Let's imagine for a minute that I am the mentor of a large number of young people. They look up to me. I tell them frequently that I am there for them, that I care about them, that I will do everything in my power to help them in their lives. Then I take some of them and I tell them to stand in this particular busy intersection. I know how dangerous the intersection is and I know that some of those young people are going to get killed or badly injured. Then I go to a group of my friends and I wager on how many will die and how many will be injured. And I sit back to watch the results. Several of them die, a number are injured, and I win big money from my friends because I guessed right about the numbers.
When I am done I place more young people in harm's way, collect my winnings, make more wagers and wait for the results. The young people that were injured come to me for the help I told them I would give. I hand them a few coins and shoo them away like the pests they are. I'm making money here. Why would I give any of it up for such inconsequential creatures?
How would I be viewed by law enforcement, the public, or the world if it were known I was doing this? I imagine the police might consider that I was committing homicide even though the young people willingly trusted me and stood in the intersection. The public would call me a mass murderer. The world, at least those countries that pay lip service to the rule of law, would be appalled and would call for my arrest and trial.
Yet this is exactly what the United States is doing every day. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have produced massive profits for a number of American mega-corporations. All of the money for those profits came from you and me, from our tax dollars. We are paying billions so that big corporations can essentially get away with murder. Most of that murder has been by proxy. The proxy of the Iraqi people and the Taliban. But some of it has been direct murder. The Haliburton subsidiary KBR murdered upwards of 30 GIs due to shoddy workmanship on electrical wiring of a number of facilities built by this company with mega-billion dollar contracts from the US government. Our soldiers were left undergeared for the first years of the war and many died from poorly armored vehicles and lack of flack jackets. These are murders plain and simple.
Have the head murderers been brought to justice by our current government? Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and all the chicken hawks of the Bush regime, who lied to us and took us into the war in Iraq under false pretenses are guilty of murder. Obama has made it clear he wants to let bygones be bygones. So murder is suddenly not a crime? These murderers need to be brought to justice. Them and all their corporate cronies who have made many billions of dollars off these wars. The blood of nearly 5000 US men and women, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are on their hands. They should be prosecuted.
Billions of our tax dollars went to pay no-bid contracts to the corporate buddies of the Bush administration. The stripping of the DoD's ability to run the everyday operations of caring for our GIs in hostile territory and privatizing it out to select corporations has left our military a shell of its former self, unable to provide even basic care to our GIs. Essentially all our military is, now, is a soldier mill, a warehouse for cannon fodder. Corporations dictate everything from what they eat to who they shoot. And the American people pay for it. Don't ever believe that anyone that takes in over 250k a year pays much of anything into that great corporate bank, the US government. It's the average middle class and the poor that pay the lion's share of taxes to keep this travesty running.
Has anything improved since the election of President Obama? If it has, I haven't seen it. We're still fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Afghani war is escalating, contrary to all the promises to get us out heard prior to the election. Guantanamo torture facility is still open. And indefinite detention of non-prosecutable prisoners is now being seriously considered. The invasion of privacy started by the Bush administration, in the form of monitoring our phone calls and email, is still in place. So far, not a stellar record for the Obama administration.
And we're still paying for it.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Why do we fear death?
I have seen people suffer immeasurably just to hold off death for a minute longer. Clinging to life that isn't really life, trying to take one last breath. Going through any suffering, any measure of invasion of the body to grasp stubbornly to life. Why? Is death so fearsome that you would do anything to stave it off?
It's not death that is something to fear. Death is a rebirth into a different energy form. It is the manner of one's death that is to be feared. The smoker, drowning in his own secretions, starving for air; that is a manner of death worth fearing. The cancer patient, wracked with constant pain and nausea, becoming weaker and weaker and unable to care for himself; that manner of death is worth fearing. The person with liver failure that turns yellow, loses his mind from high ammonia levels in the blood, who swells like a feeding leech until his skin breaks and oozes; that's a manner of death worth fearing. The stroke patient, locked in a body that no longer works, unable to move, dying by inches; that is a manner of death worth fearing.
