“Take me to your leader!”

 
Strong, visionary, decisive leadership has been missing for so long in America, we don't even know what it looks like anymore.

Arrogance and charisma are not the same as leadership. George W. Bush was as arrogant as they come and Barack Obama is as charismatic as it gets. But both represent terrible ideas, a disdain for democracy, and a complete disregard for the will of the American people.

Here's what I think.

A strong leader doesn't lie to his supporters out of convenience or for his own political gain, or make mincemeat out of the facts because he thinks he personally knows whats best for the country. He respects us and is truthful, even when the truth is worrisome or painful.

A strong leader takes sometimes controversial stands on difficult issues out of conviction, not out of convenience. He looks for direction in a set of principles __ those spelled out with clarity and candor when he ran for office __ not poll numbers and focus groups.

A strong leader is not afraid of tarnishing his own image because his ideas or policies might be unpopular. His concern is the greater good of America and the welfare of the American citizenry, not his place in history.

A strong leader defends and supports those in our society who are the weakest and most need of help __ because a free society and true democracy is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable, not how it venerates and toadies up to its privileged and powerful.

A strong leader is not impressed by money and power, only that which fulfills the basic tenets of the constitution, the intentions of the nation's founding fathers, and what fosters the greater good for the majority of citizens.

A strong leader recognizes everyone is equal before the law and makes tough choices in enforcing it.

A strong leader cannot be bought or influenced by the rich and powerful and remains loyal to the majority of Americans who entrust him with the responsibilities of his powerful position.

A strong, visionary, decisive leader offers big solutions to big problems. If the car is broke, he fixes it or replaces it. He doesn't just shine the hubcaps and claim he's doing all he can, or worse, claim that shiny hubcaps will get the car running again in top form.

There are more but what I've outlined constitute a good start in defining leadership.

I personally believe Mr. Obama, and the House and Senate leadership, both Democrat and Republican, fail on all counts. I don't know what other conclusion you could draw after watching the fiascos and tragic blunders of the past twenty years.

We have BIG problems in America. They are almost incomprehensibly big. Sometimes they are within the framework of legislative and executive policy formulation. But we also must acknowledge that sometimes they are systemic problems, requiring thorough and fundamental revisions of the way we go about doing things __ BIG solutions.

All the hand-wringing that goes on in the name of shaping public policy, basically a soap opera to keep the masses distracted and uninformed, is cowardly and insulting. This fiscal cliff is a joke. The debate over taxing the rich is simple-minded and tunnel-visioned.

Which points up another example of total lack of leadership. A leader does not let others set the rules of debate, or frame the argument. A true leader brings a fresh point of view, one that is rife with possibilities and potential for positive change. A true leader doesn't let his opponents decide what and how much will be discussed.

If Obama were serious __ and I'm convinced he's not __ about actually addressing the enormous challenges facing this country, he wouldn't be letting a cry-baby like Boehner and a turkey-neck like McConnell push him around. Before those two bozos ever got a foothold, Obama could have cut the legs out from under them by going to the America people, given us some straight talk, and with our support gotten some things done.

Why didn't he? Why hasn't he?

Because Obama is not a leader. He's a follower. To make it even more horrifying, he's a follower of a nefarious and suicidal neo-conservative world view. Obama is a militant imperialist, a dyed-in-the-wool corporatist, a wannabe elitist, an anti-democratic authoritarian, and a self-aggrandizing narcissist.

Hardly the makings of a strong, independent, creative leader.

With the onset of the New Year, spirits will be high and optimism in good supply.

Let's hope that these men and women who think of themselves as spokespersons for the American people, who as a result of being elected to the highest political offices in the land probably think of themselves as being among America's best equipped to steer the country on a constructive course, will finally live up to the high opinions they have of themselves.

Let's hope we see some real leadership.

It's been way too long.




[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

If Jesus Had Been Packing

 

If Jesus had had a gun, they never would have been able to nail Him to the cross.

Then again . . . would He have refused to use it to defend Himself?

This is a gray area and things get a little confusing. Let's face it, He became a real rock star as a result of the "turn the other cheek" sound bite. On the other hand, Jesus threw quite a temper tantrum and tossed the moneylenders out of the Temple __ physically tossed them out, from what I gather. It was His Steven Seagal moment.

Certainly we can conclude from this, the Guy was no wuss. At the same time, we have no record of Him punching anyone in the face or dropping kicking anyone's family jewels, much less offing them by whatever instruments of slaughter were available at the time.

Yet seeing some big hairy brutes coming at you with massive hammers and nails the size  of a jack handle is definitely going to push some buttons. If He had anything resembling a fight-or-flight reflex, it's not unreasonable to assume that had a handgun been available, He would have emptied a few rounds into his beefy assailants and made for the hills.

What kind of weapons would Our Savior have been packing, assuming all options were    on the table? Hard to say with any certainty. But He wasn't much for mincing words. So it seems reasonable to assume He would not have made some lame choice when it came to arming Himself. I'm no expert so I'm just guessing here. But I surmise He would have had the nice and punchy Sig Sauer P228 within easy reach __ strapped to His thigh under His robes __ and had a kick-ass semi-automatic assault weapon slung over His shoulder. This would've given Him both the solace of being able to mount a quick response and the necessary firepower in case He needed to spray some serious lead around.

