The best use for the internet in 2011 and beyond…

There is great hope for The United States, there is great hope for the people of planet Earth. There appears to be a bottom in the great pit of intellectually vacant entertainment.

Pornography is defined as: of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire.  Bore-ography is hereby defined as: of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sequels, to use 3-D, sell video games and numb people into buying theater prepared meals.


If religion is the opiate of the masses, bore-orgraphy is methanol and 3-D is freebasing. Stereoscopic, color vision craves eye candy.  The  part of your brain that processes color vision is, in evolutionary terms, the youngest part of your cerebral cortex… It behaves like a four-year-old. Shown something interesting... it goes all mushy and can't look away. If you have to watch it through special glasses in order to understand why it is interesting… It is not interesting. It is not interesting at all.


Keep in mind if Sex and the City 2 was filmed both topless and in 3-D, it would be both pornography and bore-ographic. Speaking of   embarrassing complete wastes of time… Look at what might be lingering or lurking in theaters throughout the year.

Steven Spielberg is in need of an intervention. He combined the mystery of  Capricorn One with the aliens landed on the moon drama of 2001 a Space Odyssey... but to make it work for youngsters, he added a denominator of the Transformers. One would hope paying starlets to go away, cocaine, heroin and/or  trips to the Hair Club for Men would not have exhausted the vast fortune Mr. Spielberg has created for himself.

Yet for no creative reason he has pimped himself beyond recognition;  not once, but twice…

In the words of TV infomercials… Don't answer yet, if you order now…

What happens when you wed Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots with a PS3? You develop a wonderful movie called Real Steel. Imagine the plot twists when boxing, because of the cost to humanity, has been replaced by giant, scary, corporate financed robots. Now stretch your imagination and see if you can fathom a youngster, fighting the system, against all odds, as an outcast, fighting the system even harder than was previously fighting it, going for broke in a one against 1 billion chance to break into the world of high-stakes fighting robots? I just wonder what will happen? Oh And by the way, it is in 3-D!

The redeeming value in the trailers...  all the fellow patrons were laughing and ashamed for a director the caliber of Mr. Spielberg  as he stooped to something, so made for "direct to video release."

Happy New Year!

Just because Mr. Spielberg has decided to mail it in for 2011, don't follow his lead.  Now is the time for each and every one of us to create and improvise our way out of this economic malaise.  Feel and respond to the challenge of restoring the values and principles that made this country what it is and what it can be.

It is too easy to accept crap as art. It is too easy to coast by on exceptional talent and produce something unworthy of fourth grade film club. Use the power of the internet to rally the people you know to greatness, beauty and things of interest.  

How do they learn, What do they value?

Watch kids interact, they reward status to people who achieve. They imitate and employ the most successful strategies and tactics they encounter. 


Fourth graders, as South Park proves, are the only source of truth in the known universe. The perfect living example of sophomoric pride flows from each nine-year-old. Perhaps reaching the pinnacle of single digit age allows them a clarity of vision. The other answer... they know just enough to recognize when intent and action are dissimilar and are not afraid to act out when they see hypocrisy.


Fourth graders have limited vocabularies. This results in having to fit an unlimited array of feelings, emotions and other conflicting human behaviors into a specific number of words. Compounding the incomplete wisdom, that comes with almost 10 years of experience, is a belief that everything is fair and everyone acts in their own, obvious best interests.  


When drunken stepfather comes home at 2:30 in the morning and whispers, “Don't worry your college fund is taking care of, this will be our secret, I love you, don't tell mom you saw me like this, burp…” The preteen mind processes this as, cool the old man loves me, we have a bond, he's putting money away for me and everything is good workout well. It takes between two to 50 years to figure out drunken assholes tend to lie between the second drink in the time they pass out.


Elementary schoolers know there are words they can't use.  A Christmas Story and George Carlin have well documented the boundaries of taste and the old school consequences of oratory delinquency.


Kids recognize that 90% of what they do is going to be criticized and corrected. They are in learning curve, that sadly for some, does not continue to ascend. Labels and the soft prejudiced of lowered expectations dehumanize and are used as excuses to shelter children from the consequences of their behavior and efforts.


The biggest part of living is learning, overcoming and the triumph of spirit.  The best part of living is learning overcoming and the triumph of spirit.  Failure is nothing more than a chance to get better.

We tried to talk it over, but the words got in the way. v.I:I

Cortez shows up on the eastern shore of Mexico and announces he has discovered them. The Aztecs, respectfully say, no we've been here for years, we've created a great culture and everything is hunky-dory.

In a louder and clearer voice, Cortez announces he has discovered them and things are only going to get better. The Aztec leader explains that they have a great and powerful civilization… At which point he is shot and killed.

Cortez then again explains that he discovered them. The second-in-command of the Aztecs tries to explain that they have built pyramids and great temples. In the middle of this explanation he met the same fate as its predecessor.

Thrusting out his chest and in the most commanding voice, Cortez again explained that he discovered and claimed the land for the  monarch of Spain. The third in line to the Aztec world, explained “we are so grateful that you found us, clearly the God of gunpowder is infinitely more powerful than the God of the Sun.”

After discovering the Aztecs, Cortez went about stripping the people of their language. In doing this he insured that they would be slaves. The irony is the Aztecs “had discovered” countless other tribes and allowed them to contribute “to the great culture” by building pyramids and in the mining silver and gold.

Once you take the language from a people, their culture crumbles and they are doomed to a life as second-class citizens.Vocabulary and the nuance of words have specific meanings. Once those meanings are blurred, compromised or redefined communication is obliterated.

Equal is an adjective. The generally accepted definition is: being the same in quantity size, degree or value.

Same is also and adjective. The generally accepted definition is: identical, not different, unchanged.

Understanding the two words are synonyms, while each having distinct meaning is crucial in understanding the meaning of “All men are created equal.” 

The phrase that defines this country has been corrupted. Equal has been subjugated by Same.

We are all equal, we are not all the same. If we were all the same, we would be mutant identical twins.

Grafting the definition of “same”  onto the word equal creates jealousy. “All men are created equal.” Expresses an ideal that we all have the same starting point, the same capacity;  although blessed with different skills and talents… We each possess the ability to achieve a unique place in society and have a significant impact on the world.

Ray Kroc, the patron saint of cupholders in cars, institutionalized fast food and mainstreamed the concept that eating in the car was a good thing.  Albert Schweitzer used his faith to treat the impoverished people in Africa,  despite the fact he never enjoyed a Big Mac.   The rest of us, in our life's work, will fall someplace between these two great champions of what humans can do.  

