America... It's Like An Onion Rotten At the Core

Cancer Foundations are a Sham

So you're an aging millionaire with cancer.  I guess money couldn't keep you alive forever after all.

Before you create yet another foundation for cancer research, you may want to consider something.  Not all diseases are fatal, yet they take the lives of millions annually.   Pneumonia, flu, malaria, malnutrition..   Your generous donation doesn't even guarantee that cancer patients will receive treatment.  Many patients can't afford the latest drugs either because they don't have health insurance, or their insurance company/HMO won't pay.  So they die.

Granted, cancer dollars eventually prolong life and prevent disease, but mostly for the wealthy.  Cancer research diverts much needed funds to biotech companies.  The money could be put to better use.  Many cancers could be avoided if Americans and other citizens of the rich West altered their high-fat, high-indulgence diets and habits.  

Before you leave this planet, give your money to "conventional" health care instead.  The life you save may not be a millionaire's or have the same rare form of cancer that you do.  How about donating some of that dough to people who are just hungry?

We're Now Leaving Amish Country

I saw an show on PBS about the Amish in Pennsylvania (U.S.).   The Amish are basically a tourist attraction - I have often heard people talk about their trips through "Amish Country" as if it was a theme park.  As you can probably imagine, the future of the Amish is bleak.  The tourists bring lots of disposable cash that the Amish desperately need.  As happens to all cultures that engage in trade, the dominant society is assimilating the Amish.  Many Amish leave their farms for American cities, attracted by an easier life with fewer religious restrictions.

The Amish are facing a two-pronged attack.  The second weapon is suburban sprawl.   The Amish are quickly becoming the last farm owners in the region and their land is more valuable every year.  Many farms are sold to developers who build single-family homes on lots as large as 2 acres - a gross waste of fertile land as well as water, since grass - the most thirsty plant ever conceived by Nature - covers most of it (of course!).   The new settlers bring their isolating culture, such as staying indoors to watch the ballgame and their love of automobiles, permanently transforming Amish Country into America. 

This practice is also occurring in my childhood home, the Central Valley of California, where the fig and orange fields in which I played are now parking lots.  I hate America.  But no, I don't hate Americans:  I hate the pact their "leaders" made with the devil long ago.  The devil that promised "progress" at the expense of all else.  I just feel sorry for future generations who will be deprived of rows of cherry blossoms, foxes at play in the distance, and the majestic flight of cranes.

Farewell Amish and same to you, America.

To Sir, With Love

Well I finally have to break down and comment on the gossip surrounding the White House.

On a radio show I heard some women complaining:  how could the President do this to his wife and family?  I just want to ask them:  how many men (or women) want to have sex with you?  Do you even know how to enjoy sex?  Doubtful.  And about Hillary:  how many presidents have you been married to?  Maybe it's worth it.  In fact, maybe it's no so bad if your husband feeds his urges without bothering you all the time.  Obviously this situation is as complicated as real life.  Obviously infidelity is nothing new.  Old men have been fucking young women since the beginning of time.  It's a power thing.   If a man could have any women he wanted, I'm sure it's pretty damn hard to not act on it.  Not many white balding middle-aged males with sticks up their butts can say they have been in the same position. 

Did Clinton rape Monica?   Were any charges pressed?  No - so what is the big deal?  In fact, Monica will profit from this experience handsomely - not for working hard, not making a significant contribution to the country, not for using her intelligence - she'll be even more rich just for being a pop culture figure.   It's hard to feel sorry for her.

This non-story just shows how prudish the American public is, and how the media likes to play on innuendo.  Yes, we were all teased into a tizzy just hearing about blowjobs and semen!  Normally we don't usually talk such dirty talk.  But it feels so good!

My intention is not to defend the President.  Clinton's meanderings are meaningless as far as the country goes - that is, until they become headline news and the President can no longer do his job.  Whose fault is it that the President's sexcapades have become a major story?  It's the media's fault and, consequently, the media profits from it - profit is the only reason why these stories see the light of day.  Let's talk about real reasons why Clinton should not be trusted:  his about-face on gays in the military; his pursuit of fast track, NAFTA, GATT, and the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investment).  Let's really look at the country's dark side and see who controls the government:  corporations that own the mass media as well as the military industrial complex (MIC, as in MIC-key Mouse).

So the next president may not be fucking interns, but you can bet he'll be fucking wildlife and non-m/billionaires across the globe.

Life Got You Down?  Or Did You Notice?

Whenever I watch nature specials, I become very angry and, well, sad.

I see poachers killing gorillas just for their heads and hands - not for food, but as trinkets purchased by rich, gluttonous, unthinking vacationers.  I see the habitat of precious few wild animals dwindling as farms and urban areas insatiably expand.

I wonder, how can I stop this, what could I do besides send money to the World Wildlife Foundation?  Do I need to chain myself to a tree?  How can I do something and not sacrifice my comfortable life?

But just as easily, I could turn the channel.  I could read a book.  I could surf the Internet.  Then I would feel better, as if the real problems of the world no longer exist.  Time to dwell on my own problems.

