This brief quote from Politico says it all:
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) ripped his colleagues during a tour of northeast Oklahoma, calling them “career elitists,” “cowards” and said, “It’s just a good thing I can’t pack a gun on the Senate floor.”
Where do these people come from? Whatever happened to courtesy, and respect for others? Coburn is not only guilty of bad manners, he is guilty of inflammatory speech in the lowest form of demagoguery .It is very sad that a person elected to national office uses that type of language..
I grew up with guns, but parted ways with the NRA years ago because of this kind of thinking. I am not anti-gun - I just do not worship them. I have taught my kids how to shoot. Unfortunately, guns are a tool capable of doing much bad, and much bad they do in the hands of irresponsible people. Talk like this only trivializes the criminal use of guns. Now, Coburn will argue he is only kidding and that his words are not to be taken literally. I do not think that is totally true. I think there is a part of people, that he is appealing to and that he is exercising, which would like to resort to brutish behavior when handling disagreements.
Fox news, and talk radio have fanned these flames of anger for years. MSNBC is not much better. America is angry, the tea party is about anger, but anger is one of the most destructive emotions we have. Everyone is angry, but nobody is doing anything constructive. That includes the president.
I am told that Tom Coburn is a member of the First Baptist Church of Muskogee, Oklahoma. I would suppose then that he is a Christian, and believes in Christian values. Would you call his behavior Christian, or is this what Christian values go for these days? It is a sad day. It is a sad day when in this country our political rhetoric includes talk of getting a gun and going after those we disagree with.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Cameron Perfidity on London Riots
David Cameron has been able to take cover, using the smoke rising from the London riots, from the attention that was being turned toward his administration regarding the cell phone hacking scandal in England. I think that his comments to Parliament are hypocritical.
In his address he blamed parents, and promised unprecedented police powers to get things under control. Cutting short his vacation he quickly tried to stake out the high moral ground sounding like a parson from the pulpit as he condemned the riots. The actions of the rioters are in fact deplorable, but his public explanation of what is going on is too simplistic. What he does not understand, or chooses to ignore, is the social conditions in England have led up to this riot with a large segment of the population feeling disenfranchised.
What concerns me is that the rich and powerful are getting away with their criminal behavior using their power, influence, and control over the political process. For them, the riots could not have come at a better time.
Riots like those that are happening in England, and those that occurred here in the United States during the tense days of the civil rights movement, do not happen in a vacuum. They are deplorable, and they do need to be controlled. But, there also needs to be an honest look at why people take to the streets. Look at the lame excuses that middle east tyrants used to explain why people were rioting in their countries! Their explanations were ludicrous, as are the explanations being given by David Cameron.
Riots do not occur because of bad parenting. They occur because of bad governing.
In his address he blamed parents, and promised unprecedented police powers to get things under control. Cutting short his vacation he quickly tried to stake out the high moral ground sounding like a parson from the pulpit as he condemned the riots. The actions of the rioters are in fact deplorable, but his public explanation of what is going on is too simplistic. What he does not understand, or chooses to ignore, is the social conditions in England have led up to this riot with a large segment of the population feeling disenfranchised.
What concerns me is that the rich and powerful are getting away with their criminal behavior using their power, influence, and control over the political process. For them, the riots could not have come at a better time.
Riots like those that are happening in England, and those that occurred here in the United States during the tense days of the civil rights movement, do not happen in a vacuum. They are deplorable, and they do need to be controlled. But, there also needs to be an honest look at why people take to the streets. Look at the lame excuses that middle east tyrants used to explain why people were rioting in their countries! Their explanations were ludicrous, as are the explanations being given by David Cameron.
Riots do not occur because of bad parenting. They occur because of bad governing.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Truman University Students Pulled from Summer Jobs
Correction to this story: The current president was NOT at the helm when John Ashcroft was invited to speak. My first version of this blog erroneously assumed that he was.
Under the guise of protecting students, Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., pulled students from summer jobs which would have had them scientifically monitoring odor from corporate hog farms. The hog farms have long been viewed by some locals as a public nuisance, and possible health hazard. Please view the excellent article from the Kansas City Star that outlines the details. It is a complicated story, but deserves your attention. My point here is to address how a university, which should be a champion of truth, caved into political pressure when it ended up rejecting the $20,000 grant (that it had already agreed to) which would have paid the Truman students to perform the monitoring.
Here is an excerpt from the Kansas City Star article which quotes Truman's president:
"We came to the conclusion that by having our students participate, there was a risk they could be brought into the middle of ongoing legal disputes between PSF and the attorney general and citizen groups," Paino said. "We didn't think that would be in the best interest of the students."
