California Court Jury Duty System Is A Threat To Personal Freedom (Op-Ed)

CALIFORNIA COURT JURY DUTY SYSTEM IS A THREAT TO PERSONAL FREEDOM

If you were minding your own business, going about your life, and someone sent you a threatening letter in the mail -- someone you didn't know and have never met -- detailing imprisonment and/or demanding money if you did not go somewhere (never asking if you wanted to go, were available to go, or if it would be convenient for you to go) and then outlined a procedure of you doing things that were against your moral or ethical or philosophical beliefs once you got to this place, would that be considered a heinous crime to you?  Or would you consider going quietly?

What if you found out the crass entity who wrote the threatening letter learned of your name and address due to a breach of privacy from someone you did business with on unrelated matters, someone trusted who tricked you into signing a written contract with tiny-print clauses that gave full permission on your part to these intrusive, emotionally-upsetting behaviors?  Would that make the violations to you worse in your estimation?

To add insult to injury, what if the letter further insists, in no uncertain terms, that as an American citizen, you should willingly obey this summoning without question as a "duty" and if you "commit perjury" -- lie -- to get out of it (no matter the subsequent hardships involved by going), that "offense" also will be "punished" as though you've been sworn to fulfill an obligation and have violated an oath in a court of law (which you obviously have not done)?

AND, it goes on... If you do NOT respond to the letter in the manner described in a chain of specific details, your name and address will be given to the local police in a "failure to appear" warrant, which can be used at any time, day or night, for up to seven years, as "justifiable cause" to take you from your home, place of business, or from the streets, and detain you until presented to a judge for punishment (the aforementioned jail time or financial citations) -- the very person, at the very place, you didn't want to go and see in the first place.

There is no indication in the letter as to what happens if the letter fails to get to you through no fault of your own. Even if you are completely unaware of the letter's existence, never lay eyes on it, you are still held both responsible and liable.

Almost anyone with any kind of awareness of civil liberties would recognize immediately your rights -- layers of rights -- had been grievously violated, outrageous crimes had been committed against you. You are left feeling justifiably victimized, betrayed, confused, hurt, angry, depressed and panicked.  This is not right.  This happens every day.  This happened to me and I am NOT happy about it.

When you go to the California Department of Motor vehicles to do business of any kind, your personal and private information is given to the local county court system to be included into the potential jury duty pool without your expressed knowledge, without explanation.  The systematic release of your information happens because in the fine print of DMV paperwork such as car registration or renewing a driver's license is a clause allowing them to do as they please with the information gathered, information you gave them yourself. 

County governments figured out people do not register to vote as readily they had in the past, the very source of where juror information was historically gathered from, thereby currently limiting the group of potential jury members.  This covert system was put into place outside voters right to accept or reject the practice.  The government just put the system in place, like it or not -- which I do NOT.  There is no place or position designed to address criticism or correct problems associated with the entire process.

Other governmental agencies are barred from this and similar practices, yet, banks are required to notify the IRS whenever someone makes a deposit of over $5,000 dollars (in a supposed attempt from the government to curtail drug money laundering, which only harasses legit business owners such as building contractors who deal in large amounts of cash for materials, which is not "taxable income" but, rather, a service in which the separate labor profit is later taxable, resulting in contractors feeling as though they are incriminating themselves in some way, treated as potential criminals, and having to ask clients to write checks directly to building suppliers or write multiple checks for under the limit line, which is messy and wholly unnecessary).

After visiting the DMV, you receive a nasty legally-binding court document in the mail demanding you call a phone number with an automated response on specific dates to see if you have to somehow get yourself to a court house -- that day.  They assume you have gotten the letter, read the letter, understand the letter and have a working telephone available.  They assume you will be able to comprehend a lengthy series of instructions and directions, and are willing and capable of complying.  You are threatened jail time and/or fines and/or legal fees if you don't follow instructions. They are kind enough to tell you how to find information elsewhere (on-line on a computer web address) to bus routes (my nearest bus stop is over two miles away and typically over 100 degrees in Palm Springs).  They kindly inform you that you will get a whole seven dollars a day for your efforts -- which could be months on end, if you end up on a murder case.  They assume you are wealthy enough to take time away from work.  They threaten your place of employment if your boss doesn't let you go.  Who does that leave as jurors?

There are boxes in the letter to check for excuses to be released from your duties, excuses which are overly-specific and leave little wiggle room, and, further, the only way to find out if the "excuse" was "granted" after returning there original letter and not hearing if they received it in this looped-letter-sending is to call on the given date provided in the letter, so if turned down, it's too late. The lag time between calling at 7 am to be in court by 9 am is impossible to rectify when taking a bus in the Coachella Valley area.  This means you get up early, get dressed and be prepared, not knowing if you can work that day or not, will be able to eat when you need to, only to find out you have been "excused".

In the Coachella Valley, the courthouse is in the city of Indio, located at the South-East end of the valley, meaning most people who live there will travel at least forty-five minutes to go to the court for any reason. In San Diego county, the courthouse is downtown, where parking, the complex buildings layout, the homeless, and no immediate freeway access make the experience a nightmare of confusion. There was a time when you could simply said you couldn't afford it, sent the letter back, and that was all there was to it -- no threats.

Recently, tele-scammers have been calling unsuspecting citizens at all hours of the day and night, posing as IRS agents, with the message the caller has contacted the police, who are at that moment on their way, as the citizen has failed to pay their full amount of taxes.  The scammers have gotten over five million dollars because people have been brow-beaten by government agencies to the point they are too scared to question authority.  We do what we are told, as we are told, and this is NOT good. The broken jury duty system is a prime example of how little the government thinks of the very people who pay their salaries, the people they were sworn to serve. The present court system assumes we're all wealthy to the same degree, we're all liars, we all respond to the same fears, and we all have to do as they say because they say so.

