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Democracy has been rendered a quaint exercise in which we are asked to select which robber baron will loot our resources, which moral entrepreneur will pander to us, and which corporate elitist will decide our fates. What makes this openly fascistic enterprise unique in history is precisely its transparent quality and the ways in which it exists alongside popular conceptions of liberty and justice for all. We don't require leaks to expose this blatant corporatocracy; the empire brazenly stands stark naked before our gerrymandered gaze.

The real Dominant Paradigm – the one held by the overwhelming majority of people on the planet – is more decentralized and amorphous, yet is grounded in shared values that merit enunciation. These include: a belief in the virtues of community; a desire to be part of something greater than oneself; a reciprocal relationship with nature and life's essential resources; an aversion to open hostilities and devastating warfare; an interest in the wellbeing of others as a precondition of personal prosperity; an adherence to culturally-transcendent principles such as the Golden Rule; and a willingness to work hard in return for an equitable existence.

There should be a direct relationship between recognized training centers and oil company human resources departments. There isn’t. Basically, people are on their own; it’s not like they can go down to the local jobs office and get advice.  In a country with extremely high levels of unemployment and a huge “419″ internet scamming problem (sorry, Ghana, but it appears you have caught up with Nigeria and Cameroon on this front), potential victims are everywhere.

Both Tullow Oil and Kosmos Energy have posted scam alerts on their websites. Here’s the warning from Kosmos: NOTE: POTENTIAL RECRUITMENT FRAUD Kosmos Energy has learned that job applicants in the international oil and gas business, as well as other industry sectors, may be contacted by individuals or organizations that offer false employment opportunities. These communications are often via email and may request personal information or money. Kosmos only makes job offers after candidates have completed a formal interview process and does not ask applicants to pay fees during recruitment. Specifically, please note that any communications from or about the “Kosmos Group” are not associated with Kosmos Energy. This is good, but I don’t know how useful these alerts are. There are a lot of people in Takoradi who don’t have internet access. And even when you get to the Tullow or Kosmos websites, it’s not easy to get information.

“We are committed to providing Ghanaian suppliers with full and fair opportunities, providing short and long-term support to help local suppliers to achieve contract pre-qualification. To date 700 local contracts have been awarded by Tullow, including procuring 100% of IT equipment and services in Ghana.” I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to find out more about these 700 contracts when I interview Tullow officials.