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A Drugged Out Nation

While Mark Souder whines and vents about the “War on Drugs” and focuses on restricting marijuana, perhaps he should take a look around at the unbelievable number and kinds of prescription drugs that have us – as a nation – drugged to the hilt.

I receive the AARP magazine – a group I originally swore I would never join.  Really – the Association for the Advancement of RETIRED People?  I have to wonder how many members are actually retired.  I know I have no plans to retire – retirement is something that leads to decline.  Anyways, I received my latest issue of “AARP Bulletin”, and one of the articles was titled “The 50 Most Prescribed Drugs.”

So, much as I hate numbered lists, here goes.  I am listing the drugs, followed by the number of yearly prescriptions written, and finally, the ungodly amount of money generated by the sale of the drug.

9 Unexpected Things in Drinking Water

An analysis of federal data from the last five years revealed that more than 20 percent of the nation’s water-treatment systems have broken provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the standards enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency. The result? As many as 19 million Americans are sickened each year. Over the years, the EPA has identified many substances in water supplies far and wide. Here are nine unexpected things that they’ve spotted.

Just turn the damn thing off

NBC Admits Using “Behavorial Placement” In Popular TV Programs … 

A Snitch in Your Pocket

Law enforcement is tracking Americans' cell phones in real time -- without the benefit of a warrant.

American Kleptocracy: How Fears of Socialism and Fascism Hide Naked Theft

Kleptocracy -- now, there's a word I was taught to associate with corrupt and exploitative governments that steal ruthlessly and relentlessly from the people. It's a word, in fact, that's usually applied to flawed or failed governments in Africa, Latin America, or the nether regions of Asia. Such governments are typically led by autocratic strong men who shower themselves and their cronies with all the fruits of extracted wealth, whether stolen from the people or squeezed from their country's natural resources. It's not a word you're likely to see associated with a mature republic like the United States led by disinterested public servants and regulated by more-or-less transparent principles and processes.

In fact, when Americans today wish to critique or condemn their government, the typical epithets used are "socialism" or "fascism." When my conservative friends are upset, they send me emails with links to material about "ObamaCare" and the like. These generally warn of a future socialist takeover of the private realm by an intrusive, power-hungry government. When my progressive friends are upset, they send me emails with links pointing to an incipient fascist takeover of our public and private realms, led by that same intrusive, power-hungry government (and, I admit it, I'm hardly innocent when it comes to such "what if" scenarios).

What if, however, instead of looking at where our government might be headed, we took a closer look at where we are -- at the power-brokers who run or influence our government, at those who are profiting and prospering from it? These are, after all, the "winners" in our American world in terms of the power they wield and the wealth they acquire. And shouldn't we be looking as well at those Americans who are losing -- their jobs, their money, their homes, their healthcare, their access to a better way of life -- and asking why?

If we were to take an honest look at America's blasted landscape of "losers" and the far shinier, spiffier world of "winners," we'd have to admit that it wasn't signs of onrushing socialism or fascism that stood out, but of staggeringly self-aggrandizing greed and theft right in the here and now. We'd notice our public coffers being emptied to benefit major corporations and financial institutions working in close alliance with, and passing on remarkable sums of money to, the representatives of "the people." We'd see, in a word, kleptocracy on a scale to dazzle. We would suddenly see an almost magical disappearing act being performed, largely without comment, right before our eyes.

How do you like your skies ... Natural or man-made?

No one, no government agency or private corporation, has the right to pollute our air or drinking water supplies, modify our weather, or impact the living environment around us – including the upper atmosphere.. Read more

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