The fact is, the court is my employee, all our servants -- as are police officers, Congress, and the President -- and, if I were in charge, someone would be fired.

Secondly, no one would EVER want me as their juror.  I know NOTHING about law, about criminology, about court procedure, nor do I care.  I am no one's peer on any damned level. How could I presume someone's guilt or innocence when my own is still in question?

Pulling jurors from the general population defies logic, especially when systematically rejecting them after going through all that hassle to get them there in the first place.  Not only is it a stupid thing to do, it's down-right rude. This might be the greatest country in the world, with the best system there has ever been.  That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement and anyone who would quibble over that isn't interested in true American justice.

Here's The Solution

According to statistics, the population of America is currently about 350 million people. Not every single adult is capable or willing to be on a jury for a cascades of reason but whatever the reason is, it's irrelevant.  If a person can't or won't be on a jury, then not being on the jury is the best solution for everyone involved.  A person who is accused of a crime is assumed innocent until guilt is proven.  Let's give potential jurors who are forced to participate against their will the same benefit of the doubt with respect and dignity and give them the freedom the system is supposed to defend and leave them be. Let's change the approach.

Let's ask for volunteers from a pool of elderly who have the time, people who have experience and wisdom in which to judge another person's life.  Let's turn the position into a legitimate, paying, professional job with a title.  Let's pay a decent wage, educate through training, thus giving opportunities to the Homeless and unemployed.

Asking is not demanding.  Let's change the Gestapo, Big Brother tactics immediately.  Had the letter I received said, "... a fellow American overwhelmingly needs you to help to make sure they get a fair shake through your much-appreciated participation...", I would be first in line. 

Let's have a box that can be checked at the DMV which asks you whether you'd like your information shared or not, giving your expressed, informed consent.  Let's be treated as adults whose privacy is paramount.

Falling Into A Social Media Vortex (Editorial)

FALLING INTO A SOCIAL MEDIA VORTEX

Ever had something in your eye?  The instance when whatever-it-is gets in there, it becomes the single greatest priority of your life -- getting it out.  The foreign object could be the tiniest speck of flotsam, but to you, that very second, that speck approximates the size of a bolder and you'll do the craziest things to remove it, if it means standing on your head, running garden hose water over raw sockets, or pulling your eyelid over your eyelashes like a cheap window shade in hopes of dislodging it.   It is virtually impossible to think of anything else but the excruciating pain associated with that speck until it is gone.

A little over a year ago, in a temporary moment of extreme mind-numbing boredom, I looked up "Behind The Scenes -- Feature Films" videos on youtube.  In the olden days, we channel surfed television.  Now we randomly Google and watch any flicker that pops up.  I saw some very informative and interesting videos.  Awesome.  I thought, I love the internet.  Then...

I saw a short documentary about the making of the movie version of "Le Miserables" and was instantly taken aback by how ugly the actors looked with rotten teeth and the disgusting filth they wallowed in.  Wow.  Big stars treated like garbage...  Not exactly on the top of my list of "fun things to watch". 

As the video went on, I learned the plot of the feature film they were making centered on a prostitute who dies...and, in a second layer of recognizing and not liking the negativity involved in the film, I was turned off by the idea of possibly watching a hammy-acted hideous hooker slowly die for two hours in the worst kind of soap opera drivel, particularly when involving "actress" Anne Hathaway whose "career" seems unexplainable from the get-go.  Where's the entertainment value in that package? 

As a feminist and anti-human trafficking supporter, this film wasn't winning points with me -- fast.  As a film-maker, even less.  Once more, in a block-buster Hollywood film, for what appeared to be the millionth film outing, the leading characteristic the part of the "hooker" called for was a vagina and not much else, a skanky one as usual, who gets her comeuppance for being sexual by having to die a horrible death by the time the final credits roll.  Ugh.  It's the worst kind of pornography without the graphic sex scenes pay-off.  It was tedious, well-worn, thread-bare story-telling about something not worth repeating.

The "live singing" choice of having the actors recorded while singing on-set instead of in a recording studio was the "all-she-wrote" tipping-point for my overwhelming emotional dislike of what I was seeing, then hearing, which sky-rocketed into pure hatred.  Corny, rambling, cartoon-ish -- I couldn't take the warbling even in small doses in a youtube video, similar to listening to a yelping child in their bedroom, belting out a made-up nonsense song at the top of their lungs that...does...not...stop... only in this case, it was grown-adult, award-winning professionals doing the squawking who expected all of us to pay for the privilege of seeing them at their worst possible and, unfortunately, hearing them as well.

As a fellow film-maker, I can not imagine what the cast and crew of this pathetic film were thinking during the proceedings -- it's not engaging visually, the soundtrack is awash with off-key singing about subjects unworthy of a song, and the plot's cruelty and degradation was unending.  How about some contrasts, some context, some glimmer of a better life, the way real life is?  Nope. This was the movie equivalent of getting poked in the eye with a stick while your eardrums burst from a cacophony of squealing tires just before a car wreck and no one on set, no producer or director or actor, could deduce they were making a film that "did not demand to be made"?

I don't care about the popular Broadway version or the over-two-thousand-page original novel by Victor Hugo (which was panned by critics when first published as being a "rambling mess").  I only know what I saw and what I saw was terrible on many, many levels, beyond comprehension.

Can't anyone besides me tell media's agenda is -- and always has been -- about misogyny?  The only differences between "Le Miserables" and "Fifty Shades of Grey" is 1) "Grey" is the pretty version of the same kind of degradation, 2) "Le Mis" beats up a guy for a while too, as a reminder of who the "alpha" truly is -- old, White, rich, educated, European men who mercilessly rule with their penises while living in perpetual secret fear of castration and anal rape.  Pretty.

