Why Is This Progress Back Page News?

As most of the news these days is concerned with Lindsay Lohan, things that are important to humanity are thrown on the back pages of newspapers or buried deep in news websites.

Major advances in cancer, AIDS and blindness that have recently been discovered should have been the top stories.

If you were lucky enough to have read these short blurbs over the last two months you would have been excited for the future of mankind.

You would have realized that human beings have been given brilliant creative genius to solve these problems and they have the ability to see it through.

The only thing lacking is money. Scientists, resources, processes and experimentation costs money. That is the only thing preventing the cures.

When your government which is spending YOUR MONEY THAT YOU WORK FOR would rather invest 500 MILLION a day in death--you get exactly what you are paying for-- destruction, annihilation, massacre and human carnage.

If this 500 MILLION a day was spent on life--you would get growth, vitality, longevity and cures for everything that ails mankind.

When I also said these things when I was 14 and America was wasting its taxpayer's money on Vietnam, I would get looks from all kinds of adults like, "isn't that cute," "the naive child is dreaming," "go back and listen to the Beatles," and other condescending looks and remarks.

At 57, I say the same thing. Human beings have incredible creative abilities to find cures for all of this. They don't have the money. It is being wasted instead on death instead of life.

In this month alone from Afghanistan, 63 American families are getting back a pine box with a souvenir flag and what is left of their son, father, husband, brother or uncle.

It's not a dream. Go look for stories about the recent medical advances. Instead of being concerned with Lindsay Lohan, why don't you speak up and tell your government that their priorities are mixed up and you won't stand for it anymore.

Let me leave you with a nice thought for your day.

Every time that an American missile drone kills innocent men, women and children in a foreign nation--you have blood on your hands. And when you stand before Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Jehovah, Moses or whoever your God of the month is on Judgment Day, you will be personally held responsible and asked why you didn't try and stop the madness.

My Favorite Painting - Up Close

My Favorite Painting - Up Close

I have always loved this painting more than any other.

"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper.

I've seen thousands of copies of it in reproductions, books, postcards, souvenirs and even parodies like the Simpsons.

It was enchanting to be able to stand next to the original at the Art Institute in Chicago.

Although this was the first time as an adult, I saw it as a small child and always thought it was a cartoon.

A few interesting facts:

1. Where's the door?

2. Fluorescent light just had come into existence around the time he painted the picture.
Hopper dramatically recreates fluorescent light in the cafe.

3. Most Hopper's paintings have a sense of isolation and loneliness to them. There may be people, but they are rarely communicating with each other.

4. The man is holding a cigarette. I recall that when blown up, the woman is holding a book of matches.

The Greatest Moment of My Trip To Chicago

The Greatest Moment of My Trip To Chicago

From 1959-1967, age 5-14, my twin brother and I lived on the bottom floor of this two flat on the North side called Rogers Park in Chicago.

During my trip this week, the very nice people who live there now, let us in and showed us the entire place and property. We had not been in there since 1967.

It was the most moving event of my return to my childhood.

In this modest apartment, I experienced the things that most children do during those formative years. Development of lifelong friends, happy times, sad times, family and relatives, riding a bicycle, school, first important girlfriend, trust, betrayal, life and death.

It was here that although we lived in poverty, I played my Beatles albums over and over again which I still do today. And I filled the atmosphere with my cheap guitar and old broken down piano. My brother and I would fill ourselves with laughter as we invented creative things to make up for the things we didn't have. I got to experience the very unique late 1950's and the innocence of the early 1960's. I watched the great sitcoms of the 1960's as they aired for the first time.

And it is here we came on November 22, 1963 when we were called into the auditorium at school, briefly told that President Kennedy was dead and to go home right now.

And it was here that my other brother, 5 years older, suddenly got sick, went into the hospital, and just as sudden--never came back to this home.

So much of my life was influenced in this residence.

It was a powerful experience to walk in there one last time.

HOW TO SOLVE THE OIL PROBLEM QUICKLY

I have figured out a way to get rid of the oil quickly.

1. U.S. PASSES A LAW THAT REQUIRES ALL BOYS AND MEN LIVING IN THE COUNTRY TO CHANGE THEIR HAIR STYLES TO MATCH THOSE OF ELVIS IN THE 50's.






2. EACH MALE CITIZEN MUST GO DOWN TO THE GULF AND FILL A COOLER-SIZE WATER BOTTLE WITH OIL AND TAKE IT HOME WITH HIM.






3. HE MUST USE THE OIL ON HIS HAIR DAILY.

FOURTH OF JULY -- WHERE ARE THE PROTESTS?

There is a whole generation of young Americans who have grown up knowing one thing--America is always involved in some kind of war. Not official of course, Congress hasn't declared an official war since World War II.

$500 MILLION A DAY minimum is the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Money that could go into education, starting new industries with loans, health care and creating new jobs. And the cost of American lives.

Where are the protesters on this Fourth of July?

The younger crowd is busy with their video games and music videos.
The college crowd is out partying and driving their new cars to which they were automatically entitled.
Young adults are busy texting and on their cell phones.
Adults are watching 500 channels of TV, recuperating from overwork or looking for any work.

Nobody is available to protest anymore.

The patriots that declared American independence against England would be ashamed at the new American character.