If there's no change on Wall Street the answer is simple – Don't give them a penny of your money:


By Phillip T. Alden
September 16, 2009

So it's been a year since the meltdown on Wall Street, (and "Main Street" and every other street in America and most European countries) – and what has changed? Don't work too hard on that question because absolutely nothing has changed. Obama gave another lovely speech that means absolutely nothing.

At the same time, the banking/financial sector has been spending over 1.2 Million dollars a day lobbying in Washington to make sure that nothing stops them from stealing your money all over again. Just ask yourself this question; "Have you heard anything that restores your confidence in the Wall Street investment banks? Or the credit reporting agencies?"

I didn't think so.

The fact of the matter is, those "too big to fail" companies have become even bigger. The banks are still hiding the "toxic assets" that didn't get bought with our tax dollars, and the investment banks are starting to use the same CDOs and other troublesome investment packaging that caused this problem in the first place.

So if nothing has changed, what's an American who wants to keep their money to do? The answer is simple: Don't give Wall Street a single penny of your money! There is no law saying you must do so. Instead of a "401K" you can buy land, government bonds, treasury bills, or place those hard-earned dollars into a savings account. (No more than $100,000 in any one bank.)

If you wish to retire a multi-millionaire, you can try using the Wall Street system. But do you honestly think those people are working hard to make you rich?

I didn't think so.

Even the dumbest child knows that people look out for themselves, especially when it comes to money. There's no Jesus on Wall Street looking out for the little guy. Small fish feed bigger fish, and everyone who is not an investment banker is a "small fish." (This includes you.)

These guys didn't change overnight. They don't suddenly have a moral code. Quite the opposite. Those Wall Street Sharks cannot wait to get a hold of your money again, and they are counting on your stupidity to enter the fray once again.

A number of British journalists have been pondering this question, and they've come to the same conclusion. According to the BBC News:

"But there is now concern that as the banks start to recover, they have not taken the necessary steps to prevent a repeat of the crisis.

"Alarm bells should be ringing with the early signs of a 'back to business' attitude in the City and little evidence that policymakers are taking measures to ensure the next economic recovery is better balanced than the last one," said Tony Dolphin, senior economist at the IPPR.

The report warned that unless urgent action was taken, the banking crisis might not be the last of its type."

Remember the investment banks are spending 1.2 Million Dollars a Day lobbying Washington to make sure that nothing changes.

These guys don't care that over 7 Million Americans have lost their jobs. They don't care that Millions have lost their homes. They don't care that whole families are ending up homeless – all thanks to their greed.

So what do they care about? Making more money. And taking more of your money. Right now these guys are patting each other on the back, happy that we have a do-nothing President and a spineless House and Senate. Their 1.2 Million per day will be money well spent.

But only if you start giving them your money again. They are eagerly awaiting your future 401K funds, your group investment funds, and any other funds they can get their greedy little hands upon.

They are counting on your greed, (in the form of a multi-million dollar retirement,) to feed their greed. And the next time this happens, they will count on the federal government to use our tax dollars (again) to keep them from being "too big to fail."

If they're "too big to fail" they should be broken up. Investment houses should be (once again) separated from regular banking. Standard and Poors and Moody's should be disbanded and replaced with highly regulated credit reporting agencies. All banks and investment houses should be forced to publically declare how much red ink (toxic investments) are still on their books. Those responsible for the last economic meltdown should be arrested, tried and imprisoned for the terrible financial crimes they committed. All financial institutions should be re-regulated to such an extent they cannot sneeze without written permission from the S.E.C.

But none of these much-needed regulatory changes are going to happen. Because the Obama Administration is clearly in the back pocket of the Wall Street Sharks. (1.2 Million a day buys a lot of influence in Washington.)

And you are going to be encouraged to start giving your hard-earned dollars to the Wall Street Sharks again. You are going to be told they will not repeat their mistakes, even as they are getting back into the same risky investments as you read this. You are going to be told that we will not "bail-out" these institutions again.

