War Is A Lie

Posted on September 4, 2013 by johnrachel

We all know what’s going on in Syria. There’s been a civil war for some time now.  Many citizens there are very unhappy with the Assad regime. There are elements within the country, now joined by a variety of well-armed and well-funded terrorist organizations from outside, that have taken up arms in an attempt to overthrow the government.

We also know that Washington DC __ I obviously include here Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton before and now Kerry, but also the huge imbedded coterie of neocon imperialists who never look at a military campaign they don’t get all giddy over and have grandiose visions of American hegemony over the world that goes way beyond childish fantasy into the realm of delusional psychosis __ has been licking its lips for a long time now, waiting for the right moment and the most plausible opportunity to plunge our country into another pointless military conflict in the Middle East. Iran’s alleged development of a nuclear weapon just hasn’t gotten traction so far with the American public __ basically because it’s a fabrication. Hmm … what else might get everyone’s hackles up?

We now see the claims of “irrefutable proof” that chemical weapons were used by Assad’s forces against Syria’s own people. We hear the “irrefutable logic” that this gross violation of proscriptions against use of such weapons __ international law in the form of treaties and legal instruments by the United Nations __ MUST be punished.

To their credit, most Americans are not buying the thunderous but hollow beating of the war drums. Tragically the express will of the citizenry is not deterring the warmongers. These guys are relentless. They’ll keep pouring it on. They’ll come up with whatever “facts and figures” it takes to turn the tide of opinion and convince us to get with the program.

But the simple truth is . . . it’s all a lie.

Either it’s a lie via the lack of certain evidence.

Or it’s a lie which springs from America’s own hypocrisy.

America MUST punish such immoral transgressions?

First of all, there are mechanisms in place for addressing any such violations. America is not required to be judge, jury and executioner here or in any other instance of misbehavior by other nations.

Second, our indignation at the atrocities committed in other countries rings very hollow when you consider how America tends to cherry-pick its moral outrage. For example, we looked the other way when Saddam Hussein was gassing Iran. You remember. Saddam Hussein, that evil bad guy we had to depose. The one we called the new Adolph Hitler. The one we supported with billions of dollars of foreign aid a few years before when we liked him, the despicable evil dictator of the country where we “initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam’s Iraq into the power it became” and “Reagan/Bush administrations permitted — and frequently encouraged — the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.”

I won’t even get into the list of countries where we stood by and yawned as the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people occurred __ Rwanda immediately comes to mind __ our indignation on holiday. Nor will I get into the incredibly long list of countries ruled by ruthless autocrats supported by the U.S., who oppress and slaughter their own people often with the armaments we provide them.

While I’m on the subject of lies, I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of all of the lies __ WMDs being first on the list __ told to the American people and the entire world which plunged us into the Iraq war, at the cost of 5,000 American lives and 190,000 Iraqis, 70% of them citizens. And how to make the medicine go down nice and smooth, we were told prior to that horrible fiasco, that we should be able to get in, get out, and wrap up the military campaign for a mere $50 or $60 billion, whereas estimates for the financial burdens just from the Iraq war are now at $2.2 trillion (yes, that’s TRILLION!).

So . . .

Why all these lies?

Obviously, lies serve a specific timely function in terms of swaying public opinion. For example, whenever we’re getting ready to put boots on the ground, we have to get people riled up before we send our young men and women into combat. Or even before wasting billions of our tax dollars raining down death and destruction on another country in the form of cruise missiles. Otherwise, some armchair generals might come to the conclusion that these wars are nothing more than senseless slaughter. Even if they are purely senseless slaughter, we can’t have people thinking that!

But even beyond the practical needs of our amoral, trigger-happy, ends-justify-the-means political leaders, I see something happening in our society. It’s certainly nothing new, but what is unprecedented is its scale.

I’ve come to believe that lying has become pandemic. Not only is it acceptable. It’s become woven into the fabric of our culture, the way cancer cells weave their way into the anatomy of the human body.

Why do THEY lie and tell young girls they’re not pretty enough, not thin enough, not sexy enough, and then lie to them about cosmetics, diets and weight loss pills, fashions that will turn them into objects of allure?

Why do THEY lie to young men and tell them might makes right and if you have a big gun or big muscles or a big mouth or a big dick, you now own the high moral ground and you can bully your way and everyone will think you’re a stud or a hero?

Why do THEY lie to all of us regular folks and still call America the land of opportunity, where no matter how poor you are or what color your skin, you can rise to the top, when the truth is upward mobility in the U.S. is the worst in the developed world?

Why? Why?

Why all the lies?

Amazingly enough, there is one answer. One size fits all. These mega liars keep it simple.

Money!

Behind every lie we’re told is a profit motive. Every lie that succeeds takes money from you and I and puts it into the pockets of the liars.

The already appallingly wealthy just can’t get enough. Already in possession of the vast majority of this country’s wealth, they want more.

What’s Syria about? The full explanation would take up an hour of your time. But it’s about pipelines __ gas and oil pipelines. That’s what Afghanistan was about. That’s what Iraq was about. That’s what Iran is about. That’s what Syria is about. If you have the time and have a strong stomach __ it certainly made me sick __ watch here, here, here, and here to see why our soldiers are dying.

Wars are always built on lies. I am totally convinced of this now.

