What
is the American Way of Life
By
Jimmy2K^
I am constantly hearing people talk about defending the American
way of life, and it leads me to wonder what exactly is the American
way of life? I used to think I knew what it was but I never realized
how it could be twisted and used to defend our actions in a time
of trouble.
In the post 9-11 era, lots of things have changed in America. But
really nothing has changed if you really look at it. The only thing
that has changed is that the leadership of this nation now feels
it has the licentiousness to impose the American way of life on
other nations, in both a pre-emptive and unilateral matter. Suddenly
going down the road to Baghdad has become necessary to defend the
American way of life.
Now I consider myself a middle-income earner. I own two vehicles
- one economical car that is more then adequate for our needs, as
well as a truck that has a large engine in it and uses plenty of
fuel. I bought the truck because I use it to pull my travel trailer.
We enjoy getting out and seeing the country. This to us is part
of the American way of life - to see others - to experience this
fine country - to enrich our children's lives.
We also have satellite television because we enjoy access to a
variety of news, entertainment, and learning, as well as a computer
that is connected to the Internet providing us with access to any
information we need. From these devices we have a window into the
world to show us about other people's way of life. We have a comfortable
home with all the things inside it to make it a home. It's not a
castle, but it's paid for.
But I have noticed a disturbing trend via the medium of television
and data bytes on the Internet that suddenly make me wonder if I
even know what the American way of life is. I see a lot of commercials
for gas guzzling SUV's that cost upwards of a small house - things
that consume a lot of energy and leave us at the mercy of the oil
producing nations because this is supposedly our way of life. I
see a lot of advertising for elite products like $4000 flat screen
TV's, Lexus cars with big bows under the Christmas tree, a barrage
of infomercials promising me riches of the American dream if I only
buy internet access terminals or credit card point of sale machines
that let the cash roll in. Then I can take my cash, buy a cruise
ship, head over to Las Vegas, and invite my friends over for a $3000
spa party where the decorations cost more then the cost of re-carpeting
my entire house. It is wonderful they say - to look like Martha
Stewart and have every kitchen gadget, infinite time to build infinite
crafts and accessories to entertain and enjoy. If only I would manicure
my yard with this pesticide and fertilizer, buy this special growing
agent - I can grow roses and tomatoes better then anything I have
ever seen. And I have to have that new line of platinum appliances
for my kitchen that Bob Villa renovates for me with specially cut
marble countertops, custom cabinets, and materials that cost more
then the average recording studio. I better run out and get a Home
Depot card.
And I need that huge tax cut because my credit cards are so far
to the limit I am financing my future away and consolidating credit
debts using the equity in my home to do it. After all we are only
here a short period of time, and I just needed that ski weekend
in Aspen. I better not forget to take my Metamucil if I want to
be as regular as Old Faithful when I grow old so I can live long
enough to pay for it all. And I had better not be overweight because
nobody likes overweight people.
I don't know if you catch my drift here, but as we prepare to send
average working class men and women away from their spouses, children,
parents, friends and co-workers over to the deserts of Arabia to
defend our American way of life - we had better be sure we know
what it is, and who will be over there on the front lines to protect
the privileged class in America that owns much of this. And we had
better make sure why we are there - to ensure an unending supply
of oil to America - top producer of emissions in the world - over
30% but who needs Kyoto - so that we can railroad all this stuff
across our highways from producer to consumer because we can never
seem to get enough. While we are gassing up our SUV's, we can tune
into our monotonic media and hear constantly about weapons of mass
destruction and smoking guns, all while fully knowing we did little
to contain weapons of mass destruction after the Soviet Union caved
in and prevent these things from becoming valuable in the first
place, and that we put this "smoking gun" in Baghdad and
supplied him with weapons back when Iran was giving us trouble in
the late 70's.
I used to think the American way of life was not about consumption
or collection, but rather about having a quality education, good
schools, safe streets, and the family. I used to think that the
American way of life was about having a can-do attitude when faced
with challenges, be they inventions in technology, medicine and
science - or looking after others in the world to make them realize
that life should be lived in freedom with democracy. I used to think
that America was about a large middle class where people earned
a living wage. Well NAFTA sold the farm on that one - and forget
about farming - it's all going public if the SEC can be sure to
bury my accounting deep enough to hire a CEO at your expense.
I never thought it was my God-given right to control the world's
resources and use as much of them as possible because after all
- who gives a damn about the debt, the next generation, or even
the rest of the world; I am an American. I don't have to care. To
me, that is not what America is all about. But I see it a lot -
and the worst part is when they call you unpatriotic because you
refuse to believe that this is the proper course for the nation.
