I had hoped to come to you live and direct from the behemoth caffeine dealership that is the Wash Park Coffee Company. I believe I've mentioned this fine establishment before.

Barry, the owner, has been promising high-speed wireless internet access for his patrons since just after he started the business. How surprised, however, would those of you who live in Denver be, to learn that the bottleneck* in the process of his getting it going, is Qwest.

These are the same bunch of greedy, money-grabbing republicans, who are currently in the long roll-call of American corporations being investigated for accounting irregularities.

Whilst I don't get a vote in the US, although I do pay taxes**, I just wonder when the general public is going to get of their fat, brain-washed arses, and say enough is enough.

People go on about this being the greatest democracy in the world, but it simply isn't true anymore. Sure your voice will be heard if you're a massive corporation or an incredibly rich individual, and can pay for lobbyists to get your point across, but what about the common man?

Honestly, it's like that cult sci-fi movie They LIve! - where the populace have been conditioned and brain-washed, to accept what''s going on. In it, our hero finds some special glasses that allow him to see the reality.

All the authority figures are these hideous skeleton-like aliens, and all the advertising has hidden meanings, such as, "Consume", "Buy a second car", "Reproduce" and "Obey".

Every time I see Britney Spears*** hawking Pepsi-cola, I think of that film. I'm always half-expecting that if I used my sunglasses, I'd see the hideous alien she really is.

So get up off your arses America! This can be the greatest democracy in the world, if we ditch these corporate puppets in power, and get candidates who actually want to represent the people.

And if you are getting up, I'll have another latté please.

Update: Barry, the WPCC owner has arrived, and it seems the wi-fi network is up and running. So, I am coming to you live from the Coffee Company, afterall.

Footnote
*A bottleneck with a large cork arc-welded into place
**Where have we heard of taxation without representation before? And they say Americans don't know irony!
***or anyone of a number of so-called entertainers, who don't see the irony of them writing "musician" in the occupation part of their passport.

Excuse me? Since when did miming to a tape of a song you neither wrote nor played an instrument on, constitute being a musician? As the barista here at the WPCC just said to me, "It's either that, or they put 'recording artist' in the passport."

Another good point. I mean, doesn't being an artist imply some sort of creativity? I mean, just what does Britney, or Christina Aguilera do that is creative? They sing what they're told to sing, they don't write any songs, nor play any instruments and they hawk what corporate products they're told to by management. Perhaps choosing which nail varnish to wear is the creative part?