Accepting we are all equal, requires each of us to appreciate none of us are the same.

You're driving down the road, the UFO stops in front of you, the little green man gets out walks up to your window and asks…

What if you had everything you needed to be happy? Would you ask for something, like another chance?

Are you more afraid of how you will die, than the length of time you have left on the planet?

At what points in a year can three different generations come together and all feel and believe the same thing?

Is a parents happiness more important than the welfare of the family?

If all suffering was removed, how would we learn compassion?

If the ultimate healing power is time and its fuel is forgiveness, are you able to endure until the cure is reached?

If boredom leads to cruelty, just the ego expand to justify the inappropriate actions?

If a man speaks in the forest, his wife isn't there to hear him, is he still wrong?

Are you wondering if there will be a single statement in this post?

What is the most obvious way you can show you care?

If you do everything well, is it your obligation to serve, teach or invent something new?

What is the most valuable thing that you do for others every day?

What is the one thing you  need most from your friends?

Are you asked more for your opinion and for information?

Are your problems so much more complex than others, that they can't be solved?

Have you reached the zenith of your own personal level of humanity? Does that mean there's more work to do or it just chilling, killing time and waiting for the bus run over you on your way to the Costco?

What is the cost in a smile? What is the value in seeing others smile?

If your brain constitutes 2% of the weight of your body and consumes 20% of the energy your body produces, what are you thinking about that justifies this expenditure?

If?

When?  Why not now?

How to be Really Popular, Get Along with Everyone and Never have Problems Again.

If you've been thrown a basketball 10 feet into the air, you have had a chance of putting in. In fact all balls thrown 10 feet in the air have a chance of being good, the only question is were you standing in the right spot. When taking a “big picture look” at probability it's easy to solve problems.

Take two dice, roll one. Now, with the other die in your hand, there is a one in six chance of producing a seven when you roll the second cube.

Dice tricks are one of  over a million ways to get Keanu Reeves to    orgasmically utter “whoa”.  Childlike wonder in the single digit age group is beautiful, with celebrities it shows having too much money can insulate you from real world phenomenon most of us take for granted.

Problem-solving for humans, when dealing with other humans is not unlike simple dice games.  Personal with the problem will roll a number, then the person looking to interact with the  troubled individual, will roll a second die.  If the numbers add up to seven, the problem is solved and communication was achieved.

Premise: Someone is hungry.
Single die numeric value: 5

Possible responses in numeric values:

1) It is all Reagan/Bush's  fault.
2) Then get something to eat.
3) It's almost dinner you can wait.
4) Fasting is an important part of religious expression.
5) Art is contained in heart.
6) Don't touch my stuff.

Each of the six well reasoned responses are true, correct and well represented in popular media culture… Only one is really appropriate. Only one creates a seven.

Premise: I am a bored.
Single die numeric value: 4

Possible responses in numeric values:

1) I'll call the doctor and we can get Ritalin to help you.
2) Get drunk, lushes always have a good time.
3) Boredom is an extension of excess leisure time. Work more so you can afford higher value diversions.
4) You don't love me anymore.
5) You'd have friends if you didn't get into fights when you are drunk.
6) Go to the 7-11 and buy some chips and sour cream.

Subscribers to “Victim of the Day” websites are familiar with each of the six possible responses, primarily focusing on numbers 1, 2 and 4-6.

Premise: How come all we do is fight?

Single die numeric value: 1

Possible responses in numeric values:

1) You don't love me anymore.

2) You don't care about me anymore.

3) Everything you do is wrong.

4) Madison is the capital of Wisconsin.

5) You don't understand me anymore.

6) Each time we talk, our numbers don't add up to seven.

In this example the only 100% correct answer is number four. Unfortunately once that's established you need other solutions. Everybody has right answers, like the ability to throw up ball 10 feet in the air. When problems occur find the “right answer” that solves the problem, if you want the problem solved.

In every relationship that has lasted more than six weeks, the couple knows how to push each other's buttons.   Hint: Pushing buttons rarely works. Look at the other die on the table, then roll the number that matches the solution set. If that doesn't work, try caring and expressing your compassion in an obvious form.  If that doesn't work... buy a beagle, they are forgiving and overlook your humanity because you know how to work the can opener.

The Best of Christmas v.I:II

 Kurt Vonnegut once said, “You can use science to invalidate the story of Adam and Eve and Jonah and the Whale;  but everything else in the Bible is a pretty good guideline on how to get along with people. That too many people use science as an excuse to behave like jerks goes beyond religion and into humanity.”

 Dick Gregory told a wonderful story about growing up in Philadelphia. He told how is a child he and his brother could spot a prostitute two blocks away. There was a way they moved, talked and acted. At no time did these women ever have to tell you what they did. It was obvious by the way they behaved. He said that the sad thing was hookers were easy to spot and  obvious in their behavior, and Christians weren't.

Chico Villanova said "No one is offended by St. Patrick's Day. People drink like a fish, and Irish fish and at no time does the Saint in St. Patrick's Day get in the way of a great time. The problem is the same faux Irish, who crash their cars when they are drunk or tell people their name is  O'Horny  to get laid on the17 March are the same hard-boiled atheists who complain about Christmas.”

Whether you celebrate the birth of Jesus, the chance to participate in midnight madness sales on Thanksgiving night or the TBS marathon of It's A Wonderful Life/A Christmas Story try to lose the attitude and enjoy life.

Angry mobs of Christians rarely go door-to-door and torture people who can't recite the 10 Commandments by heart. If you don't want the spirituality of the holiday season, treat it like parsley,  leave it on the plate and somebody else will take care of it.

If you like the spirituality and want more, go to mass every day.

Sean MacHine explains, “On Cinco de Mayo, everyone is Mexican whether they pronounce tortilla correctly or not. There are thousands of people every year that figure out Dos Equis,  is Spanish for two X's. God love them, they learn a little bit about Mexican culture, puke guacamole and swear to God they will never consume that much tequila again.”

Christmas without Christmas is a chance for grandparents to spoil a generation removed, for people to express their drunken feelings for one another, to practice acts of kindness to total strangers and to smile when they greet one another.

The songs are old, the traditions are older. If you don't want to be around it, go to Antarctica and feed penguins. The last time I checked, there is no pious award for suffering agnostics who have to endure hearing “Merry Christmas”.

