Sunday, March 31, 2013

THE MESSAGE IS LOUD AND CLEAR

A MESSAGE OF RENEWAL & HOPE
Johann Wagener 3-31-13

If you are intelligent and insightful enough to believe that there is something in this mass universe bigger than you or I which is not knowable but can be experienced none the less, then the story of Easter and the message it sends is well worth listening to.  In his first Easter as pope, Francis calls for peace in his own style

Even though Bill Maher would disagree, the message is from God. 
The messenger is Pope Francis I. 
The message is to all who profess to be “followers of Christ” (Christians) and especially to those of the elite class known as the 1% - many of which believe they have been “chosen” and therefore special and entitled.  

I believe the message Francis is sending is that the time has come for Christians to do more than thump their Bibles, wave their arms in the air, while singing praise with cries of “alleluia.” Simply put, to be a “true” follower of Jesus Christ one needs to walk in His footsteps, or as they say, “walk the talk”.

This is the message Francis (which is what he prefers to called) is delivering, and has already put it into practice, while challenging others to do the same.


First and foremost Francis is setting the example for fellow Christians by walking the talk;
His philosophy is in line with the teachings of Jesus.

He truly believes that True, authentic power is found in service 


He told the crowd of thousands gathered in the Vatican he would like "to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill. Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment."

In addition, he said, "We must not be afraid of goodness or even of tenderness."
 "Protection is respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live, the pope said, further defining it this way: "It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we  think about. It means caring for one another in our families. Husbands and wives must first protect one another, and then as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God's gifts."

In addition, the pope cautioned, "One should never confuse simplicity and humility with weakness."


WHEN IT COMES TO LIFESTYLE;  

His lifestyle reflects who he is and what he represents.

For example, rather than live in the palatial quarters of the Vatican he has opted to occupy a few rooms in the Vatican hotel.

Pope Francis already has officials on the back foot with his lack of regard for protocol. He has insisted he will not live in the lavish Papal apartments. On seeing them, he said: ‘But there is room for 300 people in here.”  Vatican simplicity: Pope refuses to act like one

Indeed. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio never lived in the ornate church mansion that Pope John Paul II stayed in when visiting, preferring simple rooms in a downtown building, warmed by a small stove on frigid weekends when the heat was turned off. He did his own cooking and rode the bus to get around town.

By his example Francis is sending a message to those who can’t seem to do without gargantuan structures they call homes (excuse me, estates). One would assume that tycoons were intelligent but by the way they behave it seems the opposite is true. 

For example, only a self-centered, simple minded person would believe they need 10 bedrooms and 7 or more bathrooms in residences occupied by only a few people. Unless, of course, they were planning to convert it into a hotel. The Most Expensive Billionaire Homes In The World

To those who pay $50,000.00 to dine with a fool David Koch hosting $50,000-a-plate dinner for Romney in the Hamptons or blow $2,000 on a dish of pasta  The world's most expensive restaurant dishes  they might consider following Francis’ example;

He will eat in the common dining room as he has for the past two weeks, and celebrate 7 a.m. Mass in the hotel chapel as he has each day, inviting Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, hotel workers and newspaper staff to attend.

To the “rolex” crowd Photo Gallery of Rolex Owners Francis has a better idea on how to flaunt or make a social statement instead of modeling up to $150,000 wrist watches.

The world has already seen how Francis has cast aside many trappings of the papacy, refusing to don the red velvet cape Benedict XVI wore for official occasions and keeping the simple, iron-plated pectoral cross he used as bishop and archbishop.  

Then there’s the “prosperity gospel” crowd who have it in mind that hoarding wealth is a gift from God. How to spot a prosperity preacher. I’m not sure what Bible they are reading from, but it’s certainly not one Jesus would approve of.

The message from Francis is simple;

'Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. 

We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager ... doesn't put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks,' he said.

When the Church does not do so, he added, “she becomes self-referential and then gets sick.” Church institutions, he said, “have their root in self-referentiality and a kind of theological narcissism” that “gives way to that very serious evil, spiritual worldliness.” 

 WHEN IT COMES TO LEADERSHIP;  

He manages by example and involves himself in the process.

A message to those CEO’s who proclaim to do “Gods” work Blankfein Says He’s Just Doing ‘God’s Work’

“This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad — sad priests — in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the smell of the sheep”,” the Pope explained. “This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odor of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men.
 

