What is the role of government? What should government provide to citizens? I'm getting into a civil responsibility kick. I'm frustrated that Republicans and Democrats are presented as viable, opposing alternatives to governance. The only things that strongly separate our political parties are the fringe issues like abortion and gun controls. But I have to believe (and I hope you're with me) that most Americans hold opposing values on these issues and struggle to know what's best. I feel like we are being swallowed by consumer capitalism, government by corporation, and as a sideline we have electioneering and scandal-mongering. The politicomedia complex distracting us from the fact that only corporate lobbyists can buy access to government. What ever happened to representation?

There's something to finding the edge of a cliff. Something animal in me that screams with fear and adrenaline, "That's a cliff right there! We're close to the edge!" It's a thrill to overcome this, or to embrace it and master myself.
"I know its a cliff. I'm the one who brought us here."
Laying flat inching towards the edge of some gorge in Arizona or pushing my face past the guard rails atop the empire state building. Perhaps I run out of neural chemical signals or burn up all the receptors to carry them, or my body believes the lie I'm telling myself, "Everything's okay. I can get a bit closer." The animal gets put away.
In this way I creep towards the edge. I terrify myself, get a hold of myself, and terrify myself again. At some point the animal says "Who are you shitting?" and the only way to get a hold of myself is to back away from the edge. Having found it. Right there where I turned around.

In Las Vegas we have a lot of strip clubs. Recently one club in particular has been having advertisements on pretty early in the evening. Its the same commercial every time; with a kind of tinkley, wind chime, xylophone music and a bunch of scenes with women in bikini sized outfits. All of this is somewhat unremarkable.
This is what gets me: while my nephews are playing (2 and 4 years old), crashing cars, wrestling, whatever the commercial starts with the tinkle tinkle and everything else stops. They walk up to the television and stare in silence and when the commercial ends they go right back to what they were doing.
Should we turn off the TV? Alone and unprompted my two year old nephew will cross rooms like some Pavlovian puppy to watch this commercial. How is that possible?
I couldn't find a clip of the commercial...

I've been away for over a month. Sorry about that. I'd like to get back and produce something worth reading. There's more to come...