Meandering Observations

It is almost like clockwork. I have tremors of deja vu from when I was a pup. The signal event in my life and for American history was "Watergate". No bureaucracy complained, made a fuss or deemed this event worthy of reproach. We were "locked in" to an ever spreading disease of corruption of epic proportions and we had no clue. How many potential whistle-blowers shut their pie-holes? How many decent and honest people clung to a remnant of their humanity because of this? This one event displayed the panorama of ignorance and shame that I have never come to grips with.

Sociologists beware.

Forgiveness and redemption are supreme in our catalog of virtues whether we like it or not.

Perfection is a desire, but it is also a pariah.

Many depend upon this.

THINK

I love to reminisce.

Being a history teacher the past is one thing you can always dwell upon and call to enliven an idea or an epoch.

As a lad of seven I experienced my first true USA election (1964). The nuns at our school force fed the politics they understood. They were by their nature anti-war and Barry Goldwater was a hawk to his very core, so it was LBJ all the way (little did we know). I follow their other tenants to this day because they were true women giving voice to universal truths. They are all based upon one simple truism: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. At seven I had very little understanding of anything except that I wanted to play. I knew my family was not voting for Goldwater (for many reasons and his inane insanity might have been part of it).

At eleven (1968) I knew what a “Tricky-Dick” was. I also witnessed national sadness and personal awareness for the first time (assassinations of public figures, Chicago and Kent State to name a few). I was sickened by this slaughter. At fifteen (1972) I had lost interest in my political surroundings because of many factors (pot, girls, sports, etc...) except, I had retained an almost disturbing quality to question everything because my education left so much unanswered.

Everything never turned out to be much. I voted Libertarian for three national elections (I still consider myself a social libertarian, but the Libertarian Party has gone completely off the tracks.) I have never trusted the government or its bureaucrats. In 1988 I voted for the last time in a presidential election. I voted Democrat for the first and last time. Our electoral process is beyond flawed.

To this day I feel America (the United States) and the Democratic party lost their only hope that year and they blew it. I have no respect for either party. The Democrats lost my favor because of this betrayal and to this day I have witnessed them slowly turning into something I loathe as much as I have always loathed the Republicans. We are lost in spite of our voices. My grandfather’s party (Democrat) died and no one mourned. He had the dreams and passed them on. I believe all of us need to search within ourselves and ask some very serious questions about ourselves.

Many of our unions have been corrupted. When the only solution to our labor problems is made out to be evil we are fucked. People have little conception of the power they have. Unions (or whatever you want to call groups of interested people with a strong voice) will save your asses. Without them you are a lonely voice screaming echoes into a canyon.

There are many problems we face as a species (not a sub-group or nationality). We have a class war. Our survival does not depend upon our masters. We will do fine without them. Look around and take it as fact that most people despise ass-kissers and rats (not whistle-blowers). These are the people our masters depend upon.

Personally, I despise ass-kissers and rats (not whistle-blowers). I usually don't use universalities but I make exceptions now and then because of the natures of these groups.They have no redeeming social values. None. They promote a culture of negativism and shame. They have the same perspective as our masters in that they wish to further enrich themselves at the people's expense and so they endure themselves to their masters (which they will never achieve in spite of their favors or their lackey ism.)

We have choices to make. The first is to let things go on as they will: which is not acceptable to me. The second is to push back. Realize one thing; this is not about you, but what you can do to preserve whatever dignity you can for your children.

That is the only reality and reality bites.

Sprites in the Sky

Another library closed...



...Nuff said.

One Way, or Another

OR NOT...

Let's put all the cards on the table. Are we or are we not an empire? The answer to this question would solve a lot of problems. Mainly with the half-hearted, half-assed people who believe their lives are not interwoven with the rest of us. I have a deep apprehension about discoursing on this, but I must. Empires, especially oligarchic ones, must be vigil to any change that would disrupt the flow of treasure. Our empire is safe from most criticism. Our media and academia insure that we are sufficiently institutionalized to our roles as citizen-consumers while our politicians and bureaucrats expose us to the "realities" of  systemic indifference. Their is little to believe from these "authorities" unless we look to the fringes and peel away the rhetoric of their messages.

First, we should not be so naive as to think we have freedom in the sense that we can do what we want, where we want or when we want. We still have that liberty, but the freedom to choose which road to hell we want is not really a choice; or freedom or, in a strict sense, liberty. Second, the ability to get what we need is slowly being marginalized, stigmatized and privatized to the point where many of us can't even afford to obtain these basic needs and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. Thirdly, we seem to have many solutions to this problem, but they are based upon fixing a system that seems more capable of replicating itself than to solving its inert problems. So, what can be done?

Fight it, Flee it or Flow with it.

How does one fight for the freedom they believe they deserve? One simple solution would be to take every judicial matter brought against one to a jury trial. No plea-bargaining. Another would be to demand warrants for the most simple of police requests. A third would be to gather enough food for two-four weeks and then not go to work or buy anything. If enough people had the will and the stamina to do these things it would be enough to bring the judicial/capital system to its knees and promote either a violent reaction or a positive change. It's a coin flip there. I'm not holding my breath.

If you have the money it is easy to leave this place and all of its problems behind you. Start again somewhere else. Learn a foreign language and get the hell out of Dodge before the walls bust down upon you (and us).

If you aren't worried about your freedoms because you are a good person and only bad people have bad things happen to them then you will allow, even welcome the inevitable (erosion of your rights) to occur without remorse or even a second thought because of your perceived security. "I am much too busy to worry about that person..." Besides, we all have our own to take care of; don't we? Economic security ain't what it used to be, either. So, "fuck you I got mine" becomes a mantra and we become dependent upon artificial corporate charity (501c) to achieve what should be natural.

Freedom and our greatness as a country are taught to us from an early age. Too many adults still believe this crap and are one of the many obstacles there are to achieving freedom and greatness. Our "greatness" does not stem from our altruism, but from our money and the power we wield in its name. I dare a "leader" in this country to come right out and declare our American Empire for what it is. They would probably be shocked that many of  the US citizens wouldn't give a shit as long as the money was rolling in. But, alas, those times are changing. The money we have rolling in isn't really there. I have a belief that all the depressions and recessions before were just economic mock-ups for the shit to come (complete market meltdown). Much as the Nazis and other authoritarian regimes before were but dry runs for the socio-political crackdown and the pablum to follow in its wake.

God Bless America!

(The irony of this map is lost on most people and it saddens me.)

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

This is the ultimate view of compromise. Go for the gold and take the silver; so to speak. What is "the gold" today? It itself is a compromise. Nobody envisions or perceives the compromise before the compromise. because our national news is a failure. We have a perspective that is skewed by the news givers. Mass media has had this power since the dawn of the news givers. It is a heavy burden to bear. Propaganda is not something new; it is just something being perfected and used on a massive scale today.

Understand this... I have no belief in a country of laws. What we have is a country of men (rich, white men mostly) and this bodes ill for liberty and equality. I have a belief in community. i have a belief in justice. I have the most profound belief that an enlightened person can see beyond lies, diversions and distractions. This is my dream.

I don't ever want to disappoint myself.

Then There is This