RW>> THey're much easier, dumb down the populace, sell 'em   
    RW>> anything.   
      
   BK>> That's always been the rule. It's just easier when they own the   
   BK>> media.   
      
    RW> YEah I know, civics, all that good stuff, don't bother with   
    RW> that.   
    RW> Reading an article, yeah I know, NY times, not some folks'   
    RW> favorite rag, but talking about how much more we spend than   
    RW> many other countries on education, and how much less we get   
    RW> for it. AS they said, put the money in cultural programs,   
    RW> teachers, the real basics, less on hauling kids by bus, and   
    RW> athletics, and ... you know the drill.   
      
    Actually, I see the athletics and arts and all the rest right in   
    there. Used to do that. We still could if we stopped trying to   
    do everything on the cheap. There is an occasional time to be   
    reactionary. In this case, go back to doing it all.   
      
   RW>>> Doesn't do either for me, angers me. We don't teach kids   
   RW>>> civics anymore, we just keep dumbing it down and dumbing it   
   RW>>> own, but the big fascists who really have a lot to gain like a   
   RW>>> dumbed down populace.   
      
   BK>> Yep. And they sell it by prattling about how much money they are   
   BK>> saving, and how much more the people would have to pay. Yet we   
   BK>> don't seem to be paying any less.   
      
    RW> Depends on how you save money whether you're actually   
    RW> robbing from your own future or not though.   
      
    Uh...yeah... and I say that's exactly what's happening. Or our   
    grandchildren's.   
      
   BK>> The parasites on Wall Street are the right targets for the   
   BK>> anger. They don't profit from a better life, they profit whether   
   BK>> we win or lose.   
      
    RW> That's my problem with them exactly. I understand the   
    RW> house has to win the majority of the time to stand in   
    RW> business, but when the house wins no matter what, and   
    RW> you've not got a choice but to play ...   
      
    Thing is, in an honest game we can all win. They like to say   
    it's not a zero sum game, but it actually is. At least the way   
    they play it.   
      
   BK>> Fifty seven? More like a hundred and fifty seven, and still   
   BK>> nothing on.   
      
    RW> YEah I know, but that Springsteen song came to mind, so I   
    RW> used Bruce's number .   
      
    Aha! Was that Bruce Heinz? With the E-street ketchup company?   
      
    RW>> What was once the greatest country on earth is no longer a   
    RW>> bastion of freedom and a beacon of hope. Screw hope and   
    RW>> freedom, there's not enough money in it.   
      
   BK>> Same for peace and plenty. You can't be king if there isn't   
   BK>> someone you can rule over.   
      
    RW> YEah I know, but if you can still everything you need or   
    RW> want who in his right mind would want to be king? THen you   
    RW> get the responsibility for all of it too.   
      
    That's just it, it doesn't make sense. It can be good for all of   
    us, but some do want to be king.   
      
    RW>> But, to make sure that hope and freedom go by the boards we   
    RW>> have to discount and marginalize true culture as well.   
    RW>> Music and art, screw them too. WE've caused there to be a   
    RW>> fight between the ignorant "we want it all for free" folks   
    RW>> and the creators who should expect to get paid for their   
    RW>> work.   
      
   BK>> Well, the Wall Street types want it all for free too, just in much   
   BK>> bigger measure.   
      
    RW> OF course they do, and they've set up the creative arts   
    RW> types and the true creators of the intellectual property   
    RW> that is now being fought over to lose no matter how it   
    RW> goes. When as a young man reading sci fi I thought of   
    RW> something like the internet I expected to see it become a   
    RW> true cultural renaissance, but these days I'm not so sure.   
      
    Oh how I know what you mean. The internet does have so much   
    potential, and so little delivered.   
      
    RW> But, the creative artists who use it to get their art out   
    RW> there don't have the budget or the expert knowledge to   
    RW> create listenable or viewable product oftentimes.   
    RW> Acquiring the facilities and the expertise using them costs   
    RW> money, and in today's markets that isn't available.   
      
    The Vietnam war era was a cultural renaisance period, IMO, but   
    this is a time of decline. So much opportunity, and so hard to   
    actually make something of it.   
      
    Try to steal intelectual property from the big guys and you will   
    get nailed. But the little guy has so many barriers to get past.   
      
   RW>>> Sometimes I thank god I'm already on the down side of the   
   RW>>> slippery slope, at least I won't get to see the worst of   
   RW>>> what the fascists and their dumbed down masses will create.   
   RW>>> I am truly sorry I left offspring behind to be part of it however.   
      
    RW>> I'll stand by that last remark.   
      
   BK>> I just hope I get to stick around long enough to join the   
   BK>> battle.   
      
    RW> tO be honest with you Bob, I'm tired of the battle. I   
      
    I'm tired of this battle, I'm looking forward to the chance to   
    actually go after the true bad guys.   
      
    RW> spent too much of my younger years when not playing music or   
    RW> working a sound board engaged in it. I did enough   
    RW> volunteer advocacy back in the '80's to mid-nineties that   
    RW> I'm burned out on it. Trouble is, I know it's needed more   
    RW> now than ever before, and I just can't bring myself to join   
    RW> that world again. I burned my candle at both ends pretty   
    RW> good back then .   
      
    I have a feeling it's going to get a lot worse before it gets   
    better.   
      
      
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... Jesus' family was so poor they never had a Christmas tree.   
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