Last night I watched a TV promo for big government a special on lung cancer. During the section on smoking, I learned that tobacco is a powerful drug that is harder to quit than heroin, and takes on average (or “up to”, later in the show), 8 attempts to be successful. The first time I heard this message of powerlessness was in the 70s, in Canada, in the context of heroin being impossible to quit and government supplied methadone being the only hope for any poor soul so afflicted. At that time, the message of the progressive government and social scientists, that nobody, really, could be at fault for anything was music to my bored and restless teenage ears.

The show included a section where our local state representative for big government, explained in a comforting but firm, motherly voice that the money she spent to promote anti-smoking was  insignificant compared to the vast fortune being spent by powerful tobacco companies to promote smoking. Then she took credit for money she spent to promote anti-smoking and the money she spent harassing evil tobacco companies as being responsible for the state’s sharp drop in people hopelessly addicted to smoking.

I became considerably more optimistic for the incurable heroin addicts after me and many of my friends, in my early 20s, successfully quit smoking by using the technique of choosing not to smoke any more. According to the world health association, “40%  or more” of the people in the US who “used to smoke” have quit.  http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/atlas34.pdf

Over time,  I’ve become considerably less open to the idea that nobody, really, can be at fault for anything. This may be due to the fact that my bored and restless teenage days are far behind me. It may also be related to my observation that when the progressives release you from responsibility for everything, the government follows along and releases you from a fair bit of your cash. Then they use your money to create giant bureaucracies who do lots of studies and then create lots of rules. This process ends only when all suffering and unhappiness has been systemically eliminated. Assuming, or course, that the process itself doesn't create suffering and unhappiness, in which case it ends when all the cash is gone. I presume.

Always in your best interest, of course.

There’s a subtle but important relationship between freedom, responsibility, and risk.

Mike.

Last night I paid $375 plus Ticketmaster, er, charges, to take the family to see Roger and co. I was expecting screaming guitars, powerful vocal melody and harmony, fire, smoke, lights and maybe a little hearing damage.  I was not disappointed.

Thanks for a great show.

I was somewhat surprised to discover, about half way through the show, that Pink wasn’t there. I presume he was back at the hotel. And they sent along the Dixie Chicks as surrogate band.

On a more personal note, I must admit that I had been longing for the brief period of time between the "end" of the former Soviet Union and Sept 11 when the world, or at least the part of it I could see on the news, seemed a sensible and civilized place. For the last few years I’ve had a great deal of trouble distinguishing the good from the evil.

Roger cleared everything up for me.

In a way that only a multi-millionaire artist can.

I do have some minor lingering confusion about how a country and system that empowers Roger to hurl insults bordering on hate at a large portion of his paying audience at hearing damage levels not only without fear of any repercussions, but while making a few additional millions can be the exclusive root of all evil in the world.

I probably just missed something subtle and profound.

Anyway Roger, next time through I’d appreciate a song or two providing some black and white clarity on global warming. I remain a bit confused about that.

Rock on.

Mike.