April 28, 2005

All The World's A Stage



“I love acting. It is so much more real than life.” (Oscar Wilde, from The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891)

“We're actors - we're the opposite of people.” (Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, 1967)

Sometimes, when you think you know it all and know exactly how to say it, someone or something comes along that reminds you not to be so confident in your own ability to spit out explanations for everything. I am a person who hates to be wrong and loves correction, since living under a false pretense or idea is an anathema to my person, being both counterproductive and just plain useless. New ideas, along with the regular rethinking of accepted ones, are my ‘religious’ experience, and if you give me a good idea or some new and useful information, I will glow for days on end in appreciation and pleasure from it.

I was watching C-Span Books the other night, where the topic was a book called “The Anatomy of a Suicide Bomber.” The authors interviewed dozens of adolescent suicide bombers, and those who wished to become suicide bombers and their families in order to ascertain the pathology of this particular type of behavior. (I do not defend the action by calling it ‘martyrdom’, as I believe needless sacrifice of one’s life to be destructive to both self and society.) The book itself seemed rather redundant to me, and other than the fact that these researchers did conduct the interviews, ran the statistics, and objectively reviewed the data which, considering the volatility of the region and the people involved, was surely not an easy venture, I was unimpressed by its content.

Normally, at the end of each review, the authors hold a short question and answer session. This is the most interesting part of the presentation, because this is when over-educated, pedantic, pseudo-intellectuals like myself get to put in their two-cents worth, trying to think of something that the authors may or may not have missed. It is in the responses to these questions, good or bad as they may be, that the real background of the book is revealed, and in those cases, what becomes known is something very basic and, if I may use the term, ‘simple-stupid’.

One such response came to a question of individual psychology. Did the various suicide ‘candidates’ display any outward signs of depression, anxiety, or distress, or were they for the most part calm and seemingly rational? The latter seems to be true, but why? The answer was not ‘suicide bomber’ specific at all, and pointed to a greater psychosocial phenomenon that I had never heard put in such simple terms before. Meshing this new idea with my understanding of history, psychology, and religion, everything became even clearer and easier understood than was until this point.

The researchers said that the reason these men and women choose to calmly martyr themselves is because their religion and nationalism write the script that they are to act out, much as any society, through its norms and mores, authors a ‘script’ that is more or less rigidly followed by its members. The word ‘script’ opened up a completely new view of culturalism and the psychology of religious and nationalistic intolerance. These people are playing a role that they are expected to play. Nothing more. In that, most of humanity does what is expected of them by society. Those who radically differ from the norm, choosing to ad lib their way through life, are often unsuccessful or even persecuted by those who take the script quite seriously. It is akin to the Dramatists conducting an Inquisition to root out the hidden Comics from their society, vigorously punishing anyone who dares to question the authenticity or purity of their chosen theatrical genre.

Spinoza spoke of freedom as self-determinism. This is an act of reason tempered by experience and experience tempered by reason. To be self-determined, one has to know the difference between the script one chooses for oneself, and the role that society demands that one play. Religion claims gods as the playwrights, rabbis and priests as the directors, we the actors, and the world as our stage. The directors, in spite of their additions and subtractions, claim to hold to the original intent of the author, and the ever-faithful cast willingly submits to directors to guide them. Where there is such blind allegiance there is no self-determination and no societal freedom. The sign of a free individual within a free and tolerant society is where there are various theatre companies, many scripts to read, several roles to act, with the liberty to choose the roles or no role at all at a whim without any pressure or undue force placed on the individual who deviates from the chosen script. Spinoza wants you to be your own playwright and cast yourself in the lead role to the betterment of yourself and those around you. The script is founded in reason and the stage is wherever you want it to be.

For the present, you can call my act “The Heretic Monologues”.

