DragonFlight

Please raise your hand if you believe what you see and hear on TV commercials! Do you quickly make a note to rush out at your earliest convenience and buy some product you’ve just seen? Are you convinced of the necessity of buying a new vehicle as often as possible because some new feature is a must have? Must you own the biggest and most powerful and macho truck made? Does it make sense to you that if you call that loan company all your credit problems will suddenly disappear?

Do you honestly believe the food in a particular restaurant will be even half as good as the pictures you see in a commercial? Do you crave all the grease, fat, cholesterol, and processed carbohydrates in that steaming, piled-high, many layered bacon cheeseburger you see on the TV screen? Do you look forward to the pounds of added fat, ugliness and disease that inevitably await you after you have eaten enough of such toxins? Are you certain that company telling you that pill they sell will make you lose weight and you don’t have to change your diet or do any exercise, is from this planet?

How many of you believe that paid for political advertisements, in any venue, contain much in the way of truth? Do you actually vote for a candidate based on what you hear on one of those ads? Do you believe the candidate that solicits the greatest amount of campaign contributions has won, and there is really no need to actually proceed with an election?

Do you always believe the paid pundits on the faux news cable stations? Do you automatically trust what you hear when the President’s Press Secretary holds a TV news conference? How about a FEMA press conference? Are you certain the government never lies, our leaders tell only the truth and always have our best interests at heart, and all conspiracy theories are pure imagination because it says so right there on the boob tube? Have you never wondered why it is referred to by that name?

Do you enjoy seeing the same TV commercials over and over again, ad nauseam, to the point where every commercial break is somewhat akin to hearing the sound of a fingernail being scraped down the length of a very long blackboard? Are you glad that TV advertising now occupies about a third of every hour, rather than what use to be only a mere fifteen minutes or so? Are you thrilled to have your favorite show interrupted almost every five minutes so that you can once again focus on trying to memorize your favorite commercials verbatim? Do you wish there was even more commercial time? Do you honestly watch the Superbowl for the ads, and not the game?

Are you relieved that we no longer have to deal with cigarette and hard liquor commercials, and welcome instead, the constant litany of drug and erectile dysfunction advertisements brought to us compliments of our friends, the pharmaceutical industry? Do you ever resent being healthy because you would rather be able to be prescribed some of those wonderful sounding medicines and be cool like your friends? Do you sometimes begin to feel sick after watching these commercials often enough and become thankful there is a pill out there that will make you feel good again? Are you unconcerned with that list of possible side effects of that birth control or menstruation altering medicine that are mentioned so quickly you can hardly catch them, and are then relieved that they only mention mild risks such as heart attack, blood clots, stroke (or death)?

Do you love hearing how the philanthropic petroleum Industry is helping the poor indigenous peoples of third world countries they rape for resources (surely the soothing music, and wonderful visuals of happy children playing in front of a backdrop of beautiful mountains and trees convince you of their altruism)? Are you certain the power industry has the best interests of the people and nations they exploit at heart because of the wonderful programs they institute for the people there?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, you might want to consider the state of your mental health. You may even want to buy one of those self-administered IQ tests available at Borders Books, or perhaps consider consulting a therapist (for a long time).

I’ve often wondered why so many corporations spend SO MUCH money making TV commercials. It eventually dawned on me, sadly but true, that all too many people must actually respond to them. It sometimes makes me look around as I walk the streets or browse through a store and wonder just who they might be, and is it possibly contagious?

Many years ago, in the innocence of youth, and in my own cheapness, I started to believe that commercials on TV were worth not having to pay a monthly fee instead. You know what? I don’t believe that anymore. In fact, I’m as close to tossing the TV into the street as I’ve ever been in my life.

As an additional sidebar, the annoyance doesn’t stop at mere advertising inconvenience and tedium. There is, of course, much programming on TV that is beneficial, namely nature and science programs, some of the “real” news, some sports (though many have been polluted with commercialism beyond comprehension, as well as making it far too easy to simply veg out in front of the screen all day, or for days on end), comedy, and certain shows with redeeming qualities of various kinds. However, these few seem to be adrift in a sea of a dubious design.

