Frank Shepard Fairey has made a very comfortable living marketing his brand of subversive, non-conformist art to the masses. The most common image associated with him is the iconic Andre The Giant “OBEY” graphic:

Fairey has credited the inspiration for this design as coming from the 1988 cult classic John Carpenter film, They Live.

The movie is more social commentary than a black comedy or horror film, though the concept is often lost on those viewing it. The clip below illustrates the gist of the premise:

The sunglasses represent an awakening, a moment of seeing things for what they really are, and, for the sake of popular commercial entertainment, the villains are these “alien” beings that have taken over. The truth is more sinister, as the scenario in the video above is not far from reality in our modern world. Our villains are not aliens with a clear agenda, but rather ourselves. The ability to wield power over others is not something innate and explicit. It is something that must be given away, and that is where the foundation of modern life lies: compliance and authority.

We are assaulted daily by rules, restrictions, statutes, laws and other ways in which we are impaired from enjoying true freedom. But most people fail to consider their complicity in this process, simply throwing their hands up and stating, “that’s just the way it is.” The color of a stoplight does not determine a vehicle’s capabilities, nor does it indicate whether or not an individual will or will not drive in a certain direction at a certain time. It’s a symbolic abstraction; we agree as a society that when the light is red, we will stop, and that when it is green, we will go. When someone deviates from this behavior, they are seen as crazy or reckless or rebellious. This is the basic idea behind compliance as it pertains to our world today.

Often, “lesser” offenses – jaywalking, parking in a handicapped space in order to quickly run inside a business, playing “dine and dash” (eating without paying), shoplifting inexpensive items (ex. a pack of gum), taking property from your place of employment, speeding, downloading media illegally – are judged as acceptable or tolerable ways to challenge authority, whereas more “serious” crimes – murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery, assault – are seen as unacceptable and worthy of harsh punishment. Why? Legally speaking, these things are on equal ground – there is a clear definition of what is and is not considered a violation of the given code, statute or law. What makes them different are the prevailing societal mores that provide us with context in which we feel comfortable judging the world that surrounds us.

Clearly, there is a difference between a teenager who is convicted of manslaughter when a gun he is playing with accidentally goes off, killing a friend, and a person who habitually and purposely shoplifts items worth $20 or less in value. Which one would have the harder life? Manslaughter is a felony, and the stigma attached to a moment of poor judgment will follow that person for the rest of their lives, coming up in job interviews, rental contracts, credit checks and all sorts of other places. The person who is a habitual shoplifter – and who clearly does not care to reform or change their behavior – would likely not face the same kind of stigma. In general, white collar crime is tolerated as part of “the way things are.” Embezzlement, taking advantage of bailouts, gaming the stock market – these things are not often met with the same outrage.

Ultimately, these types of judgments can be traced back to the idea of compliance as it applies to current societal standards. There was a point where being an athiest could get you hung or burned at the stake, but with the Gen-X/Gen-Y crowd, it is very common. Not too long ago, admitting to homosexuality would get you fired, beaten, or worse – but now, there is a massive push for popular acceptance and validation of it. These things have fallen into vogue, making it easier for Richard Dawkins and Perez Hilton to exist and flourish in a world where, just a century before, they would have been targets of a witch hunt. It doesn’t matter whether atheism or homosexuality is “right” or “wrong” (despite the wealth of arguments about them), it matters whether or not it is agreed upon that these things comply with the collective opinion of what is acceptable for our society. But let’s face it – fear of being seen as non-compliant drives us more than a desire to be compliant.

So, for the most part, we stop at red lights. We pull over to the side of the road when an emergency vehicle is approaching. We pay our taxes. We do these things because we submit ourselves to the authority we’ve granted others in order to govern us. We exchange our true freedom for the relative comfort of what we perceive as a stable and just society. But what is authority, anyway? On the most basic level, authority is legitimacy and expertise, the state of having some sort of prestige in a given context. This status is not something inherent in an individual, but rather something that is granted to them. As more people agree to acknowledge the authority granted to someone, the more it is legitimized and accepted as true.

It’s obvious the kind of power and responsibility that is granted to what we typically conceive of as an authority: governments, military bodies, global organizations such as NATO and WTO. Their influence is often direct and easily measured. When a war is declared, when disaster hits, when assistance is needed, society as a whole entrusts these organizations to exercise their authority with the best judgment. We rally behind troops, we donate money, we send our thoughts and prayers, but we ultimately rely on someone else to do what is necessary to achieve a desired goal or outcome.

Often, we place a lot of trust in authority figures despite continual evidence that our faith is misguided. In the past year, there has been a lot of attention in the news to product recalls for spinach, peanuts, tomatoes, jalapeños and the over-the-counter nutritional supplement Hydroxycut. All of these products fall under the authority of the Food & Drug Administration, who maintain an active list of product recalls. It’s quite long, and many of the recalls issued are quite terrifying. There are mentions of undeclared ingredients, labeling mistakes and the presence of salmonella, E. coli and other contaminants. Some of these can be fatal – e.g. a product which contains nuts, or has been processed in a facility that also processes nuts fails to state this fact on the label. Often, these recalls are only discovered once worst case scenarios begin to unfold (i.e. a body count) – as was the case with the massive peanut recall that led to a wide variety of products being recalled earlier this year.

There is no one single individual to be held to account for food safety at the FDA or anywhere else at the federal level. – Rep. Rosa DeLauro

It took 4 days after salmonella was discovered in the supply of Peanut Corporation of America’s supply before action was taken to recall products. Even then, as we waited with bated breath, an ever-increasing list of products were recalled over the span of this past year, with constantly-changing information about what we could consider “safe.” But in all of this, few people were wondering why we continue to allow ourselves to place faith in such a plainly irresponsible authority. PCA took the fall, driven out of business despite the fact that their shady practices and corner-cutting, profit-chasing greed was made possible by the very authority we believe will keep us safe from harm.

Religion is another authority that is widely relied upon as a source of comfort and security. It’s arguably the most polarizing authority there is, though the level of passion and activism varies wildly from religion to religion, and even from church to church within the same religion. What is truly interesting about this authority is that much power, responsibility and energy has been given over without any obvious justification for it. 2,000 years ago, some events occurred, a number of men retold their versions of those events, and here you have a continual dedication and fanaticism based around the belief that the things described in a book are indeed fact – nay, divine truth – that cannot and should not be questioned.

But why should witnessing a burning bush be seen as miraculous? There are a number of natural hallucinogens that could explain away this phenomenon. In fact, this theory has been researched in detail. If such a thing were to happen today, most would joke that the person experiencing such a thing must be high. What of a person who is dead miraculously rising from the grave? Criss Angel’s Mindfreak is a highly-rated show dedicated to “miraculous” feats of human will. What would have been something of biblical importance 2,000 years ago is merely popular entertainment today. Contextual perception.

The elephant in the room with much religious dogma is that, while many logical and measured arguments could be made to dispute or rebut whole passages of religious text, one simply is assured that by their continued faith, they will ultimately be rewarded. Again, no proof or evidence of the rewards exist in the tangible world, and not a single person has come back from a state of death to attest to the presence of a true afterlife. It’s all conjecture. Every religious text is ultimately weakened by the same exact flaw: they are the words of men, written by mere humans. Subject to the same flawed, subjective experiential shortcomings that we experience today. Love, fear, anger, arousal, mind-altering substances – all things that can affect one’s perception of reality and all potential sources of confusion or distortion. Two different people could see two completely different things.

Still, authority is granted to religious texts. Despite the fact that few men would sever their wife’s hand if she were to touch his assailant’s penis. Or shun a man for sleeping with a woman while she’s on her period. Or murder men who have slept with each other. Or murder nonbelievers. Selective tolerance of religious mores is no different than selective tolerance of societal mores. We jaywalk and we sleep with our girlfriends or wives while they’re menstruating. These are looked upon as “lesser” offenses and perfectly acceptable. But what’s the point of granting authority if you practice selective compliance? Why recognize the authority at all? Religious fundamentalists are often regarded as crazy or fanatical, but they are recognizing the exact same authority that millions of people do, only in a far more passionate and strident way.

Ultimately, though, consumerism and mass media are probably the most sinister form of authority. Where overt authorities like governments and religions are making clear grabs for power with (mostly) obvious intentions, mass marketing corporations and media do everything they can to obscure their motives. Marketing agencies work diligently to build brand trust with consumers. Child psychologists are recruited in order to more effectively take advantage of developmental weaknesses that can be exploited for profit. Celebrities and other public figures are paid to create a buzz around a brand and to attach their perceived positive qualities to a product.

When we see Tiger Woods wearing a Nike hat, we are being conditioned to associate a brand with a proven history of human rights violations and child labor with a person who seems like an infallible hero, an underdog, an untarnished pillar of achievement. We trust Nike. We associate good feelings with their brand. And it all operates on a purely subconscious and devious level. Misdirection. We don’t see Tiger Woods’ contract. We don’t see the hat get produced. We don’t see where the money comes from and where it’s spent. We only see the story they’ve carefully concocted to sell a brand.

Name brands have taken over our language, too. When our noses run, we ask for a Kleenex. When something happens that’s worth remembering, it’s a Kodak moment. Don’t know the answer to something? Google it. These are authorities working on an entirely different level, because rather than a conscious participation, they rely on us to personalize their form of authority so we no longer even consider an alternative – to ask for a tissue, to take a photograph, to search the internet. It becomes second nature to think in terms of their authority as the dominant brand in their industry.

