Email Scams & the Fishbowl of Greed

Around once a week, I receive an email from some miscreant trying to con me into helping them transfer money from a foreign bank account belonging to someone deceased. They tell me it is the only way for them to get the funds out of their country. Once upon a time I would find this spam in my box maybe twice a year, but those days have passed. I'm certain there are those who will read this and relate. Either these scammers have ramped up their game, increasing the frequency, or there are fifty times more scandalous bastards out there trying to take advantage of the unsuspecting and gullible.

Part of me is baffled by these frauds. Their methods are so crude and obvious, I wonder how they expect to actually fool anyone. I catch myself feeling insulted that they would believe they had even a slim hope of tricking me into sending them my bank account number, or whatever key identifying ingredient they want to steal from me. Then I remind myself, I'm just a number, a face in the crowd, a name on a list. Nothing personal. Inevitably this then leads me into thinking about all those poor saps who fall for this scam.

What upsets me the most, is that the victims who are duped by this, are without a doubt the same impoverished folks who can barely afford to feed their children but go out and buy lottery tickets seven days a week dreaming that dream of class, status, loot falling out of the sky and landing squarely in their lap. Now this is just a theory, because I can't honestly say I have ever known anyone to lay claim to being taken by this scam, but it's not hard to imagine. It can be seen as a pattern, people victimize themselves through a combination of hunger and greed.

These scammers are bottom feeders, plain and simple. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that the majority of them are teenagers, playing with the computer mommy or daddy gave them, while comfortably hidden away in some swanky gated neighborhood, son or daughter of a state house representative or judge.They prey upon those who are already at a disadvantage in life. The same people who above all others deserve a break, who need to be sheltered from a social system which has been patterned after nature's "survival of the fittest" model. Those people who are most in need of our compassion and assistance.

But then again, what is the difference between an email scammer, giving people just enough rope to hang themselves, and the FBI/CIA/ATF turning a blind eye while cocaine and heroine is imported/exported at unprecedented levels, and distributed to the youth? What is the difference in agendas that exist between identity theft aimed at stealing your hard earned money, and the government offering tax breaks that only really benefit the wealthiest 15% of the population? Are these emails simply a sign of the times? Are they to be expected? Does this speak to the greed that is festering in so many human hearts?

I was in a conversation not long ago, in which someone asserted that 'greed was good.' They went on to explain that they believed technological advancements, economical growth, sugar and spice and all things nice, were the byproducts of greed. Claiming that greed was the driving force behind it all. Personally, I couldn't disagree more. I believe that greed will be our inevitable downfall. Greed is what perpetuates our egos to maintain autonomy and cultivate selfishness to a harmful degree. Greed is what fuels our class based world, and ensures the continuation of discrimination in a culture of domination. Greed, is an email sent anonymously hoping to bleed you dry...

When Too Much Is Not Enough

We all have a cause. It may be different for each of us, but it holds true that we all have something, someone, in our lives that is worth fighting for. Not fighting in the literal sense, but rather a belief that we are dedicated to and are willing to make sacrifices for. For some people this amounts to volunteering their time on the weekends. For others it includes donating their time and money in other ways. The important thing, is that we do take the time to give. It has been troubling me lately as I read various blogs, the degree to which some people tend to devalue other's contributions. It would be like if I disagreed with your beliefs, that this would somehow entitle me to ignore the efforts that you have put forth in your fight, illegitimating it by comparing it to my own. In most cases these comparisons are apples to oranges, and as such should not even be made.

Several weeks ago, I came across a letter written by Cindy Sheehan in which she details her frustration with America, her life, and the state of activism apathy that seems prevalent today. While I applaud Sheehan's personal dedication, she says some things in the article that were confusing to me, and were ultimately the inspiration for this blog post.

I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither. If an individual wants both, then normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others. I have spent every available cent I got from the money a "grateful" country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then. I have sacrificed a 29 year marriage and have traveled for extended periods of time away from Casey's brother and sisters and my health has suffered and my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times.


I almost wish I had not read this, because of my admiration for Sheehan's willingness to fight for what she believed in. The thing is, I never really saw her as a person, I saw her as an icon. When I read this, and learned from her first hand that her activism destroyed a 29 year marriage, and that she spends 'extended periods of time' away from her children who are still alive and well, it gives me pause. I find myself asking, "what is any of it worth, if you are ruining the lives of those who love you, and depend on you, in the process?" Isn't it important to strike a balance between sacrifice and responsibility? Especially when these are not strictly personal in nature. When you have a family, you are linked to others.

That being said, I also took issue with the statement 'normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others.' I am a firm believer in karma. It is my opinion that no good deed goes unrewarded. However, I also think that if you go around arrogantly trumpeting your deeds, you negate any karmactic value they may have previously contained. Apparently we are supposed to believe that because Sheehan was willing to spend every dime she ever had, neglect her children, alienate her husband, and starve herself to the brink of death, her methods are more important, more valuable, more just. In my opinion, this is the mental equivalent of saying that a suicide bomber's method of protest is the only relevant method, because only he is willing to resort to such extremes to "get r done."

Extremism is extremism by any other name. I am not a political fellow. I do not claim to side with any party. My motivation for writing this is nothing more than the sorrow I felt for Sheehan's family after reading this. Just because one son is killed in a terrible, and yes, totally corrupt and unjust war, does not give Sheehan the right to neglect her familial responsibilities and pull a metaphorical Chris Benoit. Nor does it authorize her to belittle other peoples contributions to their individual causes, or their chosen mode of expression. Am I upset because she targeted bloggers in her example of weak activism? No, not really. Her priorities are so far out of whack compared to my own, that in all fairness I cannot measure what she says by filtering it through my individual reality.

So today I would just like to say to all of you out there: keep up the good works. Do not let anyone get you down, or tell you that you're not doing enough, or you're not doing it right. Give what you can, when you can, in such a way that it does not hurt others in the process. Stay true to your beliefs, but also, remember those who love you and the responsibilities that you have to them as well. It does no good to try and change the world if you destroy a family in the process.

Help Keep the Internet Free

Right now, the freedom we experience on the internet, to say and do what we want, to communicate freely, to blog about the truth, is on the verge of being taken away. Twenty days from today, Congress will convene a hearing to decide if control and ownership of the internet will be handed over to corporations like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and others. Do not allow our freedom of communication and expression to be hi-jacked by corporate interests just because they have the cash and the juice to bribe politicians into making one of the worst, most potentially devastating decisions of our lifetime. Protect our freedom of speech! Sign this petition as soon as possible, to prevent corporations from being given the green light to monitor every word you say, and every thing you do. Do not delay!!