I recalled watching the TV show "NYPD Blue" about the horrid lives of cops in New York, filmed with low lighting in a fake cinema-verte style where you couldn't focus on anything because the camera man is swirling the frame indiscriminately about the dark scene with the intention of making it "real", like a documentary. The "show" was gut-wrenching, week after week, with hostility and violence and death, a single piano key repeatedly banged. I wondered why these characters didn't kill themselves to be out of their relentless misery since obviously they had no reason to live (particularly after the bald, over-weight main character -- who had a face full of pock-marks -- had a cheating ugly wife who divorced him in a nasty manner, she dies of cancer, then his ugly kid dies from a different disease, and then his ugly cop-partner is randomly shot to death in front of him, bleeding profusely on the cement as a cliff-hanger before the final commercial break).  After all that ugliness, I was overwhelmed with depression to the point that I saw little to live for myself, being in a world where this kind of crap -- a piss-poor world view -- is passed off as "entertainment".  In actuality, in total, I only saw three episodes of this highly-touted TV downer.  That was enough.  That was too much.

That's why I felt compelled to say something in the comment section of youtube about "Le Mis", about how we need to be uplifted every so often, how so much time, energy, money and creativity (not to mention perfectly good film stock) was wasted on perpetuating the worst parts of the human experience when so much positive is all around us.  That's what I posted my comments on -- about the ugly, awful, offensive movie -- a movie I never intend to see in full in this lifetime and the reasons for that decision -- and what that film's responsibility was to the culture and what was represented within the film to me personally, as man and an artist -- which was hopelessness, particularly if you happen to be a woman. That film's message was: if you are a woman, you are nothing but a kind of human ash tray with no skills, whose only minor value is of a passive receptacle for men's lust and subsequent semen, from which you get pregnant, diseases or death...or all of the above. Yikes.  Good choice, Anne Hathaway.  She followed this glorious role with playing a "princess" in a Disney movie, after playing a ditz who gives up a career to make her man happy in "The Devil Wears Prada". Yes, they got my money -- several times over -- and more time of my life I will never get back.  Please, shoot me before I "movie" again.

The irony -- being called names (cyber-bullying) in response to my posting by a loose-cannon lynch mob who claim to "love the film", were "inspired" by it, yet, didn't seem to understand the intricacies of the film's subtext enough to give ME (a real-live person and not a fictional movie character) a moment's doubt -- was palpable.  The attacks were fast and furious, droning on in surreal twists and turns of logic, half-thoughts and sorry attempts at humiliation humor pointed toward me. No one bothered to talk facts or plot-points or counter with a personal experience with substance -- just angry villagers at the gate with torches, ready to kill in a true mob-mentality emotional mania.

Not liking what I think is one thing, trying to talk me out of the experience I truly have is another.  I know what I saw.  No one can tell me different.  Yet...They did -- on and on.  How I hate -- LOATHE -- the internet.

One of the many criticisms I've faced was about "forgetting", as in "we have to keep making these types of films for a younger generation who may not realize history and therefore might be doomed to repeat it", except, that's exactly what these films do -- repeat the same nauseating story without the slightest variation, without a plan of action for change, without context, without a "why" attached, while simultaneously desensitizing us to the harsh realities the films are trying to evoke.  Movies aren't factual history, folks. Wise up.

If kids grew up in a world without racism, then a film about how awful racism has been, can be, is presently, would be moot. The kids would only know what they know and would instantly see how pointless a film like that would be.  But kids do live in a world of racism -- learned -- starting with the non-stop agenda of media perpetuating poison such as insisting on the reality of stereotypes ala "Le Mis", "Fifty Shades..." and countless others.  Hollywood-made films do not assume an audience's intelligence or ability for change.  Producers assume and pander to an audience's lowest base fears, doubts, guilt and shame and stays there, festering. 

It's our fault -- the consumers -- for not speaking out and I did and now I regret it.  We are the enemy.  We go to movies to "feel something" -- the more tragic the better -- but are relieved to leave it behind once the lights come up and use defensiveness to justify "survivor's guilt", while paying lip service to "empathy" for fictional characters. Movie hookers are beloved.  Real hookers are an invisible public nuisance no one wants to think about.

I am beyond tired of "race" films: everything from "Birth of a Nation", "Roots", "A Raisin In The Sun", "Sounder", "The Help", "Amistad", "The Butler", "Twelve Years A Slave", "The Color Purple" to "She's Gotta Have It" and more.  Okay.  I get it.  Racism is terrible.  Martin Luther King gave us a direction and positive tools to apply.  His words are truths that can not be denied.  He taught love and acceptance.  Big-budget films wallow in self-pity and victimization and do not spend one minute, one penny, on successes, prevention or punishment for those who do harm, therefore, becoming the problem instead of the solution. What did "Selma" really say and to whom did it say it to?

That ass-kissing populist, Oprah, makes one divisive film after another designed to give viewers of all races "White Guilt", only I haven't done anything wrong to feel guilty about.  What does Oprah want from me?

As a woman of Color, well over fifty years of age, wealthy, "successful", Oprah seems to have no insight or wisdom about how to achieve what she calls "living with authenticity" in this era (the only "truth", according to her, being that Black people have been treated badly in the past) as I hold her personally responsible for continuing the cycle of racism by making films which hold us to a standard which no longer applies, while stern-fast ignoring present situations good and bad.  Let's move forward together, Ms. Winfred, not continually look back in anger, pointing fingers while steeped in self-righteousness.  My finger is now pointed at Ms. Winfred and politely ask, "Where's 'The Oprah Winfred Story' or the 'How Obama Became President' documentary?" How is a private girl's school in Africa she supports countering or connecting the dots with the millions world-wide who saw her beaten down in every movie she's been associated with?  How is the OWN network different from other networks when every show it broadcasts assumes something is wrong with you (like Oprah magazine does) that needs to be fixed?