WHEN IT COMES TO POMP AND CEREMONY;   

Rather than playing ruler as most of todays “monarchs” do  he prefers to “guide” rather than “rule” and put’s aside most of the rituals that serve to separate rulers from their 
subjects.

Rather than wasting money on silly rituals and living high off the hog today’s monarchs could better serve their subjects by divesting themselves of the wealth they hoard while living off the people they should be serving  The Queen pleads poverty: Royal aides asked Ministers for help with Palace heating bill on just one of the many properties she spends much of her time in. 

A home likely worth well over $5 billion: Buckingham Palace, their 775-room London residence has 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 188 staff bedrooms. Queen Elizabeth Lives Like A Billionaire

Speaking on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after his election the night of March 13, Francis told the tens of thousands gathered there that the cardinals' task during the conclave had been to "give Rome a bishop." And bishop of Rome is the title he has emphasized repeatedly ever since — not vicar of Christ, or any of his other official titles.

He signs his letters with just his name; Francis.

  












Saturday, March 30, 2013

TAIL WAGGING THE DOG AGAIN

Looks like the neo-cons are at it again and starting to stir the paranoia bowl.

How would the US react if other countries started flying "nuke ready" B-2 Bombers near their borders?

When the US does it we call them "war games" but when another country reacts we call it a "serious threat".

Does that play on words still work in this 21st century everyone has a cell phone and Facebook account culture? I hope not.

China And Russia Conduct 'Surprise' Military Exercises | Military

Friday, March 29, 2013

DON'T ALLOW THE TRUTH ABOUT DOZIER TO REMAIN BURIED


HOUSE OF HORRORS
Johann Wagener 3-31-13

For over a century the Florida School For Boys in Mariana Florida was a dumping ground for young boys that the  Florida State Courts and Law Enforcement Agencies deemed it an appropriate punishment for those who in any way broke the law. Including, for example, minor infractions like the theft of an empty soda bottle that one of the unfortunate inmates was caught trying to redeem for a nickle. 

Having been an inmate there myself in the late 50's (convicted for eloping with my future wife) I can personally attest that there was little or no effort to hide the fact that this institution was much more than a school but rather a penal colony where torture, beatings, rape, and even murder wore condoned. 

The Florida School for Boys, also known as the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys (AGDS), was a reform school operated by the state of Florida in the panhandle town of Marianna from January 1, 1900, to June 30, 2011.[1][2] For a time, it was the largest juvenile reform institution in the United States.[3] A second campus was opened in the town of Okeechobee in 1955. Throughout its 111-year history, the school gained a reputation for abuse, beatings, rapes, torture, and even murder of students by staff. Despite periodic investigations, changes of leadership, and promises to improve, the allegations of cruelty and abuse continued. Many of the allegations were confirmed by separate investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 2010 and the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice in 2011.[4] State authorities closed the school permanently in June 2011.

As a result of diligent and determined efforts of a group of remaining survivors who call themselves "The White House Boys" http://www.officialwhitehouseboys.org/ have  succeeded in bringing these atrocities to light and were able to get the attention of local, state and federal authorities (not to forget the media) so that justice for the victims is now imminent.

I want to encourage you to sign a petition supporting these efforts using this link;

DON'T ALLOW THE TRUTH ABOUT DOZIER TO REMAIN BURIED

AMERICA R.I.P.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Self-absorption is root of evils within church, future pope said

Evils within the church are caused by a self-centeredness and “theological narcissism” that forget to share Christ with people outside of the church, Pope Francis said in the days before his election.


Self-absorption is root of evils within church, future pope said

Monday, March 25, 2013

GAY CIVIL RIGHTS


OXY-MORON a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements


PROS AND CONS
Johann Wagener 3-25-13

People like to make comparisons between the Civil Rights movement of the 60's and today's Gay Rights movement. 

What both movements have in common is that they addressed individual’s rights of citizens in this country as they pertained to their everyday lives


The pros are that, as a civil rights issue, marriage (gay or straight) is and should be a constitutional right regardless of gender preference.  Hopefully the Supreme Court in all its wisdom will soon put this issue to rest.  

Having said that, it is important to note that protecting the right to marry has nothing to do with condoning “gay sex” which is a “health” issue, not a civil rights one.

This is a serious health issue that has an impact on this society and it’s healthcare system and needs to be addressed in order to protect the civil rights of the public at large.


It is well-known that most AIDS victims are either homosexual men or IV drug users, or both. For them, the risk levels are high. As will be shown in this paper, nearly all of these AIDS victims have a lifestyle that creates immune system disorders and is generally not conducive to good health.