What kind of assault weapon would have been the Savior of Mankind's first choice. The popularity of the Bushmaster AR-15 certainly makes it the obvious frontrunner. But I personally think he would have gone with the Israeli IMI Tavor TAR-21. After all, Jesus was a Jew and there's got to be some basic loyalty at work. But practically speaking, the IMI Tavor TAR-21 is one sweet killing machine. It's compact, relatively light and great at close and medium range. Those Romans getting ready to nail the Big Guy to the cross wouldn't have stood a chance. Blam! Blam! Blam! Bye-bye, motherfuckers!

How about munitions?

Being generally disposed in His preaching to encourage His devoted flock to always show compassion, I think He would have chosen standard issue bullets and only considered using hollow-points as a last resort.

The most important thing to appreciate when thinking about Jesus Christ packing any kind of weaponry is the powerful message it sends. After all, who could possibly take seriously the word of a man who isn't willing to stand up for what he believes in? Who won't stand strong in the face of opposition. Who lets himself be bullied and threatened. Who isn't man enough to look some smart aleck punk Roman soldier in the eye and say, "Make my day!"

I'm certainly not saying Jesus would have gone around and indiscriminately brandished His weapons of choice every time He got in a fix. Being the Prince of Peace, He would have been the last to lock and load. But that's the beauty of guns. You don't have to use them to make your point or at least to let others know you're not going down without a fight.

All I'm saying is that if Jesus had been packing that day they crucified Him, those Roman thugs would have had second thoughts about nailing Him up like a raggedy ann door prize at the county fair. He wouldn't have died for our sins and . . .

Uh-oh.

We'd all go to Hell.

Hmm . . .

That would be bad.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Spreading The Love

                "I'm America's CEO."

In the post-election euphoria, we've been led to believe that President Obama's trip to Asia is about spreading goodwill, creating new friendships, renewing old alliances, and making the world safe for democracy.
It's a charm offensive that's much longer on "offensive" than "charm".

What this trip is actually about is selling TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership" __ "selling" here being the equivalent of jamming a building the size of the New York Federal Reserve between the spread cheeks of the leaders of the countries in this part of the world.

TPP is not exactly popular even in the U.S. In fact, the more people learn about it, the more they realize that it's a Trojan Horse, another so-called trade agreement, which in point of fact mitigates the effectiveness of many environmental and worker-protection laws, compromises the sovereignty of nations, and puts in place yet another powerful mechanism for the already bloated and rich transnational corporations to amass more socially unproductive profits. Encouragingly, more and more people are outraged and speaking out against it. This is predictably being countered by a public relations campaign using our public officials as spokespersons for the transnational corporate elite who are promoting this onerous, ill-conceived weapon of economic destruction.

Don't be fooled by this self-serving and bogus propaganda.

Yesterday, for example, I read an article called Canada Sued under NAFTA for Banning Fracking which tells about an American corporation initiating a lawsuit for damages of $250,000,000. You see, if a business entity feels that the laws of a participating country interfere with their now inalienable rights to exploit that country, NAFTA sanctions "investor-to-state" litigation. In this case, Lone Pine Resources Inc. spent large sums of money securing mining permits, but Quebec Province, where the mining was to take place, later determined that exercising those rights would cause grave environmental damage. NAFTA allows U.S. and Mexican companies to sue the Canadian government if they feel they have been wronged by a government policy or action. This is saying that Lone Pine Resources had no responsibility in determining in advance the environmental impacts of its plans. It can throw money down, then if local authorities discover that their proposed mining will pollute the water, dump toxins in the soil, subject people to carcinogens and other life-threatening chemicals, Lone Pine Resources has to be compensated for their own shortsightedness and stupidity.

As the article goes on to say: "Amazingly, instead of looking for ways to scale back and eliminate the rules in our trade agreements that threaten public interest policies in favor of corporate profits, eleven countries, including the United States and Canada, are currently in the middle of negotiations to expand the NAFTA investment rules in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact."

This is madness!!

TPP is NAFTA on steroids. Yes. Anyone who has looked at this "trade agreement", as its being misrepresented, can see it's nothing but another monstrous assault weapon being handed to transnational corporations to bulk up their bottom line at the expense of just about everything having to do with quality of life __ safety, human rights, worker rights, sustainability, environmental protection. Please! Just read this and this and this, then do your own research. This is not a shades of gray issue. It's black and white, folks.

Let me give a brief example from my own experience.

Japan Post is the postal service here. It is truly amazing in every respect. It's essentially a privatized, public service institution that with scrupulous government oversight, conjoins several organizations to provide a variety of services. At Japan Post, not only can you mail letters, cards, and packages locally and internationally, but you can pay your bills with a fully-functioning cash transfer system, do banking with an ATM machine, secure an entire range of insurance (home, life, auto, accident), purchase gifts, make travel plans and purchase tickets. When I look at the shell of an institution the U.S. Postal Service has become under the relentless assault of private corporations there, it's no contest. It's like comparing a scrub game of neighborhood football to the Superbowl.

The Japanese are furious about TPP. Under TPP, corporations in the U.S. through legal challenges would tear Japan Post apart. They'd claim the panoply of services and the incredibly competent and efficient delivery of those services are "unfair competition".