It's increasingly easier to become distracted in the sheltered world that only money provides.

Some day, the bombs will fall.  Perhaps the oceans will rise.  Humans will die in great numbers in North America (more than already die in their cars).  There's no escaping it.  Will we leave our TVs before that happens?  Will we fight for the wilderness now that there's something left to preserve?  The real heroes are those who are out in the cold and the heat, trying to assist nature instead of sitting in their comfy living rooms watching the ballgame.

-Click-

Unhappy 4th

What could be more patriotic than spending the 4th of July at a baseball game?  It was a beautiful day at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

I observed remnants of Shakespearean times.  The well to-do sit in private boxes, high above the smelly, unruly masses.  The masses have a better time than the sophisticates on their cell phones.  Nothing has changed in centuries .. except, all of the participants have moved down a few pegs, preferring sports over theater.

Of course, there is good reason to call the masses unruly.  A small minority shout obscenities and insult the "other" team and their fans.  The fans act partly out of primal group behavior - I am superior because I belong to this arbitrary group - but it's obvious that this ridiculous behavior is largely motivated by alcohol.  Far be it for stadiums to deprive their customers of the beer they so desire.  After all, there's a buck to be made, even if, regretfully, a few fights break out.  Heck, plenty of security guards will be on hand to protect the public.  This is why I hate stadium sports.

The fact that stadiums sell beer reminds me of the state of America's nutritional health - the "respectful" (and thin) media constantly berates Americans for their high-fat and high-cholesterol diets.  Their transmissions are immediately followed by Pringles commercials.

But I digress.  I really wanted to talk about independence - something revered in America especially on the 4th.  Each year as fireworks further pollute the air, I wonder .. freedom, exactly, from what?  The British?  I really doubt things were so bad under British rule - indeed, many historians point out that Americans paid less taxes to the Crown than did mainland British citizens.  The British hardly treated the American colonists the way they treated the indigents of their Indian and African colonies.

And we still aren't free.  Today's oppression is much more subtle, much more sophisticated, and no less deliberate - it's everywhere and yet goes undetected.  Our planet and our souls can not take much more of the constant barrage of commercials and cheap products.   And we don't need faux "green consumerism" either - a prime example being the multinational Body Shop, conveniently appearing in a mall near you.  We must free ourselves of the chains of our corporate masters.  A truly free society has real choices.  Do you prefer Dodgers or Giants, Coke or Pepsi, Democrats or Republicans?  In America, we can choose between Fritos or Pringles.  Both come out the other end exactly the same, if you know what I mean.

At least 50% of the crowd attending the game was Latino.  How ironic to be celebrating Independence Day in a country that stole California from Mexico, in a state where the "majority" is actually the minority - thieves in a stolen land.

However, the indigenous peoples of pre-California - "Native Americans" - are the rightful heirs of this paradise.  Rooting for either the Latinos or the Gringos is pretty pointless.  Which is better:  a macho, violent, homophobic, meat-eating, woman-oppressive culture or a macho, violent, homophobic, meat-eating, woman-oppressive culture?

One thing's for sure:  the Latinos helped build California for what it is today -- good or bad -- and in return they suffer the brunt of poverty, racism, classism, and ethno-centrism.  The rich white man got rich and fat off of their backs.

There are very few Native Americans left, but they do exist, and they're suffering too.  Let's do right by peoples of color for once.  We all could do a lot more than just giving our lunch money to the tax man, money that never reaches the grimy inner cities.  We could .. er .. we could .. abandon our homes .. er .. surrender our bank accounts .. er ..   how about we just got along?  Until the residents of the "home of the brave" own up to some real sacrifice, nothing's going to change.  We're just postponing the riots until a later day.

Suffer the Children

I am ashamed to live in a country that intentionally starves children in order to appease wealthy, materialistic families and multinational corporations.  The embargoes on Cuba, Iraq, and many other "rogue" nations (as defined by #1 rogue nation, the U.S.) represent cruel and unusual punishment.  The poor are the first to suffer during an embargo, and there's no poorer class than children.  Denying children of food and other basic needs is a soulless act.  The U.S. doesn't need to create yet another generation of America-haters.

The Buzz on the Street

California, USA - Recently the Bay Area Air Quality Board issued a plea to consumers to buy electric vehicles.  It seems the automobile makers are all too happy to produce Eves, but if nobody buys them, well, shucks, they'll just have to stop.

The auto industry should be lucky enough to sell electric vehicles.  Because if it were up to me, there wouldn't be any more cars.