By risk group, gay, bisexual, and other MSM of all races remain the population most severely affected by HIV.
  • MSM accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2009, as well as nearly half (49%) of people living with HIV in 2008 (the most recent year national prevalence data is available).
  • CDC estimates that MSM account for just 2% of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, but accounted for more than 50% of all new HIV infections annually from 2006 to 2009. In 2010, MSM accounted for 61% of HIV diagnoses.
  • In 2009, white MSM accounted for the largest number of annual new HIV infections of any group in the U.S. (11,400), followed closely by black MSM (10,800).
  • Young, black MSM were the only risk group in the U.S. to experience statistically significant increases in new HIV infections from 2006–2009—from 4,400 new HIV infections in 2006 to 6,500 infections in 2009.
In order to not throw the baby out with the bath water we need to remain concerned about unhealthy sexual practices just as we have with other public health risks so let’s not get caught up in the hype that tends to cloud this issue by bundling it into a civil rights issue.

As a side note, it’s somewhat ironic that blacks are included in the high risk population.

HE HE HE HAW TO THE NRA

DRIBBLE DOWN ECONOMICS

THE "TRUST ME" CON
Johann Wagener 3-25-13

As Joe Biden well put it; "Americans have the right to be stupid." and it appears we do good job at exercising that right when it comes to buying in to Ron Reagan's and companies pitch on the "trickle down" con game.
The punch line goes something like this; "trust me, if you let me keep all my money one day you will be rich too."


Incomes for the bottom 90 percent of Americans only grew by $59 on average between 1966 and 2011 (when you adjust those incomes for inflation), according to an analysis by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston for Tax Analysts. During the same period, the average income for the top 10 percent of Americans rose by $116,071, Johnston found.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

CAGE CRAZIES


THE ASYLUM: For the care of people, especially those with physical or mental impairments, who require organized supervision or assistance.


TILL DEATH DO US PART
Johann Wagener 3-24-13

Playing with sharks in their turf is a sure fire way to to shorten your life span. 

But that doesn't stop the "crazies" who crawl into cages and are dumped in the ocean, with a little bit of bait thrown around the cage for good measure just to get "up close and personal" with  a man (or woman) eating shark. What's even crazier is that they pay for it! Go figure? 

The moment a great white shark got INSIDE a cage and almost ate a newlywed for dinner

TIGER'S GOOD LUCK CHARM


CIRCLE JERK: A metaphor for any group activity performed for personal gratification.


TROPHIES OR CHARMS?
Johann Wagener 3-24-13

Back in the "OJ" days they called them "trophies" but ABC News coined this one as a "good luck charm" 

In both instances they are referring to young (usually blonde) attractive women who pair up with a celebrity and the media frenzy goes non-stop all the way to the end which is usually comes sooner than later. 

This time  the Tiger apparently convinced Vonn that 3 years of sex therapy has cured him. He's kidding, right? Has anyone noticed the resemblance between his last trophy and his  current good luck charm?

Woods and Vonn by the Numbers

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Price of Evil at JPMorgan Chase


FOLLOW THE MONEY
Johann Wagener 3-23-13
This was the headline in 2009
WASHINGTON -- JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday made the case that the government should step aside and allow big banks to fail when they mismanage their investments.
But Dimon's own bank, the biggest in the U.S., received a $25 billion taxpayer bailout in 2008. At least one Democratic senator said JPMorgan would have collapsed -- and Dimon would have been out of a job -- if the government hadn't come to its aid.

And here is the headline today;
$16 billion.
That’s how much JPMorgan Chase has paid in fines, settlements and other litigation expenses in the last four years alone. 
More than half of that amount, $8.5 billion, was paid out in fines and settlements as the result of illegal actions taken by bank executives.
$8.5 billion is almost 12 percent of the net income the mega-bank brought in during the same period. The Price of Evil at JPMorgan Chase
So, if my math is correct it looks like taxpayers gave JP and the gang the money to bail themselves out of jail. rather than letting them fail and throw their execs in jail we kicked in $25 billion in tax dollars to keep them afloat which allowed them to recover, repay the loan and the $16 billion in fines (so far) which they would not have been able to without the bailout. 
The US government is actually subsidizing criminal organizations and no one seem the wiser. 


CIRCLE JERK: A metaphor for any group activity performed for personal gratification.


