To see such a bedrock conservative stance embraced by someone with an essentially liberal
weltanschauung or worldview, was a much appreciated element of the film to me -- one that I, of course, applaud, and the fact that it is such an integral part of the movie's message allowed me to generally overlook or forgive what might otherwise have been stumbling blocks for me.
I have some problems with "Thrive" -- not "Problems" with a capital "P," but problems nonetheless. Let me briefly discuss some of them.
The beginning of the film discusses free energy (zero point or "new" energy) centered around a fundamental building block of the universe;
the torus. All well and good, and wonderfully interesting stuff -- but I do wish that liberals would stop putting the cart before the horse, and realize that there needs to be a transitional period between relying on fossil fuels and converting to "clean" energy. It is reckless to the point of insanity to insist on doing away with traditional forms of energy production before any newer, cleaner, pragmatic forms of energy production come on line (can you say
Solyndra?).
Another quibble that I had with "Thrive's" beginning was the inclusion of segments on UFOs and
crop circles, which I personally found to be an unwarranted distraction. Would I jump at a chance to ride on a UFO? Absolutely -- but I am not going to hold my breath till it happens, and I will in no way be despondant if I never receive an
extraterrestrial colonoscopy.
My jury remains out regarding both UFOs and crop circles. It is not that I think them to be frivolous topics, but I consider them to be peripheral side issues that do not help the film make its key points. Still, it's Gamble's film, and I suppose that
UFOs and crop circles are subjects that are no doubt of great interest to some, perhaps most, people. As I say, a quibble, nothing more.
On a more serious note I found the following quote to be misleading and misguided (it is in
the "Spirituality" section on the "Thrive" website):
"After the 'state,' the 'church' is the second most destructive institution in recorded history. Think of the suffering, hatred and death associated with the words Crusades, Inquisitions, witch hunts, heretics, burnings at the stake, Arabs vs. Jews, Catholics vs. Protestants, Hindus vs. Muslims and on and on."
That is merely stock liberal talking points rather than the truth. To compare Christianity or the world's other major faiths with Islam is preposterous. Islam is a totalitarian economic/legal/cultural/religious system that has more in common with the collectivist theories of communism and fascism than faith
per se. That is why it has always been favored by left-wing (and right-wing) adherents of big government. I would suggest that Mr. Gamble read Dinesh D'Souza's "What's So Great About Christianity?" before sweeping it into the ash-heap of passé superstitious creeds.
http://dineshdsouza.com/books/christianity-jacket.html
In fairness I should mention that Gamble makes some observations regarding spirituality that I am in total agreement with, such as:
"The spiritual essence of the big religions has often been stripped away by financial and political forces to turn the "flock" into blind followers rather than free and independent sources of wisdom and love. This is not to say that people can't or don't experience true spiritual awakening and find great inner peace and strength through the guidance of others, including traditional religious guidance. The point is that...our true nature can be regained as we awaken to the boundless energy and compassion in our direct connection with the consciousness of the Universe and with one another." Amen.
Before discussing why I find "Thrive" so appealing, permit me to briefly discuss a favored
leitmotif of mine as it applies to the "Thrive" website. I am referring to the common misconception that fascism is somehow a
right-wing phenomenon.
For example, the "Thrive" website quotes
G. Edward Griffin (in what is otherwise a cogent, intelligent, and insightful discussion):
"History has already shown this truth in the form of despotism under Nazism (the so-called
Right) and Communism (the so-called Left). It is sad that intelligent people with knowledge of this history still cling to the myth that they are opposites when it is so clear they are merely different manifestations of the same ideology."
Griffin is quite correct when he points out that communism and fascism are not opposites, but "different manifestations of the same ideology." But he makes the common error of equating fascism with the right-wing.
Fascism is a totalitarian or big government ideology, and as such cannot possibly belong to a limited-government conservative viewpoint. While fascism may be to the right of
communism, they are
both indisputably doctrines of the
left. One can envision liberalism as a bird, with the left wing representing communism, and the right wing representing fascism.
The fact that some (far too many) Republican politicians favor a quasi-fascist system of government does not indicate that the
right-wing is fascist, but that a number of Republican politicians are in fact practicing a variety of
left-wing politics. They are, in effect, a
left-wing fifth column masquerading behind the guise of belonging to the
right-wing. True conservatives (limited government) are decidedly a minority in today's US government, which is blatantly lopsided to the left (i.e. totalitarian government) in a most dangerous and unhealthy (and un-American) manner.
The fact that fascism continues to be identified with conservatism is something of a pet peeve of mine, so please forgive me if I seem to be kicking a "dead dog" once again (the problem is that the "dog" isn't dead at all, but very much alive -- and growling).
At the end of the day, however, I am in complete agreement with Foster Gamble's position that we need to move beyond the horizontal left/right dialectic, and move on to the realization that we are dealing with a vertical hierarchy that has liberty and freedom at its apex, and enslavement and tyranny at its nadir -- or
as Ronald Reagan put it almost half a century ago:
"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream--the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism."
Let me close out this article by discussing what I see as being the key facets of "Thrive," and why I consider them to be of vital importance. I am speaking of the issues of individual liberty, and the international cabal that seeks to crush freedom.
Much has been made of OWS's "1% vs. 99%" meme, but I believe that Foster Gamble has the right of it when he told "
The Daily Bell" that it is not 1% of the world that has planned and is implementing one-world-government rule, but more like .0001%. It is a very small percentage indeed, but they wield power out of all proportion to their numbers.
Gamble primarily speaks of the Rockefellers, the Morgans, and the Rothschilds -- with mention being made of the Carnegie, Harriman, Schiff, and Warburg families. The list as given is, of course, a far from a complete one, but Gamble has the gist of things correct, in that the world's banks and governments have been, and are being, manipulated for profit, acquisition of power, and the cynical amusement of a relative handful of
extremely wealthy and powerful ruling elites. These George Soros' of the world are behind much of the world's economic chaos and misery.
"We the people" simply
must wake up to how we have been, and are being played by these elites -- how the
Federal Reserve System and IMF work together in
incestuous collusion with Wall Street, big business, and big government, and how the MSM serves as their
propaganda ministry; how our political choices, issues, and candidates are chosen and force-fed to us; how our educational, legal, and government systems have all been infiltrated and perverted to favor the elites, and disenfranchise "we the people" of our liberty and "unalienable rights."
"We the people" need to stop conflating jingoistic nationalism with patriotism, and stop thinking that hawkish globalism is somehow patriotic Americanism. We need to wake up and
start throwing off our shackles with a will -- in Foster Gamble's words, "we need to wake up and take action right away."
I hope that you will watch "Thrive." I hope that many millions will watch it -- and be moved to act. Any quibbles aside, I believe that it is a clarion call that can unite "we the people" in a way that transcends ideological labels -- which is something that the elites are loath to see happen, as we are much easier to manipulate and control when we are divided. (Please note that most of the "quibbles" that I mention above concern comments from the
website, not the movie).
You can
view "Thrive" online for $5 (you can sign out and in, and have a 72 hour window to watch it in), order the DVD, or inquire about possible local screenings. It is past time that "we the people" united as one and started pro-actively engaging in effective strategies to restore our liberty. Power to the people!
Laus Deo.