It's competition alright. It actually works! It provides useful services making the lives of Japanese citizens better and more hassle-free.

This is just one small example. I'm not going to do all of the work for you. Just extrapolate from this, read the recommended articles and imagine what will happen if these countries are "persuaded" __ read that as "coerced" or "bullied" __ into this agreement. America's military and economic power often makes such negotiations a sham. America is good at making less powerful nations an offer they can't refuse.

For those of you who might not have heard, America is a very unpopular country in most of the world. Despite the whitewashed image which is promoted by corporate media in the U.S., anti-Americanism is exponentially on the rise. I have experienced this first hand.

People defensively suggest that I don't love my country. This is both silly and ignorant.

I've always loved and always will love what America represents. I love the energy, the optimism, the whole idea of government of the people, by the people, for the people.

But TPP is not America. Corporation X and Corporation Y just because their registered in Delaware isn't America. The tiny powerful coterie of wealthy elite investors and Wall Street bankers who are turning our government into a puppet show isn't America.

You and I are America __ the people referred to in "of the people, by the people, for the people." We are America.

And no proud, sane, decent American would get behind TPP and the expanding corporate juggernaut that's being done in the name of proud, sane, decent Americans. Proud, sane, decent Americans believe in opportunity, justice, fairness, the "general welfare". Proud, sane, decent Americans truly love their country, and would never put corporate profits ahead of how America is supposed to serve its citizens. Proud, sane, decent Americans don't compromise the integrity of communities and schools to improve the bottom line. Proud, sane, decent Americans understand the hope America represents to the world. Proud, sane, decent American respect human rights and human life.

No, I don't hate America. But a lot of people in the world do. And if TPP and similar such agreements are put in place, the worst is yet to come.

We won't have time to spread the love.

We'll be too busy defending ourselves from all the hate.



[ This originated at the author's personal web page . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

The Day That Changed The World

When I was a music producer and audio engineer in Los Angeles, I worked at a small studio in North Hollywood. The owner was an interesting man, into UFOs and other oddities. And he had a great sense of humor.

Those were the days when the walls of a studio were lined with racks of audio processing devices __ reverbs, delays, compressors, flangers, EQs __ and the inside of the control room looked like the Starship Enterprise.

One of our modules, however, was very unique. It consisted of a single multi-space panel, maybe 11" wide and 4" high. In the center of the gray panel was a single huge knob. Below it read one word . . . Quality. As a joke, when we were in the final stages of completing the mix of a song, one of us would go over to that knob and say, 'I think we need to up the quality here just a bit.' Then we'd make a big show of adding some "quality".

Of course, it was just a big laugh. There was nothing attached to the knob. Behind the panel was empty space. But our clients joined in the fun and got a kick out it.

That knob makes me think of this election.

Sure, we'll go in and pull our levers, push a button, hit enter on a computer-based voting machine, or in the really archaic voting districts, punch holes in a card.

Make no mistake about it. There's nothing attached to the lever. There's nothing behind the panel. 

We'll all join in the fun and get a big kick out of it, eh?

But nothing will change.

The wars will go on. The plundering of our national wealth will continue. The waste of our valuable talents and energies through unemployment and underemployment will march forward. Social Security and Medicare will be chipped away until sometime in the future they are hollowed out and meaningless. The rich will get richer and most of us will be grateful for the few scraps we get.

The media is full of dramatic proclamations and everyone is talking about what a historic election this will be, how we are at a fundamental crossroad.

But given the choice __ or more accurately the lack of it __ represented by the two major parties, beholden as they both are to the tiny few who own them and command the real reins of power in our sham democracy, there's nothing profound or historic about this coming election day. It will not be a day that changes anything!

It could be. It could be a day that changed the world. But this would have nothing to do with our voting for a Democrat or Republican.


The day that changes the world will be . . .

• The day we by the millions pull our money out of the big banks and put them in small community banks or credit unions, where the people who own the facility and work there live down the street, know your name, and care about you and the quality of life in your area of the town or city you live in.

• The day we cut up our credit cards and start living on cash __ which might be the day we tell the banks to go screw themselves because if nobody made their credit card payments, there is nothing the banks could do about it.
  

• The day we stop buying any products that are made in sweatshops or under any unsavory conditions for less than a fair wage __ which is also the day we commit ourselves to careful buying, putting quality above quantity in what we purchase.
  

• The day we stop shopping from multinational corporations and at major corporate outlets, who treat their workers poorly, who have no loyalty to America or to its people, who don't "pay back" __ that is, who don't pay a fair and reasonable portion of their earnings back into our communities, our country.

• The day we stop eating and giving our children food that poisons and fattens all of us, refusing to buy the unwholesome and unhealthy garbage being offered by big food conglomerates and fast food chains __ which is the day we start buying our food from local producers and stepping back into the kitchen and learning again how to cook. 

• The day __ April 15th seems like an obvious choice __ when en masse, instead of filing tax returns, we send a letter which in a nutshell says, "I am no longer paying taxes to fund wars I oppose, and for constructing unnecessary military bases across the planet which are only creating animosity and hatred of my country; I refuse to underwrite the intrusive spying on me and my neighbors by countless national security agencies, and no longer will function as an ATM machine for the fraudulent War on Terror."

