Every day, in secret meetings, in offices all around the world, designs are being drawn for things that cannot be fixed. In towns and cities all across America they're working around the clock fixing things that aren't broken. We're still using yesterday's tools to solve tomorrow's problems. The economic law of supply and demand dictates that our over-stock of headaches, hassles and rip-offs be distributed free. People are lined up around the globe to get theirs. Workers of the world march out to meet their challenge only to find a bottomless pit. Everywhere waves of immigrants are flooding across borders fleeing oppression, poverty and injustice, only to be met with injustice, oppression and poverty. Government agencies are created to develop euphemisms for the things that our leaders can't hide. Behind closed doors, an agreed-upon set of lies is fashioned into history books. Our media industries are a gaggle of concubines serving the pillars of power. 'Scape-goats can be made to order in a wide variety of styles and colors. The media is systematically changing the definitions of words to suit the needs of their clients. Opinions are engineered. Civilization would grind to a halt if people would stop buying things. Consumer driven economics is Economic Slavery. News reports of terrorism are as common as the weather report. Wall Street is the real terrorist nerve center of the free world. Multi-national corporations are having a free-for-all with the earth's resources. Free Trade Agreement is a euphemism for Economic Fascism. Taxes are lowered, new ones are created and fines are increased. Poor people in rich countries are taxed and the money is given to rich people in poor countries. Prisons are our country's number one growth industry. Our country has more people in jail than any country on Earth. Prisons are mills for politically useful statistics. A fanatic group of Humans are treating other Humans inhumanely for their inhumane treatment of animals. Religious zealots are bombing clinics and executing doctors in order to protect the rights of the unborn citizen. Our government asks the electronics industry to voluntarily "bug" our home and business appliances in the name of law enforcement. Law and Order is a euphemism for dictatorship. The US. Constitution is folded into a paper airplane and tossed around the house of representatives. Five hundred and thirty-five little paring knives are at this very moment whittling away at your unalienable rights. We are a nation who fears it's peace-keepers. We have a government that fears it's citizens. Police and politicians have better rights than we do. Soldiers have less than we do. Citizens are punished for having the audacity to survive until retirement age. Politicians are handsomely rewarded for their cowardice. The laws enacted by lack-wit louts are enforced by badged barbarians. Ballot boxes are replaced with paper shredders. We are force-fed inescapable thoughts and images as long as our eyes and ears are open. Our appliances are reprogramming us. The March of Progress breaks stride and degenerates into the Dash of the Damned.
Way Out West © 1993 Martin Scherer. E-mail: mscherer@tesserak.net