“If we live according to the guidance of Reason, we shall desire for others the good which we seek for ourselves.” (Spinoza in Ethics, 1677)

“It is a fine thing to establish one's own religion in one's heart, not to be dependent on tradition and second-hand ideals. Life will seem to you, later, not a lesser, but a greater thing.” (D. H. Lawrence, 1885 - 1930)

April 13, 2005

Alive & Thinking


There once was kid from Crown Heights

Who stayed up reading most nights

His faith hadn’t faltered

But curiousity altered

His notion of the wrongs and the rights

With strange books they caught him

So quickly they sought him

Devices to thwart his desire

But try as they may

There just was no way

To extinguish that free-thinking fire

The heavier the chain

So much greater the strain

On the hopes and the dreams he had planned

Until all that mattered

That these bonds be shattered

For the man who yearned to expand

So he pursued that truth

Discovered in youth

Escaping from all that he knew

Becoming free

Isn’t that easy you see

When you're raised as an Orthodox Jew

Sometimes he reflects

On that life he rejects

While fumbling through thoughts in his head

Yet he continues to strive

Feeling much more alive

Than those who consider him dead

April 09, 2005

Greed & Mental Illness


Scrooge McDuck

Why is it that so many people advance serious political, social, and philosophical justifications for avarice? What is it about accumulation of wealth that drives humanity to rationalize and promote it? Don’t we normally call extreme behaviors ‘disorders’? Moreover, why do we so readily excuse excessive Greed from the social damage it causes and not the other vices or behaviors? More often than not, we blame the system for hindering this pursuit of money! Can you imagine us blaming society for hindering other addictions?

Let’s look at some other every-day normal behaviors, that when taken to extremes, have often-devastating effects on their possessors and/or those around them, but we do not ever condone such extremes. In these cases, we consider these conditions to be addictions, based on a psychological or medical disorder, and sometimes both. Why isn’t extreme Greed a considered a disease as well?

We know that everyone needs some basic necessities to survive, and a few luxuries aren’t bad either. Life is about more than just survival, and some added pleasure is always a welcome thing. Money is one of the necessities that we need, at least in the present, to acquire the more basic necessities we need for survival, plus a little for the pleasure part, too. We need food, sex/love, health, and a positive self-image to live well. Is anyone excusing the extremes of these behaviors?

You may know an obese person, or one who cannot stop themselves from eating, perhaps even a bulimic or anorexic that refuses to hold down food or eat altogether. These are horrible diseases. There are no Senators making political speeches in support of it, nor does the Wall Street Journal write scathing editorials against those who oppose eating disorders. There are no Nobel Prize Laureates, feted with honors and the praises of the clamoring masses, delivering philosophical thesis work on the benefits of obesity, gluttony, and self-mortification. Yet, they wax prolific when it comes to extolling the virtues and benefits of Greed.

There are also people addicted to sex. Sex is necessary for most people and, last I checked, it’s still quite enjoyable. What if you’re a person who is addicted to sex and cannot get enough sex? What if your every waking hour is spent thinking about sex, perhaps browsing porn and masturbating, or soliciting prostitutes? What if you are promiscuous and endanger the health of others? What if you caused a family to break up because of your addiction? That is, like it or not, a common problem with serious social ramifications. Where are the grandiose excuses and rationale for this behavior? Where is a sex-driven Ludwig von Mises to explain how this is really a good thing for humankind? Someone call Larry Flynt. I have an idea.

What is it about Greed that doesn’t make society force the greedy into psychotherapy or rehabilitation? Greed is different only in that it ‘masks’ itself under a cloak of benevolence. Both the miser and the robber baron feel that they are not doing it for themselves, but for their families. No one looks at a chronic masturbator and says “He’s doing it for the greater good” or “That’s the American Way. No one looks at the morbidly obese and thanks them for eating as much as they can, invites them to honorary dinners, or parades them around as poster children for a robust nation. Yet, we do it for the greedy, because they can make the case that they are doing what they do for others.

However, is this true? We all want our families to be well provided for. That desire is an evolutionary function. The greedy, however, go beyond any evolutionary claims and hold themselves to be benevolent and altruistic. Yet, if they were genuinely concerned for the welfare of others, would they be extracting that much wealth from these others in the first place? Would they be exceeding their necessities to such an extent as to bar others from having theirs met? I think not. Charity is virtue, but stealing from others, even under the cloak of economic system or philosophy, and then doing your penance later on smacks of hypocrisy and a guilt-ridden conscience. I don’t believe for a second that altruism has anything to do with their behavior, nor more than I would believe the over-eater when he claims that making 30 trips to the buffet table keeps others from getting fat.