• The day we turn off our televisions and say, "Enough of this garbage, I no longer am a dumping ground for this kind of insulting, mind-numbing crap."

• The day we go out and meet our neighbors, find out who they are, what they're interested in, maybe even suggest doing some things together, like cleaning up the neighborhood or helping that family down the street that's struggling.

• The day we go to our local schools, meet the teachers and administrators, talk to the board of education about what really can be done to improve how and what our children are learning, maybe volunteering to tutor or coach or just organize some interesting activities where the whole community participates.
  

• The day we just stop. Stop buying unnecessary junk, stop wasting precious time, stop living as we're told to live, valuing what we are told to value. Just stop and look around. Look at what's really important. Look at our kids, our loved ones, our friends, our parents, our neighbors. Stop and spend time with them. Look and see how much we have within easy reach that is so special, so beautiful, so amazing __ all the things we don't have to go to the mall to buy. Things that don't require a credit card and won't need replacing during the next round of frenetic holiday shopping.

That will be the day that changed the world.

You can't turn up the quality of life by turning a knob.

You can't change the country by voting in a rigged election.

You can't make a difference by choosing where there is no choice.

But the good news is . . .

YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!


[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]


 

Aw shucks, Jethro . . . it’s just a damn gun!

 

As you know, I live in Japan. Here's something to think about.

INTENTIONAL HOMICIDES LAST YEAR:

USA . . . 12,996

Japan . . . 506

Gun ownership is strictly regulated in here.

It takes several years even to obtain a hunting license. Meeting someone with any type of gun, even a hunting rifle, is an extreme rarity in Japan.

Do you think the statistics are just a coincidence?


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Maybe the Islamic protesters have a legitimate complaint.

Military bases the U.S. currently has in the Middle East

Military bases the Middle Eastern countries have in the U.S.

[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

This is what our brave soldiers are dying for in Afghanistan . . .

 

When remembering and honoring our brave men and women in uniform who have given their lives and continue to die in Afghanistan __ American and coalition deaths now exceed 3000 __ it is important to know what they are dying for.

For a full-size, more legible map, please click here.

Do you think the corporations who will be extracting the precious minerals, coal, gas and oil, and banks like JP Morgan Chase who are underwriting this monumental plundering, will share with the families of the deceased the gargantuan profits they will be making?   Or give assistance to the tens of thousands maimed in the war or suffering PTSD?

I doubt it.

They won't even send flowers.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

“Free as a butterfly in a hurricane.”

Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
The wretched refuse of your teaming shore
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me
I say lift thy skirts, lo! come to my door
I embrace thou even as a common whore
'Tis the illusion of freedom you implore?
Here you have it, you shall seek no more

President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act on December 31, 2011.

Happy New Year!

[ The title of this blog is a quote from my recent novel 12-12-12. Visit http://jdrachel.com/12-12-12 ]

The Right To Bear Nuclear Arms

My lovely Japanese wife frequently asks me about gun ownership in America. In Japan, it's difficult, if not impossible, to buy a gun. So when there are incidents of gun violence in America __ and there have been many recently __ she understandably questions the prudence of having so many guns around.

I explain that written in the U.S. Constitution __ specifically the Second Amendment __ is a clause which protects the right of U.S. citizens to possess and use all sorts of guns for a variety of commonly accepted purposes, hunting and self-defense chief among them.

She has several times asked me, "Is it really that easy to buy a gun there?"

I came across this article:  "Amazon ships assault rifle instead of television".

Apparently it's not only easy, it's actually difficult to not buy a gun. This guy just wanted a nicer screen to watch TV and movies and ended up with a full-blown assault weapon.

I got to thinking about the whole thing and came to a surprising conclusion. The rationale for having so many weapons at our itchy fingertips springs from the powerhouse argument contained in this pithy gem of philosophical analysis . . .

Guns don't kill people. People kill people!

Since this is irrefutable logic, I began to wonder why it has been applied so narrowly. The truth is, guns are just one form of lethal entertainment. Thanks to the amazing advances in science and technology, there is a cornucopia of devices which fit the legal definition of "arms" as referred to in our Constitution. It seems to me, the legal framework and the rationale would apply equally to nuclear weapons.

Now, narrow interpreters of the Bill of Rights might say:  "There's nothing in there about the right to bear nuclear arms."

I say:  "So what? There's nothing in there excluding them!"
Conservatives argue that government should be about increasing the options of its citizenry, or at least staying out of the way so that all of the options are on the table. Normally, I'm not one to agree with people on the right end of the political spectrum. Grudgingly I admit the wisdom of their arguments here is just too overwhelming.

So let's go for it! After all . . .

Hand grenades don't kill people. People kill people!

Stinger missiles don't kill people.  People kill people!

Cluster bombs don't kill people. People kill people!

Predator drones don't kill people. People kill people!

Nerve gas doesn't kill people. People kill people!

Nuclear weapons don't kill people. People kill people!

Just think about how much fun we can have if we're not restricted to only using sawed-off shotguns and assault weapons! It'll be awesome! And finally, hunters will regain the upper hand from those pesky critters out there who have been outwitting them and managed to keep from being slaughtered into extinction. We'll show 'em who's boss around here!

