The Rude Awakening
Wall Street, New York
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 ------------------------- - Knowledge is power - but what do we do with it now?
- The explosion of blogs and the virtues of a fiery
debate - Where are you getting your information? And,
- Your seat at the discussion table is reserved for
only 5 more days…
------------------------- Joel Bowman, reporting under the influence of 3 large
Mexican coffees… Here in American, a powerful new bull market is
developing…in political debate. Whatever the merits or
flaws of your President's foreign policy, it has produced
one very positive result: A renewed interest in debating
political issues. Your Australian editor welcomes this new bull market.
Apathy always dooms democracy. Debate ensures its vitality.
The latter is better. America has always hosted a diversity of viewpoints. But
this diversity has not always produced an animated exchange
of ideas. Instead, a pandemic of political correctness has
seemed to anesthetize the nation's political instinct.
Where once Americans would respond to contrary views with
an animated debate, they now respond with phrases like,
"It's all good, bro." But the urge to debate is making a
comeback…especially through the blogs of the Internet and
other Web-based media. Yesterday, your junior editor strolled into a bookstore
that locals affectionately call, "Anarchy," perhaps because
its inventory of titles represents diametrically opposing
viewpoints. There are books about neoliberalism, feminism,
fascism, anarchism, conservatism and a range of other, more
obscure 'isms.' What better place to pen today's discussion on the American
political climate… --- Advertisement --- Only 5 Days Left The Reserve Doors are Open Again…For Now. Have the greatest financial minds in the world working for
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Financial Reserve membership. http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/AFR/WAFRF9B2/ ------------------------- The Value of Debate
By Joel Bowman "A large Mexican brew and a bagel with pesto please," I
order from a man in a tie-dyed bandanna and torn jeans, the
hallmarks of all seriously free-thinking twenty-something
individuals since the 60's. "You're not from around here," he correctly deduces from
our non-American accent. "A little further away…mate," I reply, nudging him in the
right direction with a conspicuous colloquialism. "Well, let me just apologize for inflicting the current
administration on you," he offers. Hmmm…nothing like an unprovoked political opinion to
start your day, regardless of which side of the fence you
reside. Far be it from your antipodean editor to claim enough
knowledge of the intricacies of the present American
political environment to consider himself decidedly "Red"
or "Blue." Indeed, the number of unknown quantities in
American political science is so great that for me that to
lend my support to one side or the other would be reckless,
to say the least. I am not here in the U.S. of A to praise or condemn Bush,
but merely to earn a few dollars, pay the taxes I owe…and
visit New York City as often as possible. Nevertheless, I am inquisitive… I arrived in the United States back in 2004, just as the
media machine was loading up for the barrage of
mis/information it would unleash on an enthused and
impassioned voting populace. In the post-911 America, it
seemed like everyone had an opinion. I recall a plethora of "Vote Bush" bumper stickers and
"Kerry 2004" signs on people's front lawns. This was vastly
different from anything I had seen in pre-election months
back home in Australia. Everywhere I went in my new home I
was met with media catch phrases. It was all, "weapons of
mass destruction this" and "swiftboat that". I remember
feeling excited and invigorated by all the discourse in
bookshops, churches, 7-11s, bars, libraries and almost
everywhere I ventured. But the debates did not die down after the election, as one
would have expected. Instead, they have intensified. One
need only look at the growing popularity of blogs and
alternative media, making information and opinion available
to a growing, vigorous contingent of media consumers. Democrats and Republicans moan and complain about the
perils of a divided nation. What they seem (to us, at
least) to pay little attention to, is the value of a
citizenry becoming more motivated and determined to be
informed. An article posted by Whiskey and Gunpowder editor, Greg
Grillot, over the weekend serves as a timely example of
such an enthused readership. In his article, titled,
"Liberty or Safety..?" Greg makes the case for impeaching
George Bush on the grounds that he has acted
unconstitutionally by 'spying' on the American public
without court warrants. Greg provides an excerpt from the 4th Amendment of the
Constitution to argue his case. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures shall not be violated…" Some people will contest the interpretation of the word
"unreasonable" saying that in times of war, it is not
unreasonable for the Commander in Chief to make the
decision to conduct such surveillance as he has been
conducting. Too be sure, both sides have valid points. But the fact
that both sides are keen to present their points of view is
the most important point of all. Greg's email box was
flooded with opinions from both Democrats AND Republicans,
weighing in with arguments of their own. An interesting point about this was raised on Meet the
Press this morning. In a discussion with Tim Russert and
Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel noted that if the United States is
attacked again, we may not have the luxury of having this
debate at all. An emotional and reactive citizenry, bent on
hunting down terrorist cells at ANY cost, may redraw the
line in the sands of personal liberties. "The appropriate time to have this discussion, this debate,
in Congress, in the media, is now." Mr Koppel asserts. "I'm
not prejudging what the outcome would be…But let's have
the debate. Let's argue these issues out before it's too
late." An educated and informed citizenry, active in it's pursuit
of truth and knowledge, is obviously far more productive
than an apathetic one. Rather than becoming bellicose with
a neighbor who harbors a dissenting opinion, should we not
be encouraging debate and investigation of the subject? We
live in a land where a coffee shop sympathetic to communist
causes can operate a roaring trade next to a capitalistic
car dealership…or a newsletter business. Whether you agree with the Coulters or the Colmes', the
O'Reillys or the Frankens, or even if you see them simply
as caricatures of serious political debate, one can hardly
argue with the impact the proliferation of such voices have
had on the American public. For right or left, red or blue,
the discussions are on the table. New communication
technology is allowing access to information for an
increasing number of inquisitive minds. History has seen the United States pull together in the
face of turmoil, both external and internal. Vigorous,
well-informed debate is the first step to determining what
direction is best for the country…your country, that is. Cheers, Joel P.S. Lively debate is no less valuable in the investment
sphere. If an investment idea cannot withstand criticism,
it probably does not deserve a recommendation to our b
readership. Debate has a way of separating worthwhile ideas
from worthless ideas, both politically and economically. That's why our publisher, Addison Wiggin, insists that all
of our editors convene regularly to debate their ideas. It
is exactly this kind of intense exchange of ideas that has
seen the rise and rise of the Agora Financial Reserve. You can enjoy the benefits of the outcomes of these
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particular sector like resources or technologies, you stand
to benefit greatly by having this tool at your disposal. As
your investment strategies change over the coming years,
you can be safe in the knowledge that we've got you covered
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are you also satiate your thirst for knowledge with
information from other sources on the Internet. I'd like to
hear where you enjoy getting your information from in this,
the new age of communication technologies. Be it from
obscure blogs, the mainstream press or other e-letters just
like this, write to your over-caffeinated editor at
aussiejoel@the-rude-awakening.com and let me know where to
look. Cheers, jOEL | 
