The Matarese Circle

Now I’m not absolutely sure that I am right, but it has occurred to me that the radical right in Congress actually manipulated President Obama to approve the sequester provision under the guise of it being such a terrible thing that certainly something could be done before it ever was put into action.  In short, it was a trap that the President walked into because he couldn’t, at the time, conceive of anyone being that Machiavellian.  Remember Speaker Boehner commenting after the sequester provision was first passed way back when he stated that he had gotten “98% of what I wanted.  I’m pretty happy”.  I do believe that the President has learned.

We know that it is the Koch brothers and other billionaires who control the Tea Party who control Congress.  That has been confirmed.  Stop and think a minute just what might happen if the economy of this country collapsed after the sequester kicks in completely.   Many of the essential services on which the populace has come to depend would be greatly weakened.  These billionaires could offer to privatize them through their companies, initially at a competitive price, and slowly take over the responsibilities of government, except for national defense. 

You think I’m a conspiracy whacko?  Take a look at the great State of Michigan.  The Republican Governor and Legislature voted in a law that allowed the Governor to abolish any local government that he perceived to be unfit.  The people of Michigan rightly were distressed over this and got a provision on the November ballot last year to overturn that law.  The provision passed.  So, in December, the Legislature passed almost exactly the same law, but with the added provision that it couldn’t be overturned by referendum.  Now the Governor is eyeing the City of Detroit as being ripe for a takeover.  And of course (sarcasm) it is only a coincidence that all of these areas are populated by people of color.  Now these areas are being managed by one person, not elected but appointed by the Governor, leaving the people with absolutely no voice in how their communities or cities are governed.  Schools and other essential services can be closed or cut, all in the name of the economy.  The people will have no say.  And now I am going to digress a bit.

One of the greatest spy thriller writers of all time, in my opinion, was Robert Ludlum.  He could weave the most intricate stories with a myriad of story threads, which he then turned into a marvelous verbal tapestry.  His most famous are the Bourne Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum.  The rest of the Bourne novels that he wrote are really good, but the author of the later Bourne books would probably agree that they cannot match Ludlum’s, although they are good reads.

I have read many of Ludlum’s many times, but there is one novel that I have read many more times than the others for its sheer tapestry of intrigue.  Much to my surprise, when I pulled it up off the internet just now I find that is being made into a movie, probably starring Denzel Washington.  I’m sure it will be a good movie, but I strongly recommend reading the book, either before or after.

The reason I’m writing about this book is that I have been thinking about it lately.  The book is not current, is about a time in our recent history when Russia was our strongest enemy, and is sort of an outlandish story.  Basically it is about a cabal of economic moguls who want to control the world economies, and thus the world.  They go about it by wrecking economies.

I keep thinking of the State of Michigan.  Then I think of The Matarese Circle.  Then Michigan.  I really wish Spring would get here, and I can go outside.