And if you believe these caustic lies, and you are stupid enough to give more of your money to the Wall Street Sharks – then you deserve what you will get.

So if you don't want to become a Wal-Mart greeter when you should be retiring, don't give one damn penny to any Wall Street investment house. There are safer and better regulated forms of investment. They may not be as "sexy" as some of the Wall Street funds, but just how "sexy" are those sharks looking right now?

If you don't believe me, I encourage you to study the words of men who are much smarter than I, and you will find they are saying pretty much the same thing I am. Anyone cheerleading for Wall Street, (including our President,) should be looked at with great suspicion.

And if you really care, I encourage you to write a letter to President Obama telling him how disappointed your are in his lack of action when it comes to re-regulating our markets.

The web makes it very easy to do research and find out that what I'm saying is an accurate picture of our financial investment sector. Go beyond Fox News and CNN and look for the people who aren't screaming at you through your television. Look for people who aren't in Washington or on Wall Street. There are plenty of economic professors that are saying the same thing I am.

Or ignore me and my words. And if you're lucky enough to have a job, just keep blindly trusting the Wall Street Sharks as you hand over your hard-earned money.

Just don't expect to retire. Ever.

Why I cannot watch Season One of “Mad Men” on DVD:
By Phillip T. Alden.
August 27, 2009

My best friend and I quit smoking cigarettes, (and anything else that contains nicotine,) about six weeks ago. I can trace my “Quit Day” easily because it coincided with the release of the latest “Harry Potter” film, (July 15.)

Kevin and I have been on the 21mg patch, and tomorrow we’re “stepping down” to the 14mg patch. I truly believe it’s the best way to rid oneself of such an amazingly addictive and powerful drug. None of us are smoking the damn things for the taste. Most of us got addicted to the them when we were kids, (from advertising campaigns we later learned that were targeted at us.) Smoking was a much more tolerated back then. Some non-smokers would put out ashtrays for smoking guests.

Which brings me back to Season One of “Mad Men.” Since I don’t watch broadcast TV at all, I wait for certain highly rated shows to be released on DVD. I’ve heard the first season of “Mad Men” is brilliant. But because it’s about advertising in the 1960’s the characters smoke (and drink) constantly. Part of successfully quitting is not thinking too much about cigarettes, (and staying away from them.)

Which brings me to the real subject the above-mentioned story. It got me thinking about why I quit watching TV, why I still have no desire to watch live television, and why there has been so much incivility in our country, especially since 9/11. The roots of our “civil incivility” began long before then, but 9/11 was a turning point because that’s when we turned our national fear into national anger, with no place to put it. It’s human nature to convert fear to anger. It’s a defense mechanism.

But our mass media, particularly television and so-called “radio personalities,” have been abusing their positions to cause fear, anger and division. “Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand,” goes the song*. These people mistakenly put in such positions spread fear and hate through ignorance and a general attitude of intolerance. The circus around this health care issue is a good example, but it’s not the first by far. Certain politicians, the George W. Bush Administration in particular, encouraged and fed this ignorance, intolerance and hatred because it suited their purpose. When we looked to our President to tell us why we had been attacked on 9/11, the “evil-doers” answer wasn’t fit for a retarded third-grader.

But that’s what our mass media taught us to expect from our “leaders.” Real journalism has been replaced by angry diatribes from nasty people I wouldn’t invite into my home, but invite them in you do every time you turn on the “idiot box.” The motivations of such people can and should be carefully examined, although their actual actions and words have little, if any, value. The motivations of the people who produce this stream of ignorance and hate are the ones who should be stopped.

Because this is not “free speech,” it’s “hate speech,” badly disguised as “journalism.” When Glenn Beck (of the most offensive “Fox News,”) stated that; “Barack Obama hates White people..” he wasn’t reporting anything or giving an opinion, he was practicing hate speech. It’s the same for Rush Limbaugh when he said that he hopes the President, (and therefore the country,) “fails.” How much more un-American and uncivil can you get? You want the President and the economic recovery to “fail?” How does that further the national dialogue in any constructive way?