I want you to buy David Swanson’s book (pictured above) . . . http://amzn.to/1cDHbYO

He doesn’t know me and I get no commission. I have no stake in this.

But you do. If you don’t read this book, you’re choosing a lobotomy over understanding why we are immersed in gridlock, confusion, conundrum. Why we’re perpetually at war. Why we, who have to go out and put our lives on the line for the rich and powerful, are always given this choice:

a) War
b) War
c) All of the above

Does this sound twisted or melodramatic? It’s not.

When you see the reason behind all the lies, it’s like when Dorothy arrived in Oz and suddenly her world went from black-and-white to dazzling, breathtaking color.

Let me say one last thing about lies and war. This applies to every waking moment of our lives, and why we must always be vigilantes for honesty.

When THEY lie to us and we believe them, we end up at war with ourselves, war with one another, war with everyone else in the world, and at war with the truth.

And if we continue to allow this to happen . . .

There will be no survivors.


Posted in Political Analysis, Political Rant, Social Commentary, War and Peace | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

What’s in a name?

Posted on August 29, 2013 by johnrachel

This is my First Holy Communion picture, taken one year after I was officially adopted.

I’ve had three legal names in my lifetime.

That’s not unusual for a female divorcee but I think it’s an anomaly for most men.

I was born John Carl Shreiber but taken away at birth from my mother. We were in a mental institution at the time and she was deemed unfit.

After a year in the St. Vincent de Paul Society orphanage, two folks in their early 40s who were unable to have their own children, took me home. They were uneducated and very poor, so it took them five years to convince Judge Joseph Trombley, Probate Court judge in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, that they were worthy.

But the adoption finally went through and I became John Richard Laug. I was six and the photo here is me one year later.

My adopted parents, Richard Ward and Florence Victoria, died when I was 14. They died three-and-a-half months apart, my father of brain cancer, my mother from the flu. But she had been sick all her life with high blood pressure and heart trouble, so the flu just did in her already weakened body.

Tough times followed. Most all of the relatives disappeared on me. My smart mouth and precocious arrogance never made me popular. I loved books. They loved sports and beer.

Anyway, Laug was always a problematic name. No one ever got it right. Laugh, lang, land, log, law, you name some mutilation of Laug and I’ve heard it a hundred times. It’s actually a German name, pronounced (with lots of spit) L-OW-K. Like ‘ow’, as in you’re standing on my foot, with an L on the front, and a big wet mucousy K on the end. Germany was not exactly popular after WWII, so my parents made the G silent, really complicating things.

I always hated Laug. “Hey, it’s Johnny Law!” or “Hey gang! Let’s beat the fuck out of Johnny Lang!”

So when I was 27 years old, I legally changed it to John D Rachel. (The D is just a D, not an initial. It stands for nothing specific, though I tell people my middle name is Dork or Demented or Divine or Disturbed, Delightful, Delicious, depending on my mood.)

When you’re a male and you legally change your name, most people think you’re up to no good. In fact, the court makes your declare that indeed, you are not changing it for any fraudulent purposes or to attempt to wrangle out of any legal obligations.

I wasn’t. I just hated my name and changed it to something I liked.

So here I am. For most of my life, I’ve been John Rachel.

The irony is that I’m a writer.

Shreiber is German for … writer.

Posted in Deconstruction, Living On The Edge | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Online Interview: “Blinders Keepers”

Posted on July 12, 2013 by johnrachel

I just completed an online interview in support of my recently published novel, “Blinders Keepers”.

I have a set policy for these kinds of situations. Keeping in mind that you never have a second chance to make a first impression, I always give it my best shot and reply from purest chambers of my soul. Honesty is the best policy, even at the expense of clarity.

Understandably, this approach has caused a degree of awkwardness, sometimes outright shame __ which will undoubtedly tarnish my family name for generations. Having said that, this one particular interview I thought came off with uncharacteristic nuance and gravity, as I wrestled with matters of conscience and avoided my usual preoccupations with puerile pre-adolescent piffle. The author site is called The Thursday Interview. Here are their thought-provoking questions and my self-serving but entirely heartfelt responses:

Question #1: “Would you break the law to save a loved one? … why?”

The laws of the land in theory are a reflection of the values and the ethical priorities of a society. Therefore, when they are at odds, moral law trumps the legal system. Whether to save a “loved one” is a moral decision. Do they want to be saved? Is the person worth saving? Maybe the person __ though you love them dearly __ has a habit of kidnapping children, grinding them up and eating them. Saving them, legal or not, wouldn’t be such a good idea, eh? Perhaps the person is dying of cancer and in great pain. I can imagine violating the laws against assisted suicide to “save” such a person by helping them die. This is an instance where certain well-intended but antiquated laws do not work. A person may not wish to be kept alive just to suffer pain and humiliation, so why should the law protect them from the choice of dying? Or during the Vietnam War, when persons were violating the draft law to save themselves. They didn’t want to die in an illegal immoral war, so they saved themselves by defying the law. Morality trumps legislation. Which adds up to this: People need to choose their legislators carefully, but even more importantly be perfectly clear about their own moral beliefs.

Question #2: “What is the difference between being alive and truly living?”