TOO MUCH CHEEK
Johann Wagener 3-23-13

Leave it to the Self-Centered, Ego-centric, Narcissitic Western culture to screw up a perfectly designed Eastern practice of meditation and exercise by turning it into a fashion show
.
The Looney tunes Lululemon devotees are complaining that there hot and flimsy tights are exposing too much booty.  It’s no wonder that they are having problems since the focus is more on style, fashion, and socializing than on practicing Yoga. Lululemon lovers buy into healthy lifestyle 

The pitch sounds like something out of a cult film;

For a relatively small but growing circle of fitness fanatics, glimpses of the Lululemon Athletica brand act as a signal.
Running by someone in a distinctive, neon-striped hoodie or seeing a co-worker bring lunch in the same reusable red shopping bag covered with the company manifesto — "friends are more important than money," "breathe deeply" — are both signs that two people have been initiated into the same tribe, one that worships healthy living, tight-knit communities and colorful athletic apparel.
The company's loyal followers rave like obsessive groupies. "Once you go Lululemon, you never go back," says 24-year-old Nitasha Khetarpal, of Valencia, Calif.

As usual, it’s all about making money by hyping up something that historically has done very well as it was; just a simple quasi form of mediation and exercise with a focus on mental and physical health and reconnecting with our “true” selves which allows us to “empty” our minds of all that “self-centered” chatter about how good (or bad) we look, is our outfit color coordinated, or am I better at this than the person next to me?

For those who actually want to learn and practice Yoga they are wasting their time if they remain caught up in the silliness going on in the marketplace. Fashion shows, and “feel good” sale pitches is “not Yoga.”
All one needs to learn and practice Yoga is a willingness to put aside the hype, and put on a pair of loose fitting, neutral colored cotton pants (and shirt), sit down, shut up, and listen to the silence. Simply put, that’s “traditional Yoga”. Modern Yoga versus Traditional Yoga

TOO MUCH CHEEK?


CIRCLE JERK: A metaphor for any group activity performed for personal gratification.


TOO MUCH CHEEK
Johann Wagener 3-23-13

Leave it to the Self-Centered, Ego-centric, Narcissitic Western culture to screw up a perfectly designed Eastern practice of meditation and exercise by turning it into a fashion show.

The Looney tunes Lululemon devotees are complaining that there hot and flimsy tights are exposing too much booty.  It’s no wonder that they are having problems since the focus is more on style, fashion, and socializing than on practicing Yoga. Lululemon lovers buy into healthy lifestyle 

The pitch sounds like something out of a cult film;

For a relatively small but growing circle of fitness fanatics, glimpses of the Lululemon Athletica brand act as a signal.
Running by someone in a distinctive, neon-striped hoodie or seeing a co-worker bring lunch in the same reusable red shopping bag covered with the company manifesto — "friends are more important than money," "breathe deeply" — are both signs that two people have been initiated into the same tribe, one that worships healthy living, tight-knit communities and colorful athletic apparel.
The company's loyal followers rave like obsessive groupies. "Once you go Lululemon, you never go back," says 24-year-old Nitasha Khetarpal, of Valencia, Calif.

As usual, it’s all about making money by hyping up something that historically has done very well as it was; just a simple quasi form of mediation and exercise with a focus on mental and physical health and reconnecting with our “true” selves which allows us to “empty” our minds of all that “self-centered” chatter about how good (or bad) we look, is our outfit color coordinated, or am I better at this than the person next to me?

For those who actually want to learn and practice Yoga they are wasting their time if they remain caught up in the silliness going on in the marketplace. Fashion shows, and “feel good” sale pitches is “not Yoga.”
All one needs to learn and practice Yoga is a willingness to put aside the hype, and put on a pair of loose fitting, neutral colored cotton pants (and shirt), sit down, shut up, and listen to the silence. Simply put, that’s “traditional Yoga”.



SCORE ANOTHER ONE FOR THE GUN CULTURE; SHOOTING INFANTS

ARMING THE KIDS
Johann Wagener 3-27-13

Some of the more zealous gun enthusiasts have suggested arming school teachers (and even kids) so that everyone will be on a equal playing field when, inevitably, the shooting starts.  How is that going to work now that infants are being targeted by kids?

2 teens arrested in slaying of Ga. infant in stroller

Friday, March 22, 2013

A BLISSFUL DEATH

From “the Bliss Point” to “the Breaking Point” – America’s War on the Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.

