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Last Update: |
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Sunday, July 11, 2010 |
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is R.S. Paxton and how do I get his attention? |
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New: The 31st Step
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Archived 2009 |
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Sometimes I don’t have anything to say and I just stand around with a empty mug of coffee looking completely cool and stud-a-licious. |
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If God did not exist, we’d invent him in the image of ourselves, uh, er, ok, in the image of Rob, standing around doing nothing but drinking coffee. |
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I can stand around and do nothing or I can motivate you to do something I should do. One is not an ideal solution to my problems because it expends energy |
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I can’t say I know much about anything but I’m expected to know everything else. |
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Reflection is a necessity when I drink coffee as in if I can’t see my reflection my cup runneth empty. |
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It is that glorious time of year! Tis indeed a glorious time of year. Despite all the troubles and all the tribulations here at home and the world over, Christmas remains a special time of the year. Despite war on two fronts, huge political divisions, a severely distressed economy and global warming, we humans still manage to find solace, a sense of peace and goodwill. There’s something amazing about that! I’ll probably get burned at the stake for saying this, but I believe that Christmas has morphed into something beyond a mere religious experience. Yes, for many, the season retains it’s religious significance, and that’s appropriate. But for many, including myself, it’s something more. In a way, it is about a celebration of our human potential. Indeed, there is a thought that if Holiday season were extended to twelve months of the year, without the cost, many of our human ills would fall by the wayside. But that is not who we are! That does not mean we do not have the capability to be more than who we are. We certainly do and abundant proof exists with every penny dropped in a Salvation Army plate, every ‘Merry Christmas’ and every heart felt card and sentiment. Burn ‘em at the Stake, All of ‘em. Some twenty years ago, I was working down the road a spell, pounding nails out in an open field when a strange thought on my part provoked a conversation that all involved in, kind of agreed on. That thought was a simple observation that it ‘seemed a lot windier when I was I kid.’ Naturally, that conversation turned to how mild winters seemed to be as of late, and how when we were all kids, we’d get tons of snow and mind bending cold. Some ten years ago, I watched Art Bell being ridiculed by Matt Lauer in an interview regarding a book he had co-authored with Whitely Strieber, called the ‘Coming Global Superstorm.’ In fact, that book was the basis for the blockbuster, “The Day after Tomorrow”, which followed a few years after. Al Gores “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006 seemed to nail the coffin shut for those opposing climate change. The science was in, our planet is warming. Oceans temps are rising, Arctic ice is thinning, Ice Shelves are breaking off, Glacier’s are retreating, and there’s even open water at the North Pole in the summer. From a personal perspective, here in Minnesota our weather seems different than when I was a kid. Our Winters are much more milder, with snow coming and staying later. There are those who might disagree and that’s fine. What does trouble me, outside the fact that the glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro are disappearing, is that clearly, something is going on that will affect every single person on this planet to some extent, in some fashion, and we argue about it to push political agendas for garnering political power. To date, the argument over global warming was limited to whether it was a result of human civilization or a natural cycle. There was, indeed, a minor secondary argument that global warming didn’t even exist. Enter ClimateGate! That minor secondary argument is now prominent. While there are those ready to burn the scientists at East Anglia at the stake, I’m not ready to light the match, at least not yet. I have a little problem with accusing and burning Academia at the stake and that’s what’s going to happen, regardless of what the facts are. Why? Because that’s what Hitler, Mussolini and other petty dictators did, and do. I’m not suggesting for a moment that no one in Academia ever be held accountable but I am sounding a warning, tread carefully. I’m of the opinion there’s a larger problem and much of what we hear is simply misdirection. That larger problem is to keep us divided. Divided on global warming, on healthcare, politicaly, racially, culturally and religiously. Real or not, it seems to be the case. We are a divided nation and now that we are finding out we can’t even trust our Scientists, the finger will soon point to our local teachers. That’s been the History elsewhere. In a sense, it’s all ironic. After all, I’ve always been of the opinion that NASA hides things... and that’s not only a story in and of itself, it’s just a whole ‘nother complicated trip. Go Ahead, Comment? Rev.., Revol.., Revolut.., Revolution! In America? To most Americans, even a transient thought toward a revolution is simply unimaginable. Unimaginable in the sense that the thought would never cross their mind. This is so because any thinking, intelligent person understands that after a revolution, what you have is something completely different. After all that is the point of a revolution, isn’t it? The problem with all revolutions is of course, you usually end up with something different than what you intended. Speaking of intent, I do not only wonder, but I openly question the intent of Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Sara Palin, Michelle Bachmann and others of their provocative ilk. Surely, they are all entertainers on the world stage with a great deal of influence. That influence is a powerful thing and I’m not so sure they understand the potential harm to this Nation. They might, and just don’t care or it could be, they actually believe all the tripe they spew. Whatever the case, somethings going on that I don’t think any of ‘em understand and if they believe for a second, that they can control what’s coming, they are in for the proverbial surprise of their lives. Let me take a step back through the swirling vortex of a time portal here so you have an understanding of why I’m writing this. In my younger, stud-ly days, I was all about change and revolution. See, I kind of don’t like Government either, especially sticking it’s nose into my business. The thing is, when I say Government, I mean State Governments as well. I won’t stop there, either! In fact, I don’t like Religion sticking it’s nose into my business, or for that fact, business! Especially business’s like Insurance companies and banks and credit reporting agencies. Truth of the matter is, if I wanna blow a joint in my house on Friday night, that’s my business. OK, maybe I didn’t have to step through a time portal, I still hold those beliefs. What has tenderized my passion is simply an understanding that Government actually has a role to play in our lives and that any change in our Government has to be for the betterment of the people. One of those roles is to be a fulcrum between the individual and institutions such as Religion, Business and even the Military. Our founding fathers understood that basic simple thing of balance. And therein exists my rub with the aforementioned entertainers. In their world view, Religion and Business would be paramount in our lives, wanted or not! Government would be a non-entity, a minor player, and that my friends is not what this nation is about, no matter how much they claim it is. When one stops to ponder, and one doesn’t need to ponder the day away with this, why and how it is, these imbeciles have a stage, a bit of clarity might just happen to meander into your field of perception. In fact, simply ponder that our media, all of our media, is no longer the ‘watchdog of Democracy’ because they are profit orientated and if they are profit orientated, they are a business. Yes, both the Church and major business would love a lot more say in our lives, and imagine their influence without the balance of Government. This is what the new conservative agenda is selling and it has found buyers in a disfranchised and disillusioned American populace. I understand that disillusion but I will not replace it with something that has more than a passing potential to be an outright theocracy and corporacy. I have a fear, we as a nation might end up there, intentional or not. Then again, we are kind of there already. At the moment, it’s just hidden (and actually not very good) and not admitted. The one thing I’m sure of in all this, all of you who are listening to this new right wing conservatism. Well, you’ll wake up one morning and realize you’re not living in America any more and you’ll blame everyone else, except the one responsible. You won’t like it one bit, but you’re going to be stuck with it.
In the scheme of human events, it doesn’t matter to me where we try the accused plotters. criminals, terrorists involved with 911. In front of Military tribunal in some other country or in a court of Law in New York is fine with me. I do have a preference though, and it’s in an American court in front of an American Jury! Will it be a spectacle, a never ending show? Yes, because our media will profit off the ratings. Like it or not, babe, that’s who we are, that’s what we are, that’s how you roll, good looking. But there’s a larger point to my preference. Bring the son o’ bitches home to the scene of the crime, let them face a jury of Americans who will represent you and I. If they’re found guilty, there won’t be any regrets when news of their execution crawls across the bottom of your telly. If they’re innocent, well then what... Are we afraid they might be innocent, or that someone screwed up and didn’t do their job? That’s easy to hide in a secret trial. Do we want that? Will the trials be a security nightmare? Is it possible other terrorists can get to the families of the jury? Yes, to both questions and the answer to that is that our Democracy carries risk and a lot of it. We don’t throw the legal system, as full of faults as it has, out the window because of our discomfort with it. Is their a risk of an attack on the court proceedings? Yep, you bet there is. The truth in all this is rather simple. If we do it any other way, they win! By trying these people in New York, on American soil and judged by Americans, we’d have the proverbial last laugh. We would be sending the world a clear message, one that we have never struggled to send to the world, ‘you can destroy a building, you can murder, but you cannot destroy or murder my belief in equality and freedom.’ So if people want to politicize the fact the terrorists are going to be tried on American soil to win political points, then so be it. But be aware of what you’re really saying, and saying to the American people. “I don’t have faith in our legal system because they might go free” along with “I don’t have faith in our Democracy because our media will turn the trials into a spectacular show for ratings” All I have to say is, is it’s a short throw of the stone to calling, say, someone like me who disagrees with you, a dissident, then a terrorist and then trying my sorry ass behind closed doors. The Rise of the Independents. "That's what this problem is all about in Washington -- we put party above country, I will not do that." John McCain Big Tents with no one Home The above is part of what I wrote, almost two years ago and in light of what’s going on, politically, I just have to toss out a, “How Right was I?” In fact, in every political race, the independent voter is the deciding voter and I have no problem with that as long as everyone votes how I vote. Uh, change your underwear, that was a joke, I really don’t care how you vote as long as it’s an informed vote. Now, you might suspect that I’m making a reference to town hall meetings, tea baggers and a bunch of other groups that have sprouted from the firmament. I say ‘sprouted’ because they have been fertilized and that’s about where they’re at in the cycle of life an’ things. Hopefully, they won’t see a growth spurt, but they will and that kinda scares the hell outta me. Most of these people pine for a Nation that never really existed and if it did, most would of moved as far and as fast as they could of. The bottom line, is these people are going to go where they are told to go and say and do what they are told to say and do. Sorry, that’s not being independent. So, who am I talking about. Well, consider the state of affairs, politically regarding the parties. First, the Republicans have fast become a regional, ultra-conservative party with a theocratic foundation. There is clearly a fight in progress for the soul of the Republican party and the old beliefs of the Reagan conservatives are losing to the new, rigid beliefs of Palin and Bachmann. I mean, gimme a break, If there’s no room in their tent for old conservatives, what makes you think there’s room in their ideological country for me or anyone else that disagrees with ‘em. I suspect a lot of the new Independents are refugees from the Republican party but then again, there has to be more than a couple from the Democratic side as well. Democrats are not as unified under a big tent as they would like you to believe. If they were, healthcare would be a done deal. That’s a simple fact! There are clearly Democratic Senators who will never vote for a healthcare bill because they are worried about reelection. This is the same thing as saying, “I’m worried about my own self, not you.” and they should not be in elected office to begin with. Where the Republicans are now small and specific, and that means they can’t get anything done, the Democrats are now too broad based and generic to get anything done. This does not bode well for you and I, but it might be good news for Ron Paul, and I’ll have to think about that. A Wonderful Reality Reality is a strange and wonderful perception even in the midst of confusion and chaos. Reality is able to be a strange and wonderful thing simply because our minds shape it so, molding an understanding from the mass confusion and chaos that our brain inputs. From chaos, comes order... with nary a thought or a nod as to how or why. We accept what we touch, what we see, our smell, our sounds. More so, we believe our neighbors, our friends, our family experience is identical to our own, and not to the individual. This is to say, you see what another sees, hear what another hears, and so on and so forth. For you, this is the ‘norm’, the acceptable reality of your daily life. Because you are intelligent and well read, you know there are aberrations in reality, others whose perception is just a bit different. The musical geniuses, the schizophrenic and even the autistic; those who live in a differing state of perception. Because you are intelligent and well read, you know they are outside the ‘norm’. Really? Do you believe that, “There but for the grace of God, go I.” ‘cause I’m going to let you in a little secret. You don’t have a clue to what reality is, and better, I can