Sunday, August 27, 2006

The Feeble State:Survival in the Land of the Weak, Poor and Dying




Last night I was browsing the Internet gathering information on anti-aging supplements, and research that supports the concept. Suddenly, I started to see some very interesting patterns that caused me to encounter a flashback of sorts. The thoughts that ran through my head seemed to have an obvious link, and the implications, if true, will have a significant impact on the lives of you and me. That is if you want to use modern science to build your body and stave off the effects of aging by using high-end supplementation, or with a legitimate prescription! I know I DO, and I am sure most everyone on this site feels the same way. Without a doubt, as I sit here today I know that the decision to participate in building the strength of my body and preserving my mind is the best decision I’ve ever made––period. On the other hand, you may just be a “passenger” in this ride we call life, and if so, what this blog will have you ponder will be of no consequence at all. I will say, if you believe it is your right to have access to the best science has to offer, and live stronger–smarter–longer, you’ll see that we are the minority in a twisted plot full of mind games geared to homogenize the population into a feeble state.



Oliver Stone I Am NOT



Please understand that by nature I am very trusting person–bordering the naïve at times.This trait alone is manageable, but can launch me into an obsessive bit of investigative work when I “finally” see something that just doesn’t add up. Right now, that “something” bothers me quite a bit because it pertains to two of the few “material things” that concern me the most. These are 1) what I can put in my body, and 2) my livelihood in the sports nutrition business. So what started as seemingly harmless exercise to connect the dots, soon took on the life of a conspiracy theory and a peak into a future that seems all too possible.





The next topic has been beatean to death; nevertheless it needs to be re-stated to make my point.



Pardon me while I digress…



I don’t know about you, but when George Bush made his 2004 State of the Union Address and mentioned that a key initiative for America’s war on drugs included steroids and baseball/athletics, I almost forearmed my TV into a million pieces. For those that missed this riveting speech, it really happened, and I’ve put the highlights here for you to get the full impact. Yep, the Bush dynasty was putting their favorite son, George W. forth as our 43 President, yet little did we know that he would profoundly state one of his key concerns in the following.



“The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message -- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.”



Let’s put this in perspective. Either America has a real steroid problem that is on par with running multiple wars, poverty, national debt, obesity etc, or this was an effort to evade tougher issues and tell the popular vote what it wants to hear. What do you think? Maybe we just need more drug laws on the books so we can fill the pocketbooks of the people who control our nations growing number of privatized prisons and the racketeering that feeds it.


I can hear you laughing, but it’s no joke. Ask yourself if this is possible after you check out the link, and get informed.


In any event, certainly a war on obesity could upset the 65% of Americans who are either overweight or obese, and thus making it an unpopular initiative. Hell, if we’re talking sports here, in my book, the obesity issue is like getting pitched a “softball” in the sense that it’s surely worthy of a hefty swing. Politics are different, whereas it is better to get into a bad situation and have the crowd focus on you “getting the save”.



Nothing is better than an “insurmountable crisis” to get everyone to root for you!


Make no mistake; all of my personal loyalties are American, so I’ll give the president his props. Honestly, the notion that the leader of the last superpower on the planet would have the morals, ethics and “balls” to reach out to “the people” and state character is more important than winning a baseball game, should have been MONUMENTAL. Too bad the world isn’t perfect. So asking people, young or old, not to use any means possible, including drugs, to help them reach the American dream of million dollar contracts and endorsement deals, is borderline fantasy. Surely, some people with lofty goals resist temptation, but many others whose ambition has reached the point of no return, will unfortunately have nowhere to go except the “dark side”. Whether this is right or wrong depends on whom you ask. One thing is certain; humans rationalize their behavior when they want something, so even if they know something is wrong they tell themselves “the end justifies the means”.


Nevertheless, the President could have said, “the American Dream is a croc, I know it because everyday people who appear to have it all don’t. In fact, many sacrifice morals for fame and fortune”.


But he didn’t.



Maybe the President could have proffered a war on obesity and put the burden on giant food companies to use truth in advertising, much like supplement companies are governed to do. Then we might see ads with disclaimers like, “the foods in this ad have not been approved by the FDA, and therefore, may contribute to premature aging or death due to diseases, such as obesity and heart disease”.



IMO, there has been no real government initiative on the obesity epidemic because consumers and the fast food peddlers are already hooked on each other. In essence, that deal with the devil is on autopilot. The junk food “dealers” continue to “push play” and we keep listening.