Judge Mark Ciavarella Guilty - Kids For Cash Jail Scandal

Judge Mark Ciavarella Guilty - Kids For Cash Jail Scandal

KILLING AND SELLING OUR CHILDREN

HALL OF SHAME: a failure to meet your own standards of behavior


KILLING AND SELLING OUR CHILDREN
Johann Wagener 3-22-13

The United States is not only becoming infamous for putting the gun industry ahead of the safety of its children, it is also putting the interests of the prison industry ahead of the care of their children by literally  allowing them to be sold into slavery. Corrupt Juvenile Justice Leaves Mark On Pa. Kids

By “privatizing” our prison system we have literally transformed it into a “slave market” where humans are bought and sold for profit. This in turn has turned the judicial system into a slave market which is now a breeding ground for corrupt individuals like those who were recently convicted in PA;

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Ecenbarger tells a story that seems to be pulled right from Charles Dickens: a judge sends young people to a detention center, in exchange for kickbacks from the facility’s owner.

The judge was Mark Ciavarella and he presided over a courtroom in Luzerne County, Pa. He sent thousands of kids to detention centers for minor offenses – things that used to result in a three-day suspension from class.

William Ecenbarger is author of “Kids for Cash.” (Susan Ecenbarger)

Luzerne County’s president judge, Michael Conahan, was also implicated in the “Kids for Cash” scandal, for using his budgetary discretion to stop funding the county’s public youth detention facility. He also agreed to generate costs that could be billed to taxpayers in exchange for kickbacks.

Prosecutors say the two judges secretly received more than $2.6 million in kickbacks. In 2011, Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison and Conahan was sentenced to 17.5 years.

Some might say, justice was served, but they are sorely mistaken. These judges were nothing more than “scapegoats” used to distract us from the real problem; The “for-profit” private prison industry. 


Here’s a little taste of how they pedal their services;
Our Mission
The mission of Mid-Atlantic Youth Services, Corp. (MAYS) is to provide high-quality healthcare, education, and treatment services to our youth through supportive partnerships with those we serve (courts, families, youth, and the community). We accomplish our mission by providing a safe, nurturing, and structured environment that promotes positive changes in the health and well-being of youth, allowing them to return
to their communities while remaining alcohol, drug, and crime free.

http://www.midatlanticyouth.com/about/images/arrow_title.jpg The MAYS Difference
A defining difference with MAYS is that we have the ability to house, care for, and treat nearly any juvenile. Our multiple-licensed facilities allow us to serve kids across a wide range of offenses and disorders, unlike the unidimensional focus common among most providers.
We know you have high concerns and expectations. After all, these are youths with special demands who require a disciplined and all-encompassing treatment plan to make them well. We address the "whole" child, with services that expressly target the uniqueness of their conduct, character and condition. We understand who influences the youth in our care, so we focus on constant relationship building with anyone who can affect their futures - judges, courts, families, communities, affiliate providers and influencers...all will find us very accommodating.
Our programs and services are all done with master level therapists and educators, concentrating on the same, very real, very reachable goals; family reunification and a return as productive members of the community, as well as a fresh start on life. Long or short, all roads to recovery start with a single, life altering step. Let us lead the way.

 What this institution and the many more like it don’t say is that their real mission is to fill the beds and keep them full. The true incentive not rehabilitation, but long-term incarceration very similar to our healthcare industry that focuses on intervention rather than prevention. It boils down to simply making a “profit.”

That is the core of the problem with any service-oriented organization that has to maintain a “captive” clientele in order to survive. 

The healthcare system is beginning to address this by rewarding those who keep people healthy rather than those who just step in when things are bad. The profit then is on health, not disease. 

The same holds true with the criminal justice industry which is why there should not be any incentive to keep people incarcerated but rather to reward those that are actually rehabilitated and/or habituated  in order to diminish criminal behavior.

THE US SLAVE MARKET IS BOOMING

and it includes selling our children to private penal institutions that do nothing more than warehouse them at tax-payers expense.

Judges, Mark Ciavarella & Michael Conahan Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit » Titania - Ethical Creative Society



The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners.
Indeed, the United States leads the world in producing prisoners, a reflection of a relatively recent and now entirely distinctive American approach to crime and punishment. Americans are locked up for crimes — from writing bad checks to using drugs — that would rarely produce prison sentences in other countries. And in particular they are kept incarcerated far longer than prisoners in other nations.
Criminologists and legal scholars in other industrialized nations say they are mystified and appalled by the number and length of American prison sentences.
The United States has, for instance, 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London.
China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison. (That number excludes hundreds of thousands of people held in administrative detention, most of them in China's extrajudicial system of re-education through labor, which often singles out political activists who have not committed crimes.)