As a world ravaged by the Great Depression and World War II struggled to rebuild a life in the ashes of their ancestors, the blind optimism of the 50’s ushered in a new wave of mass consumption that has lived on for over 5 decades without any sign of slowing down. What many religious zealots credit as the decline or downfall of our society is merely a case of switching one authority for another. Where in the 1940’s, governments were at war and faith was tested, the 1950’s brought a desire to indulge and escape recent events through wholesome, positive fun. A whole generation of “baby boomers” grew to represent the rosy outlook of the time, where people were encouraged to live it up and chase “the American Dream.” Consume for the sake of consuming, because you can, because you’ve earned it after surviving through such tragedy over the past few decades. So we began to entrust our happiness and well-being to a new authority; mass consumerism.

Girls mindlessly flip through issues of Cosmo, quizzing themselves on their sexual prowess. Guys pore over the pages of Maxim, hoping to catch a glimpse of Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson in some state of undress. Parents park their children in front of the TV, trusting the Disney Channel to provide appropriate distractions. VH1 approves another season of Charm School, knowing that it’s a guilty pleasure for a growing number of people. These things become part of our daily routine, to fill up the time and help distract or entertain us and get us through the day. But our consumption of these products is ultimately another form of compliance, of submission to a form of authority that we likely don’t realize is there, or that we actively deny, claiming it has no effect on us.

When the editors of Cosmo put together an issue, the articles and photos are not chosen and placed at random. There’s a reason you’ll find sexually charged and visually appealing ads for condoms on the page adjacent to a comparatively plain-looking, text-heavy article about “what he really wants in the bedroom… but isn’t telling you.” The article is meant to draw your initial attention, but the true purpose is to put your eyeballs in front of that ad, which, in context, is far more appealing than the article you originally picked up the magazine to read. You tell yourself you’re not influenced by it and that you can look at it without it affecting you, but the next time you’re in need and you find yourself shopping for condoms, you discover an inexplicable urge to choose Durex….

There are plenty of other forms of compliance and authority that we take for granted. As someone who has never been to college, I know first-hand that people look at you differently when they discover you aren’t college educated. It can affect your social and professional standing, your credit, your employment, your residential opportunities, and more. Yet, at the same time, I personally know a number of people who either cheated their way through school (as much as was possible) or chose to pursue majors that they had no actual interest in, simply because the coursework would be expedient, allowing them to get a degree with minimal effort.

The focus on having these degrees has reached such a high level of importance that parents are enrolling their children in college prep programs as early as 5th or 6th grade, expecting that they will have a competitive advantage to get into the best schools. Yet if the degree itself holds very little actual value in its real world application, then why surrender to the authority of higher education in the first place? As a patient comparing two doctors, will a degree indicate which doctor cut corners in pursuit of wealth and which followed a passion to help others? As a voter, will a degree help distinguish the candidate out to establish power and influence from the candidate who truly wants to improve their community?

Barack Obama is a Democrat and a Columbia- and Harvard-educated lawyer. He’s also the President of the United States. The first black President. A Christian. Millionaire. A brand name. And one of the most eminent authorities in the world today. It’s no mistake that Shepard Fairey was behind the iconic portrait plastered everywhere during the 2008 election. Obama was/is a master of the personal brand (with plenty of calculated guidance from David Axelrod and crew). Delivering the idea and the image in an easily-digestible and memorable way, but without seeming intentionally focused on style over substance.

Hitler was also a master at the personal brand. The bold stylistic choices made in Nazi propaganda and decoration were no accident. Careful consideration was given to the adoption of the swastika symbol, flipping it around counter-clockwise, placing it within a white disc on a red background. The size of the disc and the thickness of the lines in the swastika were deliberate choices made to achieve a desired effect. Long before the Holocaust and the truth of the Reichstag fire were a matter of public record, Adolf Hitler represented one simple thing to the battered people of Germany, frustrated with their post-World War I struggles, eager to see a strong Germany rise again to prominence: hope. He recognized and manipulated this desire within the people to be led, to submit to an authority greater than themselves. Given this context, it’s no surprise that Obama has been compared so often to Hitler (no matter how misguided that comparison may be).

Ultimately, compliance and submission to authority represent a conscious choice within each individual to trade personal responsibility and true freedom for comfort and security. When this choice is made, the individual often chooses to view the choice as something external, a decision that has been made for them. There is an increasing trend in modern society to assume the role of a victim actively seeking the archetypal savior. A submission of will to a figure of authority is often seen as the answer to a problem deemed too large to fix by ourselves. “Let go, let God.” “Support our troops.” “You’re in good hands with Allstate.”

These archetypes continue to exist because there is a conflict within each individual when presented with the choice of personal responsibility. We are conditioned to put our trust and faith in these authority figures and to comply with their demands or expectations. We consciously – and subconsciously – use these authorities to judge others’ abilities, intentions and potential. But governments, religions, businesses, institutions and organizations have all risen and fallen, time and again. Whether incorrect, ineffective or irrelevant, most forms of authority eventually outlive their usefulness. Yet instead of a change in the collective approach to personal responsibility, more often than not, a new authority is sought or created to fill the need for the savior, the father figure, the protector.

“Think for yourself and question authority.” It’s been said many times by many people, but few truly understand the full power of this statement. Even this blog post should be questioned. Information is not inherently good or bad, right or wrong. Information is just data; it’s all in how it’s processed by each individual mind, and the only way to truly control that process is to accept personal responsibility and grant yourself authority over your own world.

It is often said that every 30 years of your life, you experience a “Saturn return.”  This is because Saturn’s orbit around the sun takes approximately 29.5 years.  What it typically represents is a time of great upheaval and change.

In astrology, Saturn represents a number of things.  But one thing Saturn represents that tends to resonate most with those experiencing a Saturn return is the enforcement of law, or restrictions.

Saturn, therefore, represents our limitations in power and control, in confinement or isolation and capacity. Taking all this into consideration, it is no wonder we face difficulty when attempting to transform Saturn from a controlling force to a teaching force because we encounter all our limitations in every aspect of our lives.

Teachers are often thought of as the people who lead a classroom full of students in the acquisition of new knowledge.  In the American system of education, at least, this is often a simple case of indoctrination.  In order to achieve particular goals or career paths, there are certain things you must know, and there is a way that this information must be delivered to you.  Therefore, what we often conceive of as education is really an attempt at social control through reinforcing standards.

There are opportunities to learn everywhere in life. Anyone can be a teacher and anything can be a curriculum. Many of my teachers have been artists, musicians, actors, friends, family, strangers. The difference between knowledge and wisdom often lies in who your teachers are rather than what you’re being taught.

The band Tool is an amazing group that blends superb musicianship, higher consciousness, emotional maturity and a dry sense of humor into something that no other artist can replicate – though many have tried. I refer to them as my “left brain” band – the part of the brain associated with logic and analysis. Much of my passion for learning is derived from influences such as these.

In 2001, Tool released an album, Lateralus, which dealt with this topic in particular, in the opening track, “The Grudge.”

Wear your grudge like a crown of negativity.
Calculate what we will or will not tolerate.
Desperate to control all and everything.
Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen.

Clutch it like a cornerstone, otherwise it all comes down.
Justify denials and grip it to the lonesome end.
Clutch it like a cornerstone, otherwise it all comes down.
Terrified of being wrong. Ultimatum prison cell.

Saturn ascends, choose one or ten.
Hang on or be humbled again.

Clutch it like a cornerstone. otherwise it all comes down.
Justify denials and grip it to the lonesome end.
Saturn ascends, comes round again.
Saturn ascends, the one, the ten.
Ignorant to the damage done.

Wear your grudge like a crown of negativity.
Calculate what you will or will not tolerate.
Desperate to control all and everything.
Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen.

Wear the grudge like a crown. Desperate to control.
Unable to forgive, and we’re sinking deeper.

Defining, confining, sinking deeper.
Controlling, defining, and we’re sinking deeper.

Saturn comes back around to show you everything
Lets you choose what you will or will not see and then
Drags you down like a stone or lifts you up again
Spits you out like a child, light and innocent.

Saturn comes back around. Lifts you up like a child or
Drags you down like a stone to
Consume you ’til you choose to let this go.
Choose to let this go.

Give away the stone.
Let the oceans take and transmutate this cold and fated anchor.
Give away the stone.
Let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges into gold.

Let go.

The song is quite powerful and has a very strong message behind it. It has resonated with me since the album was first released, but I find myself listening to it more and more these days. Letting go is part of the mythology of the Saturn return, to fully embrace the possibilities of life and question your own beliefs and values. But it’s far more difficult to let go of things than to desperately cling to what is easy or perceived to be working. Often, this only prolongs the eventual pain that we feel when we experience the upheaval of a life-altering event or moment. I believe you should always be asking why. “Why am I experiencing this emotion?” “Why am I preoccupied with this thought?” “Why am I choosing to react in this manner?” Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the same cycles of behavior in our lives without ever growing or evolving.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein

Too often, we are terrified of change and self-reflection, so many of those fears become our weapons that we project onto others.  We are self-conscious about our looks, so we judge others for theirs (e.g. Perez Hilton, et al).  We are insecure about our bodies so we overcompensate with external things (e.g. plastic surgery or ego-driven machismo).  We are threatened by intimacy, so we mistreat or push away those we feel closest to.  We are such predictable creatures, but will do almost anything in our power to avoid attaining this knowledge. They don’t teach these things in school, so most of us simply don’t know how to.

Dredg is what I often call my “right brain” band – the part of the brain associated with emotion and intuition. While they are every bit as intelligent and talented as Tool, no band can make me feel quite the way that Dredg can. Many of their songs give me goosebumps or make me well up a little bit when listening to them, no matter how many times I’ve heard them. One such song is “Bug Eyes.”

Bring back those good ol’ days
Nothing feels right, nothing ever goes my way
I threw my future away
Now I walk alone out here in the cold, wandering astray
Where’s my future?
I’m gonna need a home
You’d expect the same, now wouldn’t you, wouldn’t you?

