Been awhile since I've had a rant......

Things I'm ranting about this season: Divisiveness amongst citizenry and how the media seems to ignore slander and libel. I'm just saying...: if I were Van Jones, I'd be suing for defamation, or libel or slander. Maybe he's got more heart than I, but he shouldn't have had to leave his post.
Water; yes, it is illegal to collect rain water in the state of Colorado (and some others as well). I sure hope that citizens of CO put out their rain barrels and someone tests this law in the courts. The day that this government, or any state, can claim to own the rain is the day that I decide it just may be time to leave the country.
Built in Obsolescence: sick and tired of making purchases that are crap and break. From Aveda products to appliances - everything is made in China where it seems no one cares how well something is constructed. $150 coffee makers that break after 4 months, water filtration devices that last about 60 days, clothing that comes ready to shred..... if a business wants my dollar, they best start paying attention to engineering. I can build better stuff in my basement with duct tape and bubble gum.
Speaking of duct tape, why didn't BP send down the robot army and wrap the wellhead with freaking duct tape? It probably would've worked better than heavy mud or tennis balls. And if you buy gas from BP stations, or any BP affiliated products, then you are responsible for dead seabirds, oiled coastlines, and burnt sea turtles.
Accept your responsibility or get real.
Citizens United vs Fed. Election Commission: yes, this ruling by Roberts' conservative and misleaded supreme court was heinous. May we mention a tiny bit of silver lining to that cloud? It's easier to sue a citizen entity than it is to sue a corporation. Now we just need someone with deep pockets to file the first suit.

Tea Partiers, (I do prefer Teabaggers, it suits them), are personal agenda idiots.
They either will find a common agenda, or they will go the way of the Indiana Republican primary: too many candidates for a game of musical chairs. No one wins.
And Sarah Palin: an artifice (to say the least) created to further her own ambition while using everyone and everything around her.

The weather: HAWT. We told you so.
Water: expensive enough for you yet?

USDA Organic Food Certifications and Organic Sugar: Buy local. Know your food producers - visit their farms, volunteer to help so you can see what they do.
The organic label means little these days, it can be bought just like every politician out there (with the exception of maybe Russ Feingold).
STOP CUTTING DOWN RAINFORESTS TO GROW ORGANIC SUGAR - we see you. And we don't want to hear about how your sugar plantations are helping the poor of south america.
They'd be helped more if they were shown that sustainability and eco-tourism pays more than does sugar.

Sugar laden soda, fast food taxes: PLEASE do tax soda and fast food. It does nothing for human health to consume these things and if the garbage food was more expensive than REAL, HEALTHY food, people would eat healthier. When soda and greasy burgers are cheaper than a pound of broccoli or a sack of tomatoes, its a sure bet that folks will be eating cheap. If we can create laws against adults smoking while citing the health of children, then certainly we can remove sugary drinks and snacks from schools. I pay taxes and am tired of seeing kids who are so heavy they can run and play like a child should.

Lastly, will everyone please stop talking about RACISM. It isn't just racism that is the problem, it is discrimination against the poor, the disenfranchised, and the ignorant. It is politics of gender too and if you think I'm wrong consider this:
since 2008 when the economy tanked, more men have lost jobs and have had longer unemployment times than did women. What does this say about employment? The Lilly Ledbetter equal pay for equal work act was long overdue. What we should've seen coming was the response of business to Lilly Ledbetter: fire the men who make larger salaries, hire more women (for lower start wages), wait until the men are really hungry and offer them jobs at wage women previously earned. Now everyone makes the same salary and no one got raises.
Thanks big business! We knew we could leave it to you!

Since when can corporations cast votes?

So I am watching Keith Olberman ranting about the fact that "major news organizations" were too busy reporting on John Edwards' love child" and basically ignored the Supreme Court striking down the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform legislation by declaring that Corporations are essentially "ENTITIES", and as such as entitled to free speech under the constitution?

I am speechless. I am thoroughly convinced that the U.S. government should be declared legally insane. What do our tax dollars get spent on? One branch of government circumventing the will of another branch of government. And the tax payer once again gets the shaft. We can now count on corporate interests subverting every campaign they can with their dollars.
Perhaps they'll use the money they saved on raising working womens wages to match male workers wages to finance their own campaigns of lies, innuendo and mud slinging.

Rant du Jour - FREE Gifts

About 9 months ago I began receiving US WEEKLY magazine in the mail. Funny, I didn't (and wouldn't) subscribe to that kind of trash. But there it was in my mailbox every week. At first, I tried to get the USPS to send it back saying there must be some kind of mistake. The USPS is not interested in stopping mail that is delivered in error - they are interested in keeping their jobs - so no help from the USPS.
Knowing that US Weekly is the kind of junk that most of my neighbors would enjoy, I started giving it to a neighbor who lives on gossip about celebrity culture. Over time, I got tired of taking it to her mailbox - it isn't like it was a quality gift or something I was giving her, but it did warrant at least a HELLO when our paths crossed.

So, over the months, I simply took to tossing the magazine into the recycling bin. Unread. I mean, who cares about so and so's 6 pack abs? I got stuff to do.
Then, I started receiving bills from US Weekly.

Getting billed for trash made me angry. I began a campaign with email messages. To be fair, I guess there was a response - automated. Still, the trashy rag kept showing up in my mailbox.
I started again with second campaign. Hunting for the magazine's impressum only took most of 10 minutes as it is barely there - buried on the last page, at the bottom of the page, in tiny font, is the legally required impressum. But there isn't any good contact info.... hmmmm.
Online I find that there is a hint that US Weekly may be owned by Rolling Stone Magazine. What a huge letdown. An institution from my contemporaries - and here it is, the owner of celebrity soft porn.

Finally! I get a phone number. I call US WEEKLY. 3 Days later I am no closer to finding out where US Weekly got my name, who started the subscription, etc.
I try again, this time threatening legal action. AHA! Someone with a pulse and connecting synapses on the other end of the phone! And yes, my "subscription" was initiated by...... LIVE NATION TICKETING.
WTF!?????
Yes, well I did buy tickets for Michael Franti and Spearhead last January from LiveNation. Those same tickets barely paid the band - most of the charges were taxation/entertainment fees, administration fees, and fees on fees because it seems to be a good idea. As if Live Nation wasn't making enough money as middleman on fees alone - they had to sell my name (or add it to their corporate marketing list).
So, does Rolling Stone own Live Nation? How is Live Nation tied in to US Weekly?
Will I ever buy another fecking concert admission from Live Nation? I think I'd rather pull out my toenails with a tweezer.

BTW, the "subscription" is canceled. At least I won't be subjected to naked torsos and 6 pack abs as I reach for the Hagan Daz and wish that winter was over.