Lost Respect

It can be difficult holding tight to you principles. It may mean giving up certain things. It may mean struggle. But without your principles, you are a mere puppet. Do you really want to be a yes man? Can you respect yourself if you cave?

The commercial for the new Eagles album tells you that it is available only at Wal-Mart. If you're still shopping at Wal-Mart, you shouldn't even be reading my blog. If you are one of the smart people who can see all the problems Wal-Mart causes, you may have a decision to make.

In all honesty, I don't want the new Eagles album at all. I know people who do, though. People who have stopped shopping at the Mart and are torn as to whether or not they should purchase the album. Does it count if you have someone else go in and get it for you? Yes, it does. When I saw that the album was available exclusively at Wal-Mart, I lost all respect for the Eagles. Even if I wanted the album, I wouldn't buy it. Even if it became available somewhere else.

To me, that is sticking to your principles. If I can't get it somewhere else, I sure as hell am not going to buy it at Wal-Mart.

And shame on the Eagles for striking a deal with the devil. Apparently money trumps integrity every time.

Favorite Things episode 1

I started a new job and have time for nothing else. Unfortunately, I am working for the man. You know the man. The one that has money to burn but doesn't use it for anything productive or helpful. I hate him, but I do have bills to pay.

Whenever life gets you down, say, for instance, when you find yourself feeling debased by doing what you have to to get by, then you should take a lesson from Julie Andrews and remember some of your favorite things. Here is one of mine:

Forbidden Zone. Starring Herve Villechaize and Susan Tyrell, Forbidden Zone is probably one of the best movies EVER!!! Remember the 80's band Oingo Boingo? This is the movie from which they took their name. With its cast of zany characters, this Richard Elfman film has it all. Sex, violence and people periodically breaking into song. The music was all composed by Danny Elfman who also plays Satan.

So, say you've had a trying day and you feel you might do bodily harm to someone. Stop. Get out your copy of Forbidden Zone and watch your stress away. I guarantee it'll work

Duck and cover

Have you seen this PSA where sweet, innocent children ask their parents if maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to have a plan in case of a terrorist attack? It sickens me. It's government propaganda meant to scare us so we won't question the all the things that the government is doing to screw over its own people.

Back in the fifties, at the height of the Cold War, students were treated to Duck and Cover movies. The government told the population that, if a nuclear bomb were launched, you could save yourself by simply ducking down and covering your head. I think we all know that that would never work. But it kept the masses appeased.

Why have we become such pussies? Oh, I'm scared. Someone might attack me. Toughen up, kids. Because if you don't, when and if an attack does happens, no amount of planning will save you.

And to the people who conceived and carried out this PSA, how dare you frighten people for your own ends? You make me sick.

It's about time I said something about Wal-Mart

But what can I say that hasn't already been said?

I worked at K-Mart while I was in college. It was fine. Then, in the mid-nineties there was a huge controversy with the mart. It seemed that the company was firing its older employees just short of retirement to keep from having to pay out pensions. Well, people were outraged. It was a prime example of the man sticking it to the little guy. The masses boycotted the store. Revenue fell. The reputation of K-Mart was that of mud.

K-Mart heard the cries of the people and they changed their policies. And while there are fewer K-Marts now than in the 90's, they are still there. The fact that they are dwindling in number is most likely due to the competition of Wal-Mart and Target, not because they gave in to the people.

What does this anecdote teach us? It teaches us that if we band together we can make a difference. We have the power. All we have to do is use it.

http://walmartwatch.com/

Let Them Eat Cake!

"In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully realized the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested throught the body of a bird." 1984-George Orwell

I've spoken before about the fact that the government has pretty much taken over the main stream media. Anyone who watches The Daily Show will have seen them take a recent soundbite and compare it to an older one showing that the powers-that-be keep trying to rewrite history so they don't look like a bunch of stupid despots, which is, in fact, what they are. And while ignorance is bliss, do you really want to pretend that the terrible things in this country aren't happening? Will you sit idly by and wait for society to crumble?

In Robert Graves' I, Clauduis, we are shown Rome shortly before its fall. It is a government full of solipsistic, self-aggrandizing crooks who believe that, as long as the people have bread and entertainment, they will let those in charge do whatever they want, regardless of the welfare of the masses. Are we so willing to let ourselves be mollified by cheap goods and reality television?
If we are then maybe it is time for this "great experiment" to end.

At the risk of sounding trite, the truth is out there. And if you are reading this, you have the key. There are so many alternative news sources available. Not to mention that you can get other countries take on our policies by reading their newspapers.

Please, expand your minds. Look for the truth. And don't allow corporations, politicians and the idle rich to ruin your home.

God(s) Bless America.

Back off, Born-Agains!

Back off, Born-Agains! I had to say it again because, maybe if you Christo-Facists had gotten it right the first time around, you wouldn't have to be born again. And these people scare me.

In the name of Christianity they seek to destroy freedom, liberty and truth. There is no acceptance with these folks. You are either one of them or you need to be saved. They wage war against anyone they feel is not Christian or not Christian enough.

You may disregard their rhetoric as just words, but don't be fooled. They need to be taken seriously. Jews, homosexuals, artists, liberals, Hindus, African-Americans, immigrants, scholars, scientists, Muslims, pagans and women are all targets. I for one do not want to end up barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. Not when so many women fought so that I could have the same rights (or at least similar rights) as men.

They prey on the desperate, using thinly veiled hate. They claim that democracy is the enemy of faith. They say God will provide. Well, guess what? He won't.

The Christian right has already infiltrated our congress, senate and Supreme Court. Even our highest official is born again.

Look. Don't let narrow-minded people tell you what is moral. You should know what is moral. You should make your own decisions. That is why god gave you freewill.

By the way. If you commit an evil to make the world a better place, you are still committing evil.

Another Fine Mess

Once again it's time for elections. And once again all of the candidates possess a fatal flaw too large to ignore.

We've devolved into a two party system where both of the parties are exactly the same. You know it's true. The only difference is are they up front about the fact that they are going to screw us over or do they lie about it.

So, why do we keep voting either Democrat or Republican? Are we just that lazy? You know, there are no longer Whigs because they went out of favor and the Republicans haven't always been around. We could easily affect a change in this rotten system of ours if we just opened our minds to the possibility of a third party who might actually make a difference.

Take the Libertarians. They want a smaller federal government. They think people should take personal responsibility instead of leaving it to the government. Their website includes a short quiz which will tell you if are a Libertarian. They take all the guesswork out of it. Couldn't be easier. http://www.lp.org/

Then there is the Green Party. I know, they're all a bunch of hippies. But at least they don't want to rape the enviroment, take over the world or get rich at the expense of the American public. http://gp.org

Look, there are a lot of political parties out there. Instead of blindly following the masses, look into other possibilities and make an educated choice. It's your future.


http://www.cpusa.org
http://www.usmjparty.com
http://www.reformparty.org
http://www.americanpatriotparty.org/
http://www.sp-usa.org
http://www.thelaborparty.com

(I do or do not approve of these parties in varying degrees. This is only a small sample of what's out there, so go and find them.)