A Libertarian in Brazil

A Libertarian in Brazil, February 17th, 2019
The reason only 3% of Americans are Libertarians is because
Libertarians see the world the way it is. We are what we are. The
world is cruel. Mother Nature is a bitch trying to kill us every day.
“Gaia” is not our friend.
But the religions promise us eternal life in paradise after we die and
socialists promise us a free lunch.
Humans like that.
Back in May of 1990 I flew from Seattle to Belem, Brazil to work on
the film “At Play in the Fields of the Lord.” David Jones, the famous
stunt pilot and aerial coordinator (“Apocalypse Now” among many
other famous films), hired me over the phone. I was to maintain the
Dehavilland Beaver used in the film.
Well, I was a Midwestern kid who was living on Puget Sound. I was
38 and in good shape and I knew the airplane as I’d been working at
Kenmore Air Harbor for ten years. Harrison Ford bought his rebuilt
Beaver from KAH.
Belem, Brazil is 200+ miles south of the equator at the mouth of the
Amazon. It had a population of 1 million in 1990. It is 2 million
today.
How do I describe Belem? Very hot it is. Very humid it is. Every day
the sun comes up at 6 AM and sets at 6 PM. There is a huge
rainstorm at about 4 PM every day as well to keep the city somewhat
livable.
The diseases are rampant. The women outnumber the men 8-1
(male babies succumb to the diseases.) Sex was the norm. Age of
death was 59 tops. Average income $50/month. Cruzeiros floating
down the street as they’d become worthless to be replaced with the
Cruzado which has since become worthless and replaced by the
Real.
I got off of the plane from Miami with David Jones at 2 AM and as
our VW combo (van) from the movie company drove through the
Belem ghetto, well, the whole city is pretty much a ghetto; I saw
pretty much naked people and dogs in the street and puddles. Folks
sleep during the heat of the day and stay up at night when it is
finally cool.
Death seemed inevitable and I figured I’d never get home to Seattle.
And that almost came true several times.
But the people of Belem were happy. They believed in Jesus and
Mary and the saints. I’ve never been around a happier kinder people.
My girlfriend, Heloisa, who spoke English (the locals speak
Portuguese) took me to a Novena one night at a local Catholic
Church.
The building was narrow and made of concrete. There were ten fans
on each wall about ten feet off the floor rotating as they tried to
keep the congregation cool at 7 PM on a tropical night.
It reminded me of a spaceship ready to lift off and take these poor
Belemese souls to God.
Is Libertarianism better than the dreams of the blue pill?
Who really wants to take the red pill of reality?
People like their fantasies.
Tim McGraw