 In the spirit of the season, I must confess… I  made Sean Machine  up, there is no such person.  MacHine is  just machine with a capital H stuck in the middle. Chico Villanova is equally inventive. I bought this book on how to write really cool new stories. It said to find experts and quote them. Since I didn't have time, nor the energy to find people to express my opinions, I just invented experts.

In a way being an atheist or a long-suffering agnostic, is inventing an anti-belief system to ensure your miserable when everybody else is gargling with eggnog.

The biggest part of Darwinism is knowing when to check out and become either oil or coal.

The FCC was originally charged with regulating telegraphs. They did a great job, telegraphs are no longer the primary link to civilization. Next they took over AT&T, to make sure the telecommunication giant never became a colossus. That worked too.

Along the way, it was ordained that they would take over regulation of television and radio. Surprisingly they have all but killed off broadcast television, and if it were not for talk radio…  Marconi's gift to mankind would be spitting up blood.

Because there are three great ways for this post to go, it would be a shame to not provide a triple play.

Kill the soulless zombie: This aspect of the government has clearly outlived its usefulness. Everything it's touched has been destroyed and is no longer viable. Throw a big party, give everybody a commemorative T-shirt and encourage them to find meaningful work for the rest of the lives.

The harbinger of obsolescence has a new squeeze: Telegraphs were replaced by telephones. Broadcast television has been surpassed by cable and satellite delivery systems. AT&T's quest for global domination has been usurped by broadband cable. Now the parasite of regulatory dominion has started to lust over the internet. This has all the appeal of watching your daughter begin to date a “casual heroin user.”

The nature of humanity is to change: Bureaucracies like jazz start out  in one direction and wind up someplace else. Some of it is melodic, organized and consistent. Some of it is overly ambitious, torturous and only significant to the people that create it.

No one said you have to learn, then again no one said you have to survive; much less thrive. Too often  the needs of an organization or relationship become so restrictive that it strangles instead of supporting. The fun and function is lost; escape becomes the order of the day.

Evolution does not explain creation.  Evolution is the natural progression of organisms. They adapt, grow and change in beneficial ways to survive. Failing to survive they become toxic, regimented and crippling.

Dating a casual heroin user, brings about change. Not every change is beneficial to all parties. Symbiotic relationships are rarest of unions.

The Best of Christmas v.I:I

 So then it hit me, like the hot kiss at the end of the wet fist. I was a chump, a clown, something for her amusement, a play thing left behind.

It was also Christmas afternoon, I was standing in my underwear on the roof of my condo.  I had heard military jets flying low overhead, and in a moment of depressed adulation, I figured the godless communists were attacking Arizona. There had been explosions and I figured now was a good time to get a lethal dose of radiation and just let my flash melt from my bones. 

I had been reading about Hiroshima in an attempt to bouy my spirits. It was December 1980. The girlfriend had moved out and I was alone, held captive by my ego and enjoying an unending orgy of “poor baby” fueled pity... Kind of an American Gothic,
neo-mid-disco era meltdown.

When I looked around from the top of my dingy home/dungeon of dismay, I realized the United States was not under attack, it was just the pregame festivities over at the stadium. In a more Disney and less noir version of this story, in anthropomorphic creature would have slithered up to me and offered a song of hope.

But this was not one of those  happy movies, this was my story, a hard-boiled contrarian with 'tude to burn epic. I needed to get down. I didn't have shoes on. The rocks on the roof were hurting my feet. The wind blew and turned my pink flesh to a carnival of goosebumps.

The pool was below me. Like a 10-year-old girl walking across hot pavement in July, I winced and yelped my way to the edge of the building.

Being cool, I jumped.

Gravity worked.

I fell.

The pool caught me.

The pool was unheated, it was winter; it was cold.

Cold.

The Genius Boy did not have a towel, or a key to his condo. He did have the shakes and shivers.

In the Cinemax version of the story, a bus load full of crocheting nymphomaniac cheerleaders would've shown up and offered “to help me get dry, before I got wet”. Unfortunately the creative forces at Cinemax rarely intervene in real life.

I did have a spare house key in my glove box, and a spare car key   under the right rear fender. I got back in the house, I didn't die.  I didn't get laid, I didn't have figgie pudding.

I  took a warm shower, made cheese macaroni, watched the football game and figured out that Christmas was a lot more about giving than feeling sorry for yourself. Not unlike life itself, It is more important to live and to give than it is to expose yourself to imagines nuclear fallout.

In the John Cameron version of the story there would be cool mind blowing special effects. Gratefully, Mr. Cameron is busy creating Avatar II,  The Jerry Garcia Experience.

So on the eve of the shortest day in the northern hemisphere,  it ist-120 hours in till Christmas. Time for all of us to get off the roof and into the season of caring and sharing.

Mom Tell Him to Stop, He Is Trying to Change The Internet Again.

Cuba, North Korea, China and now the United States of America or all on the same side of the same issue.  Fascists want control. Free people breed accountability.

With the economy in uncertainty, with our borders a sieve, with the deficit greater in last 24 months than the entire first 200+ years of our country… The big issue is “net neutrality.”  To quote Graham Nash, "In a land thats known for freedom, how can such a thing be fair?"   (The ironic part, this lyric is from Chicago, the same city as our current president… Spooky, isn't it)

Thinking like this will drive the current Congress, in its last days, to single digit approval ratings. "Net neutrality”  is an idea sold as protection and freedom of speech, surprisingly which  provides neither.

The fascist elements of our government do not want people to look up policies, practices or conduct of the elite body of legislators. Net neutrality will force search engine companies like Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to provide “alternative opinions” to searches. The ruling class fears an informed citizenry may reject the partisan actions of political whores masquerading as lawmakers.  

Their  goal is to dilute critical thinking by contrarians with pablum from propagandists. If you want to read Thomas Sowell, read, Mr. Sowell.   There is no reason to have a Maureen Dowd piece polluting your browser. At the same time, if you are interested in what new and brilliant thought Keith Olbermann had come up with, is there any reason to see an op-ed piece by Rush Limbaugh?

The guise of protecting children from inappropriate web content is better left to parents. Each computer not only comes with an on/off switch. It also has an electric plug which can be removed from the socket rendering the machine to be nothing more than a paperweight. 

Little Johnny and Judy do not need web-enabled phones, or computers in their rooms to corrupt the pure thoughts that routinely grace the minds of children.

If you're going to provide descending opinions, are their enough opinions from credible sources to go around?

