Because You Never Asked

Table of Contents (All essays within each category are listed in the chronological order they were written. An * indicates it was written in Spain, where the author spends 2 months of every year.)

THE BASIC POST CONSUMER MAN: CHALLENGING THE MOST ACCEPTED ASSUMPTIONS OF OUR WAY OF LIFE

The Economy // Animal Rights and "60 Minutes" // Animal Rights and Dean Koontz // Revolution & Capitalism // Mickey Mantle // Dueling Telephone Companies // Technology // Europe* // Consumerism, TV, and Europe*// No Joy in Mudville // Oklahoma // Oklahoma and the Rest of Us // The Unabomber // The Established Order*// Privatizations* // Ronaldo* // The Automobile // Unemployment // Christmas // "3001" // The Seattle Riots of '99 // The Millennium // Health Care // Education // Adventures in Capitalism I* // Adventures in Capitalism II* // Enron* // Anwar* // Chinese Basketball // Mudville Revisited I // Mudville Revisited II // Mudville Revisited III // A Traffic Solution // Your Friendly Banker // Health Care Revisited // Post Consumer Man* // Why War Is Bad* // Milan Kundera* // Who's Smarter Than Milan Kundera?* // A Business Opportunity // Planned Obsolescence // Trickle Away Theory* // Doctors, I* // Doctors, II* // The African Tulip Tree // Destructive People // Walmart or The Stupid Economy //

PROPAGANDA, MEDIA, HOW THEY GET US TO BELIEVE SUCH CRAP

Polls // The Polls and The Gulf War // Saddam Hussein // Kuwait // Chinese Olympics // "Moral" Olympic Hosts // The Olympic Games // Katarina Witt* // The Demoralized Zone (DMZ) // Why People like Sports // Iraq II // Pinochet // Bill and Monica or Not That Again // Elian // Elian: Odds and Ends // Propaganda - American Style *// The History of the World, I // The History of the World, II // Rupert Murdoch // Denial, American Style // Why I Hate the Olympics // Operation Iraqui Freedom // Escape from America* // George W gives a Press Conference* // A Vast Right Wing Conspiracy? // The Saddam Myths // Michael Moore* // Escape From America II* // Introduction to Propaganda 101* // The Novel and Jose Saramago* // Letter to a Dead Soldier's Mother // Iraq: The Coward's War // The "News" // Escape from America III* // Who Owns Your Brain?* // Propaganda 201* // No Need to Escape America* // Suicide: Guantanamo Style* // Social Engineering // The "Iraq Study Group" (ISP) // PCM Interviews W. // Virginia Tech // Imperial Rationalizations* // Propaganda, 301: Omissions // Terrorism I // Terrorism II // Industrial Size Lying* // Israels and Palestinians Revisited* // Comments on Commentary: Thomas Friedman* // Comments on Commentary: Garrison Keillor* //

THE ARTS, SPORTS, POP CULTURE, HOW WE AMUSE OURSELVES

Marilyn and Madonna // Beer // Music // The Super Bowl // Pornography // Tits and Ass // Pornography Revisited // Tonya and Nancy // Saint Nancy // O.J.* // Spring Break // Lady Di // Jackie K-O Bouvier // The Masters // The Movies // The Art of Sour Grapes // Olympic Cliches // Pay-Per-View // "2001" // Heaven's Gate // How to Make it in Hollywood* // Who Killed Lady Di? // Why People like Motion Pictures // Jonesboro // Pro Wrestling // Jerry Springer or Pro Wrestling Revisited // Columbine // The Art of Sour Grapes Revisited // Instant Replay // More Sour Grapes // Hooligans* // Music Revisited* // The XFL // The Automobile - American Style* // The Automobile - European Style* // The Second Worst Movie Ever Made* // The Worst Movie Ever Made* // Politics and 'Futbol'* // The Flaw in Soccer* // The Movies Revisited // Janet's Boob // La Boda (The Wedding)* // Saving the Davis Cup* // Spanish Writers Smoke* // The Super Bowl Revisited // Steroids and Lance // Steroids and Barry // The Most Overrated Movie Ever Made* // The Bull Fight* // The Cell Phone* // Betting the NFL: "The System" // The Imbecile With The Harley* //

POLITICS, GOVERNMENT, THE BURLESQUE OF THOSE IN CHARGE

Democracy // Ross Perot // The American One Party System // Spy vs. Spy // Milhouse // Dial-A-Scandal // Campaign Reform // Cigarettes // Tobacco: The Big Trick // A Newtered America // What Does Newt Really Believe // The Volunteer Army // Whitewater Revisited // Campaign Reform Revisited // Spanish Tennis* // The Odd Couple or Fidel and J.P. // Why Al Gore Lost // George W. // Israelis & Palestinians // Le Pen // Palestine & Europe* // Election 2002 // The New World Order // The Real World Order* // The Real World Order Revisited* // Resisting the Real World Order* // Spanish Elections 2003* // The Bush Gang Gets Overconfident* // On Deserters & "WMD's" // If I Were John Kerry // The Election of 2004 // Abortion // Iraq Are We "At War"? // Campaign Reform III // Gerald R. Ford: He's Dead // Spanish Elections 2007 or Campaign Reform IV* // Tony Blair* //

RACE, RELIGION, ETHNICITY, GENDER, THE THINGS THAT DIVIDE US

Christians // Baseball and the Tomahawk Chop // Homosexuals // Feminism // Welfare // The E.P.R. // Afro-Americans // Michael Chang or Christians Revisited* // A Million Men // Armed Robbery // Science and Religion // The Eternal Mysteries of Life // Shindler's List // Tiger Robinson // Affirmative Action // Immigration // More on Religion // Jessie Ventura // Racism // Coed Augusta? // A Racist Joke // Rush Eats Foot // The 'Dream Team' 2004 // In God we Trust* // Immigration Revisited* // Mikey's Canine Adventure // Obama: The Last Jackie Robinson* //

OTHER STUFF

The Weather* // The Weather Where I Live* // The Weather Where I Vacation* // Quiet People* // Distingushed People* // Linguistic Ramblings* //

September 11th