This is another shameless plea for our readers to get out and meet their neighbors. We are about to be hit by a socioecopolitical tsunami of unprecedented ferocity and there are so many ungodly machines churning that it cannot be delayed any longer, much less stopped; its coming even though the local and national corporate "weathermen" have not predicted it. When the system fails—and it will—probably sooner than later, we will be meeting our neighbors. Getting a jump on that now while things are still "normal" is a good idea.

Our nation is being looted to the tune of $trillions that do not now (nor have they ever) existed. What factories survived "outsourcing" are being closed or nationalized and unemployment in the U.S. is likely near 17 percent. Personal and corporate bankruptcies are increasing at such an alarming rate that a reversal of the trend would be best described as the completion of a wealth redistribution scheme—not marketplace recovery from an economic downturn. Several states are so deeply in debt that they can no longer borrow money and many more are predicted to be insolvent by the end of fiscal 2010; the dollar is perched on the edge of hyperinflation and Obama is proposing to place the architects of this economic trainwreck, the Federal Reserve, in charge of everything as the case of our national bankruptcy, which opened in 1933, is finally closed.

But the paragraph above is just a sobering sketch of chief economic indicators. Political tension is growing as social blowback from the bankrupting economy stresses borrowed resources and strains the cultural fabric; government is broadening the definition of terrorist to include nonviolent protestors born into believing they had a right to freedom of speech. Environmentally we are on a collision course with the natural world on just about every front and the CDC plans to mass vaccinate the world against a pig flu that has never been proven to exist.

If I were to list the causes that good people are promoting in opposition to government policies, it would take an entire page. To list the numbers of books, articles, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, pamphlets, DVDs, TV shows, radio shows and other readily available media dedicated to exposing government policies, it would consume the entire paper. With all that energy—good energy, positive energy, self-righteous energy justified by years of reading, studying, learning, speaking, teaching, writing, recording, traveling, attending, returning, meeting, challenging, opposing, organizing, hoping, dreaming, planning and doing—the machine we have been trying to slow down has only picked up speed.

We are losing on every front but two: 1. We know what is happening and why and; 2. More people than ever are coming to their senses. If our well-intended dissident actions have accomplished anything, it is to have accelerated the timetable for the restoration of the Old World Order: Feudalism—a social order wherein the commoners are the chattel property of elites who prefer to be referred to as "lords."

While I would never seek to dampen anyone’s passions or undermine their activistic efforts, there comes a time when we must rethink our strategies and adapt them to meet the challenges of present realities. The present reality is that there is no "fixing" the system and there is no stopping the tsunami that will soon make landfall.

Ladies and gentlemen: We now live in a communist country. The overt coup has not yet taken place but, as history is our guide, it will. In fact, if you want to see our imminent future, open up your history books and reread what happened in Russia (and each of the eventual Soviet states), East Germany, China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia when the communists made their moves to take full control. That is our future with a few modern innovations. In all cases, people depended on each other for survival.

It is no longer practical to believe we can "fix the system." Our earthbound futures—and the hopes and dreams of our children—will be determined by the strength of ourselves and our neighbors. What I suggest now is a simple activity to bring neighbors together socially to meet under friendly circumstances. Find out where community organizations (Grange, VFW, Elks. Rotary, Gleaners, 4-H, Scouts and dancing clubs, to name a few) meet to plan events and attend a meeting. Mention that you would like to help them get more people to participate in their activities by inviting the entire community to a dinner or potluck. Explain that you feel that the times are increasingly uncertain and it would be good for neighbors to get together over dinner, meet one another and share their concerns. Since memberships in groups are down in general and most are always looking for new members, your proposal, so long as you are not coming across as "radical" or "subversive," will likely be approved by group leadership—members of which may have a surprising thing or two to say about life in contemporary America themselves. You will find that people are generally frustrated and want to talk about what is happening. After investing a little time to bring people together with the help of existing community organizations that are always seeking new membership and participation, you will have opened doors for new relationships to be forged and the sense of community strengthened. You will also find that most of your neighbors, while possibly not that astute on the "conspiracy," have the same concerns as you and are now open to learning if you are willing to discuss the issues on a level where they can hear you. Another benefit to getting out and meeting your neighbors is discovering how many of them are good, interesting people with a marvelous array of skills, experiences and insights. Good luck, have fun—and get to work! (DWH)