If you are searching for an article published by a Los Angeles-based hermaphrodite, would it need to be balanced by a piece from a Boston-based Eunuch? What if they both had the same opinion on the Madonna's “Just Like a Prayer” video?   Would that mean there is only one valid and universal opinion?

While 2% of legislators might be concerned about what happens on the Internet, 99% of the people in the real world  can tell the difference between “internet truth”  and truth.  

Try this example...  Google the phrase "world's greatest rock 'n roll brand'.   The  result, correctly, is the Rolling Stones. If you doubt this and believe it is either John Lennon's old backup band, Led Zeppelin, The Osmonds, KISS or The Shags is the correct answer, does seeing  The  Stones  in the top spot make you do anything other than shake your head? Would seeing a story about Guns and Roses or Megadeth influence your opinion?

 To quote Neil Young, the greatest Canadian folk rock/grunge artist of all time,  “you make the rules, you say what's fair. It's  lots of fun to have you there.”

All The News You Need To Know, Complete With Talking Points

A quick review of the news of the week with contextual comments to help you focus on what is really happening.

UN PLANS INTERNET REGULATION

The Brazilian delegate stressed, however, that this should not be seen as a call for an "takeover" of the internet.

India, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia appeared to favour a new possible over-arching inter-government body.

 Is Brazil, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia's interest in regulating the Internet a direct result of wikileaks? What would happen to the ruling class when their memos are distributed to the populace? when presented with the choice of treating the people better, improving their cyber security or demanding and imposing regulation… What did they do?  Best cliché to apply:   Actions speak louder than words

Nevada jobless rate rises to 14.3%...

Employers across Nevada shed roughly 2,500 jobs between October and November. The leisure and hospitality industry cut 2,900 positions, while the construction industry lost 1,500 positions.

The United States expresses their love of freedom and prosperity through recreational activities. When the leisure industries are bleeding there is something seriously wrong in our country. Nevada is the  The most accurate indicator of conspicuous leisure consumption. Best cliché to apply: the canary in the coal mine, dies first.

Rhode Island City Nears Bankruptcy...

The major problem is the city, with an annual operating budget of about $16 million, is facing about $32 million in promised after-retirement health-insurance costs in addition to the $48 million in pension obligations.

Central Falls has about 19,000 citizens. if each resident, were responsible for an equal share of the $80 million shortfall, it is just a paltry $4,000 a person or $16,000 a household. A small price to pay for the fabulous services the city provides. Surprisingly the $4000 per person shortfall is very close to the  cost of the legacy payments  attached to every GM car. Best cliché to apply:  We will have to cut vital services if we don't have a tax increase on the wealthiest people in our community.

Cops: Woman denied owning drugs -- hidden in her crotch... 

In late-September, a Florida man gave police a similar story when they discovered a bag of cocaine hidden inside his buttocks. 

 Florida drug dealers have introduced an attractive “lease to own” program for people needing narcotics and controlled substances. This way the soon to be addicted customers can transport their stashes from dealer to dwelling without taking ownership, thereby avoiding the penalties associated with possession. Best cliché to apply: Your Honor, my client not only a total ass, they have a sizable ass as well. There is no way they could have perfect knowledge of all contraband contained in that aspect of their person. You must acquit.

Introducing the Power of Reality Television to the Olympic Games.

From 776 BC to date concept of the Olympic Games has been held,  when not impacted by war, plague, famine or general disinterest. Today the concept of the advertising or state-supported “amateur athlete” still exists, but is removed from the trials  and tribulations of daily life.

The Games mix  ancient acts of war, the javelin, the hammer throw and pole vaulting, with  suggestive to lewd voyeuristic endeavors, women's beach volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics and the men's 400 butterfly.  The  latter  to attract  a television  audience and the former to provide an homage to rituals of the past.

ESPN “modernized” the concept of the Olympics with the X games. The X games represent a boom orthopedic specialists. Death-defying acts by skateboarders and trick riding  bicyclists are rewarded for failure with pharmaceutical grade painkillers.

Bringing the Olympics closer to Main Street requires something “true amateur athletes” can relate to. To that end here are a few Olympic events at which our country could excel.

Parking Games

Costanza a.k.a. Parallel Parking: Judging is based on time, amount of honking by people watching you, and damage inflicted on the cars fore and aft of the spot.

Quieting Children: Based on the hammer throw, it is a simple game. How far can a mother drive keeping two or more children quiet without throwing a hammer at them.

Consumption games

Oh, What Did She Order Again: The object is to take three coworkers Starbucks orders… Without writing them down, make the run with warm delivery and correct change. Spillage or
mis-delivery is disqualification, just like in real life.

Applied  Logistics:  Coordinate and varied “food allergies”, dietary concerns and equal lengths of travel time to achieve luncheon for six friends.

Technology Games

Phone Tag: Based on Rhythmic Gymnastics the object is to leave short, creative and expressive messages that would allow your call to be returned first.

Texting: A way for young women to express themselves in the competitive format, without body image issues.  If the sport fails to capture the imagination of the cable addicted, it could be repackaged, lowing the lead of beach volleyball, as Lingerie Texting.

These are the type of games and competitions that would allow greater participation from all segments of society. In order to care about something, it has to relate to our lives. Team Handball and the pommel horse, although potentially erotic, have nothing to do with the very real life-and-death experiences that we all face on a daily basis. What we do, must be reflected in our recreation. This is the first step in multicultural healing. Working together, we can bring about this important change.

Yikes, please forgive me, I lapsed into 2012 political candidate mode.  After all it is that season, again.

If You Are Being Sold Out, Shouldn't YOU Get the Money?

In the coming weeks the political class will strut and pose in an insincere and morbid dance. The rhetoric and caterwauling about doing what is best for America is beyond predictable, it is boring.

How the political class has co-opted America which stretches from the northernmost tip of Canada to the southernmost tip of Chile is amazing. The name of our country is the United States of America. Failing to identify the name of your country is almost as bad as calling someone named Mitch, Mike.

The bitching and moaning on how the legislative class will gore the federal budget or the income of the citizenry is on par with the Three Stooges. Substituting slapstick for solutions borders on pornography.  The Permanent Professional Politico  retracts leadership and responsibility in favor of perpetuating their status as a “savior” to the needs of their patrons.

While their patrons and elected officials will benefit... The other half of the country suffers. Turning any debate into us versus the U.S.

To insure everyone benefits equally from the “political process” here are a few guidelines to level the playing field.