Why? Because politically you refuse to believe that the Republican
way of life is the American way of life? Oh shame on you.
I know very little about this because while I have all of that
- I have none of the other stuff that makes me believe that I am
living the American way of life in that sense. I am not bitter -
I am just confused. And I forgot to add - debt free. I spend four
times as much per month insuring my vehicles then re-fueling them,
but I don't see us invading State Farm anytime soon.
Jimmy2K^
January 27, 2003
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By
Jimmy2K^
A silent coup is transforming America. You will not see it unless
you are conscious of its impact, but it is an eerie reality. You
will be uncertain of completion until it is finalized in revelation.
You will be connived at every step in the process of its development
if you fail to see the signs. You will definitely feel its impact
in the years to come.
When the Supreme Court handed down its decision to award George
W. Bush the Presidency of the United States of America, it did so
amid a polarized nation in the most partisan of ways. It absolved
forever the rights of the state to determine its own rule of law
and allow state supreme courts to determine election results in
one state. And it failed to recognize that leaders are elected,
not appointed. It is over - that cannot be changed, but it is worth
noting because it was an important step.
With the coronation process complete, the changes came almost immediately.
It suddenly became necessary for the US to adopt a policy of international
isolationism and alliance destruction. Treaties were rejected, notably
the Kyoto protocol, as well as the ABM treaty. It became necessary
to adopt policies defined by the private sector, notably that industry
would determine energy policy through backroom dealings with the
likes of Ken Lay, and the lumber industry was tossed a huge bonus
with a get soft policy on public forestlands.
The middle class continues to be eroded as people lose jobs on
a daily basis due to industry slowdowns. And then the big one hit
- 4 airplanes were hijacked and 3 were used as weapons amid one
of the most ineffective military responses in modern history. The
most powerful armed forces in the world failed to intercept weapons
of terror amid many intelligence breakdowns - and now with the appointment
of Henry Kissinger - the truth of that fateful day will be forever
sealed in the giant vault of lies being forced on the American sheep.
Our shepherd will pull this off without a single shot being fired
in the process.
Using fear as a weapon to enrage and engage a populace has been
a popular strategy used for thousands of years, and it is being
used here in America today. America has remained a polarized nation
both within as well as outside. Many traditional allies simply hold
their breath and wait for the day when the country once again begins
to see that the world does not begin and end within their borders
- that alliances are what make the world strong - that no one man
was chosen by a single nation to lead the world into following it
over a cliff - that oil is the demise of mankind.
No single regime poses a greater threat to democracy and world
stability then the republican trifecta in DC today. Over the course
of the next two years, you will see changes that will affect your
retirement goals, health care services, personal privacy, and your
children and grandchildren's destiny. Much of this will be done
under the disguise of war, be it necessary (why debate) or irrelevant.
They will point and say "3000 lives" and you will be scared.
You will continue to surrender personal liberty for a belief of
safety - your media will continue to ensure that you are kept scared
for they have a personal interest in this power structure. They
have personally benefited from all of these transformations. Many
have much to gain - but the middle class will be all but gone when
it is complete. Some would even say that democracy itself is already
gone in America and the elections are irrelevant especially when
you can fix the results electronically.
People will look back 10 years from now and wonder why this was
allowed to happen. They will see how they have been duped. They
will know that this absolute power has absolutely corrupted, and
they will see that their priorities lead them there. They will often
wonder how different life would have been had they thought more
about the issues of the times and they will regret having squandered
the opportunity before them today. As the baby boomers age, the
crisis will grow epidemic as millions of people not only cannot
retire, they cannot afford to even get ill. We will see the gross
abuses of the war's impact on our debt and future as a nation. Yes
- war - the eternal chess game played from bunkers with well-crafted
patriotic puppets prepared to die for some cause they had little
in crafting.
When major organizations generate cause and concern for the USA's
direction, and the USA fails to acknowledge them, be they UN, Amnesty
International, fellow NATO allies, or whomever - I genuinely do
not believe they do so because they dislike America. And when American
foreign policy is dictated by the energy sector amid some kind of
a holy crisis and we fail to act responsibly, we will have nobody
to blame for this but ourselves.
It is foretold in the book of Ezekiel Chapter 33 - verse 6 - But
if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and
the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person
from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood
will I require at the watchman's hand. Now I do not claim to be
a preacher, however there is a lot of common sense here. If I may
borrow a line used often and modify it slightly, this nation is
either "under God", or it has separated itself from enslaved
religious doctrine - we cannot have it two ways simultaneously.