Understandably there have to be a few controls in place. You can't just have anybody and everybody driving around with WMDs in the trunk of their SUV or family station wagon. But with some reasonable waiting period and background check, I don't see why this couldn't work. Permits could be issued as they now are with handguns . . .

The bearer of this permit, offering appropriate corroborative identification, is entitled to possess and use within applicable limits and restrictions, explosive nuclear devices up to 50 kiloton explosive equivalency, as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It's time to claim our rights under the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution and realize the profound wisdom of the founding fathers.

It's time that we be able to put in that munitions cache which has become the hallmark of a safe and happy American home, all of weaponry available today, including nuclear bombs.

It's time to assert our constitutionally protected right!

The right to bear nuclear arms.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]


 

100 People

 

In Japan there is a beautiful story which is taught in schools to elementary students called "100 People". Here is a link to the version posted online (you have to scroll  down to see it in English).

This is the gist of it (I am quoting) . . .

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.
There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth
and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1!) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

So, American reader, picture yourself living in this village with 99 other people.

You'd have a computer, be able to read, have plenty of food to eat, live in a nice house. How about those others? Look at them. Half of them skin and bones from starving. Most of them darkies or Asians. 4 out of 5 living in hovels, shanties, lean-to structures made out of corrugated metal or cardboard. That would suck. Talk about messing with the property value of your splendid home.

If you found yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to stand in a line with nine others, odds would have it one of them would be a homosexual. Hey! Maybe it's you and you didn't know.

If you are a heterosexual male, things look good. There are a few extra women around. Unfortunately, if you wrote them a love letter, most of them couldn't read it.

Are you the one lucky enough to have a college degree? No. Then it's probably your American neighbor living next door in that tacky McMansion with all of the electrified barb wire on top of the high stone walls. Wonder if they need to borrow your computer.


It wouldn't be very crowded in that Presbyterian church you go to. A third of you would either be on the altar or in the choir. There would be a mixture of languages being spoken, but mostly English and various European tongues.

When you left church, above the filth and human excrement you'd probably smell a lot of incense. Those Buddhists and Hindus really love their incense.

Wait! What's with that guy laying in the middle of the road? Is he the town drunk? It looks like he's barely breathing. And what about that woman squatting over by the tree? There's water on the ground in front of her. Is that a kid about to squirt out from between her legs?


Anyway, you get the picture.


What makes this story amazing is the perspective it offers to us in the West, particularly those of us who live in "Christian" America. It is convenient to think that everybody is the same, that everyone looks pretty much the way we do, thinks the way we do, lives the way we do, worships the same way we do.

I've been traveling for over six years. 21 countries on three continents. Not to sound racist or glib, but from what I've been seeing, most people in the world don't have our "round" eyes. Most do not have our fair skin. Most don't accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior or believe He was the Son of God.

Do we have a right to condemn these folks?

For example, you fundamentalist Christian blowhards and you homophobes. Do you really want to exterminate all of the gay people in the world? Doing the math, you're looking at killing about 770,000,000 people. It seems like your trigger finger would get tired after the first 100,000,000 or so.

Doing more math, are you Christian evangelists and missionary types serious about imposing your religion on almost 5 billion people who seem pretty darn determined to worship whoever they now worship, who just happens to not be God or Jesus? You might want to think twice. You're vastly outnumbered. You don't want to piss off that many people, no matter how strongly you believe yours is the only way to go.

The story line for "100 People" continues and again I am quoting.

The following points are also something else to ponder:
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...
you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness
of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ...
you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back,
a roof overhead and a place to sleep ...
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet,
and spare change in a dish someplace ...
you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married ...
you are very rare.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

What's the lesson here?

The obvious one is how privileged we "westerners" and particularly we Americans are. That I am writing this and you are reading this on a computer, using basic instructional tools and intellectual skills which we take for granted, alone puts us in a very small elite class. That we have choices __ what clothes to wear, what car to drive, where to live, what church or synagogue to attend __ and the freedom to make those many choices is itself an immeasurable blessing. That most of us don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from is a gift which borders on miraculous. Do you know that 33,000 people die every day of starvation?

But there is a dark side to the conclusions we often draw as well.

Many of us view this as evidence of our superiority, or more to the point, evidence of the inferiority of others less privileged. We easily dismiss those who are less fortunate as less deserving. It evolves into the unstated but firmly entrenched judgment that those who are substantially different must be primitive, less than human, or not human at all. In war the enemy is a savage beast who must be extinguished, tracked and killed like animals.

Maybe it's time to grow up. Maybe it's time to reach out to those others in the village, learn about them, find commonalities but respect the differences, and most of all realize that all of this affluence we take for granted is an extremely tenuous arrangement. In terms of the entire historical record, the bounty and excess now shared among the tiny minority of us in America and the European nations represents only the tiniest blip of time. It's really an anomaly and could quickly disappear. We could very quickly find ourselves asking our fellow villagers tips on making a nice lean-to or finding edible roots for dinner.


The vast wealth that we in the West take for granted is a positive thing. It is good fortune and a luxurious road for us to venture our way through our enviable lives.

But it's not a license to dismiss, condemn, or destroy others who don't have what we have. And it's certainly not a mandate to build military bases and more McDonald's wherever our blind ambition points us.