prove it. You’ve already agreed there are different states of reality, right? Some we applaud, some we attribute to illness. Why don’t you question what your mind interprets? Have you ever wondered if everyone sees the color red, in exactly the same light or smells fish in the same exact way. Red triggers aggression in some, the smell of fish is revolting to others. If we multiply this by the billion sensory inputs our brains receive every second, how is any semblance of order even possible? Hmmm, maybe it’s not but we just like to think it is. Consider the light from our Sun. Light that radiates out from a sphere, in all directions as both waves and points. Light, that after just a few minutes of being born manages to bath our world, allowing us our daily sustenance. Imagine all this light pulsating through the universe. In fact, we can do better than imagine, we can look, and see the light emanating from every star in our night sky. We all know our night sky to be a beautiful and orderly thing. So much so, that as far back as Sumeria, humans were able to map out stars and constellations, thus the passing of time. We see the order of light propagating, not the chaos, not the reality of the light from a trillion, trillion stars colliding and interacting with each other. Yes, my beloved, there are realities beyond our own. There are those we know to exist from good science, some we can postulate from common sense, some we can even create without proof through imagination and desire, but most are beyond our constructs because we are an orderly construct. We do not dare step off, into the void. And the point in all this? Well, consider that our very thoughts, our souls, and emotions are often chaotic, in conflict, because we, as much as we struggle to maintain order, were born in the chaos of the natural world. This is the element of nature that we all carry. Not one of us can escape that fact. That is who we are behind the mask of organization and order. In our daily existence, there is a sense of personal order and yet in our collective sense there is disorder. We all want different things, need different things! Yet we all need the same things. We all need to eat, but want different color curtains. How does order come from this? Indeed, there is a marked difference between what we need and what we want. There are differences between the individual and the collective as well, correct. Is it no small wonder, my friends, why we struggle to maintain order when we are awash in disorder and chaos. Finally, my point. We struggle too hard to maintain a reality, a way of life, that we can change in a heartbeat, not only from the perspective of the individual, but from the collective as a whole. I will do better. I will give you a real world example. If I am walking alone in the middle of nowhere and get bit by a poisonous snake, I will die. If I have company and get bit, I will probably live. Why? Because I have help. Even a stranger walking beside you increases your survivability. This is who we are as a species. There is an expectation of compassion. This is why I support free and universal healthcare because compassion is an inherent need. To give and to receive compassion speaks to the best of of who we are as a society and as individuals. However, our manufactured sense of reality denies this basic fact because there are inherent desires circumventing the need. Age old desires valued as greed, wealth and power are human weaknesses. Not strength, but human weakness. Any fool can steal from their neighbor. A human of worth, will not and in that, there is value! We have created a world that mimics our angst, our interpretation of reality. So much so, even the distribution of facts and knowledge in our communal news organizations flows from one source, the Associated Press. This is why the lead story on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and CNN are all virtually the same. WE like order! We have succumbed to a orderly world where everything fits nicely in it’s place, specifically and most importantly, you and I. But the truth is, it’s all an illusion because you and I, are more than what you know. We are the sum, of greater things yet to be found. Toil, and be ordinary or take a chance and be something quite extraordinary. It’s there, look for it. Feel free to Comment
Most won’t have a clue what I’m writing about this cool autumn morning and I ‘spect that’s kind of the way it’s meant to be. I don’t understand a lot of what I read (or even write myself) about other people’s lives either. Course, it doesn’t help much that last night was Halloween and the wife and I were out and about. And yes, I kept the tequilla to a minimum, only because there are things I need to get done today, and in a hurry, as in before the Vikings and Packers game. Once the game starts, the days over, I’m relegated to my chair. I’ve been in a horrendous state of reflection this last week as a result of running across my eight grade yearbook picture. Now, for most people, pulling out an old yearbook and reminiscing about one’s past is a normal thing. A good thing full of wonderful and pleasant memories. In fact, in a smaller town, I suspect one can pull out their yearbook, look at their picture, look at the person next to them, and then call them to come over for coffee to talk about the old days. More or less, that’s the way it works. Everyone knows everyone and everybody grew up with everybody, more or less. Every once in a while, their might be a “Wonder whatever happened to...” The difference for me is, I’ve spent my entire life wondering where most of the people I ran into during my travels, are? Truth is, I thought I’d never know so I never really spent a lot of time thinking about old friends other than an occasional thought. But we live in a fascinating age. For instance, that yearbook picture? Didn’t come from my yearbook. In fact, mine fell apart decades ago. Rather, I found it posted on facebook. Man, talk about getting blown away. I remember these people. Pia, Clay, Zuannah, Tom, Jeannie, Jean, Marci. The one person I can’t reconcile with in that class, is the picture of myself. A young innocent frozen in time. A child on the verge of manhood, about to make a million, billion mistakes. I find myself wanting to call out to him, to go back and slap the kid, warning him of the pitfalls ahead. Giving him a bit of an idea of what lay ahead might have wiped that smirk off his face, but I doubt it! There’s a wish as well, that all my old friends have had good lives and I’m tempted to ask, because I’m finding there are those that are reaching out over the years, reestablishing the bond that ties all of us together. Liberia, ACS and a childhood so long ago and far away that it just simply boggles the mind. There are times, that I really just want to go home and find my way to the concrete pillbox of a house, or walk the antenna fields, shoot through the brushed opening to the stream, visit the damn, putt the oiled greens, drink a club, buy groun’ pea, eat cheese and bread, ride the back road to Caldwell, Elwa and Coopers, teetherball, wander from the Saloon to the Black and White, stopping in at Your Fathers Moustache. Shop at Sinkor, Abujoudies, the Commissary, eat at the embassy restaurant. Hell, I’d even submit to Dr. Jupiter’s pedal driven drill. These are the things my friends today, cannot understand nor do I bother to explain. Life is what it is, isn’t it? Really Scary Shit We should all be afraid. These are really, very, scary times in which we live. We not only have to fear Al Qaeda trying to destroy our freedoms, but we have to fear our own Government is going Socialistic, depriving us of our Freedom. Actually, speaking of Al Qaeda, do we trust any Muslim? Should we? I personally don’t believe they measure up to my good Christian standards. Hey, isn’t Obama a Muslim? Wasn’t he born in Africa and even have an African birth certificate. So does that make our President an African Muslim Socialist and by the way, this has nothing to do with the fact, he’s black! Man, how’d that happen? What, now GB is claiming he’s a Chicago thug. Now he’s a African Muslim Socialist Gangsta. Oh, Mr. weepy eyes, take that bat and swing, baby, swing at all those secret socialist symbols that are planted everywhere in our capitol. And while you’re running down the boulevard, take out a couple gay fags as well, will ya. If you see any lesbians, we can keep those, if they’re good looking, but all the ones with butch hair cuts can go, so whack ‘em baby Beck, whack ‘em good. Yep, ya should be scared cuz it’s only going to get worse. Pretty soon, there ain’t going to be enough of us rich people to protect each other. Worse than that, our kids are going to be whisked away in the morning and given abortions, and they’ll need ‘em by God cuz all poor people do is have babies.. Hmmm, Who’s gonna pay for all those abortions? What! The government is because they want free health care and they ain’t stopping at abortions. Oh c’mon, if all those friggin’ liberals just quit pretending people were sick, this wouldn’t even be a problem. I’m thinking we’ll be OK on this one, the public option is dead, and it should be because we’ve spent enough money to kill it twenty times over. Whaddya mean, it’s not dead? O’ the horror, the horror of it all. Sometimes, I just wish I could disappear into thin air because I can’t handle all this scary shit. I mean pretty soon, they ain’t even going to be any white people left. And come on, admit it, we all know the truth, if you’re not white, if you’re not rich, if you’re not Christian, that’s OK, we’ll take care of you, trust us. I mean, come on everyone, think back to before we had unions, how nice it was in the coal mines. Hell, I think it’s fair to say slave always had a roof over their heads. Yep! Downright scary shit. In Search of the Spiritual Voyager Far too many of us don’t bother to reflect on the deeper meaning of our existence. Many simply don’t bother to even question why we’re here because the answer or answers will never be forthcoming. Instead, their concern is with life, the living, and usually to be a bit more specific, their life. Now I’m no different than the next, despite what all my friends, family and coworkers claim, except that I’m probably inclined to think about it a bit more. You know, God, Heaven and all that. Any long standing reader of my work knows that I don’t believe in the traditional Christian God and that for me, the mysteries of our existence, when revealed, will be far stranger than our imagination allows. One of the things I do believe without fail, is that our daily lives reflect a state of our spiritual well being. A person who possesses a fair amount of peace of mind tends to live a somewhat balanced life. This has nothing to do with spiritutality, at least at face value. But what do I know? A serial Killer could be serenely happy in all his murder and mayhem. All I’m trying to say is that I’m thinking all the political and social angst, anxiety and aggression that everyone is feeling is derived from a spiritual loss as opposed to a general mistrust of our Government. I bet I could make an argument as well that it’s simpler than what I think, that people, as they always have, are using, not spirituality, but religion to create and spread fear in an attempt to get their way. These are people who are neither religious or spiritual, who have no concern for the welfare of their neighbor yet yell proudly just the opposite. These are people of both political persuasions, these are people who set at the pinnacle of success, and there are those who follow both for a variety of reasons, mostly ignorance. Abortion is a prime example. Abortion is a moral, not political issue. Abortion will never be solved at the political level yet it is a political point used by those who desire to inflame the people, on both side of the political spectrum. The death penalty is another issues as well. From the perspective of a true Christian, you can’t support the death penalty and yet many do while crying out the sins of abortion. In all this, few people understand that spirituality sought, is a voyage, a daily voyage and way too many people believe that just because they have religion, they have a spiritual connection with God. No, they have a connection with their church. The point being, if more people undertook the spiritual voyage, perhaps we’d understand ourselves a bit better. Actually, I’d be happy if people actually lived by whatever tenets their God put forth. And your expectations, of me, are.... what? To be sympathetic to your problems or maybe to be there for your needs. Sorry, only my wife gets that. So, getting back to the new video above, I don’t mean to offend any of those people but I can’t help but wonder how idiotic they would sound if they actually said what some of them wrote. And of course, I have a hell of an issue with people spouting crap and not attaching their names to it. I guess being able to vent in a comment section is the new political activism be it directed toward HS sports or national politics. I mean, most people who leave comments don’t have a clue as to what facts are, basing their opinions on emotion and ego and don’t know the people involved or their motivations. Worse, they don’t care. Husband shot soccer mom as she chatted on webcam What happened to global warming? Michel Moore gets destroyed in a debate about capitalism Bachmann: It’s like MSNBC hosts are stalking me An Observation or Three ...but who really cares, right? OK look, you either like Michael Moore or you don’t, I get that! Whatever your thoughts, the movie is generating some talk around the water coolers, especially regarding the ‘Dead Peasant’ insurance policies being obtained by Corporate America on their rank and file workers without their knowledge. Let’s see, I die, my boss gets the Insurance payoff, my family nothing. This is not a fantasy or a rumor blown out of proportion. It’s well documented practice that’s been going on for quite some time. In fact, it is absolutely mind boggling that a corporation can insure an employee who has brain cancer, after the diagnosis, and make a 1.6 million dollar profit when he dies. Let’s see, what happened to ‘pre-existing conditions’? Doesn’t surprise me one bit that Reagan made it all possible Yep, just supports last weeks lil’ talk about our Democracy and reinforces the truth that we’re too far gone to do a damn thing about it ‘cept to keep smiling while we’re bending over. Observation number two. Now, doesn’t it bother anyone that conservatives actually cheered Chicago’s loss for the 2016 Olympics. What am I missing here, including when conservatives were claiming something about needing jobs now, not in 2016. Uh, excuse me, but I bet contracts have already started to go out in Rio De Janeiro with thousands of jobs being created in a heartbeat. Sounds real American to me, bub! Sorry thing is, watch and see, they will be the first to point the un-patriotic, un-american finger at everybody else, first chance they get. We know that because they did it to everyone who disagreed with Bush. Specially this guy. Last and never the least is my Michelle Bachmann observation. Never, ever would I be surprised at what slips out between her ruby red lips, passing as vile malformed words that are supposed to mean something. Michelle’s latest claim that our school nurses will be secretly whisking girls off for abortions is a bit over the top and far removed from reality, even for MB. Hey Michelle, why don’t ya just go all out and say our schools are actually our community whorehouses, I mean, that’s what they got beds in the nurses office for, right. Sad, sorry state of political humanity. Democracy?