1) A 100% tax on all political contributions. This would ensure that some of the money used to elect “a servant of the people” actually went to serving the people.

 2) All money spent by political action committees advocating one politician over another would be considered income for the politician who benefits from the ad. This would all but eliminate the snarky negative ads that so poison the political process.

3) All candidates would submit to a public audit of their finances, Not only for themselves but for their families and extended families. All income and wealth derived from sources other than the primary business concerns of the families would be taxed at 95%.

4) Each elected representative, upon reentering the nonpolitical world, would be taxed 95% on all proceeds derived from their political career. This would include speeches, books, work as a lobbyist, presidential libraries and any other form of enumeration. Salary and benefits taken in a new position would have to be commensurate with others performing similar tasks. The guideline would be the familiar “equal pay for equal work”.

Once the profit motive is removed from the political arena... The nature of the debate and the extreme positioning gives way to unleashing the creative powers and industrial might of the United States of America.

Experience is the DNA of life.

Pressure is the ultimate and truest mirror in the world. Beyond appearance it exposes who we are, what we value, what we will sacrifice and how we behave in both defeat in victory.

Pressure condenses all previous experiences into actions. If all you know how to do is scream and throw a fit, that's what you do. If all you know how to do is quit and cry, that's what you do. Shoot first and ask questions later types, go for their guns. Paralysis through analysis types get out the legal pads and start planning.

When unreleased it can cause various pains, such as headaches, stomach aches, ulcers or breathing problems such as asthma or allergies or even as cancer, or heart problems.

Many manage to keep the cap on for many years so that they do not have to deal with the unpleasantness of facing and working with pressure. Some keep the cap on through overeating, others by drinking or taking tranquilizers or other drugs. Others by watching television, or going regularly to the movies, reading one book after the other, smoking one Marlboro after the other, or by never ever being alone or by working continuously and not ever leaving free time to look inward.

The cosmetic industry “corrects" how we should look. The psychology industry "corrects" how we should feel.  A better answer comes from Sherwood Schwartz's second greatest work, The Brady Bunch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKCgXgh55w

Peter is having a personality problem and feels everyone hates them. So he adopts Humphrey Bogart's personality. (Everyone knows a short tough guy is instantly respected.)   At the end of the episode, Mr. Brady explains you can only be what you can be.

If pressure is going to illuminate all you can do and all you can't; then it is good. It shows which part of our lives we need to work on; the parts where our reach exceeds our grasp and the parts we need improve before we go to the next level.

When surrounded by a loving family and friends that are not too jerky… Pressure is a source of celebration and bonding. Success is wonderful. Failure is humiliating. Life is filled with both experiences. Embrace the former and learn from the latter, enjoy your life by accepting the perfect opportunities to display what you can do. Pressure players, make the big bucks and are generally referred to as heroes.

In the end, it is what you try more than how you die; that defines who you were.   Yikes, that almost sounds Brady-esque.

When Cats Playing Patty-Cake Dominate The Airwaves....

The hardest thing about television, is watching it. The second hardest thing about television, is still; watching it. The industry has focused on niche marketing, while all but forgetting quality. The same lament has been around since the era of rabbit ears and UHF hoops.

Wrestling was lowbrow and public broadcasting was “good”. Cable and satellite broadcasts have broad higher-quality wrestling and an increasingly benign PBS. The sloganeering during pledge week about “programming you can't get anyplace else” has been indicted by the Discovery Channel, the Weather Channel, the History Channel, the Wings of the Luftwaffe Channel, the Food Channel, the English Channel (A body of water that separates the French from the descendants of Henry VIII) and the dedicated broadcast arms of every major sport, excluding fencing and pig slapping.

Despite the endless venues for entertainment and information, there is nothing on. The LOGO Channel was all the rage in sophisticated and hope of niche television. It had the audacity to provide 24/7 programming aimed at the gay and lesbian market. The Birkenstock Organic Cooking Hour, was replaced by Reno 911. Then in cruel twist of fate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer forced the cancellation of Fashion Fun Guys.   Prior to finding a home on gay marketed broadcasting, Buffy used to be on at five o'clock in the morning on TNT. In "hook up parlance" scheduling  the Vampire Slayer is a kin to slipping roofies  into your own drink and passing out in a toilet stall.

Someplace on our planet there enough creative people to fill  the slightly more than 300,000 hours of broadcasting created by a 2,000 channel environment each week. Yet YouTube continues to grow in popularity... and what would easily be described as attractive niche markets are resulting to showing brooding paranormal soap operas.

On the networks, America's number one new show is Hawaii Five-O. Which is not really a new show, it's an old show given a facelift.

If the End Times are signifying by a lack of creativity, that the human spirit has been compromised by sin, then re-creation of Jack Lord's “greatest work” is clearly a sign that we shouldn't be buying green bananas. The end  is very near.

In a Time when Earthworms Tasted Like Bacon and a place where Angelina Jolie Cried in Vain

Next to infomercials, there is no greater fascination than movie trailers. In both cases you're being seduced to buy something that may have little to no value.

Here's a fun game to play to prove it, go to the movies early and suffer through the 3 to 6 previews. Pay attention as you watch them. Then after the movie, see how many you can remember. Keep in mind each one of these 3 to 5 minute commercials cost about  a quarter of a million dollars or more to produce.

Advertisers will tell you it takes 5 to 15 impressions for something to sink into your mind. A more realistic way of approaching it might follow this path… What if the trailer told you that after the movie the first person to dial or text a particular number would receive $50,000, the second person $25,000 and the third person an autographed CD of Right Said Fred's 1991 smash hit "I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt".

The fact is commercials for needed products are very effective. Commercials for trash are soon forgotten.  Movie goers are not stupid they can tell all the jokes featured in the commercials for a Will Ferrell production are likely to be the only creative or clever or element of the film. Seeing Meryl Streep with any lace or linen  material in her hand, is a sure sign that wify-pooh's next girls night out is all but set in stone.

Would movies be better if you paid for them after you saw them. What if the amount you paid was based upon  your enjoyment of the film, like a tip.  This could change the world, for the better. 

In the dating world potential spouses could judge firsthand their compatibility. If the Datee loved it and thought "Gee this is a $50 a person movie.”  But the Dator only ponied $2.50, then obviously the core values are so askew… The love connection hopelessly lost.

In addition to streamlining  date night,  the Pay for Value Box Office Program would produce better movies. The trailers would show “interviews” with satisfied patrons explaining, “I thought I'd never pay $85 to see a movie, but CHiPs in 3D was really worth it."