I solicit any and all comments on this article.




[ This originated a the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

“It’s too complicated.”

 

There's a smugness that has overwhelmed our political system.

 It's the patronizing, know-it-all, self-congratulating, self-important smugness of our elected officials. 

We want to know why they vote the way they do. Their reply . . .

"It's complicated."

There are huge majorities of Americans, crossing all party lines and affiliations, who agree on a number of issues:

•    End the war in Afghanistan and bring the troops home
•    Reduce the military budget
•    End oil subsidies and other forms of corporate welfare
•    Make the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes
•    Eliminate tax loopholes and incentives for sending jobs overseas
•    Leave Social Security alone
•    Leave Medicare alone
•    Include the public option in our health care delivery system

Yet, consistently our elected representatives __ on both sides of the aisle __ vote against these things. Or judging by what we read in the press are obviously considering doing so.

Why?

"We are professionals. You see, when drafting legislation there's so much to consider. There are things you folks out there don't know. It's too complicated."

Sorry. I don't buy it.

Here's what I say to this blather:

"Mr. Elected Official, I'll tell you what's complicated. Voting for YOU is complicated."

"You say one thing and do another. You make all sorts of high-sounding, pleasant enough speeches when you want my vote. You make me believe you are actually going to do the job I am electing you to do. Then, you vote the opposite. You vote the way some rich corporate donor, some big-money Wall Street executive, some lobbyist who showers you with favors and campaign contributions, you vote the way THEY want you to vote."

"So, Mr. Elected Official, don't ask me why I didn't vote for you this time around. Don't come crying and pleading for an explanation."

"It's too complicated."


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Repo Man vs. Retro Man

                                                   A race to the bottom in reverse.

There's speculation that the recent devastating disclosures about Mitt Romney will force him to either withdraw or be withdrawn from the presidential race at the upcoming Republican convention.

My immediate reaction?

Awesome!

Maybe the GOP will succumb to their most extreme theater-of-the-absurd impulses and put up a ticket of Michele Bachmann and Ted Nugent.

Then I read that the only other Republican candidate with a significant number of delegates is Ron Paul.

Okay. Not quite as interesting as a Bachmann/Nugent ticket. But right up there. It would be an entertaining, if not altogether ridiculous spectacle.

Repo Man vs. Retro Man.

Obama, the slick hustler who is foreclosing on the American Dream for all his Wall Street buddies, running against Paul who with a straight face wants to return America to the glorious days of the 19th Century.

America would be glued to their TVs to watch this battle of the prestidigitators, one with the charm and charisma of David Copperfield who is making the Middle Class disappear, the other who would invite us all to join him in his Time Machine as he jams it into reverse.

Would the voting public finally wake up to what a sham these elections have become?

Nah! Probably not.

They'd just hit that snooze button for four more years.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

The joke’s on us!

                        "They'll make you laugh and they'll make you cry."

One of these men is a well-known, widely regarded comedian and actor who has appeared in over sixty films, numerous television shows, and has brought tears of joy and laughter to countless numbers of people across the globe.

The other one is a well-known, widely regarded comedian and actor, who uses his role as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to suck up to Wall Street, big banks, and the wealthy oligarchs who are plundering America, and is a man who would corporatize his own mother if he and his rich friends could figure out how to make money on the IPO.

Both have the power to communicate their quirky, surrealistic view of the world and affect the lives of millions of people.

But only one has the power to impose his quirky, surrealistic vision on an unsuspecting citizenry and destroy America as a recognizable and functioning democracy.

The joke's on us!

I'm laughing so hard it hurts!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Gasp!


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]


 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place?

 

After the 2000 election, I had a neighbor who wouldn't speak to me for several months. He was an ardent Democrat, a supporter of Al Gore, who knew that I voted for Ralph Nader. In his view, people of my ilk had cost Gore the election by frivolously voting our consciences.

Put aside the fact the abundant evidence that in Florida alone there was massive election fraud, the disenfranchisement of over 30,000 voters by a scrubbing of the voting rosters, a huge preponderance of which would have voted Democratic. Ignore the fact that Gore, or at least his legal team, proved to be spineless and just caved to the absurd Supreme Court ruling on the recount. Discount the role played by Kathleen Harris, the Secretary of State in Florida at the time responsible for certifying the results of the election, who was a hard core Republican and made no attempt to hide her bias. Overlook the obvious irregularities in the recount itself.

It was all my fault that King George was installed on the presidential throne.

So here we are again, confronted by a "clear choice" between an enlightened, gentile and beneficent Barack Obama and the crude, barbaric, corporate predator, Mitt Romney.

What to do?

People warn, "Too much is at stake. Don't throw your vote away!"

I agree. This is not the time to throw our vote away. This is not the time to vote for more of the same and none of what the country needs and deserves.

What does this mean?

Simple . . .

Barack Obama has done some good things over the past three years. Hey! So have I. Does that mean you want me as your president? The ugly truth is, if you look at the big picture, Mr. Obama has done as much to push the too-big-to-fail big bank, Wall Street, corporate agenda than his notorious predecessor. Maybe more.

What does this specifically mean for the coming election?

