31 Articles

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Short Story: "A Hard Box to Think Outside Of" (13th in a series)
If corporations were convicted for their crimes, how much of the economy would survive? If those crimes included bribing public officials with campaign money, how much of the government would survive? Sure, we might eventually end up with something better, but what do we do in the meantime? If the scam of fractional-reserve banking was shut down, how would you buy your groceries? Would there even be groceries? I'm just asking.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Short Story: "Signing Statement" (14th in a series)
(1 comments) Even in a world where corporations are convicted for their crimes, they'd still control our lives through the monetary system. Just ask Leetha Berismont. Being unemployed pushes you into making risky choices, and corporations still hold all the cards. In her case, it's plastic, and it's been denied. Fortunately for her, she's having lunch with a bunch of radical activists, and one of them has her ear. Who really has the power?

Monday, November 23, 2009
Short Story: "Striking the Set Piece" (12th in a series)
If corporations could be convicted of their crimes, which ones would you want to bring to justice? Some, such as Blackwater, are obvious choices, because they boldly flaunt the law, or sidestep it by operating in the grey zones between government and private industry. Others are more subtle. They bankroll campaigns and pad pockets, and in return, get legislation either passed or blocked. Don't be hoodwinked by the puppeteers.

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Short Story: "Foreclosed Future" (part 11 of a series)
What if corporations were convicted for their crimes? John Frachetti, whose inflammatory blog posts got him accused of being a terrorist, has been laying low in the FW Diner, a chain that was turned into a haven for activists after the union reframed the CEO's scheme to profit from the company's conviction for theft. But after some unplanned publicity, he's gone back underground. Here's a dispatch from the road.

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Short Story: "Bank Shot" (10th in a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations could be convicted for their crimes? Fremont-Wayfarer was the 2nd one, but the union reframed the CEO's scheme to profit from it and created a hotbed of activism. Having unintentionally gotten press for a photo with the company's parole officer, suspected terrorist John Frachetti's earned an audience with the union, and he plans to make the most of it.

Thursday, November 19, 2009
Short Story: "The Tallysheet Bankers" (9th in a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations could be convicted for their crimes? Blogger John Frachetti had ignited the activist community gathered by the newly unionized workforce, and now the government threatened to shutter the chain of FW Diners to avert possible attacks against other misbehaving corporations. With the CEO recently murdered, John's been asked to speak to the Board, and a lot is resting on what he does, and who joins which side.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Short Story: "Unvarnished Siding" (8th in a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations could be convicted for the crimes they commit? Having issued the orders that enabled the newly unionized workforce of the FW Diners to transform the chain into a hotbed of activists, parole officer Claire Fuller had been photographed speaking with blogger and suspected terrorist John Frachetti. It's bad publicity for the case. The judge is asking questions. If you were in her position, what would you do?

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Short Story: "Unplanned Outing" (7th in a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations could be convicted for the crimes they commit? When Claire Fuller, Fremont-Wafarer's parole officer dropped in to one of the company's redecorated prison-themed diners to speak with the union's rep on the Board, she was hoping to keep a low profile. But then she ran into blogger John Frachetti, exactly the sort of activist customer the staff were trying to attract. Low profile wasn't exactly what happened.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Short Story: "Going Down" (part 6 of a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations were convicted of their crimes? The company that owns the FW Diners capitalized on the its conviction with a prison makeover, but the workers used the opportunity to speak out about corporate crime, and it's starting to bear fruit. Unfortunately, the blogger chatting up the cashier was just followed in by some threatening government suits. What do you suppose a roomful of activist customers would do?

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Short Story: "Serving Time" (5th in a series)
(1 comments) What if corporations could be convicted of their crimes? After Fremont-Wayfarer was incarcerated for theft, the newly unionized workforce agreed to the CEO's ploy to capitalize on their infamy, but they turned his plans against him. His idea sounded good on paper, but now the workers have to sell the surreal sight of a prison-themed restaurant to their customers. And not all of them think it was a good idea at all.

