Apocalypse Cow-A response to the Metro.us Voices column on 10/31/2007

I was once a vegan. In the same manner that Mr. Z browbeats us into accepting his way of life is exactly how I was to my family when I became vegan. I upset my children and wife with facts and criticism and the graphic brutality against animals. It did not work. I failed to convince my loved ones to adapt this lifestyle. Now comes Mickey and his hard sell tactics. I have learned my lesson; I hope Mr. Z can learn as well: Cramming veganism down our throats much like food is mercilessly crammed down the throats of geese to make pâté is an unreasonable abuse. In our hearts we know the vegan or minimally, the vegetarian lifestyle is more conducive to better health and a cleaner world. However, how it is approached can make all the difference. We are inherently selfish creatures, egocentric and habitual in character. Change is difficult. Forcing us to do anything is counterproductive. Slow, considerate education is key. It takes time. Obviously all the heart disease, cancer and stokes primarily the result of our food choices have not altered the majority of peoples food preferences. How does Mr. Mickey Z come to believe his method of education will help?

Merril Lynch's O'Neal ousted

Unbelievable! Only in this country can a CEO cause billions of dollars in losses for a company and its stock holders and walk away with millions in compensation for his efforts. How come if I mess up at work, I get fired and yet recieve no compensation for the mess I leave? I think stock holders better start demanding to look at the contracts offered recruited CEO's before they are signed. In this country everyone gets rewarded for nothing, everyone is a hero for simply doing their jobs. Pathetic.

Cops rage causes death of citizen

How does a 4 year veteran of the police force allow a minor right of way driving incident to escalate into the death of a civilian? I always thought that the police were here to serve and protect, not take out their personal grudges on innocent citizens! This officer should be incarcerated for second degree murder, or minimally, criminally negligent homicide. All he had to do was act like an adult and let the driver get his way on this one. Many of us tolerate this daily. Instead he did exactly what he should not have done and antagonized and spurred on the rage by confronting the driver like a child. Where were his skills as a sworn officer or his tactical ability to calm a situation? There is no excuse here. Let justice be done. Look at it like this, he was off duty at the time so treat him like a common citizen rather than as a cop and maybe that will allow justice to prevail. I have so little faith in the police of this city. I bet he fled the scene to avoid the field sobriety testing mandated after a police shooting, hum?

Field Sobriety Testing

I am at odds with PBA President Patrick Lynch’s opinion on field sobriety testing of officers involved in a shooting. He sites constitutional grounds of unreasonable search and seizure and in effect likens an officer's need for reasonable suspicion to test a motorist for intoxication to being tested after a shooting. The distinction I see is that an officer is sworn to uphold the law, and we as citizens are expected to obey it. If the law states that officers must succumb to these required tests, then as sworn officers, they must uphold it. Heroics aside, police shootings are not the norm of everyday police work. Hence, the pulling and firing of a gun for law enforcement purposes must be held to a higher scrutiny, as would be, a crash investigation is to a routine drive home from work. Many people drink and engage in their jobs; police officers are no different and may in fact have a higher penchant/propensity for drinking as a result of the work they do.
I support the departments plan to test officers immediately after a shooting.

Britney Spears, time to get it together

Let me preface this commentary by stating I am no fan of the music of Britney Spears. But for what ever reason, mostly hype promulgated by the media and exploited by her handlers, she became "Super" popular and along with it, a relentless barrage of paparazzi and "Page 6" sensationalism. This for an immature teen, in combination with weak and unguided or sensible parenting and selfish promoters, producers, and likely friends, was a recipe for something she was quite incapable of dealing with effectively. Sure, some can handle it well, few though. But to watch as this child turned adult was mercilessly inundated with the superficial glitz of super stardom, unyielding media attention and only god knows why, recording industry popularity slide into personal chaos while everybody just watched and drooled to report it is a sad testimony to both the people who for enormous profit put her out there and the media for gloriously documenting it.
This is a child of pop culture, a notoriously inept measure of talent and as fickle as a politician running for office. As a result, her demise was treated as fodder for the purpose of selling papers, sound bites and pixel bites. It’s like standing around while someone is choking and debating how to or who should help while the person expires.

I am personally insulted and grossed out by the cartoon depiction of Britney Sears by Sean Delona in the 1/3/07 NYPost: http://www.nypost.com/delonas/delonas.htm?year=2007&month=10&day=03. My goodness how we so superiorly berate and denigrate people for the amusement of others. It is precisely for this type of typical behavior by our media that we continue to stand by and accept as valid this sort of treatment of people. Does Britney Spears deserve to take responsibility for her behavior? Emphatically, of course, in part. But where were her parents, her friends, and her family who no doubted basked in the sun clamoring along side her while watching her fall? What happened to, “It takes a village?” What happened to compassion? My child is at a conservatory earning her BFA in theatre. I can only hope that she never becomes as “Popular” as Britney Spears has so as not to be slammed as ferociously by the media as she has been if she even so slightly screws up. But I also believe in my heart, as does my wife, that if she, “makes it”, she has the strength to overcome the mass media manipulation that poor Britney was incapable of dealing effectively with. Who are we, or should I say you, Sean Delona, to cast such a malicious light on her? God forbid someone should be waiting for you to trip up. I guess a spoonful of arrogance and hypocrisy help the “mediasin” go down!
I personally wish her well