America: Like a monkey with its hand in a trap
There are four things that human beings must have in order to survive: Air, food and water, sure -- but also they need to feel good about themselves. So if you tell people bad things about themselves, then they are not going to like you because you are creating a life-threatening situation for them. So. It's always a good idea not to talk smack about your fellow-man.
But I'm gonna talk smack here anyway because I just can't resist.
I should say that America is a wonderful country and Americans are the Salt of the Earth. Instead, however, I'm going to indulge my weakness for pointing out character flaws in others and just tell the truth. "Americans are like greedy little monkeys who have put their hands in a trap, who could free themselves from the trap if they would only let go of the banana inside but who just can't bring themselves to let go."
The corporate Americans who rule us simply can't let go of the gigantic profits that they rake in from wagging endless war -- even though they know that war is polluting our environment and destroying America's economy (and the entire planet's economy and environment as well) and that because of their greed we're all probably gonna end up dying of nuclear radiation poisoning if nothing else.
American healthcare insurance companies can't let go of their bananas either, even though 335 Americans a DAY die because of their lust for unreasonable profits and their strangle-hold on America's doctors, nurses and hospitals. To solve our healthcare problems, all we gotta do is give MediCare to anyone under 65 who wants it, and then the freaking monkey would be out of the freaking trap. But no. The insurance companies seem hell-bent on destroying the system that they milk. Greed has trapped them -- and us as well.
But Americans aren't the only ones who won't let go of the banana. Over in the Middle East, Israel has its hands on a banana called "The Occupation," which will eventually strangle Israel economically, politically and morally if it keeps holding on. For instance, when Israel was first created, most Americans thought of it as a shining beacon of idealism -- but how things have changed since 1948. People don't look to Israel as a moral leader any more, not so much. For example when the recent kidney-selling scandal came up, all too many people in America were willing to believe rumors that the Israeli Defense Force was selling body parts because of the many atrocities that the IDF had already committed over the last 60 years. Israel needs to let go of that "Occupation" banana!
And all too much of the Islamic world is in the banana trap too. Did Mohammed (PBUH) ever envision that such a large number of Muslims would all be out there trying to kill each other? Like in the Iran-Iraq War or the ongoing Shia-Sunni split? Is this what Mohammed (PBUH) had in mind? Hardly. (Not that Christians are all out there eagerly obeying Jesus' Golden Rule either! The American Civil War, World War I and World War II immediately come to mind. Must I repeat myself? War is the ultimate monkey trap.)
Not only that, but Muslims -- and also Hindus, Christians, Jews and even atheists and animists -- need to let go of the monkey trap of treating women as if they were mere property and/or objects of lust. They need to stop keeping women under house arrest where they are probably getting rickets from lack of sunshine Vitamin D. If treating women like this is such a wonderful and pious thing to do, then why aren't men doing these things also? Women make up half of the human race. Wherever women are treated as inferiors, we are wasting at least half of the human race's sorely-needed talents and capabilities. Men need to let go of that banana as well.
And me? I'm not perfect either. I gots my own banana-traps too. I need to get rid of all that extra stuff that keeps cluttering up my apartment. And I also need to do everything I can to help all of us monkeys get out of our traps so that all of us can start feeling good about ourselves -- and survive.
There are four things that human beings must have in order to survive: Air, food and water, sure -- but also they need to feel good about themselves. So if you tell people bad things about themselves, then they are not going to like you because you are creating a life-threatening situation for them. So. It's always a good idea not to talk smack about your fellow-man.
But I'm gonna talk smack here anyway because I just can't resist.
I should say that America is a wonderful country and Americans are the Salt of the Earth. Instead, however, I'm going to indulge my weakness for pointing out character flaws in others and just tell the truth. "Americans are like greedy little monkeys who have put their hands in a trap, who could free themselves from the trap if they would only let go of the banana inside but who just can't bring themselves to let go."
The corporate Americans who rule us simply can't let go of the gigantic profits that they rake in from wagging endless war -- even though they know that war is polluting our environment and destroying America's economy (and the entire planet's economy and environment as well) and that because of their greed we're all probably gonna end up dying of nuclear radiation poisoning if nothing else.
American healthcare insurance companies can't let go of their bananas either, even though 335 Americans a DAY die because of their lust for unreasonable profits and their strangle-hold on America's doctors, nurses and hospitals. To solve our healthcare problems, all we gotta do is give MediCare to anyone under 65 who wants it, and then the freaking monkey would be out of the freaking trap. But no. The insurance companies seem hell-bent on destroying the system that they milk. Greed has trapped them -- and us as well.
But Americans aren't the only ones who won't let go of the banana. Over in the Middle East, Israel has its hands on a banana called "The Occupation," which will eventually strangle Israel economically, politically and morally if it keeps holding on. For instance, when Israel was first created, most Americans thought of it as a shining beacon of idealism -- but how things have changed since 1948. People don't look to Israel as a moral leader any more, not so much. For example when the recent kidney-selling scandal came up, all too many people in America were willing to believe rumors that the Israeli Defense Force was selling body parts because of the many atrocities that the IDF had already committed over the last 60 years. Israel needs to let go of that "Occupation" banana!
And all too much of the Islamic world is in the banana trap too. Did Mohammed (PBUH) ever envision that such a large number of Muslims would all be out there trying to kill each other? Like in the Iran-Iraq War or the ongoing Shia-Sunni split? Is this what Mohammed (PBUH) had in mind? Hardly. (Not that Christians are all out there eagerly obeying Jesus' Golden Rule either! The American Civil War, World War I and World War II immediately come to mind. Must I repeat myself? War is the ultimate monkey trap.)
Not only that, but Muslims -- and also Hindus, Christians, Jews and even atheists and animists -- need to let go of the monkey trap of treating women as if they were mere property and/or objects of lust. They need to stop keeping women under house arrest where they are probably getting rickets from lack of sunshine Vitamin D. If treating women like this is such a wonderful and pious thing to do, then why aren't men doing these things also? Women make up half of the human race. Wherever women are treated as inferiors, we are wasting at least half of the human race's sorely-needed talents and capabilities. Men need to let go of that banana as well.
And me? I'm not perfect either. I gots my own banana-traps too. I need to get rid of all that extra stuff that keeps cluttering up my apartment. And I also need to do everything I can to help all of us monkeys get out of our traps so that all of us can start feeling good about ourselves -- and survive.
PS: What's new on the fabulous Jane Stillwater Show? Here's my latest interview -- with Paul Larudee, an expert on the Israel-Palestine situation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mGqbO1e5kw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eyoutube%2Ecom%2Fmy%5Fvideos%5Fedit&feature=player_embedded#t=24
PPS: Here's an even bigger news item: http://Kitco.com announced that the price of gold just topped the $1,000 mark.