Sunday, November 1, 2009
Short Story: "Turnabout" (part 4 of a Series)
(1 comments) If corporate citizens were convicted of their crimes, what would jail time be like? Fremont-Wayfarer's parole officer wants the newly-unionized workforce to vote on CEO Reese's scheme to capitalize on being the first corporation incarcerated under the new rules. But then, he thought he was still in control of the situation. The union had other ideas.

Friday, October 30, 2009
Short Story: "Prison Break" (3rd in a series)
(1 comments) Imagine if corporations were granted the full rights of citizenship. They can finally be convicted of the crimes they commit. That's what happened to Fremont-Wayfarer, and now CEO Edward Reese must yield to Claire Fuller, the court-appointed parole officer chairing the Board of Directors. She's made sweeping changes to the board. Reese is incensed at the scrutiny he's now under, but he doesn't plan to give up without a fight.

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Short Story: "Logical Conclusion/Full Circle" (parts 1&2 of a series)
(1 comments) When wealthy capitalists misused the 14th Amendment to grant corporations the rights afforded people, they avoided the risks that went with those rights. That imbalance gave corporations an unfair advantage, which enabled them to subvert the constitution and manipulate the government, causing the current crisis. Imagine would happen if corporations were given full citizenship, and were treated like the criminals they are...

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Short Story: "Vocal Threat" (10th & Last of a series)
(1 comments) At some point, we all have to step out of our comfort zone, but for some people, there is more at stake than losing what we traded for that comfort. Because intelligence trainee Craig feels protective of Derek Boa's activist group, he risks exposing his complicity by not only speaking with Melissa Fox in public, but by bring a coworker into his confidence as well. The question, of course, is how they react, and what they do.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Short Story: "Unheard Voices" (8th in a series)
(1 comments) Revolutions are fought to overthrow the existing order, but sometimes the struggle takes place in the heart, mind and soul of one person at a time. Transforming heath care into a civil right is one such revolution. Derek Boa's group hopes to ignite a different kind of revolution, one that changes how people regard the U.S. Constitution. To them, it is the nation's operating system. It has been hacked, and needs to be debugged.

Friday, October 9, 2009
Short Story: "Wobbly Premise" (7th in a series)
(1 comments) Subverting authority takes guts. Doing so covertly is especially dangerous when you work in intelligence. Craig knew this when he decided to help Derek Boa and Constitutional Evolution, but it was a risk he was willing to take, because he believed in what they were doing. And you? How would you act? What would you do if you discovered a weakness in your distasteful employer's armory? Keep it to yourself... or take action?

Sunday, October 4, 2009
Short Story: "Double Agent" (6th in a series)
(1 comments) Do you live a double life? Does 'professional behavior' on the job mean stifling your real opinions in favor of those of your business or organization? As an intelligence agent, Craig had to treat Constitutional Evolution as a potential threat. But having met the activists in CE as 'Ron', he saw them as something entirely different. But he also realized that he was in a unique position to do something about it. Are you?

Friday, October 2, 2009
Short Story: "Hidden Baggage" (5th in a series)
(1 comments) Who really has a hidden agenda, those accused of having one, or those who trump up the charge? Have you brought emotional baggage that you don't know about to a dispute, or presented yourself in a false light to achieve some end? Ron walked into a Constitutional Evolution meeting on a mission, and it showed. As a member, would you ignore his hidden baggage, or shine a light on it? What if you were the leader, like Derek Boa?

Thursday, October 1, 2009
Short Story: "Symbolism and Intent" (4th in a series)
(1 comments) Got something to say? It's not just what you say and how you say it. A powerful message also evokes deep emotions and the magic that comes of using symbolism to present your intent. Magic, after all, is simply a matter of symbolism and intent, and changing people's hearts and minds is the kind of magic that's needed to bring lasting change. But it took someone who understood a different sort of magic to enlighten Derek Boa.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Short Story: "Fair Game"
(1 comments) The recent protest and arrests at "The Army Experience" in Philly may be a taste of what's to come. What if the need for corporate warriors in the call centers where social engineering is used to attack prospective 'customers' drives companies to model the DoD and use multi-user sim games to recruit young scam artists? Look in on the protest at "The Suasive Experience" that Margot Gaersbach is covering and see for yourself.