I am sick of "holocaust", "Nazi" and "Hitler" films for similar reasons. Enough already.  I'm intolerant of movies about the Crucifixion of Christ.  How about focusing on the "miracles" of Christ's life, like feeding people, healing the sick, telling off the corrupt churches?  How many times do we really need to see the guy being sliced up and nailed to the Cross?  Look it up.  There's hundreds of Bible-related movies.  There have been over six "Ben Hur" movies alone. Why?  Thank you, Mel Gibson, not only for your perverse body of film works but for the dangerous ranting of a lunatic recorded for the whole world to see and hear as popular culture entertainment.  Exhibit A, ladies and gentlemen of the court...

On-line punks (most of whom are not Caucasian and free to speak their minds) tell me I'm "wrong" about all of this when all I've done is shared an honest opinion, as I'm doing this instant.  Their reactions are not an open dialogue with someone you disagree with, a teaching opportunity, as if I've asked anyone to agree or disagree with anything I say, do, or am.

What I believe I experienced was a cultural mini-melt-down which is widening every passing second, a small dose of what is currently happening in this country and around the globe -- a tiny glimpse into the fragile, confused psyches of the masses after a racially-motivated cop killing, a natural disaster or when people realize they've been manipulated by politics, religion, the media or even their own parents, after a repressive lifetime of consuming toxic media and sanitizing political-correctness. Truth hurts as much as it sets you free and maybe freedom, including that of thought itself, isn't a consideration these days.  You can only "like" on facebook.

The on-line trolls who are the most vocal in social media inevitably kill the messenger, overtly through intimidation or through passive "shunning". They live their life in the anonymous shadows, faceless and formless, uselessly toiling on a machine to recreate reality in the image of The System, as aptly described in the novel "1984", so fantastically acted out for them in the movies and repeated in offensive postings aimed at me, but not who I am -- what I represent to them. Life imitating art and vice-versa, survival of the fittest via viral platform formatting.

It has now been over a year later and they're still out there, day and night, on every continent imaginable, picking apart the five sentences I wrote one night on that one posting about one movie out of the hundreds of thousands that have been made, the subject of one video out the millions on the internet, read and responded repeatedly to no particular end.  The commenting is petty and small and, most of all, irritating because there is so little that can be done about it and so much more good things to celebrate -- like something that gets in your eye and you just want it to be gone to get on with your life, happy when it is finally gone.

The Bottom-Feeders (Editorial)

The Bottom-Feeders

Oysters, clams, shrimp, lobsters, mussels, squid, octopus, catfish and the like live in oceans and streams.  As indiscriminate scavengers, they will eat any kind of garbage -- toxins, fecal material, carcasses of animals that died from disease -- which is good because they help keep the natural environment balanced, yet, bad because they are the filters of wastes and should be left alone to do their jobs and not made into the discount lunch menu special at Coco's.  Think of these unique creatures as the colon part of bodies of water.

I do not eat what can not be replaced.  You can eat chicken all day long and there's still zillions of them.  Eat a lobster and you've permanently disrupted the eco system. There are plenty of other things to eat besides tuna or salmon and the aforementioned species, which I think should be on an endangered species list somewhere.  Still, without the "bottom-feeders" as part of the cycle, all water dwellers, great and small, are at risk.  By eating them, you are increasing risk of several consequences to yourself, to human-beings everywhere, to the planet, directly or indirectly. I say, think before you eat. Informed consent...

I do not drink alcohol for a hundred reasons I won't get into presently, but, the fact is alcohol is closer to gasoline than partakers care to admit.  I associate drinking liquor with taking a hammer and smashing it into your forehead full-force because you like the feeling of being disoriented.  I leave drinking to others.

Yesterday, I went to lunch with two elderly women (eighty-nine and ninety-one respectively) who drank wine/margaritas and ordered shrimp cocktails and enthusiastically discussed how well they have eaten their whole lives.  They were quite proud of themselves.  The cocktails, with naked shrimp offered up cold and rubbery in reddish liquid in a cute ice cream parlor glass and accompanying long spoon, were as close to raw sewage as I can image being served in a public restaurant with an "A" rating (which we lovingly refer to as a "dump" -- how appropriate for offering "sewage").

One woman explained she had read a fascinating book years prior, properly entitled, "You Are What You Eat" (how clever!) and that changed her ways of consuming for the better thereafter, although, if you were to bust into her kitchen this minute, you'd find fat-filled, anti-dieters', sugar-addicts', salt connoisseur's delights in an array of food formats brimming on every surface in the room.  Looking at her pear-shaped body, you'd have strong suspicions as to where all that junky food was headed.

The other woman responded with, "I've always taken care of myself", as she slurped the last tiny bits of empty calories the margarita could produce. Yet, she swears off cake 'cause, you know, knowledge is power.

The women tried to convince me that I should try the "heaven-on-earth" cocktails (this being the umpteenth round-robin with no success to get me to do so but that didn't stop them from giving it a shot one more time because they wanted to "look out" for me in a motherly way, even though I am fifty-seven years old).  I politely declined, while gritting my teeth, saying that one spoonful of the toilet logs in diarrhea sauce being passed off as a South-of-the-Border delicacy would produce instant involuntary projectile vomiting, as similar experiments historically have proven, and, as fun as that sounded, we should wait for another occasion.  It's all in my mind, they say.  There and then, I commit to my current diet of the moment of mostly rice and a chicken taco with the chicken taken out.  I look at the two of them and wonder if I am undoubtedly diluting myself into believing my "healthy eating habits" are someday going to come back to bite me in the ass in an unimaginable manner, say, a spleen erupting from my backside like the grisly Chest Bursting scene in "Alien". 