Your journey back to birth is haunting you, it’s haunting you
Your departure from the earth is haunting you, it’s haunting you

Only those who accept will find that acceptance in return
We have been trimmed down like hedges,
And told just to sit, and wilt, and spit at each other from a distance
There is constant resistance from you
I’m gonna need a home
You’d expect the same now wouldn’t you, wouldn’t you?

Your journey back to birth is haunting you, it’s haunting you
Your departure from the earth is haunting you, it’s haunting you

It’s been ten years strong, that’s much too long
It’s time to do something good for my health
Time to do something good for myself
I’ve wasted all this time, I’ve wasted all this time

Your journey back to birth is haunting you, it’s haunting you
You departure from the earth is haunting you, it’s haunting you

Another powerful song, but in an entirely different way. While Tool offers a logical and analytical approach to the Saturn return, Dredg issues an emotional and intuitive plea – life is too short to waste it living out of sync with each other and the world around us.  Chasing after an uncertain future, amassing wealth and property, with faith in the unknown (and unknowable), consuming without concern for our environment and gratifying our ego every chance we get – this is not a way to live. This is a life completely out of balance.

The above image is taken from the breathtaking film Koyaanisqatsi – a Hopi word that means “crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living.” In the film, human life, technology and nature are juxtaposed, often in jarring ways, to illustrate the effect that modern society has had on the planet.  While human development as a whole has carved its path on the earth, each of us as individuals have taken to discovering our own niche within that world, often at odds with ourselves and each other, in pursuit of some elusive destination. In this image, a skyscraper – indeed, a monument that serves mainly to gratify our ego as a species, as well as destroy an otherwise pristine view of the heavens – is placed next to a bright, full moon, awe-inspiring in its simple beauty and grandeur. Two of mankind’s greatest achievements, side by side, which are also simultaneously two of mankind’s failures. Our planet is polluted with these skeletal monstrosities pointing upwards at a celestial body that has been littered with trash by those lucky enough to have experienced it firsthand.

But have we learned our lesson?  Will Saturn teach us something or will we ignore our chances to evolve?  This choice resides in each and every one of us, and on the eve of my 30th birthday, it has become clear to me that the evolution has already happened within me. I am no longer the person most people have come to perceive as “Erik.”

A few years ago, I got a tattoo on my left ankle of the Dredg logo:

The symbol is a derivation of the Chinese symbols for “change” and “chameleon.”  As I believe that constant open-mindedness and willingness to change are an important component of how I live my life, this was a perfect fit for the first thing I’d want permanently inked on my body – a way for me to refuse to let myself become too complacent or too fearful in life.

Now is another occasion where it is necessary to burn down the ruins and build a new monument out of the ashes. To reboot the system. To change the channel.

NO SIGNAL

Any good storyteller will tell you, above all else, to remain true to your subject. Your story may be imbued with a variety of plot contrivances, embellishments and anecdotal meanderings, but if you are true to your subject, the story will be worth telling.

We hear the same tired cliches time and time again, reminding us that “life is what you make it” and to “embrace the power of positive thinking.” These are wonderful platitudes, but never quite seem to resonate in the way that they were meant to. Most people roll their eyes and continue on doing exactly what they’ve been doing.

That is, until New Year’s.

New Year's resolutions postcard from 1915

Every year, the symbolic beginning of a new year encourages people to make changes in their lives. Why? What is so important about January 1st?

Pope Gregory XIII

We measure our time by the Gregorian calendar, so named after the Pope Gregory XIII who decreed it, rather arbitrarily, in 1582. This calendar system is a modification of the Julian calendar, which is derived from the Roman calendar, which may have its basis in the Hellenic calendar of ancient Greece. So, how is time measured using this calendar system?

The Gregorian solar calendar is an arithmetical calendar. It counts days as the basic unit of time, grouping them into years of 365 or 366 days; and repeats completely every 146,097 days, which fill 400 years, and which also happens to be 20,871 seven-day weeks. Of these 400 years, 303 (the “common years”) have 365 days, and 97 (the leap years) have 366 days. This gives an average year length of exactly 365.2425 days, or 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds.

365.2425 days in a year, a number reached by playing around with arithmetic based on lunar movement. Entirely arbitrary and rather arrogant, given how often mankind has been incorrect in its assumptions throughout history. Remember when the Earth was flat? Of course not. During your lifetime, you’ve been taught otherwise. Let alone the fact that the life of Jesus Christ is intertwined with the structure of the calendar. So when someone tells you that January 1st is approaching, there is an unspoken inference that you believe in Jesus as a prophet and lunar cycles as an accurate measurement of time. That is one hell of an assumption.

Magritte's "The Son Of Man"

So in any good story, there will always be a protagonist and a villain, with some kind of conflict. Man vs. man. Man vs. nature. Man vs. society. Man vs. the supernatural. Man vs. technology. But by far the most interesting (and least understood) is man vs. himself. It is here where the battle lines are not clearly drawn and the heroes and villains are not always well-defined and in direct opposition. Here, man must reconcile his desires and temptations, to arrive at some kind of peace with himself and his decisions. It is in this hidden struggle where the New Year’s resolutions exist.

All of us have our insecurities and perceived weaknesses. We struggle with our health, our finances, our personal relationships. So each January 1st, many of us resolve to address these problems head on and with intense focus. The problem, of course, is that most New Year’s resolutions fail. So what does that teach us about ourselves? That we are failures? That because of Jesus and lunar cycles and our lack of discipline, we are doomed to disappointment? Of course not. Each January 1st, we have another chance to start anew, to re-dedicate ourselves to self-improvement.

While there is some truth in “life is what you make of it,” that phrase fails to capture the true magic of existence. It’s not just that you have the ability to change the outcome of your life, it’s that each of us is our own storyteller. We choose the story we want to tell the world. Some of us allow the world or other people to tell our story for us. Some of us are so distracted by modern life that we let the story go untold entirely while we are off pursuing our interests. Ultimately, though, the story is ours to tell. Through your speech, through your actions, you tell your story. You update your Facebook status and your MySpace profile and upload your photos to Flickr. You share (or don’t share) your life with those around you. Some are left with the right impression, some are not. The story is still yours to tell.

Many people who I know personally choose to tell stories that betray their true identity. They show a smiling face to the world. They are popular, they are beautiful. They have been blessed with great wealth and opportunity. But often, there is a dark side to the story, a shame or regret or resentment, some intangible (but overwhelming) presence that is a large part of their story, but is never shared. Others seem happy to expose their demons and dark side for the world to see, afraid of somehow becoming too vulnerable if seen as anything less than human garbage. These are not likely stories that they would consider an accurate reflection of themselves, but they are being told nonetheless.

When you introduce others in your life, you will often say, “this is my friend Bill” or “this is my wife Sarah.” In that short introduction, a story is being told. A label has been applied. The person receiving the introduction has had their perception colored by this information, a fact that will remain inextricably connected in their minds to your story. It conveys a message; “this is my friend Bill” implies that Bill is trustworthy and deserving of respect simply due to the nature of your friendship. “This is my wife Sarah” indicates that Sarah is sexually and emotionally unavailable; it sets a boundary and defines her existence in a very particular way. These are their stories, but not likely a sum of their existence. Bill may be a pedophile. Sarah may be cheating. We don’t know these things – we only know the story that they (and those around them) choose to tell.

Hiding something?

Social groups often reinforce and re-tell these stories, with complete disregard for their veracity. Juicy gossip is something many of us relish, whether it’s about a celebrity or a co-worker. We tell our own versions of someone’s story to others. We criticize and devalue them in ways that are important to us. Perhaps it is jealousy, perhaps it is simply a mechanism of reinforcing one’s own ego by making others appear to be lesser in comparison. One way or another, the end result is the same – a story is told about someone. As is often the case with gossip, these stories involve weight, looks, finances, job performance, family or relationship troubles – many of the same things we resolve to fix with our New Year’s resolutions.

So why wait until January 1st? Why wait until an arbitrary lunar cycle happens to line up with an arbitrary calendar system developed by men who died nearly 5 centuries ago and centered around an arbitrary Christian theology? You can change your story any time you want to. That’s the beauty of life. If you don’t like the story you’re telling, or the story being told about you, you can change it. If you want to lose weight, start the day you decide to. If you want to stop drinking or smoking, stop the day you decide to.

Tell your story.

It’s your story, so tell the story you want people to know. If you are true to yourself, the story will be worth telling.

We have created a culture in which distractions have taken primary focus. The purpose they serve is clear; to distract us from remembering the fact that one day, no matter the wealth, circumstance or favor we may enjoy in our lives, all of us will die.

So we watch.

After less than a century of television’s existence, it has fully embedded itself into our daily lives, becoming an integral part of most American homes. Building on its’ success, TiVo has revolutionized what was thought by many to be a dying technology. No more worrying about setting VCR times, buying tapes, or even having to be awake to watch something. Via our 24/7 multi-satellite and multi-cable connections, we can record hours and hours of shows to watch, and the networks have been more than happy to adapt by replaying most of their popular programs in different time slots and on sister networks to ensure that you will never have to miss a thing (for example, the recent season finale of Rock Of Love: Charm School was replayed more than 20 times on Viacom’s channels during the week it was aired). In the past 10 years, reality TV has exploded, with hundreds of shows catering to almost every possible niche of popular culture. This year, almost as many people voted for the winner of American Idol as voted for the President of the United States. Since CNN started the trend, 24 hour news has given us stories that would never have received mainstream attention before, leading to more news creation and less news reporting. Constant streams of information, always something to watch, always something happening.

Innovation in the tech industry of the 90’s led to the generation of a consumption-based economy on the internet. Prior to the late 90’s, the internet was mostly used by the government, students, teachers and professionals in order to achieve specific aims. Email and IM were popular, but not prevalent. Even at its height, the internet as many of us knew it back then was still something only middle class nerds were fooling around with. LiveJournal and Friendster ushered in the concept of social networking, but it was MySpace that truly launched the idea into the mass market. Facebook, LinkedIn, Bebo, Hi5, Orkut and many others have all had various levels of success. Just as with reality TV, it appears that there is a service for every possible niche. Countless ways to connect your life with the global network around you. Constant streams of information, always something to watch, always something happening.

There was a time when cameras were bulky and expensive, limiting their use mainly to the wealthy mavens of Hollywood and highly skilled professional photographers. In the past decade especially, this once unreachable medium has become available and affordable to nearly everyone. Digital cameras and camcorders are cheap, and in many cases, embedded in other common products such as cellphones and laptop computers. Where social networking has created a place to interact, social media became the companion piece; a way to visually document our lives, to share it with others. The success of Flickr and YouTube – as well as of all the clones to follow in their wake – has given rise to an even richer experience, a more effective method of engaging others. To ensure that you never miss a thing, you can subscribe to customized RSS feeds of all your favorite sources of information, no matter what form it takes. Constant streams of information, always something to watch, always something happening.

With internet connection speeds increasing exponentially in the past decade, it’s now possible to stream high definition video, audio and pictures almost instantaneously. Gone are the days of waiting minutes or hours for relatively small files to download, in its place the immediate gratification of always-on, instant data. Cell phone popularization in the past 10 years has transformed mobile phone use from a luxury into a near-indispensable commodity, bringing this instantaneous data streaming device to even those without any truly disposable income. Not only have the devices become more common, but the networks hosting them have become far more complex, evolving from dicey basic phone reception to full-featured internet access. In the age of Blackberries and iPhones, you never have to be more than a touch away from all the world has to offer. Constant streams of information, always something to watch, always something happening.

So where does all of this leave us? More on that in a bit. First, let’s take a break to explore a tangent.

Andrea Dworkin is infamous for popularizing the idea that pornography has been responsible for an increase in rape and violence against women. In her book, Pornography – Men Possessing Women, she attacks the adult industry for its use of violence and degradation in order to sell a product – mainly the idea of a male-dominated world in which women functioned as on-demand fantasy-fulfilling submissives. Granted, Dworkin was a staunch feminist, but there is some truth in the arguments she made. Much of her criticism of pornography was written in the 1980’s, and in the quarter century since, many phenomena have occurred not only to support her arguments, but to surpass what were probably her worst fears motivating her to speak out in the first place.

The adoption of the internet as an indispensable component of our daily lives brought with it an inevitable eventuality; a massive explosion of the interest in – and consumption of – pornography. As the tools became available to us to sequester ourselves in a room, alone, with no fear of judgment, and to gather discreetly with others with a common shared interest, every possible sexual indulgence and fetish became not only possible, but probable. Gonzo. Scat. Water sports. The 2 Girls, 1 Cup video went viral. Jokes about a Dirty Sanchez, Donkey Punch and Cleveland Steamer are all present in recent blockbuster (i.e. mainstream) comedies. Pornography has become acceptable and even perhaps encouraged in modern society. There are elements of it present in all of the media mentioned earlier; Tila Tequila takes “A Shot At Love” by making out with attractive men and women in a hot tub, the “MySpace whores” of the younger generation post scantily clad pictures and videos of themselves dancing seductively on their profiles and ads appear on late night TV with some breathy siren imploring you to text her in order to get in on an all-night text party that’s happening somewhere at this very moment.

Female seduction has become less about the mystery of a woman and rather about sexual violence. Nowadays there is seemingly no end to the sacrifices women will make to be seen as sexually desirable, from painful and irreversible plastic surgery procedures to LUG/BUG experimentation to the types of pornography listed above. Interestingly enough, these phenomena are not common in homosexual, lesbian or other types of pornography, which seem geared more towards -philia, or “the love of” their chosen subject, rather than the desecration of it. Certainly this is an extension of the Biblical concept of wives submitting to their husband’s authority. When a woman is seen with a group of men ejaculating on her face, or being defecated upon, or urinated upon, or beaten, choked or pretending to be raped, it is seen as arousing and even acceptable by an increasing number of people. Yet pictures of a child clothed in underwear (not nude) will get you jail time. It’s not that child pornography should ever be considered acceptable. The more pertinent question is, why are we so indifferent to the types of self-degradation women are allowed to experience for the enjoyment of the public at large? Aren’t all of us equally deserving of respect and dignity? One of the top searches on Google is “Bang Bus” (and has been ever since the site’s inception). The entire premise of that website is that a woman in distress is picked up off the street, offered money in exchange for sex, then is dropped off in an unknown area with a laugh, money thrown at her feet. Whether it is real or scripted is irrelevant. The human mind reacts to stimuli whether it is actual or perceived, and it is not hard to see how something like the Bang Bus could be perceived as society’s acceptance (and perhaps encouragement) of bargaining away your self-worth in exchange for transient things like money and fame.

So how is this tangent relevant to the initial point?

What has happened in the pornographic industry certainly speaks to Dworkin’s perspective of its effect on how women are treated, but I believe that she was diagnosing a symptom of a much larger problem. This tendency of humankind to watch no matter what the cost to others and to ourselves has been mirrored in much of modern life. “MySpace whores” will do anything for attention – lying about their age, taking pictures from flattering angles, flirting with strangers – hoping that someone will value them in ways that they have not been able to value themselves. They put videos up on YouTube, sometimes embarrassing and exposing themselves in the moment without fully realizing the potential consequences. Pictures of people getting drunk and high at last night’s party are posted on publicly-viewable profiles for the world to see. Status updates are sent across social networking sites to keep everyone informed of the latest adventures and drama in your life. More often than not, people are willing to go to great lengths to be noticed, and we are willing to go to great depths in order to watch them.

George W. Bush made many mistakes as President (and will certainly be remembered for them), but chances are that more people watched a shoe being thrown at him than watched any of his State Of The Union addresses (i.e. his job). While the man performed poorly in office, there is a basic human dignity that is lacking in seeing something like that replayed time and again. We enjoy watching the mighty fall. Britney Spears, bald, wielding an umbrella, pushed to a breaking point. Lindsay Lohan passed out drunk in the passenger seat. Paris Hilton giving a mediocre blowjob. Celebrity Rehab. The Smoking Gun. Our world no longer has a flag being raised at Iwo Jima. No Alberto Korda documenting the steely resolve of Che Guevara. The memorable images of our time are not important historical moments that happened to be captured. Instead, we are left with photo ops that are created for the sole purpose of public opinion manipulation (insert “Mission Accomplished” banner here), moments of catastrophe and failure which are replayed ad infinitum (9/11 anyone?), embarrassment (the celebrities mentioned above) and quite frankly, the majority of these images exist merely for our own enjoyment, to re-watch and re-live at our leisure. While it may not be acceptable to masturbate to a plane flying into the World Trade Center, there is a part of us that sees it as being no different than a Michael Bay movie; tantalizing action sequences that get your adrenaline pumping. We forget about the people dying in front of our eyes. We are desensitized by the very act of watching. We forget that these people are as human as we are, with hopes, dreams, families, friends, colleagues.

But these are big, heady ideas and hardly relevant to your life, right? Well…

Imagine the last time your child was in a pageant or play. Were you watching them perform, or were you recording it? You go to a concert to see your favorite band play. Are you updating your Twitter, Facebook and MySpace statuses, submitting mobile photos and videos taken on your cameraphone, or are you watching the band play? You’re in mixed company and there’s an awkward silence or lull in the conversation. Do you try and discover new and interesting things about the people you’re with, or do you play on your Blackberry or iPhone? You’re on vacation, maybe even your honeymoon. Do you shut your phone off, or do you keep it by your side at all times?

These are walls; barriers to existence. We all have 5 physical senses in which we experience the world, in which we are able to absorb data for our minds to process. The thought of losing any one of those senses is be unbearable for many of us, yet when was the last time you’ve really seen someone, heard them, smelled them, touched them, even tasted them? There is a delicate beauty that runs through much of the life on this planet, which is what the old adage “stop and smell the roses” is all about. But we are all conditioned to believe that we are missing out on something. There’s always that constant stream of information, always something to watch, always something happening. But very few of us actually require constant contact and notification (think: doctors). So when I am having coffee with a friend, something inside them forces the need to know exactly what is going on, even if it’s just a notification that a friend has “poked” them. In the physical world, they don’t look at me, they don’t hear me and they don’t touch me, as those senses are all dulled and distracted by the act of watching something else. Usually I have half their attention and find myself often needing to repeat what I’ve said.

It may seem a stretch to compare violent pornography to being poked on Facebook, but ultimately, the idea is that there is less appreciation for the humanity and beauty in this world because of the things we choose to watch, and to a lesser extent, participate in. It’s not about the morality of one thing vs. another, it’s not about the severity of one act vs. another. In all the behavior mentioned here, there is a subtle murder, a subtle suicide happening. Not a direct and final one, to be sure – nobody is actually dying from reading TMZ. But we all have a finite amount of time on this planet and absolutely no idea when it will end. The next time you are in the presence of someone you love, it may be the last time you see them. This is an uncomfortable truth we collectively ignore. But really, does anyone on this planet want to die wondering if they were truly cared for? If someone close to you were to die and you passed up an opportunity to see them in order to stay at home and catch up on Perez Hilton, would it be one of your haunting regrets in life?

If you’re ever in my presence and you hear my cell phone ring, maybe you will now understand why I ignore it.

Last year’s installment proved rather popular, so without further ado, here is the Music You Should’ve Heard In 2008 (But Probably Didn’t).

Download: MegaUpload

Disc 1:

1. In Aviate – “Redefining Automation” – (3:31)
2. Secret & Whisper – “XOXOXO” – (3:26)
3. The Audition – “Basbhat” – (2:40)
4. Damiera – “Teacher, Preacher” – (3:02)
5. Econoline Crush – “Psychotic” – (3:47)
6. Livalie – “The Plunge” – (4:31)
7. Ashes Divide – “Enemies” – (3:11)
8. Unjust – “It’s Not Enough” – (3:17)
9. Scar Symmetry – “Morphogenesis” – (3:51)
10. Egypt Central – “You Make Me Sick” – (3:53)
11. Showbread – “The Goat” – (3:43)
12. The Sound Of Animals Fighting – “I, The Swan” – (4:14)
13. The Mars Volta – “Ilyena” – (5:36)
14. Ra – “The First Step” – (4:26)
15. Godhead – “Become The Sky” – (4:20)
16. The Dreaming – “Disconnected” – (3:02)
17. The Cab – “One Of THOSE Nights” – (3:49)
18. VersaEmerge – “In Pursuing Design” – (3:51)
19. A Kiss Could Be Deadly – “The Exit” – (3:30)
20. Anberlin – “The Resistance” – (3:17)
21. Taproot – “Wherever I Stand” – (3:23)

Disc 2:

1. Anthony Green – “Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying To Reach You)” – (3:17)
2. The Limousines – “New Years Resolution” – (5:28)
3. Saul Williams – “Skin Of A Drum” – (3:57)
4. N.E.R.D. – “Sooner Or Later” – (6:43)
5. Flobots – “Fight With Tools” – (4:51)
6. My Contrition – “What Now” – (3:09)
7. Eye Alaska – “I Knew You’d Never Fly” – (4:09)
8. Woven – “Prickly Pear” – (5:02)
9. VAST – “I Know How To Love” – (3:58)
10. Trip Device – “The Terrifying Truth” – (2:52)
11. Subkulture – “Erasus (feat. Klayton of Celldweller)” – (4:11)
12. Pendulum – “Propane Nightmares” – (5:11)
13. VETO – “Digits” – (3:26)
14. Mindless Self Indulgence – “Never Wanted To Dance (The Birthday Massacre Pansy Mix feat. Chibi)” – (3:29)
15. Tricky – “Bacative” – (3:51)
16. 3OH!3 – “Richman” – (3:20)
17. Julien-K – “Maestro” – (3:28)
18. Shiny Toy Guns – “Ricochet!” – (2:39)
19. Blue Stahli – “Kill Me Every Time” – (5:10)

For those who know me, you are aware that I don’t really do Christmas, but some still insist on getting me things I don’t really want or need. Please, consider donating to Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) instead. I’m trying to raise $300 – the cost of a single Gore-Tex heart patch used in the life-saving operations performed on children with “Chernobyl Heart.” It’s not much – the cost of the full operation to save just one child is $1,500 – but it’s a good start. You can see pictures of some of the children who have had this surgery here.

UPDATE: The pledge to raise $300 was successful. In less than 6 months, we’ve more than doubled the amount of money raised through the Facebook application, but the journey doesn’t end here. Please feel free to continue donating as often – and as generously – as you can.

Take some time to watch this clip from the HBO documentary Chernobyl Heart to get a better understanding of why this inspires me to action. In the years since I’ve seen it, many of the stories and images still haunt me. If you are interested, there is a link below the video to the full 39-minute documentary.

Full 39-minute HBO documentary Chernobyl Heart

Here’s a promotional video put together by CCPI that explains what they do:

Lastly, a photo essay, Chernobyl Legacy by Paul Fusco, may be viewed by clicking this photo:

My buddy Shawn graciously started off my fundraising pledge with a $25 donation and a blog post about it, so great kudos to him for helping to raise money and spread the word.

If you are interested in learning more about what happened in Chernobyl, the Wikipedia page is good for a general overview, and Chernobyl.info has more in-depth information. I’d also highly recommend looking at the photo essay done in 2004 by a woman who calls herself Kidd Of Speed (real name Elena Filatova); it shows what a desolate wasteland Chernobyl remains today. There are similar photographs in the gallery at Chernobyl 20, an exhibit dedicated to showing the lasting effects of what happened. A news article from 2006 investigates whether more disaster is possible at the Chernobyl site. More recently, studies have shown that the effects of Chernobyl are worse than originally thought, causing mutations in the wildlife that roams free in the contaminated area.

This is entirely a man-made disaster. Human effort built the reactor. Human error was responsible for the failure. Human shame and greed covered up what really happened and human ignorance and apathy have contributed to the continuing problems that exist today, over 20 years since the event. Please help spread the word and make this small difference in our world. These children never asked to have these health problems, nor were they given a fair chance by the government and citizens who were supposed to help protect them.

What you can do:

• Read or subscribe to the CCPI blog
• Follow the CCPI on Twitter
• Join the CCPI via the Facebook Causes application
• Become a fan of the CCPI on Facebook
• Buy a CCPI shirt via the CCPI store on Zazzle
• Watch CCPI vides on YouTube

But most importantly, you can donate to the cause. Many charities and non-profits which receive mainstream attention, sexy celebrity endorsements, telethons, commercials and documentaries have massive budgets and can afford to make a major difference in the world. CCPI does not have this luxury, so whatever you can do to raise funds and awareness is greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention.

Prop 8 didn’t have much to do with Silicon Valley/SF.

Prop 8, statewide vote by county

Nearly the entire right side of the state is conservative. THEY DON’T LIKE THEM FAGGOTS IN TURLOCK, NO SIR. I admit this statement is inflammatory, but that’s the point. Bear with me here. Read to the end.

In Santa Clara county (my county), Prop 8 lost with 56% saying no and 44% saying yes. An 8% margin REJECTING Prop 8 here vs. a 4% margin APPROVING Prop 8 at the state level. Remember, California is the 3rd largest state in terms of land and 1st largest state by population. SF and Silicon Valley are very progressive, but much of the state (and population) is rural and conservative. Here are the votes from SF and Santa Clara counties:

Source.

By the way, to offer a little continuity to my sarcastic comment earlier about Turlock (aka “The City Of God”), Turlock is in Stanislaus County, which voted an overwhelming 68% yes on Prop 8 and 32% no:

“In the state legislature Turlock is located in the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Jeff Denham, and in the 26th Assembly District, represented by Republican Greg Aghazarian. Federally, Turlock is located in California’s 19th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +10 and is represented by Republican George Radanovich.” – from Wikipedia, as linked above

All Republicans. Also notable is that Stanislaus county as a whole voted for Obama, 50% vs. 48% for McCain. Atypical.

Prop 8 should not have passed, but considering that the vote was SUPER CLOSE statewide (52% yes, 48% no – a difference of 506,414 votes) and considering that gay rights have never had to face the kind of battles that women’s rights and African-American rights have had to face, I’d say we’ve made a lot more progress than anyone cares to realize.

Aside from Matthew Shepard (which was in Wyoming – a predominantly conservative Republican state, not California, a predominantly progressive Democrat state) and Harvey Milk (which was never substantially proven to be a hate crime, just suspected as such), the gay community has mostly suffered harsh words and occasional physical assaults (not to belittle them in any way). Stack that up against public lynchings where entire towns participated and watched, Jim Crow laws, the Dred Scott case… and considering that slavery ended almost a century and a half ago (143 years, to be exact), look where gay rights stand versus African-American rights. Look at the LA Riots. Look at Katrina. Look at the fact that I’ve heard the word “nigger” uttered plenty of times (as a racial insult, not as slang) here, in a progressive area of California, in 2008. Look at how black people are portrayed in the media as a whole. It’s even the subject of plenty of internet humor:

I won’t pretend I’m above laughing at cheap jokes and I won’t pretend that I don’t have a dark sense of humor. However, regardless of whether the above picture is funny to me, you or anyone else, it is a symptom of the overall issue that equality in this country is a long march for everyone, and institutionalized discrimination, even for cheap jokes like this, only perpetuates the problem.

It’s not about who is the bigger victim here, that’s not my point. But considering that in 4 decades of gay rights being in the public eye (84 years total, going back to the Henry Gerber’s Society for Human Rights in 1924), we’ve come far enough to have a 4% statewide split on prop 8, that’s pretty amazing. You have to understand that the gay lifestyle is challenging thousands of years of heterosexuality being the publicly perceived norm for people worldwide, whereas the idea of an African-American president is really challenging the history of racism in a nation that is only 232 years old.

Perspective, people, it’s all about perspective.

The reality is, more likely than not, Prop 8 will be repealed and overturned. Given how close the vote was and how compelling the argument for unconstitutionality is, it’s not hard to see the possibility. Also, you have to remember that Obama is against Prop 8 and while the proposition may have failed at the state level, it is quite possible that Obama could bring the issue to the national stage and make it a federal concern. Failure in California could be the catalyst needed for a nationwide push to support gay rights. Here’s a quote from Obama about Prop 8:

I’ve stated my opposition to this. I think it’s unnecessary. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about.

Obama supports the Matthew Shepard Act, which was dropped because it was attached to a defense reauthorization bill that anti-war Democrats, conservative groups and President Bush opposed. This is an issue that, as part of an Obama administration, is guaranteed to be addressed. Hope is not lost, so please, simmer down, let go of some of the emotionally-charged reactionary freakouts and focus on the fact that today there is an entirely new future ahead of us, one that will no longer be the product of apathy and cynicism, but of real actual hope, something I can honestly say I am seeing for the very first time in my lifetime.

FDR, MLK, JFK – all great men who embodied the American dream and spirit, all great men who have shown history that humanity is not lost, that the future is not doomed and that one man really can make a huge difference in this world. Obama is no messiah, but it is clear that many people in our country can envision him as the next one of these men. Prop 8 is a drop in the bucket of what our future is going to be.

Perspective.

P.S. For the record (not that I should have to qualify my take on this), I have a gay parent, many gay friends and co-workers, some of whom who are proudly and openly out and others who are still afraid – to this day – to even publicly acknowledge who they are. It’s not that this issue doesn’t affect me, it’s that the bigger picture excites me more than bickering, finger-pointing and flipping out. We all deserve respect and dignity, folks, whether you’re a gay rights advocate from SF who voted no on Prop 8 or a staunch conservative from Turlock who voted yes. Show each other that respect, because you are both citizens of the same state, and that’s part of the change we’ve all been fighting for.

So, Prop 8 is passed. It’s done. What can we do about it?

Contact your local representatives and let them know how you feel.

House. Senate. California Secretary of State. California Governor’s Office.

Be polite, eloquent, and voice your concerns. If you think Prop 8 is unconstitutional or invalid, say so, and include whatever evidence you may have. For instance, you could argue that the LDS/Mormon church violated their 501(c)(3) status to get Prop 8 approved. Do try to avoid emotional rhetoric because they tend to not respond as well to that sort of thing.

Here’s a guide to writing your Congressman with tips that apply to all public office positions.

If you voted yes on Prop 8 and don’t want to see it repealed, feel free to voice your concerns as well. This is a democracy and there is no reason you should be prevented from expressing your desires. As long as we all remain engaged and informed, there is no limit to our potential to achieve great things. Thank you for reading, I love you all and wish you the best.

There were a lot of misconceptions and misinformation surrounding this year’s election. The best way to address these issues and help encourage people to think for themselves is a healthy discussion based on the merits of what is on the ballot and not the emotional rhetoric it comes wrapped in. This is my take.

Here are the Propositions with my unabridged commentary. If you care to read all 62 pages of the actual text of the propositions, you can find them here (PDF).

Prop 1A – “High Speed Train” – flawed legislation, wouldn’t guarantee a damn thing, more wasteful spending – I voted no, it passed (52% yes, 48% no)

Prop 2 – “Treatment of Farm Animals” – more flawed legislation, creates misdemeanor where only real punishment for non-compliance would be a MAXIMUM $1k fine and MAXIMUM 180 days in jail – since no minimums are set, in reality fine could be $1 and 1 day in jail, loopholes galore, no guarantee a SINGLE animal would see any better treatment – more likely farmers would just move to another state or to Mexico, where regulations are far more lax – I voted no, it passed (63% yes, 37% no)

25992. EXCEPTIONS. This chapter shall not apply:
(a) During scientific or agricultural research.
(b) During examination, testing, individual treatment or operation for veterinary purposes.
(c) During transportation.
(d) During rodeo exhibitions, state or county fair exhibitions, 4-H programs, and similar exhibitions.
(e) During the slaughter of a covered animal in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 19501) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to humane methods of slaughter, and other applicable law and regulations.
(f) To a pig during the seven-day period prior to the pig’s expected date of giving birth.
25993. ENFORCEMENT. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed 180 days or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Prop 3 – “Children Hospital Bond” – more flawed legislation, doesn’t specify how funds would be used including $10m for “administrative costs” – I voted no, it passed (55% yes, 45% no)

Prop 4 – “Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification” – not a bad notion at all, unfortunately it’s sold as some kind of force that will drive girls to get back alley abortions, etc. The truth is that the age of consent in California is 18, STD rates are at an all-time high and since we are such a liberal state overall, protection is READILY available even to young teenagers. The majority of girls who are getting pregnant under 18 are not the result of incest, abuse, etc., but rather their own stupidity. This proposition suggests that in cases where abuse can be proven, alternate adult family members or EVEN SOMEONE WHO IS NOT RELATED be notified instead. It also considers sending out a postcard to the last known address of the parent and waiting 48 hours to be “notification.” Based on that, Potpourri, most spam mail and supermarket advertisements share similar rigid civil rights violations. I’m personally tired of seeing the “MySpace whores” flaunting their sexuality at such a young age and something like this might have actually made a difference. I voted yes, it did not pass. (48% yes, 52% no)

(c) The written notice shall be delivered by the physician or the physician’s agent to the parent, either personally or by certified mail addressed to the parent at the parent’s last known address with return receipt requested and restricted delivery to the addressee. If notice is provided by certified mail, a copy of the written notice shall also be sent at the same time by first class mail to the parent. Notice by mail may be presumed to have been delivered under the provisions of this subdivision at noon of the second day after the written notice sent by certified mail was postmarked, not counting any days on which regular mail delivery does not take place. A form for the notice shall be prescribed by the State Department of Health Services. The notice form shall be bilingual, in English and Spanish, and also available in English and each of the other languages in which California Official Voter Information Guides are published.

(2) If the judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that notice to a parent is not in the best interests of the unemancipated minor, the judge shall authorize a waiver of notice. If the finding that notice to a parent is not in the best interests of the minor is based on evidence of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, the court shall ensure that such evidence is brought to the attention of the appropriate law enforcement or public child protective agency.

(h) (1) If the judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the unemancipated minor is both sufficiently mature and well-informed to decide whether to have an abortion, the judge shall authorize a waiver of notice of a parent.

Prop 5 – “Sentencing Guidelines” – the driving force of this proposition was to reduce punishment for non-violent drug offenders, including provisions to maybe make it so first time offenders would be able to only go to rehab rather than serve time or pay huge fines. Not necessarily a bad thing considering how overcrowded our prisons are and considering that gangs are a far greater problem in California than non-violent drug offenders. I voted yes, it did not pass. (40% yes, 60% no)

Prop 6 – “Law Enforcement Fund” – primarily meant to target gang activity, this proposition would have made a number of changes which would help in dealing with this issue:

• Prohibiting bail to illegal immigrants who are charged with violent or gang crimes.
• Imposing a 10-year penalty increase on gang offenders who commit violent felonies.
• Creating more effective and accountable intervention programs to stop young kids from joining gangs and ruining their lives.
• Requiring convicted gang offenders to register with local law enforcement each year for five years following conviction or their release from custody.
• Providing GPS tracking equipment for monitoring gang offenders, sex offenders, and violent offenders.
• Increasing penalties for manufacture and sale of methamphetamine to the same level as those for cocaine.
• Adding a 10-year sentence to dangerous felons who carry loaded or concealed firearms in public.
• Increasing penalties for multiple acts of graffiti.

I voted yes, it did not pass. (31% yes, 69% no)

Prop 7 – “Renewable Energy Generation” – another flawed piece of legislation hiding beneath the banner of environmental concern… opposed by ALL 4 of the major parties in California (Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian) because they recognize it as a special interest ballot measure. Thankfully they got through to people. I voted no, it did not pass. (35% yes, 65% no)

Prop 8 – “Same Sex Marriage Ban” – the entire text of the proposition is FOURTEEN WORDS. It takes a lot less time to read those 14 words than it does to watch a campaign ad, but unfortunately BOTH sides have spent a ton of time and energy talking about things unrelated to what’s actually in the legislation:

PROPOSITION 8
This initiative measure is submitted to the people in accordance with the provisions of Article II, Section 8, of the California Constitution. This initiative measure expressly amends the California Constitution by adding a section thereto; therefore, new provisions proposed to be added are printed in italic type to indicate that they are new.
SECTION 1. Title
This measure shall be known and may be cited as the “California Marriage Protection Act.”
SECTION 2. Section 7.5 is added to Article I of the California Constitution, to read:
SEC. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

Those 14 italicized words are what matters. What does this mean? It means that the California constitution either ADDS or DOES NOT ADD those words. Does this affect school curriculum? No, it does not. Curriculum is set by the staff/board of the educational institution, so if you don’t want your kid learning about gay marriage in school THEN GO TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, PARENT/TEACHER NIGHTS, DO YOUR RESEARCH AND DO YOUR JOB AS A PARENT. Whether or not prop 8 passed, the curriculum of the school is still entirely INDEPENDENT of the text of this proposition. Do gay people deserve equal rights? Certainly. Does the sanctity of marriage deserve to be upheld? Of course. Do those 14 words truly address either of those issues? Not in the way people have been blowing hot air about for months on end. More likely than not, prop 8 will be challenged for its constitutionality and repealed, especially given how close the vote was. I voted no, it passed. (52% yes, 48% no)

Prop 9 – “Victims’ Rights” – requires additional input and quicker notification for victims of violent crimes with regards to bail, pleas, sentencing and parole. Hard to see what anyone would have a problem with here, since it’s a terrifying idea to have someone get arrested for assaulting you or a family member only to run into them on the street soon after arrest because they made bail or were released on ROI. I voted yes, it passed. (53% yes, 47% no)

Prop 10 – “Alternative Fuel Vehicles” – this ballot prop was bought and paid for by T. Boone Pickens, whose company and vested interests stand to gain handsomely from its passage. Special interest legislation at its worst. I voted no, it did not pass. (40% yes, 60% no)

Prop 11 – “Redistricting” – would establish new guidelines for how district lines are drawn.

• Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission.
• Requires government auditors to select 60 registered voters from applicant pool. Permits legislative leaders to reduce pool, then the auditors pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total.
• Requires commission of five Democrats, five Republicans and four of neither party. Commission shall hire lawyers and consultants as needed.
• For approval, district boundaries need votes from three Democratic commissioners, three Republican commissioners and three commissioners from neither party.

Seeing as how lawmakers will redraw district lines every so often to increase their profits and avoid dealing with the problems of their districts, it SHOULD be that there is a non-partisan solution that protects the people’s interests. It’s also no surprise that most of the push to shut this prop down was from elected officials (including Barbara Boxer, famed CA Democrat) as well as the companies and associations who stand to benefit from political redistricting policies and not voters’ rights interest groups. I voted yes, it passed. (51% yes, 49% no)

Prop 12 – “Veterans Farm and Home Aid” – authorized a continuation of an existing program to approve bonds which would fund Cal-Vet loans, which are then paid back by the Veterans. Unlike the mortgage crisis happening in this country, this program actually works and makes sense. The opposing argument was written by a single guy who insists that only veterans who served in active combat should be able to get these loans, rather than say, a member of the military who was hanging out in Germany during the Iraq war. I’m sorry, when you sign up, you don’t get to choose where you go, so that’s pretty under-handed calling people out on where and how they served. I voted yes, it passed. (63% yes, 37% no)

Here are the local Measures. If you care to read the full text of these Measures, you may find them here.

Measure A – “Santa Clara VMC Seismic Safety Bond” – bond to fund earthquake retrofitting for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center with independent oversight committee, annual audits and no money for administrators’ salaries – I voted yes, it passed (78% yes, 22% no)

Measure B – “BART Sales Tax” – proposal to add a 1/8 cent sales tax to give money directly to Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), a government organization, to “operate/maintain/improve” the BART extension WHICH HASN’T EVEN BEEN BUILT. VTA has been decreasing service destinations and regularity steadily over the past 8 years while raking in tons of taxpayer money. Until they make good on their promises from the past 8 years of elections, there’s no point in giving them MORE of our tax dollars. – I voted no, it passed (66% yes, 34% no)

Measure C – “Santa Clara Valley Transportation Plan 2035″ – vote determine whether VTA should continue with their plan VTP 2035 to be adopted by December 2008. If you look at the transit plan on their site, they want funding for BART extensions that haven’t been built, service upgrades for services that still haven’t seen the upgrades promised in past elections, etc. – I voted no, it passed (70% yes, 30% no)

Measure D – “VTA Transit Plan Every Six Years” – VTA wants to change the ordinance that requires them to seek a public advisory vote to eliminate the advisory vote and instead go directly to a Citizen’s Watchdog Committee simply for review and comment (not a vote), bypassing public access to the business plan BEFORE it is enacted. This would make it possible for the VTA to sneak things past the public with no accountability. Many of the people opposed to this Measure are past members of these very Citizen’s Watchdog Committees. – I voted no, it passed (64% yes, 36% no)

Measure J – “Reduce San Jose 911 Fee” – eliminates current $1.75 911 fee on phone lines and instead replaces it with a reduced tax at $1.57 that continues to make exceptions for low-income seniors and low-income or disabled households – I voted yes, it passed (77% yes, 23% no)

Measure K – “Reduce San Jose Telecommunications Tax” – this reduces the telecommunication users tax from 5% to 4.5% BUT it also changes the definition of telecommunications so now the city can tax cell phone use, DSL use, VOIP and so forth, if they so choose, which means that we will all be paying HIGHER taxes overall as a result of it passing. – I voted no, it passed (79% yes, 21% no)

Measure L – “Willow Glen Fire Station Construction” – the city is asking permission to build a new fire station on the corner of Lincoln and Curtner in San Jose, right near the center of the Willow Glen area. Unfortunately, what they don’t mention is that San Jose can close fire stations at will, without voter input, so it’s quite likely that they will shut down the existing station on Minnesota and Cherry once this new one is built. Why do this? It’s about the district the station is in and how that can affect the budget. This is a thinly-veiled attempt to play around with the political landscape of San Jose, not to bring “better fire service” as they’ve presented it. A memo from the mayor was published on September 9 prompting the “no on Measure L” group to all but give up, however the memo is worded to say RECOMMENDATIONS will be made and that the City Council will have a chance to review fire station closures, however it makes no attempt to discuss whether voters will be notified prior to the closing. It’s unlikely the memo would change anything at all. – I voted no, it passed (65% yes, 35% no)

Measure M – “San Jose Park Use Agreements” – amends the San Jose city charter to approve park use agreements with non-city entities for up to 25 years in parks larger than 5 acres (rather than current 3 year limit), provided that agreements enhance park’s recreational purposes. For example, the city could make a deal with a company to build a new facility in Alum Rock park, but with the previous 3-year limitation, many companies would not see a return on their investment, so it would be too risky for them to bother. With a 25-year limit, the return on investment is easier to guarantee, so a company would be more inclined to enter into a contract with the city, thus making our city parks more useful to everyone. – I voted yes, it passed (72% yes, 28% no)

Measure R – “Campbell Union H.S. Tax” – Campbell Union High School District wants to renew an existing assessment for 5 more years in order to improve education with independent oversight and no money for administrator salaries. Kind of a no-brainer. – I voted yes, it passed (79% yes, 21% no)

What’s truly troubling about the election results is how the numbers reflect the fact that voters were not motivated outside of a few core issues. Statewide, there were 12 Propositions on the ballot with a grand total of 1,142 precincts in Santa Clara County voting on them. Let me stress this – ALL 12 PROPOSITIONS WERE ON THE BALLOT AT ALL 1,142 PRECINCTS. So how do the numbers add up?

Total votes cast (yes AND no votes):

Prop 1 – 455,333 (89% of total votes counted) – won by 20.96% margin
Prop 2 – 474,755 (93% of total votes counted) – won by 33.08% margin
Prop 3 – 464,992 (91% of total votes counted) – won by 20.56% margin
Prop 4 – 476,128 (93% of total votes counted) – lost by 13.52% margin
Prop 5 – 467,085 (91% of total votes counted) – lost by 14.02% margin
Prop 6 – 461,454 (90% of total votes counted) – lost by 39.80% margin
Prop 7 – 472,651 (92% of total votes counted) – lost by 27.98% margin
Prop 8 – 496,548 (97% of total votes counted) – lost by 11.08% margin
Prop 9 – 460,540 (90% of total votes counted) – won by 4.50% margin
Prop 10 – 468,580 (92% of total votes counted) – lost by 15.37% margin
Prop 11 – 445,954 (87% of total votes counted) – won by 5.64% margin
Prop 12 – 450,176 (88% of total votes counted) – won by 24.38% margin

In order, the top 4 Propositions in terms of voter turnout were Prop 8, Prop 4, Prop 2, Prop 7 – which are coincidentally the same Propositions that had the most cash pumped into advertising and marketing. But the other Propositions were equally as important. For example, Prop 11 (redistricting) – which could affect property taxes and who your representatives are – pulled in the LOWEST turnout of all the Propositions. What’s more, the margins are so low on Prop 9 and Prop 11 that the percentage of people who did NOT bother to cast a yes OR no vote could have changed the results of those Propositions for the entire county, simply by just making a choice one way or the other.

The overall number of votes cast in Santa Clara County was 510,987. Of those, 496,548 (97% of the total votes) voted on Prop 8 while 445,954 (87% of the total votes) bothered to vote on Prop 11. A full TEN PERCENT of voters voted on Prop 8 who DID NOT vote on Prop 11. That’s 50,594 more votes cast for Prop 8 than for Prop 11 JUST IN THIS COUNTY, let alone statewide. The likelihood of Prop 8 being repealed or overturned in some way is quite high, but Prop 11 isn’t going anywhere.

Also worth noting is that the 3% who didn’t bother voting on Prop 8 represents roughly 15,329 votes for this county alone. Prop 8 got a total (yes AND no) of 10,246,434 votes.  This represents less than 1 tenth of 1% of the overall vote, but those 15,329 votes represent the unheard voices of 1 of 58 counties in the state. One of the most traditionally liberal/Democrat counties, too. Compare that to conservative/Republican counties like Kern county (where more votes were cast for Prop 8 – 193,753 then for President – 190,845) and Stanislaus county (where 99% of the total voters weighed in on Prop 8, voting 68% YES – only 1,673 didn’t vote on it). Prop 8 passed because not enough people voted for it, not because of any other reason. So ask yourself, in a liberal county where 3% of the voters didn’t bother to weigh in, and in conservative counties where a larger majority of the voters did, who is truly to blame for this?

Based on the numbers here, around 3% of the total voted for the President and did not vote on ANY of the Propositions, while between 3% and 10% voted for President and at least SOME of the Propositions, if not all. THAT is troubling as it shows a trend of voter apathy or ignorance (or both). A yes or no vote can be defended with an argument, but simply not voting shows a lack of interest on behalf of the voter.

This trend is also present in the Measures, as ALL of the Measures on my ballot passed with LANDSLIDES in every single case. The closest margin was still a whopping 28% in favor of passing the measure. While these are harder to analyze like the Propositions were above, it certainly is distressing to see a trend in voting that runs contrary to how voters treated the statewide Propositions.

Given that all the measures passed with nearly a 3/4 vote in favor, it is almost as if many voters just chose to put “yes” for everything without actually knowing what it was for.  This was certainly not the case in the Propositions, as statewide many of them were very close, and even in some counties, the vote was very close. But these local Measures didn’t appear to see the same level of voter scrutiny.

This is particularly shameful, given that many of them were attempts by VTA to line their pockets with more tax increases while failing to deliver on the 8-year promise of a BART extension, increased service and increased service quality and “upgrades.” We have one of the worst public transportation systems in the state, if not the country. In the 2006 Census, only 4% of the valley’s commuters reported using public transportation. VTA is the sole entity responsible for the administration of that transportation system.

BUT FAR MORE IMPORTANTLY…

Local representatives are the people who represent YOUR INTERESTS LOCALLY and who are your first line of defense (and attack, in some cases) when it comes to your rights. Especially important given yesterday’s election, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL EITHER GO TO BAT FOR YOU LOCALLY OR WHO WILL IGNORE YOUR PLEAS when it comes to, for example, repealing prop 8. What did we do with our local representatives? We voted “incumbent” or “Democrat,” across the board, even when those incumbents and Democrats are likely to uphold prop 8 (both Alquist and Honda’s primary concern is education – the main supporting argument used to defend prop 8), let alone your privacy rights, first amendment rights and many other issues local friends, family, co-workers and associates are worried about.

Senate District 13 – Santa Clara County
Elaine Alquist (D – incumbent) – 71%
Shane Conolly (R) – 23%
John Webster (L) – 6%
I voted for John Webster, who never stood a chance. The incumbent (Democrat) won in a landslide.

U.S. House District 15 – San Jose
Mike Honda (D – incumbent) – 72%
Joyce Cordi (R) – 23%
Peter Myers (G) – 5%
I voted for Peter Myers, who never stood a chance. The incumbent (Democrat) won in a landslide.

Elaine Alquist and Mike Honda voting records. See if they reflect your interests at all.

State Assembly District 24 - Saratoga
Jim Beall (D – incumbent) – 66%
Doug McNea (R) – 34%
I voted for Jim Beall, who won.

Superior Court Judge Office No. 8
Diane Ritchie – 55%
Lane Liroff – 45%
I voted for Lane Liroff, who lost.

I also voted for Obama, but that was the least of my concerns going into the election as I already believed his chances were good. I admire and respect some of my friends and family for encouraging people to vote for Nader, and I would have gladly opted to vote for him instead but we all know there is no way Nader would have made it to the White House because of the electoral college system (unfortunately) and this was far too important an election to – WHOOPS - give it to your 3rd choice by default because you decided not to vote for your 2nd choice and instead voted for your 1st choice whose name wasn’t even on the tongues of probably (realistically) more than a third of the population in this country.

I believe the last time I registered, I registered as an Independent. Some of the things I voted for are more “Republican,” some are more “Democrat.” I voted for a Democratic President, a Libertarian Senator and a Green House Rep. I read the entire text of the Propositions, all 62 pages of it. I read the text of the local Measures, too. Even in seemingly unimportant races like the local community college board members, I tried to investigate them fairly and kept my emotions out of it. Just like a job application, you want to select the best candidate for the job. And just like a company is more than a CEO and break room rules, an election is about more than a President and the few big ticket issues you read about on the news.

Considering how motivated people were for “change,” how excited they were to get Bush out of office and how willing they were to dedicate time, money, resources, Facebook statuses, MySpace bulletins and comments, AIM status messages, Twitter updates, blog posts, texts, phone calls and in-person conversations, I am utterly ashamed and embarrassed to say that my experience of voting seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

People got fired up about animal rights, sick kids, abortion, gay marriage, taxes and spent the majority of their time focused on these narrow and emotionally-charged ideals. Ideals are not politics. Emotions are not politics. The legislation, at the end of the day, is what matters. Thanks to the folks of this great state who have elected NOT to do their research, we now have things entering into our state Constitution and state LAW that I promise you will hear people bitching about for generations, even though they voted to approve it. But we only have ourselves to blame.

Santa Clara County has an eligible voting population of around 1.1 to 1.2 million people (based on the most recent census of adults over 18, not counting non-citizens). The total number of registered voters in this election was 788,821. The total number of actual votes cast was 510,987. This means that roughly 43.5% of the eligible voters actually voted and only around 69% of the eligible population even bothered to register. While this is certainly better than past elections, it hardly shows a fully engaged group of responsible citizens.

We’re not any better on a national scale. The latest US population estimate is just over 305.5 million people. Of that, 148,218,161 votes were cast in this election (as of this writing, only 98% of precincts have been reported, so this number may increase slightly, but not significantly). Based on previous registration data, the amount of registered voters nationally has not gone up as much as has been claimed. For example, in California, voter registration only went up about 800k from the last election, while the population has gone up about 1.2 million people, dropping the overall percentage of registered voters from 75% in 2004 to 74.56% in 2008. On a national scale, this means around 49% of the population turned out to vote and not much higher a percentage bothered to register. THIS IS STILL LESS THAN HALF OF US. Next time you’re in a group of people who are discussing something like high gas prices, abortion, the economy or any other touchy subject, assume that half of them didn’t take the time to even cast their ballot. How does that make you feel? It SHOULD make you feel outraged.

The point of this entire post isn’t whether or not what I voted on won or lost. The point is that the data clearly shows the Democratic process is broken and the public is lacking faith in it. The electoral college system is flawed (even though in this particular election, the results would have been the same based on popular vote alone). Public responsibility and respect for their civic duties is at an unacceptable level. While the data and details discussed here may be relevant to my own County and the communities within it, the problems I’ve brought up are symptomatic of the nation as a whole. Whether Obama or McCain won, it is clear that all of us are ready for change and ready for a better country to live in. But unfortunately, no matter how much rhetoric, media spin and public opinion polls you see, ultimately, we have to take responsibility for our own choices and take them seriously if we are to ever see the future we truly want.

The nature of love is not to love what is, but rather the promise of what “is” could be. When we love, there is always an end. We love to be loved back. We love to feel satisfaction. We love for the comfort it provides. But a true love will always be accompanied by fear and sacrifice. To love when there is no promise of love being returned. To love when your paths diverge or when all data available indicates that you shouldn’t. “For God so loved the world…” It’s a theme repeated countless times in all facets of world culture, yet the lesson proves difficult for even the best of us to learn. Love as if there is no consequence but honesty – love even when it seems impossible.

“I am mad. I will live. Especially now that I’ve gotten that off my chest. I am not rabid with torturous rage, just miffed.”

“First of all, Sonic the Hedgehog is not harmful….. Second of all, Sonic and the entire cast of Sonicteam including Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles “Tails” Prower (known as Tails the two-tailed fox), Cream the Rabbit, Scourge the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat and any other character no matter what form are adored by millions of fans NO MATTER WHAT! And the products I’m trying to publish are Sonicteam related, and I’d appreciate it if you would give Sonic and his friends a CHANCE! OK?!?!?”

“you suck!!!!!! you are fucking pathetic. I want that mug. Mr T must be a really pathetic cunt and wanker if hes pissed off with that. total shit. total fucking shit. gain the permissions; that gimmick will make you millions you fucking dumb cunts”

“That stamp is the cover of my latest book, if you are too narrow-minded to realize that, then you cancel my entire subscription and cancel everything I have created there. I do not wish to do business with you in any way, shape or form. Your attitude is the reason people die every day, not from depictions of firearms, or their legal use, but from attitudes like yours that actually think taking firearms off the market is the answer to reducing crimes. In reality, those countries that have made firearms illegal to the general public have experienced an increase in crime, rape and murder because the criminals who carry illegal firearms know that the general public is unarmed and therefore an easy target. If you do not think so, please go to  www.riemcgaha.tripod.com and the menu on the left will have a page called Putting Guns In The Hands Of The Wrong People, click on that link and you will find what happened to the countries who implemented the gun control laws that this county’s liberal idiots are trying to shove down the throats of the rest of us. You are probably one of the ones who says “War never solved anything” You’re right, it never solved anything except slavery, communism, genecide, and terrorism. But then, you would probably have preferred that Hitler won so you would be able to speak fluent German instead of English. And by the way, if you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read English, thank the United States Marines, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force for the brave men and women who believe that freedom of speech, freedom to keep and bear arms, freedom of choice is something worth fighting for.”

“California law on rights of publicity DOES contain some “fair use-like” exceptions. I’m not going to waste my time trying to explain complex legal concepts to a customer service representative. Also, you might want to have someone proofread your messages from now on. Your grammar is atrocious. I took the liberty of correcting your mistakes in bold red font. The credibility of Zazzle’s knowledge of fine legal nuances is seriously impaired when they are represented by someone with no knowledge of the rules of English grammar. Please review my corrections. Perhaps you’ll learn something.”

“I AM A GOOD AT COMPUTER BUT YOUR SITE IT ANNOYING.”

“I not upset with anyone at zazzle you guys are cat wranglers and boy oh boy some cats are mangy”

“Fuck you, go fuck yourself, and fall into a fucking volcano.” …and after my reply… “I’m curious; are you emailing me from inside a fucking volcano?”

“Well that sucks how the hell do you expect to sell anything. Guess I’ll go find another Site that does. And its not like i was going to the Bank with the Material i made. It was only for personal use only. Thanks for Ruining my Day. Take this Website and shove it up your Ass!”

“I was made aware of a t-shirt you are selling made by Peacock Run with the words “Short men suck” on it. This is appalling. Would you allow a shirt to be marketed on your site that said “Gay people suck” or “Black people suck”? I don’t think so. This is no different. However, if you want to market a shirt that says “Women who hate short men suck”, I might be tempted to buy it.”

“One reason I don’t work with Threadless is the poor photography of the less than attractive apparel models. Zazzle has fallen into the same hole. I find some of the models Zazzle is using, repulsive. Often, the lighting on the faces is poor at best. Zazzle should be wanting to please the eye. I recommend Zazzle offer Contributors the option of having the models or not. Until the models get a lot more easy on the eyes and the photographs thereof get nicer, I much prefer to have the display back the way it was. You’re using models that don’t smile. Bad idea. Time to hire professional PR advisors. You have my email address.”

“My japanese friend Putti says ‘This is censorship! When a child enters a pool in Japan, the first thing we do is bukake!’”

“You and your co-workers are nothing more, nothing less than the most extremely hypocritical, neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, american racists who believe amerika is the only country that is allowed to invade any country for no reason, slaughter tens of millions of innocent civilians because the bombs exploding look really exciting on TV as millions of innocent civilians are slaptered like ground chuck hamburger meat on the walls of their homes and I suspect you are also a member of the most bloodlusting, murdering, raping, land stealing, genocidal religion in history- the chistians! Well go fuck youself you scumsucking crack whore. When the next revolution begins we will be very certain to find you and your sleazy shit hole associates and wreak the justice on you you so rightly deserve!”

“Awesome, thanks for nothing. Why would you have this item available for purchase if it’s ‘illegal’? Please refund twice the amount of the order to reimburse me for the time I spent on your website, and the emotional damages.”

“That really is BS, one cup. I didn’t order a box load. Thanks for fucking up my xmas. Can I order a shirt with your picture on it and put “socialist”? please reply. merry xmas.”

“i’de wup your ass if i was black seriously my goooooooodness u fat basterd die and ur soul will rot cuz i don’t believe in god”

“Your explanations are poorly written and your customer support is lightweight.”