If PT Barnum was right about the proliferation of suckers, this would further extract all available funds from their wallets and prepaid Visas,  thereby reducing the capital to reproduce.

What would happen if you were paid for the time you spent with your family, friends and coworkers based solely upon the quality of the experience? Would you be going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse or having the bum  $.65 to order off of the McDonald's value meal?

The truth is we are paid for the great times we have with family, memories are golden. We also pay when we introduce drama in disaster into other's lives. The emotionally toxic are forgotten in a life of exile in plain sight.

Fears to be forgotten, Ideas to be revisited

Old phobias and old ways die hard. This isn't an invitation for Bruce Willis to break out his walker and produce another episode of his signature movie series… It's just a statement.

In the 1970s when lead was first removed from gasoline. You had two pumps, leaded for cool muscle cars and the "new kind" for cars with catalytic converters, unleaded. The great fear was you would put leaded gas in the non-leaded car, thereby having to promise your firstborn male child to a mechanic in order to fix your vehicle.

People driving during this period of time became fixated on saying unleaded, when they had the attendant top off the car. This condition existed for three of the 36 years I've been driving. Yet today when I fill the car up, like a paranoid volcano, the “unleaded” issue still possesses and erupts from my mind.

In addition to my “unleaded” obsession, I also use the word album when describing a collection of recorded material. 33's became dinosaurs during Ronald Reagan's first term. Yet in the museum between my ears they still live. I was never scared of accidentally buying a 78, then bringing it home to find out that Mitch Miller had accidentally dosed himself with Quaaludes. Perhaps using Quaaludes as a reference is further evidence of being old. I must just like saying album, because I always have and it brings me comfort.

Last night it took us 45 minutes to travel 6 miles. Traffic moved like  a conjoined twin millipede plodding through molasses. This experience is not a component of the “quality of life” Oregon represents to the world. Instead it is an embarrassing bondage that City Hall uses to “push” people into mass transit. Along the roads we traveled were beautifully maintained and completely empty bike paths. The bike paths compressed the traffic flow making it look like a series of conjoined twin millipedes were attempting to  gang bang one another.

The ancient idea that cities need to give up cars and exist with all their transportation needs provided by mass transit is a holdover from "Planet Hippie".  The petuli oiled mythology promises electric cars that zip around without harming the environment. Their smaller size and weight will reduce the impact of collisions and the lack of emissions will allow us all to groove to the sounds of Canned Heat.

Electric cars run on electricity. Electricity in most of the nation is still produced by oil and coal fired plants. Oil and coal fired plants produce emissions. Hydroelectric kills fish. Putting nylon strips between the thighs of the obese to create and capture static electricity is considered insensitive to the food intake challenged.

Nuclear power would provide clean and abundant energy. However Silkwood/Three-mile Island/Chernobyl and a predisposition to hate General Electric prohibit this option from even being discussed.

Building roads and nuclear plants would provide solutions to the following problems:

Real unemployment of over 15%

Brownouts and future demand for power

Reducing the over $10 billion in revenue lost to traffic each year

The mutation and evolution of three eyed fish

Unleaded and 33's have left the building.  Nukes and roads should be dusted off, building freeways sure worked for Ike.  

Bureaucrats cannot use 40-year-old stereotypes and utopian fantasies to bind and torture people seeking self-directed transportation alternatives. (self-directed transportation alternatives is bureaucratese for  driving home by themselves without having to smell or bumping into others.) 

Last Night They Were Fighting Over The Remote, I Didn't Know If I Should Be Crying or Laughing

Faith is one of those wonderful things, that sadly doesn't come with an owners manual. Making it more complex is that one person's faith is not always the same as someone else's.

So when you're asked "how come when I pray every night and it doesn't get better, why God doesn't hear me." What makes this question all the more powerful is when you see tears welling in the perfect face of the concerned child.

The most complex aspect of prayer to accept, is that God does hear what you're saying. He hears your prayers, he feels the pain in your heart and he understands the frustration, confusion and overall anxiety associated with being human. This level of understanding is made easier when you're omnipresent. Being God, has its perks.

When you're so concerned and so focused in prayer, God's love is recognized by your soul. Working through faith your heart and mind are galvanized to make sure that you have the power to change and improve the offending conditions.

Each of us at times are called to help end  hunger, injustice, pain and sorrow. Some of us are so gifted in our faith that working to permanently eliminate shortcomings in the human condition becomes our life's work. The Shriners hospital, Mother Teresa and Rev. King's crusade for civil rights are the result of answering a call to service.

In a smaller way, each of us has the ability to smile, share and help each other. Saying please, thank you and you're welcome cost nothing but have lasting and permanent effect on the way you live your life.

Wanting to your parents to love each other, to see each other in the way you see them, is so natural and so beautiful; it is the essence and divine innocence of childhood. There is no room in any family for behavior which compromises or erodes the perfect understanding that, “Mommy and daddy love each other and are the most powerful people in the world”.

The reality is not a tragedy.  Parents to different degrees fail to live up to the standard of perfection. This is a byproduct of being human. Being human is not an excuse, being human is an exercise in trying to achieve perfection. Trying to achieve perfection is a more polite way of saying, “Fail”.

Every prayer is answered when your heart is touched and you feel the power to reflect God's love. The things that affect you the most, the things you are denied or never found; are the things you are most likely to bring to others.  In doing this... you answer other people's prayers, sometimes before that are even offered.

Remembering A Perfect Role Model

The most brilliant media analysts in the world stated,  “Everything I learned, I learned from wrestling”. Professional wrestling mixes athleticism with opera and melds them into the ultimate entertainment vehicle. Before Vince McMahon perfected the that WWE format, there was Monday Night Football.

Producer Roone Arledge immediately saw possibilities for the new show. Setting out to create an entertainment "spectacle" as much as a simple sports broadcast, Arledge hired Chet Forte, who would serve as director of the program for over 22 years. Arledge also ordered twice the usual number of cameras to cover the game, expanded the regular two-man broadcasting booth to three and used extensive graphic design within the show as well as "instant replay."

The show came together when Don Meredith entered the booth. He was the good guy, the wildcard, the free radical, the guy that wasn’t Cosell and  Dandy Don made the game better than it was.

The natural interchange between the intellectual and the street-smart savvy produced an entertainment product unrivaled in its era. Cosell would pontificate, Meredith would ask “Howard, where you get those words, what are you trying to say.” Much of John Madden’s success is based upon Mr. Meredith’s ability to see something common and related to the game. 