Being alive we all share with bacteria and mushrooms. Truly living is riding in the rear seat on Disneyland’s Space Mountain while eating a hot fudge sundae and having a person you love beside you singing “Gangnam Style” in your ear. Do you see the difference?

Question #3: “What motivates you to write?”

I sign all of my email “Scribo ergo sum.” I know I know. It sounds pretentious. But in its own grandiose and affected way, it sums up what all actions in life are about. We each claim identity by doing. We are because we act. What we choose to do then gives shape and meaning to what would just be sacks of protoplasm moving randomly through space.

Question #4: “Why do human’s want children?”

Humans are programmed by the biological necessity of propagating the species to mate and spit out likenesses of themselves. This also feeds their self-esteem, since most people fail at achieving their dreams and in fact are not good at anything. They can point at junior and say proudly, “By golly, I made that!” No rational person not in the insidious clutches of the biological imperative to reproduce would have children. As babies, children smell bad and trick you into loving them by making nonsensical but endearing sounds. Then when they turn 16, they wreck the car and send your auto insurance rates through the roof.

Question #5: “What was the biggest challenge in creating your book Blinders Keepers?”

Blinders Keepers resulted from a suggestion made by a movie exec type, who really liked my previous novels, 11-11-11 and 12-12-12. This person suggested I try to come up with a screenplay. Of course, those books are twisted and highly multilayered. The movie would have been 18 hours long and a bore. So I got to work. I combined the stories, chopped the plotline to the bare bone, and wrote a screenplay. THAT was the the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. Writing a screenplay is as different as badminton and baseball. Anyway, after I tore all of my hair out, bit my nails down to the first knuckle, and threw all of my furniture through the window of my study, I finished the script. Then I wrote the book. Foolishly, I thought converting the screenplay into a book would be a walk in the park. It was __ Jurassic Park! But I got it done and now I am seriously thinking about making a baby. They’re so cute! And I figure if my book and screenplay don’t sell, I can point at junior and say, “By golly, I made that!”

Question #6: “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in life so far?”

Sunblock doesn’t help when you fall into a vat of molten iron. But the most important bit of advice I’ve ever received is actually tattooed on the inside of my rib cage. I haven’t a clue how it got there. I had elective arthroscopic surgery to pin stripe my pancreas a couple years ago and the surgeon told me that written on my abdominal lining is the following: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth without headgear.” I think that’s Aristotle.

Question #7: “How did you come up with the title Blinders Keepers?”

I had quite a list of commercial titles going. Among those which I thought would really sell were The Bible, Eat Pray Love, Shades of Grey, and The Da Vinci Code. Then I found out those titles were already bestsellers and decided that people would think it was a cheap trick to use them. So one day I was playing around with words and phrases, and I recalled that singsong thing we used to say as kids when we found something, “Finders keepers, losers weepers!” It morphed into Blinders Keepers, because my book is about people going through life with blinders on and refusing to acknowledge the realities around them. One of my bylines for the book is: “Blinders Keepers, the blind leading the blind and the rest of us directing them to the nearest cliff.” The blind are, of course, the clueless political fools we currently look to for ideas and leadership.

Question #8: “How do you handle personal criticism?”

No one has ever criticized me because I’m perfect. I realize that my answer to this has to be 30 words minimum. How am I doing? Only 28? How about now?

Question #9: Why should people read your book?”

I never said people should read my book. They should BUY my book. If they then actually bother to read it and have a highly developed sense of humor (i. e. an appreciation for wit, as opposed to slapstick and fart jokes), relish sophisticated satire, are aware of the Code Blue state of America, are concerned but calm enough to lean back a little and look at the big picture, they will have an enjoyable read. It’s not for everyone. Blinders Keepers is dark, tastefully demented satire, an occasionally giddy spoof on current events and the kind of people who perpetuate the ongoing comedy of errors. It’s my way of entering the national dialogue and sharing what I think is a unique perspective. I believe that when life becomes unbearable, you can either laugh or cry. To appreciate what’s possible and snatch hope from the jaws of despair, I think we need to laugh. That’s all I’m offering with this novel, the chance for a good belly laugh in the midst of chaos and collapse.

Question #10: “Why is there something rather than nothing?”

Are you talking about my something … or your something? My something is everything. Your something is nothing. But you probably think your something is everything and my something is nothing. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this __ even though I’m right.

Posted in Deconstruction, Nihilism, Satire, Social Commentary, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The ‘P’ Word

Posted on July 2, 2013 by johnrachel

P … as in popular? This is the most popular video on YouTube as of this writing, with 5,439,631,578 views. That’s billion, folks!

P … as in poetry? Hmm. You mean like Eminem? No! You know. Like poetry slams. Cage fighting culture. I slam, therefore I am. Sounds familiar. Isn’t that Dr. Seuss?

P … as in pornography? Apparently, porn — at least porn on the web — is becoming more and more popular.  Then again, there’s so damn much pornography everywhere you look nowadays. Isn’t drone assassination porn? How about whole communities going bankrupt from mismanagement and theft. Pillage porn. Read all about how much trouble our major cities are in here! Or watch it on everyone’s favorite porn channel, Fox News.

P … as in polygamy? We had our chance to put a polygamist in the White House. Well, not a polygamist per se. But one belonging to a religion which institutionally peddles polygamy. It could have been an interesting chapter in the whole DOMA thing, eh?

