Orbiters

Dumped

…Writers need an ask. An ask is someone asking for your work, whether a friend, agent, magazine editor, or a publisher. That’s why Substack is so great. It’s an ask. It might be a very big ask (lotsa readers) or very small (hardly any). But as a writer, an ask is an ask.

Blow the whistle, and that dog comes a-runnin…

Many years ago, thousands in fact, Moon folk eliminated money. Cash was unnecessary. In theory, they said. It would take some time. They would try it out first, with a break-in period lasting, possibly, several generations.

It took Malthusians two weeks.

Wallets were tossed. Credit cards cut up. Paper money wafted through streets and piled up in gutters. Overnight, cash registers vanished. One simply went to the store and took what was needed.

With the end of money came the end of laws. Since everything was free there was nothing to steal. Courts of law vanished. Police walked neighborhoods, smiling and stopping for cookies, posing for photographs, picturesque relics of the past. Society, however, was still left with one last, unforgivable sin.

Violence. This could never be forgiven. Ever.

Even anger was considered bad form. Arguments, disputes, contrary opinions? This was fine, even encouraged. But getting in someone’s face sent you directly to the analyst’s couch. If that didn’t work there were health and wellness spas on Titan.

But what if a citizen continued on a wayward path, despite all the help and encouragement in the world? Malthusia had a remedy for that. Earth is just around the corner. Those proven incorrigible were dumped in some city with nothing more than the clothes on their back. You want to steal, rob, cheat, embezzle? You want to commit violence? We have a place for you.

Of course, those sent to Earth went straight to the police. You can imagine how that went.

Exiled Malthusian: “Listen to me. LISTEN. I’m an alien! A space ship came from the Moon and left me here. You’re in danger. All of you are in terrible danger!”

Officer Tollefson: “Vern, get in here.”

Vern: “What is it?”

Officer Tollefson: “We got another one.”

Being tender-hearted, Malthusians worried exile might be cruel. But the consensus remained. If one insisted on harming others, one must leave. It isn’t our fault. You asked for it.

Deposited on Earth some Malthusians, despite their tendencies, became quite accomplished. A disturbing number started businesses or went into government. They drove BMW’s, acquired large homes, stockpiled fortunes. It makes sense, if you know your history. An unstable individual prone to outbursts? Threats? Coercion? On Earth, that’s almost a recipe for success.