In today's world everyone bows to money, and the will of the people is subverted through a political system that is available to the highest bidder. In the words of economist James Galbraith, we are now in a situation where "there are only lobbyists and the politicians who do their bidding" (The Predator State, p. 5). Instead of taking the opportunity to go against that trend Truman State University gave into pressure, and then gave the very weak excuse that it wanted to keep the students out of a difficult situation. I do not think that is true, or is at least only a small portion of the truth. By all appearances Truman University succumbed to political pressure orchestrated by a corporate lobbyist, and executed by elected representatives who did their masters biding. The excuse given was, well, hogwash.
We should expect more from academia. Academia serves as one of our searchlights, with its emphasis on academic freedom, assisting us as we explore diverse opinions in our search for truth.
I am sure the president of Truman is a good man. I am sure that he was in a difficult situation, and received lots of pressure. But, such crucial moments is when real leadership should come forward. Unfortunately this kowtowing to power and money has become part of academic culture as we experience the commodification of education at all levels.
Under the guise of protecting students, Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., pulled students from summer jobs which would have had them scientifically monitoring odor from corporate hog farms. The hog farms have long been viewed by some locals as a public nuisance, and possible health hazard. Please view the excellent article from the Kansas City Star that outlines the details. It is a complicated story, but deserves your attention. My point here is to address how a university, which should be a champion of truth, caved into political pressure when it ended up rejecting the $20,000 grant (that it had already agreed to) which would have paid the Truman students to perform the monitoring.
Here is an excerpt from the Kansas City Star article which quotes Truman's president:
"We came to the conclusion that by having our students participate, there was a risk they could be brought into the middle of ongoing legal disputes between PSF and the attorney general and citizen groups," Paino said. "We didn't think that would be in the best interest of the students."
In today's world everyone bows to money, and the will of the people is subverted through a political system that is available to the highest bidder. In the words of economist James Galbraith, we are now in a situation where "there are only lobbyists and the politicians who do their bidding" (The Predator State, p. 5). Instead of taking the opportunity to go against that trend Truman State University gave into pressure, and then gave the very weak excuse that it wanted to keep the students out of a difficult situation. I do not think that is true, or is at least only a small portion of the truth. By all appearances Truman University succumbed to political pressure orchestrated by a corporate lobbyist, and executed by elected representatives who did their masters biding. The excuse given was, well, hogwash.
We should expect more from academia. Academia serves as one of our searchlights, with its emphasis on academic freedom, assisting us as we explore diverse opinions in our search for truth.
I am sure the president of Truman is a good man. I am sure that he was in a difficult situation, and received lots of pressure. But, such crucial moments is when real leadership should come forward. Unfortunately this kowtowing to power and money has become part of academic culture as we experience the commodification of education at all levels.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What is going on with pensions?
For years now companies have been finding ways to get out of pensions and recently the Pentagon has been complaining about pensions and rising healthcare costs. It is rare now for a company to even offer any kind of retirement plan other than the Russian roulette we call the 401K.
Back to the military. I find it disingenuous for this country to use and abuse the people, and families, in uniform with all of our foreign adventures and then complain about the long term costs. Didn't anyone think about that before we began our shenanigans in Afghanistan and Iraq? Clearly a commitment was made to those people we have put in harms way, those that have been wounded (physically, mentally, and spiritually) knowing that there would be a cost down the road. Rising health care is not some new phenomena that appeared all of a sudden taking us all by surprise.
All of a sudden decent pensions, good paying jobs, and good benefits are seen as luxury items. Conversely, insanely expensive weapons systems, policing the whole world, tax breaks for the wealthy, and tax breaks/subsidies for business with a made to order congress to do its bidding are seen as necessities.
Life is not about profit. It is not about power. It is about people. Yet, our political system ignores the plight of the average citizen while working overtime to create a system which is toxic morass for people, but in which greed and hubris flourish like the noxious weeds they are.
Back to the military. I find it disingenuous for this country to use and abuse the people, and families, in uniform with all of our foreign adventures and then complain about the long term costs. Didn't anyone think about that before we began our shenanigans in Afghanistan and Iraq? Clearly a commitment was made to those people we have put in harms way, those that have been wounded (physically, mentally, and spiritually) knowing that there would be a cost down the road. Rising health care is not some new phenomena that appeared all of a sudden taking us all by surprise.