The sad truth is that the national dialogue has descended into extremists on different sides sniping at each other. People have become more intolerant of others. Racist remarks are spouted on syndicated radio programs and national TV all the time, as are sexist and homophobic remarks. And sadder still, instead of rejecting this ignorance and hate, the country has embraced it. Anger, intolerance and hatred have become the level of national attitude, and those of moderate voice are drowned out by the screaming of extremists.

Instead of properly investigating the crimes committed by our politicians and banking system, including subversion of our Constitution, lying to Congress in order to start another illegal war, breaking the Geneva Conventions by torturing (largely) innocent people in the misguided hope that torture actually works, (it’s been proven that it doesn’t,) and destroying our economy and causing untold suffering through greed and avarice – instead of facing these problems head-on and investigating and punishing those responsible – we turned on each other.

The criminals in Washington and New York must be rubbing their hands with glee. They’ve gotten away with crimes that normally (and historically) would have had such people facing long-term prison sentences and firing squads. A friend theorized that breaking our economy out of greed was a subversion of our Democracy and our Constitution. I agree. But these people will never face justice. We only put our poor and people of color into our brutal prison-industrial complex.

Until those who are still being poisoned by our mass media stop watching, (and stop being poisoned,) very little will change. We need to turn off the TV and the radio and start listening to those quiet, moderate voices. Until we do, those watching will keep having their mental health and their spiritual health damaged by people who really don’t care what kind of damage their words of hate are doing to people and to our country.

I don’t know what it will take to wake people up to this toxicity. Most people will not read this essay, and those who show up at town hall meetings with assault rifles won’t care about the opinions expressed in this essay. I fear some of them are too far gone. They were raised by ignorant people who fostered their bigotry and hate. They went to churches that fostered their bigotry and hate, and they watch TV (and listen to radio) that continues to foster their bigotry and hate. In short, they have been fully indoctrinated. Their minds, (such as they are,) are as shut as a bank vault.

Since I stopped watching television, friend after friend has come to me to announce they have done the same. Then they tell me how much less negativity they feel. They no longer feel bombarded by angry pundits or advertisers who literally scream at them to buy their product. One friend said he felt as if he had been released by a form of prison that was destroying his peace of mind and serenity.

And, to me, every person who breaks free from the hate speech and screaming of TV advertisers – feels like a victory for both of us.

(* “Ignorance and prejudice, and fear walk hand-in-hand,” is the final verse of the song “Witch Hunt” by Rush. Lyrics by drummer/percussionist Neil Peart.)

The End of American Civility:
By Phillip T. Alden
August 19, 2009

N.B. I should be working, but I felt this was an essay I had to write, (and post.)
I cross-posted this essay to my Live Journal web log.

I am forty-five years old and I’ve spent most of my life in the United States, (where I was born.) As time goes by I have seen my fellow Americans become not only less-civil, but openly hostile to people who don’t believe the same things they do.
We are all seeing it over this “health care” circus, but it started long before Barack Obama was elected President.

And it’s been helped along by people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and that awful woman whose name escapes me at the moment. It doesn’t help that people like Rupert Murdoch has given these people a platform upon which they can launch their hatred and intolerance.

I have heard people say things in public, and in front of TV cameras, that they would have been ashamed to say a few years ago. This is not progress, it is the opposite – regression. Our society is regressing into a state where we all act like animals. Violating pictures of the President and calling him (and others) a Nazi is an abhorrent action to any American Jew. To say such a thing is inexcusable, and the people who have made such public statements should apologize to all Jews for their insensitivity and their horrific comparisons.

But they won’t. Because these people are proud of the hate-filled rhetoric they are spouting. I guess it’s a result of George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind.” There’s no more room to teach civics or civility in American public schools. I recently had a young adult tell me he had no responsibility to vote or take part in his representative government.