U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations



SAME-SEX-MARRIAGE OR SAME-SEX-SEX?

REFLECTIONS: a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.


SAME-SEX-SEX;
Johann Wagener 3-18-13

Let’s try to clear the air here! The institution of marriage is comprised of the joining of 2 (or more in some cases) people into a contractual “civil” agreement which is (but doesn’t have to be) validated or blessed in a variety of religious ceremonies depending on the sect or denomination one belongs to. There’s nothing in the fine print of civil contracts that specifies gender so anyone (with the exception of age) should  have the right to enter into these civil unions regardless of gender. 

When it comes to religion, it depends on the doctrines they adhere to and vary across denominations, sects, and civilizations. Mormons, for example endorsed one-way monogamy which allowed males to marry multiple women concurrently while the rest of society practiced ‘serial monogamy” having to divorce one partner before taking another. Civil rights don’t enter into these arrangement and the civil contracts are affected only by law and not religious beliefs. So, what is all the fuss about?  

The issue for many people is not same-sex-marriage but same-sex-sex.
That’s right.  When you get down to the specifics it’s mostly about sex. Who’s doing it and how are they doing it.  Whether we want to admit it or not, our ‘reptilian brain” stills rules when it comes to sex; in that its driven for the sole purpose of procreating to ensure survival of the species. Nothing more, nothing less.  So, for many of us, and all other living organisms on the planet, we stick to the tried and true; male/female sex. 

Or, at least, that’s the way it was intended until free market forces introduced social more’s which succeeded in selling the idea that sex was much more than a function of procreation (at least for humans) and that it also symbolized romance, love and marriage. Bringing these elements together created a huge and profitable market for greeting cards, flowers, candy, perfumes, ocean cruises, wedding planners, and the catering industry, just to name a few of the businesses that thrive on this concept.

Still, somewhere in the grey matter our primitive survival instincts tells us that same sex-sex will not reproduce anything no matter how hard we try. Frankly, most heterosexuals (more males than females) are turned off by male-on-male sex  which is supported by the lack of interest in gay porn, whereas hetero and lesbian porn sales are booming. Nearly $1 trillion globaly on the internet alone.

The gay marriage issue is a marketing tool and here’s how it works. In the past all the industries I mentioned were satisfied with the status quo; including the religious community. 

All this changed in the last few decades. Freak “reality” TV replaced “soap operas.” Action packed, “blood lust”, overtook “romance” in films and videos. The only exception were “sex/lust” products being dished out by the porn industry and big Pharma’s  “little blue pill” sex revival that has brought the “Cocoon” generation back to life; Cocoon (1985)
 
Even though few will readily admit it violence and porn attracts a large number of upstanding, law-abiding, God-fearing Americans who (discretely, of course) have no problem with, and seem to enjoy, looking in on 3-somes, 4-somes, girl-on-girl, whips and chains, leather, rubber, and a bag full of other toys used to satisfy their libidos and fetishes. Let’s not forget Playboy/Playgirl - type magazines that also continue fly off the shelves into someone's bedroom (or bathroom) while the rest of the print industry is collapsing.

Another important factor is that interest in marriage has become less popular with the younger generation. The wedding industry, which generates an enormous amount of revenue from marriages, (In 2011 alone, the wedding industry was worth $321 billion) has taken a big financial hit lately. In an effort to fill the growing vacuum created by mainstream society the focus has turned to the “alternative lifestyle” population and the “gay marriage” campaign has become the biggest cash cow the industry has seen since Princess Diana’s bash. 

The reality is that money and profits trump all other issues; social, religious and political, so it should come as no surprise that the gay community has been welcomed with open arms by those who can profit from it.  

Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the marketing industry the “alternative lifestyle” population has entered into the mainstream. This economical marriage between mainstream markets and these fringe groups has ironically also received a boost from the religious community because, along with the decline in marriages, church attendance has also been shrinking. In their efforts to beef up membership many churches have thrown out feelers to the gay community, assuring them that they were willing to minimize or overlook biblical references to the evils of homosexuality and, I believe, accurately interpret these biblical references as pertaining to the “act”, not the “condition.” Condemn the sin, not the sinner. Though reconciling the two requires a willingness to offer perpetual forgiveness.  One could look at this process as a “reverse conversion” in that the followers are converting these churches to their way of thinking. 