Choosing the time and way one will die is the greatest act of independence and defiance one can make. This is my choice. I am the one who will decide when enough is enough. Not some doctor or government entity. Not my family who may be guilt ridden and needing to keep me around for a little while longer. Not my family that may have hidden desires to see me suffer ultimately. My choice. My decision.
When it comes time for me to go, when I can no longer look forward to taking care of myself, supporting myself, being of some use to myself and others, that is when I will decide enough is enough. Each person must decide how they will die. For me, walking into the snow covered woods in the dead of winter, sitting down in the snow and slowly going to sleep from hypothermia, that's my desired way to go. Like the natives who would leave the tribe to sit, exposed to the elements until death came. This is a good way to go.
Many may feel that falling asleep after taking an overdose of medication is a good way to go. Some may go for more violent means with somewhat less chance of success. Whatever your decision for your manner of death is, it should be your decision. Just as choosing to stave off death at any cost should be your decision. And the only thing a doctor or bureaucrat should be able to do about it is help you on your way. If they can't abide by that morally then they should pass the duty on to someone who can.
If we have the right to life, we should also have the right to death.
It's not death that is something to fear. Death is a rebirth into a different energy form. It is the manner of one's death that is to be feared. The smoker, drowning in his own secretions, starving for air; that is a manner of death worth fearing. The cancer patient, wracked with constant pain and nausea, becoming weaker and weaker and unable to care for himself; that manner of death is worth fearing. The person with liver failure that turns yellow, loses his mind from high ammonia levels in the blood, who swells like a feeding leech until his skin breaks and oozes; that's a manner of death worth fearing. The stroke patient, locked in a body that no longer works, unable to move, dying by inches; that is a manner of death worth fearing.
Choosing the time and way one will die is the greatest act of independence and defiance one can make. This is my choice. I am the one who will decide when enough is enough. Not some doctor or government entity. Not my family who may be guilt ridden and needing to keep me around for a little while longer. Not my family that may have hidden desires to see me suffer ultimately. My choice. My decision.
When it comes time for me to go, when I can no longer look forward to taking care of myself, supporting myself, being of some use to myself and others, that is when I will decide enough is enough. Each person must decide how they will die. For me, walking into the snow covered woods in the dead of winter, sitting down in the snow and slowly going to sleep from hypothermia, that's my desired way to go. Like the natives who would leave the tribe to sit, exposed to the elements until death came. This is a good way to go.
Many may feel that falling asleep after taking an overdose of medication is a good way to go. Some may go for more violent means with somewhat less chance of success. Whatever your decision for your manner of death is, it should be your decision. Just as choosing to stave off death at any cost should be your decision. And the only thing a doctor or bureaucrat should be able to do about it is help you on your way. If they can't abide by that morally then they should pass the duty on to someone who can.
If we have the right to life, we should also have the right to death.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
How do you fight the system?
Right now, in the world today there is only one choice for an economic system. That's corporatist capitalism. By it's very nature it is set up to funnel public funds into private hands in order that the rich elite becomes ever richer. What it does to the rest of us is leave us out of the equation except as gaping mouths to be fed an ever increasing mass of stuff.
Unfortunately as the rich get richer the poor and middle class tend to get poorer. The numbers of people falling below the poverty line is steadily increasing thanks to the Friedmanite Chicago school of economics that has held sway in the world for 30 years (for an excellent analysis of this paradigm shift see The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein). The IMF and World Bank, as well as the good ole US of A, have made certain that countries with any kind of social programs, populist regulatory systems or infrastructure improvement projects, are forced to gut these programs and infrastructure, sometimes at gunpoint. Why do they do this? To make sure that the robber barons of multinational corporations are allowed to ride into town unhindered by even the semblance of a sheriff to keep things civil.