Maybe I’m wrong. For sure, I’ve been way off before. It’s just hard for me to believe anyone, including our current President, can expect to teach kids about morals and ethics when the best jobs on earth appear to be held by men elevated to “heroes”, and are playing what appear to be “games” on TV, living the so-called dream. Let’s just say, he meant well…


Shortly after the “Bush Monologue” of 2004, I started to seriously think, WTF? I mean since I work in the nutrition business, I thought I’d heard it all. I had been through my share of arduous debates regarding the sale of pro-hormones as dietary supplements. I also saw first hand how the mainstream media confused real “juice” with pro-hormones and even simple creatine. I knew the media and conservative experts, none of which ever used or prescribed the drugs themselves, would ever get the scientific facts correct, and athletes who used real steroids would blame any failed drug test on their newly found scapegoat “andro”. Through all of this, my colleagues and I knew it was just a matter of time before pro-hormones were reclassified and on par with other already illegal substances.



One of the main reasons we felt prohormones were doomed, is that during this time period many of these products worked and worked well. Ironically, supplements that work the best are often the subject of PR smear campaigns, i.e., ephedra and even creatine…



Indeed, under the new Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004, which applies across the country (as of January 20, 2005), steroids and steroid precursors (such as "andro") are in the same legal class -- Schedule III -- as barbiturates, LSD precursors, veterinary tranquilizers like ketamine and narcotic painkillers like Vicodin. Simple possession is a federal offense punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first offense. Selling steroids, or possessing them with intent to sell, is a federal felony. An individual who sells steroids, or possesses them with intent to sell, is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine for a first offense.



Hey nice work Prez, you’re making a difference…or at least the perception is, you’re following through.


Hmm, maybe NOT


We now know, that to date no big name ‘’baller” has gone to grey bar motel for “cheating” with steroids. In fact, when asked by congress months later, most hi-profile athletes took the Fifth Amendment. Even the athletes who admitted using the drugs were immune from punishment. We now have stricter laws for supplements that build muscle, and a message from our president that performance-enhancing drugs are BAD for our nations youth. Sadly, since most of the athletes couldn’t let their secret out, and because they carry a huge influence over our youth, it seems they dropped the “ball”. Hell, who can blame them for giving us the silent treatment? You know if they told the truth it would be like telling our youth there is no “Athletic Santa Clause”, and ruin it for everyone (dubious fans as well).



What’s worse, is that it’s a good bet our government has other business endeavors they need to protect. Why else couldn’t they really drop the hammer on the athletes who profit the most? Here’s what I think. If the highest levels of athletic talent went away, the lawmakers would be at odds with network media moguls who make money by selling advertising for televised sporting events. That would spell disaster for politicians who need the same media outlets to spin their stories each day.



No wonder the team owners were asked to deal with it, but what’s their motivation? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that super athletes fill stadiums, and bring in the big TV deals.


As I said before, I believe the notion of no drugs in high-level sport is destined for failure simply due to economics. It’s a shame, but the only thing our youth got out of this exercise was, if you can make it to the athletic elite, you’re untouchable.



In laymen terms that means, “don’t get caught!”


The message has now become deluded into what is called, “classic doublethink”. Whereas, the public knows that the athletes do take drugs, but choose to believe they do not!



On the surface these issues don’t matter much to me, I’d already lived and competed in the “good ole days”, when the best bodybuilding “drugs” were not scheduled. Not to mention, being a decent bodybuilder back then did not preclude a one-way ticket to the dead pool. LOL.



No, I was more upset with the fact that the athletic performance side of the supplement industry was being attacked, again, and IMO used as a sacrificial lamb to suck-up to the popular vote, or the ill-informed, and protect the million dollar athletes who really have the financial motivation to use them.


Alright, enough of the back-story…



I wanted to bring these past issues up, because I know the sports supplement industry will continue to bring exotic and effective products to the market, and continue to face more scrutiny. If the trend continues, the only supplements hardcore consumers like us will have left to enhance our body and mind; will be Snickers with protein and Gatorade. SO YES, I AM PISSED AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO. This is starting to have the same two faced "pro-health" public image as the other prime enemy of innovative supplements does …


BIG PHARMA


Anyone who has worked in the business generally known as “Vitamins” has at one time or another, believed that big pharmaceutical firms want their products available ultimately by prescription only. That’s because drug companies, not supplement firms, court doctors and if you need scrip you can’t bypass your MD and run to your local health food store to get your “stuff”. This “run” at the supplement business has been tougher to accomplish in the last 15 years since science based nutritional discoveries has increased dramatically. Further hindering big pharma’s plans, are the growing numbers of consumers who give a shit about their health. These hardcore enthusiasts, like those found here on my blog, realize they know more about exercise, eating right and supplementation than most doctors (not all), ever will. This has caused the pharmaceutical firms to go through the side door and cut a deal with the enemy.