More importantly Meredith provided a roll model for dealing with the pompous and self-important. Humor is the ultimate power. Following the footsteps of Mark Twain and Will Rogers number 17  infused the essence of comedy into the world of sports.

Don Meredith passed yesterday, his work and his genius is carried on today. Fox’s  NFL pregame show is nothing more than the best elements of Meredith’s mind  in stream of consciousness style.

A lesser-known, but equally significant impact Mr. Meredith had on television, was experienced by only a few, but never forgotten. In the early days of satellite television, we are talking 12 to 15 foot dishes in the backyard, the local stations would supply commercials. The network feed continued as an open channel.  Not so any more.

Watching Monday Night Football with the open feed was classic. The  cameramen, director and guys in the truck would provide borderline pornographic images of every attractive woman in the stadium. Listening to Dandy Don tell Howard that he couldn’t handle that woman if she was chained to a bed, was perfect. Cosell would try to explain that he was a man’s man. Meredith would enlist Frank Gifford to explain football heroes got more tail than short attorneys. It was rude, it was crude and it was very real.

In the passing of people  who have touched our lives, we have a special obligation to carry forward the best elements of their personality.  In addition to singing “turn out the lights, the party’s over”, remember how  Don Meredith made insufferable bores into comedic foils with a grace and ease never seen before. 

Rest In Peace Brother Don.  You did good work!

All The Best Jokes...

It's hard to know when a new era is ushered in. In retrospect, it's obvious, but that exact second when the old way dies and the new way is born… It is not always that clear.

Reality television has given the world permission to act like 12-year-olds. Throw fits, use adult sounding words and act as if there are no consequences for any action you undertake. People that clearly can't sing, show up for American Idol. On a show based on populism, the figurehead for movement's daughter outlasts professional dancers. Dysfunctional cliques in the land of Tony Soprano become superstars and launch careers based on ignorance.  Wikileaks proves the market is ready for new show called Who Wants to be a Diplomatic Saboteur?

If this is your baseline, then it's very easy to understand why and how someone would steal documents.  40 years ago this story would've been property of the New York Times or Washington Post. Today it is all about going to the  net.

Reactions of shock and amazement from insiders is washed away by an incredible yawn.  Here's the dirty little secret, everybody knew everything that was leaked. It is only embarrassing to the the reporters and journalists assigned to covering the UN, Iraq, Guantánamo Bay, climate change “science” and other Wiki-targets.  How could all this information go unreported for so long.

Within elite circles, it is outrageous that the UN is used to spy. Who didn't know this, clearly the UN is not about peace, human rights or feeding people.

There are 50 key installations and businesses, if attacked would cripple the United States of America. I'm surprised that number is so big.

The French think Pres. Obama is a lightweight. The French think everyone is a lightweight. It would have been worse if they thought he was a Belgian lightweight.

There was political pressure to get vice president Al Gore his Nobel Peace Prize. Who saw that one coming? Hardly a scientist, hardly a vice president just the son of a guy that voted against civil rights legislation.

Guantánamo Bay was used to conduct “enhanced interrogation” methods. Is this news?

Hillary Clinton wanted leverage over international figures and leaders.

Everyone who holds a life dear is freaked out about Iran going nuclear.

Saudi Arabia is funding terrorists.

The oil-producing nations don't give a rip about the Palestinians.

What's missing are the 9/11 was an inside job or coordinated with Israel cables.

There also does not appear to be any communiqués about President Bush's lies regarding weapons of mass destruction.

Inside the Beltway aficionados may have known this, but heaven forbid the information find it's way into the hands of a swing voter in Ohio. In a perfect Don Quixote moment, the mirror of truth is held to the secrets left unreported. In a digital age, information acts as water, finding its own level. Secrets behave as gas, expanding to consume all available webpages.

Dr. Laura, everyone hates me... I just don't know why...

Scientists and OSHA officials have come up with wonderful charts that explain the toxicity of a number of chemicals. If you're interested, here is the link.

http://www.chemdaq.com/gases.html

The tool that they use his parts per million, or PPM. Reading through the published accounts of their work, they have identified the exact point where too much, is just too much.

Assume PPM was applied to other aspects of our lives. 1,000,000 minutes is about 700 days, roughly 2 years. Applying this standard for noxious materials to destructive human behaviors, provides insight to the quality of lives and relationships.

Whining and complaining matches up with carbon dioxide. It is something we do, we're not proud of it, but it happens. High concentrations of carbon dioxide can lead to can affect respiratory function and cause excitation followed by depression of the central nervous system and concentrations, greater than 10% result in difficulty breathing, impaired hearing, nausea, vomiting, a strangling sensation, sweating, stupor within several minutes and loss of consciousness.  5,000 parts per million is the health standard.  Converting parts per million to minutes, this behavior begins to destroy a relationship, after about 3 1/2 days of exposure every two years.

Smug and arrogant behavior is on par with carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide binds the hemoglobing of the blood, resulting in flu like symptoms, including headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, lethargy and a feeling of weakness. Higher concentrations result in neurological signs include confusion, disorientation, visual disturbance, syncope and seizures and death. Smug and arrogant behavior makes people want to punch you in the throat. So both are bad. OSHA believes 50 ppm is the standard at which things get ugly. That means over a two-year period you could exhibit this behavior for less than an hour and not be toxic to anyone in your life.

Disrespect, failing to listen and generally acting in an unloving way, also known as, being a man… Is on par with formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is an irritant to the eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory system, and it is also a sensitizer causing an allergic response. In addition to being featured as a lyric in a Ramone's song, formaldehyde gets ugly at 2 ppm. That means more than 1 min. a year of this behavior creates a lethal condition.

Look at the people in your life, the relationships and more importantly the number of relationships that you don't of have. There is a good chance you have exceeded the deadly level of antisocial behavior.

Chemicals can kill, but they kill because that's what they do. Chemicals have no free will.

Behavior is a direct component of free will. The way you behave is a direct result of who you are and how you feel. Being toxic is a choice. In the words of the Knight in the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “choose wisely".

Expanding With No End In Sight, Yet Some Think... All This Freedom Needs To Stop

In the wake of the Wikileak document dump the FTC has decided that it is time to take away the internet punch bowl.  The agency's chairman, Julius Genachowski, announced Wednesday that he circulated draft rules he says will "preserve the freedom and openness of the internet." No statement could better reflect the gulf between the rhetoric and the reality of Obama administration policies.