Without so much as a hint of irony during the discussion on health-related matters, a comprehensive laundry list of ailments was tallied between the two irrepressible women, combined with my own recollections of their on-going prognosis: poor eyesight due to macular degeneration, hardness of hearing, various tooth decay issues, hair loss, rashes and other skin disorders, "bad" backs,  sleeplessness, urinary tract dysfunctions, muscle stiffness, lack of energy, on-coming/on-going dementia/Alzheimer's/mental confusion, breast and uterine cancer, stuttering, plus persistent vertigo -- to name but a few symptoms and conditions.  They're medical marvels, really, to continue on as they have -- and driving.  No thought whatsoever was thrown around the room to possible causes-and-effects linked to the specific kinds of food (or the medications) they have had for the entirety of their lives and the results speaking for themselves, instead, blaming "old age" was the blanket culprit. No, damn it.  They owed the act of living so long solely to successful dietary restraint and I should be so lucky.  I'll drink to that! Who knows what condition they'd be in if they weren't doing so well...?

Although, they blathered, their poor friend who sadly died not long prior to the lunch, was an unrepentant smoker and should have known better.  Staying "above the grass" was  -- and continues to be on an hourly basis -- the only mission, come hell or high-jinx. Somehow these women have managed to do just that, keeping one step ahead of the Grim Reaper while slightly pickled on two-buck-chuck and practically taxidermy with nitrate preservatives...so far, so good...except half-way through the course, one lady announced loudly, "I have to go to the bathroom", never moved from her chair, and the subject wasn't brought up again.

I am reminded of the joke: "Did you hear Bob died?" says one guy to another.  "What of?" asks the second guy. "Nothing serious," replies the first man.  Sure, you have to die from something, eventually, and you could die getting hit by a car any time, any day.  A quick, unforeseen death is entirely different from an avoidable painfully-slow food poisoning and the indignity associated with body functions systematically failing that follows. To my estimation, that's worse than death itself and the fear of most of the elderly -- the creeping awareness of loosing control over one's own being. It would be just my luck to have the twin "Grandma Gracias" make me ingest a cut-rate shrimp, wind-pipe bloat up from a previously-unknown allergic reaction, linger in diaper-wearing life-support just long enough for my actual mother to show up and whisper into my semi-conscious ear, "This is what happens when you eat crap..."

Then I thought about the food industry in our country, especially when so many people in the world are starving, and how some food processing, however well-intended for our protection, should be questioned.  Cows are fed meat by-products full of steroids in order to bulk them up.  Avocados from Guatemala are grown with untreated water and pesticides.  Chips are made from modified corn because...I don't know why they do that... Ice is made from water with traces of strychnine to kill bacteria.  How close are we to "Soylent Green?" What is safe?

Perhaps, as the Top of the Food Chain, we've actually become the bottom-feeders ourselves.  You are what you eat, I'm told by people who know.

Should You Make A Sex Tape? (Editorial)

SHOULD YOU MAKE A SEX TAPE?

For a while, EVERYONE seemed to have a sex tape.  Droves of personality-impaired D-list wanna-bes were producing grainy hotel videos that made the lackluster participants look like they needed more than a few basic lessons in creativity in bed.  Then there was the VHS craze of hiding the micro-wave-sized camera in a closet and going at it with any unknowing drunk with a hole as victim.  The reason the sex partner had to be drunk was so they wouldn't question why every light in the house had to be on while screwing.  That was before facebook where the idea of TMI really formulated into a national past-time and degraded celebrity sex tapes to "quaint" status.  Once upon a time, sex scandals could wreck a life and career, creating public embarrassment that the people involved could never live down.  Within the last few years, sex scandals ARE a career.  In this day of enough technology on your phone to ruin you life and career forever in a matter of seconds, should you jump on the sex tape band wagon?

Here are some reasons FOR and AGAINST making a home-made sex tape:

1.  You Only Live Once.

Pro:  Hey, you're young and sexy and having fun (at least that's what you tell yourself).  You want to look back at your life and enjoy the finer moments with someone who knew how to burn with passion.  Appreciating and celebrating and sharing sexuality as part of the natural human experience is a beautiful thing.

Con: You can talk a big line but a sex tape is undeniable evidence you aint all that.

2.  Why Would Anyone Care?

Pro: It is your right as a free-thinking adult to do consensual sex acts with other adults in private and record those acts any way you see fit.  It's no body's business but your own. If doing something like a sex tape is the worse thing you ever do, then good for you. If those around you will judge you for doing a sex tape, you should re-think those relationships. Before doing a sex tape yourself, ask, "What do I really think of the people who have done them?" If you have to talk yourself into it, you probably shouldn't. If you respect sex tape participants for their bravery and candor -- go for it.

Con: Really?  Can't find anything better to do?  The "Amateur Porn" market is filled to the brim with "professional amateurs" so if you think you've got something special that is going to make you rich, think again.  Unless you've got a "name" involved in your video -- someone seriously famous who has signed legal waivers -- chances are no one wants the end product.  In fact, having such material in your procession may be a detriment to you personally in the long run because you can't ask the other person for money to get rid of the video.  That's extortion.  And the other person(s) could sue you, even if the law suit is unfounded.  The most potentially embarrassing part of the whole procedure is that you insist on viewers and no one gives a damn (sort of what happened to a geeky former child television star who made porn to save his house and...nada).

