it's only because those people are the people you're hacking. It's not because you need to keep a secret from the general public.

Hacking is a product of the Age of Aquarius. It is an "open" act in my use of the term. (See my Principles of Openness for an explanation of my use of the term.) And furthermore, I believe that my outline of the notion of hacking is sufficiently concrete to be protected speech under the Constitution of the United States, as it should be.

Some Thoughts on an Age of Aquarius Part 1: Ignorance

All parts include: Part 1: Ignorance; Part 2: Seduction; Part 3: Compassion; Part 4: Psychiatrists; Part 5: Hacking vs. Lying.

Ignorance

The Internet has to do with completely open information. There is no unopen information on the Internet, because even if you hide things, by virtue of being "on the Internet," it can be found. Unfortunately, this has it's problems.

For one thing, there are certain pieces of information which aren't true. I ran into this problem on Facebook just recently when my friend Gideon caught me in an untruth. I had shared a picture of an indigenous South American who was crying, purportedly because the Brazilian government refused to listen to him, and moved forward with a plan which would destroy his homeland. Actually, he was crying because it was his cultural practice to cry when visited by distant relatives. I had shared the picture assuming everything said about it was true, when in fact, it was not. Which brings me to a point about the age of Aquarius: information is everywhere, but it isn't vetted by any authority. Therefore, it unfortunately may be false. Thus there still needs to be some respect for the authority of facts, or information will become meaningless. This is ignorance of individual things.

There is another kind of ignorance at play on the Internet. Because you have access to ubiquitous information, you may be lulled into a kind of false sense of security and believe you know all the truth when you in fact are ignorant. This is a general kind of ignorance. This happened to me too.

Back when Fukushima melted down, I found a website with very studied and learned people who came to the conclusion that Fukushima was essentially a media lie. Meaning, Fukushima posed no danger to the public, while a corrupt Western media continued to repeat maliciously that it did. They went to great lengths to secure their own trusted media outlets, and stream several of them simultaneously, watching and taking notes. They also studied the blueprints of the Fukushima reactor in depth, and proved why a core meltdown would be completely impotent in terms of human danger. Needless to say, this was all wrongheaded. The facts came to light, and, of course, Fukushima is now known as one of the more serious nuclear accidents in history. The people, including myself, who participated in this orgy of fact finding were not wearing the condoms of skepticism.

Both these kinds of ignorance result directly from the democratic nature of ubiquitous information. One should be careful about aquarian information, and make sure it is in fact correct.