TV represents the most powerful controlling and manipulation device ever created in our recorded history; and so much depends on who is in charge, and that is the key. Do we still believe, for instance, that the news we see and hear represents the truth, or does commercialism, in the way of entertainment value translated into advertising dollars, determine what the truth is today? In a world headed towards government by corporation, are we fed the facts that facilitate people, or the bottom line? Has nationalism already been replaced by commercialism invoked in the name of patriotism, to manipulate and control? (And by the way, I wouldn't object to this so much if it didn't still "use" the concepts of war and suffering.)

Are the American values of freedom, liberty and the principle of government "by and for the people" being subtly replaced by what benefits the few, the powerful and extremely wealthy? Are we coming full circle, from monarchism to leadership by the same type, by a different name? Has the “divine right of kings”, simply been replaced by the “inherent legitimacy of the very powerful?”

How easy it was to convince so many of the necessity to launch a pre-emptive strike on a nation that was ultimately proven to have not been an imminent threat; and how natural it seems to compromise the Constitution, in the name of making us safe. TV it appears, can sell any idea, especially when so many have already been captured under it’s spell. No doubt we will soon believe Patrick Henry actually said, “Give me safety or give me death!”

Posted by Stephen at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

Once again I have to commend Jaime O’Neill for writing a very powerful and pertinent column entitled “Dirty rotten scoundrels prosper in Bushland.” . The ultimate focus is on some of the members of the Bush Administration who, only after leaving office, decided it was both appropriate and profitable to speak out about how they strongly disagreed with some of the major decisions being made while they “served.” Such personalities include former FED chairman Alan Greenspan, former CIA Director George Tenet, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. All of these individuals played key roles in enabling the Bush Administration to facilitate economic and war policies they now claim to have disagreed with. Indeed, some of them are now eagerly and hungrily profiting on the book and tour circuit by proudly talking about how they disagreed then, but can only talk about it now. What’s wrong with this equation?

I understand that while employed by the Federal Government a person owes some loyalty to the current administration, but to whom or what do they ultimately owe their allegiance -- a personality and party, or the nation and Constitution? This concept of “loyalty and honor” to leadership of the nation, when the real focus should be serving that nation, is ludicrous. The only time an individual might actually be in a position to influence policy, and thereby the repercussions of such policy, is while they are still on the job and have some authority, or very soon afterwards. After retiring, any criticisms ring with an impotence, achieving nothing more than to expose loyalty and honor as empty words rationalizing service to self over service to the nation they had sworn to serve. And ultimately it is "The People," the electorate, that requires valid information in order to vote, and when that comes too late, it hasn't been equipped to make right choices.

When one’s boss or bosses are making decisions that harm the nation, it is imperative to speak out, and sooner rather than later. If this requires leaving the job at that point, so that such revelations and opinions as deemed necessary can be made in a timely fashion, namely while they might still make a difference, then that is what should happen. When did we become a nation of wusses, terrified of speaking out, afraid of losing a job, and willing to compromise our integrity before offending the people we work for?

Maybe what has changed is the nature of the job. Perhaps the job is no longer serving the nation, but serving all those higher ups who ultimately serve at the “pleasure of the president.” Do we really have that kind of confidence in a single individual and his “crowd?” Do we honestly believe the president and his close associates are infallible and above reproach? I’d always thought the purpose of advisors was to advise and give counsel, the result of which was to help the person in charge to make better and more informed decisions. I’d also thought the same applied to government officials in responsible cabinet posts and directorships. I believed these people helped run the government by giving expert input that facilitated the decisions made by the President.

Has the job actually become facilitating the president no matter what lunacy he might choose to invoke? Has the president become a king after all? Do his advisors merely have the choice to agree or be silent? Is this what that “loyalty and honor” mantra is all about? Do those accepting positions in an Administration simply become yes men and serving boys? When did Alan Greenspan decide to remain silent about economic policies he saw as a recipe for a disaster? When did George Tenet decide to take the fall for a president who had made up his mind regardless of any input from real intelligence? Why did the “golden boy” Colin Powell suddenly suspend reliance on his own experience, knowledge and intuition in order to help catalyze a war he knew was wrong then, but admits to only now?

