From Nightline: “TONIGHT'S SUBJECT: A sniper is terrorizing the Washington area. Six people are dead, two wounded. No one knows where, or when, he or she will strike again. This is terrorism in the most literal sense: people are scared and don't know quite what to do.”

Amazing sign of our times that things are so crazy with bush and his mysterious new war on Iraq and all the other terror going on around the world that this lone sniper stalking innocent people seems like such a minor news story comparatively. Right out of a movie and a lot of people don’t even know it's happening. But what's more is the fact that someone is still capable of doing this right here in our nations capital and we can’t catch him. Crazy.

Getting ready to go on a spiritual sabbatical next week. Agents called from Atlanta about setting up dates for upcoming tour for the east coast. Band is excited. Still sick with a cold. went to the doctor’s office—a new doctor due to new insurance—a regular md doctor. Hadn't been to one in a long time. I couldn’t believe it. not only did he not know anything about health. He didn't even look healthy. He was fat, had psoriasis, bloated. Walked with kind of a limp. Had a donut in his mouth while he spoke. It was as funny as it was traumatizing. A whole room full of helpless sheep in the waiting room who were his patients. Little did they know. Because they are so used to it. they don’t know any better. 

He told me it didn't look like a bacterial infection and then prescribed an anti-biotic anyway. I told him his practice reminded me of the quackery you read about in Time and Newsweek. He got real scared. I told him to close his door because I was about to yell and I didn't want his staff to hear. He closed the door. And I yelled. Then we talked for a while. I told him my DHT levels were regularly high and we should test for it. He asked me what that was. It was sad. He just didn't know much. All he knew was to prescribe pills. Scary. I told him I needed to see an ENT specialist for my throat to see why I am losing my voice. He said, well if you aren't going to take anti-biotics then what good is he going to do for you? I replied, ‘are you trying to say that's all a throat doctor is going to be able to do for me or anyone else? Prescribe some fucking pills for someone who is losing their voice?!’ he says, “well that and prescribe other medicine like steroids…” I was like, ‘so that's what it comes down to now for you guys is just prescribing drugs? You don’t do anything else?” he just stared at me. had no idea what I was getting at. And of course not. I looked at the way his big stomach protruded out of his body. He didn’t have a clue about health. 

Hadn't been healthy in decades himself obviously. So of course he didn't know what I was talking about. His face was swollen. He looked at me with a sad look on his face and he asked, “What do you want? What can I do for you?” he just wanted me out. Seriously. I said, “Look, just give me the referral for the throat doctor and I'll handle it from here, o.k.?” His poor patients I thought. All these people think that this is what health and medicine is all about. They think this man is a doctor. I walked away feeling really bad for this guy and his patients. I felt happy and relived that I knew the difference. That I have climbed out of that barrel. Imagine a doctor who sees a patient for the first time and doesn’t ask about exercise, food, or vitamins. a doctor who doesn’t demand that his patients exercise and take vitamins. Unbelievable.

It reminded me of that feeling I used to get in elementary school when you are just being told what to do all the time being led around like a prisoner. Regardless of what you want or what your gut tells you. when you would hear ‘grown-ups’ making spelling or grammatical mistakes but you weren't allowed to say anything because you were only a child. But when you grow up, it's all up to you. you can do what you want. You're free. That's one of the great things about living here in America. If you don’t like your doctor, you can just go to someone else.  [ps—I have come from the future to add this: in less than six months this doctor will die from cardiac arrest. I was right to argue with his sorry excuse for recommendations and walk out of that office.]

Current Spin: Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles…, Rolling Stones, Between the Buttons.

Last Movie:  Il Mostro with Roberto Begnini.