In last week’s column I postulated that 2005 did not really exist. It turns out due to bad Intelligence I received from the CIA that I was misinformed and 2005 did exist.
Finally Getting Their Due
George W. Bush: The American people are finally waking up to the truth about the current figurehead of the country. No matter how much “spin” is put on the Iraq war people are realizing that this war is draining our economy, killing our soldiers and just might not be the right thing to do anymore. With the new allegations of spying on its citizens, a violation of the 4th Amendment (“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized”) and Bush’s cronies being indicted his approval rating is plummeting faster than you can say Jimmy Carter.
Bill Clinton may have ridden the dot.com economic boom, but Bush has been riding the real estate market boom. When real estate values start to bust and the American people find themselves with mortgages they can no longer afford, that will be all she wrote for the current “Skull and Crossbones” regime.
Wal-Mart: The richest family in America has made their fortune by buying cheap goods from China, offering sub par wages and benefits to its employees, engaging in illegal employment practices all the while destroying locally owned businesses (and K-mart). But the American public love cheap stuff! If you pile shit high enough and price it cheaply people will buy it. This past year however many people are waking up to the sad realities that buying cheap stuff from Wal-Mart bring with it. Unfortunately, it is too little too late, as we have handed too much power to the Walton family. They now dictate to suppliers the conditions under which they will buy from. This includes the inclusion of wireless tracking chips in products sold at Wal-Mart, further violating your privacy.
The Music Industry: Long the greediest and most unethical industries in America, The Music Industry, is finally getting some of there due too. Despite filing thousands of lawsuits and extorting money from Parents whose kids downloaded Madonna from Kazaa, illegal file sharing figures have actually gone up this year.
Sony was caught installing hacking kits on your computer if you played some of their CD’s on your computer and then it was discovered that all of their Digital Rights Management software installed on your computer poses a security risk. Once again a loss of our privacy rights (see the 4th amendment above). There are now several lawsuits as well as Attorney General investigations going on into these software practices. Support local independent labels, like on www.emusic.com, and do not buy CD’s with DRM software.
A Thought for 2006
I would like to leave you with this quote by author Sam Harris who wrote the controversial book, "The End of Faith:
“The status quo where our separate religions are all pitted against one another has to be overcome, and I don’t see any way of doing it other than by disavowing the preposterous notion that God has given us certain books.”
Couch Potato would like to wish all a happy 2006!
"Couch Potato Confessions" is ©2005 by Vinnie Blesi. Couch Potato main graphic by Vin Blesi and Nolan Canova. Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2005 by Nolan B. Canova.