As for those who most strongly oppose the gay way of life; primarily heterosexual males, there’s an interesting recent study Watching porn boosts support for same-sex marriage which proposes;

A new scholarly analysis suggests that the more straight guys, especially those who are less educated, watch pornographic videos, the more they warm to same-sex marriage. The reason: Porn opens their mind up to accepting non-traditional sexual situations, like gay sex.

Few are willing to agree with these findings because it contradicts the popular talking points like “equal rights” or “love” and “marriage." The implication is that porn and gay sex have something in common and that it has nothing to do with either love or marriage.  

None the less we persist to continue using “magical thinking” to avoid the reality that what we are really talking about is sex. A biological fact that is not going to change by dancing around it any more than making a fuss about guns and violence while at the same time entertaining ourselves with movies, video games, and freakish “reality” TV that reeks of it. Much like the Romans who filled coliseums to quench their lust for blood and the macabre. 

Once we drop the pretenses of what is motivating these debates we can then begin to address “same-sex-sex.” Can we really say it’s any better or worse than what we already find acceptable in our mainstream culture? Having a conversation about sex without throwing in marriage, love, or equal rights will go a long way in putting this issue to rest.
Take the porn industry, for example,
Pornography is a big business in the United States, with total sales estimated to be $13.3 to 14 billion per year. INSIDE THE PORN BUSINESS yet how many of our neighbors or co-workers are up front about it? Porn? Who me?

Once that’s done we can go about addressing the other issues (sans sex) and begin applying common sense explanations to our real motives regarding equality, the marriage/romance industry, and the like. 

As a "reformed hetero-homo-phobe" I’ve come to the conclusion that Jesus had it right when He is purported to have said to a crowd intent on stoning a sinner to death, “let he who is without sin, throw the first stone.” 

In keeping to that standard, and following the golden rule of not mixing politics with religion, there should be no reason to continue this debate other than just for the sake of debate. Politically and economically same sex marriage is a non-issue. Sexual preference is a constitutional right and the markets that support it will continue to grow exponentially.

Such is life in the United States of America. 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

PROTECTING GUNS - NOT CHILDREN

HALL OF SHAME: a failure to meet your own standards of behavior


PROTECTING GUNS – NOT CHILDREN
Johann Wagener 3-20-13

Congress did not disappoint and again demonstrated where their loyalties lay. The pandering is so blatant you have to wonder why prostitution has not been legalized. They actually provide a little pleasure with their services. 

Condoning the right for private citizens to own and use assault weapons knowing how destructive they can be is despicable and shameful. Allowing our government to operate like a “red light district” with all the actors present rather than doing the work of protecting Americans (especially our children) is the epitome of greed and corruption.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

AUTHENTIC POWER

WINDS OF CHANGE


A MESSAGE TO THE 1%
Johann Wagener 3-19-13

Francis I sent a clear message to those who live under the illusion that power is derived from hoarding wealth. 

 “Let us never forget that authentic power is service - Pope Francis Calls for Service to ‘Poorest, Weakest’

One of the primary foundations of the Jesuits is to serve “the poor and vulnerable” and seek “justice wherever injustice exists.” 

And as John Baldoni wrote in Forbes on Wednesday, the Jesuits have long been the guys who “educated people, took care of the sick, managed businesses, and performed a myriad of other tasks.” 


Let’s see how this plays out with these people; Today’s ranking of the world’s richest people

SOCIOPATH OF THE YEAR

HALL OF SHAME: a failure to meet your own standards of behavior


CHENEY HAS NO REGRETS
Johann Wagener 3-18-13
Sociopaths like Cheney have no regrets because they lack the ability to experience emotion.  Nothing much goes on below the neck. Sociopath of the year

Bush, on the other hand had very little going on above the neck so these 2 made a great couple. Bush lousy at math

Even though neither of these clowns will ever own up to their horrific acts and crimes it will not erase history which people like this dying soldier will continue to remind us of; To: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney ; From Thomas Young

Which in part reads;

 Dear George Bush and Dick Cheney, You Are Guilty of Murder: A Letter from a Dying Veteran
"I hope that before your time on earth ends, as mine is now ending, you will find the strength of character to beg for forgiveness."
You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.

BIG BUCK ROGUES


OXY-MORON a combination of contradictory or incongruous words that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements

 OVER PAID ROGUES
Johann Wagener 3-19-13

They drove this country’s economy into the ground and got paid million for it. Yet, in a recent poll on trust they compete with your neighbors and local police. Who Do You Trust?

