Mr. R-o-a-d-s,
I have a confession to make: a few months ago I did some minor damage on the N-E-X-U-S website.

No, I'm not a hacker, Mr. R-o-a-d-s. Just a clumsy surfer. And while strolling down a hallway at N-E-X-U-S called "Adventures of a Psychic Spy" I tripped over a couple of plants.

The first was in an alcove with a sign that said, "We downed TWA 800 with a Microwave from Long Island." It hardly looked like a plant. But it had one too many leaves on it to be anything else.

The second was in another alcove, "Blaming Iraq for Gulf War Syndrome." This one had even more extraneous leaves. You could pick this leaf, or that one, or the one over there...and I think it was psychotropic because it got me confused.

I had to trot out the picture I keep in My Documents that shows a curious pattern of Allied jet contrails, each abnormally wide and persistent, over the more populated areas of Iraq, AND over the northern border of Saudi Arabia, just to quell the confusion this plant caused me.

I hope I didn't cause any serious damage. Both plants looked sickly to me; their leaves were so transparent. Maybe my tripping was caused by the God of Sick Plants or something. Or a radar ring.

I believe in free will, so I'll apologize.

But I also believe we all get used by "higher powers" (higher indeed than mere presidents or prime ministers!), Mr. R-o-a-d-s, no matter how dedicated we are. And I have come to suspect that no one ever quite leaves the Intelligence Community. No matter how good they sound.

It was kind of the venerable N-E-X-U-S to weigh in on a posting here at RMN. What I find curious is, your comments seem to dance around the central theme of the posting, just as I should perhaps have danced around those plants. Not a word about the concept that "Depression=War." Just two lectures about Who Really Runs Things, neither of which we needed.

Our use of names of junior management like Clinton, Gore and Dubya, for example, are mere conventions. You could say, "hey, Clinton was ordered to do that" and we would say, "yeah, that's what I meant." We don't always have the names of the people who give the orders. But we aren't fooled.

Rayelan has been flamed twice this week: first by someone at Media Bypass and now by you. I wonder if that has any significance.

You are a veteran of alternative publishing, Mr. R-o-a-d-s, and should not get so worked up over something that it makes you "puke." My Grandad used to say when you feel that way, it's time for some fresh air, and some weeding in the garden.

Respectfully,

Oliver Haddo