And amid all that is going on, this issue promises to rear its head
many times over the course of the next few years in a battle of
us versus them.
And as America comes under siege from all of this - just what will
you do with this opportunity? Will you think about what it looks
like today and wonder what it should be like tomorrow? Will you
deny that these things even exist? Will it force you to think about
how this country came to be? Will it make you question how decisions
are made?
Jimmy2K^
December 3, 2002
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Ozzy Osbourne - American
Idol
By Jimmy2K^
After watching 5 hours of the Osbourne marathon
on MTV last Sunday I have concluded that Ozzy Osbourne is an American
legend.
I think the reason we are attracted to these reality shows is that
our lives are so filled with hopelessness that we need them to re-define
our own standards. Here is a guy with little education and way too
much money who is dealing with average family issues and is so messed
up he can't even run a microwave oven to pop popcorn. He has to
deal with taking out the trash and having idiots for neighbors like
everyone else.
Yet he fits right into American pop culture as well. People can
identify with having to escape to the bathroom just to read, with
being too stupid to figure out how to work with technology to watch
TV, to trying to have a normal Christmas, to having kids flop out
in the house, and having to keep kids from fighting.
Most men have to deal with wives who love to shop too much, to
whine about having to work all the time to pay the bills created,
or even to planning a surprise birthday party.
Ozzy Osbourne is an ideal role model for this sick twisted stupid
world of cave men with too little knowledge, too much money, and
too little time. From what I have been able to figure out, there
is not a lot of difference between the way that white trailer trash
in Kentucky lives compared to upper class Beverly Hills - in fact
given the choice, most would probably prefer to avoid Beverly Hills
when they see what that life of excess brings. The more I learn
about the price of success the less important money has become.
The problem in America is not just a lack of money, but also a
lack of quality in life for the things that really matter - people.
Most people are out there working like slaves to pay for their coffins
- and before they realize what really matters in life they are too
old to enjoy it anyways.
This is why I say Ozzy Osbourne is an American hero because he
reflects all that is both wrong with this world and all that should
be made right.
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Thomas
Jefferson and Ann Coulter - Comparison and Contrast
By Jimmy2K^
OK just for fun I decided to sift through some online archives
and try to draw some comparisons about how much or how little the
world has changed in 200 years. The internet is an amazing research
tool - no longer do I have to sift through tons and tons of books
to find what I am looking for - I can merely pop a term into a search
engine and it pops up all the bile and hatred I need instantly so
that I may live in Ann Coulter's world of convenience where we no
longer think before reacting.
I managed to dig up a few articles from each thinker - of whom
you must know by now are both republicans. Well not quite - it seems
that the definition of republican has changed somewhat over the
past years. In his first inaugural address Jefferson reminded us
that "having banished from our land that religious intolerance
under which mankind so long bled and suffered, we have yet gained
little if countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked,
and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions." Now Ann
Coulter is not quite that patient it seems. She rails on in her
article titled Why We Hate Them that "Americans don't want
to make Islamic fanatics love us. We want to make them die."
Pretty strong words considering the first came from an elected official
and the second came from an opportunistic press reporter cashing
in big time on the fears of Americans. Of course that is just part
of being politically correct today isn't it?
But it seems the demonizing liberals is nothing new. In his second
inaugural address, Jefferson refers that "During the course
of this administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery
of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever
its licentiousness could devise or dare. The abuses of an institution
so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted,
inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety."
I suppose this is why Ann Coulter finds it so necessary to make
statements like "Al Gore wants to put the war on terrorism
in a lock box" after Gore's comments referring to the fact
that enemy number one - Osama Bin Laden has not yet been caught.
Ann further refers to using the press to make a statement like "Japanese
kamikaze pilots hated us once too. A couple of well-aimed nuclear
weapons and now they are gentle little lambs."
She further refers that Gore is completely wrong with his belief
that "America will only create more enemies if "what we
represent to the world is an empire." I am trying hard to understand
what makes this woman tick besides the smell of money. Does she
really think that the world will love us more if we act like the
class clown who could care less if he ever finishes school? Do all
girls find bullies attractive? I think its further proof of the
lack of success of the right wing agenda when we are witnessing
first hand the collapse of any reasonable discourse, demonization
of tolerant policy, and rationalization before rejection.
I anticipate therefore that Thomas Jefferson would be surprised
that the union managed to stay together despite the fact that the
same things he spoke against almost 200 years ago have now become
the modus operandi and we will re-learn all the lessons that a little
history could have taught us.