When 5 percent own more stuff, than all the other 95 percent put together, that is not Capitalism and it is not Democracy and for people to defend that as a Capitalistic Democracy just pisses me off. That defense ticks me off because you’re either really rich or you’re frigging ignorant. Chances are you’re ignorant because let me explain a little thing about power and money. There’s not a huge surplus of either, at least not big enough for everyone in our Nation to have a lot of both and therein lies the rub, my ignorant friend. The very rich want you to believe that if you work hard, you’ll be one of them, the ultra rich and powerful. The problem is, every buck you earn comes out of their pocket. Look, I don’t have a problem with my neighbor making a 150 grand a year, I don’t have a problem with people stuffing their houses full of materialistic crap, for the most part. Hell, I’ve got HD TV myself. What I do have a problem with is someone taking everything! And yes they are! Everything! Stop and seriously think about some of the profits major corporations are making along with the salaries of their CEO’s. Stop and look at the amount of money being doled out by their lobbyists for no other purpose then to influence the political process in their favor. ‘Not for yours’, did you get that part? Probably not, because you’re not sufficiently pissed and if you are, it’s at a liberal or a conservative. That’s big money doing their work as well. Give me a break, 25% interest on a credit card and you accept that! How sad! How pitiful that your desires have lead you into bondage from which there is no real escape. You’ll piss and moan about it, no doubt about that, but you won’t do anything, will you? I can’t but wonder if we’re all to damn medicated to take any real action anymore. Good Lord, Rosie, there’s a drug for everything and we eat ‘em by the handful and big Pharmas happy to oblige our addictions. And don’t even think for a minute that drugs can’t influence your thoughts or behavior. What do you think Chantrix does and does well? Of course, it could be you’re just to frickin’ fat to get off your couch to do anything because we are a fat, unhealthy Nation. Least, that’s what I’ve been hearing in the news lately. Could be you won’t say nothing, won’t write a letter to your political representative, because you think what is happening in this great Nation is okay. That the problems with Healthcare are much ado about nothing. That we still live in a democracy and that everything will work out. You believe that because it’s easier to believe a lie than to do some actual reading about a given issue. For instance, our Healthcare is not the best system in the world. We spend more than any other nation in the world and our infant mortality rate is equal to some third world country. Our life expectancy is no better than Cuba’s and remember, we’re all overweight! I’m sorry, but you are ignorant and an egotistical slut that would let a political ideology destroy what is the very best we have to offer as human beings, the compassion to care for others. That political ideology is neither that of liberalism or conservatism. It is the introduction of capitalism, not as an economic system, but now as a full fledged political system. We now live in a Corporacy. Heaven ain’t the End Game and that’s Ok because I’m not going God looked out the rain splattered window and watched the wind knit the oversized flag into a tattered rag. Remembering the futility in fighting a force of nature, God smiled, and turned his attention back to the conversation. “Need a refill there, Rob?” God heard his reply and motioned for the waitress with a lift of his cup. “Now, so that you understand this, you had a choice, you used it and you can’t change it.” The waitress made her way and refilled their cups, both gentlemen mouthing a ‘thank you’ with a slight nod of the head. “See, the thing is, I don’t write names down in the book of life, no one does. Truth is, everyone’s given the benefit of the doubt at the start. I mean, right off the bat, your names in the book, but as the days go by, names start to get a bit tarnished, hard to read, some more than others.” God saw the dismay on the mans face and a twinge of guilt ran it’s course. Men were strange creatures when all things were considered. and he had the realization that he struggled in separating the individual from the collective when it came judging them. “Yea, I understand you didn’t murder anyone, you weren’t a thief, didn’t beat your wife and the only time you ever kicked your dog was when it urinated on your bed but getting into Heaven isn’t about that.” The wrinkles on the old mans face were twisted in confusion. “The fact is, you didn’t do what you were supposed to do, did you? That’s the dividing line. On my side, all the people in Heaven lived up to their side of the bargain, they did what they promised. On the other side of the line, is people like you Rob, who just kinda meandered through their lives doing what they wanted to do, without purpose, forgetting or ignoring what they had promised to do. Pretty simple when you think about it that way.” A reverberating clap of thunder shook the booth they were setting at and the rain started to wash over the large window in a single sheet, blurring the world outside. God waved to the short, blond waitress by scribbling in the air with an invisible pen and then floated his hand over the table, leaving an assorted collection of coins. Never a Perfect Notion There’s a lot I want to say and I don’t have a clue where to begin. I’m clueless for the simple reason that I’m close to the point that it doesn’t matter anymore, that this Nation is on the verge of collapse, we’ve tipped the scales. You know, I’ve always had this little dream that I’ve taken pride in. A notion of fair play, equality, free but responsible speech and all that good stuff. For a good part of my life, all these moral values seemed to soothe the savageness of the wanton beast as in, the good guys were winning. I always knew it was never a perfect world but I always took solace in the belief that good people prevailed. That’s no longer true. In fact, it’s almost as if something vile and evil has crept into the national conscience. How else do you account for the credibility given to some of the people who are spouting nothing less than foolishness, whether it’s our Presidents place of birth, my own Governors insistence of ‘death panels”, Tea Bag Parties, and not to mention, two-bit commentators engaging in crude fantasies of murder. Consider too, even after it was well established that President Bush and his administration intentionally lied to the American People to prosecute a war in Iraq, not one Democrat ever, ever, called him out as a liar when he spoke to Congress. Understand what I am saying here! These are not conservatives, they are not Republicans no matter their claims. They certainly are not Patriotic Americans for their vision of our nation is one of fear and intolerance. They are the new neo-conservatives who like Hitler’s brown shirts in his rise to power, will hijack town hall meetings, lie, scream and shout and strong arm their agenda into the national spotlight. Like Germany, they are succeeding here because good people are staying silent and because our media draws huge profits off their coverage. In truth, even their symbolism is linked to Hitler’s Nazi movement, as evidenced by Bachmann’s Blood Covenant. In tough economic times, their lies, their deceit are finding their way into the homes and hearts of millions. Yet it is more then the tough economy that is driving people to the neo-conservative movement. It is fear! Fear of change and fear of true equality. Equality was a fine concept when it applied to white people alone, but now that we have to spread equality to Latinos and Blacks, there’s a problem. What does that say about us? Just like in Hitler’s Germany where tough economic times lead people looking for blame, and they found blame in the Jews, we’ll find blame in people of other color. It’s not entertainment my friends. I can’t prove it but I bet the same powers, the same political powers that lead us into Iraq, are somewhere behind much of the evil we see today. Sad but True, We Are a Stupid Species. Sorry to break it to you, but the evidence is in. You’re stupid! Don’t feel you’re in the stupid boat all by yourself though as the fact is you have a lot of company. As a matter of fact, consider just about everybody a shipmate. Yep, sailors on a sinking ship where everyone’s trying to bail and no body has a bucket. Chances are, you won’t admit to being a team member on this sorrowful boat, but that only confirms how stupid you really are. Now, it’d be nice to say that I don’t mean that we are intellectually stupid, but we are. Just as we are emotionally stupid and spiritually stupid. Yes, we are! For a species that once held so much promise, one has to ask, what happened? Have we all done too many drugs or something that we can no longer sort reality out from the insane fantasies creeping up from the dark voids. Has evil really crept into our souls and stolen our good and decent virtues? Maybe it’s far more simpler, maybe we’re all realizing that nothing is ever going to change so we’re content with turning to the jaded side of life where we no longer care about ourselves, our neighbors, our Government or anything else in our sphere of influence. Yea, we’ll claim we do, but the truth is, we care about what the media tells us to care about. We can’t make up our own minds because we’re too stupid for that. Yes, you are! Stop and think about War for example. We all accept it as an act of human nature. I disagree, violence isn’t a part of human nature. Is it part of our instinctive nature? Sure it is, but it’s a basic nature we control for the most part. Once our species turned agrarian, the need to hunt and slaughter was supplanted as an absolute necessity. Indeed, if you gave individuals a choice, they wouldn’t march off to war, but individuals will march off to war on the orders of others. Hmmm, that is... stupid. Well, it is. But marching off to war has always been a stupid human thing. What I’m trying to say is that we are even stupider than we were yesterday, that in fact we are de-evolving and there is some proof to support that. First, if the increased prominent brows and busy eyebrows of those in the Republican party isn’t enough to sway you, then consider the fact that Democrats can’t even speak in a unified voice. We’re reverting to a time of neanderthic chaos. I’ve often suspecting that the real reason we never bothered to return to the moon was the fact that we forgot how to do it. Nowdays, that’s just accepted fact. We forgot how to light the match to fire up the engines. I mean, there was a time not so long ago that when the rich and powerful tried to screw us, we fought back and actually won. We decided we were a Democratic Republic. Now we just bend over and take it. In fact, we bend over with a smile. We are so stupid that we actually smile while they’re screwing us, even when it hurts. Why would I expect anything less.
Will a substantive and substantial healthcare bill be passed? No, because as Bill Moyers stated in an interview, your health is addressed as a business issue, as in ‘profit or loss’, and not a moral issue and there’s way too much money being poured into both the Liberal and Conservative camps to keep healthcare profitable. They want you insured, they want you sick, because that’s how they make a profit. Do we live in a Democracy or a Republic? Neither. As much as many of us would like to believe we do, we are wrong to assume that we live in anything other than a Corporacy. If we lived in a Democracy, or a Republic, healthcare wouldn’t be a debatable issue. By the way, do you even know what the difference is between a Republic and a Democracy? Yep, didn’t think so. Why are Obamas Poll numbers dropping? I voted for the man because I thought he believed we lived in a Democracy, that he would change the momentum toward a Corporacy. I thought he would speak for me, that’ he’d kick some ass, get some things done, but he’s trying too hard to be a politician. We have enough politicians, Congress is full of politicians. We need an ass kicking leader, and those bending over for the first boot are the politicians. What’s wrong with a Corporacy? Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that a non living entity has more protection under the law than I do, that the law shields CEOs and others from wrong doing to a large extent. As in, they can steal a billion dollars and blame it on the corporation. What’s the short term future like, here in America? The loss of a meaningful healthcare initiative, the defeat of a growing belief that healthcare is a basic human right, will signal a field day for right wing conservatives. This will not be Obama’s Waterloo, but it will be the Democrats. Media will misinterpret what is happening and trend to the right (for profit) and start a feeding frenzy against democratic and liberal ideas. In five years, you will not recognize our Nation. TV will be populated by the likes of Glenn Beck. Prove it! That’s easy. You won’t get off your couch to do or change anything. You think others will do it for you. Your only concern is your beer, your boat and your gun and speaking of your gun, there’s more to this Nation than your rights to your gun. You can’t pick and choose what rights are covered. Beside, once the religious right is in charge, they’ll be coming for your guns, because they know you won’t be liking what they have to say a bit down the road. That’s a frigin’ promise. I just don’t get. With the Democrats in control of the Government, how are the liberals losing ground? Life is somewhat circular, see the first question, watch the interview, figure it out. If you can’t see left sidebar about being tagged, you should be. Real America Think about this. America strives to take care of those less fortunate. Indeed, we care for our handicapped, to the point where we have integrated them into our public schools. Consider too, that we as a Nation have subsidized the care for our elderly and those who have served this Nation in the Armed Forces. Nor have we forgot the poor, the hungry, the sick and the disfranchised. Are these bad things? Our very beginning as a Nation has it’s roots in those seeking a better life, a chance anew. Those who had suffered persecution, whether it was political, moral or religious, found common ground in a sincere belief of equality and compassion for others. This is who we have always been. Not perfect, not even close and there are without question, shameful, hurtful pages in our history. We are, Humans, after all. That said, we did not fall into the abyss of chaos when brother fought brother, or when white men beat and murdered black men, or when politicians falsely accused good men of wrong doing. We did not fall into that abyss because good men and good people spoke out. There are those who claim all that is great about our Nation is evil. That to care for those less fortunate is wrong. They wrap our history in a word such as socialism and condemn it as un-American without thought to what America has been and is. America is not some small regional back wooded county or a nicely groomed lawn in some suburb. America is a dream. A great experiment in Democracy. This is an experiment still in progress and that is why, two hundred plus years