From the democratically elected president of Iran in the 50s to the democratically elected presidents of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia (I could go on) in the 60s and 70s, the corporatists have made sure that no democracy would stand as long as it worked for its own people and not for big business. Only through dictatorship and oppression could the draconian economic measures of the IMF and World Bank have been stuffed down the throats of the third world in order to line the pockets of rich elites.
Unfortunately this is the system we now have throughout the world. Where social programs, decent infrastructure, good education and public goods (such as low cost utilities, access to clean water, and free airwaves) are a thing of the past. The system is so ubiquitous that it's almost impossible to opt out of it.
How do you fight the powers that be when they practically control our very thought patterns? You can't go to the store to buy a piece of clothing or a vegetable without running smack into the corporate machine.
One must ask, what would hurt the multinationals the most? What can the average human being do to refuse to be a part of the corporatist agenda? How do we opt out of the slave wage/slave consumer paradigm that we are allotted by those who would rob us blind and make us obedient little batteries to power the machine? How do we refuse to believe that "War is Peace." and not buy into the Big Brother mentality?
The one area that the big corporations are weak is in the area of profits. If profits don't keep climbing they lose. They can create another war, they can create another disaster in order to suck the economic life out of the shell-shocked citizens. But what if we refuse to be duped? What if we opt out of their consumer/consumption paradigm? What if we no longer buy their stuff? What if we grow our own food or buy our food from local people who grow it? What if we don't buy lots of cheap, poorly made clothing from Walmart and instead buy it from second hand shops or garage sales? Without consumers all that stuff sits on the shelves. Without consumers, profits would suffer. Even if only 10% of the people stopped buying all the corporate made garbage that is thrown our way it would hit the corporations where it hurts.
And what if we refused to be slave labor, working for an hourly wage, most of us without decent benefits, no hope of any decent retirement (401Ks don't count; as we have seen they can be wiped out in a heartbeat) and certainly not receiving the massive bonuses of the CEOs and the shareholders. CEOs don't make things that can be sold to bring in the profits. And certainly shareholders don't either.
So if we opt out of the slave market of corporate labor, what do we do instead? Create a local economy, supported by other local economists. At first it wouldn't be easy because people aren't used to buying local. They're used to going to the big box stores to get lots of cheap stuff. But what if you decide you don't need lots of cheap stuff, but instead go for a small amount or moderate amount of locally produced, well made stuff that will last 5 to 10 years longer than anything produced in China? Decide what you would like to do with your life if you didn't have to go to that boring 9 to 5 slave's job every day, Monday through Friday. Then figure out how to make a living at it. Sure it would probably be a lot more work. But it would be work that has true worth to you, to your community, to your family and eventually to the world.
As for the corporate controlled government with their hands in our pockets, if you keep your income below a certain level you don't have to pay taxes. And your money won't be going to support the rich elite, illegal and unjust wars, torture, destruction of democratic governments, and arms dealers. "But," you say, wringing your hands, "how can I possibly survive without making all that money? How can I have all the goodies and the brand new (gas guzzling) car and the 3000 square foot house with a pool and all the amenities?" For this, please read Radical Simplicity: Small footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel. It is possible, and in fact, it is necessary if we are not to end up in a Soylent Green world.
Building communities of people opting out of the corporatist rat race would provide support for those choosing this lifestyle. A good example of the type of community possible can be seen in many Amish communities in the U.S (not all, mind you. Some have fallen prey to the need for a paycheck.). These communities have their own banks that are supported by customers in the community through good financial responsibility. They buy and sell goods among themselves, without need of inputs from the corporate world. It is a much simpler, slower and less harmful way of life. I'm not saying you have to do without electricity or drive a horse-drawn carriage. But producing your own power through wind, water or solar or a combination of all three would certainly reduce your ecological footprint as well as remove the need for corporate controlled energy (re: Enron and the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars through market manipulation).
