ITEM 10

3.16227766016838² or “Wrong Way, Goldfarb”!

   I was recently amused by the big debate over whether Pluto should be listed as a planet or an asteroid.

   “There are fervent proponents of changing Pluto's status as our 9th planet, suggesting instead that it is part of a new class of objects that are smaller than planets but still large enough to be spherical due to self gravity. There is also a strong outcry for Pluto’s inclusion in the exclusive list of planets.” http://www.planetary.org/about/press/releases

   I was thinking that since planets orbit the sun and asteroids orbit the sun all planets should be classified as asteroids, and the habitable planets should now be listed as "hemorrhoids", thereby clearing up once and for all our place in the universe. Just a thought;

Any opinions?
Hello is this thing on?
Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

   It seems that today we are much more concerned with the appearance of propriety than the actual chore of being proprietous. Political correctness took the place of correct politics, healthy appearance took the place of health, laws took the place of justice, what we want took the place of what we need, lust took the place of love, etc, etc. Nothing is too trivial for us to make a mountain out of mole-hill.
   Nobody seems to know where we took the wrong turn, or indeed if there ever was a turn to begin with. I on the other hand have an opinion on the subject, (never been shy about voicing opinions even when the facts are scarce). I think we made our wrong turn in the early ‘60s when the survival of the family depended on two incomes. I also think we were steered that way for a purpose that has been guiding us along since the '40s.
   The main idea behind the “Industrial Revolution” was that everyone would be able to work fewer hours for more pay, thus leaving time for the important stuff, “Family”. Soon the industrialists realized that there was no need to share the fruits of someone else’s labor and kept the lion’s share for themselves. Let them eat cake, so to speak. This practice really came into its peak in the late ‘50s, early ‘60s, with the need for two incomes to support the family structure. The center, or nucleus of the family was the Matriarch, (Mom for those deficient in adequate vocabularic articulateness), who now became a member of the work farce, thereby leaving her position open for TV, Video Games, Rock & Roll and, (insert imaginary being here) help us, MR. MOM.
   The family unity is now broken, probably beyond repair. The evening Dinner and Family Hour went up in a puff of smoke, (literally, Mr. Mom, took Shop, not Home EC). Family members met only in passing while going to and from work or school. Family values changed as children learned to raise themselves, and mom went screaming for the shelter of her little yellow helper.

   As with all shortcomings in society things went from bad to worse, industries kept more, workers got less, the cost of living rose, quality of living declined, taxes went up, services went down. Today two incomes are not enough to live on. (Taxes are another story in itself, seeing as how there is no law anywhere stating that you
must pay them, or that the govt. has the right to collect them)
"A private person’s wages earned from a private company are protected by Article 1 from a (un-apportioned) direct tax, such as the individual federal income tax". http://www.article1-taxation.com/about.html

   The only way to survive today is to have three jobs each, or form “micro communes” of two or more couples in one apartment, (kinda like sharing a cave, just like the good ogg days). Remember the oggs? This is a story about oggs. And their devolution (de-evolution).

   As our family unity declined the moral fiber that made us great deteriorated, poverty rose, crime fostered by poverty, and the "Madison Ave. must have now at all cost attitude" rose off the charts, and even though more, and more police hit the streets every day, the legal system 
is not up to the task either through incompetency, or design.
   America, arguably the richest country in the world has one of the poorest educational systems 
in the world, again, either through incompetency, or design. A poorly educated and finacially burdened
society is not likely to notice, or even question the day to day activities that our elected officials perform in our name.

But Seriously;

   The interesting point about all this is that no-one seems to give a damn, no-one seems to care about what’s happening all around them, we just act like it’s the cost of doing life on this planet. We have lost site of the fact that ‘We The People’ are the government, not the bozos in Washington. We don’t even bat an eye when our elected officials blatantly and obviously lie to us, we don’t raise an eyebrow when our sacred system of voting is compromised by a ‘Black Box’ system with no means of verifying the actual election results, we don’t want to be bothered with the fact that our constitutional rights are withering away under the guise of national security.

"Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither"
Benjamin Franklin

   Instead we worry about abortion, spotted owls, whales, the important issues surrounding Pluto, and a myriad of other causes, which only serve to divide us and keep us mis-directed while the "Magicians" go about the business of slowly tightening the noose around our freedom.
   The average attention span of the average American is barely 3 months, or until the next
sound bite, whichever comes first. Now might be a good time to wake up!
   Not every conspiracy "nut" is a nut. In fact the majority of those talking on the subject are exceptionally intelligent and exceptionally well educated individuals. The main difference between them and the "Average American" is that they pay attention, and are not so easily distracted by the slight of hand of the "Magicians" (or "they" if you prefer).
   The information is out there on the internet, all you have to do is look, and then form your own opinion, (not the one given to you by the daily news over coffee in the morning) . So maybe next time between youtube, myspace, these stupid blogs, and the daily porn, a little interest in the "real" current events might be an erstwhile activity.
   I'm not saying you should believe everything you read, but keep an open mind, and at least question some of the things your told by those who may not have your best interests at heart.

(probably more to come. like it or not!)