later we have a black President. This is so, because the path to a more perfect union, is based in equality and this seems to be the right path. In other words, the experiment seems to be working. Yet it is not an equality of race, alone. It is, as well, an equality of respect, regardless of income, political, moral or religious affiliation. If you do not have a basic respect for those who are different then you, you can hardly grant them an iota of equality, much less god given rights. There are those who disagree with this belief and can only show respect for those of the same creed and color and wrap their shadowed figures in my American flag. These are men such as Limbaugh and Beck, who have no honor, who care nothing for America, who have no interest in our future. There interest is in their ego and in their pocketbook. They have no concern for the harm they do and the harm they do is deep and grave. It is not I who is the Socialist, the Fascist, the Communist, the Racist or even the Capitalist. Imagine for a moment please, the world according to Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Beck, Bachmann, Malkin and Coulter. They would claim otherwise, but it would be a Nation under one religion, one church and you would attend every Sunday. There would be minimal healthcare for the majority, minimum wage would prevail and there would be no diversity of culture. You would not dare speak ill of the government, or more importantly, of any of these people. You would not be able to sue for negligence or ask for redress of grievances. Their idea of America is a far cry from my America. There is a radical, no longer fringe, movment in this Nation that has embedded itself in the Republican party. They claim a basic christianity but it is a Christianity without tolerance, without love, compassion or understanding of others. Indeed, it is a false religion in the face of the coporate world for their god is the god of profit, and profit alone. This radical elemet has stolen what is good in America and perverted it for their own use. ...and they are growing in strength. The Uncomfortability of Race Years ago, as a young lad of Nineteen, I had the deserved misfortune of waking up one morning in a jail cell, along with 20 or 30 other misfortunate’s. Of course, there’s a rich and textured story of how I ended up in a 10 by 10 section of a Liberian Police station that was walled off by chicken wire and packed with men and women of all ages. The story of how I got there, and how I got out, is of course a private matter. What is important, though, is that as I woke up amidst a jumble of arms, legs, heads and torso’s to make my way toward a five gallon pail that served as a communal toilet, I wasn’t even phased by the simple fact that I was the only white person in the room, on either side of the flimsy, makeshift cell. I could claim that my head pounded so bad that I simply didn’t care, but the truth is a bit more shocking than that. I had never been taught that there was a difference between being black or white. Let me back up a minute. I was familiar with prejudicism and racism, in that I knew they existed. In fact, my first real experience with overt prejudices was when my family returned to the states on R&R. Thrust into a public school, I was shocked that everyone was, well...white. At fourteen, I wrote off the ‘black’ jokes as just that because you see, I was a stranger in a strange land. Truth is, as best as my memory serves, there wasn’t a lot of black jokes, or even a lot of overt racism in my Jr. High, or at least I wasn’t aware of it. Best I can remember, most of the kids I went to Jr. High with didn’t spend a lot of their time being scared of the black race, much less giving them much thought. Actually, we were more concerned with a growing attraction to beer, girls and smoking. Some years later, when getting off a plane at Robertsfield, I was waved ahead of a long line of other passengers who were waiting to pass through customs. A black American, on vacation to find his roots, got a bit agitated with the customs official and yelled something to him about giving special privileges to ‘Whitey’. The inspector bolted out of his booth, jabbed his finger in the mans chest and started to inform the gentleman that he was neither African nor Liberian and that I, on the other hand was both. Of course, you do know, I happened to work at the airport and I was friends with all the custom officials. The above said, understand that when I was in boot camp and my company was made up of a lot of black Americans, they made me feel a bit uncomfortable and to this day, if I walked into a room full of black Americans, I’d feel uncomfortable. I don’t understand that, but it’s true. And it’s probably true if the room was full of Latinos. Now, here’s the strange thing, I like to think I’d feel right at home if the room was full of Japanese. I don’t like admitting the truth, I’m a bit ashamed of it and I can work through it to treat people with respect but I am bothered by it. Where does that discomfort level come from? I don’t have a clue! Living in the states for the last thirty years and raising my kids in an almost all white community, I’ve seen things change. People and attitudes for the most part, but discomfort with another Race still exists and I don’t equate that with racism. Neither is fear, stupidity or insensitivity, and in my experience, that’s where most levels of racism fall. Real Racism, the belief that another race is less than you are, in fact, less than even human, I’m sure still exists in the dank, dark corners of some peoples souls, but it’s waning. I won’t even dare to say that I understand what people feel about people who are of another culture or color than they are. I think most keep it a secret in fear of being called on it. I mean, I work with a guy that can bitch about blacks and their culture and then turn around and be the most accommodating guy in the room to the next black guy that walks in the room. The point in all this, and I’m struggling here to an extent, is that as long as we fear change, as long as we fear being challenged, as long as we fear our differences, there will be discomfort. Some will overcome that discomfort, others will not. How each individual chooses to express that discomfort will vary as well. This is not true of white people alone, it’s true of all people. It’s who we are. That does not mean that we cannot be better, even when we are uncomfortable in doing so. Rights and Your Privileges
One of the nice things about running my own website, is that I can take a vacation from the perverse inanities of our civilized society when I want, and act a bit nuts myself. And since I derive no income from this site, or because I’m not smart enough, or maybe I’m just not likable, whatever the case may be, that means I can do and say, pretty much what I want, until someone notices and that, can suck. So, without further verbiage, witness now the return to a blend of normalcy and sensibility with a simple question, for you. Before asking, however, a short discourse on rights Vs privilege. Even if your understanding differs from mine, you can’t answer the question I’m going to ask unless you’re comfortable that you know what the difference is between a right and a privilege. Let’s start with accepted definitions. RIGHT: "Rights are defined generally as 'powers of free action.' And the primal rights pertaining to men are enjoyed by human beings purely as such, being grounded in personality, and existing antecedently to their recognition by positive law." PRIVILEGE: "A particular and peculiar benefit or advantage enjoyed by a person, company, or class, beyond the common advantages of other citizens. An exceptional or extraordinary power or exemption. A peculiar right, advantage, exemption, power, franchise, or immunity held by a person or class, not generally possessed by others." So, accordingly, a right is something you have always had, something that transcends even the law, because even if a law is passed, saying you have the right, it really doesn’t matter, because you already have that right. For example, breathing. We all have the right to breath, and therefore to live. However, a privilege, by legal definition, is some ‘thing’ that a person or a group of people have, and others do not. A drivers license is a privilege. I can’t help but wonder, if a persons interpretation of these two words define where they fall politically. However an individual interprets rights and privileges, we do know certain rights are protected under our Bill of Rights. You know, the right to free speech, to bear arms, to due process. In reading the definitions above, it’s crystal clear what a ‘privilege’ is. The ‘Definition’ for a ‘right’ is a bit more murky. After all, what are ‘powers of free action’ and ‘primal rights’ not to mention all this business about being ‘grounded in personality’? Well, we could ask John Locke about his State of Nature, but most Americans don’t have a clue about political philosophy, and I’m no different. The larger truth is that it doesn’t matter. After your right to breath, everything else is a privilege and I could even argue, that there are some people who don’t have the right to waste precious oxygen. So, let’s make it easy and throw the entire concept of rights, out the window. Let’s be honest, there are no god given rights of equality and freedom. Indeed, what freedoms, justice and equality we have, are privileges. We can call them ‘rights’ if we wish, but they were given to us almost 250 years ago as a guide to a new nation. Now, I’m going to refrain from using terms such as God-given and inherent rights, although, I’ll be the first one to admit that the right to free speech is God given and inherent. Most Americans freely use these terms and they carry enormous weight and importance with all of us. In fact, they are self evident! What I’m getting to in all this, is fairly simple. When everything is really a privilege, who then decides what is a right? More so, is it fair to imagine that those rights might be changed from time to time? I can only suspect that our founding fathers argued with each other over a long list of what each thought was an inheriant human right. No doubt, each item on that list was there based on one’s personal beliefs and experience. Now, with everything said and done, there are a lot of rights that are not in the first 10 amendments, yet taken for granted, that they are ‘rights’. Most Americans believe they have the right to a decent living, a fair wage, a roof over their heads. You know, all those little financial things. There is no right in our amendments to our constitution that guarantees anyone the right to economic security. Yes there are laws, you’re at least guaranteed minimum wage. So, if everything we have by law is a privilege granted to us by living in a democratic republic,why can we not elevate healthcare to a right? The argument that healthcare is a privilege and not a right is a meaningless argument. Of course it’s a privilege. That’s my question, why can’t we take a look at Roosevelt’s proposed Second bill of rights. Why can’t we extend this privilege to all Americans? Feeling a bit strange, are we? It’s I haven’t had a cigarette in six weeks so I’ve earned the right to rant. Are you proud of me? Don’t care because hey, I’m proud of my self! Know what... hasn’t been that big of a deal. Should of done it a long time ago. Of course, that’s my side of the story, not my wife’s and I won’t mention that I’m brushing whatever I can with my mustache. So check this out, my grandmother turns 100 tomorrow. Take a minute and think about that. How different it was a hundred years back and what she has been a living witness to. Now that I’ve quit smoking, I’ve been told I can expect to live to at least 50. HB Grandma, Here’s to another 100! So, I just gotta ask. Are their any political junkies out there who just kinda feel like they’ve been sucker punched these days? Awww, mebbe sucker punched ain’t the right word. How ‘bout just plain beat up by the right, the left, and everyone in between. I mean, c’mon, the right blames the left for the recent spate of hate killings and the lefft blames the right. Of course, we were warned were we not, a few months back. Course, no one believed her and actually asked her to apologize, not once, but twice, no make that thrice and, well, you get the point. Now they, the right, want an inquiry. Not to mention all the crap you’re hearing about health care. It’s not going to get done! Oh, mark my word, you’ll see something in the news about how things are going to change for the better regarding our health care system, how the insurance providers and big pharma are going to mend their ways. And it’ll all be to appease you because real change won’t happen without a competitive market and a competitive market will only be possible with a public option. I mean, really, what would you prefer? Socialism, where you’re healthcare is ran by the government, like the VA or post office, or a Corporacy, where you don’t have crap for a choice, pay through the nose and the paperwork drowns ya. See, the right is doing the same thing Bush did, and successfully. They are taking what they are guilty of and blaming the left. They are taking a horseshit, crappy product (health care) and claiming it’s the best product around. Why? Because they are getting rich. And so are many of the democrats! That simple my friends. Their pockets are more important than your health. Of course, you probably won’t get off you ass and do anything about it because you don’t have a clue, do you? Oh, that might help you understand last weeks post. Yea, I understand Sara’s concern with Dave’s joke. He was wrong, but you know what, there’s other, bigger concerns I have. Such as Sara, Michelle, Rush, Bill, Glenn, and more, pushing the ‘Government Control’ mindset that fuels the extremists. Hey... y’all, how ‘about coming up with a plan for healthcare, a plan to lower my 700.00 a month premiums. So anyway, think about this. Draw a horizontal line. Put a circle in the middle of it. Label the circle, ‘Nice, normal people’. Now, who would you put to the left and to the right, in order of extremism. How far to the right would you put Limbaugh compared to Stalin, or does Stalin go to the left. For reference, Castro is considered a leftist. You tell me! I bet if a hundred different people did it, you’d have a hundred different results. Why? Because they are bogus terms used to divide us. Don’t ask me, I don’t know. I’m just finishing up a rant. But I will return to my thoughtful, intelligent, sensible and considerate opinions next week.
Shhhh, sweet one, it’s time to lie your head down and go to sleep and as you start to drift off, I want you to think about what I’m going to tell you. Can you do that, ...think? Because to understand, you will need to think and to think, you must pass through the gates into the world where your dreams flourish, unfettered and uncluttered, free from the toils of the waking reality which never was and always is. Believe that in this world in which you breath, there exists nothing except you. Of all there is, you are of importance, of prime consideration. Indeed, every step you take creates a path for others to follow. Let no one argue, dare no one disagree, for your righteousness is derived from the force of your will. Your free, unbending, ability to make choices. Your free will. That doesn’t exist!
And if your desires, your needs are dictated by others? Influenced by others? Dictated, influenced, is there a difference if the outcome remains the same? Hush your thoughts, dear child, you’re almost through the gate but before you pass, know from where you came, is to where you return, and nothing is as it seems to be. All that lives and all that exists exercise the ability to choose. To go right, to take a left, to follow a scent. Surely, the most instinctive choice is based on what we want, to feed when we are hungry, to mate, to drink, to seek warmth, safety and shelter. That is who we once were. And of what did you dream, in your primeval sleep? This world, and this world alone, for how else could we have traveled this great distance to come to this place, so far away from who we are. Unless there are those who creep into our dreams, who whisper in our ear, begging our indulgence to give credence to their quiet, influential, words. Those whispers and words come in shapes and forms you now love to embrace. Medications to change behavior, images to entice and to influence, decisions made based upon the expectations of others, and entertainment to entrap and divert. Indeed, we are no longer animals but what we have sacrificed is our moral free will and displaced it with a sense of self importance and grander in a world where none of it matters. I see you have fallen asleep, good child. Know this last one thing, For a better world, you must find the strength to wake from that world and dream of another. Comment? Law and Empathy Well, I’m not going to lie to you, I absolutely have problems with our legal system. I also admit that many of those problems have to do with my own bias. That bias being derived from my experiences with Justice here in America. Yea, I’ve had the pleasure Actually, Justice isn’t the right word to define our system of legalities. No word of such high moral meaning should be used to describe a system where the rich are favored over the poor, corporations over individuals and in criminal court, justice is defined by punishment alone. And before you all go ballistic, I don’t have a problem with punishment. I do have a problem when punishment is sweated out without empathy or compassion when it is deserved. Of course, I have problems with someone beating their kid or wife and serving less time than someone selling a lid. I well understand the concept that no society can have a perfect judicial model in place, there’s way too many variables to allow for that, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept all that’s wrong. Actually, I think the blindfold should come off Lady Justice because evidently she can’t figure out the scales aren’t balanced. Again, the word justice implies the consideration of right vs wrong, the triumph of good over evil and yet the abject reality of our justice system has more to do with profit, punishment and public relations, or so it seems at times. Seriously, I don’t want to dump on an entire profession of well educated people, but have you ever had a normal conversation with a lawyer regarding their profession? Must be nice to have a job where you can blame your failures by saying, “Hey, that’s the law, sorry Jack.” So yes, Justice is blind, but not to the reasons you think. She is indeed blind to circumstance, to equality, to compassion, and to understanding. Lawyers argue to win, not for justice. The law is black and white, mere words given weight of importance. Justice on the other hand is abstract, undefined and seldom sufficient in our system. n Memory I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country d I can’t say it any better than they did back in 1868! And the origins of the Poppy? Moina Michaels poem, and she was the first to start the trend by wearing one. We cherish too, the Poppy red Far too many view memorial day as nothing but a three day weekend that starts the summer but did you know there’s a lot of people who want the date returned to the last day in May. So why did they change the date? To give us a three day weekend! Our Tortured World Torture has always been with us humans and perhaps that fact alone speaks volumes about us as a species. We can’t hide from that fact and we ca But we accept others would do such things. Have you ever thought about what kind of person it takes, to actually torture another person? If you knew your neighbor had done such things as part of his job, I’d bet you’d be a bit more polite when you’re both out mowing your lawns. I’d hazard a guess that the excuse, “I did it for my country” doesn’t go very far in silencing your neighbors nightmares. In fact, I don’t believe there’s a justification in existence that On the other hand, you have people that order the act. They never have to experience the pain and agony first hand, never have the pleasure of waking up in the middle of the night wondering what kind of human they are. It’s easier for them. I guess it’s fair to say I don’t have a lot of sympathy for those who torture or even believe in torture. For those who ask if I’d blow out the kneecap of a suspect involved in kidnapping one of my kids to find out where they are? Well, when’s the last time you or anyone you know, were put in that position? I mean, if we lived in that kind of world where terror and horror were so prevalent, well, you tell me. Why would anyone torture another? The simple answer is because they want something that will lead to something. In other words, the end result justifies the means to get there. Usually, that road to something is ‘power’ and protection of such. That has more to do with an individual than a Nation. I mean, that’s what knowledge and information is, ‘power’. What it comes down to, is the great debate over water-boarding. Simply, one side claims water-boarding is torture and is illegal and the other side claims, not so. Both sides are idiots and asking the wrong questions. First, we all know it’s torture. It’s a physical means to elicit information. What all the important people are arguing about, is where in the range of, say from a slap across the face to a poker in the eye, does it belong. Why is even a slap in the face acceptable? It’s not at work! It’s not in my house! So is the type of torture dependent upon the type of information. Ok, we won’t water-board for a kid gone missing but we will for a lost nuke? The real question is, the only question is, what does it say about us that we’re willing to torture or allow torture when you and I, for the most part, are not even capable of doing such a thing. The Sick and the Mighty I haven’t bothered to address Healthcare for a while now, simply because it’s a source of frustration. For me, the solutions always been based in the realization of what the problem really is, not what people perceive, or want it to be. First, know that I’m a firm believer that healthcare is not a privilege, that it is a right. That you have the right to affordable and quality medical care just as much as you have the right to drink affordable and quality-clean water. When I use the word affordable, I mean two things. First, that I have the money to pay for it without breaking the bank and second, that there exists a fair return on my investment. Healthcare is not affordable! Why? Well start with a drive around your community today, or better get out your phone book and turn to medical services. How many surgical centers have sprung up over the last few years, how many additions to your local Hospital? If it’s anything like my community, it sure seems to be the fastest growing business sector and my Hospital is always under construction. It’s called the Medical Arms Race and it’s one of the reasons that your Insurance Premiums are outrageous. Then there exists the old reliable ghost of corporate greed and power. In this case, the greed and power of HMOs, Pharmaceutical and Insurance Corporations. This outright greed and corruption is so flagrant, so visible, that we accept it as due course, and say nothing. Doesn’t it bother you that Senator Baucus, the Chairman of the Senate Finance committee that was holding hearings into Healthcare reform, received $183,000 from Insurance Companies and another $229,000 from Pharmaceutical companies and while they had a seat at the table, proponents of Single Payer were not even invited. I’ll argue that it does not matter if you agree or disagree with a single pay healthcare system or any other type of plan that might be considered, that if you are not bringing all considerations, and all parties to the table, nothings going to change. Here’s a decent video worth watching!
Now, I know it’s Saturday morning and you’re probably suffering from a twisted gut, sour breath and reverberating headache, but hey, you’re actually either going to have to think about this, or come back later. I was lying in bed the other night, wishing I could have a cigarette, and to turn my attention from that dreaded impulse, I started to think about ‘Time’. Now, I’ve always thought about the concept of time as a simple Human perception and invention. Meaning that outside the sphere of our reality, time doesn’t exist, at least as we understand it. Consider, if time is linear, say like a movie, where each frame of the film sets a foundation for the next frame, and so on and so forth for each frame that follows until the entire film has been played, what frame then, represents the present time? Now, you can actually even say that the film has no value, at all, without the projector to show it. Correct? So, if we compare our individual lives to that of a projector, we’re able to view the passage of time, but that’s all we can do, view it. Because that’s all we can do, we define it in a linear fashion and we define the present as ‘this very instant’. Of course, you can freeze a frame in any movie, but that frame only has meaning in context of the whole film. We can’t freeze a physical moment of our lives but we can freeze a memory moment. None of these actions really define the present moment in time, because it doesn’t exist. Time is fluid, always moving, and no matter how small we slice our ‘instant of time’, that instant is well behind us before we finish slicing it. Time consists of motion, constant motion. And it’s how you look at that motion, that gives you an interpretation of time. That interpretation allows you a belief that you live in a ‘present’ time that doesn’t exist. Now, how’s that headache?
Two wars, a devastating economy, political divide and now the swine flu. I just don’t get it, are the end times near or what? Maybe we should be thinking, not about 2012, but 2009! I mean, we’ll be lucky just to get through the year. Then again, there are those of us who will struggle to get through today. Geez, I thought everyone was suffering a general kind of angst last week. Regarding the swine flu, well, I live down the street from the first confirmed case in Minnesota, and at this point I’m not too worried. I think the media has blown it out of proportion, but maybe not. Of course, my favorite dictator in training and waiting, Michele Bachman had to open her mouth and say something akin to the lie, that Jimmy Carter, or the Democrats in unison, were responsible for the swine flu back in the Seventies. Of course, I need to point out the first case of this round, occurred in her District! Now, I know there’s a Bachman/Republican conspiracy here somewhere and I’m going to be spending my Sunday traveling around the Sixth, looking under every rock, in every nook and cranny, until I find it. And speaking of today, the third, why HBRP! On the bright side, (yes, there’s always a bright sunny side) the weathers finally starting to turn nice, trees are budding (yard work! what’s that?) and I still have a paying job. Just have to keep all in proper perspective, ya’ know. Especially, when I start thinking what might lie down the road. There’s a lot of people out there shouting loud that things are going to still get a hell of a lot worse before they start to get better. Might be! Don’t know anymore. Earlier this week, my beloved suggested I buy extra groceries just in case. When I asked Theresa what she thought I should buy extra, she handed me a list that included Ice Cream, Oreo Cookies, Popcorn and Pop. I didn’t bother to let her in on my secret stash of canned foods, oatmeal, rice, beans and assorted items to bargain with. Yea, I’m good for thirty days past the end days, and after that, well, I’ll just join you in your misery. Kinda hard to write about what tomorrow might bring on a day like today, though. Suns up, it looks to be a beautiful day, so why waste it why planning for 2012 or 2010. I’m not, I’m going to kick back and do something I enjoy, like getting around to refinishing my kitchen table. O.K, the Reality is I’ll end up vegetating on my recliner and worrying about the Mayan calendar, the asteroid that’s going to plow through our atmosphere, the next version of the dog flu, the political destruction of our Nation, my niece in Afghanistan, and how I’m going to pay all my bills this month, and so on and so forth. I mean, that’s what I’ve been doing for thirty five years now, why would today be any different. Strange Times, Indeed! 4-25-09 There seems to be a general angst among everyone these days. A bit of fear, a bit of nervousness rolled up with a touch of depression, as if everyone needs to pick a common time and date, walk out their front doors and just scream, letting all that anxiety out. A lot of the feeling derives from the economy, some from the sense that our Nations changing it’s social values, a lot of it has to do with our loss of trust in our political system and there’s no doubt you can add to the list. Attribute it to 2012, in that’s it’s just around the corner, if you will. I don’t know. There’s times it’s like I’m standing at the bottom of a dry well, looking up and waiting for someone to throw a rope down, but knowing in the back of my mind, it aint gonna happen, so all that’s left to do is light up a smoke, wait and see what happens. Everythings beyond your control, and what really sucks, is that I know nobody’s in control, so the outcomes looking a tad bit miserable. Yea, I know, you’d yell, try to get someones attention, maybe even put forth the exertion and claw your way out. Once you managed that feat, you’ll find that you probably enjoyed the solitude and comfort of being in the well and jump back in. What I’m saying is you just can’t get away from that angst, can you? That strange, foreboding sense of something afoot. Maybe that thread that weaves all our lives together is vibrating at a higher frequency than usual and our mojos out of whack. Maybe we’re all just tired and need to lie down for a bit. Sleep for a couple of hundred years, get rested and wake up to reassess our problems, but who wants to lose a nights sleep? Awww, maybe it’s just me that’s in a funk. You’re probably OK, having better things on your mind. I can appreciate that, but damn, there’s just a strange vibe out and about. Kinda like I woke up this morning to find out that science has proven the existence of ghosts, that we are being visited by time travelers, aliens and beings from other dimensions as well the existence of big foot, fairies and gnomes. To top it off, the Vatican has announced that God’s going to speak to everyone at noon today. Ever wonder why I have a headache do you? The Great Divide 4/19/09 While there’s differing types of abuse, the commonality seems to be that once To be divisive, intentionally divisive, by way of creating doubt, or to create fear, is to separate people into opposing factions for ones own personal agenda. By way of misinformation, by outright lie or by half truth, the result is the same. Intentional or not, the result is obtained through a subtle, cruel form of abuse. From a pure political perspective, this divisiveness is nothing new. When a politician campaigns for an elected office, that campaign is designed to split the electorate into two camps, with hopefully the majority sitting around his campfire. The political process by nature is divisive. We, for the most part understand this, and are accepting of unfulfilled campaign promises and the nagging feeling that we were lied to as voters usually dissipates soon after the outcome. Point being, that we survive our elections and move on with little harm done. With that said, there’s a horrifying new trend afoot that transcends ‘politics as usual’ that in it’s essence, is completely abusive and divisive politically, socially, culturally, religiously and as a result, it threatens to quickly become regional. Consider recent headlines: Congressional Witch Hunt Needed Unfortunately, I suspect too many people attribute this new divisiveness to politics as usual, and are accepting of it. Certainly, our mainstream media is, using selected quotes as headlines to garner readers, but I have yet to see an article in a National paper or a news segment calling for facts, or holding one accountable for their words. The fact that our mainstream media views all this as a form of entertainment is disturbing. Disturbing in the sense that not holding those accountable for their words will lead to a great divide in this Nation. A divide that will make McCarthyism look innocent. Last week I wrote about the responsibility that comes with free speech. Without that responsibility or the ability of our media to truthfully call for accountability, a foundation has been built across the web, across the Nation, between political parties, between religions, between cultures that is abusive to the American people. We are truly learning to be intolerant and hateful in our beliefs and soon it will reflect in our actions. The resulting destruction will impact everyone and leave nothing to be proud of behind. There is cause to be concerned! Update: Finally, a major paper, my paper, the St. Cloud Times has an opinion piece on Michele Bachmann: Two straight years of her consistently spewing misleading snippets about important issues yet never stepping beyond those statements to find realistic solutions make it clear she is all about extremism and cares nothing about crafting viable public policy. The Responsibility of Free Speech Our First Amendment gives you and I the right to free speech. Undeniably, free speech derives from the right to free thought. The two are entwined where you can’t have one without the other. Common sense, one would think! Like I said, one would think? I’m tempted to spout right off by saying, ‘that if you can’t think, you don’t have the right to free speech’. Oh, how I wish it were so. Assuredly, if those who were unable to think were barred from speaking, the world would be a calm Paradise of intellectual wealth. Boring, but productive. It’s generally accepted there’s a certain amount of responsibility that tags along with the right to speak your mind. You can’t yell ‘fire’ in a theater to get your rocks off, that’s an accepted example of what’s not free speech. But what if you stand up and yell, “Hey, I think there’s a fire?” or if you phrase it as a question, “Hey, is something burning? I suppose the bottom line is your intent, or what you’re thinking at the moment you decide to the evacuate the theater. Intent is often at the heart of fee speech, especially in politics, and even in our media. When it comes to visual media, the intent is somewhat simple to discern. Grab your attention and garner ratings of some sort. Print can’t replicate that ‘grab’ and that’s why newspapers are a dying breed. Filled with facts and opinion, you’re daily is staid, boring and out of date. Who want’s to read when you can be told! But there’s a problem with our visual world of media. Where is the difference between yelling fire in a crowded room or in a video snippet that you hope will go viral. Isn’t it the expectation of the authors, of both examples to illicit action of some sort, for their personal motivation? Where is the responsibility factor in our visual media when it comes to, oh, I don’t know, lets say, Glenn Beck, wanting to light up Obama or his use of Nazi imagery. Whatever could his intent be? But let us not limit our perspective to Mr. Beck. Surely, there are others among us whose intent must be questioned. Others such as Michele Bachmann who recently claimed our kids are going to be forced into Government re-education camps. This is the same MN. Representative who called for investigations into Congress to identify all those un-Americans. Returning to Fox, consider Sean Hannity taking President Obama’s speech in France, way out of context, by not visualizing the entire statement, and then claiming, Obama has a deep resentment for America. Taking a speech out of context is one thing, but then to turn around and use the three second clip to support an outright lie, is more than irresponsible, especially on a National stage. Once again, what is the intent? And I won’t even give Limbaugh the benefit here. I suppose I could write all the above off as entertainment. I could, I won’t. Neither should you. It doesn’t even matter in my universe if the authors write it off as entertainment, politicizing or simply seeking attention, because it’s none of that. Their words are not phrased as questions or thoughtful insights into their perceived concerns. Instead, their words are indictments, meant to spur others into action, and some of that action will invariably result in consequences that will be disruptive, and even painful for many. Much like yelling ‘Fire’ in a crowed theater. And the worse part, they’ll never be held accountable. Actually, as I think about it, it’s a lot like what Hitler did when speaking out against the Jews. To Instill fear! Think about that. Think long, think hard about that. Think about what kind of Nation these people want, and ask yourself, would it be a better Nation? And when you’re done thinking, Talk!
There’s a general sense, a question that lingers in the back of most Union members, about their Unions and simply asks if Unions have outlived their purpose. Not because a Union of working men and women isn’t needed, but because Unions have outgrown the interests of the members they represent.. Simply, many members believe their Union is interested in their own power and importance, than those of the individual member. Understand, being a blue collar ‘Rob the Janitor’, my exposure to Unions is long and historied. I’ve served as a steward, as a member of a contract negotiating team, and attended both rally’s and training. Yes, I’m Pro Union and yes, I get ticked when I look at how much I pay in Union dues, especially when I think about what the return is on what I pay out. Yet, for some reason, I volunteer to pay a bit more toward my Unions political fund. Why? For several reasons. First, I understand the history of the labor movement to some kind of intelligent degree. For instance, I understand the decline in Union membership can be attributed to the move from an industrial Nation to a service orientated Nation, and not because people don’t want to Unionize. A bunch of guys working in a steel plant can form a Union much easier than a a group of women in a hotel, simply because they’ll get together after work for a beer and talk whereas women are headed home to take care of the kids. OK, I know that’s a bit simplistic, but the underlying foundation is there. There’s also the global economy and resulting competition, the fact that small business is responsible for most new job creation, and of course there’s a lot of laws (that Unions have pushed) that have been passed protecting workers. All said, there’s still a larger, somewhat more unbearable truth in all this, and that’s simply the force of human nature. That without Unions, in this day and age, most workers would be trampled upon, working for extremely low wages, paying for their own healthcare, no benefits, long hours under horrible working conditions because Business owners and Corporations would maximize their profits at the expense of their labor force. That’s human nature, and especially so if they can get away with it. If it wasn’t true, there would be no sweatshops, much less a need to Unionize. Without Unions, our quality of life would be dependent upon the generosity of our employer which is the same thing as saying, we’d have little input into our own existence. I’ve been around the block a couple of enough times to know what goes on in some work environments that are not Union, especially when someone brings up the idea to Unionize, even if it’s outside the job. The person usually doesn’t have a job when management hears about it. That’s wrong! More so, it’s wrong that the person doing the firing is doing so to prevent the person from having the same quality of life as the manager has. I’m sorry if you’re so jaded as to believe that a person who works a 40 hour week and wants a decent wage and benefits, is asking too much. And no, it’s not socialism, it’s the American dream. Yes, I have problems with Unions growing so big, the individual falls by the wayside, that at times power becomes paramount, but Unions are comprised of individual members, and it’s their responsibility to participate and voice their opinion. That’s the difference between a Union and a Corporation. And Unions still do more good than harm, even if only by the threat of their existence. The collective participation of people is the only buffer that allows us a semblance of control in our lives. Without that buffer, I don’t have any doubt that the quality of my life would be a hell of a lot worse. Which brings me to the Employee Free Choice Act. Yes, I like the idea of a secret ballot, but the way the laws are now, a group of people that want to bargain in a collective fashion, can’t unless their employee lets them actually vote. The process is filled with intimidation and over all union bashing from the employer and that has to change. Think I’m wrong? Go get a job at Wal Mart and spout the word Union. Bet you won’t be around long enough to get a full weeks pay! There is a Thread 3/28/09 Is it believable that our greatest fear is to be forgotten? That after our lives have ran their course, traveled well past our children and theirs, that our names, our deeds, our possessions and their worth, are nothing. That all that we are, will be captured by a bleached tombstone, setting alone in the company of the dead. How many generations will pass before our words, our deeds and our aspirations are unknown. How many before even our names bring a question as to who we were? There is a loneliness, a desperation in this fear, isn’t there? Despite the truth, we walk the path and hardly ever stop to think of the implications. Perhaps because if we dwelled too long on the worth of our lives, we’d descend into a chaotic nightmare simply because the truth and fear of being forgotten so soon after our lives is tragic and unbearable. Yes, we live on by what we pass to our children, but will your great grandchildren know what you have given them. Only in the most transient terms, as you understand what your great grandparents gave to you. The question is one of purpose, correct? The eternal quest to know why we are here and to consider that we are so soon forgotten, calls that concern to the forefront. How can there be purpose in our lives when no one even bothers to think about our existence. Indeed, it is not our physical remains that become dust in the wind, it is our very lives, our actions and aspirations that fall prey to the predation of time, and worse, indifference. Or do they? Religion has given us a belief in our sustained value, that there is a purpose. An unknown but individual purpose to be revealed in our afterlives, that claims, regardless of our religious beliefs, that there is worth to our existence. We take solace in that but in the recesses of our thoughts, we question. I don’t have a lot of faith in organized religion! I do believe in something majestic, though. Some ‘thing’ greater, something wondrous that soothes my soul. That there exists among all of us, a thread that weaves all that we are, all that were and will be, together into a universal tapestry that serves purpose and gives value to individual worth. Consider a woven garment? When in the process of being wove, there is potential for worth. When completed, each thread serves purpose, and contributes. The analogies are numerous, the implications grand. Each thought, every action that we manage is a threaded needle that weaves itself through our heart, around our soul, and penitrates deep into our minds, weaving our moment of existence together with all of humanity, before and after. You and I are as physically and spiritually aware of those who came before us as those are that come after. Their names and their faces are there, you just need to remember, to look once in a while. There are indeed shared experiences dating back to our first ancestors, of the same planets, the same moon, the same Earth, the same questions and concerns. These things are the needle and our lives are the thread. We are one and we are the same. Find the quiet place in your thoughts, close your eyes and allow the darkness to open and the faces and lives will come simply because they cry out to your fear, you are not forgotten. The Pig of our Discontent Now, I don’t have anything against the pig and in fact if I wasn’t watching my cholorestral levels I’d be of mind to fry up a pound of bacon. Truth is the pig has been maligned throughout history as a vile animal to the extent that we even use it in derogatory terms to define ‘special’ characteristics of certain people or groups of people. Like, ‘those guys at AIG are pigs’. Don’t argue with me. Yes they are! There’s a lot of issues involved here, so lets take ‘em one by one. First, the bonuses themselves. Yea, I get they’re contractual but give me a break. Even in the very best of times, who in the hell deserves a million dollar bonus, or as AIG likes to call it, a retention bonus. What, so I tell my boss, ‘give me a million or I’m walking because there ain’t no one else that can do what I do’. I can’t help but wonder what their base salary is? Second, with the house passing the 90% tax on those bonuses came claims that the tax is unconstitutional because you can’t pass a law after the fact to punish someone. I don’t like this idea but the truth is, these guys are criminals, not business execs and we punish people after the fact in this Nation. Third, are they really criminals? Yes, with their sense of entitlement and total disregard for the working man upon whose backs they built their wealth, they are. Just because they wear suits and ties doesn’t make them any different than the thief who robs you blind in the middle of the night. Of course, the argument can be made that it’s legal under our laws, I’d remind you that it’s legal because their lobby paid millions to deregulate the industry. Fourth, this brings up our politicians. How in Gods name can they represent us when they are getting tons of money from these guys for their political campaigns? Fifth, remember this headline: AIG execs' retreat after bailout angers lawmakers. Yep, same guys! Ok, the rants done but the bottom line is this. You and I work our ass’s off day in and day out, week after week. These corporate exec’s and the those on wall street have got rich off our hard work. We’re taxed at over 30%, healthcare is expensive as hell and our banks and credit card companies gouge the shit outta us with fees and fines. It is the working class of this Nation that support the poor and the less fortunate and allow the rich, their success, and we’re withering on the vine because of greed and corruption. How much more are we going to allow the Pigs to eat? We, Who are the Poor. You and I are lost spirits and poor of soul at that, the difference being I understand and you do not. Don’t bother rolling your eyes back in exasperation and thinking that’s the last thing you want to hear. I don’t care, you need to hear it. Next time you’re watching the news and you’re listening to how we all lived beyond our means, didn’t save anything and invested in Caribbean cruises, what you’re really being told is that you’re materialistic, egocentric and greedy. That was the good life, wasn’t it? Truth is, we all were living in the land of Oz, never realizing the curtain that hid the wizard, was a facade that would virtually disintegrate like tissue paper caught by an hot ember. See, we were poor and ill of spirit when our lives were good and just didn’t realize it. Living behind that thin veil of toilet paper wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it allowed for a certain amount of comfort, an escape from the daily drudge of life, you know all those realities that there really were ‘poor’ people, ‘homeless’ people, ‘hungry’ people in our great capitalistic society. After all, Government and charities took care of ‘those’ people so we didn’t have to worry about ‘em. Just like you didn’t have to worry about maxing out your credit card when you wanted something of value. Of course, you never bothered to think about the difference between desire and need. If you desired a trip to Vegas, you needed it. We were lost spirits than and we are so now. The difference today is, more people are realizing the truth of their folly. Yep, it has to make someone reflect a bit on how they would, should of done things different when they go from 70 grand a year to living in a tent. If you’re of the opinion I’m laughing or condemning much of the American public for their folly, I’m not. I happen to have good friends that are hurting at the moment and it bothers me immensely. My friends are not bad or foolish people and I suspect most Americans who are suffering through these troubling times are not either. That said, when you consider that in 1960, we were 12th in infant mortality rates and right now we’re the 29th, the fact speaks volumes about our priorities. Especially when we pay the most to healthcare of any nation, ever. Now, I don’t think that while you were off on your cruise, you gave a lot of thought to infant mortality and I certainly don’t think that as you lay down at night in you’re little pup tent, you’re giving it lot of thought. We don’t think about these things simply because we don’t want to. Two years ago, we were too busy enjoying the good life, and today, we’re too busy worrying about our own personal ass’s. Both reasons are indicative of a people who are lost, of spirit and are still poor in soul. The finish line is this, regardless of our lot in life, the good times and the bad, if we do nothing to address our problems as a nation, we as a people live in a land far removed from a harsh reality that affects our fellow citizens. When we do not bother to be even slightly concerned about those who are less fortunate, or care not to listen to the cry’s of those who warn against risiging healthcare costs or corporate greed, no matter our current lot in life, no matter how rich or how poor we are as a nation or as an individual, we will be poor of spirit, and be worse off for it. Why, She’s Just about Done Singing! In Generations to come, when historians write of our Nations demise, they will not claim our economy as the culprit. Yes, the foreclosures, the rising unemployment percentage, the near elimination of the middle class, the influx of immigrants, the rising cost of healthcare, the wealth of a few and the poor of the many, will all be cited as contributing factors. Universally, these future historians to come, will write on our tombstones how our politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike, valued their power, their morals and their ideals far more than the Nation which allowed those morals, those values and that power to flourish. Our children’s children will cite both the failure to compromise and the refusal to understand that all things come to an end. Their failure to compromise is rooted in their failure to understand or to believe that this Nation may in fact cease to exist as a Democratic Republic. Like a child that has no real comprehension of death, where life is eternal, our elected officials are of a false belief that America will endure through the ages with no sacrifice, no leadership, no compromise. Sacrifice, leadership, compromise, hard work, are all what generations before us possessed along with a clear understanding of what a community was. That community was a sense of the individual, and not the community as a whole. That the pain or loss of any individual was pain and loss for the entire community. Simply, it was believed that in order for the community to flourish, the individual must flourish. This is not socialism, this is humanity! And by allowing their personal beliefs in their political parties, their morals and their values to take precedence, our leaders have set aside their sense of community. When these future historians began to look back, it will be unfortunate that as they read our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our Declaration of Independence