My Convictions

The war in Iraq is a joke. The right-wing neocons have taken control and have become delusional with power. I have nothing against George Bush; he seems like a down-to-earth good man who means well, but he is also a born-again Christian who truly thinks and believes that he is on a mission for Jesus - same as Osama with Allah. Isn't it amazing all this hate in the name of God. The war is still basically in the early phase of hell; the quagmire has only just begun. It's not just a mission from God, it is also a vendetta for Daddy and a power grab for oil. Remember, before we went in, Paul Wolfowitz said, "The oil in Iraq will pay for the war." Well, their mighty plan has backfired to the point of no return. The Shiite, Sunni and Kurds all hate each other and we're in there trying to conduct security - what a fucking joke that is. George, Dick and Don went into Iraq like shoot-em-up cowboys and turned the rest of the world against us, just when the world was basically more on our side than ever after 9/11. Also, I fear down the road the real "mother of all battles" will form in Iran while it tries to forge its theocracy on us; it already slowly is. When I watch the news on TV I almost think the journalists coming on should start their segments by saying something like: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of 'The End Of The World Show.'" Near future stories might sound like: "Breaking news ... radioactive cloud spreading toward New York City; already many dead in Northern Jersey." I am a man of hope, but I fear in this country we have all become so desensitized and apathetic to take on the ignorance and madness of war and protest like we did in the 60's, and that it might be too late before we all wake up.

I don't believe in organized religion. The earth is my church even though mankind is destoying it. When I look at beautiful sunsets, the trees, the birds, the clouds, and everything else that is alive and natural, I say to myself, "If this is not all part of God, then there is no God." But I choose to have faith and hope that it is all part of a higher spiritual force. My faith is my rock of survival even though I do seem to lose it every now and then just like everyone else. I believe in Jesus, Buddah, Allah and all other loving Gods but of all the interpretations of God there must be one God that represents all the interpretations. That is Who I talk to.

When it comes to sexuality, isn't it funny how no one wants to talk about it but we all want to do it. Why do we make something so wonderful so taboo? We live in a sexaphobic culture. I don't really subscribe to the Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Angelina Jolie school of philosophy that everyone is bisexual because I think that sexuality is more complicated than that. I truly believe that a sizable portion of the population is gay, another larger portion is heterosexual, and then we have another large portion that is bisexual - and within all three groups I think there is a good percentage that is conflicted one way or the other. Everyone masturbates to their own fantasies and it is what you are thinking of when you do that's important, because that is what you desire irregardless of what sexual category it falls under. A large portion of society never talks about it, let alone explores what they really desire, and choose to live in frustration. It is a shame that people are too afraid to open up about sex in our culture. I am working on a song titled "Everybody Has A Closet" that pertains to this. Some of the lyrics are:

Everybody has a closet
Where they go and they deposit
All their secrets of desire
Trying to put out the fire

Dan Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code," says:

"Is it surprising we feel conflicted about sex? Our ancient heritage and our very physiologies tell us sex is natural - a cherished route to spiritual fulfillment - and yet modern religion decries it as shameful, teaching us to fear our sexual desire as the hand of the devil."

Most drugs, like heroin and cocaine, speed, alcohol, nicotine and most prescription drugs, will wind up either doing damage to you or even kill you if you are not careful. Don't get me wrong; I said "most" presciption drugs because there are some wonderful drugs that do save lives like the AIDS cocktail combination, but the percentage of good prescription drugs is miniscule compared to the bad ones; most of the pills prescribed today are garbage. We live in a culture that says take a pill for this ailment or that ailment and all will be better. The drug companies have most of us convinced through advertising that that is the way to go. It's all a bunch of bullshit. Now, when it comes to marijuana that is a different story - no one has ever died from it. The medical profession and drug companies are afraid of it because not only can anyone grow it but they can't figure out why it works for so many ailments because of their refusal to study it properly, so they keep feeding us garbage information on how bad it is for you. Marijuana is a wonderful thing because not only does it enhance your physical and mental well-being and relieve the suffering from cancer, AIDS and glaucoma, but also it has many other indications where it works. "The Herb Book," the Bible of all herbs, written by John Lust with contributions by many other people including many doctors, says that "Although the current interest in cannabis centers on its euphorigenic properties, the plant has in the past also shown much promise as a medicinal agent. uses includes: analgesic-hypnotic, topical anesthetic, antiasthmatic, antibiotic, antiepileptic and antispasmodic, antidepressant and tranquilizer, antitussive, appetite stimulant, oxytocic, preventive and anodyne for neuralgia (including migraine), aid to psychotherapy, and agent to ease withdrawal from alcohol and opiates. Restrictions placed on cannabis in the U.S. since 1937 have practically eliminated its use as a medicinal agent, and even research into its properties was practically nonexistent until the last few years. Its medical history suggests that cannabis has only low toxicity (no confirmed deaths have been attributed to cannabis poisoning)...."

Alan Ginsberg said that pot was the catalyst of the 60's hippie movement; it made the hippies more aware to not be afraid to protest and take on government. Also, the late and well-respected astronomer and author Carl Sagan. who wrote many scientific books, i.e. The Cosmos, said that pot gave him insight. He was a secret but avid marijuana smoker, crediting it with inspiring essays and scientific insight, according to Sagan's biographer Keay Davidson. Using the pseudonym "Mr. X", Sagan wrote about his pot smoking in an essay published in the 1971 book Reconsidering Marijuana. In the essay, Sagan said marijuana inspired some of his intellectual work.

Also the war on drugs is a sham; we will spend 25 billion dollars this year and more every year after that to send to some of the most corrupt countries on earth like Columbia who could really give a shit about helping us police our bad habits. There is no truth that when you legalize and regulate drugs, it causes more crime and addiction; other countries that have done it hold the proof. In this country we are so pious, yet we consume 60% of the world's cocaine. If the gonvernment would legalize, educate, and treat, then through taxation they would make billions, especially with marijauna, and be able to fund educational and treatment centers and still have billions left over for other things instead of spending your tax dollars on a never-ending saga of bullshit.

The only thing that makes any real sense at all to me today is the love of family; the "rest of it" I really don't care about. I have a beautiful wife, Suzie, both inside and out, and I also have a great son, Robin, and his wonderful lady, Tara. Robin couldn't make me any prouder; he has a heart of gold and has given me three precious grandchildren: Samantha, Robert James, and Dillion. I have the prettiest step daughter in the world, Shari, who amazes me with her drive and ambition. I also have two brothers and two sisters, Ray, Kevin, Mary, and Marcia. Ray is our patriarch and always has pearls of wisdom. Kevin is the backbone of the family, full of common sense, and would give anyone the shirt off his back. Mary is an artist whose paintings and drawings are masterful. And Marcia is a singer/songwriter who writes incredible songs and has voice as pure as an angel. We lost our parents in 1970 within three weeks of each other; they were 48. My father died first of a heart attack, then 3 weeks later I lost my mother to lung cancer. They were the coolest parents to us; they taught us five children that love, faith and compassion were the most important things in life. A few years back, my brother Ray was in a horrific accident. He was a fireman who went to a call and when they got there the building expolded because of the chemicals inside. Ray was knocked into a coma for over a year, burnt over 80% of his body, including his face, which left him blind. None of the doctors gave him any hope whatsoever to live. Today Ray seems to have that inner peace we all seek; he is a lesson in faith, hope and courage. It is family that is the most important thing to me. I will love them all forever.