And this isn’t happening just at town hall meetings on health care. This is happening everywhere. My friends report incivility in supermarkets, in movie theater lines, and in retail stores. Incivility is the new standard of behavior. When people say; “I’ve got my health care. Fuck you;” they don’t even realize the damage they are doing both to others and to themselves. Because all that hate and anger and racism has to come through them before it comes out of them. Just as the axe blade is dulled from chopping down the tree, these people damage themselves as they insult and damage others.

But, sadly, they will not realize this. By the time you are spouting Nazi rhetoric in public your mind is beyond understanding the effects of your words and actions. It would take serious reflection and meditation for these people to truly realize what they are doing.

It’s very sad and it makes me weep for my country. When Erik and I travel to other countries I am struck by the civility and polite behavior of people. Not everyone is acting like an asshole with no conscience or regard for their fellow man, Americans are acting like assholes with no conscience or regard for their fellow man. It’s shameful, and in the eyes of the world, it makes us look like troglodytes.

But these people don’t care how the rest of the world views them. They don’t care how civilized Americans are appalled at their words and actions. They have been conditioned to be so self-absorbed and self-interested that opposing viewpoints and civilized observations mean nothing to them. They are blinded by hate and rage that has been spoon-fed to them by people like Limbaugh and Beck. They do not even realize they have become tools of people who don’t even care about them. They are being used like a washrag and will be disposed of just as easily.

What may be truly sad is that, in their anger and their fear, they think they are helping themselves, and they aren’t. History has shown us time after time that only when you help others do you help yourself. People who believe that they can help themselves and screw everyone else are dangerously deluded, and it’s only after their twisted worldview has fallen apart that they realize their selfishness was their enemy and not their friend.

Some of them never realize it, and blame others out of bitterness for their failure as human beings.

As I’ve been watching the video clips online, I look at these people and realize that I would not befriend them, I would not date them, and I would avoid them whenever possible. I don’t think these people realize how ugly they appear when they act this way. If these people went to a job interview for a position they really wanted, and their interviewer caught their “Nazi bit” on the news, they likely wouldn’t get the job, and they’d never know that their behavior cost them that opportunity.

A long shot you think? The world is much smaller in some ways than you realize, and people see things. Your public behavior can, and will, come back to bite you on the ass.

But even if it doesn’t, these abhorrent actions damage civilized discourse, and civility in general. This lack of compassion, open hatred, and hate-based rhetoric will make this a poorer country than you can envision. It’s already happening.

I don’t expect these people engaging in uncivilized behavior to take this essay seriously, or to look at themselves and see room for improvement. But someday they will have an experience, and they will wonder how the persons involved can be so inhumane and cruel. They may even weep at the inhumanity.

And they’ll never realize they are part of the cause. Maybe that’s the saddest part of all.

"Spreading the Disease:"

July 30, 2009

I was just reading a post where someone talked about how fucked-up this world is, (although they did not use those exact words.) But we have traveled all over the world and you know what? The world is not fucked-up. America and numerous other places are fucked-up. For the purpose of time, and so this doesn’t become a novella, I'm going to stick to America for this essay.

As I watched the "Obama health Insurance plan" go down in flames, (as it should,) I thought about how far down this country has gone in my lifetime alone, and how much worse it's going to get. The economies of almost every developed country have been attacked and destroyed by greedy men in New York City and Washington, D.C. (Though they didn’t do it alone. They had help from dishonest real estate brokers and mortgage companies all over the U.S.) And what did our government do to these remorseless and greedy bastards? They threw more money at them. More of our money. Now Goldman-Sachs is recording record profits while hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans are out of work, and many have lost their homes. The politicians in D.C. will play at "investigating" these corporate criminals, but nothing will happen.

"Fighting fire with empty words
While the banks get fat
And the poor stay poor
And the rich get rich
And the cops get paid
To look away
As the one percent rules america.."

(From the song; "Spreading The Disease" from "Operation Mindcrime" by Queensryche.)

Those prophetic words from a rock opera that exposes the sickness in this country are better than anything I could write at this moment. (The word "america" is not capitalized on purpose.)

Because the country my parents taught me to believe in and work at making better no longer exists. Barack Obama is just another political whore. He may have been "the lesser of two evils" compared to McCain/Palin, but I've been voting for "the lesser of two evils" my entire life and I'm tired of it. The words "Democrat" and "Republican" are meaningless, as are the words "conservative" and "liberal." They have become either labels or insults depending upon the forum.

The stolen election of 2000, the 9/11 attacks, the torture of innocent people, and two more endless wars in the Middle East weren't enough for the greedy and the bloody. Those with real power weren't happy until they brought the economies of every modern country to its knees.
It's not complicated or hard to understand at all. Corporate power and individual apathy have nearly destroyed this country. The corporations, through their K Street lobbyists, have polluted our government to the point that it may not be recoverable. And the apathy and indifference of the American people have allowed all of this to happen.

A truly good man (or woman) does not stand a chance of ever becoming a Senator or President, regardless of his/her skin color. By the time they have climbed far enough to reach for that golden ring they have already sold their integrity and their soul.

America has been (rightly) named "The United States of Amnesia." We don't listen to the warnings, we forget the past, and we are apathetic to the present. Is it any wonder that children today feel hopeless? For their innocence and lack of experience, young people often see things more clearly than their elders do, and they see no future. (Unless they are born into wealth and privilege.) The other 99% have little chance of ever truly succeeding.

Our media has been sold to the selfish and greedy corporate influences that are sucking this country dry. Americans who still bother to watch TV are constantly sold a line of bullshit by unpleasant pundits who scream at each other over scraps and call themselves "journalists." All the while the corporate fat cats watch and gloat. They have destroyed our educational system and polarized this country so there can be no unity. Everyone has staked out a hopeless position and blinded themselves to anything other than their own narrow beliefs.

And the corporations love your apathy, almost as much as they love your fear. You are doing exactly what they want, and to thank you they are taking everything away from you. Even the brightest and most intelligent among us are under-employed. At the same time we are creating a permanent under-class, expanding poverty, homelessness and despair. This will continue until your apathy and your fear run out, which means that nothing will change for the better, because your apathy and fear are endless.

Nearly every important thing I was ever taught about this country is a lie. Instead of children killing and dying in one Vietnam, our kids are fighting and dying in two Vietnams, for a country that will abandon them when they come home broken in mind, body and spirit. While I admire the patriotism of our young soldiers, I weep at their naïveté. They are sacrificing their lives for men and women who don't give a damn about them, and never will. War is about money and power – usually in that order.

As for the weak and the sick – too fucking bad. Nobody cares enough to do anything about their plight. It's that damn apathy again.

Real justice is out of reach for most of us. The (White) and wealthy walk away from their crimes while the (Black and Hispanic) poor do the time in the brutal prison-industrial complex we have created through our fear, our knee-jerk reactions, and our hate.

I wish I didn’t believe in reincarnation, (which I firmly do,) because that means I'll keep coming back to a world that grows darker with each passing day. I treasure my friend's children and love them, but I'm glad I haven't brought a child into this world. What kind of America would my son or daughter inherit? I'm not one of the 1%.

Much of the other 99% remain hopelessly deluded. They are either blinded by our mass media, religion, or dreams of success that will never come true. Millions of people flock to Los Angeles in the hope of becoming famous, and maybe 10 per year will "make it." And even if they do, they just become part of the problem. The rest will either end up victimized or bitter. Still others believe they will win the lottery, or follow some other scam artist in the hopes of a "free ride." All remain apathetic and fearful.

Even this essay, which merely points out what "everybody knows," (as the great Leonard Cohen put it,) is useless. My words may make some people angry at me, while their anger should be placed where it belongs. The mass media, the corporations and the government are the ultimate trifecta. They will continue to take from you and me until there's nothing left.