3.  Get Over Yourself.

Pro:  Making a sex tape is about trust, negotiating, following through with a commitment, confronting personal issues and expressing yourself honestly (you can't fake real sex).  Sex tapes take normal sex and heightens the exhibition/voyeur aspects which can be a real turn-on to some people.  Knowing you are being watched in a safe environment may spark you to experiment, act out a fantasy or two, that you wouldn't have otherwise.  Videos give you a reason to perform.

Con: Sex tapes are as trendy as tattoos, piercing yourself, rubber bands as jewelry.  Why be as cheap and crass everyone else?  You've seen one, you've seen them all and now you have no mystery left because you've basically given the milk away without having to be responsible to the cow.  The more you do it, the less impact it has.  Truly, leave sex to the professionals.

4. Curiosity.

Pro:  You should make a sex tape ASAP because I -- like zillions of other freaks like me -- want to see it.  I don't care who's involved.  I don't care what they do.  The kinkier, the better. As long as there are naked people doing anything near acts resembling sex, count me in.

Con:  I'm not paying a dime for anything I can get for free on-line.

Thought Police (Image)

Don't let this happen to you!  The Thought Police are listening and watching! Criminals such as this should be hung from the nearest tree!  A projectionist showing "lewd and indecent movies", no less! And a "sailor's head" tattoo on the forearm -- that's hot!

Pornography Can Be Good For You (Editorial)

It all started innocently enough...

PORNOGRAPHY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOU

Just like anything else in life, pornography can be good in a good way but it can also be bad in a bad way -- a very bad way.  I'm not speaking in terms of morals judgments.  I'm speaking about pornography as entertainment and educational materials, and the pros and cons of watching pornography. Pornography is another one of those things in life that isn't destructive in of itself.  The harm comes in what is around it to produce it such as drugs and pimping and what you do with it once you've got it such as getting addicted or having an overall jaded view of sexuality.  Watching pornography can be a healthy expression of your personal sexuality and a useful tool into understanding yourself, your desires, your dreams and fantasies.

1. Porn Is A Stress Reliever.

Bad porn is ugly, tasteless and makes you impatient. You can actually be appalled, emotionally disturbed and sickened by awful pornography. Nothing is a bigger buzz-kill than watching repulsive, unhealthy (mentally and physically) people participating in maddening, saddening activities such as nailing a penis to a board or slicing a breast's nipple with a razor blade. That's not fun at all. Bad porn can make you feel anxious.

Good porn is like a having a glass of wine, putting on slippers, or a warm bath. It's something to look forward to -- just you, your lube, your hand and any scenario that floats your boat.  Good porn helps you remember the good times of the past and look forward to the good times ahead.

2.  Porn Is Harmless Fun.

Good porn can be realistic in a documentary flavor or a fantasy or a mixture of both -- but always cartoon-ish in style and execution. Pornography is no more real than reality tv or a Soap Opera.  It's an idea, which is why the people having sex are called actors and not "hookers in a movie".  Porn is mostly disposable entertainment for the visually-minded. Porn can make you feel your body awake with arousal and kill time when you are bored, time you'd otherwise be doing something way worse than masturbating in the privacy of your own home.

Bad porn is silly in an immature way. Bad porn can be racist, sexist, misogynist, and irresponsible. Really, really bad porn makes the wonders of sexuality into a crass, repetitive act of desperation that isn't sexy at all.  The worst possible violation porn can do is to give the illusion there are no consequences to irresponsible behavior.

3.  Porn Teaches Boundaries.

Bad porn is disrespectful to the people involved -- and not just because they like it that way.  Bad porn is disrespectful to the audience as well.  Crack whores are NOT porn stars, whether they are being filmed doing their business or otherwise.  Viewers can tell immediately if what they are watching is out of the bounds of tastelessness or if it is hammy kitsch.

Good porn teaches about negotiation, communication, reciprocity, patience, openness, acceptance, and proper adult interaction and positive behaviors. Porn can help you mentally act out scenarios you'd never be able to in real life -- making you feel less alone in your diverse tastes.  Good porn can act as a starting place for intimate discussion among adults and the basis of a "porn party" for good friends to enjoy together, have fun, laugh, share experiences.

4.  Porn Is An Art Form.

Good porn is good film-making: lighting, sound, editing, acting, plot-lines. Just like watching any kind of good movie, good porn is a memorable delight, enriching your psyche.  Porno is a mega-million dollar industry populated with well-paid, highly-educated professionals who know exactly what they are doing.  Countless throngs are grateful for their endeavors.

Bad porn isn't even worth the "Amateur" label put on it. Just because people are having sex, doesn't mean you have to record it or watch it.  Bad porn makes sex boring.  How is that even possible?

5. Porn Is Easier Than Real-Life Relationships.

Bad porn let's you down and can deceive you into thinking it's one thing when it's another.  Bad porn makes you think everyone else is having sex all the time. Porn can make you think things that just aren't true -- such as multiple orgasms mostly occur between a woman with a forty-four inch bust and five hairy men with foot-long schlongs while riding a bus. No matter how you cut it, pornography can never, ever take the place of human interaction (marital aids aside).

Nothing is more exciting than your porn favorite doing a new project and the building anticipation similar to having a blind date that ensues.  Loyal audiences DO have some sort of relationship with their porn-favs, just like Trekkies.  But porn can be so much more than the superficial.  It's free and always ready when you are. You don't have to take porn to a movie, dinner, dancing and long walks on the beach at night. Porn doesn't get pregnant or have a disease. Porn doesn't have to be told you love it -- it already knows that.

Nudism Misconceptions (Editorial)

A Naked Hootenanny...What could be more natural?

