Saturday, December 15, 2012

My intention, above all

Five years ago I was pretty content in my little world with my programming career and all that. My perceived take on the future was very different then than it is now. Sure, I was political still, had opinions, all that - but looking back they were ill-informed. They were dreams which either couldn't account for or outright ignored certain realities about the way the world worked. It's good to dream, but in the end real solutions and real ideas account for the realities of the day.

When the financial collapse of 2008 finally hit and the markets went all nut-so, what I saw within my little bubble of the world made absolutely no sense at all. At the time I was working on high frequency technology and as a result I also had direct access to a real-time and historical market data feed, detailed down to the tick level. I didn't need a chart to see the increase in market activity and volatility, the practically overnight increase in the data file's sizes was really all I needed to become intrigued. It didn't make sense, and I needed to know why.

Without me even being aware yet, this was a beginning of a complete change in my life direction. My intentions refocused on understanding this phenomenon which lead to a whole wealth of information I was previously oblivious too. I couldn't believe what I was finding! How could I have not seen this before?

Soon I was no longer focused on my career, or politics as I had come to know it. I was now refocused on a seemingly endless black hole of information about banker fraud, third world slavery, peak oil, all sorts of things. I had answered my original question by now, but I didn't care because there were 100s of fresh unanswered questions. My intention was set, nothing could stop me.

Eventually I felt satisfied in the amount of information I had gathered and once again, without my knowing, my intentions in life changed. So starting in 2009 on Facebook, I started doing variations of the posts/link distribution I do now, and I have been doing it ever since (although the format has changed over time as I've been trying out different mediums). My intention since then hasn't changed, I'm determined to do what I can in the ways I know how, and to this day nothing has stopped me.

Nothing will stop me. I post under my name because I have no fear, why should I? I believe in what I write, and I only write because of my intention, not because I enjoy writing or find it easy. For me, it's not easy at all. Frankly, I suck at it - but it's what I know how to do to carry out my intention and I will carry out my intention with the best of my ability because what else is there to do in life but carry out our intentions? Should the day come I am jailed or prosecuted for my words, then my work here is done. We'll have lost.

My intentions didn't come from Facebook, Twitter, or Blogger. Those are tools I discovered and seeked out after I already had my intentions in mind. They were available, but them being available never even once inspired me to utilitize them 'just because'. Had they not been available, it wouldn't have changed anything to do with my intention - in fact I probably wouldn't have even noticed as the intention dictates the options and the options are what is available at the time. Back in 1998 the option was geocities, no one using geocities was missing Blogger. The options of the time.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because of the current debate of the day: 'gun control', or the lack there of. I am neither 'pro' or 'anti' gun, they exist, just like drugs, crime, abortions, etc. Controlled or not controlled, they happen - and the reality is that once they do happen, we really don't have any other solutions available to us other than to create miniature crime school societies often creating major problems where as before it may have been a minor issue to deal with or correct.

I find any 'control' argument to be quite frankly: over-simplified. First, I find it odd that those who are often the most for gun-control also are coincidentally against strict drug control, often instead opting for de-criminalization or even legalization. The arguments for this are quite sound: it increases the predominance of gang control over drugs, despite the control inside a prison there are still drugs, weapons, etc.

Obviously, drugs and guns are apples and oranges - but it is a bit of a contradiction observing how strict drug control doesn't help then advocating such control for guns thinking it will help, it won't.

Now, I know the favorite thing to do in this case is pull up stats, point to every other country but the U.S. and say "see!! They kill each other with guns all the time!". Yep, they do, but is that because guns are available or because their society is overall quite sick and in decline?

Visit Detroit at your own risk, police union warns
Crime-Ridden Camden To Dump City Police Force
Lost Vegas: A growing society under Las Vegas 

This is just a very small example of the situation in the U.S. It's bad and getting worse. There have been 7 mass shootings this year in the U.S. - that's a lot, even for them - yet it's occurring at a time where there is a lot of gun control in the U.S. New York, Boston don't allow guns, etc. New York's ban even gets a mention in Grand Theft Auto 4:

Dimitri Rascalov: "The mayor has a hard-on for gun control."
Niko Belic: "Guns don't seem that controlled, I just got here and already I've seen plenty."
Dimitri Rascalov: "..and now you'll know where to get them for yourself. What's the problem?"

22 Chinese schoolchildren hurt in stabbing spree

The intention will always be carried out, and the intentions in sick, morally unbound societies are deranged and disturbed. As the situation continues to decline unthinkable acts will increase, Gerald Celente puts this best as 'When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it'. When entire cities in the U.S. are laying off their police forces, those people must be armed. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but the situation isn't favorable.

I would love a society where no one has guns, and where guns don't exist. This will be hard to accomplish though so long as western economies use weapons trade as a primary source of revenue. Many talking about gun control now were also cheering the assassination of 'terrorists'. The U.S. is a sick contradictory society, becoming morally bankrupt.

Are guns actually the problem, or is the problem the fact that we as a society condone events like this:


Once again, I am not pro or anti-gun. I am anti-violence however and a healthy society wouldn't need such controls. Gun control is a patch to what is already a problematic situation - it's not a true solution to any of it. There are root problems that much be addressed, HSBC gets a slap on the hand for drug laundering, I wonder how many of you are aware that the liquidity banks use for credit cards, etc, largely comes from drugs? (source-2) Are you aware that by using your credit cards, you have indirectly helped support violence like this:


There are 101 reasons why 2012 has been an insane and disastrous year, I don't think the U.S. lacking gun control even makes the top 1000.

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Richard Fantin is a self-taught software developer who has mostly throughout his career focused on financial applications and high frequency trading. He currently works for CenturyLink

Nazayh Zanidean is a Project Coordinator for a mid-sized construction contractor in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys writing as a hobby on topics that include foreign policy, international human rights, security and systemic media bias.

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