However, now that I’ve saved the day, my intro section is once again bereft of material for discussion. I’m reluctant to start anything very complicated, since we’re already running a bit late….. that rules out any fantasy or fictional intro. I suppose I could compose a haiku, that’s always popular…. hmmm, let’s see what happens….

Poems for breakfast
have never been my habit.
But, okay, why not?

gigoid

Hmph…. That was almost too easy…. that haiku must have been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, as it just flowed out onto the screen with almost no editing at all.  I guess I should learn to trust my instincts a little better….. I feel much better now.  What do you say to a bit of diving? Shall we Pearl?….

(in Robotman’s spaceship)
Robotman: Wait ’til I get this baby cruisin’…We’ll be movin’ faster than light!
Oscar Milde: But Einstein said nothing can go faster than light!
Robotman: Normally, that’s true.  But you can go faster than light when you go downhill…
Oscar: Wow…Einstein made a mistake!
Robotman: Be easy on him. Even geniuses have bad days…

Be easy on me, ffolkes, it’s been a long day already….

There once was an old man from Esser,
Who’s knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
It at last grew so small,
He knew nothing at all,
And now he’s a College Professor.
— Smart Bee
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“The world always makes the assumption that the exposure of an error is identical with the discovery of truth–that the error and truth are simply opposite.  They are nothing of the sort.  What the world turns to, when it is cured on one error, is usually simply another error, and maybe one worse than the first one.” — H. L. Mencken

H.L. Mencken’s words make an appearance here regularly; since he has made a habit of creating aphorisms that precisely describe my beliefs so many times, I tend to suspect him of channeling me. It’s spooky sometimes, how accurately his words echo what is in my mind. This statement is one of those, for sure…..

On the surface this seems subtle, but it is really quite a simple observation, of a habitual pattern of thinking that many of the general public fall prey to, especially in political matters. The current presidential race is a good example….

The Tea Party (side note: I don’t bring this group up often, because their purpose and goals are so unclear, even to themselves…. it can be hard to pin down any specific issue, as they tend to blend issues together, both by cause and by perpetrator…. kind of the shotgun method of protest….) and the conservative right, which now seems to constitute the bulk of the GOP, have decided that having a black president is an error, so they are desperately looking for anyone at all to replace him with, no matter how unqualified or unsuited to the job they may be. In doing so, they are definitely poised to trade one possible minor mistake for one major catastrophe….

In my sixty plus years of observing the American political circus, I’ve seen some pretty dumb choices make it to the presidential ballot, and if current trends are any indication, it’s about to happen again. But, in addition, I’ve also seen the growth of a political trend that is threatening to turn the entire American political circus into tragedy, rather than intermittent comedy. It is a trend that is most obvious when the President is a Democrat, but it happens no matter which party is currently sitting.

This trend is for the opposition party to spend all their time, after the swearing in of the new President, in throwing up obstacles to any reforms the new President may try to legislate. Any idea the incumbent comes up with is denigrated by the opposition; all his speeches are picked apart for nuances that they can attack. Character attacks are constant, and any legislation sent for voting to the House or Senate is blocked. After three years of fighting to keep the incumbent from accomplishing anything, the opposition party then starts attacking the President for not having gotten anything done while in office, completely ignoring their own part in that…..

The concept of the “loyal opposition” has been replaced by the “adamant opposition”. Loyal opposition implies acceptance, and the concept of working together for the good of all. Adamant opposition means outright war against the incumbent, with the good of the people removed from consideration. They don’t care about the people, as long as they have the power, and they will do almost anything to keep themselves in a position to continue to lie, cheat, and steal from the public.

What I find to be not just disheartening, but frightening, is the fact that this time around, they don’t seem to care that the covers are being blown. The candidate who has surged to the forefront of the available people to pick from may be the worst of the lot. He flip-flops on the issues according to whatever crowd he is addressing, and doesn’t even try to hide it; he just ignores it. He lies with every other breath, often making up his lies on the fly…. This also is ignored, even though it is recorded and cannot be denied. He touts himself as one of the “common folks”, but won’t let his tax returns be examined, despite every pressure to do so. This implies there is something in there that he does NOT want the public to know…. but he continues to refuse to release them, thus shooting himself repeatedly in the same foot…..

Yes, it is frightening to contemplate this man in the White House. I can only be encouraged by his habit of doing and saying things that will ensure that it never happens; he is his own worst enemy, in that respect. To be honest, I hope this run-up to the election has a couple of debates between Romney and the incumbent…. that will be a treat to watch, as he melts down on prime time, in front of the entire nation…. Hell, if there are debates, I’d bet that half of his would-be supporters will switch sides after just one…. now, that’s encouraging, for sure…. too bad there aren’t more encouraging aspects to discuss…..

Stay alert, ffolkes…. this promises to be an interesting four months……

“It was always thus; and even if ’twere not, ‘twould inevitably have been always thus.” — Dean Lattimer
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On this device

i look for you
disturbing the decorum of this bed

your maddening red heart
devouring headboards

can you hear me

recounting all of these days

my brief elbows object to complain

with i miss yous

but i do
i largely do
stubbornly i do

love . .

Mari Sanchez Cayuso

http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2012/07/17/on-this-device/

Since I’ve been including one outstanding poem in each Pearl, I’ve mostly relied on classical poets. Today I include a poem from a poetess you may not know. I have been reading her poems daily since I first came to WordPress, and am continually amazed at the depth, power, and passion the she infuses into her words. I think this poem stands up well next to any of those I’ve previously shown here…. She will someday be considered in the same light, I believe, and her work will be required reading for English, or Spanish literature classes, for she writes equally well in both languages…. I give you, Mari Sanchez Cayuso….Enjoy!
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A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is one of those pearls that really needs no accessories in order for it to be enjoyed, and fully appreciated. It is adornment enough on its own merit. And, in order to keep fresh that sense of surprise in you, dear reader, I will thus refrain from adding any accessory comments…. just enjoy, and then go feed your dogs….  🙂
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