Why did General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004, wait till Oct 12, 2007 to “become the most senior retired general to criticize American political leadership of the war?" Speaking before a group of military reporters and editors he not only criticized the media for “sensationalist” coverage and “self-aggrandizement” and a willingness to “compromise integrity” in order to land front page stories, but he also spoke of political leadership as consigning America to a “...nightmare with no end in sight." He says:

“There has been a glaring, unfortunate, display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders. As a Japanese proverb says, ‘Action without vision is a nightmare.’ There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight. Since 2003, the politics of war have been characterized by partisanship as the Republican and Democratic parties struggled for power in Washington. National efforts to date have been corrupted by partisan politics that have prevented us from decising effective, executable, supportable solutions. At times, these partisan struggles have led to political decisions that endangered the lives of our sons and daughters on the battlefield. The unmistakable message was that political power had a greater priority than our national security objectives. Overcoming this strategic failure is the first step toward achieving victory in Iraq - without bipartisan cooperation we are doomed to fail. There is nothing going on in Washington that would give us hope.”

Too bad the lieutenant general couldn’t have spoken out earlier, like in 2003, or 2004, or even 2005. Perhaps back then it might have made a difference that would have disallowed notions of surges and more dead troops in the future. Perhaps if Tenet had spoken out more truthfully, and if Powell had not just gone along, the preemptive invasion of Iraq might have met stiffer resistance. Maybe if Greenspan had been more honest about tax cuts during war we wouldn’t be stuck with such a huge deficit that Bush refers to as "only" $158 billion, but which Fortune Magazine's senior editor at large, Allan Sloan, calls "Fuzzy Math" , and claims is actually two and a half times larger.

I often wonder if people realize how very cheaply they sell their souls, and how very easy it is to actually do so? Compromising one’s integrity in the guise of covering up the immoral, unethical, or just plain wrong, choices and decisions of one’s employer IS selling one’s soul; it’s not good business, it’s not loyalty and honor, or any other grand cliché. I can only equate the practice of just “going along” when the stakes are so high, and so many effected, rather than immediately quitting the job and speaking out loudly, with a gross lack of faith in one’s own life, and life in general. To profit from a situation one knows to be terribly wrong, instead of making the decision to be honest, and forward the truth, and perhaps peace over war, displays little faith in our role in the Universe we call life. And in the long run, one might ultimately discover there was no profit at all, only loss.

Posted by Stephen at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

With both Halloween and Christmas just around the corner, one commonality has become a national concern, namely toys. There are the costumes and all the accoutrements for All Hallows Eve, and the unimaginable amount of toys, decorations, and huge assortment of “stuff” that has become part of the Christmas Holidays.

It has been revealed in the past many months that many of the toys hitting the American market and predominately manufactured for American companies in China, have been deemed unsafe. Whether the issue is lead paint, lead materials, defective magnets or whatever, there is a black cloud hanging over the industry, and many parents are frantically wondering what to do. I will be making a suggestion.

The Associated Press recently announced, “Toy-maker Fisher-Price, parent company Mattel is recalling 83 types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.” The worldwide recall involved some 967,000 plastic preschool toys manufactured by a vendor in China and sold in the United States between May and August 2007.

In June, toy maker RC2 Corporation recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and various parts. They said that the surface paint on some of the toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead.

CNN on September 5, 2007 announced, “The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Mattel, announced a recall of 844,000 toys that contain excessive levels of lead paint Tuesday night - the third such recall of Chinese-manufactured toys by Mattel this summer. 675,000 units of various Barbie accessory toys sold between October 2006 through August 2007 were named in the recall.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Americans should expect more Chinese-made toys to be recalled in the coming months." (I’m not even going to mention the harmful pet foods and toothpaste that were imported from China!) I believe we are all aware that we are looking at only the tip of a huge iceberg, namely, those instances in which the products were eventually exposed as unsafe. We also know government attempts at regulating product safety of toys imported into the United States is nearly nonexistent. Companies are expected to police themselves, and it’s rather evident this has not been occurring with any reassuring regularity or competence. So the big questions remain, just how many toys are on the way to the U.S., in the warehouses, and on the shelves right now? And, what are the chances that any of them will actually be inspected thoroughly?

