Are you aware that there is another form of life on this planet that's more powerful than humanity and which is looking to enslave us? They walk in our midst without our knowledge and they corrupt our minds with our permission! This next step in human evolution already controls most of the governments of the world and has been instrumental in overthrowing the governments that have resisted their influence. You have a chance to open your eyes to the coming invasion of... homo corporatem!

Negative Nancy was spot-on in her recent article, MPAA Ain't the Only Bad Business... with the exception of a little detail—a semantic problem, really. The MPAA isn't a business. It's a cooperative of several businesses.

In fact, I don't even think that businesses per se are the problem. Whenever I start down that road I start to feel bad about the corner bookstore and the neighborhood coffeeshop. These are undoubtedly businesses, and a veritable staple of the remaining good in the world. So what is really the problem?

The problem is the giants in our midst. They are our masters and our benefactors. They tell us what to think and how to feel. They are corporations.

A radical American politician who was assassinated for his beliefs once said,

I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country.... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.

That politician was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's worst nightmare pales before the situation we see today.

So the question comes up: are corporations alive? Are they in fact a new race in the history of evolution on Earth?

Is it in fact enough to protest only the "bad" corporations? Is there anything that we can do to exterminate this scourge? Can we eliminate the set of laws that makes it possible for thousands of people to act in unison without any responsibility to the societies they live in? If so, would the Gap naturally revert to just being a business rather than a soul-stealing monster?

Are these things possible?

There is a conference being held March 3rd through March 20th, 2000 to address the issue: Are Corporations Really Alive (Are They Our Dominant Species). This Conference is being held online, and contributions can be made by fax, email, or on the conference website.

Check it out yourself

punchbowl@pigdog.org