I don't know if you've noticed, but there are more than a few problems with the Global Civilization. Now, I know you're going to accuse me of being culturo-centric, and that Western Civilization is not the sole culture on this planet. Well, unfortunately, I feel that saying this is much like referring to a coma patient as "alive." It seems that Occidental Corporation gave all of its competitors an allotted time period before they are bought out and closed for retooling and reorganizing. I think we're coming conclusively to the end of this period before the Great Hostile Take-Over of the Planet.

     Management is having trouble getting its larger franchises to agree with each other. That is, to spare analogy, the nations of the world are moving steadily towards fascism and they each want their brand of totalitarianism to sell to the most. To do this, compromises must be made amongst the lower-level workers, cut-throat methods are encouraged, and money is missing from Pay-roll. By this I mean, citizens have their rights taken away, people are killed for purely nationalist reasons, and the 1% of the population with 90% of the currency runs the show.

     There doesn't seem much that can be done to stop this, at least from the position of one who has only enough money to survive and has no political power (reudundant, eh?).

The future really is now, or imminent anyway. People consciously become "wage-slaves", the rainforests will be paved, and life is going to get more miserable under the rule of government. As Ray Bradbury says, "the future is a steamroller."

     So, here's how we fix it. Let's just start over. There's no reason to continue with all this crap, this blind machine we've left to consume us. All we have to do, is press the reset button and try again. We're a grown up species; we know when it's time to try something else.

     So, how do we do this as quickly as possible? Well, our simplest solution is of course our favorite weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Warhead and all of its siblings. The problem with this is that we have to deal with nuclear fallout and the other harmful BS that follows. This stuff is not fun. I want my kids to have the same amount of limbs and organs that I have. I suppose we could always research something that'll cause the same ridiculous amount of damage without all the fuss and muss, but, hey, we can deal.

     Think of how cool this would be though: desolate, flat horizon, a few trees spared here and there (depending on whether or not your environment has been significantly altered by climate disturbance). Now you have to build yourself a house, learn how to farm (you should probably do this beforehand), and let the good times roll. Less people= Less problems.

     But what can I, the wage-slave, do? Not much of anything. I suggest you buy yourself a copy of Tom Waits' Bone Machine, play some Fallout, and watch some movies of the Post-Apocalyptic genre (I suggest Six-String Samurai and Mad Max 2,also known as "the Road Warrior").

     And why stop there? Let's make this thing a fad. Let's embrace our tactical arsenal out of love, not fear! Let's start giving each other Nuclear Survival handbooks on the holidays! Let's waste money on shelters we might not ever use! Let's flood the T-Shirt industry, the movies, television, so that when the day comes where some idiot claims "First Strike" it will seem like a promise kept.

--Gravin Cinderry, E.F.A.C.S.