[Lorien]

As far as the "minions" Cliff speaks of, most of them are more like pawns, not really knowing what their true purpose is. Granted there are those that feel they are serving their masters well and will be rewarded for it, but in the end they too will be thrown away once their usefulness has ended. Like MyPlanet2 said, at that point I feel many of them will turn to the light and out the evil deeds of their once masters.

As far as your concerns Seashore, I feel that the majority of the population feel stuck, and not just the "minions". As has been discussed in another thread we as a species have lost our true freedoms due to the need to work, pay bills, etc. Granted there are those who have gotten out of that cycle, but few and far in between.

Especially in the US the idea of a community separated from the workings of the system is hard to attain, unless you have private property that you can do with as you wish. Even then due to things such as property tax you can never be fully free of it. However on private land, with solar/wind/hydro power, and a group of people who truly desire a non self serving way of life, a new future can be forged, one community at a time.

Imagine if an entire community got together, raised money, and turned an entire town off of big electric. Now imagine others heard of that and did the same. Soon if everyone followed that path the big electric companies would eventually go out of business or need to change their business models. Same goes for oil and other resources.

I think at this point the best thing to do is to spread the truth, focus on positive thoughts, and believe in your heart that everything will be ok. Since no one can predict absolutely what the future holds, be prepared for anything.