Friday, September 25, 2009
Short Story: "Ping Fa" (3rd in a series)
(4 comments) Everyone knows what warfare is, but what is peacefare? How can we achieve peace as an objective if we can only think about it as a lack of war? Melissa Fox, a new member of Constitutional Evolution, has accepted the challenge laid out for her by Derek Boa. If we ever hope to live in a world defined by peacefare, we need to be able to think and speak about it. Start with the idea, and learn its name: Ping Fa.

Monday, September 21, 2009
Short Story: "Motivation"
Is reading progressive news the extent of your involvement in fostering change? What would it take for you to put some skin in the game? If knowing that there's a problem isn't enough, would a loved one have to be at risk, injured or killed? We're each on our own path, and contribute in our own way. And some people, such as Derek Boa, are best at encouraging others to become involved, by getting them to see their own purpose.

Monday, September 21, 2009
Short Story: "Peace Initiative" (2nd in a series)
(1 comments) The words we use define how we think, speak and act. Control the public's vocabulary, and you control their actions. Right-wing strategists practice it daily. But so can we. Take a hint from the activists in 'Constitutional Evolution', and help to turn the chaos on the corner back to a rational debate about the issues, rather than a celebration of willfully manipulated ignorance. Or better yet, make Derek Boa's group real.

Sunday, September 20, 2009
Short Story: "Motivation"
(1 comments) Noticing that something's wrong may be the first step towards fixing it, but ideas alone aren't enough to activate most people. Emotion gives a stronger push, especially when a loved one suffers or dies. And then there are those special few who have the knack of turning people on to activism. Not the ones who use fear as a weapon, but rather those, such as Derek Boa, who are able to expose a person's true purpose in life.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Short Story: "Intermediary"
(1 comments) A complicit press is essential to the manipulation of gov't officials by corporate interests, and of the citizenry by compromised gov't officials. That was how the myths that shrouded what really happened on 9/11 were built, and how we were lied into war and the commission of war crimes. Now the press is enabling the unhinged right wing to destroy the workings of democracy. What if they succeed?

Saturday, September 12, 2009
Short Story: "Forced Inquiry"
(4 comments) Have you ever wondered whether there's a scientific explanation for why right-wingers, as a group, seem to be incapable of feeling compassion for other human beings? So did Paula Isikov, but it didn't go well. First, the blogosphere claimed that her rejected research paper smeared conservatives, and now it's getting personal. Take a look. What do you think?

Thursday, September 10, 2009
Short Story: "Patient Zero"
(2 comments) I wrote this story in October 2007, but I suspect the insurance industry would react the same way today. Here's a taste: Panicked reports from the office kept Dennis Furlin from paying more attention at the insurance industry conference. Maybe he should have.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Short Story: "Suppression"
In September 2007, when I wrote this story, the will of Congress was being blocked by the Bush/Cheney administration. Today, the reverse is true, but President Obama may be about to spurn his human constituency to bow to the health insurers who line Congress' pockets and mislead the public. In my fantasy, he summons the same strength of will as my character does, and calls the conservatives out for their dereliction of oath.

Sunday, November 16, 2008
On the Money
(1 comments) We just flipped an electoral coin and selected a president. But which side won... "In God We Trust" or "E Pluribus Unum"?

Thursday, October 9, 2008
End the Charade
(2 comments) We've been had. It's time to pull down the stage.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Greening of the Candidate
(3 comments) Have you seen something that seemed a bit off, but wasn't suspicious enough to report? It might have been meaningless. Maybe it was incompetence. But what if it was intentional? What if it's part of something so large you have trouble wrapping your mind around it?