A Modest Business Opportunity

Once upon a time, in a warm southern country the leader of a famous NGO, and according to how you view them, the business could have been infamous, while historically insidious, outrageous, and extremely violently dangerous was contemplating the future of their business, their children's inheritances' and the state of the world there in.

****

An answer came to him as if in a dream, a vision, a guiding beam.
He declared, though anything he stated was a declaration of unquestionable fact in fact,
"Since every one among us and the planet
is in or will be soon in a state of panic,
cooler heads must prevail.
Planetary warming, sea ice melting, climate changing
and worse," and he emphasized,
"and best of all arable land in the stolen territories is shrinking.
So, what can be done?"
No one said a thing. This was so unlike him as they tilted their collective heads
in disbelief thinking instead,
was he losing his mind, insane, pathological (that he was), soft in the head?
Warming, oceans, climate, what…?
They kept their collective mouths shut, while protecting their collective heads.
"The International Brotherhood of Drug Cartels
will have new cash crops to barter and sell.
Investing in rice, wheat, corn, fish farms and medical drugs,"
That was followed by a wink a wink and a grin,"
and a sigh of relief heard from the room within.
"And our straw men purchasing will soon begin
our monopoly over food and crops and distribution
linking us through channels existing, beyond federal observation
laid out most extensively and secret." And looking around questioned
The assembled group, "do I sense a bit of derision?"
Not a word was spoken, not a sigh uttered, a laugh or giggle
nervous or other wise.
"This pivot to legitimate business endeavors using our current models and methods and of course, in the course of our business intercourse,
with our history of convincing and sometimes coercive control
success will be guaranteed."
A young member raised his hand to be heard.
Most thought he was insane and would be cashiered just the same.
He stated, "In no uncertain terms a great idea but really
how is this going to work in the immediate reality? Where and whence is there to be profit from the initial losses from this new effort, without suffering overwhelming costs, that in fact should be considered with your business plan committed? "
"Time it will take," said the great leader, "Yet this secret operation has been
initiated. I have personally funded a test program begun this north of our border;
ceased using those foreign raw materials so dependent for our profits
that causes chaos in the streets which have diminished the ability to further this dream.
"If our vendors that can't see the future, that this is more than a shot in the arm,
and for a few, maybe a shot in the head instead, and it what it takes to make a new legitimate and very profitable bed, well, their reluctance to change, and to be sure, their family's welfare will be arranged.
"Young man come up and join me. You had the cajones to question; done with respect and introspection. To you I give authority and direction. But not let's not talk like that, instead think of it in a manner roughly marketed like this:

"Welcome to the new NGO,
not like the old NGO,
no food to those who oppose.
So what's the Gringo going to do
when we so no?
Mix his corn flakes with tequila?
I don't think so.

Rico Salvatore (BA, CAS, DOM) is a man of mystery… He began writing short stories and poems about 18 years ago after his exile from the Train Wreck Cluster 811 million parsecs from Earth for blaspheming the local political gods.

To assuage his home sickness, he has self-published 4 children’s books including one self-illustrated book of poems.

Rico was the art editor of Quantum Muse and has been published in Aphelion-webzine.com, Orion’s Arm.com, ShortHumour.org.uk, Poetry Hall a Chinese & English Bilingual Journal and has few stories in the anthologies: “A Flash of Aphelion,” “Fantastical Savannahs And Jungles”, “Xenobiology”, “Bleakest Towers” and “Of Poets, Spies, And The Unearthliness in the Time of Shakespeare and Marlow” where he has a poem written in an early/mid English style. He’s assisted with the translation of some poetry for a Chinese poet.

While on the planet he studied at The Art Students League in NYC and later picked up a degree in History with an advanced certification in Asian Studies from Rutgers University. Postgraduate studies concentrated in Chinese maritime history.

He and his two partners started and owned one of the first nationally based resume database companies specializing in high tech, computer security and various advanced systems of specialized and classified nature.

Rico may be contacted at mailto:ricoglg1033@gmail.com

Find more by Rico Salvatore in the Author Index.

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