It means we're again forced to make a choice between Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, as Nader colorfully put it back in 2000. The truth is that under a Romney presidency, we will see a merciless, full-steam plundering of America by corporate interests and the turning of the vast majority of Americans into surf-slaves, and a relentless and thorough destruction of the middle class and America as we know it.

Under another term of Obama as president, we'll see the same thing but cloaked in charm and doublespeak platitudes, more of Michelle's fine taste in clothes and her organic plants in the White House garden, and certainly the humor and eloquence that has established Mr. Obama as one of the most charismatic bullshitters in American history.

In this next presidential election, America doesn't find itself between a rock and a hard place. It finds itself under the rubble. The rubble of deception, hypocrisy, manipulation, and the potential final death rattles of American democracy.

This is a historic juncture. It's time to let the "powers" know we've had enough. We won't be fooled again. Time to cast a vote which sends a message.

Who to vote for? Jim Hightower or Bernie Sanders on a write-in come first to mind.

But the important thing is ABROO . . . anyone but Romney or Obama. And let that anyone be a person of integrity who treats the American voting public like adults, respects them and is not afraid to tell the truth, who has the courage to stand up to the corporate imperialist agenda.

Cast your vote. Send a message.

Then take to the streets.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

My Spinal Surgery: Health Care in Asia

 

At the tail end of my six months of misadventures in India, I lived in Goa for seven weeks. Turning a blind eye to the packs of wild dogs which would attack the lone late night wanderer on the beach and reduce him to a pile of bones, the hordes of hustlers who were always trying to sell overpriced and mostly worthless souvenirs or clean non-existent earwax from my ears, the pot-bellied police who were constantly looking for whatever bribe they could extract from the tourists, and the generally dour and completely mercenary locals who actually populated the place, I have to say I had a truly wonderful time.

To keep fit, I swam over a kilometer every day, making my way through the herds of cows who were nice enough to let me share the seashore with them. I learned the art of stepping over and around copious amounts of cow poop, a skill which here in ultra-sanitary Japan is unfortunately atrophying.

Toward the end of the seven weeks, I noticed a knot in my back between the middle part of my spine and my shoulder blade. I assumed it was just tension, the result of having to go through major negotiations every time I wanted to buy something.

I returned to Japan. This was February 2010.

The "knot" kept getting worse. By late March I was experiencing numbness and increasingly severe pain in my left arm. I became convinced that I had some sort of growth, perhaps a tumor, that was pressing on a nerve. I sought medical attention here in the rural part of Japan where I live. After X-rays and an MRI, one local physician told me I was just falling apart and he doubted anything could be done. Surgery was an option but it was very risky.

Those of you who know me have rarely heard me say anything negative about Japan, even with the tons of radioactive pollutants now pouring into the seas as a result of the horrible mess in Fukushima.  I will say, however, that this doctor's advice was less than helpful and certainly very discouraging. Plus it turned out very wrong.

On the plus side of the Japan equation, I did get substantial aid in my distressed state from a sports doctor here (who shot electricity through my aching arm) and a chiropractic clinic who used massage and a neck stretching and alignment device to try to relieve my agony. By now, believe me, I was in severe agony.

Unfortunately, none of this was helping. But let me just point out something amazing.

Japan has universal health care, meaning there is in place national health insurance. The individual pays a very modest co-pay, the system picks up the tab. Both the sports doctor and the chiropractic clinic, knowing full well I did not have national health insurance, only charged me the co-pay and let the rest of the fee slide. Think about that for just a minute.

Back to the drama.

Nothing was working. By the end of April, my condition was catastrophic. I literally could not be vertical for more than ten minutes. Something was pressing on a nerve in my back. Being vertical increased that pressure. The pain was excruciating. Now it wasn't just my arm that was numb, it was spreading down my left leg. I had trouble walking.

To make matters worse, I was coming up on the end of the 90 days on my visitors visa. That meant I had to leave Japan, then come back in to get a fresh stamp on my passport. This was not good. But I did what I had to do and booked a flight to Seoul. Flights to South Korea are frequent and inexpensive.

I should have had a great time in Seoul. For three days I stayed in a guest house next to a beautiful university, Hongik University which is famous for its Colleges of Design and Fine Arts. The area is a typical "college town" with fantastic restaurants, night clubs, shopping.

But I spent my time there on my back in bed, trying not to moan and disrupt the others in my dorm room.

 

Then I got the call. It was my best friend, lover, companion Masumi Nishida. She had been looking around on the internet to try to find some way to address my disintegration into a worthless cripple and discovered that a world-renowned spine specialist was on staff at a premier facility right there in Seoul called the Wooridul Spine Center. The facility was a huge, fully-staffed  state-of-the-art hospital next to Gimpo Airport, promoting what it called medical tourism. Medical tourism is a recent form of enterprise, encouraging people from around the world to visit and take full advantage of health services.

I wrote them an email, expecting to hear back from them sometime later in the decade.

I got an immediate response! They set up an appointment for me the next day.

It gets better. And I'm not making any of this up . . .

I reported early the next morning __ that itself was a harrowing, painful experience even if the subways in Seoul are among the best in the world __ and spent five hours as follows:

First I met with Dr. Zhang's foreign visitor assistant, a personable and competent young man named Charlie Shim. Then I met with Dr. Zhang himself. That was followed by an X-ray, CATSCAN, and an MRI. I met with Dr. Zhang again to go over the results. He was 90% sure he had identified the problem. Severe compression between the 7th and 8th vertebrae. They would perform a procedure which would confirm his suspicions and possibly temporarily relieve my symptoms.