All of a sudden decent pensions, good paying jobs, and good benefits are seen as luxury items. Conversely, insanely expensive weapons systems, policing the whole world, tax breaks for the wealthy, and tax breaks/subsidies for business with a made to order congress to do its bidding are seen as necessities.
Life is not about profit. It is not about power. It is about people. Yet, our political system ignores the plight of the average citizen while working overtime to create a system which is toxic morass for people, but in which greed and hubris flourish like the noxious weeds they are.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Congressional Investment Geniuses
Evidently members of congress are investment geniuses as evidenced by this story that was covered by the Huffington Post:
Four university researchers examined 16,000 common stock transactions made by approximately 300 House representatives from 1985 to 2001, and found what they call "significant positive abnormal returns," with portfolios based on congressional trades beating the market by about 6 percent annually.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/members-of-congress-get-a_n_866387.html
Here is the citation for the article which was the source of the Huffinton Post story:
Ziobrowski, Alan J.; Boyd, James W.; Cheng, Ping; and Ziobrowski, Brigitte J. (2011) "Abnormal Returns From the Common Stock Investments of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives," Business and Politics: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 4.
This article only added to my disgust of how power in this country has corrupted the political process and money is absolutely the king, or the god, to which we all now must bow. I read stories about people being charged with insider trading while congress has been doing this for years. I thank the authors of the study for their painstaking work which documents just one of the many abuses
I want elected officials who:
Do not have fake tans
Do not wear cuff links
Are not millionaires
Do not have better healthcare or retirement benefits than I do
Do not show naughty pictures of themselves on social media
Do not cheat on their wife, and take part in raising their kids
We continue to have a political process that elects people who are completely out of touch with the average citizen. The Tea Party folks are rightly upset at the current political process, but have hitched their wagon to the wrong star. Also, their movement is one that is being turned against the citizenry rather than one that will liberate it. Why is the middle class so enamored of cannibalism, so fond of fratricide, and so averse to seeing the truth of their situation?
Four university researchers examined 16,000 common stock transactions made by approximately 300 House representatives from 1985 to 2001, and found what they call "significant positive abnormal returns," with portfolios based on congressional trades beating the market by about 6 percent annually.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/members-of-congress-get-a_n_866387.html
Here is the citation for the article which was the source of the Huffinton Post story:
Ziobrowski, Alan J.; Boyd, James W.; Cheng, Ping; and Ziobrowski, Brigitte J. (2011) "Abnormal Returns From the Common Stock Investments of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives," Business and Politics: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 4.
This article only added to my disgust of how power in this country has corrupted the political process and money is absolutely the king, or the god, to which we all now must bow. I read stories about people being charged with insider trading while congress has been doing this for years. I thank the authors of the study for their painstaking work which documents just one of the many abuses
I want elected officials who:
Do not have fake tans
Do not wear cuff links
Are not millionaires
Do not have better healthcare or retirement benefits than I do
Do not show naughty pictures of themselves on social media
Do not cheat on their wife, and take part in raising their kids
We continue to have a political process that elects people who are completely out of touch with the average citizen. The Tea Party folks are rightly upset at the current political process, but have hitched their wagon to the wrong star. Also, their movement is one that is being turned against the citizenry rather than one that will liberate it. Why is the middle class so enamored of cannibalism, so fond of fratricide, and so averse to seeing the truth of their situation?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Democracy In Egypt
In Tunisia and Egypt we have seen unprecedented spontaneous popular revolts against moribund dictatorships. What kind of hubris makes a person think that they can rule over millions of their fellow citizens for decades without elections? These leaders not only rob the national wealth of their countries, they steal the national soul. Whenever the people rise up to throw off their chains of oppression it is a time for the rest of the world to support and applaud their efforts.
It is time for the American people to support these movements. Dr. Martin Luther King famously battled with President Kennedy and then President Johnson regarding civil rights reform. Both leaders urged patience cautioning that the time was not yet right. There is a famous picture of Johnson and King together at the White House and you can tell from that image things are not going well. They are disagreeing as to the pace of reforms. But, those reforms came in their own good time.
I have been disturbed to hear how it is not in the best interest of the United States for Mubarak to be kicked out of office. Some say that it will destabilize the region and cause problems for Israel. I do not buy that. It is immoral, it is evil, to stand in the way and block the will of the Egyptian people as they struggle to throw off their oppression. Years ago my ancestors strove to throw off the oppression of another Egyptian leader - Pharaoh.
If Mubarak is not removed from office he will go onto punish those who have participated in the uprising and take evasive action to prevent further revolt in the future. Egypt is not his private fiefdom. The future of Egypt is not dependent on Mubarak and he is not the savior of the Egyptian people. They will save themselves if he will only get out of the way. They will save themselves if we gave them our support.