NUDISM MISCONCEPTIONS: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT NAKED

Thousands upon thousands of people world-wide have found nudism a great source of personal freedom and relaxation. Nudism (also referred to as Naturism or Naturalism) is also one of the most misunderstood lifestyle choices among the general population. The topic seems to confront deep feelings in most people, particularly in the West.  For the uneducated, nudism may appear to counter both political and religious ideas of the current culture.

I advocate nudism as a matter inherent choice, as a part of the connection of one's own body and the environment, of accepting and understanding the natural workings of the body, and the beginning of eliminating the fear, doubt, guilt and shame that society has put on self-image, the body and sexuality.  I also believe being forced to wear clothes is a form of tyranny and repression -- the same as anyone who is forced to wear a burka.  

Here are some common misconceptions concerning nudism...

1. Sexual Activities. Misconception: Nudism is a "front" for wild sexual activity.

This is the single most untrue misconception about nudism. In fact, any public place where true nudism is practiced, sexual activity, exhibitionism and voyeurism are strictly discouraged and in some cases prohibited. Overt sexual situations, exhibitionist and voyeuristic conduct results in the offending participant being expelled from the area immediately.  Those behaviors in most nudist situations -- as are most public arenas -- are considered unlawful, if not merely an annoying and rude nuisance.  Sexual activity is not allowed any more in a nudist resort or Naturalist event than any typical public setting, and the other members are even encouraged to report such conduct, if they see it, to the organizer or owner of the facility.

Yet, sexuality is a part of life.  I think there should be places for adults to do what adults want to do.  It is impossible to divorce the body and mind from sexuality.  Public urination is against the law, yet, visit any major city in the world and you will probably witness someone relieving themselves in full view.  What do you do?  You ignore it and move on. Yes, you don't want to offend, but still, what's the harm in seeing an erection or people enjoying themselves in a sexual way? 

And what exactly is the defining line of what is sexuality?  Is it just genital stimulation or could sexuality be other behaviors as well?  Even the most liberal of nudists might still have a streak of the puritanical to address and consider alternatives for those who have just as might right to their choices.  Many open-minded and sex-positive European countries laugh at North American's backward attitudes.  It's time for nudism to evolve in sophistication.

2. Naked Equals Sexy. Misconception: Nudism is sexually stimulating.

When they first try nudism by going to a nude beach or swimming naked with friends, scores of people find themselves surprised at the lack of sexual arousal the situation evokes in them. Men may be afraid of being visibly aroused. 

The fact is that erections are spontaneous.  All the men have to do is lay on their stomach, take a dip in the water, put on a towel or -- the best solution -- do nothing.  Men may be afraid to show their penis for "lack of penis size" prejudice.  Others may feel they are "too fat" to take off their clothes.  A few minutes of seeing all kinds of people naked, one looses all perspective of what is "normal" and what is "sexy".

After a while, nudists even forget that they and the other people around them are nude. Long-time nudist confess they are less likely to be aroused in a nudist situation than at a beach or pool where people wear bathing suits, because bathing suits actually draw attention to the body parts they are supposed to hide. Being naked is not the same as being a "Playboy" centerfold in a magazine.

"Sexy" is anyone who is comfortable, confident and health-oriented -- naked or not.  "Sexy" is a positive-attitude toward the body and sexuality.

3. Only "Hotties" Should Be Naked. Misconception: Nudists have attractive bodies -- or need to have a great body to show them off.

Only good looking people should be nudists?  Once again, nudism is not about voyeurism and exhibitionism.  Nudists have all kinds of bodies; any kind, size or shape of body you normally see in day-to-day life. Nudist come in all ages and from every imaginable walk of life (although statistically nudists tend to be better educated than the general population). The only commonality nudists may have otherwise with each other is they are comfortable with getting naked -- alone or with others.

Scores of people are judgmental and assume others will judge them as harshly as they do others. They worry they are too fat, have an ugly scar or just don’t look like a supermodel. They are afraid to bend over to expose themselves in the plain view of people they don't know. Nudism is not a beauty contest. Believe me, once you've seen a thousand, a thousand-and-one don't mean a thing.

I have been in several situations in which well-meaning nudists have made a comment about another person's body -- usually about an overly-endowed man or a bodacious woman's breasts.  These are harmless, realistic observations, not hurtful and mean critiques.  Some things beg for commentary.  It wouldn't be "normal" if you didn't say something.  So what?

4. Nudism Is Adults-Only. Misconception: Nudism makes minors "warped".

Nudism welcomes and encourages whole families with children -- no matter the age of those children. Children are usually the most enthusiastic nudists because they have not yet learned to feel shame about their own or others’ bodies or to equate nudity with sexuality. Children are curious and nudism aids in the natural progression of their curiosity level and affords a great opportunity for questions-and-answers with parents.  Most clothing-optional venues have play areas and activities set up specifically for children. However, children are only allowed to participate in nudist resorts or organized events if they are accompanied by their parents or legal guardians, and their parents, organizers and the other nudists are always on the lookout for anyone who would take advantage of children.  They simple don't want the act of one or two idiots to have consequences for the law-abiding group.

I acknowledge that nudism should be a freedom of choice -- for adults and children alike.  If a child shows interest in being a nudist but the parents are not interested, parents should teach the child where and when it is appropriate, just like anything else in life.  Teenagers who have grown up in the nudist lifestyle generally take a couple of years away from participating to do other things and to have privacy.  They also tend to be nudists again later on.  This choice should also be respected, of course, but the reasoning for the decision should also be discussed, a discussion which allows the minor to formulate ideas on their own and not just go along with peer-pressure that every parent has to address. Nudists are the very people who should appreciate diversity -- even from their own children.