I was dressed in a highly flattering hospital gown, then put in a surgical CATSCAN, one that allowed real time monitoring of the area of my spine they would be working on. The work consisted __ brace yourself __ inserting a 12" needle at the base of my throat and threading it through all of the nerves, muscles, bones and miscelleous sinew along the way, all the way down to the middle of my spine, and injecting a combination of cortisone and a local anesthetic between the targeted vertebrae.

Immediately after the injection had taken place and they removed that incredibly ominous looking needle, the pain on the left side of my body was gone. I practically jumped up and started dancing.

But they cautioned me. I had to wait 15 minutes. If the pinching on the nerve was too severe, when the anesthetic wore off the pain would return. Unfortunately it did.

Now came my final meeting with Dr. Zhang. He explained where things stood.

Though I was still writhing in unbelievable pain, we had accomplished a lot. As the good doctor pointed out, we now knew exactly where the problem lay. A nerve which served the sensory apparatus in my left arm and had connections down the left side of my body was experiencing 100% compression as a result of the collapse of necessary padding between the two suspect vertebrae. The good news was that this could be corrected by surgery.

My five hours at the Wooridul Spine Center finally came to a close with my paying the bill. Total amount = $562.

Wait! Can this be right? Three meetings and an examination by a world-class and highly renowned spinal surgeon, an X-ray, an MRI, two CATSCANS, and a major procedure involving a needle the length of a car antenna and it came to $562?

Yes, folks. It's true.
Since you're already getting the gist of this posting, I'll make the rest of it as short and sweet as I can, my tendency for being an incurable motor-mouth notwithstanding.

I returned three weeks later for surgery with Dr. Zhang. Charlie Shim had summarized all that was involved. Five days in the hospital. Pre-care. Post-care. Anesthesia, medications, surgery, food, my semi-private room with two other patients. Total estimated at $14,800.

As part of the "pre-care", I was given every test, scan, monitoring known to modern man. Frankly, the facilities at Wooridul are probably as technologically advanced as any in the world. I am despite my advanced years a very healthy guy. With one small noted exception (one heart valve functioning at 68% efficiency), I passed with flying colors, a physiological wonder and testimony to the merits of the regimen of exercise and good diet over most of my life.

After 2 1/2 hours of surgery, they wheeled me back into my room. I emerged from the fog and euphoria of a general anesthetic __ very nice stuff! __ and saw that there were about ten people staring at me. Nurses, assistants, Charlie Shim and Dr. Zhang himself.

"How do you feel, Mr. Rachel?"

How did I feel? Besides groggy?

I felt great!

I started to sit up. They told me just to rest.

Dr. Zhang then told me that my operation went perfectly. He was 100% sure it was a complete success, and if I felt like sitting upright that would be fine.

A nurse helped me up. Not only did I sit up but I stood up. Then I did a little dance. Everyone seemed to think I was crazy but I got a small round of applause.

I spent the next day recovering. During that time I made a promotional video__ I think it is still posted on the Wooridul website __ telling my story and effusively commending everyone involved. I also helped correct some of the English for the promotional material on the facility, working along side Charlie, who was responsible for such things.

Since I was doing so well, I checked out two days early. They fitted me with a neck brace. My last official act there was paying my bill.

Total charges for all of the above: $10,450.

But...but...but...they said it would be $14,800 in their estimate.

Well, I didn't stay the entire five days, only three. But the simple truth was, as Charlie explained to me on my way out the door, they really appreciated my help with correcting their English and doing the promotional video, so they were just returning the favor. They effectively knocked over $2000 off my bill.

Just returning the favor.

Okay. I know I am a novelist. So you are all thinking, "This John Rachel really expects us to buy another one of his wacko fantasies. He's still in satire mode from writing "11-11-11" and "12-12-12". You've seen his promo videos. The guy's nuts!"

True as all that might be, in this rare instance I'm merely reporting the facts. This is what happened and how it happened.

Since my surgery __ that was two years ago __ yes, I can feel "something" in my back. Certainly no pain. But maybe a little tweak. I mean, they spent 2 1/2 hours threading all sorts of exotic robotic instruments down the length of my spine, grinding and chipping away at bone, inserting some sort of supportive splint. You'd expect to feel something.

But I ride my bike every day. I have worked out at four different gyms (three in Vietnam, one in Taiwan), lifting weights and doing heavy cardio-vascular work. I still do a rigorous floor routine to keep from turning into a pile of jelly while I spew out more nonsensical books and annoying political rants.

I'm not going to preach or spoon feed anyone on this. Look at health care in America and draw your own conclusions.

I will add this in closing . . .

People have said to me, "Did you ever consider getting your surgery in the U.S.? America has great doctors and surgeons too."

Right. This would have cost minimum $50,000-60,000 there. Then there's the risk that some underpaid nurse or administrative assistant would make the wrong entry on my chart and I'd end up with my leg amputated or with double-D breast implants.

Consider getting surgery in the U.S.?

Give me a break!


[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]