It is time for the American people to support these movements. Dr. Martin Luther King famously battled with President Kennedy and then President Johnson regarding civil rights reform. Both leaders urged patience cautioning that the time was not yet right. There is a famous picture of Johnson and King together at the White House and you can tell from that image things are not going well. They are disagreeing as to the pace of reforms. But, those reforms came in their own good time.
I have been disturbed to hear how it is not in the best interest of the United States for Mubarak to be kicked out of office. Some say that it will destabilize the region and cause problems for Israel. I do not buy that. It is immoral, it is evil, to stand in the way and block the will of the Egyptian people as they struggle to throw off their oppression. Years ago my ancestors strove to throw off the oppression of another Egyptian leader - Pharaoh.
If Mubarak is not removed from office he will go onto punish those who have participated in the uprising and take evasive action to prevent further revolt in the future. Egypt is not his private fiefdom. The future of Egypt is not dependent on Mubarak and he is not the savior of the Egyptian people. They will save themselves if he will only get out of the way. They will save themselves if we gave them our support.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Nothing but Victims
A gentle reply turns away wrath, but a distressing word stirs up anger.
Mishlei (Proverbs) 15:1
The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is such an immense tragedy because it leaves behind nothing but a trail of victims. This includes everyone killed, injured, witnesses, the community, and even the nation as it struggles to come to terms with it. Including Jared Loughner and his parents. The suspect, from all the information available so far, is mentally ill, and for whatever reason went untreated with tragic consequences.
Who is to blame? Not Sarah Palin, not the other conservative pundits, not thirty round clips, but rather a complex matrix of interrelated circumstances which have created an atmosphere not just of incivility, but something more sinister. We just do not give a damn about other people anymore. Everyone is mad as hell, everyone hates the other side (liberals hate conservatives and conservatives hate liberals) and the tone of the discourse is horrific. We use such strong rhetoric, myself included, and we forget that words are powerful.
The Torah teaches us that the world was created with words. Words are the basic technology of human communication and everything else, including this medium, are just variations of a theme. It still all comes to words. And we are careless with that precious gift.
When you start using words that talk about killing, "taking out", "in our sights", and all those other phrases that allude to violence you are asking for trouble. We carelessly use those euphemisms as if they have no real consequences. But, it is really not cute, and it is really not clever. Not anymore. It is dangerous. It is no longer just rhetoric, it is fighting words, and words that shape and form the way we deal with each other. It creates an attitude and an atmosphere. That atmosphere was something that Jared Loughner picked up on - it was in the vary highly charged and polarized air of Arizona he breathed in everyday. Then he acted upon what everyone else was just talking about. The symbolic talk of violence, and killing suddenly became real.
Society failed to respond to Loughner's decompensation because of our distraction. We have other things on our mind. Jared Loughner is a disturbed person in a society that has been at continuous war for ten years, where people use maps with gun sights (please Sarah, ... your better than that,... they were not surveyors symbols,... they were gun sights) on them in political advertisements, think they need thirty round clips for their pistol, and where materialism reigns. One thing by itself is not so insidious, but all together look at the big picture. It is heartbreaking. We are arrogant gun slinging cowboys and we scare the crap out of the rest of the world.
This is a great country that has squandered its wealth and reputation. We are broke. We cannot heal the sick, feed the hungry, and we are not even willing to try anymore. We have given up.
Ostensibly this is a nation guided, at least in large part, by Christian values. I am Jewish, but I admire very much what seems to me to be the core values of Christianity which are beautiful. Things like the Sermon on the Mount and the blessings it contains such as the Beatitudes. What would Jesus do? I don't think Jesus would have much use for a 9mm Glock, or spend the wealth of a great nation fighting wars in two countries. I don't think Jesus would talk about killing Michael Moore. I don't think Jesus would go to a political rally with an assault rifle. I think Jesus would have other things to do. Things that might make a positive difference. I think Jesus would try to heal rather than hurt or blame.
We appear to be a vindictive, mean spirited, nation of intolerant bigots. We sound like it, and we act like it. Maybe we are, but I am not ready to concede that yet. Not entirely. I think that we have allowed our values to be hijacked by leaders in politics and popular culture who are only after money and power. They steal our soul. The tea party is right about one thing - the leadership of this country has failed us.
So we are all victims of this shooting. We are all responsible as well. Whenever we gossip and use the power of language to degrade or dehumanize another for whatever reason we do great harm. Words count. This incident has renewed in me a respect for right speech. It must begin with me, then I must work with my family and those within my sphere of influence not by preaching but by example in curbing my own talk.