Most behaviors, no matter how basic or necessary, when taken to extremes, lead to severe personal and societal consequences. We generally suggest that people living with addictions to such behaviors seek therapy. It is time to force the greedy into therapy. Greed is a mental illness, defended only by those in envy and anticipating a share in the spoils. Those that would condone this greed are akin to those hanging around with fat people hoping to get leftovers, or hoping that the hooker might offer them a ‘freebie’ for driving their buddy to the brothel.

Of course, now they can claim that they are ill. I might have just provided the greedy with a new excuse. Darn.

Shver Tzu Zein A Liberal


These days, admitting to being a Liberal is becoming more and more socially unacceptable. The voices of opposition to Liberalism speak in quick and easy to grasp idioms, perfectly suited for the fast-paced society we live in. Their argument hasn’t changed a bit in 30 years, but the style of media presentation that exists in the present is great for reaching people with very short attention spans and limited time to explore anything in any greater detail. Faux News rolls out their cadre of paid political operatives, repeats the same 20 to 30 second blurbs in a loop, and then abruptly switches to a commercial for Dean-Whitter, Valtrex, or some other self-promotional nonsense. The radio is no better. We Liberals have to overcome appeals to the Scripture, to the military cult, to flag-waving, and to perceived threats to national security, along with the usual vitriol that accompanies non-conformity. Try not having a yellow ribbon on your bumper, or worse yet, drive around with a peace sign. The dark stares abound.

Do you have any idea what it is like to have to deal with this every day? I find that many neo-cons, and others who don’t even know what a neo-con is, suffer from severe and chronic Attention Deficit Disorder, which is why ‘deficits’ overall don’t seem to bother them much. They simply cannot or will not take the time to listen, and once the sand has run out of that very tiny hour-glass in their heads, they resort to name calling, filibustering, changing the subject, or accusations of treason and worse. If you oppose what they believe, you must support terror, finance Bin Laden, be a homosexual, hate God, and take welfare. A petty mind can only draw petty conclusions based upon petty ideas and desires, and will project its own base sense of motivation onto the actions or beliefs of others. This is why all of the neo-con rhetoric borders on the extreme. For a person acting out of a base motive, there is no middle of the road rationale to mitigate it. The culture of fear promoted by the Neo-Cons feeds that hysteria and no amount of reeducation or explanation seems to help. Now we know how humanity managed to create crusades, inquisitions, witch-hunts, and holocausts.

It is not hard to be a Liberal because I find problems with our policies. I do, in fact, question Liberalism, and find room for disagreement and improvement. There is no perfect solution to society’s ills, and every system, no matter how well thought-out or justified, can use some tweaking now and then. The real difficulty comes in having to spend a lifetime explaining Liberal policies to people who don’t have the patience to listen and, like small children, refuse to see the other side of the issue, the larger implications, or the unintended consequences. They want what they want right now and that’s it. Neo-cons are the ‘terrible’ two-year-olds of the American political spectrum, and I am not happy about having to baby-sit or educate them while they are throwing their temper-tantrums.

(Somebody should provide these neo-cons with an ADD version of “Liberalism for Neo-Con Dummies.” The audio version is available for those in Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. To draw them in we can offer a free tin of Skoal, a NasCar cup autographed by Dick Cheney, a topless photo of Condaleeza Rice, and a can of beer with each purchase.)

As liberals, we have to know that we are dealing with a bumper-sticker mentality in our political opponents. These are the people who believe in "spare the rod and spoil the child", without ever considering that corporal punishment is violence against children. The alternative of "spoil the rod and spare the child" never enters their minds. These are the same people that clamor to get the government out of their own lives yet, are willing to drag this nation all the way into the Supreme Court in order to stop someone else from living (or dying) theirs in peace. They insist that war is peace, unemployment is good, debt generates wealth, the rich pay too much in taxes, and taking food and shelter away from a poor man is compassion. Dealing with such a duplicitous and unrefined mentality is weighing me down. I’m sick of them.

