Adrift: A Journey to George Orwell's 1984

By Wayne McLaughlin

Something hits you that just doesn’t square up. Nothing urgent or threatening – more puzzling than disquieting. Your daily grind shoves it aside and then it happens again. It may be a minor news item, or a magazine cover you glance at while checking out of the supermarket or it may be a thought your child brings home from school.
If you are an introspective kind of person, after days, weeks, months or even years that nagging little voice inside says something like, “things have changed and I didn’t even see it happening; what’s going on?” The now disquieting change is not for the better and you just can’t put your finger on why or how or even what exactly.
Words like equality, justice, and opportunity have become nuanced and politically correct speech has limited your ability to put a word to a thought.
Adrift provides context to the stark reality of our future. Read it if you have the courage and wish to become an agent of change to a better direction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wayne McLaughlin
• Release date: Jun 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310900600

Wayne McLaughlin

“So vast is art, so narrow human wit.” – Alexander Pope“If you are writing about baloney, don’t try and make it Cornish hen, because that’s the worst kind of baloney there is. Just make it darn good baloney.” – Leo BurnettSome place between art and baloney lies context for the things that grab at our attention every day. From my junior high school journalism class and the school paper on, I have always enjoyed the challenge of piling one word on top of another until a coherent thought emerges. While pursuing an engineering and business career, I always found opportunities to implant a few words on some paper seen by others.Stops in between included military service spent in the post public information office sending out news releases and variously sports editing and editing the post newspaper.Abundant reading time feeds my interests in politics, religion, history, environment and the economy. My professional career included 40 years in the environmental industry running my own company built on four patents.

Book preview

ADRIFT – A Journey to George Orwell’s 1984

By Wayne McLaughlin

Copyright 2015 by Wayne McLaughlin

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Why I Wrote Adrift

Disquieting trends encroaching on the freedoms we take for granted are the subject of this book.

It is not intended as an A vs B but rather, shares some observations about a pattern, which when recognized, will enable us to change the current course. Observations by any thoughtful person will be influenced by a bias acquired from a lifetime of watching the passing scene however it is hoped that your reading is taken as an invitation to reason, regardless of your political leanings.

My own interpretation of events is seen through a conservative prism, but if Teddy Roosevelt had not introduced Progressivism and there were no liberals, I would be the first one; because a balanced expression of diverse views is the strength of a vibrant democracy.

Ubiquitous electronic communication has given voice to the shrillest of political discourse ripping the middle right out of politics.

Democrats on the left, and Republicans on the right eschew moderates as apostates, while following divergent ideological paths. Converging with compromise to solve major problems has given way to ‘winning’ at any costs, negating the legislative process.

Instead of debating issues, scorn is the lingua franca of the two sides who don’t seem to be speaking the same language. If A espouses a viewpoint for reasons 1,2 and 3, B responds with an assault on A’s character, intelligence and motives without ever attempting to address or attack reasons 1,2 or 3 supporting his viewpoint. Political campaigns are very expensive name calling contests worthy of a grade school playground which, in spite of feigned indignation about negative campaigning, continues because polls show they are the most effective vote getters.

And why is that? Because the large majority of the self-governed have abdicated their responsibility to be informed. As illustrated in 1984, hate, dislike or distaste is far less challenging than exercising that organ between our ears. We know more about the outcome of the latest reality show, or who is favored in the next major sporting event, or the plot line in the latest NetFlix presentation than the name of our U.S. Senator; or any knowledge of proposed controversial legislation making its way through deliberative bodies.

Greedy rich or lazy welfare recipients or some bumper sticker slogan will animate their choices as they step into the voting booth – if they choose to vote.

People of liberal persuasion are happy with bending rules and stretching constitutional bounds to get new laws and regulations in the last six years meeting their approval. How will they feel when conservative views dominate using those same precedents?

Adrift is an attempt to awaken curious minds. Several years ago, I decided to examine the global warming discussion, predisposed to give it credence only because of the steady drumbeat of media and political hype on the subject. My conclusions are detailed in Chapter 2. This I describe as the Big Lie, of our world, which lays the foundation for all of the other confounding points to come.

You may not agree with my conclusion or, for that matter, any other idea posited here. If you do a little research in refutation, ADRIFT will have accomplished its purpose.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ ADRIFT

It is each and every person's responsibility to be informed. We cannot simply remain clueless as to what is in front of our very eyes, or lap up the views of a corrupted media. It is worse still to remain passive and unconcerned.

ADRIFT brings you a detailed and well-researched report on the real Crisis,