Electric vehicles aren't the answer to our dwindling quality of life.  Electricity is generated from a variety of sources, but fossil fuels provide the majority of power.  Electric vehicles won't reduce emissions of greenhouse gases - in fact, they will probably have the opposite effect.  Power companies have a hard enough time meeting demand as it is.   When car owners start plugging in their cars, watch the lights go out!  I'll just briefly mention the endless list of toxic and non-recyclable materials found in electric and gasoline cars.  I'll even more briefly mention the pillaging of the environment needed to sustain the automotive industry, in terms of raw materials and land forever lost to roads and highways.  I won't even get into the dangers that cars pose to pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, and to the passengers themselves, or the obscene, endless amounts of noise pollution spewing from our roadways.  Also consider the enormous personal expense required to purchase and maintain several cars over one's lifetime.  If that weren't enough, just witness the ridiculous grid-lock plaguing every urban area at "rush hour", which is actually three consecutive hours twice daily.

Let's start thinking about the big picture.  Detroit and media-land obviously don't want you to.  The electric vehicle mantra only serves the automotive industry.  The answer is not more cars.  We need reliable, affordable, dignified public transportation.  Let somebody get rich off that.

I am quite aware that the automobile suits the American lifestyle.  Cars and the American Way are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to think about them separately.  Automobiles are synonymous with freedom - the ability to go where ever I want, whenever I want; to live wherever I want, even if it means I have to commute 10 hours a day.  It's obvious that the automobile influenced every city and town planning commission in the United States.  Banks, land owners (primarily railroads), housing contractors, and infrastructure industries greedily benefited from spreading millions of Americans across the country with promises of large homes, large yards, and endless skies.  Today, communities such as Clovis, California; Bellevue, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Phoenix, Arizona are experiencing unprecedented sprawl ("growth", as Wall Street puts it), thanks not only to the highways, but also to the aqueducts that dried the wetlands and drenched the deserts.  The growth of many upscale neighborhoods across the country continues after the urban flight of the 50's, 60's, and 70's, leaving behind even more areas of older, impoverished, and ultimately dangerous neighborhoods.   All made possible by the sport utility vehicle in the garage.

The clock is ticking.  At the current rate of consumption, there won't be any more petrol by the year 2050.  Even after switching to a new energy source, it's likely that there will be more cars than the pavement can handle.  There also won't be many wild animals besides some species of birds.  There's likely to be no water left in the aquifers, leaving the population dangerously dependent upon seasonal rain and snowfalls.  And, thanks to the inefficient use of land, cities will be so spread out that:  (a) land will be harder and harder to come by, either for housing, agriculture, or wildlife, and (b) it will be nearly impossible to get anywhere without a car, but thanks to gridlock, it will be harder and harder to get anywhere.  All while diminishing our sense of community.  At what price will we put an end to this insanity?

Go Consume Yourself

Recent statistics show that the world population is increasing by more than 90 million people annually.  Is this something to be alarmed about?

The wealthy want you to think so.  "Stop having babies, you dirty, slimy animals!", I can hear them shouting in their sports utility vehicles.  "I want everything to myself!"

Next time you hear someone whining about overpopulation, ask them what they have sacrificed lately, based on their perilous state of overcrowding.  Do they drive less?  Do they eat less meat?  Do they take fewer skiing trips?  Chances are, they haven't given up anything.  In fact, their rate of consumption probably increased in the last two years.  Bigger car, bigger house.  After all, the economy's good!  Maybe even another kid.

Now wait a minute - how come you can reproduce when I thought there were already too many people on the planet?  Oh I see, your genes are "approved for unchecked duplication."  Give me a break.

One thing's for sure:  we can't afford to have any more wealthy or middle-class babies on the planet.  One well-off baby must consume a million times more energy than a poor one.  I'm talking about diapers, wasted food, toys, cars, plane rides, Disneyland crap, everything.  Call me a racist but -wait- I am "white."  I am a "majority."  Give me a land covered mountain top to valley by dirty, stinky, stupid, drunk, Native Americans any day... they seem to have kept their side of the planet in pretty damn good shape for about 10,000 years.

Hatred of the Poor is as Bad For You as the Cheeseburger You Had For Lunch

I can hear you saying "well they have 10 kids and they're on welfare."  I know two "white" families with one child that had little choice but to turn to AFDC.  Get your facts straight - the majority of families on AFDC are white, not Hispanic or Afro American.  If you think families on AFDC are having the time on their lives, by all means give it a shot.  If you're so concerned about large families perhaps you should pass out condoms at your local high school.  What's that?  You're too busy to get involved?  Well then, I guess you have no legs to stand on either.  You might want to think about where the bulk of your tax dollars really go - to the Pentagon and to corporations that only answer to their stockholders.  The poor are just a shield for the real crooks in the world.

What's that Sucking Sound?

Why is it that in Asia, the United States, and Europe, a small percentage of the population lives in luxury compared to the rest of the world?  Is it because their genes are better adapted for capitalism?  Are they smarter?  Are they ruthless, bored, unloved, unfulfilled, or just naive?  Is it everyone's right to acquire money and 'stuff', to burn as much petroleum as possible in a 70 year span?  Of course, the answer is, no, it's not everyone's right.  It's only the right of those who can afford it.

A relatively small horde of unscrupulous consumers are ravaging the globe.  We don't have to put all of our fear into chemical and nuclear weapons.  There's no future in our peace-time activities, either.