and all the great and undeniable desires and accomplishments of this Nation, that what they read in those documents will be nothing more than words and ideals that they will never experience in their lives. They will write of the failed great experiment and they may well laugh at our attempt to create the great society of equality and prosperity for all. We have lived in a glorious nation that our forefathers gave us. Rich in the texture of equality with independence woven throughout. We indeed have been fortunate to live in a Nation and in a time that, perhaps may not come again for another thousand years, if at all. Awaking From a Bad Dream It’s not always a simple thing to wake up and know where you’re at. Like a drunken sailor waking up after a night of rot gut whisky and a two dollar whore, and figures out it just wasn’t worth it, so are most Americans. After thirty years embedded with the belief that if we let the very rich derive all the profit, they’ll provide for us, the middle class and the poor. Provide us with affordable healthcare, jobs with decent wages and benefits, and an equality in our Democracy. This belief is flawed because it denies human nature, in that greed leads to a sense of entitlement which means the rich will keep taking more and more, and because laws have been set in place to favor the rich, particularly the law that grants corporations the status of being a person. Ronald Reagan was not Saint. His Presidency set in motion the weak economic foundation that started crumbling two years ago. His vision was of a Nation where working people gave to the wealthy in the thought they would in turn, rain down on America all the riches and glory possible. Two cars, a nice house, a boat, snowmobiles, ATVs, vacations all the while laughing to the bank. You’re not laughing now, are you? The above said, I’m not a full, 100 %, die hard supporter of the current stimulus package, but what I am, is willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt. Why? First because he is doing something. In fact, he’s making efforts along several fronts, from the war in Iraq, to healthcare, to closing gitmo, he’s done far more in the first 45 days of his administration that Bush, Clinton and Bush Sr. all did together over the course of 20 years. I’m sure it won’t be perfect, I’m sure the bumps in the road will become roadblocks, but hey, he gets it. He gets the fact that reaganomics and the conservative values of trickle down economics just don’t work in our Democracy. You cannot have a valid democracy where the top 3 percent of the population own 95 percent of the wealth. Just as Obama gets it, the Republicans don’t. Their party might well be in it’s death throes. Here’s why. One, you can’t stand by your core values and reach out to common people who don’t share those core values. Especially when those core values conflict with each other. The two core values of the current republican party is first a belief that business is a religion unto itself, and should never be questioned, and second, there is a belief that their morals and values are unequaled. Their religion reigns supreme. That religion that is based in fundamental Christianity has at its core, compassion and a sense of equality, and those beliefs are in direct conflict with their first belief. You cannot treat people as equals when you’re robbing them blind! Most Americans are indeed waking up to what the republican party is all about. Power, greed, and religious righteousness. In a Nation that’s getting more diverse by the minute, they’re sounding their own death knell. The Babe without a Brain Exasperation! Here I am again, writing about this woman who is supposed to represent me and my fellow citizens here in Minnesota’s Sixth District. Exasperation and embarrassment; will it ever end? Probably not anytime soon. I’m not sure what ticks me off more. The fact that she spouts lies and deceit or the fact that her lies and deceit aren’t even challenged here by our mainstream media here in the Sixth. Fact is, if our National media and blogosphere hadn’t picked up on her rant, far fewer people would know about it. What’s really scary about this, is that too many people believe her vile lies, and that’s nothing less than dangerous. I mean really, this is a Congresswoman that shamefully hid behind bushes to spy on a gay rally. Don’t believe me? Check out the link, the pictures speak volumes. The thing in all this, is the history and the totality of her behavior and spoken words (see sidebar for examples) illustrate a personality and a character that not only does not serve the Republican laden Sixth, but is also indicative of a woman that has little moral fortitude or real compassion. For a person who claims Christianity as a guiding principal, Michele Bachmann’s continuing barrage of disrespect, hatred and lies, simply speak otherwise. In fact, she is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. While she might present herself as dressed in the fine linens of her Lord, Michele really espouses a belief set that is hard core right wing extremism. In her world, you would be white, go to church daily, never speak out, pay homage to corporations and probably never hear the word ‘gay’. She would, in her world, dictate your lifestyle, your beliefs and values and of course, would set herself apart from her expectations of you. The reality? She is nothing less than a petty dictator wannabe. Far too many people laugh at Ms. Bachmann, or use her her words to ridicule her for their own publicity, or even outright ignore her rants due to a sincere belief her verbiage is nothing but babble. The larger truth is, she’s dangerous and represents a segment that’s found a home in the Republican party. God help us if that segment ever rises to real power. Learn a hell of a lot more at Dump Bachmann Thieves on the Eve of the Darkest Night Astonishment widened my eyes followed by a rage swelling in my soul as I tried to find a parking space last Saturday at our local mall. Astonishment, that the mall was this busy and rage directed at people frivolously spending in hard economic times. I mean, not everyone needed an essential, like a pair of jeans for their eight year old. My first thought was that people were out spending their tax refunds, but that didn’t wash, it was too early in February. Make no mistake, this modern mall, large and sprawling, was packed as if it were the day before Christmas. As I meandered from Target to Pennies I noticed that all the open areas filled with commercial style soft seating along with those areas with cafe tables and seating were filled. People were taking their time, there wasn’t the frenzy associated with a major Holiday shopping spree. In fact, the atmosphere was slow and laid back, and then it struck me. No one was really carrying any packages and what they were carrying was rather small, and clutched in their hands as if it was a prized possession. Just Strange! I was reminded of ‘Dawn of the Dead’ where Zombies walk their local mall simply due to a reflex. It’s all the poor zombies had to hold onto, that’s what was important to them in their lives. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. A few days later, my wife pointed out an interesting article in the Sartell Newsleader which really got her pissed. Pissed because it made her think! The article, by Dennis Dalman, titled “Greed Should be a Criminal Offense.” While the content of the story wasn’t a surprise, I’ve been yelling about corporate and political greed for years, the fact that it was in the Newsleader was. Why? Because this is not a full fledged paper but a small circular, given to local happenings in the city and schools. The tough, real news is covered by the St. Cloud Times. So, what does a small circular have to do with zombies? Probably more than you can imagine. You see, people need to be shocked out of their zombie walks and that shock won’t come from corporate media. Now I admit, I don’t know if the Newsleader is owned by some corporation but it’s certainly not a major source of hard and daily news. Regardless of who owns it, the fact is, it’s circulation is local, intended for people who want to know what’s going on in their small, specific community of 14,000. And it’s just not local writers figuring it out. And another thing we're going to start to see, Linda, we're going to start seeing revolutions. People have had it up to their eyeballs when they are hearing about all of these bailouts and the corporate jets and the perks and bonuses that the bankers and banksters and brokers are getting from the taxpayers' money with the billions of bailout dollars they are getting. While the government is bailing out the Big Guys, the Too Small To Saves are going under while they are getting taxed to death. Link: Gerald Celente from Trends Journal in an interview More to the point, the greed of our bank, corporate and wall street executives along with the politicos that cater to them are now hot topics around the water coolers from coast to coast. People are talking about the widespread greed and corruption. Their is a growing realization that many of these people are simply thieves, and thieves without the slightest bit of honor or realization of what they have done. They simply believe they have the right to take as much as they can, as fast as they can. We are in the midst of a dark knight, and most believe it’s about to get a lot darker. The bottom line is, that Government won’t and can’t fix this mess unless they strip the current business model away and start over with striking new regulation and that includes prosecuting some of these bankers, brokers and corporate executives for what they are. Thieves, crooks and foul liars with a sense of entitlement to your money and a belief in their right to influence our lives! That won’t happen, but what will happen is that you’ll see more articles appearing in smaller papers, more violent letters in the opinion pages, talk around the coolers at work tinged with abject disgust and hate, Blogs and their comment sections filled with that tinge, all directed toward the thieves in our midst. Corporate owned media will pick up our frustration and downplay it, they’ll try telling us it’ll all be OK in the long run. People won’t believe it. While their wandering through the mall, browsing among items they could once afford, or setting over a coffee and talking, people doing something more important. They’re thinking! And the more they are thinking, the madder they are getting. In in the end, somehow, in some fashion, the hard working, good people of this nation will speak up as one. It might not be pretty, it might not happen tomorrow, but it will happen. A Coming Hunger There are no easy or elegant words anyone can use to write about poverty and hunger here at home. In a way, it’s a hard subject to write about if the reason for writing is to convince people that Hunger exists here in America. Hard to write about because we all believe that we are a modern, wealthy and industrialized Nation and that Poverty and Hunger here, while it exists, is nothing compared to what we see in third world, undeveloped Nations. In a way, Hunger is somewhat acceptable to us as Americans. First for the reason above, and second, because we know our Government is going to take care of the Hungry and the poor. That’s what all the multitude of social programs are for, right? Growing up in one of those third world, undeveloped countries, I saw and lived with poverty, but never experienced being hungry. In fact, one has to distinguish between poverty and hunger at some point. One can be poor and still manage to feed himself, if only by a limited means of farming or hunting. That seemed to be the case in Liberia, many years ago. Yes, Liberians lived on pennies a day, but they knew how to survive. I’m not so sure we’d have the ability to do that here in the U.S., be self sufficient. For one thing, there just are not all that many family farms anymore, and no matter how bad things get, I can’t see major corporations allowing us common folk to squat on their land and farm. Then again, most Americans wouldn’t know how to grow a weed if they had to. As far as hunting, yep a lot of people own guns and hunt, but imagine everyone in your neighborhood taking off every morning to the nearest wooded area, rifle in hand. With about 35 million Americans below the poverty guidelines, there’s another 38 million that are classified as ‘food insecure’, and they are all teetering on the edge of of a steep cliff. With an unemployment rate of 7.6% and growing, and considering that just under 600,000 thousand jobs were lost in January alone, we are indeed facing a potential economic disaster. I mean, by my count, if you add all the numbers together, out of a population of 300 million, a full quarter of us are affected in some way by hunger, and it’s probably going to get worse. Granted, not everyone included in the above numbers are possessed of bloated stomachs and dying for lack of a loaf of bread. I get that! But there’s a huge problem waiting off in the dark hall that no one seems to think about. Depending on what statistic you use, anywhere form 40 to 65 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Currently, it can be argued that Hunger is a choice for all these folks. A choice in the sense that if they have to divert funds to car repair, for example, they are going to modify their grocery shopping to pay their repair bill. Their car is essential to their next paycheck. I’ve done that on more than one occasion myself. But I’ve always been able to recoup. The big question I ask, is what happens when the paycheck completely disappears on even a larger scale than it currently is? When that 40 percent of Americans living from paycheck to paycheck move into the category of ‘food insecure’, meaning they are struggling to put food on the table. Actually, if one thinks about it, the chances are even better that most Americans who live check to check, are going straight to the poverty category, with no stop at go on the game board. Can this Nation afford to feed half it’s citizens? Is it even possible for most of us working check to check to lose our jobs, to the point where we overwhelm what social programs exist and we start seeing real hunger in our Nation? I don’t know but I do think it was smart for a lot of money in the current Stimulus package to be directed to States, local governments and a host of social programs, if for no other reason for all these entities to be prepared for what might be around the corner. From what I’m hearing though, most of the money allocated for these entities has been stripped out, and that might prove to be a catastrophe in itself if the bill doesn’t do what it’s intended to do, put people to work. In a way, I’m thinking it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse. We are a society based on credit. When someone loses their job, one of the first things, and one of the worse things they can do, is to max out their credit cards. Why, because they’ll have to put food on the table. Since their car is no longer essential to their next paycheck, it’ll take a back seat to food and