THROUGH EARLY MORNING FOG I SEE....

Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me

Remember these words? No? For years they were part of the American landscape at least once a night every week. These days you can hear them every night on cable TV. Here's a little more.

I realize and I can see...
that suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the name of the song is "Suicide is Painless", and it was from the movie and television show "M*A*S*H".

Don't go flying off the handle. I'm not advocating, or planning suicide, although I am of the opinion that there's no real difference between suicide and death (but that's a totally different posting). I've picked the song because to me it symbolizes change on many different levels.

The show focused on a group of people caught in a senseless war, trying to save lives, and sanity. It emphasizes the insanity, and incompetence of those in power. It made us laugh, and it made us cry.

I just got back from the grocery store, and felt like I was in a wasteland. Prices had skyrocketed. I was going to buy mangoes but they were $2 each, and they weren't even organic. I wanted an avocado, but they looked old and shriveled, and were also $2 each.

I watched the people loading up on chips, and cheese, and red meats, and soda pop, and sugary treats, until their baskets overflowed. They waddled down the aisles with their thighs rubbing together, as they pushed their carts to the next item of gluttony, and those were the men.

I felt ill.

I am not proud of America at this point in our history. We watch as children die on the battlegrounds of the Middle East so that we can drive our 10 mile per gallon (or less) SUV's and "pick-up trucks with our NRA approved rifle racks in the rear windows". (Thank God that Charlton Heston died before "Soylent Green" became a reality...or is it?)

We run to our doctors, demanding the most recent drug that we saw on TV to control our bladders, or our heartburn, instead of taking responsibilities for our lives.

We allow incompetent men and women to continue to lead our nation further and further into disarray.

I guess suicide isn't that bad. We're all doing it through our diets, lifestyles, and by failing to take responsibility for ourselves. Its just taking a lot longer than normal.

Just a little ray of sunshine this week ain't I?