December 2004 - The US is still a country where many try to immigrate for the standard of living, economic opportunities or because personal freedoms are greater than in their home land. Our society is more open than in many places and our representative form of government more accessible. There is much to be thankful for here and much to be wildly distressed about.

Some observations: The Viagra commercials with their erection verbiage in prime time are accepted as business, while gay marriage takes center stage as a major moral/legal issue to the electorate. Phillip Morris is allowed to use their mandated anti-smoking commercials as corporate image propaganda, while the right of the terminally ill to obtain drugs for a dignified end gets battled against by our Attorney General. US corporations manufacture & sell more weapons of mass destruction around the globe than any other country on the planet, while our elected officials march troops around the globe to root out weapons of mass destruction in select countries. The large US corporations fund our campaigns, own the mainstream media outlets, control the financial markets and mass employ lobbyists to further influence government policy; while appearing exempt from many of the same moral issues that Mr. Bush, the government and the Christian right persecute others for.

Our government has become a schizophrenic thumping about the planet under the guise of freedom and god, a platform being used quite successfully by the profiteers of all this insanity. Championed by globalism, the Wal-Mart’s of the world and armed by the General Dynamics; our corporate consumer culture has become the town bully.

On yet another vein, the Bush administration has a Jesus agenda. The Christian right places propagating their moral & religious beliefs above all else, including the Constitution. Constitutional amendments are already being discussed to better mirror their moral values. If the Supreme Court gets packed with Christian right justices over the next four years, goodbye separation of church and state for the next quarter century. Another enigma likely related to religion and corporatism is Israel. US administrations have continually bankrolled Israel to the tune of some three billion dollars a year. Does it serve US corporate interests as a military outpost in the oil rich middle east and/or are the religious sentiments of some within government and the corporate hierarchies being implemented with tax payer dollars?

Christian/Muslim holy wars here we come. Religious zealots on both sides leading the righteous charge. Wars and low corporate taxes are close to an orgasmic state for the US multinational corps. Whatever/whomever serves profit is the god of the day for them.

Throughout the ages religion has dominated the war scene. Most all religions are based in goodness & kindness. People and governments can’t seem to resist subverting them to their own agendas. The drafters of our original governing documents recognized this and included the separation of church and state verbiage.

The flag should not be a blindfold.