I'm not saying that completely cutting off all commerce that involves corporations would be easy. You might opt to make your own clothing but where does the cloth come from? If you have a local cloth mill where does the fiber come from? If you have your own cotton fields, hemp fields (the more sustainable choice), or sheep herds, where do the machines come from (used machinery? I'm sure in this country with the outsourcing to China and other low cost producers there must be used machines that could be obtained)? It is a daunting task to reinvent an entire civilization. How on earth do you replace the corporate made computers? Perhaps by supporting locally produced ones, if that's even possible?
So we start with baby steps. We start buying our clothing second hand. We sell that 3000 sqft house and buy a piece of land where we can grow our own food, raise our own livestock, quit the 9 to 5 slavery, do what you've always dreamed of doing for a living. As long as you don't want to be one of the wealthy elite leaching off the rest of society and others' hard work. I find that most people simply want to be comfortable and happy, safe and relaxed. They don't need to make millions for that. And if the thought of growing your own food is simply too much, support other local growers. A local economy currency or straight up barter could be instituted. Communities across the world have done this already. Wouldn't be terribly difficult to duplicate in most areas. These steps have the benefits of cutting the corporate umbilical and letting the national government know that we aren't going to pay for their wars and destruction any more. And it grows community. "It takes a whole village to raise a child." would no longer be hollow words in the fragmented, hyper-individualistic, me first world we live in now.
The only way to break the backs of the corporations that are most responsible for the destruction of our environment, the looting of our national wealth, the poisoning of our children and the violent expropriation of the commons is to hit them in the pocket book. Opt out of their all consuming program to take all the wealth they can steal from the poor and middle class to enrich the controlling elites. Don't let them control us in true Orwellian fashion. Free yourself from the Matrix they have created for us. Refuse to be a battery.
Unfortunately as the rich get richer the poor and middle class tend to get poorer. The numbers of people falling below the poverty line is steadily increasing thanks to the Friedmanite Chicago school of economics that has held sway in the world for 30 years (for an excellent analysis of this paradigm shift see The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein). The IMF and World Bank, as well as the good ole US of A, have made certain that countries with any kind of social programs, populist regulatory systems or infrastructure improvement projects, are forced to gut these programs and infrastructure, sometimes at gunpoint. Why do they do this? To make sure that the robber barons of multinational corporations are allowed to ride into town unhindered by even the semblance of a sheriff to keep things civil.
From the democratically elected president of Iran in the 50s to the democratically elected presidents of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia (I could go on) in the 60s and 70s, the corporatists have made sure that no democracy would stand as long as it worked for its own people and not for big business. Only through dictatorship and oppression could the draconian economic measures of the IMF and World Bank have been stuffed down the throats of the third world in order to line the pockets of rich elites.
Unfortunately this is the system we now have throughout the world. Where social programs, decent infrastructure, good education and public goods (such as low cost utilities, access to clean water, and free airwaves) are a thing of the past. The system is so ubiquitous that it's almost impossible to opt out of it.
How do you fight the powers that be when they practically control our very thought patterns? You can't go to the store to buy a piece of clothing or a vegetable without running smack into the corporate machine.
One must ask, what would hurt the multinationals the most? What can the average human being do to refuse to be a part of the corporatist agenda? How do we opt out of the slave wage/slave consumer paradigm that we are allotted by those who would rob us blind and make us obedient little batteries to power the machine? How do we refuse to believe that "War is Peace." and not buy into the Big Brother mentality?
The one area that the big corporations are weak is in the area of profits. If profits don't keep climbing they lose. They can create another war, they can create another disaster in order to suck the economic life out of the shell-shocked citizens. But what if we refuse to be duped? What if we opt out of their consumer/consumption paradigm? What if we no longer buy their stuff? What if we grow our own food or buy our food from local people who grow it? What if we don't buy lots of cheap, poorly made clothing from Walmart and instead buy it from second hand shops or garage sales? Without consumers all that stuff sits on the shelves. Without consumers, profits would suffer. Even if only 10% of the people stopped buying all the corporate made garbage that is thrown our way it would hit the corporations where it hurts.