P … as in pedophile? Probably we have more on our hands than we realize, some in very high places. But what can we expect? We have runway models who are thirteen, beauty contests for pre-schoolers, more hypocrisy about sex and sexuality than the Catholic Church — speaking of pedophilia! — a population pumped up on steamy ads, hot bods, prurient celebrity gossip, and a panoply of pharmaceuticals which despite their pervasive abuse can’t keep all this libidinous heavy-breathing in check. Lovely. Simply lovely.

P … as in patriarchy? A strong contender. We men have made a complete mess of the world, not satisfied with occasional penile penetration, we have to launch our phallic analogs in every shape and size of projectile, missile, bullet and bomb into every nookie and cranny of the world — so much soft succulent flesh, so little time —  jumping up and down with ecstatic glee at the ultimate ejaculation, the nuclear bomb. What can I say? Everyone knows this. It’s an old story with the latest trimmings.

P … as in patriotism? A noble, if much abused concept. But don’t get all patriotic as in standing up for the Constitution. Edward Snowden will tell you how that works out.

P … as in power? Hmm. We’re getting close. That’s one musical chair that stays in the game, especially unchecked by any moral restraint or sense of public duty. As we say: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Absolutely!

P … as in politics? A dirty business to be sure. Not that it has to be that way. What is it? The kind of people it attracts? Or the people they become?

P … as in politicians. Somewhere it’s written that these guys are supposed to serve us, the people who elected them. But they’ve become a bunch of traitorous lapdogs to corporate elites who openly thumb their noses at you and I. It sucks, eh?

P … as in plutocracy. Getting very warm. These are the scoundrels who don’t even bother to give lip service anymore to the idea of egalitarianism. They view the rest of us as pigs. Nothing new. Hitler. Stalin. King Henry VIII. Blah blah blah. It’s exhausting. Let’s all sing Hail To The Chief. Of course, the President won’t have time to listen. He’s busy hanging out with all his billionaire friends.

P … P … P …

I think I’m going to go with . . .

P … as in plunder.

America is both plunderer and plundered. You would think it would be enough for the self-proclaimed entitlement class to use America’s economic and military power to strip mine the rest of the world. But no. Now the ruling elite has its eyes on the ultimate prize. America itself! How much is enough? They don’t even understand the question.

So we watch in wonder and awe as our resources, natural and human, are sucked dry to bolster a bottom line that is the top priority — the only priority — in a system that assigns no value to anything but what can be monetized, i. e. price-tagged.

Is this really the only way we can measure progress?

I think not. And probably many agree with this. But it’s so hard. We don’t ever see ads for sunsets or generational respect or love between parent and child. Sure, we see those thing in ads. But to sell more cars, cosmetics, wonder drugs, smart phones, digital sausage makers, stuff we don’t need and soon won’t be able to afford.

Ever look around the room when the TV’s on? What do you see? People completely ignoring one another. People oblivious to one another. People who will die. Then the others in the room will come to regret those lost moments of sharing, companionship, communication, just basic human contact. At least they will regret them until their favorite sitcom, reality show or a new Netflix movie comes on. Whew . . .

What a depressing thought.

Am I being too pessimistic? I don’t think so.

Actually, I’m still optimistic.

Marginally optimistic anyway.

There are other ‘P’ words.

How about P … as in people? There is the potential for greatness in everyone. There is the promise of better-than-yesterday. There are propositions we embrace: All men are created equal. Love thy neighbor. Do unto others. Principles we hold dear: Government by the people, of the people, for the people. All are equal before the law. Let no man be judged by the color of his skin.

When we are not driven by greed, frenzied by fear, blinded by hate, crippled by despair, possessed by prejudice, misled and misinformed, most people are good to one another. Humans are social animals, curious and able to adapt. When we are not artificially divided, we remain naturally united. This is almost impossible to see now, much less celebrate, in a world whose political engines are powered by disunity and discontent.

How about P … as in praise? How about giving praise where it’s due? Not Pavlovian praise. But praise based on the values we hold dearest and nearest to the center of our souls. Not iconic fan worship. Praise offered for ennobling acts of courage and generosity.

Taken at a Hindu temple in Katmandu, Nepal.

How about P … as in pray? I’m not a religious person. But praying in some form or another is universal. I’ve seen it on every continent, in countries rich and poor. What is praying but visualizing something positive for those around you and the community you live in? Or the whole planet? Or the entire family of man?

How about P … as in participate? Even the most rugged individualists overcome pride, prejudice, and apathy to work in consort with others. Alone things can be difficult. But joined together in group action, individual but equal, the impossible becomes possible.

Finally, there’s P … as in perfection? We’ve sure got a ways to get there. But we reach for the stars, because even if we fall far short, we only risk ending up on the highest peaks here on Earth. Maybe we’ll find room at the top for everyone this time.

I have to confess, though. There was a time when I truly believed in the perfectibility of humankind. That was when I was young and naive.

Now I believe in the improvability of humankind.

Maybe now I’m just old and naive . . . I sure hope not.

Okay . . . enough with the ‘P’ words.

My lips are tired from all the puckering.

And I’ve blown out my candle.

