grrrrrr

So, today the world's most corrupt organization, the UN, the people who subsidized Middle East instability for 10 years via the Oil-for-food program, and continue to prevent Africa from stabilizing by sending in free grain that gets sold under cost, preventing African farmers from being able to grow their own... yeah, that group. Today, the UN is butthurt about global warming, again claiming that Thermageddon is imminent unless we all agree to starve to death voluntarily.

Well, OK, I'm exaggerating. India and China are being smart, saying that their first responsibility is lifting their people out of poverty. The US is also being smart, saying that our first responsibility is keeping our people out of poverty. And europe continues to say one thing and do another, like always. SNAFU.

I am reminded of the great short story "Harrison Bergeron," by our own MA-based literary whack job Kurt Vonnegut. TO recap, everyone is made equal in our future: attractive people wear masks, strong people wear suits of heavy metal, intelligent people have ear implants that provide blasts of sound (preventing concentration) and everyone is finally on a level playing field enforced by violence. When two strong, beautiful and graceful people in the world break free, it is the (sort of) head of the UN who personally cuts them down with a shotgun.

We see what happens when playing fields are leveled- the bottom is brought up a little, and the top is dragged down a lot- the average is actually lowered significantly compared to the normal uncontrolled state. This is a major tenet of so-called game theory- averaging forces and compromise actually reduce overall results, and therefore are less desirable than all-out risk of total loss when any possibility of total gain exists. How it is that everyone in corporate negotiations, economics and military theory knows this rule, but no one in the UN, (who does nothing but negotiate, manage economies, and operate a clearinghouse for military police forces) does? Does Science Theatre have to exist, too? By that, I mean the need to be seen as doing something is emphasized over actually doing something. How sad.