Reply #173: You're right, and it's symptomatic of our society...

[veganlush]

we want instant gratification. Long posts take too long for some people to read (or write). Americans want everything fast and in pill form. We subsist on fast food garbage that is loaded with sugar, salt and cholesterol, and low on what we need like whole grain fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables. We are an obese society.

It's to the point that disorders such as type two diabetes are becoming an acceptable by-product of our lifestyle choices. There's even a magazine now called DIABETIC LIVING. Type two diabetes is almost always a side effect of a sedentary, overly-processed fast food lifestyle. Rather than control our cravings for fat, animal based foods(where ALL dietary cholesterol comes from) we simply ask our doctor for a pill to lower the cholesterol, never mind the side-effects. We want magic bullets in the form of pills for help in getting to sleep, getting it up, advil for our pain if we dare to exercise.

We watch too much TV, go out and buy what it tells us to buy, (how often do we see close ups of people's mouths on TV taking in vast amounts of food?)then we finally get up off the couch to go out and buy diet pills which is the other side of the ARMS RACE that wizards of capitalism tell us we want to buy via mostly TV.

What would happen if we took this opportunity we have today, with a seemingly sane and intelligent new leadership in Washington, let this be the jumping off place for a whole new way of life. Let's all eat lower on the food chain.( a plant based diet is the healthiest for us AND the animals) Let's buy locally grown products whenever possible, to support our neighbors and local community. Take a little time each day for a long walk, run or bicycle trip. Take a few minutes from each day to participate in our democracy by calling your Congressman and telling him/her what we expect of them, our employee.

Shut off the TV machine (as Rachel calls it) more often. Say no to fast food. Vote with your wallet and your fork. Think about the power we all have every time we make a purchase. What are the ramifications of this purchase? Does it promote child labor abuses? Animal suffering? Does it send money out of the country when a local alternative could have been bought instead?

I know I rambled on off-topic, sorry 'bout that. If you read this far down the rant, then you're one of the good guys, not one of the ones Cyrano is talking about, but a thoughtful DU participant. This has been a test of the thoughtful poster broadcast system. BTW, bush sucks, good riddance, lets take back our country!