Couldn't agree with you more, Peg and Stilly. I went to the local Maul-Wart twice, just to see what it was like. It's a lot like a casino. The only place you can find more bad vibes (but less phoniness) is at the local penitentiary...of course, that's a whole different style of bad vibes.

People who are totally materialistic (in their consciousness, I mean, if not in their philosophy) don't even notice stuff like that, I imagine...it slides off 'em like water off a duck...so it doesn't bother them in the least to go shopping at WalMart. Same deal with casinos...which are like a slice of hell. Same deal with a lot of bars. It's a low mentality.

I have never bought anything from Walmart and never will, nor did I return after checking the place out. If I had a dive bombing squadron available, I would send them to our local WalMart and obliterate it, after, of course, giving them 24 hours notice to clear out so that no one got hurt. (This is obviously sheer fantasy, so don't get all worked up reacting to it, Walmart lovers, cos it ain't gonna happen, and I know it. I enjoy my fantasies just as much as the rest of you enjoy yours.)

Once again I am gazing at Clinton across the front lines of life, like Jackson looking across the Rapahannock at the endless resources of the Big Blue Machine in 1862. In this system, like then, BIG MONEY and vapid convenience rule the roost...just like Capone did in Chicago. A lot of people loved Capone too. People are easily bought, easily fooled, and most of them line right up with the status quo and never analyse it at all as long as "number one" isn't hurting.

Every day I watch the cars pouring into Maul-Wart as I go by, just like they do into the casino. Shit attracts a lot of flies.

- LH