utilities. The problem is, it will only be a couple of billing cycles before they default on their payments, and that’ll lead to a whole new national crises, that is right around the corner. The bottom line that I’m trying to point out in all this, is simple. The conditions are there to move into third world status. That move might happen quicker than most think possible. And if it does, chaos and anarchy are not too far behind, simply because we won’t accept being self sufficient, because we can’t be. Purity of Essence I had not realized the role of fluoride in the movie, Dr. Strangelove until I watched it again a few days back. Considering that the movie was released in 1962 and our nation wasn’t fluoridated en mass until 1965, it bears noting just how prophetic Kubrick was in bringing this classic to the screen. While there are those who could make a claim that I’m somewhat of a conspiracy ‘nut’, I’ve always tried to bear out facts as opposed to just wholesale belief in babble. What strikes me in all this, when considering the mindset of the American people, is why we’re apparently, at times, collectively docile yet capable of being independently aggressive. You see, by my way of thinking, we the people should be echoing Howard Beals “Mad as Hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” tirade and the only reason we are not is because someone, somewhere is screwing around with our purity of essence. I mean, like the banks and wall street are ripping us off, businesses are closing left and right and every day, thousands of jobs are being lost along with foreclosures, the abnormally high cost of health care and just about everything else seems to be tanking. For the most part, the average, every day Joe and Jolene just seem to set back and take it all in, unable to gather the needed energy to do anything, other than bitch to each other, or trade complaints with a friend or coworker over an occasional beer about the state of their lives, stressing out about how terrible it all is. Indeed, I’m almost ready to contemplate the reality that could be, that Fluoride has sapped and impurified our precious bodily fluids. Man, that Kubrick is smart, but I kinda figured that when I saw 2001, tripping from start to finish. Of course, those in the know are well aware of what he did with the face on Mars in his Space Odyssey. Now that’s a conspiracy and downright weird! Well, it could be something as simple as people wanting to give our new President a chance to do something, but personally, I think he needs a little help. I don’t think we as citizens need to riot in the streets, not yet, but we should be letting our politicians know that we support our President and that we’re mad as hell. You know, it bothered me to no end that a single Republican voted for the stimulus package. That just sends signals of all kinds that they are interested in their political party and nothing else. Not one voted their conscience, all following the political directives of their leaders, specifically to insure their place in their parties future. Our elected leaders serve by our good grace, not their parties, Democrat or Republican alike. Man, it ain’t kool-aid, I’m telling you, it’s the water. Looking to the Future We wake up in the morning, engage in the same routine as the day before and when our heavy heads hit the pillow, realize we haven’t done anything substantially different. Nothing new, no new friends, no new experiences. I suspect we rely on the evening news for a collective experience, such as the recent crash in the Hudson. Perhaps there’s a vacation or a weekend getaway in the near future, but those are mere distractions. That’s why we take them. I suspect with the Holidays well behind us, the ton’s of recent snow and subzero weather and another couple months of winter on the horizon, we’re all in the doldrums a bit. For me, it’s a bit more. Financially, we’re struggling more than usual and there’s cause for a lot of frustration. At a time when we thought we’d be somewhat financially secure, we’re not and that sucks the Big-D, big time! There’s also a sense of just spinning the old tires, that I need to be someplace and can’t figure out where, much less how to get there. There was a time, where none of the above bothered me because I had an inherent belief in a reason for being here. That there was ‘something’ bigger, some ‘thing’ wonderful about our existence, even perhaps mystical. There’s still a sense of wonder in my heart but lately it seems to be overwhelmed by the day to day drudgery of life, and not only mine but on the wider collective scale. It’s like the whole of human existence is running in place, going nowhere but trying to get someplace we’re all supposed to be, that we keep fighting the same battles over and over again and engage in the same arguments as we were decades ago. Those battles and arguments might have new players and new faces, but they are the same and true hindrances to our daily lives and thus, our future, just as they were to our parents and grandparents. War, poverty, hunger, greed and corruption all seem to be part of human nature which at times seems to be equivalent to the fiercest storm given up by Mother Nature, herself. I question if the right course of action is to ignore our nature, to not question the ills of our societies, cultures and peoples spread across the globe. To think nothing, to write nothing, to say nothing and simply accept all as it is, an unmovable force of our collective nature. Where would I draw a line? Would I blind myself to the needs of my children, of my brothers and sister, my neighbor and community? No, one cannot alienate their soul, their thoughts from the trials and tribulations we face. No more than we can isolate our personal troubles from our friends and family. We simply need each other, if for no other reason than to have a shoulder to cry upon. Much of our ability to address the wrong and the evil of our world depends on the goodwill of those who have the time and energy to fight the good struggle, along with an economy and leadership to do so. With Obama’s inauguration less than 48 hours away, there’s a renewed sense of change that’s out there. The truth is, on my part, I’m a bit cautious. Where I appreciate and celebrate the historical significance I can’t help but think the damage done is too great. In fact, if there are no mystical, no spiritual aspects to our lives, nothing out there that calls out the wonder of our day to day existence, we have nothing but our day to day lives and it is left to us to establish, to find, in ourselves, in our collective desires, something special about our day to day existence that we can use as a foundation. Perhaps that’s the wonder and excitement of it all, it’s up to us! 1/10/09 You will claim that you are honorable, that you do not accept, will never tolerate evil, greed and injustice and yet your silence speaks volumes, louder than your words. By doing nothing, by saying nothing, you are not honorable and speak to your neighbor in the silence of fear and neglect, saying to your friends and family, I care nothing for your problems. We live in a time where no one dares protest the false truths propagated upon us. Indeed we live in a time where the rich and powerful are given privilege not accorded you and I. A world where banks and corporations are given the status of citizenship and that citizenship carries far more weight than mine in a court of law and in public and political opinion. Equality does not exist, the pursuit of money and power casts the sensibilities of equality aside like a foul cleaning rag. You read that Billions have been given to banks, and there is no accountability, and in fact, bonuses and parties ensue. You read that a thief steals billions and walks the streets. You know this is wrong, and toss your hands in the air, exclaiming there is nothing to be done. Retirement funds wiped clean, Pensions evaporated, Jobs gone, Houses lost! And we leave the problems to our politicians and our business leaders to solve. Those who created the problems in their pursuit of power and greed, to begin with. And you think it will work? What world do you live in? A world where you want to be taken care of? A world where you claim that when you leave it, you want it to be a better world for your children? Right, what have you done except hand over this world we live in to those who have their own vested interests. Your world where all you care about are your own finances, where your credit rating is paramount, where your ability to shop and fish and take cruises is unhindered. That world is disintegrating. Not because we are bad or because we are steeped in greed ourselves, but because we surrendered our role in being citizens, believing that financial equality comes without a price, without suffrage. We are now paying that price. The solution is simple, the implementation is complex. Reverse the laws that give corporations the status and rights of being human, that allow a corporation to be prosecuted and not those humans that have done wrong. Reverse the decades of morality and ethics that claim that what is good for business is good for you and I. Eliminate the consequence of money in the role of those who lobby our politicians. Encourage the role of the General Practice MD in the medical community, invest in neighborhood clinics while dismantling the HMOs. Regulate the hell out of the Pharmaceutical companies insuring appropriate R&D moneys are spent. Reinstate lost pensions and retirement funds, pay people a livable wage for their days work, cap interests rates on credit cards, loans and the like. Reduce Federal, state and local taxes. Realize that commerce is the lifeblood of America and commerce is defined by farmers making profit, workers who have the ability to buy and save, doctors who treat without fear or consequence, a legal system that treats all as equal. Commerce defined by the flow of money, service and goods, not by the profit and profit margins. Unless we begin to speak out in a clear, unified voice to address the underlying problems of our financial problems, we will drive further down the interstate of no return. Expect things to get a hell of a lot worse. And when things do start to finally get a bit better, all we will have done is lay the foundation for a worse tragedy for our children because we allowed those who pursue power and profit over honor to solve the problem as they see fit.
For the third Sunday in a row, I find myself having to go plow snow, which makes for a nice paycheck but severely limits my writing. So, I’m left with contemplating the most profound questions of humanity in under an hour. That’s OK, I know what the answers are anyway. Is this all there is? Yes, you’re born and the clock starts ticking. In between there’s a few bright spots, kids, sex, a few good parties, a long fruitful marriage (if your lucky). Other than that, it’s work and pay bills, day in and day out! Don’t complain, at least your breathing. Doe’s God exist? This question really is asking if there’s life after death. There’s really no other reason to ask it. The answer is fairly simple, if God exists and you end up in Heaven, what do you have to look forward to. More work and Bills! To exist is to struggle! Are we the only intelligent life in the Universe? Yes, we are! Look around you, is there anyone else nearly as smart as you are? Will I ever win the lottery? Yes you will, but you’ll pin the winning numbers to your bulletin board and won’t check it for a year, one day after the time limit required to claim your winnings. Why do we have to struggle so much in our lives? Uh, you rather do what? Have sex and party all the time? Struggle is good, it builds character and prepares you for the afterlife. See, not bad for 15 minutes, I’ve answered all your most important questions. My only question is, when is it going to stop snowing? Speaking of Christmas, do you know that this Holiday has it’s roots in Pagan ritual, that it really has nothing to do with Christianity? In fact, the religious aspect of Christmas really kind of disappeared some time ago, hasn’t it? Yet, there’s a spiritual aspect that remains, one that calls for all of us to be thankful for our family and friends, to show our gratitude in the way of cards and gifts. Christmas really is a time of Joy and Reflection. I’ve found Christmas to be several things. Yes, a time for toys for the young and good thoughts toward all, but beyond that, it’s a time of thanks. A time for a deep appreciation for my family and my friends. My wish for all of you who have found your way to this site over the years is simple. Take care, relish not your possessions, but instead your family and friends. And take the time after spending hours in the mall, sitting while your wife is shopping, or fighting the ever maddening crowds, to enjoy the most beautiful time of the year. That said, I have to go plow snow, again! |
Justice on American Soil?
Long Ago and Far Away
I’ve watched interviews with 
Time
Oh, I know, you don’t want to hear that. After all, free will is a nice sentiment, a nice concept, to attribute to you and I, but it doesn’t exist. Yes, I know what you believe, that it is your choice of greasy burgers over salads, fishing over political action and booze over most else, but not to worry, you are not too blame. See, we make our decisions, based all to often on our desires, not our needs, and weighed against consequences. In it’s purest, simplest form, you go fishing with the boys even when the wife doesn’t want you too, because she’ll be there when you get back. You go shopping with the girls because he’ll be there when you get back.
of being before a judge a couple of times. Now I have to tell you, that none of how I feel about our legal system has nothing to do with being a sore loser (not too much anyway) but more to do with drooling judges, closed door deals, whisky stained lawyers, unprepared prosecutors and so on and so forth. But hey, my brothers a lawyer, and I like him (kinda, it’s that lawyer thing).
uring the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way, arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
n’t hide from that truth no matter how we color it, how we spin it. Yet, by and large, most of us are unable or unwilling to physically torture another human being. I couldn’t jab a red hot poker into another persons eye even if I really felt like doing so. Actually, the thought makes me cringe, and I suspect, that’s true of most of us.
could soothe a mans soul and make the screams disappear once they had committed an act of torture. That’s as it should be!
started, it’s hard to contain, or flee from. There is of course, one other commonality, and that’s the physical results of the very word. Abuse is destructive by nature. It affects everyone to some degree. Like a whirlwind, abuse first engulfs and then tears apart relationships, leaving devastation. Few manage to rebuild to the extent before the ill wind blew in, the scars for many are far too deep.
Equality for All |
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1, 2 god damn many |
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