Nu? So what’s a Liberal to do?

ARGH!

(There are real Conservatives with good ideas and very valid arguments. These are not the Neo-Cons, and I have the utmost respect for their ideas, even though I may continue to disagree with them. At least, the real Conservatives are available for a rational discussion and, in many cases, possess a social consciousness that many Liberals would find admirable. Some of them read and comment on this blog.)

April 05, 2005

Stop Breeding These Dogs Now!

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Among the many different professions that I have practiced over the years, full or part time, grooming and training show dogs was perhaps the most rewarding, that is if you don’t mind smelling like canine and being covered in hair and saliva. I love animals, and nothing pleases me more that to watch a pup grow and mature into a champion. Animal care and training is not easy work. Most animals are more like very bright children, and without exception, they manage to test your nerve every step of the way, if you let them. A well-socialized pet is an amazing thing, and can bring love, joy, and companionship in ways that human contact cannot.

That is why the following story bothers me so much. We have an entire class of people who know nothing about biology, animal behaviorism, canine development, or common sense who, in their need to feel big and tough, purchase breeds of dogs that are well known for their aggressive natures. Even wolves and coyotes, with which I have experience in the wild, are not this aggressive or territorial. Many of these breeds are bred for fighting and security, and should never be kept as house pets.

This particular breed, like ALL dog breeds, did not just walk out of the forest one day and move into someone’s house. Humans have engineered the breeding of dogs to produce each and every trait, quality, or function imaginable. If anything, this mess is our fault. We have, over the course of the last 300 years of very selective breeding, destroyed many breeds altogether, creating entire lineages of congenital defects and wringing every bit of nature out from the dog to suit our commercial ends. The dog business is corrupt and filthy overall, but there do remain good breeders and enthusiasts who still put the health of the breed first and foremost. Greed, however, still rules the day, and where a market exists for a certain style of dog, there will be a money-hungry bastard there to breed them.

The defenders of these aggressive breeds can always point to one or two instances where the dog is well behaved and docile, and like unrealistic parents, believe that their dogs would never harm anyone, and that the humans are always in control. What they don’t understand is that these dogs only think in terms of friend or foe, and cannot distinguish between physical or territorial threats, and a passing cat, squirrel, dog, or child. It is true that ‘the dumber the owner, the meaner the dog”, and in this case, as well as 1000s of others, this maxim is proven 100% true. The problem is not so much that the owner is a reckless, senseless moron. When you mix a human idiot with a Golden Retriever or a Pomeranian, you don’t ever wind up with a dog that suddenly attacks its own family. With more naturally aggressive breeds, however, a stupid owner is a match to gasoline.

The Pit Bull is known for its ferocity, intelligence, and tenacity. With a sturdy, athletic physique, and powerful jaws, it can crush bone, and do serious damage to a person in a few short seconds of contact. They are also a very temperamental breed, and any change in their environment agitates them into vigilance. I have known well-trained Pit Bulls with excellent handlers that have had to be put down because a change of schedule, home, and diet stressed the dogs into a constant state of agitation. These dogs should not be sold, bought, or bred. They are dangerous by their nature. It’s not the dog’s fault, but we cannot allow people to breed dangerous animals any longer.

Here is another very sad case of stupidity turned tragedy. These parents should be jailed, and the breed should be outlawed.

Family Pit Bulls Maul Girl, 6, To Death As She Walks To Swings
April 5, 2005
BY CECIL ANGELFREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Two pit bull terriers mauled a 6-year-old girl to death Monday morning in Hamtramck as she was crossing an alley to play on a backyard swing set, State Police said.

Cassidy Jeter was with a younger child in the alley in the 5100 block of Belmont about 9:06 a.m. when the attack occurred. Investigators could not say why the dogs, which had been in the girl's family since they were puppies, turned violent.

According to the girl's mother, whom police did not identify, the family had recently moved a block away from the house on Belmont. But they still had belongings at the house and also kept the dogs inside the home.

The girl's mother told police she saw the dogs attack her daughter and tried to rescue her by beating the dogs with a board. The dogs didn't let up, so she went to neighbors for help, and someone called Hamtramck police. They later turned the investigation over to the State Police.
When police arrived, the dogs were still mauling the girl, so they shot them, killing both. The dogs did not harm the younger child, State Police said.
Please write your Congressman. Let him or her know how you feel about this. We do not permit lions, tigers, wolves, bears, etc., to be kept as pets because of the known danger they may pose to society should they escape. The same should apply to breeds of dogs that are known to display unprovoked and dangerous patterns of behavior. Those who profit form breeding these monsters should be told "NO MORE!”

April 04, 2005

Precious Ponderings

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

This maxim is about as close to absolute truth as one will ever get.

April 03, 2005

Parshas Tazriah: Priests, Plagues, & Paranoia

“From a psychological point of view, ‘sins’ are indispensable in any society organized by priests; they are the actual levers of power, the priests live on sins, and need the ‘commission’ of sins.” (F. Neitzsche, from The Anti-Christ, 1888)

ויקרא פרק יג

ב אדם, כי-יהיה בעור-בשרו שאת או-ספחת או בהרת, והיה בעור-בשרו, לנגע צרעת--והובא אל-אהרן הכהן, או אל-אחד מבניו הכהנים. ג וראה הכהן את-הנגע בעור-הבשר ושער בנגע הפך לבן, ומראה הנגע עמק מעור בשרו--נגע צרעת, הוא; וראהו הכהן, וטמא אתו. ד ואם-בהרת לבנה הוא בעור בשרו, ועמק אין-מראה מן-העור, ושערה, לא-הפך לבן--והסגיר הכהן את-הנגע, שבעת ימים. ה וראהו הכהן, ביום השביעי, והנה הנגע עמד בעיניו, לא-פשה הנגע בעור--והסגירו הכהן שבעת ימים, שנית. ו וראה הכהן אתו ביום השביעי, שנית, והנה כהה הנגע, ולא-פשה הנגע בעור--וטהרו הכהן מספחת הוא, וכבס בגדיו וטהר. ז ואם-פשה תפשה המספחת בעור, אחרי הראתו אל-הכהן לטהרתו; ונראה שנית, אל-הכהן. ח וראה, הכהן, והנה פשתה המספחת, בעור--וטמאו הכהן, צרעת הוא

(Leviticus 13: 2- 7)

“When a person has a rising, scab, or bright spot on his skin that appear like a plague-infection and it is reported to Aharon or one of the other priests. And the priest shall examine the infection. If the hair inside the infection has turned white or if the infection appears deeper than the skin, it is a plague-infection, and the priest designates it as unclean. If it appears as a bright spot on his skin, but doesn’t seem to be deeper than the skin, nor has the hair turned white; the priest should quarantine the person for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest should examine the person again and if there has been no change, the person remains quarantined for an additional week. On the seventh day of the second week of quarantine, the priest will re-examine, and if the infection stagnates and does not spread, the priest pronounces the person clean because it is just a scab; and the person washes his clothing and is clean. Yet, if the scabbing spreads after the priest declares it clean, it is shown to the priest again, and if it has spread, the priest declares the person unclean. It is the plague!”

I’m not going to translate the entire sedrah here. You can read the rest for yourself, if you are so inclined or bored enough. The issue is not what cancerous, contagious, or dermatological disorders the Torah might be describing here. No one really seems to know what the Torah is talking about, but we do know that it isn’t leprosy, which is a neurological disorder affecting the extremities, and has never been known to display the symptoms of white patches or white hair within the patches that the Torah describes. The others terms are really ambiguous and tell us nothing of what the modern equivalent of such symptoms might be describing. Some believe that the Torah is describing Hansen's Disease, a leprosy with hypo-pigmentation and discoloration of the dermis. If that is the case, I find it very hard to believe that anyone could have survived its effects, seeing as there were no antibiotics available at the time.

One might want to say that the priests were doing the best they could to diagnose and treat skin problems, and that, among the other religious and political roles, was to be the responsibility of the priestly class. That leaves some questions to be answered. Weren’t there any doctors or healers among the Bnei Yisroel that the Cohanim had to make house calls? Can you imagine modern Judaism without doctors? Is there a doctor in the house? No? Every culture had its healers, some of them applying time-tested naturalistic forms of medicine, and others, in the tradition of the snake-oil dealers, killed more people than they ever helped. It is reasonable to assume that the Israelites also had people well-versed in the healing techniques of the day and battlefield or emergency medicine. We know they had skilled midwives, so why not other medical personnel?

Parshas Metzorah does not mention internal diseases, broken legs, or other common maladies, but the message of Metzorah is crystal-clear. The ancient Jews were a very superstitious people. These infections are not medical problems, and therefore were not diagnosed by healers, but by the religious cult leaders. There was already a long tradition of God’s wrath coming by way of plagues and funny looking diseases, so the idea that disease and sin are linked were already an ingrained, traditional perspective of illness and recovery. This sort of attitude that sees death, disease, and sin and mutually inclusive events begins from the story of Odom and Chava. In Genesis 4:22 it says, “ And YHVH Elohim said: now that man has become similar to us, cognizant of good and evil, he might stretch out his hand and eat from the Tree of Life and live forever!” So we see, that from the beginning of Torah, life, death, health, and the knowledge or ability to disobey God are mutually inclusive elements of Jewish thinking, exacerbated by the belief in a Specific Providence that scrutinizes the thoughts, words, and deeds of every individual.

Physical deformities of all kinds were considered a form of God’s displeasure. Many cultures still treat the handicapped and leprous as outcasts tainted by sin and God’s wrath, even when no contagion exists. Such treatment is the realm of the stupid, cruel, and ignorant. Even in many religious Jewish homes, children with physical and mental challenges remained hidden away from public view, or shipped off to hospitals, so that others might not think the family has either spiritual or genetic malfeasance running through its veins. Fortunately, in last couple of decades, this backward thinking has changed, and religious communities are offering top-notch care and education for those born with birth defects and other challenges. In ancient times, however, your plight was unforgivable. Families were ashamed to have handicapped children.

The real issue is something much more dangerous than the possible misdiagnosis of a dermatological problem. Superstition and false religious beliefs can have devastating psychological effects. The attitude that disease and sin are mutually inclusive leads one into paranoia. Imagine that every time you get a cold or flu, that you have to worry that somehow, someway you have just pissed off the Almighty. In fact, much of our modern religious exhortation, called Mussar, says exactly that! The links established between Biblical leprosy and loshen hara have been around a long time, though no actual verse exists to support the thesis, unless you count the story of Miriam as proof. People with migraine headaches run out to have their tefillin checked. People with household molds and allergies check their mezuzahs. People with gastrointestinal problems re-kasher their kitchens. Everything is connected to sin, on the assumption that the truly righteous always have a perfect, rich, and healthy life.

(I remember many years ago, during the debates over the Shtachim, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe, M.M. Schneerson, during a shabbos farbrengen, said of HaRav Shach that he should have his ‘tefillin’ checked, which is a reference to a brain tumor that might be radically altering HaRav Shach’s cognitive processes.)

Now if a person believes that his illness has a spiritual source, then why ever go to a doctor? No antibiotic could ever cure what God insists the person must have. Taking this attitude to its illogical conclusion, you begin to understand why many believers in faith healing, though the majority not Jews, refuse to take their chronically ill children for medical care. Modern Jews, thankfully, aren’t as stupid as their ancient ancestors, and seek medical care when necessary. Disease is not seen only as an act of God’s wrath on a sinful person, but as atonement or a cleansing process for that individual, much like the Torah views the plague-stricken person in Parshas Metzorah. Our responsibility to help that person and show compassion are not mitigated or superceded by that person’s spiritual status and we are obligated to assist the person to find medical help. Some may still waste time in prayer, but even prayer shows a level of care and concern for others. Yet, the attitude that spiritual defect and physical deformity and disease are inexorably linked remains.

Price Gouging : The Pump & Beyond

I go to the filling station as much as most Americans and I’m kind of miffed over how much I have to pay for gasoline these days. I know that those in Europe pay double what we do here in the US, but we use more. Lots more. The Europeans have wonderful mass transit, a geographical proximity between regions, and newer technologies that reduce the need for oil are already in place. All facts that I’m quite envious of, but these facts notwithstanding, our enormous demand for oil should continue to keep the prices lower, being that this pricing is based on a supply and demand scale. Yet, I have to wonder, is this really true? Is it really the ‘market’ that dictates the supply and pricing, or, as I suspect, do the oil cartels and traders conspire to artificially create this spike?

It is easy to point the accusatory finger at OPEC. After all, they have their hand on the spigot, and control the flow of crude. There really isn’t anyway to force them into opening up the supply either, unless we are willing to use our military power to achieve this, and I’m usually opposed to military intervention for financial gain, though our country does have a history of doing it. OPEC does not operate openly and does in fact artificially create bottlenecks in the supply of crude oil. The cost ratio of production cost to market value is also troubling. See the link below for more information.

Monopoly Control Allows Price Manipulation

http://www.inq7.net/opi/2004/jun/15/text/letter_2-1-p.htm

Recently, I had a short conversation with a commodities broker and former employee of Goldman Sachs. I asked him point-blank, “I know that OPEC is playing a dirty game with us. One can expect them to do that. But, are there brokerage houses and American companies that play a part in this, too? Do they really manipulate the market on this end of the supply?” He didn’t answer the question directly. He simply began laughing hysterically, as if I had asked him if the moon was really a street lamp. I understood from his response that he thought I was living under a rock all this time to not notice what was going on around me. He’s right. I hadn’t given it too much thought, in spite of my suspicions.

Oil Prices Surge to New Records

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/4399537.stm

“Crude oil prices hit record levels on Friday, with leading investment bank Goldman Sachs warning the cost of a barrel could eventually top $100. Goldman Sachs said that the oil market may be in the early stages of a "super spike", which could push prices as high as $105 a barrel. It said strong global demand, allied to potential instability in oil producing countries, could inflate prices. US light crude rose as much as $2.40 to $57.70 a barrel in New York.” Please go to the link for the full measure of bullshit from the investment analysts.

Notice the ambiguous language used by the shylocks at Goldman Sachs. They use words like ‘spike’ or ‘market’ and we just kind of give them a pass without asking them to explain what it is they mean. In truth, we don’t have to ask them, unless we are desperate for more of the same bullshit we get already. “Spike means that you’re going to pay more, and ‘market’ means, “Because we say so.” There are no natural, supernatural, ethereal, or philosophic forces behind the steady rise in gasoline prices. It is more of the same manipulation, intended to produce outrageous profits, even where the supply, beneath the sand, or already in barrels is more than adequate for our needs. This is but another shameful result of deregulation of the market. It gives the purveyors of greed an open license to steal from the American people.

Finally, we have some investigatory work from the office of Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, confirming all of the above.

http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=209139

Here are few choice excerpts. See the above link for the full article.

(2) DOE ACTIONS INCREASED OIL PRICES AND HURT CONSUMERS. DOE ignored warnings by career staff that filling the SPR when oil prices were high and oil supplies were tight could drive oil prices higher and hurt consumers, did not conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the new policy, and did not attempt to estimate or track consumer or taxpayer costs. A case study of a one-month period in mid-2002, found crude oil price increases caused by SPR deposits spiked the US spot price of home heating oil by 13%, jet fuel by 10%, and diesel fuel by 8%, costing US consumers between $500 million and $1 billion.

(7) UNAVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION MAKES DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF PRICE MANIPULATION DIFFICULT. Crude oil prices are affected by trading not only on regulated exchanges like the NYMEX, but also on unregulated over-the-counter markets which have become major trading centers for energy contracts and derivatives. The lack of information about these over-the-counter markets makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether traders have manipulated crude oil prices.

Senator Levin also provides some remedies for the problem.

The chain of deceit in the oil market costs the consumer extra at every step of the way. Monopolies have been outlawed for reason, and yet, the oil cartels and the major oil companies continue to operate in an almost clandestine fashion, lacking the transparency necessary to allay the fears of a disgruntled American public, tired of paying higher prices and not ever knowing why. I do not believe that gasoline should be free, but c’mon! I know price gouging when I see it. Do the math.

It is time to bring back honesty and decency to our markets! Maybe it means Socialism, maybe it does not. Please write your Congressman on this issue. Alternative energies are very important, but they are far off in the future. Right now, we should at least be demanding accountability and honesty from those we do business with, all the way from the oil derrick to the gas pump. An economy without a moral or ethical conscience is a tyranny, no less than that of a military despot or insane monarch.

It is even more disturbing, though not surprising, that the Bush Administration, top-heavy with former oil executives and lobbyists, has a hand in this. They alter and avoid regulations to benefit their constituency, with little or no regard for the long-term damage done to the American people. We have corporate fascism at work here.

Help me get the word out. Awareness is key to change.

April 02, 2005

More Book Reviews!

I am a big fan of books that tell the as-of-yet untold side of a story; the one that puts a whole new perspective on the established thinking. I was recently introduced to two such books, and I enjoyed them both immensely. Both are highly recommended reading for people who enjoy old stories told by the other and less focused upon players in the drama.

WICKED (Gregory Maguire)

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

(HarperCollins, NY, 1995) ISBN 0-06-098710-3

This is the classic tale of the Wizard of Oz told from the viewpoint of the “Wicked” witch. I believe it enhances the original tale, offering fresh insight and background. Wicked tells of the birth, education, romance, career, and quixotic demise of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The Witch is no longer a mean, cruel, and insensitive creature, but a loving, purposeful one, with both great power and severe handicaps. It is only her conflict with the authorities that lead others to deem her ‘wicked’. The host of new characters brings to life a story behind the story and the tale of Oz is no longer a one-dimensional war of good and evil, but a dynamic interplay of miscommunication and human emotion. I loved reading this book. It is not for children, as there are scenes of violence and sexual situations.

CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER (Gregory Maguire)

(HarperCollins, NY, 1999) ISBN 0-06-098752-9

This is the prequel and retelling of the classic Cinderella. This is an awesome book with a special twist at the end. Set in the Netherlands around the time of Rembrandt, this story brings to life all the characters in a new way, broadening their appeal, and at the same time reflecting truer thoughts and feelings that underlie love, survival, and suffering. There are no villains and no heroes, just people in situations they cannot control, making do as best they can. One does not envy our heroine, nor do we continue to revile her stepmother, a woman driven mad by paranoia and the fear of tomorrow. There is talk of art, of love, and of disillusionment. A very good read. There is no elegantly flowing prose or flowery dialogue. It is a book about living with difficult choices. This book is suitable for young adults.

John Paul II, Karol Wojtyle (1920-2005)

The passing of Pope John Paul II, though ignored and ridiculed by many outside the Catholic Church, is a sad event. His religious convictions and beliefs notwithstanding, John Paul actively sought inter-religious reconciliation and spoke openly about social ills of the day, even those not related to Catholic dogma or doctrine. His humble and diverse upbringing in pre-war Poland exposed him to the various ideals and lifestyles that shaped his unique image of the world and humanity. His open support of the common man in the face bureaucratic despotism and his compassionate social conscience will be missed. John Paul recognized the advances of modern science while sitting atop the largest and most powerful religious institution in history, displaying an intellectual honesty rare in such dogmatic circles. He was as much an man of his age as he was a steadfast follower of his faith.

He was a man whose story is worth knowing, for the vastness of his experience and the compassionate nature of his personality. Though I am an atheist, I admired those qualities in John Paul II, and I mourn the loss of their possessor. There will always remain my eternal skepticism and undaunted criticism of religious values and doctrine, but there is no doubting John Paul’s sincerity and open heart, and where true compassion reigns, the other differences can easily be set aside for finding common ground. The world was made a little bit better for having John Paul II in it. May all humanity find it in their hearts to follow John Paul’s message of dignity, compassion, and reconciliation.

“The chief rights are the rights of existence and self-determination.”

“Husband and wife are equals. The differences should be respected, but not used to justify the domination of one by the other. In collaboration with society, the Church must collectively affirm and defend the rights of women.”