Mishlei (Proverbs) 15:1
The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is such an immense tragedy because it leaves behind nothing but a trail of victims. This includes everyone killed, injured, witnesses, the community, and even the nation as it struggles to come to terms with it. Including Jared Loughner and his parents. The suspect, from all the information available so far, is mentally ill, and for whatever reason went untreated with tragic consequences.
Who is to blame? Not Sarah Palin, not the other conservative pundits, not thirty round clips, but rather a complex matrix of interrelated circumstances which have created an atmosphere not just of incivility, but something more sinister. We just do not give a damn about other people anymore. Everyone is mad as hell, everyone hates the other side (liberals hate conservatives and conservatives hate liberals) and the tone of the discourse is horrific. We use such strong rhetoric, myself included, and we forget that words are powerful.
The Torah teaches us that the world was created with words. Words are the basic technology of human communication and everything else, including this medium, are just variations of a theme. It still all comes to words. And we are careless with that precious gift.
When you start using words that talk about killing, "taking out", "in our sights", and all those other phrases that allude to violence you are asking for trouble. We carelessly use those euphemisms as if they have no real consequences. But, it is really not cute, and it is really not clever. Not anymore. It is dangerous. It is no longer just rhetoric, it is fighting words, and words that shape and form the way we deal with each other. It creates an attitude and an atmosphere. That atmosphere was something that Jared Loughner picked up on - it was in the vary highly charged and polarized air of Arizona he breathed in everyday. Then he acted upon what everyone else was just talking about. The symbolic talk of violence, and killing suddenly became real.
Society failed to respond to Loughner's decompensation because of our distraction. We have other things on our mind. Jared Loughner is a disturbed person in a society that has been at continuous war for ten years, where people use maps with gun sights (please Sarah, ... your better than that,... they were not surveyors symbols,... they were gun sights) on them in political advertisements, think they need thirty round clips for their pistol, and where materialism reigns. One thing by itself is not so insidious, but all together look at the big picture. It is heartbreaking. We are arrogant gun slinging cowboys and we scare the crap out of the rest of the world.
This is a great country that has squandered its wealth and reputation. We are broke. We cannot heal the sick, feed the hungry, and we are not even willing to try anymore. We have given up.
Ostensibly this is a nation guided, at least in large part, by Christian values. I am Jewish, but I admire very much what seems to me to be the core values of Christianity which are beautiful. Things like the Sermon on the Mount and the blessings it contains such as the Beatitudes. What would Jesus do? I don't think Jesus would have much use for a 9mm Glock, or spend the wealth of a great nation fighting wars in two countries. I don't think Jesus would talk about killing Michael Moore. I don't think Jesus would go to a political rally with an assault rifle. I think Jesus would have other things to do. Things that might make a positive difference. I think Jesus would try to heal rather than hurt or blame.
We appear to be a vindictive, mean spirited, nation of intolerant bigots. We sound like it, and we act like it. Maybe we are, but I am not ready to concede that yet. Not entirely. I think that we have allowed our values to be hijacked by leaders in politics and popular culture who are only after money and power. They steal our soul. The tea party is right about one thing - the leadership of this country has failed us.
So we are all victims of this shooting. We are all responsible as well. Whenever we gossip and use the power of language to degrade or dehumanize another for whatever reason we do great harm. Words count. This incident has renewed in me a respect for right speech. It must begin with me, then I must work with my family and those within my sphere of influence not by preaching but by example in curbing my own talk.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Preamble to the Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords
Preamble to the Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords
(A found poem)
By Mike Perkins
Prelude
"Hang on, let me just tell you what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could." – Glen Beck
--------------------------------------------------------------------
We the People of the United States,
"This is just the first salvo in a fight to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington.” - Sarah Palin
in Order to form a more perfect Union,
"I just wish Katrina had only hit the United Nations building, nothing else, just had flooded them out, and I wouldn't have rescued them." - Bill O’Reilly
establish Justice,
“Capital punishment is our way of demonstrating the sanctity of life." - Orrin Hatch
insure domestic Tranquility,
''The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.'' —Pat Robertson
provide for the common defence,
"When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh shut up' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining." – Glenn Beck
promote the general Welfare,
“God says, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.' ” – Ann Coulter
and secure the Blessings of Liberty
“If you think the United States has stood still, who would have built the largest shopping center in the world?” - Richard M. Nixon
to ourselves and our Posterity,
"I tell people don't kill all the liberals. Leave enough so we can have two on every campus - living fossils - so we will never forget what these people stood for." - Rush Limbaugh
do ordain and establish
“Let the unskilled jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do — let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work. “ - Rush Limbough
this Constitution for the United States of America.