Sources
Why
We Hate Them can be found among the Ann Coulter archives
Jefferson's
First Inaugural can be found here
Jefferson's
Second Inaugural can be found here
Responses
Please send any responses, comments or questions
you wish posted to Alllie.
|
Some Thoughts
on American Media
By Jimmy2K^
I got to thinking the other day as I was watching television just
how much it has changed for the worse over the past 20 years. It
has become downright embarrassing to watch prime time TV, and although
I have almost 100 channels to choose from, the quality of the programming
is not there. Have you noticed the suggestive language, explicit
sexual content, extreme violence and tasteless program designing
that have come about? When was the last time you were able to watch
anything political without a shouting match breaking out?
And then my satellite provider has the gall to take PBS off the
air. The time to fight back has begun. This was the final cheap
shot for me.
In the 80's under the Reagan revolution to destroy anything and
everything that was government, a golden bone was tossed to the
broadcasters of America. The Communications Act of 1934 had codified
that the airways belong to the public and that broadcasters must
earn a license to use them by serving the "interest, convenience,
and necessity" of the American public. The FCC was set up to
look after the public interest. The public had the right to intervene
in the renewal of a broadcaster's license and the Fairness Doctrine
required broadcasters to air alternative viewpoints. Then the era
of deregulation under Reagan delivered broadcasting corporations
to the "promised land." Reagan's FCC chairman, Mark Fowler,
declared that "market forces" would define "public
interests." The Fairness Doctrine was scrapped and license
renewal became a pro-forma process.
Which explains why we have this kind of trash on TV. It's all about
money and what sells - society be damned. If explicit sexuality
and people eating worms in prime time TV is good for the market,
it will be on your TV tonight. The scary thing is that media in
America is 99% owned today by about 10 major corporations, and they
are defining the perceived society that we live in. If kids grow
up watching this - just what kind of a world will we be living in
20 years hence?
The time to take action is now. I would like to encourage people
to write to their congressmen and express their concerns about the
direction that the FCC has taken. It's easier to get a gun in America
then it is to apply for a broadcast license to even offer alternative
media. These corporations have a stranglehold on our politicians,
and most of them are the end recipients of the millions of campaign
dollars that each party must raise. I would urge you to ask the
politicians to reconsider the fairness doctrine, and mandate a code
of ethics for broadcasters once again, and include a mandate for
alternative viewpoints because we live in a democracy, not an elitist
nation where money comes before people. I would further urge you
to complain about media monopolization - and I am not just speaking
about television either.
If anyone would like more information or links to various websites
to learn more, they can email me or contact me, and I would be more
then happy to supply them.
Jimmy2K^
Nov 12, 2002
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Since I have struggled with addiction most of my life and know
that this is not a laughing matter - I thought that I would share
with all of you some thoughts on addiction.
First let me begin by saying that I do not believe addiction is
a moral weakness. All my experience with booze has shown me that
others who suffer from alcoholism are not morally weak individuals.
Most of them are great people. All of them are insane when under
the influence and all of them are quite normal when you get them
away. Alcohol is the most dangerous legal drug in this country.
More people die of alcohol related tragedies then any other addiction.
Most of the people who engage in alcohol related driving situations
are alcoholics. Most of them were not even aware they were driving
when it happened.
Alcohol may react differently to a non-alcoholic then to an alcoholic.
For one thing - an alcoholic has a much higher tolerance level than
a social drinker. The buzz you get after 2 drinks might take a daily
drinker anywhere from 10-15 drinks to achieve. I believe that this
is related to differences in brain chemistry. Non-alcoholics seem
to have less problem with dopamine levels. Although we are only
beginning to study the workings of the brain, we now know miracle
drugs like Prozac can alter brain chemistry to regulate neuron-transmitters.
We still have a lot to learn about the complex chemistry that makes
it all work.
Most alcoholics are normal in every way except for their drinking.
Most hold good jobs, and the ones who have been able to quit ingesting
alcohol turn out to be very dedicated employees and family people.
I can understand these type of people because I see a little of
me in all of them. There is a definite pattern to the addict.
But alcoholism is also a personal issue. I think the more an alcoholic
is told they are bad, the less chance they have to recover. I find
a disturbing pattern about alcoholics that seems to underlie each
of them. Most of them have been socially isolated for years before
they became alcoholics. Alcohol became a coping tool for their social
isolation - it allowed them to come out of their isolation and experience
things that they otherwise may not have experienced. Social factors
definitely play a role in addiction.
Now you can apply this to any chemical addiction - the person who
is a heroin addict is no different than the cocaine addict, the
marijuana chronic, or the oxycontin user. Some how their bodies
crave that adjustment needed to let them feel normal. I think the
answer to all of these lies in genetic therapy and brain chemistry,
and it's also why I think it is insane to even think that by merely
locking them up the problem will go away. Our system of justice
has been ineffective in dealing with addiction from a supply side
concept. But the extremists continue to flog it as the dead horse
that it is.
If you have the answers I'd like to read them. I don't think this
is funny at all.
Jimmy2K^
|
Well another week has come and gone and things never seem to get
any better. I turn on the news and there is a sniper on the loose,
North Korea has two nuclear weapons and the attitude in America
appears to be "love it or leave it." Religious leaders
are still preaching their hatred and intolerance and another bombing
has occurred that has taken nearly 200 lives. Yet the country we
live in remains defiantly unwilling to believe that it bears a part
of the responsibility for the mess that it is in today.
Years of our foreign policy have led to this mess and now Americans
are hated over the globe. Between self-interest driven politics
and its propaganda machine the American people have been kept foolish
enough to believe that we are protecting the world when in reality
we are protecting ourselves from the world and doing a lousy job
of it despite high powered weapons and in-your-face diplomacy. You
can't even talk to a group of Americans without getting the attitude
from them about "We're number one". Yeah, we are number
one in prisoners, number one in executions, number one in pollution,
number one in oil consumption, number one in deforestation, and
number one in influence peddling in politics. Should we be proud
to be Americans with all these number ones?
Yet we still continue to call people traitors if they speak out
against war, speak out against a foreign policy that resembles 19th
century imperialism, or speak out against intolerance and racial
profiling. We want everyone in the world to think like us. Perhaps
they too should have movie theatres filled with R-rated violence,
laws that make guns freely available, and politics where corporations
call the shots. Perhaps they can also have McGarbage littering their
ditches.
This country has never been more divided than it is now. There
is no longer any middle ground. We have become a nation of intolerant
bigots who don't mind bombing people into submission, but please
don't put it on TV if its going to interfere with our seeing the
latest Friends episode. It's my right to be intolerant - then again
maybe it shouldn't be. Maybe Americans need to think long and hard
about the WHY instead of the WHO and the HOW and the WHEN of all
this mess. But they just don't see it.
So what color is the sky today?
Jimmy2K^
Oct 25, 2002
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The End is
Near - And Other Truths
By Jimmy2K^
America is quickly becoming the most fascist nation on Earth.
If you don't believe me - then you are not paying attention to
the danger signs that show this today. Last evening I watched two
shows that spoke about issues in the USA. One was the 60 Minutes
interview with Reverend Jerry Falwell's comments about Mohammed.
It seems that the Christian right is now dictating American foreign
policy in Israel and would love to lead us on a holy war as predicted
by scripture.
Now I respect your right and opinions when it comes to religion,
but my opinion on religion is that it is all total crap. Christians
in America have twisted and used the bible for everything from abortion
to Zionism. I have no love for their ways of imposing so-called
values that involve suffrage, war, or deliberate misperception.
They are weak-minded people looking to hang on to something. But
they don't follow the model of Jesus in any way - they simply use
it to lie and deny.
Lunatics like Falwell are more a danger to our future then terrorists
with their hidden hate-filled agendas because they prey on stupid
people and spread fear under the guise of a power higher then themselves
that they cannot prove exists. What if the universe just was? I
mean at least with the Hubble, I can see how insignificant I am
in this universe. And if I am that insignificant am I to believe
that one entity built this?
And these same right wing religious whackos came up later in the
second show I watched on CNN Presents - the one about Texas
executions. Did you know that the United States executes more people
then any other nation on Earth? Supposedly we do it in a more humane
way then the Taliban, but it's still as primitive no matter what.
Death is death and when man makes decisions to take the life of
another, man is playing God. Christian lunatics love a good blood
sport like Texas style execution. The same so-called moralists who
use the phrase "kill em all and let God sort em out."
I am glad that I never fell prey to ignorance and become trapped
by this mind poison. I am glad that I grew up in a country where
diversity was respected, where guns were not looked at as weapons
of protection, and where we keep these religious whackos in check.
Canada may not be perfect but we do not allow any one vocal minority
to buy its way into the power structure and impose its values on
others - and that is fundamentally where the problem is coming from
in America. Maybe its time for the USA to get its head out of its
ass and face reality - before we can no longer wake up.
Jimmy2K^
Oct 7, 2002
Responses
Please send any comments or questions to Alllie.
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