What if every worker who has lost their job in the last eighteen months were to march on Washington, demanding economic justice? They would probably scare the politicians, and if they scared them enough they would be killed, just like the Civil War veterans who marched on the capitol demanding the return of their farms. If the apathy and fear ever run out, (which I doubt,) the corporations will have the government use the military to kill everyone who threatens the status quo.

John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert. Dr. King. Those were men who threatened the status quo, and look what happened to them. I seriously doubt our children are even taught about those brave men who risked their lives for justice in America. "No child left behind" my ass. "No child taught critical thinking or truly educated" is more like it.

But my words mean nothing. My words will not change a thing.

Grab as much love and joy as you can in this world, (without screwing someone else in the process.) We will never have decent health care for every American. We will never have economic and social justice. And in the end, this modern Rome will end up like its historic namesake.

Or have they stopped teaching ancient history as well?

# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 5:03 PM 0 comments

Yesterday was my 45th birthday. I don't know why I'm posting this here instead of on Live Journal, (where I post most of my personal entries.) Maybe I'm looking for a little anonymity for some unknown reason.

I feel pretty good for a 45-year-old guy who is living with HIV/AIDS. Of course, I take care of myself, (as best I can.) I'm so grateful to Erik, not only for the tremendous love and patience he's shown again and again, but because he has helped me stay healthy.

Hell, I'm in better shape than many American guys my age who don't have AIDS.

My lower back pain continues pretty much the same. I could go up to SF and see that guy my pain specialist recommended, pay for a bunch of expensive tests and consultations that probably aren't covered by my medical insurance, and possibly find out what is the exact cause of my pain. Maybe there's a surgical option then, and maybe there isn't. There's no guarantees that, if they actually find the problem, there's a surgical solution. There might not be anything more they could do than what they're doing now.

But the chance to be free of the back pain, and be free of the pain-killers, is something I hope for.

I'm still not reading the news or listening to more than an hour of NPR. Some days I don't listen to NPR at all, but it's the station my alarm clock is tuned to. I have been much less stressed out this week because I'm not reading the news. For most of the stuff I read about just gets me angry or frustrated or sad - and there's nothing I can do about 99.9% of it.

Max seems to be doing okay still. I hope that, if it was a small stroke, that it won't recur and he'll be fine for a few more years. I know I'll likely outlive the little guy, (random chance aside,) but both Erik and I love him so much it will hurt terribly when he leaves us. I don't even like to think about it, but I cannot totally escape thinking about it.

I hope Erik's new job continues to go okay, and I hope and pray for this country that we find a constructive and positive way out of this economic depression. I fear my government is going to screw up for a while, things will get worse, and then they'll do something that works. (Like the last American Great Depression.)

I also hope my friends and family will be okay and will come through this dark time intact and healthy. So much to worry about if I dwell on it too much.

I also didn't sleep well last night. I kept waking up. Here's hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.

Erik is taking me out to "The Melting Pot" (fondue) for dinner, to celebrate my birthday and Valentine's Day together. I'm looking forward to it.

Now I'm going to try and nap, if I can quiet my ever-busy mind.

Labels: State Of Phillip

How about a serious boycott?


As of this writing, tomorrow there will be a 24-hour boycott of Live Journal to protest recent changes made by the new owners of the site. While I personally don't have a problem with LJ I am supporting the boycott by not posting from 5pm this evening to 5pm tomorrow evening. I won't be reading the site or commenting on anyone's post.

But how about joining me (and thousands of others as it turns out,) in a serious boycott – that of American TV and American mass media. I have boycotted American TV, (especially the "news,") for about two years now, and it feels good. I don't care who wins "American Idol" or wish to hear the latest lie Fox News is making up about Obama. The one or two decent programs that are on will be released on DVD eventually. All I have to do is be patient.

"American mass media is all about fear and consumption. We give you a little fear, then 'buy the Acura,' then more fear, then 'use Colgate toothpaste or that girl won't fuck you,' then more fear.."
(Marylyn Manson as interviewed by Michael Moore in the documentary; "Bowling For Columbine.")

Mr. Manson, (the singer quoted above, not the nut-job with the swastika carved in his forehead,) is an incredibly astute and erudite gentleman. He became the target of the grieving Columbine families when they were looking for anyone other than themselves to blame for what happened.

But he was so right about American media – Fear and Consumption. That's what it's all about, and it's become much worse since 9/11. Fox News (Faux News) are the kings and queens of this tactic. Their hate and anger is thinly disguised fear of anyone who has different ideas than they do. Long before I stopped watching TV I had already stopped watching Faux News.

It's been about two years now and I can tell you that I don't miss TV at all. The few shows that I may want to watch get released on DVD eventually, but I find even those are becoming less and less important to me.

I have plenty of books and writing projects to keep me busy. I love listening to music and playing my drum set. I enjoy spending time with my friends. TV has become something I look upon as a "time-waster," and a bad one at that. The last time I was in the Emergency Room I wanted to be admitted just to escape the fucking TV in the waiting room.

Back when I stopped watching TV my friends kept mentioning the few shows that had a little merit, to which I replied with the DVD release argument.

Now, two short years later, at least 4 or 5 of those friends have announced to me they have stopped watching TV and stopped reading American news outlets, (the printed toxicity that augments the broadcasted toxicity.) It gratifies me that they have become as sick and tired of the negativity as I have.

When I was a kid I was a TV "junkie." (This was long before there was a computer in every home.) TV was crap back then and I've been amazed at how much worse it had become when I stopped watching.

I believe our mass media is not only toxic to it's viewers/readers, but is so hopelessly poisoned that only complete destruction will solve the problem. Once those poisonous media outlets, (Faux News, NY Times,) have been destroyed we can build new media sources that are not run by men so distasteful you would not invite into your home.

Because that is what we need. American mass media is so hopelessly poisoned that we must let the "patient" die so it can be replaced by a new media outlet that is not just another corporate stooge. It's been proven that any news outlet controlled by a large corporation is an enemy to democracy and to the American people at large.

Those who run these toxic media outlets see their viewing/reading numbers dwindling. They want more viewers, but they fail to realize they have alienated many Americans with their lies and negativity. In other words, they just don't get it.

Personally, I don't care. I have no desire to educate Rupert Murdoch. I want to see his Faux Networks lose viewers and money until it's worth less than my sweat socks. I have no desire to try and help these agencies "change their ways," mostly because they won't. I don't think they could emulate responsible journalism even if they tried.

So join me. Use your monitor only to play a DVD. Ignore large news web sites. Sometimes something happens that is so big that we need to tune in just to find out what's happened, (like 9/11.) But those news days are few and far between, (thank the universe.)

Believe me, you won't be missing anything.

This is the kind of "journalism" that bugs the shit out of me:

Homeless By The Bay

This is the typical yuppie-piece-of-shit-attitude that makes San Francisco a poorer place to live. 'I have my nice job and house and I hate being inconvenienced by people who aren't as fortunate as I am. Can't the police just drag them away somewhere and beat the shit out of them so they don't come back?'


Now I don't like aggressive pan-handlers anymore than I like the selfish yuppies, but when I see someone less fortunate than I, I'm reminded of something my mother used to say:

"There but for the grace of god go I."

The kind of people like the author of the above-referenced article don't think about combat vets who come home with terrible emotional problems faced with a government and a populace that doesn't care about them. They also fail to recognize that drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, (according to the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association.) Nor that drug addiction is often the symptom of emotional illness that's going untreated, (known as self-medicating.)

Maybe a little more compassion and caring instead of a bad attitude might encourage these fortunate souls to try and do something to improve the situation overall, but like those poor souls forced to live on our mean streets, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.