Here’s the connection…



The goal is to fatten the wallets of the giant pharmaceutical companies by controlling multiple consumer markets. This well thought out crime syndicate works like this: 1) lobby to outlaw supplements that provide effective dosages of scientifically valid nutrients and 2) get legislation passed so the big vitamin companies can sell more worthless “basic” vitamins in a unified global marketplace (see guidelines here). The plan is clean and elegant, especially when you realize the biggest pharmaceutical houses in the world make money synthesizing the “basic” vitamins that go into the biggest supplement companies’ low-grade products.



The end-result for big pharma, is the ability to continue selling more drugs to stave off the effects of a poor diet, and also profit from the low-grade supplements they help manufacture, while simultaneously blocking access to powerful supplements that your victims (all of us) rely on. This power play is a sure fire way to limit the benefits WE get from exercising our body and nourishing our mind.



Sounds a bit too wild right? You’re probably saying “NO FRIGGIN WAY” this all seems so ridiculous it could never be true. Keep in mind that the best schemes are usually outlandish and right in front of your eyes. The “far-fetched” approach works well because the victims say to themselves “no one could dream that up” But if you need more proof, this topic is fully discussed in an article by Rima E Laibow MD, that details how dietary supplements are under stealth global attack, and what you must do to defend your access.



I can hear the media spin its propaganda; “Americans need to have wider access to safe supplements and better drugs to cure disease”…



My translation is a bit harsher: “Nothing is 100% safe. So by making supplements with inactive dosages, by definition they are as safe as possible. This tactic drives product costs down and essentially affordable to the masses. The inherent low cost allows Americans to have wider access to these worthless products, and be lulled into thinking they are warding off disease. This further causes the unsuspecting public to forget about changing their current diet of junk. This will mark the end to “good health”, as we know it, thus creating an increased market for drugs. In the end, it is the ultimate false security blanket.”



By now, if your’e not a conspiracy theorist, you must be a coincidence theorist.



So Where Are We Now?


Everything came full circle when I found a document called “911, The Road to Tyranny" written by political activist Alex Jones. In the written document (there is a video as well) Jones’ claims that the United Nations wants an 80% die-off of the World's population so that the remainder of the global elite can have the life extension drugs all to themselves. At first, I had to laugh, but only after I dismissed the notion of the “establishment” cleansing the population with germs that cause untimely deaths through diseases we’ve never seen. On the other hand, I was spooked by the images in my head of unhealthy and inactive world leaders finally pumping iron and actually making health a priority before their doctor says give up Krispy Kremes.





I tried my best to forget about it all, but by then the damage was done and I arrived at the answer to this question; why would the most powerful and richest people in the world want the life extension drugs all to themselves? Not such a tough one to answer when you simply realize that when you have all the power and money you could ever need, the most elusive thing on earth is being able to keep it until you’re 125 years YOUNG! The payoff is even more dramatic when you realize that if the general public CANNOT get the best life extending and physique preserving substances, but you can, the common man not only has less economic advantages, but gets sicker, less productive and dies off quicker than your elite fraternity.



It’s a simple case of more for them, less for you.



And, the plot thickens.



I hope that following the twist and turns in my rant you see that the people in this country who take care of themselves and want to pursue “super health” are the minority. That means you and me. The real problem is we can’t ask any of the players mentioned above to help us, because the minority doesn’t line their pockets enough or represent a huge base of voters. But, who says we can’t give em a run? We certainly have home field advantage in a sense because for all intensive purposes the athletic community paved the way for everything the elitists want to get their greedy little hands on. We opened the door to “off label” uses for bodybuilding drugs and life extension regimens and are the biggest consumer group in the world (that isn’t obese) driving innovations in the nutritional sciences that help prevent our body and mind from premature decay.





So how to we WIN? IMO, we need to be aware of how other consumer groups have insulated themselves from attack. Simply put, consumer-buying power and sheer participants is KING in a capitalist economy. Sure, didn’t hurt fast food, cigarettes and booze right? Question is how we increase our consumer power base. I suggest we use a tactic that the silver spoon frat boys use frequently, yet never do sincerely. We give to receive (they give to deceive). Here is how it works (really, no more hoarding your secrets, ok maybe your stash).



1. Give others your inspiration––this means the more people that you turn on to the benefits of weight training and super potent supplements that work, the stronger WE all get.

2. Give others your knowledge––this means turning more people on to performance nutrition websites like SNG, 619muscle, T-Nation and others like antiaging-systems or life-extension that specialize in credible information and cutting edge products, because we’ll never win if we don’t have a bigger voice.

3. Give others your awareness––this means tell more people to look around and see that the only alternative to our way of life is to become a Zombie in the



Land of the Weak, Poor and Dying…


VAU
 

No comments: