Doling out a measure of peace….

Posted on July 13, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Always be curmudgeonly. Don’t ever forgive. Go home infrequently. Just keep loose. Mostly, never opine. Pick quirky relatives. Stay tough underneath. Vote. Watch xenophobia, you zealot.

There…. my version of alphabetical alliteration…. Pretty cool, eh? I don’t think I missed any letters, or got any out of sequence…. If I did, I’m sure you’ll…. What? Hell, I don’t have a clue what it MEANS. I just wrote it. Come to think of it, I probably shouldn’t be so quick to claim authorship; who knows? Somebody else might have already done this, and I’m plagiarizing, for all I know….. Somehow, though, it’s a bit hard to believe that anyone else would take credit for something as lame as this…. not if they intended for anyone to have any respect for them as a writer….

Me, I gave up on that a long time ago…. I’ll settle for what I got yesterday, which was a comment stating one reader always enjoys my work as a change of pace from the news…. Yes, he’s a bit strange, too, but, it still feels good to know I’m achieving at least part of what I wish with my efforts…. To know someone is enjoying it, that it gives someone pleasure, is enough for me….

Of course, that may not continue, should I keep making up crap such as the first few lines today…. I DID think it was fairly cool in one respect, at least…. It was fun…. The challenge I set myself, to write something at least marginally humorous, using words that begin with each successive letter in the English alphabet, was accomplished with ease, so much so I was a trifle suspicious it would be good enough…. Sure enough, it’s not what I’d call classical in nature or style, but, there is a point or two in there where it approaches funny…. I particularly enjoyed the WXYZ sentence….

Wow! Now THERE is an eye-opener…. It isn’t apparent from where you are sitting, but, I have been gone for the past four and a half minutes, unable to breathe or talk, or type…. Being a bozoid personality does have its risks, which can, and did, strike anytime…. As I took a sip of coffee just a few moments ago, I got a tickle in my throat just as I started to swallow…. This caused a major disruption in my metabolism, with the most immediate result being that I damn near choked on the coffee, as it made every effort to go into my lungs, rather than down the hatch to the stomach….

Preventing that threw my whole throat and chest into massive turmoil, coughing, choking, and generally looking like the world’s biggest bozo for a while, as I attempted to regain my composure…. SIGH…. One of the things that they forgot, or deliberately omitted, from the manual is this aging stuff… A lot of the small little hassles that our bodies present to us as we age are things we’ve never heard about…. I can’t believe I’m the first old fart to have these difficulties with the aging process, yet we never hear about them when we are younger…. but, I know why…

It’s revenge, for being young…. None of the old-timers say anything about any of this stuff, except to each other…. We all complain about our aches and pains, when we are with our peers…. But, we never got warned, so we aren’t going to give those young whippersnappers any kind of help WE didn’t get…. It wouldn’t be fair to tell them, and let them write it down so it eventually ends up in the manual…. Fair to whom, you ask? Well, to all of us who are already suffering from the indignities of advancing age, and all those oldsters who have gone before, pioneering the way for us…. THEY had no warning, and neither did we…. why should we be any kinder?….

Okay, this meandering is getting a bit out of bounds…. I’m starting to fantasize and make stuff up again, which is fine, but, won’t get this Pearl done…. Today’s intro, in my attempts at trying a new approach, seems to have grown past all boundaries of good taste, or at least, good sense…. That, of course, isn’t anything out of the ordinary for us, but, it IS making this intro a bit longer than is handy… In fact, I’m going to have to…. Oh, wait, look! There’s the ending right there…. Good, now we can get on with this….

Shall we Pearl?…..

Will change the pebbles of our puddly thought
To orient pearls.

— Du Bartas (1544-1590) — Divine Weekes and Workes, Second Week, Third Day, Part i

[dignified silence]……

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Here, for your early morning viewing pleasure, is a classical, ancient pearl, whose contributing authors all lived prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, who, though not my own particular candidate for basing a calendar on, remains the agreed upon point of reference for the modern version of time…. essentially, all of these wise ffolkes were born more than two thousand years ago, yet their words have survived, intact, to this day…. Enjoy!….

“Human life nearly resembles iron. When you use it, it wears out. When you don’t, rust consumes it.” — Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC) — Carmen de moribus

“The most virtuous of all men is he that contents himself with being virtuous without seeking to appear so.” — Plato (B.C. 427?-347?)

“Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit.” There is no great genius without a tincture of madness. — Seneca (8 BC) — De Tranquillitate Animi, 17

“It is a difficult thing for a man to resist the natural necessity of mortal passions.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of those whom God is slow to punish

“Neither make thy friend equal to a brother; but if thou shalt have made him so, be not the first to do him wrong.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 707

“Time cancels young pain.” — Euripides (431 BC)

“In the land of the dark, the Ship of the Sun is driven by the Grateful Dead.” — Egyptian Book of the Dead

Okay, so the last one isn’t so much of a pearl as it is a small revelation about the past…. and where a certain band got their name…. Okay, fine, here is one last pearl to finish this off correctly…. I hope you enjoyed this little trip back in time with me, to gather a small harvest of the wisdom of the ages….

“No sooner said than done — so acts your man of worth.” — Quintus Ennius

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It’s a haiku day, I can feel it…. so, here is one fresh one, and a couple more from the archives….

Food for thought

Savory phrases
seem to surface from the depths
of hidden hungers.

~~ gigoid ~~

7/13/2014

A Moment of Haiku

Bare is the soul
who will not see the truth,
even when the truth sees them.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/9/2012

Haiku IV

Time and circumstance;
all of us who are alive,
must pay heed, or else.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/19/2013

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“It’s awfully hard work doing nothing. However, I don’t mind hard work when there is no definite object of any kind.” — Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

This morning, Oscar’s ironic curmudgeonry from his most popular play hits me where I live, to paraphrase my blogging friend, Jerry Doby…. I had a rant subject all picked out for this section, but find myself unwilling to carry out my intent…. No idea why, just don’t feel like ranting just now…. All the emotional content necessary to produce one is present, and accounted for, but, I haven’t been able to find a proper headline to pick at thus far, and I’m not in the correct frame of mind to persevere….. Oh, well, too bad, so sad…. for me, not for you… for you, it means yet another old-school pearl, as fresh as I can make it, sans parameters to help speed the process, and widen our options…. Have a care with this one, ffolkes, it could get a little rowdy….

“If you live long enough, it WILL kill you…” — Smart Bee

“It is important to do what you don’t know how to do. It is important to see your skills as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious. If you know how to focus, unfocus. If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos.” — Carlos Casteneda

“Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First, his Cromwell; and George the Third [“Treason!” cried the Speaker]–may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.” — Patrick Henry (1736-1799) — Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1765

(Okay, so this doesn’t exactly fit in with a parameterless pearl…. but, it was there and it’s always a good time to remind all you bloggers out there of our duty as American writers…. Socrates set the example, with his belief in the concept of the societal gadfly; I see it as every American’s duty to challenge the authority of the establishment, and these inspirational words from Patrick Henry serve perfectly as the proper and appropriate credo for all of us who believe in this country, and the dream of freedom and peace upon which it was founded…. There, I ranted, are you happy?…. I am….)

“…the value of the constitution depends on the good will of government itself. If the Supreme Court rules that the Bill of Rights should not interfere with the important business of government (which they have done on at least two occasions), then the constitution is meaningless.” — John Kormylo

(It’s always good to follow a credo/disclaimer with a warning…. Keep a sharp eye on this Supreme Court, ffolkes. They’re beginning to show their colors somewhat, since way too many of them were nominated by Shrubs…. Those assholes, the Shrubs, and all those misogynistic zombies (think Dick Cheney, the Lizard King), or any of the other closet anti-Americans who support them, have a very funny idea of constitutional law, one that has very little, if anything, in common with the one we already have in place…. If you don’t believe me, ask them…. they’ve stated, in the papers, how they’d like to see certain parts of the Constitution repealed, specifically, certain entries in the Bill of Rights, and the junior Shrub is on record as mentioning his belief that the framers of the Constitution “went too far” in handing out freedoms to the people…. See, I told you I had all the makings for a rant in here…..)

“Yes, there is Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and writing the last line of your poem.” — Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), Sand and Foam

“The majority is never right.” — Lazarus Long (1912-)

“There’s a tendency today to absolve individuals from moral responsibility and treat them as victims of social circumstance. You buy that, you pay with your soul. It’s not men who limit women, it’s not straights who limit gays, it’s not whites who limit blacks. What limits people is lack of character. What limits people is that they don’t have the fucking nerve or imagination to star in their own movie, let alone direct it.” — Bernard Mickey Wrangle

Apparent disorder is a product of control.
Apparent fear is a product of courage.
Apparent vulnerability is a product of possession.

Control or disorder is a matter of Analysis.
Courage or fear is a matter of Direction.
Possession or vulnerability is a matter of Positioning.

— Sun Tzu “The Art of War,” translation by R.L. Wing

“May you grow so rich you never have to eat, drink, piss, crap, wash, or walk by yourself, God forbid.” — Smart Bee

This is why I love the process of making pearls…. It started out parameter free, picked out its own theme, then stretched itself into the rarest form of pearl, a nine-star, with comments that add up to a mini-rant…. Bonus!

Man, I love this job!….

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I especially enjoy it when I finish in a timely manner, having created a completely fresh, original product…. other than the quotes themselves, anyway…. It must be the shoes…. If not, well, that’s okay, too, because I need new ones…. Your guess as to what that may mean is as good as mine; since it has NOTHING to do with anything that has gone before, or with anything being planned, I’m not going to even acknowledge its absolute irrelevance to the present situation…. In other words, what a load of crap! Hah! Gotcha!…..

Having thus disposed of the final piece of childish behavior I had left to get out today, I’ll leave you in peace… Well, once I’m gone, you’ll THINK it’s peace, anyway, because of the relative quiet and calm…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Tossing beans with butter, in a bowl….

Posted on July 12, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Late, again…. Fuck it, I’m not even going to worry about it a little bit; whatever happens, happens. I’m too bloody grumpy to care, so, it’s just as well I’m giving up right out of the gate…. I have the distinct feeling that if I made any attempt to be normal, not only would it fail, but, the Universe at large would enjoy a huge guffaw at my expense…. with which, I’m sorry to say, I’m becoming all too familiar…. Murphy’s myrmidons must get promoted by merit, because each bloody one of them laughs harder than the last one, whenever they’re around at those moments I try for normalcy…. Bloody assholes, every damn one of them….

There, now that I’ve whined enough, we can start the day with a different tenor…. How about a bit of fiction? Let’s see….

Harry couldn’t figure out if he should knock at the front, or go around to the back door, where all the servants entered the house…. He knew, as he’d been watching all morning, screwing up his courage to approach the magnificent edifice, standing in all it’s Victorian elegance on the corner of Harper and Main…. Harper House, home to the rich, powerful Harper family, the original settlers of the town, way back in colonial days, had stood on that corner since its construction in 1802, by Hiram Harper, the first white man to settle in the valley. It was 1797, when he walked over Harper Mountain, & got his first view of the valley below, spreading out to the south, trees covering the slopes, with leaves gilded from the sun, shining down with strong promises made to the future….

Well…. that was…. something. Not particularly gripping, but, not too bad…. It sets a stage, and paints a picture, but, I’m not sure I’m happy with the flow, or the elegance…. Oh well, for an early morning throw-away, it’s not bad…. and it did get us this far down the page…. Today, that’s a big help, as my brain isn’t cooperating…. I guess I’m a little excited (and when I say stuff like that, I feel six years old again, but, hey, old age is known to cause its victims to display a retreat to a younger time, when we could actually walk to another part of the house without having to make a plan for the return trip….), because my daughter is coming by today, and we’re going to go to dinner with my son, her brother, and hopefully, his new friend(s)….

Since I am so excited about this evening, I am in a quandary this morning, as I just can’t seem to get going on this…. Oh well, this calls for the immediate application of an emergency bail-out method, and, I’m thinking, #4 is always the most effective, so…. hang on, and we’ll apply that…. NOW….

Shall we Pearl?….

“My atheism, like that of Spinoza, is true piety towards the universe and denies only gods fashioned by men in their own image, to be servants of their human interests.” — George Santayana

(I’m encouraged now…. finding that quote so quickly gives me hope for the rest of this mess…. I hope it’s an indication that Murphy has taken his leave for now, and the rest of this will be left alone…. we can always hope, can’t we?…. Onward, with new bravery…. Huzzah!…..)