[ If you are really a masochist, be sure and stay tuned my upcoming “Dachau World” blog posting. It’s certain to cause a stir. ]

Posted in Political Analysis, Political Rant, Social Commentary, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 Comments

Gum Control

Posted on June 3, 2013 by johnrachel

Do you have any idea how many fillings and bridges end up lost in a sticky lump of chewing gum and are spit onto sidewalks and the lawns of anonymous neighbors?

I know I don’t.

But that’s not going to stop me from expressing my total outrage at what has become yet another example of crony capitalism in America.

There’s not a single national law on the books for gum control.

There is no discussion in the press for the need for gum control.

Our allegedly concerned leadership __ and I include here President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and David Letterman __ have been completely mute about gum control.

The white wash and black out has created a grey zone of silence.

What can we conclude?

Only one thing.

The Bilderberg Group again has asserted its absolute control over our economy and the so-called representatives in our so-called institutions of representative democracy are in the pockets of the dental care industry.

Have you ever seen Grover Norquist chewing gum?

There’s your answer!


Posted in Deconstruction, Health Care, Nihilism, Satire, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 Comments

National Values 103

Posted on May 28, 2013 by johnrachel

My previous blog was on air. So far the rich and powerful have not figured out a way to sell us the air we breathe. That’s not to say it isn’t coming. I can easily picture a future where the air is so foul and toxic, that we all are toting around behind us on little wheels, mobile tanks of breathable air, with plastic tubes running up to our nostrils. They’ll probably have a Monsanto logo on them.

In that piece, I attacked the compromising and abuse of one of our most fundamental biological rights. Bush’s comically-named CLEAR SKIES is a perfect example of the lords of industry writing the rules for their own advantage, condemning tens of thousands of us to die prematurely by cutting corners on our basic human right to breathe clean air.

In this posting, I want to focus strictly on how you and I are being systematically robbed of yet another thing, something so basic to life, something so pervasive and necessary, that lacking it our entire planet would look like the moon. We look at another one of those fundamental absolutes that is being stolen from us in the name of progress.

In his powerful speech “Where Do We Go From Here?” on August 16, 1967 in Atlanta, GA, Dr. Martin Luther King asked, “Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that’s two-thirds water?”

Damn good question.

To single out this remark is not a trivialization of this great man’s vision. He was talking in general about our system of ownership, where a small elite of well-to-do capitalists wield the power to exploit everyone else.

Think about it . . .

Water.

The human organism basically is protoplasmic material floating in around 42 quarts of water held in a big sack made of skin. Water is about as basic to being human as it gets. We are 60% water.

Why should we have to pay for water?

Does asking this making me some raving pinko commie socialist?

Water has gradually become commodified. We used to just go down to the well in the center of the village. Then cities and counties provided water treatment facilities, publicly owned then later very tightly regulated by municipal governments. This held the price for access to high quality water at a bare minimum. Now it’s slowly being privatized. And the quality of municipally available water is being gradually degraded so that it’s no longer safe to drink. We end up going to the supermarket to buy water in large plastic jugs.

What happened to being able to turn on your tap and drink some H2O?

When did our community decide it was no longer its fundamental responsibility to provide something so basic to life as water?

And I don’t mean water laced with cyanide, mercury and other heavy metals, containing sludge and industrial waste, stinking of human urine and feces, tainted with every widely distributed hormone, prescription drug, anti-depressant, steroid, antibiotic.

I mean the kind of water that our bodies have always required and contained.

The kind of water which is as basic to human survival as . . . well, water.

This attrition of the public domain — those things which constitute the fundaments of a organized and humane society and a healthful nurturing community — is always a very gradual step-wise process. The privatization and commodification of the basic elements due to members of a community creeps up in very small increments. Tiny decisions are made one by one, each seeming like a rational or at least more convenient way to do things. Then somewhere down the line, we look back and say, “What happened?”

When things as basic as breathable air and drinkable water are commodified, it doesn’t bode well.

Many political scientists and international experts have been predicting for some time now that wars in the foreseeable future will be fought over water.

There’s a method to this madness. Corporations and capitalists can sniff out opportunity anywhere and everywhere. This is what they do. It is what they are designed to do, driving the engines of the economy, revving them higher and higher, sucking in what they need and blowing $$$s out the back end.

Think about it. If corporations can completely control and charge for basic necessities, what a perfect plan! It’s not like lipstick or adding cruise control to the options on a new car. You don’t have to convince people of the value to drink water. If they don’t they die.

There is no doubt capitalism has energized much of the world and been the major force behind development across the globe. But economic growth has never been nor is it now the only measure of progress. Not everything of worth has a bar code.

Look into the eyes of your child, your spouse, members of your family and community. Can you tell me how much a moment with someone you love is worth in dollars? What should we charge for a sunset? How much for a walk in the park?

As Oscar Wilde’s character replied in Lord Darlington when asked what a cynic was: “A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

So where do we draw the line?

Maybe the better question is: Since we failed decades ago to draw sensible lines which safeguard our individual participation in a society which respects each and every citizen and assures basic decency for everyone equally, what do we do now?

I’m not here to lecture you on the basics of government and citizen responsibility. Actually, if anything I’m here to lecture myself, to remind myself of some things that have been long buried by the shit storm of nonsense, diversions and distractions that is the news media today. I’m here to try to cut through the tsunami of irrelevance and ignorance that has swamped our national dialogue — the one you and I should be having about the America we want to have and pass along to future generations — and try to focus my own thinking.