And what if we refused to be slave labor, working for an hourly wage, most of us without decent benefits, no hope of any decent retirement (401Ks don't count; as we have seen they can be wiped out in a heartbeat) and certainly not receiving the massive bonuses of the CEOs and the shareholders. CEOs don't make things that can be sold to bring in the profits. And certainly shareholders don't either.
So if we opt out of the slave market of corporate labor, what do we do instead? Create a local economy, supported by other local economists. At first it wouldn't be easy because people aren't used to buying local. They're used to going to the big box stores to get lots of cheap stuff. But what if you decide you don't need lots of cheap stuff, but instead go for a small amount or moderate amount of locally produced, well made stuff that will last 5 to 10 years longer than anything produced in China? Decide what you would like to do with your life if you didn't have to go to that boring 9 to 5 slave's job every day, Monday through Friday. Then figure out how to make a living at it. Sure it would probably be a lot more work. But it would be work that has true worth to you, to your community, to your family and eventually to the world.
As for the corporate controlled government with their hands in our pockets, if you keep your income below a certain level you don't have to pay taxes. And your money won't be going to support the rich elite, illegal and unjust wars, torture, destruction of democratic governments, and arms dealers. "But," you say, wringing your hands, "how can I possibly survive without making all that money? How can I have all the goodies and the brand new (gas guzzling) car and the 3000 square foot house with a pool and all the amenities?" For this, please read Radical Simplicity: Small footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel. It is possible, and in fact, it is necessary if we are not to end up in a Soylent Green world.
Building communities of people opting out of the corporatist rat race would provide support for those choosing this lifestyle. A good example of the type of community possible can be seen in many Amish communities in the U.S (not all, mind you. Some have fallen prey to the need for a paycheck.). These communities have their own banks that are supported by customers in the community through good financial responsibility. They buy and sell goods among themselves, without need of inputs from the corporate world. It is a much simpler, slower and less harmful way of life. I'm not saying you have to do without electricity or drive a horse-drawn carriage. But producing your own power through wind, water or solar or a combination of all three would certainly reduce your ecological footprint as well as remove the need for corporate controlled energy (re: Enron and the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars through market manipulation).
I'm not saying that completely cutting off all commerce that involves corporations would be easy. You might opt to make your own clothing but where does the cloth come from? If you have a local cloth mill where does the fiber come from? If you have your own cotton fields, hemp fields (the more sustainable choice), or sheep herds, where do the machines come from (used machinery? I'm sure in this country with the outsourcing to China and other low cost producers there must be used machines that could be obtained)? It is a daunting task to reinvent an entire civilization. How on earth do you replace the corporate made computers? Perhaps by supporting locally produced ones, if that's even possible?
So we start with baby steps. We start buying our clothing second hand. We sell that 3000 sqft house and buy a piece of land where we can grow our own food, raise our own livestock, quit the 9 to 5 slavery, do what you've always dreamed of doing for a living. As long as you don't want to be one of the wealthy elite leaching off the rest of society and others' hard work. I find that most people simply want to be comfortable and happy, safe and relaxed. They don't need to make millions for that. And if the thought of growing your own food is simply too much, support other local growers. A local economy currency or straight up barter could be instituted. Communities across the world have done this already. Wouldn't be terribly difficult to duplicate in most areas. These steps have the benefits of cutting the corporate umbilical and letting the national government know that we aren't going to pay for their wars and destruction any more. And it grows community. "It takes a whole village to raise a child." would no longer be hollow words in the fragmented, hyper-individualistic, me first world we live in now.
The only way to break the backs of the corporations that are most responsible for the destruction of our environment, the looting of our national wealth, the poisoning of our children and the violent expropriation of the commons is to hit them in the pocket book. Opt out of their all consuming program to take all the wealth they can steal from the poor and middle class to enrich the controlling elites. Don't let them control us in true Orwellian fashion. Free yourself from the Matrix they have created for us. Refuse to be a battery.
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