The last time anyone checked the net was pretty free and pretty open. It’s almost as if this move to  preserve freedom and openness is in reality an attempt to control. The statement is made in part from a conditional response embedded in my personality and reinforced by Ronald Reagan’s quote the nine scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Help usually means regulations, when the government gets to bat last.

Think about the internet.  The AP style book recommends capitalizing the first letter in the word. Following this lead, other media types to regurgitate the spelling and it has crept into word processing programs and Webster’s big book.  Word processing programs also use capitalized first letters in the phrase world wide web.  So obviously the techno-savvy treat HTTP-isms with respect and the position of high status.

The internet  accounts for over $300 billion dollars of the US economy. Companies like Cisco, Google, Microsoft and eBay have created products and services previously unknown by anyone on planet Earth. The Internet has allowed companies like Apple, Hewlett-Packard and AT&T to redefine their business models.

Individual investors have grown wealthy through owning stock and mutual funds that have invested in the creation and buildout of the internet. Individuals using the internet have created fortunes buying and selling everyday products that they created, inherited or acquired through criminal activity.

Stop me if you heard this before, but the internet has changed everything. So the last 15 years, since Microsoft introduced Windows 95 to the Rolling Stones singing Start Me Up, why would anyone think the government needs to preserve freedom and openness?

Attempts to control and limit the internet are easily dismissed as commercially unviable. Look at AOL, that is if you can find it. When Time Warner merged with the online business, they took the name AOL/Time Warner and the ticker symbol AOL. Analysts felt the movie “You’ve Got Mail”  was the ultimate game changer for the web. (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were not communicating via e-mail, they were communicating  via instant messaging). AOL is the technology equivalent of the Studebaker or Chevrolet Volt, silly unwanted and unused.

The American people need to  invoke the spirit of radical post-60s militant feminism. The type of extreme behavior that women displayed when men tried to open doors for them. There was an angry scowl followed by “I’m not helpless, I can do it myself”. This mentality needs to be applied to internet usage. We don’t need help, we need common sense and choices.

Or Course, The Other Answer Is "Go Ask Your Mother"

Christmas and the passage of time always results in addressing “The Santa Claus Question”. In the best traditions of the internet I must now warn people CAUTION SPOILER ALERT!!!!! The following post contains essential elements that will unravel or expose crucial plot elements.

When presented with a question, you can answer it flippantly, sincerely, with a British accent or any combination thereof. When a child asks you something, there is always the temptation to tell them not to bother you when you're drinking. But say you don't drink, then you're forced to address life in its sober reality.

So out of the chilly pre-winter air comes the "is Santa Claus real?" conversation. Keep in mind this comes on the heels of the “nine-year-olds don't need a cell phone” discussion... So at least I was ready dealing with high-level conspiracies. (High-level conspiracies are what keeps technology out of the hands of pre-teenagers)

Mercifully the question was presented using the Jeopardy standard versus Family Feud form. So here's the answer, file it away and feel free to invoke or edit as needed.

Santa Claus is real, the idea is in our hearts and our minds. Santa Claus is something more felt than known. The original Santa Claus was from Europe. It was a guy named Chris Kringle who put treats and toys in poor children's stockings; so they would have something on Christmas. His good work was so admired, and so well respected that the tradition is carried on to this very day.

When you reach the age that you question if Santa Claus is a real person, it means you are ready to stop believing in him and start being him. It is one of the great joys of the holiday season to recognize that you have the power to bring Christmas miracles to the people in your life and total strangers. When you become Santa Claus you carry the spirit of giving and the promise of miracles in your smile, good cheer and spirit.

The special obligation that you have when you become one of the millions of Santa Clauses on our planet, is to make sure that you give to the people that believe and allow them to to feel the magic of the season. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. God came onto the earth in human form as a poor man. Showing that there is no shame in having nothing. God proved that the nature of humanity is to give. The star of Bethlehem brought the three wise men and their posse to the manger. There was no formal tradition of giving, only the expression of God's love. This time of year, each of us should focus on reflecting that special love to the people that need it most.

So let me ask you, is it better to wait for Santa Claus or to believe in the idea of Santa Claus so much that you can be him?

The good news is the message was well-received. There is no wailing, moaning, or mashing of teeth. Only time will tell if inordinate psychological damage was inflicted on the poor kid. Taking on the responsibility for bringing peace on earth and good will towards man is not easy, and maybe she'll only be able to bring joy to one or two people… Could there be any better way to celebrate?

Don't "Phillips" Your Employees

The Nazis used concentration camp labor to assemble airplanes. They encountered a problem, people on low-calorie diets could not manage the complicated electronic assembly. The German people being pragmatic, gave them more food so they could do the job. 

Many of the detainees doing the labor were also German, they were pragmatic too.  They recognized in building fighters they were helping their captors, so after being at the job  for about  three months they begin to sabotage their work.  The Nazis, being suspicious and contemptuous of the people they had  enslaved for the purposes of extermination, assumed sabotage was inevitable. Being  zealots they had a plan to deal with  the insurrection. After 6 months on the line, a new group of concentration camp workers were brought into a training program, given higher calorie meals and put to work making airplanes.

The fat, dumb and happy folks who are sabotaging the Luftwaffe were sent back to the camp and had to live on campus food. Six months after returning to the camp, they were recalled to the factory, given better rations and allowed to resume their jobs because the replacement workers were being naughty and sabotaging ME 109s.

When the original workers started to sabotage again, they were returned to the camps. This time they were put on reduced rations, even by camp standards,  and worked to their death.

The problem with working for narcissists is doing both your job and paying unending respect to “The Chosen One”. Insecure egocentric “leaders” measure both production and devotion, calling devotion “loyalty”. The problem is when insecurity  lays siege to the ego, ego acts out in unpredictable and exploitive ways. Loyalists are sacrificed. Fear and terror to come the ham and eggs of an infinite breakfast buffet.

A career should offer challenges and rewards. A career should offer a chance to use your skills, gifts and talents as a way to express yourself as a professional and human. Businesses failing to meet this standard are doomed to a spiral of reduced sales and loss of key personal.

The tragic part is many of the workers trapped in this form of dysfunction are seduced by the “loyalty” of The Dear Leader. They work harder, on increasingly reduced rations until the day it comes to a screeching halt.

 The good news is in every massacre there are survivors.  People who escape manipulation and are freed to work for themselves are among the most productive, grateful and successful people in the world.