Besides, Doctor Freud took a lot of heat for suggesting children aren't as "innocent" as they seem.  What is seen in the little research information that is available indicates nudist children grow up to have less teen pregnancies, less suicide, less divorce, make more money, live longer and describe themselves as "happy" more often than other groups.  The "Great Mysteries Of Life" are common-place amongst nudists.

5. Nudist Hate Clothing. Misconception: Nudists have strict "nude-all-the-time" policy.

It's a preference, not a all-consuming mandate. Nudists get naked when practical and dress appropriately when the need arises (so to speak). In the winter, nudist resorts generally arrange for events for indoor setting, such as a heated swimming pool, gymnasium or sports facility. Nonetheless, someone visiting a nudist venue is strongly encouraged to disrobe soon after arriving as a deterrent against creepy voyeurs. Novice-nudists/nervous people who are self-conscious, acting abnormally, and stay in their clothes tend to make other nudists uncomfortable, so getting naked as soon as you arrive sort of gets it out of the way to move on to other things.  The point is to enjoy yourself, not create a scene which should be worked out with a therapist.

6. Nudists Are Odd-balls. Misconception: Nudists are perverts, weirdos and other sorts of sexually-deviant people.

...If only...In general, nudists around the world are open, understanding and extremely friendly. Nudism is a personal experience that you share when the situation occurs.  Nudists are people who simply don't buy into all of the social myths and repressive authoritarian hierarchy that the majority of people do. Sure, nudists are rebels with a cause, but they tend to be peace-loving and non-confrontational.  Nudism is an activity, not an identity.

I have said a million times, "Free the body and you free the mind..." One of the things the gay community has contributed to the world is the notion that "Silence Equals Death".  Communication conquers ignorance and ignorance is deadly.

7. Nudists Are Asexual. Misconception: Despite being naked, nudists are unresponsive sexually and have a negative reaction to sexuality.

Some people think that by treating nudity as not so much a sexual thing, nudists deny human sexuality altogether. Obviously, nudists do marry and reproduce, just like nature intended. But nudists come in all forms of sexual orientations, preferences, genders -- falling anywhere along the Kinsey Scale. They just don’t promote sexual activities in an atmosphere that would perpetuate the common misconception that all nudity is sexual -- or to compromise an "innocent family situation". Nudists are sexual beings just like you and I, but they conduct their activities in private -- or in public places designed for such activities.  Gay and Swinger nudists have countless clothing optional resorts around the world to visit and countless numbers of those resorts permit full public sexual contact.

8. Nudists Are Being Crude. Misconception: Nudists have no sense of privacy or decency.

Although nudists feel comfortable in the nude, they tend to be particularly shy of cameras because of feeling "invaded" and have aspects of their life they do not need the world to know. Just because someone is nude, one should not assume anything about them. In most naturist settings, photography is restricted or even prohibited and taking pictures of children (even innocent ones) is strictly forbidden, in order to deter voyeurs and molesters. Likewise, when a person attends a nudist resort, the club keeps the visitor's information private, just like a person’s information is held confidential in any typical public place.

Being nude does not harm anyone.  It's a victim-less crime.  They aren't doing anything to you, so why should you care?  The point is: they are getting naked to try to eliminate a reaction, not to stir a reaction from others.

9. Nudism Is Illegal -- Period (Or Should Be).  Misconception: Nudism doesn't happen around here.

Some people think that nudist venues are a branch of some kind of black market, that nudists keep their cult-like lifestyles secret and unknown to law enforcement for fear of being arrested and prosecuted. I cannot speak for every jurisdiction of every county of every country of the world about what is and isn't lawful. In most places on the planet, laws do not strictly target nudism per se, although, it is simply illegal to be nude in a public place. Law enforcement tends to treats nudist venues as being exempt from prosecution because everyone who visits agrees to be nude, and the venue is kept out of public view with fences, etc. Many nudists advertise and communicate their lifestyle through various media and law enforcement treats their lifestyle as a legitimate social cause. Some nudists are even police officers, judges or lawyers themselves. However, there are a few jurisdictions where this misconception is a reality. Nudism is officially illegal in the state of Arkansas and in the countries of Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Sometimes the police make half-hearted frivolous arrests, such as a crack down on a nude beach or arresting typical parents who take innocent nude photos of their young children, but in these cases, the court usually sees reason and dismisses the charges as unlawful and unsubstantiated. The best place to look for what the laws are in your area is to look them up on the internet.  We have a long way to go to gain universal acceptance of something seemingly so inherit...

10.  Great-Grandma Would Never! Misconception: Nudism is new and alien in the history of humankind.

Humans began naked, both historically and (allegedly) Biblically. Many believe that humans originally began to wear clothes as a means to keep warm to be able to go to cooler climates in order to survive. Then, over many millennia, clothes evolved to denote status and class. Society came to the point where a body without clothes was taboo. However, if you visit the cathedrals in England, you will see many statues of undressed humans and many great artists, such as Renoir, Donatello and Michelangelo depicted nude subjects in their work. In North America, nudism as a cause -- as a movement -- is about a century old, but the swimsuit is also a new invention, prior to which people swam and used saunas in the nude. Early swimsuits covered most of the body but in recent years has gradually covered less of the body over time. A swimsuit of today would probably get you arrested a hundred years ago, but go back two hundred years and people would wonder why you’re dressed at all.

One has to look no further than the poor women of third-world countries who must cover themselves at all times -- even their eyes -- for fear of retaliation (even death) to see the ridiculous and destructive religious and political ramifications of clothing. Until someone can accept themselves in total -- warts and all -- then their spirit is fractured and they will remain shattered.  Nudism is seeing oneself as whole and recognizing the wondrous natural aspects of what being human really is.  Nudism is a one key to self-actualization, one facet of being healthy.