I’m here to remind myself, and hopefully a critical mass of other concerned individuals, that many things we should be able to take for granted — breathable air, clean drinking water, safe nutritious food (that’ll be the topic of National Values 104), and some others down the line — are rightfully ours and they have been stolen.

It’s time to get them back.

It’s time to put aside right, left, liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green Party, Libertarian, Socialist, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, brown, red and blue. Because there’s a lot we agree on.

We just need to clear our minds and talk about those things.

We need to talk.

Posted in Corporatism, Philosophy, Political Analysis, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

National Values 102

Posted on April 29, 2013 by johnrachel

We breathe air.

Unlike abortion and gay marriage, there seems to be a lot of agreement on this. We all accept that breathing is not a luxury, not a hobby, not a pastime, not entertainment.

Breathe in, breathe out __ it’s something as constant as our heartbeat and only stops when our heart stops.

Isn’t breathing an absolute? Isn’t air __ or more accurately the oxygen in the air __ one of the fundamental building blocks of life for us human beings? Is there anything contentious or controversial about our need and our basic natural biological right to breathe air?

In National Values 101 I stated, however, we’re not talking any old air. We’re not talking about air that’s full of industrial smoke, automotive particulates, carbon monoxide, or invisible toxic gases. We’re not talking about air that burns the eyes, irritates our nasal passages, makes it painful to breathe, turns our lungs black, and consigns us to living on a respirator. We’re not talking about air that is carcinogenic and will lead to tumors and kill us before our time is due.

Can we all agree on this?

Yet too often we are given false choices:

If you want a job, then you’ll have to put up with “acceptable” levels of pollution.

Either you want the economy to grow or you want the government regulating everything. You can’t have it both ways.

This is not only nonsense. It is propaganda __  the polite term for boldface lies  __ and is irresponsibility at its worst. It is abandoning our public duty and a priori commitment to live in a country where concern for its citizens __ concern for one another __ is central and paramount. It is ignoring our constitutional mandate as citizens in a democracy to promote the general welfare.

I know there are libertarians and other minimalist ideologues out there who dispute this.

There’s a contact button on the right side of this page: If anyone out there has a coherent justification for saying . . .

“I have no problem having my children breathe air which makes them sick, will cause them cancer or emphysema, compromise the quality of their lives, and resulting in them dying younger than they should.”

. . . please send it to me. I’d love to see what your craven mind has conjured up.

Does this sound melodramatic?

It’s not.

Sometimes things are that simple.

To poison or not poison. That’s the question.

The issue is not where we draw the line __ what constitutes acceptable levels of poison in our atmosphere __ but how we hold the line that respects human life and good health.

The general welfare.

Of course, where it gets dicey and muddled by a lot of self-serving propaganda, ideological dogma and outright deception, is what role government has in protecting the quality of air.

Let’s cut to the chase.

Can each individual household afford to have its own fire brigade available in case of fire? Can each individual household hire someone to drive an envelope over to the bank to pay the mortgage payment? Can each individual household raise an army, equip an air force, deploy a flotilla of battle ships and nuclear submarines to protect itself from invasion by hostile foreign militaries? Can each individual household afford to pave the road between home and school, home and work, home and the grocery store?

Can each individual household muster the necessary legal team and cash to stop a factory down the road from spewing toxic gas into the air?

Government, especially one which consists of the citizens of the country, is by definition __ as delineated in our constitution __ the way we collectively do those things which we cannot individually do. And it is the strength of our system, certainly not a weakness, that government performs services on behalf of all of us for the betterment of all of our lives.

We’ve forgotten this.

I’m not pointing fingers. I’m just as much a victim of the tsunami of sheer nonsense that fills the media and the overwhelming cyclone of bullshit that passes for discussion of the “important issues of our times.” It’s all but impossible to keep a clear head and the needed focus to make sense out of our relationship to the institutional machinery in place to do our bidding, often to assure some of the most basic items to a healthful, productive life.

Like clean air!

This is the point of what some may perceive as very facile, simpleminded blog posts. But I sincerely believe that we need to get back to the fundamentals again. What are the basics? What are those things which we not only should treasure and hold dear but are areas of universal agreement?

We often get so caught up in the fighting, name calling, assigning blame, bickering, that we forget that our nation was predicated on some very solid fundamental values, drawn from the Bible, the teachings of great philosophers and legendary teachers, the wisdom of the ages, even borrowing from the ministry of Christ during his short time on Earth.

National values.

Somehow we’ve lost sight of them. We’ve lost sight of the obvious.

I’m reminded of a story __ and I have no idea whether it’s true or not but it’s a great story __ I heard when I was a teenager.

There was a large tractor-and-trailer rig which got stuck under an overpass. This was right in town, on a single lane road, so it was creating havoc and causing a bad traffic jam. They had hooked up giant powerful tow trucks and diesel-powered winches. But the truck was wedged in and just wouldn’t budge. They were now going to resort to huge metal cutting wheels and blow torches to carve off the top of the trailer.

A 10-year-old boy who was walking home from school happened on the unfolding drama. As he passed a burly man wearing a safety helmet, at that very moment in the middle of directing his team to start cutting the truck up, the boy tapped him on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, sir. But I was wondering. Why don’t you just let the air out of the tires?”