"We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee,’ That's just a joke, for you in the media." - Ann Coulter
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Epilogue
"I went to Safeway the movie this weekend with a gun." - Glenn Beck
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Dinosauria, we
The emphasis on the poem below, the bold font, is mine. It sums up were we are heading as the distinction of civil society, and the obfuscation of democracy, becomes more and more a reality.
Dinosauria, We by Charles Bukowski
Born like this
Into this
As the chalk faces smile
As Mrs. Death laughs
As the elevators break
As political landscapes dissolve
As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree
As the oily fish spit out their oily prey
As the sun is masked
We are
Born like this
Into this
Into these carefully mad wars
Into the sight of broken factory windows of emptiness
Into bars where people no longer speak to each other
Into fist fights that end as shootings and knifings
Born into this
Into hospitals which are so expensive that it's cheaper to die
Into lawyers who charge so much it's cheaper to plead guilty
Into a country where the jails are full and the madhouses closed
Into a place where the masses elevate fools into rich heroes
Born into this
Walking and living through this
Dying because of this
Muted because of this
Castrated
Debauched
Disinherited
Because of this
Fooled by this
Used by this
Pissed on by this
Made crazy and sick by this
Made violent
Made inhuman
By this
The heart is blackened
The fingers reach for the throat
The gun
The knife
The bomb
The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god
The fingers reach for the bottle
The pill
The powder
We are born into this sorrowful deadliness
We are born into a government 60 years in debt
That soon will be unable to even pay the interest on that debt
And the banks will burn
Money will be useless
There will be open and unpunished murder in the streets
It will be guns and roving mobs
Land will be useless
Food will become a diminishing return
Nuclear power will be taken over by the many
Explosions will continually shake the earth
Radiated robot men will stalk each other
The rich and the chosen will watch from space platforms
Dante's Inferno will be made to look like a children's playground
The sun will not be seen and it will always be night
Trees will die
All vegetation will die
Radiated men will eat the flesh of radiated men
The sea will be poisoned
The lakes and rivers will vanish
Rain will be the new gold
The rotting bodies of men and animals will stink in the dark wind
The last few survivors will be overtaken by new and hideous diseases
And the space platforms will be destroyed by attrition
The petering out of supplies
The natural effect of general decay
And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard
Born out of that.
The sun still hidden there
Awaiting the next chapter.
Dinosauria, We by Charles Bukowski
Born like this
Into this
As the chalk faces smile
As Mrs. Death laughs
As the elevators break
As political landscapes dissolve
As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree
As the oily fish spit out their oily prey
As the sun is masked
We are
Born like this
Into this
Into these carefully mad wars
Into the sight of broken factory windows of emptiness
Into bars where people no longer speak to each other
Into fist fights that end as shootings and knifings
Born into this
Into hospitals which are so expensive that it's cheaper to die
Into lawyers who charge so much it's cheaper to plead guilty
Into a country where the jails are full and the madhouses closed
Into a place where the masses elevate fools into rich heroes
Born into this
Walking and living through this
Dying because of this
Muted because of this
Castrated
Debauched
Disinherited
Because of this
Fooled by this
Used by this
Pissed on by this
Made crazy and sick by this
Made violent
Made inhuman
By this
The heart is blackened
The fingers reach for the throat
The gun
The knife
The bomb
The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god
The fingers reach for the bottle
The pill
The powder
We are born into this sorrowful deadliness
We are born into a government 60 years in debt
That soon will be unable to even pay the interest on that debt
And the banks will burn
Money will be useless
There will be open and unpunished murder in the streets
It will be guns and roving mobs
Land will be useless
Food will become a diminishing return
Nuclear power will be taken over by the many
Explosions will continually shake the earth
Radiated robot men will stalk each other
The rich and the chosen will watch from space platforms
Dante's Inferno will be made to look like a children's playground
The sun will not be seen and it will always be night
Trees will die
All vegetation will die
Radiated men will eat the flesh of radiated men
The sea will be poisoned
The lakes and rivers will vanish
Rain will be the new gold
The rotting bodies of men and animals will stink in the dark wind
The last few survivors will be overtaken by new and hideous diseases
And the space platforms will be destroyed by attrition
The petering out of supplies
The natural effect of general decay
And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard
Born out of that.
The sun still hidden there
Awaiting the next chapter.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Denial of Freedom
Are we in China? The government is now in the business of censoring what we can see on the internet. So information about what our government is doing, all that embarrassing stuff, is now effectively classified with such truely horrendous stuff as child porn. Here is what you get now instead of the Wikileaks page:
Why are all these extralegal steps being taken instead of using the courts? Why did the real attack on Wikileaks start not with the military information but with the release of the diplomatic information and the talk about the site releasing massive amounts of banking data? The argument that Wikileaks is risking lives is simply not true and is not the reason the site is being attacked. But, then again not only will we believe anything we will put up with anything this government decides to stick us with.
Is this the real reason we have this energetic attack on Wikileaks:
http://ktwop.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/next-target-for-wikileaks-will-be-a-megadump-of-banking-information/
Why are all these extralegal steps being taken instead of using the courts? Why did the real attack on Wikileaks start not with the military information but with the release of the diplomatic information and the talk about the site releasing massive amounts of banking data? The argument that Wikileaks is risking lives is simply not true and is not the reason the site is being attacked. But, then again not only will we believe anything we will put up with anything this government decides to stick us with.
Is this the real reason we have this energetic attack on Wikileaks:
http://ktwop.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/next-target-for-wikileaks-will-be-a-megadump-of-banking-information/
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Portland Bomber
Mohamed Mohamud was cynically used by the FBI as a terror weapon. Mohamed, a terrorist wannabe and overall sad case, was like putty in the hands of the agency which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a threat that wasn't there yet. This unsophisticated kid could eventually have proven dangerous and some intervention needed to be made, but he is no terror master mind. By all accounts he was an emotionally unstable young man who was more angry at this family than anyone else after his parents divorce.
Who was the real victim? The people of Portland Oregon who were made to believe that somehow Mohamed was a real threat, and whose city was used for this theater of the absurd. Mohamed was used to scare the American people and as a means of intimidation for the Muslim population. An unintended, but not surprising, side effect has been the real fire bombing of the Salman Al Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon. That is widely believed to be related to the play acting drama that unfolded with such drama at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Even the venue of the "bomb," had to have been picked with cynical care as something sure to raise the hackles of every red blooded American as this vile foreign threat attempted to violate such a scene of goodwill and harmony as a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Oh, it was probably a "holiday lighting ceremony."
This high profile media event which was, at least at first, announced with a bit of hysteria in the media was overplayed. There were many points earlier where he could have been arrested. Instead the event was carefully orchestrated for the largest amount of drama and media play. Kind of like a Sylvester Stallone movie. You can't tell me that when that kid dialed that cell phone number and nothing happened there were not some law enforcement officials setting around laughing their heads off.
Who was the real victim? The people of Portland Oregon who were made to believe that somehow Mohamed was a real threat, and whose city was used for this theater of the absurd. Mohamed was used to scare the American people and as a means of intimidation for the Muslim population. An unintended, but not surprising, side effect has been the real fire bombing of the Salman Al Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon. That is widely believed to be related to the play acting drama that unfolded with such drama at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Even the venue of the "bomb," had to have been picked with cynical care as something sure to raise the hackles of every red blooded American as this vile foreign threat attempted to violate such a scene of goodwill and harmony as a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Oh, it was probably a "holiday lighting ceremony."
This high profile media event which was, at least at first, announced with a bit of hysteria in the media was overplayed. There were many points earlier where he could have been arrested. Instead the event was carefully orchestrated for the largest amount of drama and media play. Kind of like a Sylvester Stallone movie. You can't tell me that when that kid dialed that cell phone number and nothing happened there were not some law enforcement officials setting around laughing their heads off.
Friday, June 04, 2010
$arah, how is that drilly baby drill working out for cha?
In my last post I got after $arah Payme for making light of those who hope and think that things can change - for the better. Now, I want to point out that she was all for loose restrictions on offshore drilling and provide you some pictures courtesy of the Huffington Post. So, anyone that thinks that this is a disaster, and probably will soon morph into a global ecological disaster, is a greenie tree hugger.
Greed, arrogance, and stupidity know no bounds.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Palin Makes Fun of Hope and Change
At a recent Pitty Potty Tea Party rally Sarah Palin mocking President Obama in her gum chewing breezy glib way said: "How is that hopey changey thing workin out for yah?" Is Ms Palin capable of using correct English? Anyway,... thank you Sarah now I realise what you and the tea party are all about. You have abandoned the hope of modernity that each day can be better than the day before, and that we can make the world a better place for everyone. It is the cynicism of Fox News and the usually fellow travellers of doom, gloom, and despair having given up hope. This was a remarkable revelation for me.
We have been indoctrinated through civics classes (do we even teach that any more?) that America is a place where you can make it, where you have a chance, and where hard work pays off. Even Ronald Reagan believed that. It was not too bad of a social construct! It provided the conscious of the civil rights movement and the women's movement. The current bunch of hard core conservatives do not believe that stuff anymore..
The current tide of conservatism is cynical, greedy, and has turned its back on American values instead embracing some kind of Christian capitalism, Ayn Rand philosophy of the damned. I opposed Ronald Reagan on some issues but I NEVER doubted his optimism. He was many things but not a cynic.
Our current struggle is not with communism, Islam, or any of that stuff. It is much more insidious and much more powerful. It is materialism. We have drank that hemlock. Is it a fatal dose?
We have been indoctrinated through civics classes (do we even teach that any more?) that America is a place where you can make it, where you have a chance, and where hard work pays off. Even Ronald Reagan believed that. It was not too bad of a social construct! It provided the conscious of the civil rights movement and the women's movement. The current bunch of hard core conservatives do not believe that stuff anymore..
The current tide of conservatism is cynical, greedy, and has turned its back on American values instead embracing some kind of Christian capitalism, Ayn Rand philosophy of the damned. I opposed Ronald Reagan on some issues but I NEVER doubted his optimism. He was many things but not a cynic.
Our current struggle is not with communism, Islam, or any of that stuff. It is much more insidious and much more powerful. It is materialism. We have drank that hemlock. Is it a fatal dose?
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Reading, Texting, and Mindfulness
When I go to the park nobody is reading anymore. It used to be that you would see people reading under trees, or parents reading to their children. Now everyone is talking on the cell phone while they are in the park. I went into Barnes & Noble to get a copy of the Paris Review and there were two people outside smoking as they were texting on cell phones. Are they more addicted to cigarettes or their cell phones? As a matter of fact companion texting, texting while somebody else is with you, is probably our number one social interaction besides, well,... texting. Have our lives become defined by that little screen? Probably.
47 percent of teens can text with their eyes closed. Fact. And, I bet less than 17 percent can diagram a sentence. Texting is replacing talking.
By the way, we are still a long way from understanding the social or even health consequences of cell phones. Here is an interesting article from GQ magazine: http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation
Here are some more things to think about:
"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." Thich Nhat Hanh
So, turn off that cell phone and read Peace in Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, or the newspaper, or really talk and listen to someone for a change, or maybe even do nothing. Whatever you do, please don't text me. I will not text back.
I went to a meeting the other day and there was an executive setting there texting through the whole thing. Then a colleague tells me they go to a board meeting and there is someone there with not one, but two, phones texting throughout the meeting.
See a movie? Cell phones. Somebody is running or cycling? They are listening to music with those ear buds blocking out the world.We are not content to read, smoke, run, drive, or do any of life's little tasks which define us as human without a distraction. We have to be doing something else. Do people text while having sex? Apparently so. Scroll down to the comments: Weird Texting Moments from Womens Health Magazine: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/weird-texting-moments. The interesting thing is not so much that the women sent a text to her mom during sex but that she read it in the first place.
By the way, we are still a long way from understanding the social or even health consequences of cell phones. Here is an interesting article from GQ magazine: http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation
Here are some more things to think about:
"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." Thich Nhat Hanh
So, turn off that cell phone and read Peace in Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, or the newspaper, or really talk and listen to someone for a change, or maybe even do nothing. Whatever you do, please don't text me. I will not text back.
Friday, January 22, 2010
As Much Free Speech As You Can Pay For
The supreme court ruling which came out regarding corporate spending, not limiting the money corporations can spend in the political process, is a fraud and a scandal. It fails to recognize the fundamental fact that the nature of corporate entities to acquire and concentrate capital far accedes the ability of individuals to do so. It in fact limits the free speech of individuals and amplifies whatever message business wants to promote turning the arena of politics into just another marketing platform. Even more so than it was before.
Allowing corporations to spend at will in the political process dilutes the participation of the common citizen to the point of being inconsequential. The groans and cries for relief from the people will be drowned out by the shrill shilling of the business special interest.
America is no longer a democracy. It is a country where the will of the people has been suborned to the will of big business.
Allowing corporations to spend at will in the political process dilutes the participation of the common citizen to the point of being inconsequential. The groans and cries for relief from the people will be drowned out by the shrill shilling of the business special interest.
America is no longer a democracy. It is a country where the will of the people has been suborned to the will of big business.
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