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http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Expert-witness-in-toy-gun-case-has-history-of-5614736.php

When I saw this, I became somewhat depressed…. It’s absolute truth; you can tell. This guy, this “expert witness” is nothing more than a shill, whom the courts and the police have been using to defend the indefensible for years….. In those instances where officers use their weapons, this guy has been set up as a final judge of the events that lead up to the incidents, whose word is the equivalent to law, in essence, as it is given more credence than even scientific evidence…. which is a crock, and they know it…. It’s a disturbing thing to find out, as it gives more evidence of how the courts, the police, and the government at large is ignoring or obstructing the issue of police militarization, one I see as a distinctly egregious problem, and one that really NEEDS to be watched….

In fact, this whole idea, of having such an obviously biased individual being given priority in court, makes me so angry, I’m having trouble organizing my arguments…. There are just SO MANY moral and ethical objections to such an event, I can’t decide where to begin…. So, instead, I’ll ask you to read the article, and make your own arguments…. It isn’t hard, particularly…. they are so fucking OBVIOUSLY prejudiced, you’ll find some objections, I’m sure…. Me, I’m going to raid the archives, for something that won’t make my stomach so damned upset, or at least, that won’t offend my sensibilities so badly….

Ah, here we go….. y’all enjoy this, ffolkes, I’m going to go calm down for a few minutes, before I try to deal with poetry…..

From 12/22/2012, a very numerological day…. It’s almost a poem, stated out loud…. One two, two two, two oh one two…. pretty cool, eh? Okay, I’ll stop now…. read on, ffolkes, it’s a fun one… (a Funyun?….):

“Unknowingly, we plow the dust of stars, blown about us by the wind, and drink the universe in a glass of rain.” — Ihab Hassan

What a beautiful line! I wasn’t sure when I saved it last night just what kind of pearl it would make, but it creates such a beautiful image in the mind, I couldn’t resist. I suppose it makes a fine contrast to how I feel just now, and as such, can be used to demonstrate how our attitudes are under our control, if we but choose to assume it…..

I feel like shit, emotionally, for various reasons, and that is reflected in my attitude toward the day; I don’t want to face it. I’d like to be able to just turn it all off, and go visit a friend somewhere far away. But, being stuck here, waiting for relief from my financial limitations, keeps me on the edge of depression, as well as keeping me in place…. If only for the time it takes to read, and contemplate this line, beauty takes over, and my thoughts and attitude undergo a marked change for the better. All it takes is a reminder of what we always have as creatures of this reality, our potential for grace.

“Grace”. Interesting word, that…. I like what it implies, the feeling of being connected to the universe, and enjoying that tie for the joy it can bring. To live in grace means to act rightly, surrounding oneself with beauty, increasing the joy in life by living it well, passionately, with compassion and humility. I can understand how religious folks would seek to receive such from the practice of their faith, though I can’t agree with them about exactly where grace comes from. They seem to believe that it is something given to them, as a reward for their faith, when in reality, it is something they have to learn to give, and can only be found inside themselves, because that is where it always is…. It just isn’t always free to let itself be known….

“The supreme irony of life is hardly anyone ever gets out of it alive.” — Robert Heinlein

Perspective…. the proper perspective can be hard to find, and it is good when such can be provided for us by a simple phrase, like this one, and the first one, above. The first phrase tells us to remember there are two sides to life, and only one side is inherently painful. This quote, from the Grand Master, is a reminder to SEEK perspective, and is one nobody should ever lose track of, as it is universally applicable. One may, at least temporarily, find ways to avoid paying taxes, but there is no avoiding death…. none.

Mere contemplation of our own death is a sure way to gain perspective. It may not always be the most amenable, or comfortable perspective, but it is the most truthful that can be acquired, without exception. Nothing will ground us better than thinking about our own demise, as there is no room for anything but truth when dealing with the whole concept. Anything less than the truth just fails to compute….. Not the most comforting line of thought, unless one has learned not to fear death, but, who is ever very successful at that? I mean, that’s why there are so many different religions out there, all offering their own way of dealing with that fear…. they’re just not very good at it. Well, not very truthful, anyway….

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” — W. W. Zeige

I’m not sure whether I can truthfully classify this as a pearl. The criteria for that decision are pretty loose, all in all, so it will fit in that respect. But, I do rather like to make some valid point, and this one doesn’t seem to have one I can find offhand. We humans spend a lot of our mental energy on stuff like this, which may be a clue as to the whole problem of the inability of so many of us to cope with reality without some kind of crutch, or without letting someone else do our thinking for us. That isn’t a danger for me, thank goodness, but most of humanity seems to fall into that pattern, and that, in itself, presents me with perspective issues, as mine differs radically from most everyone in the mainstream of society.

Oh, there are a lot more ffolkes such as myself out there; WordPress is proof enough of that. But, the major percentage of the population of this country generally prefers not to have to exercise their mental muscles any more than is absolutely necessary. Whether the inertial momentum that is built up by such a large percentage is amenable to adjustment remains to be seen, and all we can do is our best, to spread the virus of rational thought as far as we can….. “You’re our only hope, Obi-wan!”……

“I feel better about world problems now!” — Zippy the Pinhead

And, so do I! Shall we move on?…..

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I’m not sure yet what will go here, so, you’ll just have to wait…. Hey, I’m waiting, too!…. Okay, waiting done…. If you’ve been here with any regularity, you’ll know who I will pick, for, when there is any question about it, I always turn to her…. It’s Emily, of course…. writing on a subject very near, if not dear, to my heart….

The hallowing of pain

The hallowing of Pain
Like hallowing of Heaven,
Obtains at a corporeal cost —
The Summit is not given

To Him who strives severe
At middle of the Hill —
But He who has achieved the Top —
All — is the price of All —

~~Emily Dickinson ~~

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This old school pearl has been collected with parameters that should, hopefully, cause some fairly steady bleeding among our Beloved Ruling Class, should any of them happen to see it…. I found the first couple of pearls sitting here, having obviously been collected previously, with that in mind… Well, so be it…. I never block any of my impulses, if I can keep from doing so…. and this one will, no doubt, be a good one, pointed and sharp, just the way I like them…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. I intend to….. Oh, also…. this will be a rare pearl, a nine-star, just because, when I use nine, the pattern of the wounds makes such a lovely design on their bodies….

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” — Samuel Johnson

(I know…. I said this pearl would be taking shots at the BRC, and asininnies in general…. But, read that line again, and tell me you don’t automatically think of politicians…. I know I do, because the phrase accurately describes no other segment of our society better, than it does those whom we have elected…. Sad, I know, but, all too true….)

“Most people seem to think that trampling individual rights is OK if it is “for the good of society as a whole.” However, society is but a large number of individuals, and how can harming the individual parts better the whole?” — Andrew Ford, forda@agcs.com

“The First Amendment does not say that there is freedom of expression provided the talk is not `dangerous’. It does not say that there is freedom of expression provided the utterance has no tendency to subvert. It does not put free speech and freedom of the press in the category of housing, sanitation, hours of work, factory conditions, and the like, and make it subject to regulation for the public good. Nor does it permit legislative restraint of freedom of expression so long as the regulation does not offend due process. All notions of regulation or restraint by government are absent from the First Amendment. For it says in words that are unambiguous, `Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.'” — Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, 1958

“A politician will always tip off his true belief by stating the opposite at the beginning of the sentence. For maximum comprehension, do not start listening until the first clause is concluded. Begin instead at the word “but” which begins the second, or active, clause. This is the way to tell a liberal from a conservative–before they tell you. Thus: “I have always believed in a strong national defense, second to none, but … ” (a liberal, about to propose a $20 billion defense cut).” — Frank Mankiewicz

(Don’t worry about the labels here, ffolkes…. Mr. Mankiewicz seems to show a bit of bias toward conservatism…. but, it’s still true…. liberal, conservative, whatever…. they ALL do this….)

“Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!” — Albert Einstein

“If God wanted us to have a President, He would have sent us a candidate.” — Jerry Dreshfield

“A conservative is a man who wants the rules changed so no one can make a pile the way he did.” — Gregory Nunn

“Curse all his virtues! they’ve undone his country.” — Joseph Addison (1672-1719) — Cato, Act iv, Sc. 4

(I really do love irony…. and, its twin sister, sarcasm…. When both are used in conjunction with hyperbole, well…. awesome is the word that comes to mind for me…..)

“Do not speak of what men deserve. For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*, and you will begin to be able to think.” — Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_)

I probably don’t need to mention (to this crowd…) that, learning to think in this fashion makes it much simpler to perceive the lies and oppression that the BRC and Asininnies spread around like the clap…. with exactly the same effect on society as that dreaded bacteria has on an individual, if not treated…. sickness, isolation, loss of self and others, and eventual death, from either the disease itself, or the loneliness it can engender in its victims….. Sadly, most of society hasn’t even a clue they’ve been infected by their own leaders, so, no treatment is even considered necessary…. which, as noted, will eventually lead to…. what was that? Oh, yeah….. DEATH….

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It may not be the best Pearl I’ve ever done, but, it has the one primary characteristic that makes it good enough…. it’s done. I can’t do any more damage to it; it’s already dead. So, I’m going to post the corpus, and hope for the best before it starts to deteriorate…. At least I know it won’t smell bad…. at least, not until the technology advances to the point of making what we see on our comps complete with information for the other senses…. i.e. “sensies”, Virtual Reality complete with smells, touch, sounds, sights, and tastes….. Boy, once that happens, we all will need to be more careful about what we leave lying around, won’t we? Until then, this will do…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m not in jail….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Provenance won’t impress the hungry….

Posted on July 11, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Happiness is the only good, reason the only torch, justice the only worship, humanity the only religion, and love the only priest.” — Robert G. Ingersoll (American lawyer and orator)

Well, color me surprised, and more than a little amazed, that an American lawyer not only said this, but sounds as if he believes it…. Howdy, ffolkes, and don’t fret, this isn’t the beginning of a rant, though it could easily be one…. No, there’s plenty of that coming up later…. No, my comment was merely prompted by seeing the word lawyer in conjunction with the words, justice, humanity, reason, and love…. Typically, those qualities are missing from the list of those shown by lawyers, especially American lawyers…. and don’t try to make me guilty over picking at them again…. If they didn’t DO this stuff, it wouldn’t come back to haunt them….

I guess I’ll have to go look him up in Google, so I can see how he came to be….. It isn’t simple, or easy, I would imagine, to be able to hold on to such a powerful set of ethics and morals, when everything in one’s training, and society itself, is telling one to act in an opposite fashion, i.e. immorally, and unethically….

(Once again, don’t start….. I know ALL of them aren’t that way, but, if there weren’t a reason for them, lawyer jokes wouldn’t be necessary, now, would they?….). I’ll stop with the lawyer digs, and jokes, when ONE person can show me proof that 50% of the lawyers in practice have, all of a sudden, become caring, compassionate human beings…. Simple enough, eh? And, bloody impossible, as there aren’t that many honest lawyers out there….. there just aren’t….

Maybe I am ranting… what do you think? Is this a direct attack on lawyers at large? Maybe so…. In that case, let me take a short break, to see if I can find a way back to something more resembling an introduction…. Be right back, ffolkes…. time for a pain break anyway….

Hmm…. Okay, so, there isn’t much, ffolkes….. but, in the interests of full disclosure, I didn’t look real hard. I guess I’m just in a ranting mood, so, maybe you should consider donning the Kevlar vests, and the helmets provided for you as part of your entrance fee….. What? No fees are being collected? Again? Damn it all, where the hell’s Luigi? He’s supposed to be taking the admission gate…. Now I’ll have to take the time to find him, & see why he’s been so flaky of late….

In the meantime, perhaps it would be best to just forgo any further attempts at logic or reason…. I don’t think they’ll be of much use at this point…. Instead, we’ll just go on, and do the best we can with what is there to use….. Wish me luck….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“If I had my life to live over again, I’d be a plumber.” — Albert Einstein

Me? I’d have liked to have been a travel writer….. a job that combines my two favorite activities…. Hell, it may yet happen, who knows? Stranger things, as they say, have happened….

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I’ve avoided full out ranting for a while now, having reached a point where I felt I was repeating myself too often, without achieving any of the results that it would be nice to see for all my efforts (such as a world-wide revolution against the corporate masters who have oppressed society for millennia now…. I can dream, can’t I?….). In the last couple of days, I’ve seen a number of articles in various news sites detailing the latest news on several fronts worth ranting about…. Let’s see what’s up, eh?….

http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/07/09/nsa-spied-on-muslim-americans-including-ex-bay-area-professor-greenwald-alleges/?cmpid=hp-hc-bustech

Only one comment is relevant in response to this: these people are out of control…. By “these people”, I’m referring in general to the NSA, and their cohorts, the CIA, FBI, and whatever other clandestine-oriented criminals masquerading as official entities who have jumped on the “let’s go fight terrorism” bandwagon, which offers them a perfect cover, and excuse, both of which augment and support their private agenda, which is, simply, to control and mislead the public, so they can continue their raping and pillaging of the public treasury, and blame the terrorists……

Then, of course, there is what has been discovered lately about what the NSA, the CIA, and the oxymoronic intelligence agencies that are part of the US pantheon of spies…. In the case below, in Germany, yet ANOTHER double agent was found to have been perverted by the CIA, this one working in one of the German defense departments…. As a result of this one, the article below shows the latest reaction by the German government….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10959549/Germany-asks-CIA-station-chief-in-Berlin-to-leave-country-over-US-spying-row.html

Of course, all the politicians, in both countries, are just salivating, at all the opportunities they will have for political jockeying over these incidents…. The Republicans are happy because it gives them more ammunition against their nightmare, the Black President with Some Integrity, while, on the other side of the aisle, the Democrats are happy because it gives them a chance to get their own names out in the public eye, making statements, and looking concerned…. Neither one actually gives a shit about the issue, but, it’s one they like to see being played out, as it offers so many different ways to distract and obfuscate….

Then, of course, I saw this one…. I’ve been following a bit of this…. It seems that, back in the Thatcher days, the British equivalent to our Congress, their Houses of Parliament, there were a large number of child molesters in office, and they went so far as to use their power, and positions of authority, to further their sick, pedophiliac habits, covering up their crimes with ease, as they had the authority to tell the police to ignore issues, or sweep them under the table…. A member of the House of Commons collected evidence on it, then turned in his report to what should have been the proper authorities, over thirty years ago….

Naturally, that report was “lost” before any action on it’s contents could be formulated, and the whole issue was swept under the bureaucratic table…. Now, this whole episode is coming to light, and the politicians in Westminster are running around like a disturbed nest of ants…. It’s actually quite entertaining, if a bit sick-making, to watch all these psychopathic assholes try to figure out how this will affect them, or, in many cases, trying to decide whether to kill themselves now, or wait until after their trial…. Read it, then join me in a big raspberry to all the sick bastards who are involved, who may now get their just desserts….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10959997/Westminster-whistleblower-told-to-back-off-over-paedophiles.html

Sick, sick people, that’s all I can say…. To finish off this bit of random ranting, below you’ll find a list of people who live in the SF Bay Area who are billionaires…. You know, those privileged elite who believe that, because they have all this money, they can pretty much do whatever they wish to do, without any consequences for their actions…. and, they’d pretty much be right about that….

When was the last time you heard about, or read about, some billionaire going to jail, or even to trial, when they have broken the law? That would right about NEVER, right? Hell, these people, when arrested, or even stopped for a traffic violation, never even have those incidents make it to the papers; you never even HEAR about any trouble they have, because it is all taken care of, hushed up and forgotten, before anyone in the public even knows it has taken place…. That is what money can buy, ffolkes, never doubt it…. Take a look at the list, and the amount of money these assholes are hoarding for their own use….

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Who-are-the-richest-families-in-the-Bay-Area-5610052.php

545.9 BILLION DOLLARS! What an incredible number, describing 18 families in the Bay Area who have a net worth in the billions of dollars; the smallest number I saw was 1.2 billion, I believe, and the most disgusting, er, largest, was WalMart’s owners, the Waltons, at, get this, 152 billion. That number, by the way, is the kind of number the mind can’t really grasp, but, think of it this way…. This insanely small number of people have as much financial resource at their disposal as all but perhaps ten countries in the world…. The US Dept. of Housing budget, for any particular year, is not very much larger than this amount, I’m guessing, if at all….

Astounding, mind-blowing, and to me, reprehensible, that so few people can be not just allowed, by the system, and society, but actively encouraged and directed into perversity by the forces of history, with results that reward such behavior…. All to often, the Powers That Be will aid and abet those who successfully hoard that much for themselves, as opposed to more of a moral attitude, which prioritizes such resources into using them to supply what society may have need for…. which, essentially, another way of saying that society, and the victims of such selfishness, is made to pay for the rotten effects of the corruption and indifference to morality shown by those who have hoarded the resources in the first place….

Okay, ffolkes, we’re about done…. Here, to finish this off with a bit of more positive energy, is another fine article from Mark Morford, this time pointing out some obvious bits of information that are generally ignored by critics of the Obama administration…. I mean, he IS a politician, so, as Mark points out, there are still some questionable issues Barry has raised with his spotty conservatism, and terrorist paranoia…. not to mention how he has catered and kowtowed to the financial community…. disgusting….

Nevertheless, in terms of getting things done that will actually HELP the average American, he has done quite well…. Read this, and try to pay attention… I know this is getting long, but, we’re almost done….

http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/07/08/the-best-worst-president-ever/

As usual, Mark has put his finger on a point most people would miss altogether…It’s brilliant, funny, and all-too-accurate to miss…. Go ahead, I’ll wait…. There, now, don’t you feel a bit lighter? No? Okay, well, I tried…. We’re done here, so I’ll leave you with this final word, to try to bring this to its most efficient, effective ending….

“Rare gift! but oh what gift to fools avails!”

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Odyssey of Homer, Book x, Line 29

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I’m using my own poetry again today, simply because the above took so long, I don’t have any more time to go look for something appropriate by someone else…. and Smart Bee is being a bit of a bastard today, in re: giving me quotes I can actually USE…. Any who, to prevent further whining, here is one from the archives…. This one was written, and first posted, in October of 2012….

Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

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As you probably have guessed by now, this will be another random, harlequin, old-school pearl, because A) it’s fast, B) it’s cheap, and C) it’s what I can do without going off the rails completely…. in other words, I’m using the all-purpose, universal, time-tested American excuse…. Expedience! Enjoy!….

“What you see is from outside yourself, and may come, or not, but is beyond your control. But your fear is yours, and yours alone, like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory, and therefore yours to control. If you feel powerless over your fear, you have not yet admitted that it is yours, to do with as you will.” — Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen”

“I once asked my history teacher how we were expected to learn anything useful from his subject, when it seemed to me to be nothing but a monotonous and sordid succession of robber baron scumbags devoid of any admirable human qualities. I failed history.” — Sting

“There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it with reluctance.” — Terence (185-159 BC)
— Heautontimoroumenos, Act iv, Sc. 6, 1, (805.)

“We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.” — Aristotle

“Until philosophers are kings … cities will never cease from ill, nor the human race.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

“Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.” — Seneca

“I’m pretending I’m pulling in a TROUT! Am I doing it correctly?” — Zippy the Pinhead

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For a Pearl that felt so choppy while in the process of creation, this didn’t come out too badly at all…. In order to keep from feeling like a complete liar, I’m going to go ahead an post it, without even going over it with a critical eye…. some proofing, and, as far as I am concerned, it’s good to go…. Call me Ishmael, or call me a fool…. just don’t call me late for dinner…. See ya, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

“Off to Mars Port? Safe journey, Pilot!”….

Posted on July 9, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

What you see above is an example of pure shamelessness…. Oh, not the cat, though, when she is too hot, trying to cool off, as here in the picture, she’s not above getting into any pose at all, in the center of the coolest spot available in the house, no matter how ridiculous it may look to others…. That, though, isn’t shameless, it’s just being cat…. not “a” cat, but, cat; it’s as much of an attitude, describing a state of being, as it is a noun describing a mammal with fur, claws, and strong opinions…. They really, really don’t give a s–t about what anybody thinks…. It’s not their problem…. That is their bottom line, and would, without a single doubt, be their only response if we could ask them, “What do you think about, well, anything anyone thinks about you?”…..

No, I’m the shameless one here, for taking advantage of the ‘puir wee beastie’, snapping her picture, then holding it up for all to see, merely to say I have tried something new and different to get things going in the mornings… (I confess, the cuteness factor played into the decision…. She IS an animal, and cute….) Besides, she deserves a little embarrassment, if it is at all possible to make a cat feel any such emotion, for the way she used to wake me up, and wake up her mistress, and generally, for all the little PK (that’s psycho-kitty, for those who don’t know..), mad dashes, ripped papers, lost pens, stolen pictures, and otherwise annoying little habits she has developed over time….

She has her sweet moments, but, we tend to tolerate each other more than dote, I’m sorry to say. I love animals, but, just look at those eyes…. I suppose it’s from being raised feral for a couple of weeks before being adopted to a home with humans…. There is still has a strong streak of wild buried inside her, and she’s not afraid to let it out…. We have come to terms, though, and our toleration now has tinges of affection at times, so, it’s all good…

So, there you go…. How’s that for a change of pace? No nonsense, no heaviness, no fiction, no blather (Well, maybe some, but, DIRECTED blather, all on one subject….) (a subject EVERYONE can get behind, right?…), and most importantly for me, no confusion, no sweat, no searching, nor any of my usual fear of not having anything to start with…. WHEW! Works for me!….

Of course, this doesn’t take any of the possible challenges involved in adopting a whole new policy & procedure, complete with Art, and all its implications, into account, but, maybe I’ll wait to see just what they are, before I dismiss this technique out of hand…. In fact, maybe I’ll try it again tomorrow, & see what happens…. Something to look forward to, eh, what? It also segues very nicely into the end of the intro section, and, if you didn’t see that coming, well, so much the better…

Shall we Pearl?…..

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” — Zen proverb

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“Do you ever think about the end of the world as we know it?” — Calvin

One might think I’d have a rant on tap, but, they’d be wrong…. even if I don’t know exactly why that happens to be true…. I have the outrage, at all the crap that goes on every day, and the angst, that builds up with every headline that shouts out another lie…. What I don’t have is the actual specific subject upon which to rant…. I don’t know if that’s because I can’t decide among the many, many asininnies that are potentially available for abuse, or which of their shenanigans to expose, or if there just isn’t anything compelling enough to draw my immediate ire, as opposed to my constant disrespect for the morality they display…. or, more accurately, the LACK of morality they display….

SIGH…. Whatever the reason, I just don’t have it in me today…. But, from the archives, I DO have a quite fine ‘discussion’, a milder sort of rant, that touches on the root cause of many of the ills in society we see each day…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s a good rant, for it’s type….

From 4/13/2013:

“Custom does often reason overrule and only serves for reason to the fool.” — John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

This aphorism is one that I think most people would accept as true, at least part of the time. It also points up what I see as a basic flaw in human nature, a characteristic that everyone possesses, and few overmaster. It has to do with our core beliefs, and the attitude we assume as our method of perception, the orientation of our world-view, as it were. We all perceive what is out there in the universe, but we are not capable, at this time, of understanding, or even noting, all that is there to be perceived, as we are limited to what we can see, hear, feel, touch, taste, or deduce, in our immediate vicinity…. We don’t yet know how to include the input of anything not in our physical presence, other than vicariously (via TV, radio, books, etc…..).

We do, however perceive what we are near, and what we do with those perceptions is what determines how the events of our lives will proceed. What is more, each one of us perceives all of this IN A DIFFERENT WAY….. Two people can look at the same article, or event, and see two entirely different things; just ask them….. We use the same senses, the same KIND of brains to process the data, at the same time to observe the same event, yet the interpretation of those events will vary, by as many degrees as there are people perceiving them. This unique ability, to process data in a completely new and different way from anyone else’s method, is, as might be guessed, both a blessing, and a curse….. It is the latter that concerns me today…..

In order to coexist in the same place and time, people have learned to accept certain perceptions as being identical, for the purposes of communication, e.g., everyone knows what “fire” is, and knows not to touch it barehanded…. (Note: in a way, this blog is all about the process of such communications…. we explore the reality that is consensual, that we all agree to deal with as being the same for all of us…..) This is the blessing it gives, the opportunity to increase understanding, to allow people to work in tandem, making both much more capable, making two more than just one plus one….. This is a very useful tool in the real world, and has helped our species achieve the degree of civilization we now enjoy….

But, the other side of this characteristic has an equal part in our destiny, and may in fact be the more important of the two, in the ultimate sense….. You see, we are all herd animals, and desire the approval and company of our peers; without it, we suffer, much more than we even know. It is not “human” to remain alone too long…. Oh, there is nothing wrong with solitude, and much great thought is achieved when one is not distracted by others….. On the other hand, a human who is alone for too long becomes a pale imitation of his/her true self, without the presence of other minds to test his/her theories, to discuss and share their feelings and accomplishments, to vent their frustrations, to experience love….. Without these things, our spirits become small, and lose their moral compass, leaving us adrift in a reality that seems dark, and dangerous….

This dependence on custom (which I define as the total construct of human society, the set of rules and regulations, all unwritten, by which all of us shape our behavior in respect to each other…..) is so strong that, as the aphorism states, one becomes willing to set reason aside, in order to keep and maintain our feeling of having a place in society. We will assume whatever mask that society demands, at times, in order to not have to wear a mask of our own devising, one that we do not find comfortable…. This is the curse of which I spoke….

You see, there are a number of people who have no compunctions whatsoever in using this human characteristic to their own ends….. They don’t believe in any of the crap they spew, but will say or do anything to make sure that others do, because this is how they control the general populace… They spread their lies, fast and often, until they are believed…. these lies promulgate fear amongst the uneducated and timid, who then demand that “something be done!” by those in charge…. which is exactly what those people wanted, for they can now proceed to further fan the flames of fear, while surreptitiously looting the public treasury to make it seem as if they are doing something constructive…. “Hey, they’re stealing our oil! Let’s spend a few billion to bomb the crap out of them so we can keep driving our gas guzzling SUV’s, each one with 14 great cup holders!”

Oh well, I guess that’s all the rant I’ve got in me today…. It’s kind of mild I know, but I was trying to be scholarly, rather than controversial and accusatory…. I think I’ve succeeded in that, but, it doesn’t quite give the same thrill and/or release as a good, nasty rant, with some great name-calling… Well, I can always call them assholes, because, hey, it fits, and it’s easy to type…. Any who, I’ll stop now, right on the edge of illumination, and allow the Gentle Reader to follow the train of my thought to its obvious conclusion…. For those too busy, or too lazy to do so, I’ll summarize….

Don’t listen to what anyone else says, not about YOUR perceptions. And, for sure, kick the asses of anyone who tries to convince you of their integrity in an elected capacity, or any position of authority…. A lot of people, on every level of society, are just trying to control you for their own purposes, and deserve any ass-kicking that comes their way…. Be like a cat…. cats don’t give a SHIT what anybody thinks, they just are….. No apologies, no fuss, just leave me alone, because I’m busy being a cat….. This is good advice, so, listen up, I’m trying to do you a favor….. 😆

“We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him.” — Michel Eyquem de Montaigne _Essays_, bk. III, ch. 11 [1595]

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This was written on 10/21/2012…. at least, that’s what Windows tells me in the Properties tab for the document file…. I wrote quite a few that year, breaking free of a 35 plus year hiatus from writing poems…. I like it, & that’s all that matters…. Hey, it DOES rhyme, you know? It helps…. Also, full disclosure…. I did change ONE word today…. and, got rid of two…. which also helped…. I hope you like it, too….

Choosing a Theme

Powerful words playing hide and seek in my mind,
teasing with subtle cruelty, pretending to be kind.
Grand visions and flowery verses of beauty and truth
evaded my inner eye all through the days of my youth.

Affable interludes interspersed with allegorical wit
softened the crimes, against all reason, to finally acquit.
Time became at once an enemy, and an ally
Never once compelled to provide an answer why.

Giving gifts of simple kindness are their own pay,
spreading ripples of compassion are felt far and away.
Love given freely is precious, we are ever told,
increasing love received, more than a hundred fold.

Living long, with passion, has centered my soul,
allowing me room, and time, to choose my own goal.
Now I’ve lived past any need to pretend
I love everything in life, even knowing it will end.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so, since I didn’t do much of anything fresh today, beyond a couple of pearls to fill in what was still needed, after producing most of today’s post yesterday afternoon, during a random energy burst…. and some serendipitous archive-searching…. At least the major portion of this group was picked out this morning, so, here is a little bit of fresh, mixed in with the stuff I found yesterday, while performing the blogging equivalent of dumpster diving….

It’s a strange group, mostly good for giving one’s self periodic pep talks, or, possibly, moral guidance during those moments when reality challenges us to act…. Or, you could read them just for fun….. your choice, as always….

“He who thinks he is raising a mound may only in reality be digging a pit.” — Ernest Bramah

“Fate is a river; free will is a paddle.” — Smart Bee

“Forgiveness is better than revenge, for forgiveness is the sign of a gentle nature, but revenge is the sign of a savage nature.” — Epictetus

“Action is the proper fruit of knowledge.” — Thomas Fuller

“Never fear shadows. They simply indicate there’s a light shining close by.” — Smart Bee

“Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC)

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” — Albert Einstein

Boy, that last one says it all, don’t it?….

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In spite of the good sleep I managed last night, I’m still tired from my trip on Sunday with the young cone; kids will tire you out trying to keep up, for sure…. Any who, this is done, and that’s all I need to know at this point…. I’m outta here, ffolkes…. I’ll leave you as I greeted you, with a picture of cute…. This one was found on several news sites, so it must be fairly universal in attribution by now…. You gotta love the matching expressions here…. Both of them appear bemused and a little unsure, but, willing to pose together…. amazing synchronicity, I think…. See y’all tomorrow…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Tumbling down the Stairway to Heaven….

Posted on July 8, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Men are most apt to believe what they least understand.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book iii, Chap. xi

The pearl you see above was intended to get my mind out of the doldrums in which it found itself becalmed; I’m pretty sure they’ve failed, miserably, because I’ve been sitting here, looking at it, waiting for inspiration to strike, for, oh, a good twenty minutes now, and what you see is what I’ve got, so far….. If I weren’t sure I was wrong, I’d say it wasn’t working, but, I’m never wrong®, so that can’t be it…. It must be the shoes….

Okay, so it’s not the shoes; more likely it’s just the normal foggy mind-state that dogs me every morning when I sit down to begin this self-induced torture…. I’ve never let that stop me before, so, I suppose I can’t give up today. My pain level today is a bit distracting; I probably overdid it on the SF trip the other day, and my calves & thighs are complaining about all the unexpected exercise, along with the usual arthritic back, hip, and shoulder joint pain…. just another day on the farm. I’ll get done, but, I guarantee I won’t enjoy that part of it….

In fact, I’m starting to feel rather curmudgeonly, so much so, it’s possible you could see a rant later; all I need for that, I think, is one good headline, informing us of yet another item of chicanery from one of the BRC, or a preacher, or perhaps one of the entitled myrmidons, and I’d be able to go off on whomever it was, with power, elegance, and a sharp, pointed stick in the eye…. Of course, that’s providing anything is in the media, which has an unfortunate tendency to pass over the most egregious of the shenanigans our leaders engage in; after all, if the reporters didn’t have the politicians to pick on, who would they write about?….

I guess I have to face it…. I’m lost again, and I haven’t a clue as to how to get back to anywhere we can recognize as the right path…. Damn! This means we’ll have to use one of the emergency endings…. In fact, I see one right here, so, we’ll jump on it, while we have the chance…. Otherwise, we may NEVER get out of the intro; I’m THAT screwed up today…. Oh, look, there’s the end I was talking about; let’s dive….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself.”– George Bernard Shaw

As you can see, pearls can be VERY accurate, when describing human nature, and how it applies to each one of us…. Here we find it to have perfectly nailed this entire intro section, and my part in creating it….. See, even when I screw up, the process of Pearling can save us…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/williesworld/article/What-s-with-the-American-public-giving-a-fail-5601966.php?cmpid=hp-hc-bayarea

Okay, I give up…. I’ll rant…. Whoa, now! No throwing stuff!…. Okay, I won’t rant…. But, I could, if I wanted to; you needn’t think your rude flinging of that odd substance in the general direction of my head had anything to do with my decision… I’m just a nice guy, at heart, and I figure I’ll save it up for the next one…. I’ll just say this about the above…. For once in my life, I agree with Willie, at least in part…. Not fully: I am, to use his style, 100% sure that Obama has lied to the public, on more than one occasion… Sorry Willie, but, that’s documented elsewhere… But, considering the handicaps he has faced, he’s done as well, or better, than could be expected….

Not to say that means that things went well, but, there have been a number of advancements of culture that indicate some progress toward a more moral society…. I just don’t expect it to last long…. Any who, section three today is a long one, so, rather than rant, we’ll just put together a seven-star pearl, of a directly critical nature, (in the vein of Socrates, the “gadfly”), directed at those I like to call the Asininnies…. You’ll recognize them, I think…. If not, well, the comments I make should make it all clear….

“If a man boasts a great deal about what he is going to do tomorrow, it is timely to check into what he did yesterday!” — Smart Bee

(I would say this is probably a very, very good policy to hold when examining politicians….)

“It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies.” — Arthur Calwell

(Obviously, this is an idea that never became popular in this country; in fact, every single politician in office in Washington D.C. will spend a long time trying to convince you this is a lie, at least when it comes to THEM….)

“Join the Army: Travel to exotic distant lands. Meet exciting, unusual people and kill them.”– US Army recruiting poster, as envisions by MAD Magazine

(This was popular back in the 60’s, during the Vietnam conflict, yet, somehow, remains valid today….)

“A society made up of individuals who were all capable of original thought would probably be unendurable.” — H.L. Mencken

(Maybe so, but, I’d be willing to try it, just for the contrast….)

“Do you ever think about the end of the world as we know it?” — Calvin

(Every damn day, thank you….. since I can see it, just down the hall…..)

“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” — Thomas Jefferson

(More proof that Jefferson was NOT a politician; he just played one during the Constitutional Convention…. Be assured, you would NEVER hear a politician from today’s world say this, unless he was trying to fool someone into believing his crap, to wit: playing the humility card….)

“Fewer possess virtue, than those who wish us to believe that they possess it.” — Cicero (B.C. 106-43)

And,there, with the last line, we have the perfect closer for a discussion of the BRC, an admonition, as it were, to watch them, like the proverbial hawk, for they will tell you whatever they think you would like to hear, and never mean a single word of what they say….. Believe it….

“And THAT’S the TRUTH! Thppt!” — Edith Ann (Lily Tomlin)

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From 4/13/2013…. This poem is actually of an older date than that; the given date is the last time I posted it…. It was first penned as prose, then, later, I noted it to actually be a poem, if in free verse…. Enjoy….

Stray Cats

The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.

Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.

Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.

Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone….
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I promised a photo shoot, and here it is…. Those who receive this via email will only see a link…. The link will take you to today’s post on my blog, where you can see what goes in this section…. There were way too many pictures to send out via email; it would have taken forever to upload that much data…. It’s simpler for me, and you, to just click the link, whereupon you’ll be taken to the blog, where the pictures are living for now…. Of course, you’ll still see the comments, but, they won’t make much sense without going to see the pictures….

The pictures you’ll see were all taken on my recent day trip to SF, taking along the Wise Old Pine Cone’s young paduan learner, whom we’ll call the Young Cone, for now…. The comments will be located, as this one, above each picture, to provide any necessary background…. We had a great time, if a bit exhausting for me, so I hope you enjoy this photo report….

First, here is the Young Cone, posing in the branches of a tree on the way to the bus stop, where we caught a bus to the Ferry terminal downtown…. He was so excited, he jumped to that branch all the way from the sidewalk, and capered there until I agreed to take the picture…. He looks really excited, doesn’t he? Almost vibrating with the intensity of his emotions….
Here you see the Young Cone excitedly telling another cone he met at the bus stop about his upcoming day…. He’s a friendly little cone, he is…

In this pic, the Young Cone gets his first look at the Ferry….

Checking the departure time, before embarking….

The Young Cone was amazed at the amount of CRAP on sale; as a student of the Master, he doesn’t eat such poison, but, he likes to look at the packages, which are so colorful….

The Young Cone was also amazed at the prices of everything…. Here he looks at the espresso they served, for about three times its worth, in the only cup they had to serve it in…. The counter-lady was very nice to him, though….

Here is the Young Cone, trying out one of the ferry’s seats….

As I mentioned, he’s a friendly little cone…. Here, he tries to soothe a pooch he met, who looks a bit nervous to be on the ferry…. Looks like she isn’t buying whatever line he’s trying to sell her….

Gazing out the front window of the Ferry at the SF skyline a few minutes prior to arrival at the Ferry Building…..

In this picture, the Young Cone looks at some very interesting flutes, hand-crafted out of ceramic, for sale at the craft fair across the Embarcadero from the Ferry Building, in the shade of the Financial district skyscrapers, at the end of Market Street….

Whoops! Who’s this cute little fella? And how did he get in here?…. Oh well, he’s too cute to delete…. so he stays….

(Actually, the pic is from the London Daily Telegraph, from a couple of days ago…. It actually DID end up here by mistake, but, as I stated, he’s just too cute a wolf pup to suffer the indignity of deletion…..)

    When we got to Pier 39 to wander around, the Young Cone insisted on posing on one of the sculptures…. As it turns out, he’s a camera hog, and loves to get his picture taken in almost any odd place…. as you will see below…..
    The Young Cone was almost mesmerized by the colors in the flower gardens spotted around the area…..
    Here, the Young Cone gazes in amazement at the high-tech, futuristic restroom sink in one of the public restrooms…. all motion activated, so, no fixtures…. very cool…… No cleaner than any other type, but, it did LOOK cool….
    Posing on the wall outside the Hard Rock Cafe…..
    Checking out the outrageous prices at Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream outlet…..
    Posing again, this time as a wing-walker, in front of the Kite Store…..
    He really wanted to go on the Alcatraz tour, but, the boat for that was being repaired, so we had to forgo that trip….
    The Young Cone, looking out over the marina, just before getting on the Ferry to come home…..
    There you have it, ffolkes…. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did it…. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get this one done, but, I did… I’m going to say, it wasn’t easy, but, it turned out pretty well, in my estimation, so, I’ll go post it, and pat myself on the back, later, when I can actually REACH it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Oddly enough, snakes HATE apples…

Posted on July 6, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Truth be told, getting up when I do to write these Pearls is becoming more of a chore than it ever has in the past….. While fighting the pre-coffee, pre-magic cream kick-in, and the lethargy that now dogs me each morning, I experienced a small epiphany…. and then lost it….. It’s really too bad, too, because I’m fairly sure it was important, and would have made my life, if not easier, at least more comfortable…. SIGH…. I know it’s going to be a tough day when my own mind fails to get on board with the program, in spite of the offerings made by reality to expiate the difficulty….

I suppose I’ll have to push on, though, as my sense of Duty is so entwined with this purpose, this process will plague me until my last breath…. and possibly beyond…. Isn’t THAT a scary thought? Oh well, it’s not as if I didn’t know all of this coming in; it’s just, as I said, one of those mornings, when it all seems more than I can bear…. Of course, I can bear a lot, but, that doesn’t mean I like it…. I may have, and be able to deal with, a lot of pain, but, in doing so, I tend to lose track of Mr. Nice Guy…. and don’t regret a moment of it when I do….

Since, however, I AM such a nice person, at the core, I always feel bad whenever I chew on someone, even if they deserve it (as is most often the case, I find…. stupid is as stupid does, after all….). I don’t know if that makes up for my grumpiness, karmically speaking, but, it does keep me from chewing all the way down to the bone…. most times….. I can’t help it if people keep doing stupid right in front of me, though, so, I’ve come to the conclusion the whole issue is one I can’t afford to ignore, at least from a legal standpoint….

Now, from analyzing that last paragraph, I see we have reached a point where reality no longer has any influence over my mind at all…. This can be a good thing, or not, depending on how I deal with this last portion of this intro…. If I can work this right, we’ll be okay, just a bit stiff and awkward, especially on the turns…. If not, well, I may as well just go into the archives now, and be done with it…. Either way, my thumb is screaming at me, so it will have to be a fast one, to get done before my right hand becomes useless for typing….

On looking back over what has transpired to this point, I’m afraid my prediction holds…. this could get ugly, or it could turn to shit, in a heartbeat….. or, it could be the best Pearl ever…. at this point, there’s no way to tell…. Well, actually, since this intro is such a hodge-podge of mixed ingredients, some good, some bad, that “best Pearl” category is probably out of the question…. How about we shoot for “coherent”?…. That, at least, sounds doable….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“I may not understand what you say, but I’ll defend to your death my right to deny it.” — Albert Alligator, in Pogo, 26 September 1951

“Ah! don’t say you agree with me. When people agree with me I always feel that I must be wrong.” — Oscar Wilde

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How is it possible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not so much as take warning?” — Jonathan Swift

https://news.yahoo.com/germany-arrests-suspected-double-agent-spying-u-two-124028510.html

Don’t fret…. I’m not going to rant, even though I could….. This article is here to provide the latest development in the ongoing saga of the Snowden Effect…. The poor German spy they arrested was apparently subverted by the NSA, or some other agency in the US government, for what seems to be a pretty paltry sum…. If I’m reading it right, this terminally bozoid personality was paid a measly 2500 Euros to spy for our side…. It doesn’t seem like much, to me, for the risk of destroying one’s entire life, but, then, I’m not stupid, either, even if my nose IS red, and large, and makes a loud noise when squozen….. squuzzed…. squeezed….

Any who, such rampant dumbness doesn’t deserve my rant, though I wouldn’t object to putting it onto the NSA…. Instead, though, to foster a bit of tolerance in me, and avoid becoming even MORE angst-filled than I am already, I’ll go with an old-school pearl, targeted at those same federales who are making such a nuisance of themselves, by stealing not only the public’s money, while destroying its trust, but are also stealing our data, merely to justify their own deeply seated paranoia…. Yes, ffolkes, I give you, The Asininnies!….

“Life is a search after power.” — Emerson

(Well, it certainly is in Washington, D.C…..)

“Waco means the government can kill anyone it doesn’t like and get a 94% approval rating.” — Jeff Chan

(Especially if they can find someone else to blame it on….)

“I smell a rat.” — Patrick Henry, upon hearing about the Constitutional Convention, which eventually overthrew the first Federal Government of the United States

(Guess what, ffolkes…. the rat never left….)

“War loves to seek its victims in the young.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Scyrii, Frag. 507

“CONGRESSIONAL ANTHEM: MOE MONEY, MOE MONEY, MOE MONEY.” — Smart Bee

“A man that should call everything by its right name would hardly pass the streets without being knocked down as a Common Enemy.” — Lord Halifax

(This one is still true….. People have always had a hard time swallowing the truth, and, human nature hasn’t changed a whit…..)

“It is as useless to argue with those that have renounced the use and authority of reason as to administer medication to the dead.” — Thomas Paine

(Gee, sounds like they’re talking about the recent GOP runoff election in Mississippi…. where the Tea Party had a number of candidates running….)

Okay, so, it’s not the best pearl ever, and it’s all littered with comments…. Deal with it…. At least I’m done, and we can go find a poem now….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe I have a poem percolating, somewhere in the hidden, far reaches of my mind; I can sort of feel the whirling vortex of burgeoning creative forces gaining speed, sucking in words, ideas, and perceptions to formulate some sort of outburst from my alter-ego, wherever it may be hiding…. That must be why I’ve been using so many of my older poems…. it sort of gives me a push in the right direction when I see the former results of this process in me…. Now, all I have to do is wait until it starts bleeding out, and try to get it on screen….

For now, I’ve been feeling a lot of wanderlust lately; I need to be out and gone, seeing some new part of the world where I’ve never been, or some part I’ve always wanted to explore…. Mostly, when I feel that, Ireland is the place that comes to mind…. I’ve wanted to explore the country, and get to know the people, for much of my adult life, and the day each in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast, while on my cruise last year, just isn’t enough to fulfill that desire…. Hence, I’ve decided that the Emerald Isle will be my next destination; I’ve already started saving up…. To celebrate the decision, here’s a poem I wrote a couple years ago, on that very subject….

Days and Nights of Eire

Comforting, a dream creeps oft into my mind
On the elven hills of Eire lives the vision I find.
Elegant, gracious, everlastingly draped in beauty
Just payment of simple homage lives as joyous duty.

Fairies and druids walk abroad in ghostly parade
Gracing each hearth with its own welcoming shade.
Castles and heroes yet live in tale and song
Proving love for the land in each heart strong.

From cold of winter into glorious young spring
Brown, and gray, to emerald green songs to sing
Soft rains always follow winter’s great tempest
Eire dons its emerald coat from east to west.

Old and strong, connections call out in dreams
Nothing that was known remains as it seems.
Immersion in ancient runes and battle hymns
Offering sanity in place of grievous whims.

Time and place can tell a much different tale
Judgment should never be a final sale.
Yet something solid and real calls me to go see
Where dreams of loving beauty may actually be….

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here I am again, lost in space, once again, sans any photos, or other means of producing anything worthwhile…. Having reached the third section, though, I am authorized to go with impulse, which, in this case, apparently bears a strong resemblance to laziness…. You know what that means…. another random, harlequin, old-school pearl, just because I can… Enjoy, ffolkes, this is all you get today…. Chalk it up to post-holiday depression, I guess… That always happens when I hear something like the first quote below, which I have no doubt is based on the truth….

“We have killed more people celebrating Independence Day than we lost fighting for it.” — Will Rogers

“Virtue is a kind of health, beauty and good habit of the soul.” — Plato (B.C. 427?-347?)

“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 11

“It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.” — The Vatican Sayings, Epicurus

“Things are not always what they seem.” — Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.) — Book iv, Fable 2, 5

“Ignorance plays the chief part among men, and the multitude of words;” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Cleobulus, iv

“Do you have change for a paradigm?” — Smart Bee

Ah, yes…. An excellent pearl, of its type….. I find it apropos, somehow, that the only inclusion that came from a time period AFTER the first century A.D.. was from Will Rogers….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m not going to whine, but that turned on me, and became more of an ordeal even than I’d imagined it would be…. It’s done, though, which is probably for the best….. I could conceivably hurt more than just myself by continuing….. Besides, my brain is now empty, so, I’ll be on my way…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should the universe see fit to give me a small break…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Immersed in the cadence of a Treble Bob Major…..

Posted on July 5, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

SNAFU — Situation Normal, All Fucked Up

As I sat staring at the hideously all-white screen this morning, my mind remained blank for, oh, ever so long….. So long, I was afraid it was going to refuse to boot itself up at all, at all…. Not that such an occurrence is totally new; I’ve had some fairly blank days in my time, but, I’m usually a bit more ahead of the game than that when I sit down to write…. So, I retired to Smart Bee, to seek out a quote, or, as it turned out, two, to jump-start my mind…. I find if I throw something in there, the reaction to it will often stimulate activity that serves as a starting point for what passes as thinking at that time of the day….

I left one of the quotes there at the front, or top, to show what I found, and to give y’all an idea of how it is around here most of the time…. The acronym above is, no doubt, familiar to most of us…. I once read a word study of the term, giving its history, and found it was first used by the military, in WWII, I believe, as a radio call to give information on status without official approval, or in conversation, to describe a major clusterfuck, without actually USING vulgarity, as I did here…. I know, I’m shameless…

But, my idiosyncrasies aside, my kick-start technique seems to have worked rather well…. I can’t say I’m fully awake, or even mostly, but, I’ve had some coffee, and have already shown I’m able to touch on my sense of irony, with some minor humor thrown in for good measure…. Can’t ask for more than that from one small acronym, can we? I don’t see how….

The other quote I found is at the end of this opening narrative, as it is a perfect quote for this blog…. I won’t say it is one of my watch-word aphorisms, as I don’t totally agree with the old religious master, in this case…. or, at least, not in every instance where it might be applicable…. My feeling is that each case where the exercise of doubt is used must be judged on a case by case basis, with one’s own participation, or reaction, determined by the details of the issue…. There are times when abstention cannot be entertained as an option, as when one’s doubt leads to the knowledge of wrongdoing, in which case, it is our duty, as a human, to act against any such exercise of evil’s prerogatives….

Hmm…. That paragraph, it seems, sort of unbalanced this whole intro section with the weight of its concerns; it was much “heavier” than any of the rest of this…. I don’t know if I can save it from falling over, but, maybe with some further blather, I can “bring balance to the force”, and to this Pearl, by lightening things back up to where they began…. I was having fun, and all of sudden, there in that last paragraph, it all went sober and weighty on me…. I’m not even sure how, except the aphorism from the ancient Zoroaster was quite a bit more serious than the one at the top….

Ah well, I think it will all be okay; I can feel this getting more stable, the further I write…. Of course, that is most likely just a hallucination, to which I am prone at such moments…. It has to do with my PTSD, and the all-too-natural tendency to try to make reality fit my conception of it, rather than allowing that same reality to set the tone of what goes on in our lives…. It isn’t possible to force change on reality, nor is it necessary, as it will change, all on its own, and whether or not we wish it to do so…. (See Peruaosophy, Axiom #2….)

Besides, now that we’ve gone down the page this far, I’m allowed to just dump overboard anything I don’t want to take along any further, and there’s no penalty…. As if I would pay one, anyway…. All that nonsense aside, I think we’re done here, or, done with the intro, anyway…. In fact, here’s the end, right here….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“When you doubt, abstain.” — Zoroaster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will change the pebbles of our puddly thought
To orient pearls.

— Du Bartas (1544-1590) — Divine Weekes and Workes, Second Week, Third Day, Part i

I awoke rather late, for me, so I don’t really have time to rant about any of the following material…. But, rather than say nothing, I’m including the links, and will follow the presentation of information of some of the latest chicanery that has come to light, all because of the courage and patriotism of Eric Snowden, with an old-school pearl, instead of a rant….

It is actually becoming rather obvious that our government is completely corrupted; the complete intransigence they have shown in refusing to acknowledge the rightness of what Mr. Snowden brought to light, to my mind, is their most egregious sign of guilt…. Well, that, and the FACT they are lying through their teeth in every statement they make on the subject of their illegal spying….. Here, read the articles, then enjoy the pearls that make some fun of all those who engage in the charade that we call “democracy”…..

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Report-NSA-targeted-German-privacy-activist-5598215.php#photo-6551181

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/24/nsa-surveillance-world-leaders-calls

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/jul/03/british-soldier-david-mcintyre-mental-disorder-extradited-us

I know, I felt soiled after reading all of it, too…. Go wash up, then you can more easily enjoy and appreciate the following jabs to the governmental rib cage….

” — How many Reaganists does it take to change a light bulb? Ten: One to deny that the bulb is burned out, one to clarify the denial (“The bulb is really just dim”), one to blame the bulb burning out on the Carter administration, one to blame the bulb burning out on Congress, one to ask for a Constitutional amendment that will prohibit bulbs from burning out, one to replace the bulb with a kerosene lamp, one to borrow money from the Japanese to pay for the kerosene, one former Reaganist to lobby his old colleagues for a special favour for the kerosene importer, one to cash the cheque for investing in the kerosene importer, one to send the bill to the next generation.” — Smart Bee

“After I asked him what he meant, he replied that freedom consisted of the unimpeded right to get rich, to use his ability, no matter what the cost to others, to win advancement.” — Norman Thomas

(Wow! If this ISN’T an American business man talking, I’m a tea pot…. and, let me assure you, I am NOT a tea pot…. Hell, I don’t even LIKE tea very much….)

Sicilian: “Inconceivable!” Westley: “You use that word a lot. I don’t think it means what you think it does.” — The Princess Bride

(Picture this interaction with any Senator as the Sicilian, and just about any reporter as Westley…. then use, instead of “Inconceivable”, substitute the word, “Truth!”. The entire interaction will make perfect sense, and, has the advantage of being more factual than imaginary….)

“As we anarchists say: “There’s no government like no government.”” — D’Arcy J. M. Cain (darcy@druid)

“Do you call yourself free? I want to hear your ruling idea, and not that you have escaped from a yoke.” — Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”

“Attitudes adjusted, while you wait.” — L.A. Police Car Bumper Sticker

(The fact that this is TRUE is what makes this fit in….I’ve actually SEEN police cars with that sticker on them…. It is yet another example of how the government, and their myrmidons, are not even bothering to hide a lot of their asininity these days…. It’s a bit scary to realize the attitude expressed by that sticker is not just present, but is rampant amongst almost all the metropolitan police forces in this country…)

“Americans have different ways of saying things. They say `elevator’, we say `lift’…they say `President’, we say `stupid psychopathic git’….” — Alexi Sayle

There you go, ffolkes…. I’ll have a real rant for y’all soon…. I can feel the anger/angst building up; I’ll need to let it out soon…. Until then, let’s find a poem that seems appropriate….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, I’m late, so, I have to go with one of my own poems, to save time…. Here is one that hits the right spot…. If you remember axiom #1 of Peruaosophy, which I have kindly and conveniently included below the poem, you’ll know why….

Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce

Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
meets the once handsome racer’s face.

Yuk, yuk, yuk said that asshole Moe,
after poking both of Larry’s eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
and only ever got hit with pies.

Lonely moments never really come along
when Murphy’s got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren’s song
will he abrogate his natural rights.

All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
so we may as well learn to live with it.

~~ gigoid ~~

Peruaosophy, Axiom #1 states: “I think I am. That’s close enough.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rather than cheat, by using an archived piece here, I’ll throw together a random, harlequin pearl, the fastest, most consistent kind….. Let’s see what SB can do for us today….

“You, shall I tell you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, say that you know it. When you do not know a thing, admit you do not know it. This is knowledge.” — Confucius

“Cats know how we feel. They don’t give a damn, but they know.” — Smart Bee

“I’m having BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS about the INSIPID WIVES of smug and wealthy CORPORATE LAWYERS..” — Zippy the Pinhead

“You know what it’s like to be dead. It’s just like it was before you were born. Remember what it was like before you were born?” — Evan

“Insanity, its not just a plea. Its a way of life.” — Smart Bee

“I have great faith in fools — self confidence my friends call it.” — Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

“I demand IMPUNITY!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Zowie! It’s been a long while since I made a pearl with two Zippy quotes; add in two entries from Smart Bee, and you’ve got something….. What that might be is a subject I wouldn’t touch with a FIFTY foot pole…. Actually, though, it came out pretty well…. in fact, I think we could go so far as to call it “special”….. Of course, that’s only because it’s all so damn relevant, in spite of not having tried to make it so…. Ah well, even after all this time, the process of Pearling can surprise me with some new facet I’ve never before encountered….. It must be love…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, whatever it is, it’s done, so we can all take a big breath of relief, if not sheer exuberant joy…. In spite of myself, I’ve managed to create a half-way decent morning Pearl, so, I’ll close the horse’s mouth, and be on my way into the day…. I hope y’all had a nice, quiet, peaceful Fourth of July, which, I know, is damned un-American of me, but, hey, it’s who I am….

Some of us patriots have actually READ the US Flag Code, y’know? Next time I see someone with the flag used as a piece of clothing, I’m going to perform a citizen’s arrest, and drag their ass off to court, just for the humiliation factor, when the judge reads the code to find that such behavior is strictly illegal…. So is writing on one, like the junior Shrub was fond of doing….

Whoops, almost fell into a late rant there…. Sorry…. But, if you get the chance, read the US Flag Code some time; you’ll see that just about nobody, outside the Marine Corps, knows diddly squat about how to treat or honor the flag…. ‘Nuff said, I’m outta here…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Savory, succulent sausages slowly simmering…..

Posted on July 1, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Alliteration aside, this morning’s Pearl may get a bit chaotic…. My mind today is racing, driven by inner demons raised overnight by the specter of imminent events of a difficult nature. As a lifelong polymath, multitasking is no stranger, but, it’s never comfortable, or comforting, when the majority of what I perceive promises the necessity of painful resolution.

My sleep was delayed last night, by a late communication that disturbed my equilibrium enough to keep me up after eleven pip emma; hence, getting up at four ack emma, per my routine, was harder than I’d thought it would be…. That, of course, is not new, or unfamiliar, so I got up anyway, since the coffee was ready…. What the hell, today can’t be any worse than some of those I’ve had in my past, and already survived….

In defense against the looming depression that often accompanies events such as I’m currently experiencing, I’ll probably get a bit silly today; silliness, for me, is a very strong shield against feeling bad…. I suppose the lightheartedness required to be that way fills up all the available space in our hearts, and the less uplifting sort of emotions are unable to find a spot on which to place their ill-will.

Whatever the reason, it helps, when one is feeling sort of down, but not yet sunk, to find some silly, nonsensical activity to occupy one’s attention, until enough inner serenity has been garnered, and the peace of mind needed to effectively deal with the difficult emotional responses is present…. In essence, I squeeze my nose, until the loud honking has stimulated the inner clown, life assumes a more natural state, and I am able to once again “walk in beauty”….

Not everyone, I guess, has an inner Bozo on which they can depend, to lighten their spirit, and provide the emotional space necessary to be able to apply one’s mind and reason to whatever threatens our peace; I’m a lucky man, in that respect. Being a Bozo doesn’t always stimulate in others the highest regard for our demeanor, but, it’s better than pissing them off by taking advantage of them, as our government and churches so easily do with their sober, unsmiling outlook on life at large…. But, then, most of those involved in those two entities are more concerned with what they can get, than what they can give….

In trying to keep my own inner pain at bay, I see I’ve been pretty obscure in my introductory prose; I think I’ve gotten across how I’m doing, without providing more detail than would be prudent…. I see no need to share the more intimate details of my life…. I suppose I’m just trying to get across to y’all the message that whatever happens today is the result of a mind in turmoil, and will most likely reflect that inner chaos to some degree…. To WHAT degree, naturally, depends a lot on what I find to write about…. Perhaps if I were to try to think ahead about that sort of thing, I would have less of a chaotic time with this…. but, what fun would THAT be?….

Shall we Pearl?…. It seems Smart Bee is going to be cooperative today, so, to begin, let’s have a 3-fer…..

“Find time still to be learning somewhat good, and give up being desultory.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD)
— Meditations, ii, 7

“Only through time time is conquered.” — T.S. Eliot, “Burnt Norton”

“Is this an out-take from the “BRADY BUNCH”?” — Zippy the Pinhead

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act on upon them?

— Buddha

Jimmy C. sez:

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/carroll/article/The-ancient-fun-tradition-of-all-out-war-5582571.php

Ah! curst ambition! to thy lures we owe, All the great ills that mortals bear below.” — Teckell

Brilliant! Jon Carroll has always been a favorite columnist of mine, but, with this particular essay, he achieves a new level of insight. Actually, he already possesses the insight, and has found a style of expression that brilliantly demonstrates that knowledge with utter clarity. He puts his finger on the precise spot in human nature that not only has led to the most shameful parts of human history, but, in essence, is the same part of that nature that is currently sending the entire species on a headlong rush toward self-inflicted extinction as a life form on this planet….

None of the majority of people in this world who influence the course of events have any interest at all in making the necessary changes in their persona, their world-view, or their actions to stop ANY of it…. War, both religious and political, sexual oppression of women, and children, the creation of an oligarchic society, where the rich get rich, and the poor starve…

All of what is wrong with our culture can be laid at the feet of MEN; there are very few women who lose their humanity so thoroughly as the male of our species, who have littered out history with their crimes… those women who do so are completely influenced by the same set of insane inner principles, or lack thereof, as the men with whom they share the wealth of the resources they have usurped for their own benefit….

The guilt of these men is so plain, it’s hardly necessary for me to expand further on what Mr. Carter, and Mr. Carroll have so eloquently expressed above… Instead, to save any further ranting, which may conceivably drive the less dedicated souls away, I’ll finish this with an old-school collection of pearls, all of which should give a clearer picture of the assholes with penises who have dumped their psychopathy on the rest of humanity, for too long….

I swear, I’m gonna buy a gun, or two, and use them for their intended purpose…. With my training and background, I should be able to take out a decent-sized percentage of them before I’m overcome by their always superior firepower, and resources…. But, I’d feel better, and significant number of THEM would no longer trouble anyone else….

SIGH, it’s a nice thought…. but, let’s see what SB can find for us, for now, to provide us with a bit of release from these depressive, yet never overstated discussions of the evil assholes who have taken mankind hostage for so long….

“There is nothing wrong with feminizts that reincarnation won’t solve.” — anonymous male

(This is a perfect example of how male so-called comedians propagate and spread the attitudes about women that are designed to keep them subjugated and oppressed…. Objectify them, classify them as neo-nazi-like fanatics by using the ‘z’, and imply they are better off dead…. very funny….. NOT!)

“After Mike walked out, she decided to give up Men and raise chickens. Chickens didn’t stay out all night, or come home drunk, or sleep with your best girlfriend… And if they did… you could cut off their heads and eat them…” — Stephanie Piro, in “Women’s Glibber”

(I couldn’t help it…. I laughed, really hard….)

“Coolidge is dead.” “How could they tell?” — Dorothy Parker

(Just a little word from the other side of the gender aisle….)

“She did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition.” — Austin

(Good for her!….)

“I have little doubt that when St. George had killed the dragon he was heartily afraid of the princess.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Victorian Age in Literature

(See? The brainwashing began a long time ago, and is made stronger by such platitudes, that promulgate and spread the misguided attitude of male superiority…. with which they protect their actual feelings of inferiority….)

“Show feminizts how you feel — give them half a “peace sign.” — another anonymous male, from the same school of null-thought as the idiot quoted above….

(Nice guy, eh? Such a lovely attitude…. Makes me want to puke, it does….)

“If it weren’t for marriage, men would spend their lives thinking they had no faults at all.” — another idiot male

The last line is yet another example of how the lies about women, and how the male half of our species spread the attitudes and false beliefs, that women are not to be trusted, and marriage is just another way that women try to control men…. which is pure bullshit, as marriage is a ‘male’ idea in the first place, to make official their ownership of their woman, classifying them as property….

Okay, I’m mad, and distracted enough to bite something…. It’s probably a good thing for now that I’m living by myself, as I wouldn’t be the best of company just now…. I suppose as long as I stay out of church, and try not to think about politics, I can get through the day without getting arrested for aggravated assault on an idiot…. It’s a good thing the stores I need the most will deliver…. I’ll leave you with this little thought, which is just about as true as humans ever come to absolute truth….. especially when it comes to men….

“Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes, and feel with their own hearts.” — Albert Einstein

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m not certain as to why, but this poem of mine, written in prose format on Groundhog’s Day in 2012, seems to be appropriate for today…. It has the advantage of being mine; nobody else can be blamed for it, or for any of what I’ve created today…. It may seem egotistical, but, in truth, I do this to keep anyone else from blame…. I can be hurt, like anyone, at undue criticism, but, as an adult, I’m well able to take care of myself, and nurse my own internal wounds…. Whatever the case, I hope you enjoy it….

Gently Came a Wounded Child

But you shall not escape my iambics.

Soft, sinuous patterns of unearthly beauty
blithely commune with sinking stars,
as pale shadows of former virtue hover
near, ever clean, ever tolerant.
These unbidden habits are worn with age and care,
ready now for dissolution,
welcoming gladly the kiss of Death’s handmaiden.

Unknown to all, the child stands aside,
weeping for the lost days of youth,
days that now shall never be,
nor yearned for ever after.
Only darkness shall lay upon the landscape,
cold, hard, eternal.

Such then are the signs and portents
as we enter into the unknown future,
they are grave indeed.

Uncertainty will be our sole companion,
as the search for hope yields no result.
The lamentations of the gods
shall sound the elegy for Man,
who never learned to see the gift that was made,
so many echoes ago, in the hopeful past;
thus will we pass this plane of existence
as we came, baffled and afraid….

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This old-school pearl was created in a frenzy of multitasking, while searching out the group of difficult-to-find quotes for the first section…. Individual pearls can be hard to find when the parameters are so strictly defined as today, so it took a while…. but, in doing so, this superior group of ancient and modern wisdom kept popping up, thus providing me with sufficient material for both sections…. Bonus!…. Enjoy, this is a good one, ffolkes….

“It was a favourite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD)
— Theophrastus, x

“There’s an old saying that life begins at 40. That’s silly. Life begins every morning when you wake up. Open your mind to it; don’t just sit there, do things.” — George Burns (1896-1996)

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” — D.H. Lawrence

“All science, even the divine science, is a sublime detective story. Only it is not set to detect why a man is dead; but the darker secret of why he is alive.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Thing. CW. III 191

“A pun is the lowest form of humour, when you don’t think of it first.” — Oscar Levant

“In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood.” — Henry David Thoreau

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Gandhi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Completing this Pearl is not merely a moral victory; it is a triumph of mind over matter…. Well, sort of…. It’s definitely done, and done as well as I can do this…. which probably isn’t saying all that much, but, we all have our own little fantasies, don’t we? Any who, since it IS done, I’m outta here for now, with an eventful day, no doubt, waiting for me to jump in…. Hasta la mañana, ffolkes…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Based, as always, on arbitrary parameters….

Posted on June 25, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

I know it’s going to be a long day when taking a nap tires me out….. Yesterday was one of those days, and though I’m not precisely bursting with energy, today does NOT feel the same…. thankfully. Though, being one who doesn’t buy into the whole pie-in-the-sky routine, I’m not sure what that means…. It’s not as if I believe there is actually some bearded, white-haired old Caucasian dude sitting up there in the sky, on a gilded throne (tacky….), waiting for me to acknowledge his divinity with worship, who, I am told, will display a tantrum of childish pique if I don’t do so…. At least, that hasn’t happened thus far, so, I’m not going to hold my breath over it….

I will, however, remark that it makes it hard to feel productive when one gets up, as I did yesterday, after dozing off for a good two hours, only to feel like the only possible, logical choice is a return trip to go another few rounds with the pillow. It also makes it a bit sticky the next morning, (that’s today, ffolkes…. let’s keep up….), as I try to salvage some of yesterday by speaking of it today…. I know it takes the chance of having the entire group get lost in time, as I tend to mix my time zones when writing, which often leads to losing track of which one I’m currently inhabiting…..

Life can be tough when one wishes to pursue the quest to create the perfect Pearl; it’s not the simple, stress-free activity it appears from the outside, let me tell you…. It CAN be fraught with all sorts of danger, and/or vicious beasts, all angry at being provoked…. those preachers and pundits get a bit testy when crossed, or, worse for them, exposed for their lies and chicanery….

However, I’m not a coward, and I’ve been at this for some time now; it’s merely the morning’s ambiance that has me nervous; it feels like Murphy is lurking, and I hate it when he holds off his surprises for later…. They’re always so much more complex, and, thus, harder to spot, when he takes the time to make them that way, the butthead…. I would try to fool him into thinking I’m not ready for them, so he lets whatever it is out of its cage early, but, I’m not sure I’ve got the chutzpah today…. Hell, I can barely keep my eyes open again, so, maybe today will be more like yesterday than I’d thought…. Hmm, how can I turn that to my advantage?….

I know, I’ll trick Murphy into thinking he’s already tricked me today; if I go back to bed, he’ll get all confused about the time, and think he’s losing it…. I don’t get the chance to fool with him like this very often, so, hey, we’re going for it…. I’ll come back later, ffolkes, to finish this intro, and bask in having bested that blasted asshole, who spends so much of his time fucking with me, or with my friends….. Plus, maybe if I sleep a bit more, I’ll come up with some sort of direction for this Pearl, which, thus far, is completely lost…. Brave, and unafraid, but lost….

I’ll be back….

I’m back… I think. Enough so that I know my tricking of Murphy worked, well enough, it seems, to have dodged whatever nasty bullet he had planned for today…. and, in celebration of a successful display of cowardice, we’ll close off this intro (you hadn’t noticed that, had you?….), and get on with the rest of today’s mess, such as it may be….. Method #4 should work nicely, I think….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Human life nearly resembles iron. When you use it, it wears out. When you don’t, rust consumes it.” — Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC) — Carmen de moribus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As noted, today has displayed a high probability of being slated for strangeness; to be frank, which is difficult, as I’m Ned, not frank…. but, if I were, I’d say we’ve already reached that stage…. I know I have, and if that’s true, it would be even more difficult to avoid having the strangeness bleed into this pearl…. Since we’re being frank, I have to say it’s too late….

To salvage what otherwise might turn on us, I’m putting in a headline here, one with some pretty good information….. Read this, if you would, please… then, we’ll talk…. That is, if I can think of anything worth saying about it…. Most all bets are off at this point, as to whether or not we can pull this off…. Myself, I think we can, though it may cost a couple of broken bones…. no big deal, as long as they’re MY bones, right?…. Okay, I’ll stop now, & let you read this….

http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2014/06/23/recap-heres-30-recent-studies-on-the-effects-of-marijuana/#24367101=0

Excellent summary of recent research, almost all positive re: the effects of long-term use of cannabis and/or cannabinoids in general. I’m encouraged, both by the positive nature of all of what is brought out here, but, also by the recent court decisions right here in California, making the process of legalizing medical cannabis that much more of a done deal…. Soon, between the latest advances in the LGBT arena, and this one, American culture might just start to look as if the people were ready to enter the 21st century, along with the rest of the world….

Of course, that is partially an illusion; there are still a LOT of people in this country with what I like to call the dead-brain syndrome, characterized by bigotry, racism, misogyny, and a general refusal to use more than one neuron at a time…. They all go to a Christian church, wear blue suits with red ties and a flag pin, and spend most of their time in the modern world either closing their eyes, or their ears, so they don’t have to see or hear anything that offends their sensibilities…. Murricans, I call them, in close resemblance to their butchering of the country’s name…. These are people who cannot speak their own language without making it sound ignorant….

Sorry, got off into a minor pocket of outrage…. Stupidity is rampant in this country, and it offends me constantly…. Worse than even this stupidity is the even more prevalent attitude of deliberate ignorance, which has to be a choice…. a choice that infuriates me. When I see one of these fat, racist bigots talking on TV, spewing their ignorant hatred over all they see, it makes my fingers itch, for a bow, or a gun, or some other way to put an end to the idiocy of their existence…. It’s a bit harsh, but, there is no other cure for deliberate ignorance…. As I’ve noted in the past, stupidity can’t be helped, and has a certain charm; deliberate ignorance is ugly, and deserves any harsh treatment it engenders from me, or anyone else with any honor in their veins…

I see that I’ve managed to spew now for quite a while, without ever settling in to one theme, other than a very general poking at white Christian bigoted misogynists… of which there are millions of unpleasant examples to witness, in this country alone…. and they breed like fricking rabbits! Oh well, what the hell, it makes for more targets, eh?….. I am not sure exactly how we got into all this, as we started this section relatively positively…. Somewhere along the line, it turned on me…. which is okay, as it got all that built-up vitriol out of my head, where it has obviously been festering for some time…. Better out than in, eh?….

I think what I’ll do now is drop y’all like a stone, off the edge of the precipice upon which we just poised ourselves…. but, we’ll pad the landing area with a group of pearls, which will close off this section with some dignity, or, if nothing else, a bit of pointed humor…. Well, we can hope, can’t we?…. I think a five-star pearl will do nicely….

“Among the rich you will never find a really generous man even by accident. They may give their money away, but they will never give themselves away; they are egotistic, secretive, dry as old bones. To be smart enough to get all that money you must be dull enough to want it.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavour after a worthy manner of life. — Bertrand Russell, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish”

“Intelligence has nothing to do with politics.” — Londo Molari

“…this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no”religion in it.” — John Adams, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1816

“When asked what learning was the most necessary, he said, “Not to unlearn what you have learned.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Antisthenes, iv

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is one of mine that I haven’t reprinted in a while; it’s not bad, IMHO….

Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art….

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve been cruising my archives again, and keep finding rants or discussions worth reprinting; this fits in perfectly with my lazy nature, as well as providing me with material I know is already proofed….. It’s not much, but, it helps….. Plus, I’m finding that much of what I wrote in this period has a certain sharp edge I have trouble matching these days…. I was, at the time, living a much less comfortable life, and it shows in what I wrote during that period…. For now, it fills my need for something to finish this Pearl with panache, or, the closest I come to it…. Enjoy!…..

From 5/7/2012:

I don’t have an attitude problem–it’s supposed to be like this. — Smart Bee

I like this. It’s what I’ve said in response to any number of folks who have challenged me regarding my intransigence in the face of ignorant behavior. I am always tempted to add, “I am an American citizen, and it is not only my right, but my duty to challenge authority,” mainly because I believe it to be absolutely true, thought not an attitude currently favored by most of society, more’s the pity…. We’d be a lot better off if more folks took their duties as citizens more seriously….

“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.” — Thomas Paine

All of our founding fathers were convinced that only an educated populace had a chance of maintaining the freedoms they secured for us. They knew firsthand how unscrupulous churches and governments, working hand in hand, had oppressed and subjugated the people for centuries, and they were determined that it should NOT happen here. So they engineered a system whereby each citizen has the opportunity, and the right, to a complete grounding in basic knowledge, in order that they could make informed decisions regarding the laws with which they would be living….

“The Church hates a thinker like a criminal hates the police.” — Smart Bee (So do politicians…)

For over 200 years now, the beloved ruling class and their hidden supporters, the prelates of the churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues, have been repeatedly and subtly attempting to undermine the purpose behind educating people, trying to limit the amount spent on education, or luring people into believing the nonsensical alternatives that religion offers in lieu of independence of thought, thus minimizing the effects of the education received outside their influence. They (the politicians and priests/preachers….) continuously bombard the public with lie after lie, until the lies are accepted as truth, just because there is nothing else offered. They then use those lies to further confuse the public as to what is really happening, and go about their business of stealing and grabbing power wherever they find the opportunity….

