Boycott Johnson & Johnson

There comes a time in every consumer's life, and that would mean all of us, when he has to say enough. We, meaning we the buyer's of your products, the people that keep you floating in your Mercedes/Benz by spending our money buying your company's products, we have had enough of your smug imposition of your mightier than thou morality at our expense. And, on what presumption does Johnson and Johnson seek to be arbiters of American morality? By selling products whose originals have become lost to the American consumer while being forced to submit to the giant ogre's greedy monopolizing of every market that they can conceivably get into. There wouldn't be even any chance of challenging Big Brother Johnson and Johnson with patent infringement. For all we know they would rewrite the patent laws of the world let alone those found in America.

I am in favor of boycotting Johnson and Johnson products because they use the selling of their products to promote their political ideology. That can never be tolerated in such a manufacturer that has such a wide market due to their unchallenged swallowing of entire product lines. Their products are as inferior as the cheapest products found in whatever shampoo, toiletry or tool they produce in. But they get to charge more for their name. A name that has in current times come to stand for infringement of patent rights, for using public media commercials to promote bizarre beliefs, for overpriced consumer products for false advertising and false promotions. For accepting consumer monies in their insidious use of online promotional badgering and for refusing to follow through on promotional promises for whatever reason their managerial staff chooses and for never being prosecuted because, heaven help us, their name stands for more than the product.

We are not just buying Johnson and Johnson bubble bath. No, We are buying a product made by Johnson and Johnson, big brother anonymous. You are not helping to keep their organization afloat by spending your hard earned money on their gimmicky products. No. You are privileged to be allowed to spend your hard earned money on their patent swiping products.

And, as for me, I would rather soak in a tub sprinkled with baking soda and Johnson and Johnson being the Soda out of my bathroom creeps.

It is hard to tell whether Sean Hannity genuinely believes some of the more vile things that he tends to believe. A story that Former U.S Senator from South Dakota and 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern who appeared on Hannity's show as McGovern did the book circuit tour that is obligatory for people like McGovern who is still a well known entity due to the jokes and references most conservatives make about him.

McGovern asked Hannity why he simply can't just disagree with liberals, but also has to say extremely nasty and in many cases defamatory things about liberals in the process. According to McGovern Hannity just sort of shrugged and then laughed. McGovern then preceded to ask Hannity whether he genuinely believed some of the things that he says. Hannity just basically said that he was trying to sell books and keep his name out there. As to whether Hannity genuinely believe some of the garbage that comes out of his mouth, we may never know. However, the fact of the matter is that such statements do tend to shine some light on what kind of person Sean Hannity truly is and who he really cares about when push comes to shove. It certainly appears that he may only be out for himself.

Even people who would generally agree with Sean Hannity about his principles regarding limited government such as supporters of Ron Paul tend to detest Sean Hannity. Hannity was extremely critical of Ron Paul's views regarding foreign policy matters and in fact was one of the loudest critics of the idea to let Ron Paul participate in the 2008 Republican Presidential primary debates. He would even make snide remarks about how Paul and people who agreed with his views basically wanted to surrender to terrorists. These types of comments do not endear him to supporters of Ron Paul. Even mainstream conservatives such as David Brooks and George Will have classified Hannity's brand of politics as hyper partisan and not constructive to the debates that we have in this country.

Hannity seems to try to break things down in the simplest of term there is no middle ground in the world in this man's view. You are either with him or against him. You are either an ACLU loving, drug smoking communist or you are a regular American who absolutely would do anything to defend his country like him.

If you were to look up Monsanto in the dictionary one would find a single word, wrong. When you mess with nature, like Monsanto does, nature messes with you. Genetically altered seed, poisonous weed killer, hormones for cows, etc., all lead to illness. Mutation of nature leads to the mutation of human cells upon injestion and exposure. Mutation leads to imbalance within the human system, and ultimately deadly diseases like cancer. It is outrageous that Americans are injesting genetically modified foods everyday, without even knowing it. In many countries it is an absolute, mandatory law that all genetically altered food must be packaged with a label that says that it is indeed altered. The argument that feeding our children genetically altered food is perfectly safe when common sense dictates that anything that was once natural and now tampered with is clearly unsafe, is absurd. When profit becomes more important than human health then one must put their foot down. The American way; capitalism without remorse, nor forethought, nor care of dier consequences, must die along with Monsanto and any other company that profits from an ignorant population.

Of course the farmer will say, sure, why not? If my crop can come in faster, without bug infestation, more drought resistant, then hey, why not? As long as they can provide for their family, what's it to them? This is the heart, the very root of the problem with the American way, the Monsanto way. There is a lack of respect for other peoples' lives. A lack of morality. And clearly this goes beyond morality. This is a matter of healthy versus unhealthy. This is a matter of informing the population of the right way. And what is the right way? Well, it's simple. Eat organic. Grow organic. Wash organic. Our modern push for a "green" planet is long overdue, and this movement is nothing new. People have been aware of the dangers of preservatives, artificial flavoring, unknown chemicals, and genetically altered food for years now. Monsanto simply fits into the circle that seeks to keep people ill, and profit from their disease. Boycotting Monsanto is a no brainer. Unless of course you want to die of cancer, or better yet watch one of your loved ones die of a horrible disease. I think not.

 
It is a controversial topic among people in churches, in government, in schools, on the job, or anywhere else you can think of. It is a topic that comes up again and again throughout our nation, and that controversial topic is Gay marriage. It has been debated, argued for and against, and informal laws have been passed in some states; and in the same breath rescinded.

Obviously the topic is not going to go away because a few people wish it to be. Today’s society is no different now than it was a few decades ago when women were fighting and advocating for their rights just to be considered an equal citizen in this country. Or look at the Civil Rights Movement with African-Americans, fighting just for the right to be equal citizens and have equal rights as anyone else. Well the same situation applies to gay marriage. Homosexual people are fighting for the right to marry as any other citizen in this country has that right, male and female considered.

It is human judgment that tears this nation apart, people whose ideas are archaic and outdated. Times have changed somewhat since the former advocates have fought for their rights and won, but in some ways the controversy continues to rage on in some people’s minds and households. But now it is a new generation and a new controversy that stirs this huge melting pot of cultures. When will people in this country learn not to judge others based on race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability?

Why do Americans discriminate against those who are different from them, or those who choose to live a different way? Everyone can’t be the same and that is why we are all unique and individual with our own minds and beliefs. But we tend to cross the line in trying to make our beliefs other people’s beliefs as well. In this case Gay marriage is the victim of society’s belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman. What gives people the right to do this? Judging others should not be on the agenda of our society. What should be on our agenda is acceptance and tolerance among ourselves for the differences between us. When this nation can move past discrimination, it will truly be a nation where all men and women are created equal not matter their sexual orientation.

 
Americans pride ourselves on being one of the greatest nations on Earth. We relish the freedoms handed down to us from the Founding Fathers. We believe we are a beacon of civilization, a shining example of opportunity, equality and justice. We condemn countries around the world for there human rights records and yet we were one of the last countries to end the obscene practices of executing juveniles and the mentally handicapped. We were on a list with North Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia among others. All countries we decry for their treatment of prisoners. Since 2003 only one country in the American continents has executed any criminals according to Amnesty International. In the US we executed 37 in 2008 alone. If the United States hopes to repair its integrity and international reputation, a first step would be to remove the stain of capital punishment. We must finally admit that government sanctioned killing is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our country was founded on this principle but proponents of the death penalty ignore that because the Declaration is not binding law. While it may not be a legally binding document it is still the foundation for which this country was began. Americans have fought and died for it for over 225 years. President Bush often spoke of creating a “culture of life” in America, but we cannot possibly do that while we execute prisoners.

In the US we have a slow, careful and deliberate justice system. It is built with the idea that it is easier for a guilty man to go free than for an innocent man to go to prison. Our system is not perfect however and as technology such as DNA testing has evolved we have found that innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not commit. If we wish to truly be the “Great Democracy” envisioned by the founders of this country we must say capital punishment cannot be allowed in our country. We must declare it an unconscionable wrong that any innocent person die at the hands of our government. We must assure that our government will protect that unalienable right to life for every citizen of the United States.
 
 

The cap and trade tax will certainly encourage companies to begin to develop new, green technologies as they work on different projects. The world is beginning to understand the importance of the green economy. We hear positive stories about companies using green technology so they don't get penalized under a cap and trade system on a daily basis. The Siemens Corporation is a company that continues to add green jobs within Southeastern Iowa on a yearly basis for example. The idea of trading carbon credits for further incentives is a good idea. If the United States is serious about taking on the issue of climate change. This is a step in the right direction. Japan has recently made similar promises. Of course the United States still trails most industrialized nations on this issue due to the fact we did not sign the Kyoto Protocol.

Cap and trade will also promote the idea of other forms of clean energy. Solar power is of course one of those that comes to mind. The creation of the solar panels within factories will create tons of jobs within communities that desperately need the tax revenues. We have already seen the idea of solar powered windows take off within a factory in Chicago that previously was going to go on strike. People who have spent their entire careers in the clean energy sector are often big proponents of a cap and trade system. One such example is Jerry McNerney, a Congressman from the State of California. Governors such as Bill Richardson of New Mexico have tried to implement a cap and trade system within their states to the best of their ability. As a former Secretary of Energy Richardson claims that a cap and trade system works really quite well.

Even singer/songwriter Willie Nelson sees the benefits of a cap and trade system. He runs his tour bus on a clean burning biofuel. In fact if Kinky Friedman had won the Governor's race in Texas in 2006 Nelson likely would have gotten a cabinet position promoting the concept of clean burning fuels. Some leaders on the climate change issue promote the idea of a straight up carbon tax as opposed to a cap and trade system. Some people on the left, right and political center believe that this would cause too drastic a shift in our economy.