Politicians pandered to them and threw money at them because they were “too big” to fire. That they were irreplaceable (as if that was a bad thing). Too big for trial

One is so arrogant (and a little crazy) that he believes he is doing “Gods work.” THE POPE OF WALL STREET

Another is arrogant enough to admit that he’s rich because he is a banker. That’s why I’m richer than you.

All that spells “doom and gloom” for this country because these self-serving, self-centered sociopaths hold the keys to the the doors of Congress, the Supreme Court, and sometimes the White House. 


Executive pay: Big bucks at big banks - Los Angeles Times

TAIL WAGGING THE DOG


THE ASYLUM: For the care of people, especially those with physical or mental impairments, who require organized supervision or assistance.


CRAZIER THAN CRAZY
Johann Wagener 3-19-13

Want to hear something crazy? The United States is playing "war games" on the the south side of N. Korea and are surprised that the North Koreans are talking tough.  Duh!

Want to hear something even crazier? The United States says it would nuke the North if provoked. 

Who's the "bad guy" here? 


It's amazing that we have people in positions of power who are dimwitted. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that nuking N Korea would be the same as nuking S. Korea; unless someone came up with some sort of shield to separate them. Worse still is that radioactive clouds travel, so China, Russia and Japan would all be looking forward to a little nuclear "dust" if the U.S. decides to drop a few nukes on that part of the globe. Given that the U.S. is the only country with a track record on using nukes against another country I wouldn't be surprised if they would go for "seconds" claiming that we were "threatened" (OMG!) as if there are any threats out there bigger than the U.S. 

Let's hope Americans are smart enough to see through the BS and realize what this is all about; scaring us into not cutting the defense budget. 

$22-An-Hour Minimum Wage


EQUITY: the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality.


$22.00 Minimum:
Johann Wagener 3-19-13

Back in the 60’s the minimum wage for Americans was $33.00 an hour in today’s dollars.

And, to quote Elizabeth Warren;  

"If we started in 1960 and we said that as productivity goes up, that is as workers are producing more, then the minimum wage is going to go up the same. And if that were the case then the minimum wage today would be about $22 an hour," she said, speaking to Dr. Arindrajit Dube, a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor who has studied the economic impacts of minimum wage. "So my question is Mr. Dube, with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, what happened to the other $14.75? It sure didn't go to the worker." Elizabeth Warren Talks $22-An-Hour Minimum Wage

Dube went on to note that if minimum wage incomes had grown over that period at the same pace as it had for the top 1 percent of income earners, the minimum wage would actually be closer to $33 an hour than the current $7.25.

Monday, March 18, 2013

A ROTTEN BUSHEL OF APPLES


RED LIGHT DISTRICT; a section of town usually devoted to illegal/immoral behavior.  

A ROTTING BUSHEL
Johann Wagener 3-18-13

They say that all it takes is one rotten apple to contaminate the bushel. When it comes to the U.S Government it's the bushel that's rotting.    

 If one works in a corrupt system how could they not be corrupt? The problem is not with our politicians; they are just pawns in a system created to serve the real power brokers in this country who hide in the shadows and run the show we call government.

Here’s how the political system we live under works;

Imagine for a moment that Washington D.C. is a “Red Light District” (a section of town usually devoted to illegal/immoral behavior).

Then consider the Congress, Senate, and now-a-days the Supreme Court, are the houses of ill repute, or “brothels” (technically, a place where people may come to engage in illegal/immoral behavior) with;
Politician who engage in a form of “prostitution” (the practice or business of providing services to many other persons in return for payment)

The lobbyist act as “pimps” (an agent who collects part of the earnings for performing services referred to as procuring or pandering. They may receive this money in return for advertising services, or for providing, and possibly monopolizing, a location where they may engage the clients or;

“John’s” (the slang term used for persons who solicit prostitutes) that are mainly representatives of “special interest” groups (e.g. corporations, the rich, and other organizations that want to exert influence on the government.

So, ask yourself, how could anyone survive in this environment with being corrupted?

Senator Menendez, For Robert Menendez, a senator set apart, closeness to rich donor draws scrutiny  like many others before him, are just distractions to make it appear as if corruption was being addressed; when we all know that “self-policing” is just a charade. 

Ridding this government of corruption is going to take much more than throwing out a few apples from office. It requires replacing the bushel, maybe with one that looks more like the one we started with when this Union was founded?