Sometimes the answer is staring you right in the face.

You just have to look.

Posted in Corporatism, Philosophy, Political Analysis, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 Comments

National Values 101

Posted on March 31, 2013 by johnrachel

We need to decide.

And to decide we need to have a talk.

What’s the latest fashionable euphemism? Aaaaah! . . .

We need to have an adult conversation.

The question is: What are the basic conditions, perks, priorities, entitlements, services __ it doesn’t really matter what you call them __ that the set of institutions and organizations collectively known as government, is responsible for providing the citizens of this country?

What’s the bottom line? As an American, what can I expect?

How we answer this question pretty much defines where each of us falls on the political spectrum that stretches from “conservative” to “liberal”.

Which is irrelevant!

So forget about it. Forget conservative, liberal, progressive, libertarian, anarchist, and most certainly forget Republican, Democrat, Green, Socialist, Communist, and all of the rest of the political parties.

Let’s just answer the question.

And while you’re thinking about it, here’s what I have to say:

Air. I don’t mean just air. I mean clean air that doesn’t choke us, make our eyes water or create the conditions for cancer. Seems fundamental. Amazing how it’s brushed aside.

Water. Again we are talking about clean water. Not Evian or Poland Springs. But water that we can drink, bathe in, cook with, irrigate our gardens with. The human body is over 75% water. Without a constant supply of healthful water, we become dust.

Food. Sustaining life is pretty basic. Famished or dead people don’t do well. And I don’t think this should be frivolously interpreted. Yes, we can eat dog chow. But I am proposing good nutritious food that supports healthy development and healthful sustenance. This is not too much to ask.

Education. Maybe first and foremost, we need to know, understand, think, and learn how to go about knowing, understanding and thinking. Lacking education a person cannot properly function as a social, economic or political being __ an ignoramus cannot begin to participate in society or fully contribute as a citizen.

Health and Basic Health Care. Why is this so contentious? Being sick is a drag. It’s personally a drag, it’s a drag on those closest to us, it’s a drag on the economy. There are no winners when people are sick. To have a fruitful, functioning society, we must be at our best __ physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, socially, politically, intellectually. When we are physically sick, everything else is compromised.

Safety and Security. This is a big one. Excluding items under other categories, like non-toxic air to breathe and food that doesn’t poison us, there are many areas which through our government we safeguard ourselves as citizens. A person should be able to walk down the street, or sit in a park or their back yard, without fear of being attacked, molested, robbed, raped, murdered. We should be able to be in our homes or work places knowing that a poorly maintained commercial airliner or a missile launched from North Korea won’t crash into our roof and incinerate us. We should be able to use a microwave oven without it exploding in our faces. We should be able to drive across a bridge without it collapsing underneath us. Related to that, we should be confident that everyone on the road knows how to operate their motor vehicles. If our house catches on fire, we should be able to count on firemen coming to put it out. The list goes on and on. You get the idea.

Equality Before The Law. The law is the law. It shouldn’t play favorites. No one is more or less important before the law. Violate the law, there will be penalties. Violate another human being, that person will have remedies in a court of law. It doesn’t matter if you’re Angelina Jolie or Donald Trump or Barack Obama. “Justice” is portrayed as holding a scale and blindfolded. And so it should be.

Opportunity. Opportunity comes in many flavors and is not unlimited. Everyone cannot be President of the United States. Not at the same time for sure. And impediments always are being erected to our realizing our individual potential. All too often they’re internal __  defeatism, low self-esteem. So the last thing we need are more barriers from without. When a society erects barriers based on class status, wealth, ethnic identity, religious belief, sexual orientation, and so on, it becomes fragmented and loses its vitality. It can become hostile and end up at war with itself. We have on the books right now legislation and constitutional amendments to discourage this. It’s time we lived up to the language and spirit of these laws.

Democracy. Who gets to run the country? I was under the impression it was each and every one of us, participating on an equal footing. One person = one vote. It’s not that way anymore. Now it’s who’s got the cash. So are we going to have a democratic republic or an oligarchic tyranny? Democracy seems like a good idea to me.

Freedom. Freedom has its limits. But it should constantly expand until it reaches those limits. What kind of freedom? To dress, speak, sing, dance, live, love, worship, socialize, assemble, organize as we see fit, respecting the rights of others to do the same. It’s in the Constitution. This should not be rocket science. And it should be on everyone’s mind and part of every discussion about our nation. Freedom requires constant vigilance. It requires an ongoing adult conversation, no holds barred, no nonsense. The alternative is division, racism, conflict, disintegration, civil war, or totalitarianism.

Why am I bringing all of this up? These “American values” seem so obvious.

You would think so.

But all hear in the media is . . .

“So-and-so declares all government bad.”

“We need to cut spending, then cut it even more.”

“Get government out of the way so we can get something done.”

“We can’t afford it! America is going bankrupt!”

“Fiscal cliff! Debt ceiling! Apocalypse!”

Often these are the same blowhards who are saying America is the greatest thing since mastodon burgers and pterodactyl nuggets. So why do they find it so easy to denigrate it? Why do they want to destroy it if it’s so great?