“I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.” — George Carlin

So, my attitude is not the problem…. the problem is that not enough of us have this attitude, and the PTB have virtually no competition in their fight for our attention; there is nobody allowed on the political stage who is singing a different song than the one approved for public consumption by those who control such matters…. Hell, we’ll know we’re making progress if even one such person ever gets the chance to even speak…. In the meantime, all we can do is to have those of us who know our duty keep plugging away, calling them out for their lies, and making as much noise as we can, to try to draw some attention to those places where it isn’t appreciated, but is needed the most…..

“Every sensible man, every honest man, must hold the Christian sect in horror. But what shall we substitute in its place? you say. What? A ferocious animal has sucked the blood of my relatives. I tell you to rid yourselves of this beast and you ask me what you shall put in its place?” — Voltaire

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one kind of got away from me a little…. That’s what happens when I have too much energy; it comes into conflict with my bone-deep, inherent laziness, and we end up with an epic pearl, which will surely drive the easily intimidated elsewhere…. So be it…. It’s way too late to go back & do it over, and, besides, I like it…. such as it is…. It will do, and that is the essential ingredient…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

Undergoing the dreaded pink belly procedure….

Posted on June 23, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

In the usual course of human events, fear plays a part all out of proportion to its actual importance; we humans give it far more credence than it deserves, with a tendency to puff it up to twice or more its real size when we encounter it, until it looks just like a cat trying to impress the neighborhood dog by arching its back and tail, with fur standing on end…..

There is even a small degree of it present here each morning, though I try not to let it have its way beyond allowing it to be here at all….. I’ve done all I could for most of my life to banish fear from my presence; I don’t like or appreciate it at all, even though it has an important evolutionary purpose, as motivation when threatened; but, it also has other effects, unwanted effects, that slow us down, confuse us, effects that debilitate, and keep us from reaching our potential as humans….

In re: this blog and fear, it plays the part of keeping me on track with my discipline; my only remaining fear is that of disappointing myself, or those I love, with failures of morality…. In essence, acting in ways that hurt other people by deliberate choice is, to me, despicable, reprehensible, and unacceptable, in myself, or others….. My fear is that I will act this way myself, or, by a lack of courage, fail to act when others do so…. I like to think of that as the only major fear I have any more, (I don’t count dentists…. it’s not my fault….), and it’s one I am certain is necessary, so, it isn’t worth complaining about, as it isn’t going to go away….

I see that I’ve managed to position myself well today, even though this is all being created in a fairly unconscious frame of mind; I’m not even sure if I’m awake, so, I wouldn’t say I’m actually writing this, so much as letting it leak out of my head with only minor regard for organization or coherence. No, this is more of an irrational outburst of semi-automatic paranoia, with a side dish of confusion, all drizzled with a nice, still-sleepy sauce…. Good thing the recipe doesn’t call for whipped anything; there’s no telling how my sub-conscious mind might translate that into reality….

Hell, at this point, reality itself is a bit flaky around the edges…. I’m beset by a number of minor little physical issues that are annoying me no end, but in no way are excuse enough to quit (left wrist, right thumb, both swollen & painful when typing,…. if I detailed any further issues, we’d enter the realm of TMI, so, just trust me, there are others…. I hurt, but not enough to keep me down…. just enough to get me to complain….)….. It’s a good thing the coffee is my own brew, strong enough to melt enamel, or I’d just be lying in bed, whimpering, and you’d be reading a re-blog….

Of course, you still may end up with something from the archives…. it’s terribly late, all things considered, and I’m still stuck here in the intro…. again…. You know, the hell with this…. I’m not going to fool around any more today…. Stand still a moment, while we employ the ever-faithful, ever-effective method #4….

Shall we Pearl?….

“…if the church put in half the time on covetousness that it does on lust, this would be a better world.” — Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Days

You know…. the above line from Mr. Keillor is a mini-rant, all by itself…. think about it…. (If you don’t want to think about it, I certainly can’t MAKE you, but, think about this… I COULD have ranted on it, easily…. so, you owe me thanks for that, any who….)…. Okay, now go on to the next section….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to.” — Malcolm Muggeridge

http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/House-votes-to-curb-NSA-surveillance-of-Americans-5568755.php

It’s a start…. not much of one, but, a start…. At least the House, though it did so unconsciously, (It seems to be a day for unconscious acts…. that’s the fourth or fifth use of the word/concept already today…. If I were y’all, I’d stay alert….), has provided some solid proof, legal proof at that, of the validity of the revelations revealed by Eric Snowden in 2013, about the illegal spying being carried out by the NSA. What better proof can one ask for than to have Congress take up the gauntlet, acting legislatively to defend against the very activities over which his whistle got blown, in his attempt to let the American people, and the rest of the world, know about the illegal data mining going on every minute of every day?

Now, it is on record, that the American people, by their vocal support of his actions, have influenced their representatives in Congress to tell the NSA to stop their spying on American citizens, thus, in my mind, as well as in the public record, providing ample justification for what Mr. Snowden did when he acted to release the information they (the White House, and the spy organizations….) had no intention of EVER revealing to the public…. In my mind, and in the minds of, I believe, MOST Americans, we owe Eric Snowden a huge debt, for his patriotism, and his integrity in the face of threats to his life by his own government….

That being said, I will let the article speak for itself, and keep the ranting to a minimum today; my own state of mind isn’t trustworthy just now…. Instead, I’ll finish this section with an old-school pearl, with parameters set to shoot at the BRC, and any other connected assholes…. As it turns out, this is a special pearl, with its very essence revealed by its infrastructure…. It has excerpts from the Tao Teh Ching as bookends, which makes for a very solid, very pointed, very wise pearl of virtual wisdom…. Pretty, too, isn’t it?…..

18. Hypocrisy

When the Way is forgotten
Duty and justice appear;
Then knowledge and wisdom are born
Along with hypocrisy.

When harmonious relationships dissolve
Then respect and devotion arise;
When a nation falls to chaos
Then loyalty and patriotism are born.

— Lao Tzu, excerpt from the Tao Teh Ching

“Government is the only known enemy of intelligent life.” — Smart Bee

“Everything has two handles,–one by which it may be borne; another by which it cannot.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Enchiridion, xliii

Then came the churches,
then came the schools,
then came the lawyers,
then came the rules.

— Mark Knopfler

“A companion of fools shall be destroyed.” — Proverbs 13:20

“The government claims it’s following the will of the people. I didn’t even know we’d died!” — Smart Bee

14. Mystery

Looked at but cannot be seen – it is beneath form;
Listened to but cannot be heard – it is beneath sound;
Held but cannot be touched – it is beneath feeling;
These depthless things evade definition,
And blend into a single mystery.

In its rising there is no light,
In its falling there is no darkness,
A continuous thread beyond description,
Lining what can not occur;
Its form formless,
Its image nothing,
Its name silence;
Follow it, it has no back,
Meet it, it has no face.

Attend the present to deal with the past;
Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,
Which is its essence.

— Lao Tzu, excerpt from the Tao Teh Ching

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This poem is mine…. all mine. After reading the first couple of lines, that will be more than apparent, and is the sole reason for it being here today…. because I felt like it…. Enjoy!…. Or not, up to you…. but, if you don’t enjoy it, you need a vacation….

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst”….

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was going to save this, but, I’m not in the mood to be logical today, or, for that matter, in the mood for much of anything, other than contrary and/or contentious…. No idea why, just grumpy…. Deal with it, that’s all I can say at this point…. This is actually fairly important, in terms of the message, so, I wouldn’t mind if you paid attention, and spread it around when you can…. The message is one that needs to be in the public eye as much as possible….

From 12/2/2012:

“Free enterprise ended in the United States a good many years ago. Big oil, big steel, big agriculture avoid the open marketplace. Big corporations fix prices among themselves and drive out the small entrepreneur. In their conglomerate forms, the huge corporations have begun to challenge the legitimacy of the state.” — Gore Vidal

In his book, “Friday”, Robert Heinlein details a society of humanity’s possible future, one in which corporations have continued to grow beyond the boundaries of mere countries, until their interests become paramount even over that of the state, as observed by Mr. Vidal. We, of the society here on Earth in the early 21st century are witnessing that growth, as I write, and as you read…..

The small enterprise markets still exist, but only on the fringes of the economy, the major portion of which is busy manipulating the population into serving the economic trends that the corporations control, in the essential markets that cover everyone… In other words, the corporations monopolize most of the economy, allowing the fringe markets to exist to provide exotic, alternative toys and entertainments for the working classes.

Mr. Heinlein’s character, a young woman with designer genes, genius IQ, and Heinlein’s innate sardonicism, as part of an assignment, is required to perform a research and analysis of how the corporations affected the political and economic scenes of their society, obliquely referring, of course, to the one we have now. It is a very interesting part of a very good book, and well worth a read, not only for its perspicacity in explaining the piracy we are seeing today, but because Heinlein was a master storyteller, who created fascinating characters in fantastic situations, making it all seem perfectly normal and real.

“The phenomenality of organic, conscious existence should, could have made impossible the sadism, the unending hurt of our ways. The impotent fury, the guilt that master and surpass my identity carry with them the working hypothesis, the ‘working metaphor’, if you will, of ‘original sin’. To this expression, I am unable to attach any reasoned, let alone historical substance. On the pragmatic-narratological plane, stories of some initial crime and inherited culpability are universal fables — uncannily profound and lasting. Nothing more. Yet in the presence of the beaten, raped child, of the horse or mule flogged across its eyes, I am possessed, as by a midnight clarity, by the intuition of the Fall.” — Rudolf Steiner, Errata: An examined life, Phoenix — (a division of Orion Books), London, 1998), p. 169

At first, this quote may not seem to be related to the first. However, it is this “original sin” of which he speaks that is the root cause of the problems with corporations in society. Those humans who reject commonality with the rest of humanity are the villains in this play that passes for modern culture, for they do not accept their debt to the rest of the species, and have determined that they will use whatever means they need to become ascendant over the rest of us. Greed is only the most obvious of the ills that this group has subjected our culture to, with cruelty, dishonesty, and lack of compassion as side attractions. Through the actions of their corporate entities, they work to maintain their power and control of others, all for the sake of their own aggrandizement….

These are the men who run the trade in human trafficking, abducting and abusing children and women, for sex and slavery. These are the men who run the brothels, and the underground casinos, and the money-lending, and the protection rackets, and the drug dealing rings. What many folks don’t realize is that they are also the men who run for political office, or become preachers/priests, and the bankers, and the CEO’s, and other corporate officers, who make their decisions based on self-interest, never on altruism. They seem, and act like, they are the leaders of society, when, in fact, they are the very reason our society is headed for extinction….

Unfortunately, these men (and they are almost ALL men….) will not give up their power and control without a fight. They will not respond to reason, giving up all their wealth and perceived power, to benefit the rest of mankind. They will not suddenly see the light, and give it all back. They will have to be rooted out like weeds, tough, hardy weeds, and destroyed, if we are to have any chance of survival…. It is unfortunate, but no other method will work, and it brings with it the danger of falling into the same kind of behavior by which they operate. But, I can see no other way to solve the issue, since they will not cooperate with the rest of us for the benefit of all….

1. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.

2. What you settle for is what you end up with.

3. If you think that worrying about a problem is the same thing as solving it, then you must live in some other universe where different laws pertain.

–Smart Bee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So much for the best laid plans…. I went to bed late, got up late, and may go right back there once this is done…. Damn good thing I’m retired, isn’t it? Well, it’s a good thing for me, anyway….. I hope y’all have a day that suits you…. which is probably a better choice, as it has a better chance than anything more, or less, positive….. None of which means a damn thing, ultimately, but, the thought counts, doesn’t it?….. Well, that’s what they tell us, but, then, when it comes to the truth, they’ve got priors, don’t they? (You KNOW who THEY are, right?….)

See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Democrats

Doling out a measure of peace….

Tossing beans with butter, in a bowl….

Provenance won’t impress the hungry….

“Off to Mars Port? Safe journey, Pilot!”….

Tumbling down the Stairway to Heaven….

Oddly enough, snakes HATE apples…

Immersed in the cadence of a Treble Bob Major…..

Based, as always, on arbitrary parameters….

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