Obviously parents are concerned and worried, with some approaching panic (according to some news reports). With the holiday season approaching, just what products, especially toys, should they not expose themselves and their kids to? This is a very real concern. There is much at stake, the immediate safety, and future welfare of their children’s health. The short and longtime effects of lead poisoning, especially on children, is not a pretty tale.

I have a fix. 1) Don’t buy any toys manufactured in China PERIOD, 2) if not sure where it was made, don’t buy a toy, especially if it is offered by a company you already know has been recalling toys, 3) try real hard to find products manufactured in the United States (something becoming more and more difficult), and 4) whatever toys you still believe you need to obtain, don’t! Make your own toys if you have to, find substitutes for toys, and/or fill in with alternatives. There have to be some things kids can substitute for toys for just one Christmas season!

Yes, this really sucks! I was a kid once (maybe still am), and I loved the toys I got at Christmas! They colored my whole world for a time. I dwelled on them for weeks before Santa arrived, and I’d play with them for weeks after he had departed. Hell, men still love toys -- they’ve just gotten bigger and more expensive. I’ve heard of husbands who aren’t allowed to go to Costco if not accompanied by wife. The danger is too large -- so many toy-like objects, too much money in the pocket, and so many reasons to buy, considering it is Costco after all.

I understand how totally inconvenient and difficult this appears and just might be for both parents and children, but there are two very important things at stake here. The protection of children is the first issue. Lastly, a very clear message needs to be sent to companies here in the U.S. and China, and to both governments specifically, and all companies and nations in general. That message is, “Enough is enough! Get your acts together, and do it sooner than later! We are not going to tolerate this blatant incompetence and disregard for us as consumers, and this callous indifference for our health and that of our children, any longer! If you don’t want to find a way to change the way you do business, than we will make a change in our buying habits. Thank you very much!”

I realize that some companies would suffer, even though they haven’t done anything wrong. I understand that certain small businesses, and ultimately employees may get hurt, here as well as in China. But, when and where do we as citizens and “we the people” begin to exercise our rights to protect ourselves, and guarantee that the corporate world, and governments stop losing sight of the fact that this world is about us, and people in general? Business and government exist only for one reason – people. I could write several blogs on that alone, yet I’m not going to expand greatly on it now. Anyone not understanding the principle still has a very long way to go before becoming an aware human being.

Society is all about people, it IS people. Just because there have always been those who make “things” more important than other human beings, doesn’t alter the real truth. It’s not rocket science. Business and government were both created for, and by people, and exist for same.

Charles Dickens said it best in my second favorite quote of all time: "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"

It is unfortunately going to take some stirring of the pot to get the attention of government and business, and remind them of the “real” bottom line (people)! If some are hurt, the ultimate purpose is preventing much larger harm -- health trumps profit.

It’s near impossible, at least in the United States of America, to get large numbers of people to act in concert to protect their rights and their concerns. Obviously no large number of people can or will stop buying gasoline to send the message to oil companies that "you are making too much profit at our expense." No one can effectively not buy the over priced drugs manufactured and sold by U.S. pharmaceutical companies, but sold at significantly lower prices in other nations. Even our Congress forbids the government itself from negotiating for lower prices for Medicare. Heh!!!!

Perhaps the sacrifice people can finally make, considering the need to protect their children, and that one does not require toys for commuting to work, or for taking care of one’s health, is to not buy toys “as usual” during the very season that will send the strongest message to the business world?” I believe this offers concerned parents a viable option at the moment. If one is not sure a toy is safe, “just say no!”

I don’t know this is the best, or only answer, but it is the one that comes to my mind. I ask myself, "which is worse, a child crying for more toys this Christmas, or being unable to cry in the distant future because it’s brain has been irreversibly damaged by lead?"

For those interested in viewing the list of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission toy hazard recalls visit hazardous toys .

Posted by Stephen at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)