The point is, I don’t see anyone talking about the essentials for making America, not just an okay place to live, minimally tolerable. But making America a place where we citizens can thrive, realize our individual potential, be the bad ass exceptionalists we claim we are.

Are any of the “values” I described above so controversial, so offensive, so ideologically obtuse or extreme, that they don’t deserve that adult conversation I mentioned at the beginning of this article?

I sure don’t see it in the media. I don’t hear any discussion of this being prompted by our so-called “leaders” __ please refer here to “Take me to your leader!“.

Yet, it is at the heart of everything about our country.

What we hold to be true and dear is the beating heart of America.

We can’t sit around waiting for Obama or Biden, Boehner or Reid, Pelosi or McConnell, Cantor or Chief Justice Roberts to get around to it.

They won’t.

We the people of the United States need to discuss and decide who we are and what we want America to be __ meaning what kind of nation and society we will pass down to our children. Then we need to keep those priorities first and foremost in mind when we the people of the United States decide what to do.

No excuses. No equivocation. No distractions.

No “we can’t afford it” or “that’s socialism” or “that’s Tea Party“.

Let’s stop the name-calling, end the soap opera and the games.

Let’s cut with the nonsense and get to work.

We can do this. We’re the greatest nation in history, right?

We’re the baddest, the best . . . we’re #1.

Let’s prove it.

I say, when politicians go into their usual patronizing him-haw blather, let’s keep a roll of duct tape handy to shut them up. We go back to our list of values and say . . .

“Either this makes America the country we want or it doesn’t. That’s the issue.”

What do you say?

Are you in?


Posted in Banking, Corporatism, Food, Health Care, Philosophy, Political Analysis, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dead kids sure are a bummer but….

Posted on March 28, 2013 by johnrachel

I know the title is rude. It appears to be insensitive. Maybe even shocking.

But I honestly don’t think I’m the one being insensitive and shocking here.

I’ve been sitting here in Japan since the Sandy Hook tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14th, trying to imagine how a typical gun owner would complete that sentence.

“Dead kids sure are a bummer but you know what’s a real bummer? Not being able to go to a gun show and buy anything I want by slapping some cash on the counter.”

“Dead kids sure are a bummer but I’d really be bummed out if I couldn’t own 57 handguns, shotguns, assault weapons and use hollow-point bullets.”

“Dead kids sure are a bummer but can you imagine what a bummer it would be to have to put a new magazine in my AR-15 after getting off only 20 rounds?”

“Dead kids sure are a bummer but there’s no way I’m going to take classes in gun safety or have some punk bureaucrat come around every year to check up on me.”

What is a typical gun owner willing to give up so that any one of the the victims of the Newtown massacre whose photos appear in this article would be alive? And what is so important to a gun owner that the lives of these people, and the other thousands who are killed by gunfire every year, can be so easily dismissed?

Truth is, I have no idea why I’m even writing about this. Because trying to get significant changes in our attitudes about guns really isn’t about laws and regulations. It’s about becoming sane again. And I don’t see that happening.

Here’s how the gun-loving members of the American public responded to Sandy Hook: “Shock figures show buyers are racing for firearms in Sandy Hook school massacre state” and “Gun enthusiasts pack shows to buy assault weapons“.

I love this:  “Gun backers want to arm schoolteachers“

My wife came up with this one:  BulletBlocker, ‘Bullet Resistant Products’

Bulletproof backpacks for children?  Is it just me or does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

I understand the powerful appeal of guns. Maybe not as intensely as the gun nuts out there but I do understand. I even understand the need for the latest and greatest of everything. We’ve been conditioned to want to own the biggest, the baddest, the best. We just can’t fall behind, you know. “Damn! My next door neighbor just got an AR-59 MICW. What if we get into an argument over how high to trim the hedge? I’ll be outgunned!”

Okay. I know I’m rambling. I’m not being coherent or rational.

But the truth is, none of the discussions about guns and gun control are remotely coherent or rational. We can nitpick over the details of gun regulation but frankly the whole discussion is so far out off the edge, it’s like a conversation in an insane asylum between Napoleon and Jesus about what they should do with Elvis over there in the corner to keep him from singing “All Shook Up” during arts and crafts.

Yes, it’s that bad.

It’s pure insanity.

It’s pure insanity because when people flock to gun shows to buy more guns after a tragedy like this, it’s akin to a lung cancer patient spending his life savings on cigarettes and giving them to all his friends and relatives.

It’s pure insanity because not even the simplest, most sensible, least intrusive limitations can get through Congress.

It’s pure insanity that we can’t even ban weapons which have no other purpose than killing and killing fast, ones like the semi-automatic rifles used in so many recent gun massacres.

I got a Tweet from Yoko Ono a few days ago. It said … “Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980.”

Which brings me to the way I would complete the sentence.

“Dead kids sure are a bummer but we’ve gone completely insane, so even if we shed a few tears, we really don’t care deep down inside where it counts.”

[ Insert prayers here for the America which is being lost, for the children who are being abandoned, for the death of the American Dream. ]

Posted in Nihilism, Political Analysis, Political Rant, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is John Rachel funny?

Posted on March 9, 2013 by johnrachel

Fill out my online form.

Posted in Deconstruction, Health Care, Nihilism, Philosophy, Satire, Social Commentary, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments