Twice around the neck should do nicely….

Posted on May 3, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And then I woke up.” — Smart Bee

That, I think, is better….. I’ve searched and struggled, and tried a hundred different ways to open up these Pearls, and nothing works more than once. But, I’ve decided. if I use an ending for my beginning, it could work as a template…. I just write that first line, and follow it up with some of my favorite nonsense, or maybe a poetic quatrain…. or just some oatmeal, figuratively speaking. I may never speak in the literal sense again; things always seem to get serious when I do, so why should I put myself through that? And figurative oatmeal is a piece o’cake, so to speak, without frosting, so that works, too…. Let the Metaphorse be with us!….

I would be very appreciative if anyone can tell me what I said above, literally….. I don’t think it can be done, but I wanted to check with the experts. I wrote it with as few contact points with reality as I could, without it starting to look fake, or as if I was just putting in the time, without any real effort. If there isn’t anyone who knows what I meant by the above, I’ve accomplished my task; if it makes any sense, I’ve screwed it up, again, and we’ll have to start over….. You don’t really want me to have to do that, do you? I didn’t think so…. once through is plenty, when it comes to my intro sections, so it seems…..

Perhaps I should do this more often…. ‘this’ being a very early up, call and jump into cab, zip to hospital lab, and back again, all before starting in on this Pearl. The intro section is sort of writing itself, even though all my eyes want to do is close up shop, & go back to bed….. which could yet happen. In fact, I think that’s a good idea, and goodness knows it won’t hurt anything, as nobody is currently reading my blog anyway…. got a total of five “Likes” yesterday, matching the previous 24 hours, and making it three days now with virtually no visits from anyone, not just regulars…. Is there a WordPress vacation going on, or something?…. Ah well, since I write for me, not for anyone else, it doesn’t matter anyway…. Therefore….. NAP TIME!…. I’ll be back….

“Life eludes logic.” — Smart Bee

Aha! That explains all of it! Now we can get on with the normally scheduled activities of the day, since Smart Bee has taken over the creative process completely. I suppose I could chalk all of it up to getting up so early, but, that’s never been acceptable before, and I doubt it would fly now. Though I’m a firm believer that the worm should have stayed in bed, being the bird is usually a better bet, at least for breakfast. And, yes, we are already lost again, somewhere in the vast fields of illogic…. which, as we all know, is right next door to chaos. Rather than fall over into that realm, I think we should just rip off our clothes, and dive in….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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It turns out that my inclination to rant is connected to my overall feeling of security….. For over two years, I took shot after shot at the BRC, organized religion, the sex slavery trade, global warming, overpopulation, and whatever else came under my scrutiny that caused even the slightest degree of outrage.

During all that time, I was struggling mightily to survive in the real world, living on a small fixed income, “depending on the kindness of strangers”, and more importantly, friends, to help me get through each month. The outrage at the issues that concern me seem to have been driven, emotionally, by my economic status, and my anger at the slowness of the federal bureaucracy…..

Now that I’ve been awarded my Social Security benefits, I am no longer in danger of starving, and can look forward to retirement with a bit more positive outlook, since I’ve doubled my monthly income, into a bracket that, while I can’t be labeled as affluent, it does give me the wherewithal to be comfortable. Since that happened, my outrage is harder to find, and I am having a hard time getting worked up too much over the stuff that was bothering me for so long…. I’d hate to think that I’m so shallow as to lose my radical position to bribery…. Money, while it won’t buy happiness, certainly keeps one more comfortable while looking for it…. and, since I was relatively happy when I didn’t have it, there is no reason not to be happy now.

Since I’m not inclined to rant, Smart Bee has been quite cooperative in pulling out acceptable groups of pearls, including the seven-star harlequin variety below…. This one has a message, but, the message is more non-verbal than spoken wisdom…. You’ve got to just close your eyes, (AFTER reading them, of course….), and let them percolate in your mind…. the message will float to the surface after a moment or two…. if not, well, you’ve had a nice little nap, and we can go on….. Enjoy!….

“Remember what the dormouse said… FEED YOUR HEAD…” — Grace Slick

“I don’t ask questions, I just have fun!” — Bugs Bunny

“He can’t be a man cause he does not smoke the same cigarettes as me.” — Mick Jagger

“As you believe, so it is for you.” — Richard Bach

“The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from custom.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxii, Of Custom

“And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon Gods they’d made.” — Paul Simon

“His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools: the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans – and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, ‘You can’t trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there’s nothing you can do about it, so let’s have a drink.'” — Terry Pratchett, ‘Small Gods’

I keep telling you, it’s all in the wrist, see?…..
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A poem leaked out this morning, so, here ’tis, such as it is…. I hope you like it…..

Funny Bones

Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.

Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.

Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.

Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Since I don’t have a rant in me today, I’m going to cheat, and go with a really old Pearl, from October of 2011, before changing to the format we see today…. I like it, and so will you…. (that’s a pre-hypnotic suggestion of a subliminal nature, so you may as well just go with the flow, and enjoy it…. Resistance is futile…..)

Ffolkes,
It’s really too bad that we can’t just shoot somebody when they deserve it; I’ve got a long list of folks who do, as do all of you, I’m sure. But the cops get real upset about it, and then the neighbors will talk behind your back, even the dog probably won’t like you anymore. Plus, later on, when you’re feeling all regretful and stuff, it’s just a pain, and all in all, not worth the bother. Insulting them to their face, or sending them into financial ruin, will just have to satisfy that urge for blood; hell, make it good and nasty, & maybe they’ll go shoot themselves! That’s the ticket…..

In case you couldn’t tell, I woke up with crankypants already on, and I’ve been looking for something or somebody to let it out on for the last hour or so. Feeling this way, and not having an acceptable outlet, is extremely frustrating, and as a former psych tech, I know it’s not good for me to keep all this bottled up inside. I suppose I could go out and find some unarmed idiot to get into an argument with, so I can let it all out on them.

But that isn’t kosher, (kosher means anything not touched by pig blood), nor is it a good policy for improving one’s karmic burden. But then I’d feel like dirt, because one of my own pet peeves is when someone dumps crap on me that I don’t deserve. In the final analysis, that is a lose-lose situation, with both parties walking away feeling worse than when they started.

Ah, the hell with it. I’m just going to go out the way I am, and the world can just deal with me the best it can. I’m outnumbered, so at least it’s a level playing field to start…..I guarantee it won’t end that way……let you know tomorrow how it went……if I survive. The world at large has some pretty good crankypants, too…..

Euripides was wont to say, “Silence is an answer to a wise man.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Bashfulness

“He is the best of men who dislikes power.” — Mohammed

“As long as there have been humans we have searched for our place in the cosmos. Where are we? Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe. We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.” — Carl Sagan

Life must go on;
I forget just why.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘Lament’, Second April (1921)

“And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains.” — Paul Simon

So ends the bloody business of the day.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— The Odyssey of Homer, Book xxii, Line 516

A fitting end to another gem….. y’all take care out there…..
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All things considered, this went well…. It certainly stood up to the proofing, only needing on letter change, and one line of the poem that needed to be smoother. If I were still working for the government, I could say it was good enough for that, but, since I don’t work for them anymore, standards have to be a bit higher…. Fortunately, it does meet those standards, insofar as they exist around here at all, so…. I think if you use some oxygenated cleaning solution on that, it will come out okay….. 😀 Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

We’ll have to spit-ball the hinges…..

Posted on April 21, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
We’ve got Trouble, right here in River City, ffolkes….. Don’t worry, I won’t go all Robert Preston on you, and burst into song, or anything like that. I’m merely referring to the empty space here on the page, which, sadly, matches the empty space in my head, the space that SHOULD be composing an intro for today’s Pearl…. Extremely empty space, too…. So empty, I’m sitting here, writing about how empty it is, instead of looking around in the odd corners and niches in there, to find SOMETHING that would work to draw y’all in for the ride today…. but, I’m screwed, and the pooch knows it…. whatever that means….

Forgotten, old and grey, the ancient dogs march along the dusty street, searching for the possibility of food…. Scraggly weeds filled the cracks in the street; abandoned, stripped vehicles litter the sidewalks and alleys, many of them burned out, blackened and stark against the pale concrete of the buildings. Nothing moved, save the slowly searching pack of canines, not even rats, or any of the vermin usually seen in cities. No people walked the empty streets, and the silence bore down on everything in sight, oppressive, adding the weight of time to the heaviness of the air…..

No, I have no idea where that came from…. but it took up the space of a whole paragraph, so it stays…. I suppose apocalyptic scenes such as this one will become common in the future, if what I fear comes to pass….. When the Earth decides it has had enough of the depredations that mankind has perpetrated on this planet, our species will disappear, the same as the T-Rex, the dodo, and the auk, and Mother Nature will spend a few thousand years cleaning off the surface, which we scratched, dented, and broke apart so callously in our paroxysms of destruction, as we looked for sources of fuel for our machines…. and we won’t be missed at all…. Well, the dogs might miss us at first, but, they’ll get over it….

Okay, so now I have to balance the negativism with something lighter, so we don’t fall down into a pit of depression….. Hmm, I know….

“PUNK ROCK!! DISCO DUCK!! BIRTH CONTROL!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

There, that should balance things out…. Of course, Zippy has just mentioned three of the reasons that we will no longer be around…. Any species that comes up with Disco, AND Punk Rock, in the same century, deserves to become extinct, in my humble opinion…. But, then, I really, really HATE Disco…. and punks aren’t far behind in my estimation…. But, it did change the direction most satisfactorily, so, we’ll just sort of ignore the passions that may be present, and get on with the rest of today’s Pearl…. Which, I see, is coming right along, as we now have a sufficient number of paragraphs, and certainly a large enough quantity of BS, to qualify as an intro…. I’d better dive right away, before Murphy notices…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Nasrudin returned to his village from the imperial capital, and the villagers gathered around to hear what had passed. At this time, said Nasrudin, I only want to say that the King spoke to me. All the villagers but the stupidest ran off to spread the wonderful news. The remaining villager asked, What did the King say to you? What he said — and quite distinctly, for everyone to hear — was ‘Get out of my way!’ The simpleton was overjoyed; he had heard words actually spoken by the King, and seen the very man they were spoken to.” — Smart Bee

When I first read this, a long, complex, and wonderful rant took form in my mind, on the subject of the gullibility of the public…. Unfortunately, somewhere in the process of getting this moved over and formatted, the rant broke apart, like smoke from a fire, dissipating into the ether without a sound, and leaving me sitting here, with a wonderful pearl, and nothing in my head to write about it…. “Well, shit,” he said, with feeling…..

Smart Bee, or Murphy, or Nasrudin, whichever is responsible for this, thinks they have me trapped, and are probably sitting there, maybe even together, laughing, and waiting for me to explode…. Hah! They’re destined to be disappointment, I’m afraid, because I’ll just switch gears, and make this an old-school pearl, using the anecdote on Nasrudin to point the way for the rest of the group…. So, here you go, a five-star pearl, the point of which is now moot….

“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

“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” — Oscar Wilde

“A fool always finds a greater fool to admire him.” — Nicolas Bolleau-Despreaux

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

“Is it not a noble farce, wherein kings, republics, and emperors have for so many ages played their parts, and to which the whole vast universe serves for a theatre?” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvi, Of the most Excellent Men
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Wishes aren’t horses, and neither do I….. which, decoded, simply means I don’t have a new, fresh poem today. I did create a Haiku, which is below…. But, for today’s poem, another treat from the archives is called for, as I just can’t create a poem whenever I wish, much as I’d like to be able to do so…. Nevertheless, I AM making a new haiku each day, so that has to count for something, right?…. Any who….. As every day this month, these are being included as part of the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ I hope you enjoy them…..

Haiku XExplore reality,
my mama said with a smile;
it will teach you truth.

~~ gigoid ~~

Momentary Terror

Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.

Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.

Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.

Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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“A good indignation brings out all one’s powers.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ah, yes, it does indeed….. This is the principle of human nature I exploit when I rant…. Well, I try, anyway…. It seems as if Ralph Waldo had the inclination to rant strike him on occasion, and, competent observer that he was, he examined how it made him feel, and act when he was in ranting mode. When in full flight, ranting makes one feel ten feet tall, able to leap arguments with a single quote, impervious to sarcasm or belittling remarks, and capable of chewing up the toughest pundit and spitting him out, before breakfast….. Whether or not one could actually do so doesn’t matter in the slightest, for it is what we THINK we can do that determines what we CAN do…. Like the dragons of Pern, who could lift any weight when flying, as long as they thought they could….

“Whenever you eliminate the inedible, whatever remains, however unpalatable, must be food.” — Smart Bee

Now, this is a truism; much as it seems like levity, it is quite serious, being a disguised version of a truth uttered by Sherlock Holmes, about Truth, to wit: “As I have previously stated, Watson, when one has eliminated the impossible, what remains, however unlikely, must be the truth.” (God, I hope I quoted it right… I’m lazy, and used the version in my head, rather than googling it to make sure…. but, I’m 100% positive that my paraphrase, if it be such, is completely accurate, in terms of meaning…..) Ranting is an area where this principle is key; it really doesn’t make sense to rant about something that isn’t true, unless the falsity is the actual subject of the rant…. as the following aphorism implies….

“It is a substantial advantage for any philosophy to be based on the truth.” — George Santayana

Of course, this doesn’t mean that being right will make reality conform to how we wish it to be. Much of the world, if not all, is controlled by a group of people who lie, constantly, without shame, completely indifferent to how it affects others, as long as their own needs are met first. But, they only do so because most of the public believes their lies, for the simple reason that it is too hard to believe otherwise. If they begin to see the truth of how they are controlled, they become frightened, often to the point of violence, because they don’t want to know the truth…. unless it comes from a suit on TV…..

“Given a sufficient number of people and an adequate amount of time, you can create insurmountable opposition to the most inconsequential idea.” — Devyver’s law

This is truth, too, sad as it may seem…. The general public will believe just about anything they are told, usually without any sort of critical thought applied to testing its veracity, if it is presented in a manner to which they are accustomed to being told what to do…. If the guy on the six o’clock news says it will rain money, most folks in this country would start looking for a barrel to catch it in, and wonder if it would rain in bills, or in coins… I kid you not…..

This may seem as if I have a poor opinion of the average intelligence of the average American, and in that estimation you would be absolutely correct…. I can say this with complete confidence, as it is a proven fact that the average American’s IQ is below the average for the human race at large….. fact, ffolkes, not supposition…. Of course, I could be lying, but, if so, you can just chalk it up to their bad influence…. If they can use untrue ‘facts’ to prove their assertions, I can, too….

Besides, I can show you almost 50 MILLION pieces of proof of my assertion, without having to look further than the Presidential election last year…. In that election, almost fifty million people voted for Mitt Romney, proof positive that they would believe ANYTHING…. How else could they decide to vote for a man who was PROVEN to have lied during the campaign (independent fact checking organizations showed that he lied just about 50% of the time, or, put more simply, every other time he spoke, he lied...), and indicated, on tape, his complete disdain for over half the people in the country?

It is such an incredibly huge number, it just isn’t possible to understand how gullible people can be, when one sees this statistic, (50 million votes for an asshole….). It is equally hard to believe that so many of our peers are this incredibly dumb, but, truth will out, as it always does….. It also speaks to the number of truly bigoted, racist people that are still in this country, hiding behind their cowardice, and their misguided, ignorant patriotism…. but, that’s a subject for another rant….. (All stupid people aren’t bigots and racists, but ALL bigots and racists are stupid people…..)

“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — Lazarus Long

You won’t get a better, more clear warning than that; on that note, I proclaim this rant, such as it was, to be complete…..
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All in all, not too bad…. No fresh poem yet, but a decent rant, and all the rest if fresh…. Now, let’s see if it hangs together well enough to publish…. Well, we have another vote for ‘all in all, not too bad’….. So, it’s good to go, and we’re gone…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

It got a great review in the Gazette…..

Posted on April 20, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Four times now, I’ve started to write this morning’s intro section, and this is the last one, I swear….. The first three are now seeking new employment at the bottom of the circular file, as I hated each one more than the one before. Not just didn’t like, but hated, and I try to save my hatred for those issues that deserve it, like politics, or religion, or political religion….. To be accurate, I don’t hate those things themselves, but I do tend to hate the people who use them to further their personal agendas, the ass biters…. Don’t worry, I’m not going to jump off into a rant THIS early…. No way, I just took my blood pressure meds, and I want to give it a chance to work…..

Actually, I’m so dazed and confused today, I may end up pulling from the archives again….. Murphy got me already, yesterday, when he made my broken tooth get infected, on a Friday, so I had to wait until next week for a dental appointment….. The tooth is quite painful, in spite of all the pain meds I take, making it hard not only to type, but to think. In fact, all I can seem to think about is how to make the pain go away, a recurring theme so far today, one that has caused, directly or indirectly, the demise of three perfectly good paragraphs…. It’s not like they grow on trees, you know; they are a big time investment, and I had quite a bit invested in those now defunct missives….. What a waste!

Of course, it could occur to many of you at this point that the phrase, “what a waste!” could be applied to all the time spent here, but only if you consider what we do to be of no value whatsoever. True, a lot of what is seen here isn’t of much help to anyone, unless they need it, and don’t know it…. It is a sad characteristic of those folks who end up as my targets that they are not merely ignorant, but deliberately so, with a lot of defenses in place to prevent anyone from getting any real knowledge into their heads. But, hopefully, what is written here will stimulate some cogitation on their part, or, at minimum, keep someone else from falling into their nonsense…. that stuff stains whatever it touches….

“I just had my entire INTESTINAL TRACT coated with TEFLON!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Teflon is good stuff, in certain circumstances, and this may be one of them….. You see, I’ve completely lost the thread of what this was about, and/or where it is going, and I’m going to need the protection, I think, as the reading public could start throwing things at me in the very near future. Not only have I sunk down into slapstick, but I’m starting to think in the royal “We”. When that starts, there’s no telling where we may end up….. I’m going to have to resort to an emergency procedure to get us out of here, quick….

Look! Over there, by the Dairy Queen! K-Mart is having a Blue Sale today! Let’s go check it out, okay? I’ve got all the plastic we’ll need….. Wait, I forgot my glasses…. you guys go on ahead and start browsing the bargains…. I’ll go get my specs, and meet you inside, okay? Okay……

Shall we Pearl?…..
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As you might be able to tell by now, I’m having a LOT of pain, in my lower back, and my jaw, and it is seriously affecting my writing. So much so I’m going to HAVE to resort to an old school pearl here, as I just don’t have a rant in me, unless it is about pain, which would make it more of a whine than a rant…. and I’m out of cheese to go with the whine…. I live with a lot of pain, anyway, so I do get used to it, and I don’t let it keep me from doing what I want to do, but, sometimes, I really wish there was a way to just have it STOP….. Just for a few minutes, that’s all I’m asking….. SIGH… no such luck…. Oh well, let’s go see if Smart Bee can distract me from thinking about it for a time….. No worries, this won’t be on the Quiz, though you can earn extra points for not laughing at the point, which is serious business…. You betcha…..

“I agree with the realistic Irishman who said he preferred to prophesy after the event.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 10/7/16

He said, “Dance for me” and he said,
“You are too beautiful for the wind
To pick at, or the sun to burn.” He said,
“I’m a poor tattered thing, but not unkind
To the sad dancer and the dancing dead.”

— Sidney Keyes, “Four Postures of Death”

“I am not the rose, but I have lived near the rose.” — H. B. Constant (1767-1830)

“I’ve reached that age when a good day is one when you get up and nothing hurts.” — H. Martin
(Proof positive of the old saw that says, the truth hurts…..)

“True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read; and in so living as to make the world happier and better for our living in it.” — Pliny the Elder

Hmm…. needs just a bit more….

“Were it possible for us to see further than our knowledge reaches, and yet a little way beyond the outworks of our divination, perhaps we would then endure our sorrows with greater confidence than our joys. For they are the moments when something new has entered us, something unknown; our feelings grow mute in shy perplexity, everything in us withdraws, a stillness comes, and the new, which no one knows, stands in the midst of it and is silent.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“Now, let’s SEND OUT for QUICHE!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I’m not sure why, but Zippy always seems to know just the right thing to say!……
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Well, I cheated a little, but, knowing it’s ethically problematic has never stopped me before, and it’s really only a cultural tradition, anyway… Who am I to break with tradition?

The haiku below, and the poem below it, are both fresh, in the sense that I just wrote them a few moments ago… But, as I write this, it is last night, at least where I am, whereas I’ll be writing the other sections of this Pearl tomorrow morning (if I ever get to sleep tonight…. chances are looking iffy….), and posting it for y’all to read tomorrow, too. Is that cheating? You tell me…. Not that it will change anything, but, hey, gotta get the dialogue going any way I can….

As every day this month, these are being included as part of the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ I hope you enjoy them…..

Haiku VIII

Softly steals the night,
everywhere is darkness,
but for in the heart.

~~ gigoid ~~

I know I’m in the now, if only…..

Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me up with pain.

Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.

If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.

Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.

I’ve been wrong before…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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Quis custodiet ipsos Custodes? [Who guards the Guardians?] — Smart Bee

This is the perfect opening for a discussion of gun control, for me, as I believe strongly that this is the bottom line issue for that particular subject…… Sure, taking guns out of the hands of people who are insane is a good thing; nobody, I think, can argue that. The problem lies in figuring out WHO gets to decide what sanity is, the same issue that comes up in discussing getting rid of firearms altogether.

You see, I’m sorry, but, I just can’t bring myself to trust the Beloved Ruling Class to decide who is sane, and who isn’t. Part of this stems from the fact that I don’t consider anyone in public office to have a very tight grip on sanity to begin with…. How effective can it be to have insane people making the rules for deciding who is insane? Not very, I suspect….

Yet, I read many articles that profess the belief that the police, and the army, who naturally would have to have guns (Why? If nobody is supposed to have guns, why would they need them?), are more trustworthy than the common citizen. I’m sorry, but, just what planet did you say you came from? It certainly isn’t Earth, because, last time I looked, all the police, and all the folks in the army, and all the folks who tell them what to do, are all PEOPLE, just like anyone else, suffering the same fears, the same delusions or preconceptions, and the same lack of morality, as does the average joe on the street. In fact, due to my experience at observing and identifying psychiatric symptoms common to the insane, I can honestly state that I see a higher percentage of police and military personnel who have a demonstrable lack of moral compass in them, than I do in the general public.

Part of the problem is that the police and military end up as being attractive to the type of person who enjoys having power over others, whose self-image requires them to be in positions of authority, to be able to view themselves in a positive light, as successful. They equate money and power with success, and so gravitate to those sectors of society that deal in those commodities. Normal, stable personality types seldom need to exercise power over others, and so avoid such pastimes, but to the selfish, and the sociopathic, the police and the army are seen as a path to what they term as success. If you see a flaw in this logic, please, enlighten me…. Until I see some evidence to the contrary, though, I find this to be a valuable, and accurate summation of the situation, thereby affording myself the opportunity to avoid the majority of their machinations, at least in a directly personal sense….

We all have to deal with them eventually though, so it’s good, I think, to be aware of the above argument, as it will forewarn anyone who absorbs it, and takes it to heart, allowing them to defend themselves from the worst of the BRC’s attempts at repression, and/or oppression, if not all. Maintain a high level of doubt when considering announcements and decrees, stay alert to the news, and the meaning behind what you see there, and be ready to jump when the balloon goes up. Things out in the Big Blue Room are getting a bit serious in spots, with potentially disastrous possibilities being threatened, so it would be a good thing to be ready for whatever may take place, no matter how insane…. And remember, guard yourself, against the Guardians themselves, if need be…..

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” — Albert Einstein
__________________________________

Well, it FEELS like it should float…. let’s throw it in the water and see….. Well, I wasn’t sure there for a few seconds, but it popped up, and there it sits, floating on the scum, suds in the water….. Lovely little bugger, eh? Okay, I’ll release y’all from my own personal insanity, and let you get back to your own now…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Such fabulous shoes require spanking….

Posted on April 18, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I should probably know better, by now, than to put fingers to keyboard during that period before the coffee is done. In spite of my advanced years, though, here I am, typing away, with nothing to say, just passing time until my brain decides to function…. Perhaps I should go first to perform my morning ablutions; yes, that is the right idea…. I go now, to worship at the porcelain throne, and contemplate my sins, myriad though they be….. according to the local preachers, anyway….. But, we don’t pay them any mind, as they are just jealous of my shirts…. I’ll be back, as Arnie is wont to say when in Terminator format….

Sorry ’bout that, ffolkes…. as I said, I should know better….. Well, here we are again, in a dangerous place. Why dangerous, you ask? It’s difficult to explain, but I’ll try…. It’s dangerous, for me, and consequently for you, because it’s too soon….. Too soon, you ask? Why, yes, I reply, too soon…. Well, what if we just waited a while? Hmm… not a bad suggestion, I think, but, probably destined to fail, as are almost any attempts to correct the situation, since I detect the hand of Murphy at work in this matter. As with almost everything he touches, waiting will only make things worse, as it gives him more time to turn his creativity to the punishment phase of his operation….

What now? Good question…. maybe I should look for a pearl for a moment or two, to see if there are any instructions or tips from my subconscious, or from the SB hackers….. be right back….

“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib.” — Old Testament — Isaiah i, 3

Well, that’s an interesting find….. I generally try to stay away from the Old Testament; the pressure of life back then was such that the people who wrote the books in that tome tend to be more than a little touched by the sun, or Son, as you desire….. So, their advice is often a bit out of date, like when it counsels one on proper care of their ass (donkey variety, not human _ _ _ hole types…. Not too useful in changing the oil on your Toyota…. This one seems a bit more useful than most, though I’m really not absolutely certain what kind of metaphor they are trying to make…. maybe something to do with ownership rights; they were sticklers for the laws back then…. Let’s try again, since that one wasn’t quite sufficient….

“A good old man, sir; he will be talking: as they say, When the age is in the wit is out.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Much Ado about Nothing
— Act iii, Sc. 5

As you may have noted in past Pearls, I’m not overly impressed with Shakespeare, either, but have always admitted that he did write some fairly coherent, and majestically beautiful, prose, a category into which this one falls. It’s right on the money, in terms of its accurate take on human nature, in general, though it is a bit harsh on seniors, and does further the stereotype of seniors as being senile, a characteristic not all of us share.

I think this particular play, Much Ado About Nothing, is probably my favorite of all of his works, with the best cache of witty quotes and jokes, including a number of puns, and plays on words….. With Will, it’s kind of like Pearls…. there is a LOT of stuff written, but the gems are often buried in the crap surrounding it…..

And, on THAT note, one not completely inspiring, but true, I see we have reached that tenuous barrier that marks the boundaries of acceptable introductory sections…. In fact, it blew right past acceptable, and is now chasing after totally overboard…. Before it catches up to that, and the ensuing struggle tries to throw us all out of our seats, I think we’ll go for a dive…. now….. Shall we Pearl?
__________________________________

MORAL, adj. Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.

“It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence. _Gooke’s Meditations_

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

A reader commented to me recently that my rants have gone soft; she enjoys it when I rake someone over the coals, figuratively speaking, and asked me when I was going to get back on my white horse, or my soapbox, as the cliché may be…. I told her it is most likely a result of having some of the pressure of living removed, by the acquisition of my SS benefits, so much so that I’m finding it hard to summon up the outrage needed to rant effectively…. Like Voldemort told Harry, when he tried to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in HP5-The Order of the Phoenix, “You’ve got to MEAN it, Harry!” Funny how not worrying about where the next meal is coming from takes some stress out of one’s life, isn’t it?….. Ha Ha…..

So, anyway, then I saw the above entry from the Devil’s Dictionary, and thought to myself, “AHA!” (I do that a lot…), “Now, here’s a subject worthy of a rant!”…. This is absolutely true, even though morality is sort of like reality…. there are as many versions of what it means as there are people…. of which, each and every one believes that what they perceive is the only correct version, obviously…. Right….

So, you can see the problem right away…. As a society, we have an unfortunate tendency to try to legislate morality, so that everyone is compelled to behave according to a commonly accepted pattern of behavior…. Supposedly, this legislation is supposed act as some sort of magic bullet, that will stop all the bad things from happening, like stealing, killing, and general misbehavior that is upsetting to the rest of society…. It never works, at all, but, we keep on passing laws designed to enforce a common morality anyway….

Such a drama is now being played out on the national stage, as the Senate just defeated the new gun control reforms that 90% of the populace wants in place. Out of a hundred Senators, it only took 45 Republicans to bring the proposed law down, meaning that once again, a very small percentage of people have forced their views on the rest of the public, to suit their own morality, and, more importantly, to suit their own special interests, who paid good money for their votes, dammit!…. I am somewhat piqued about this, but see little in the way of anything to be done that will make any difference, in the big picture…. No matter how stringent the laws, people who want guns will get them, and use them on other people…. The new laws would have made that a bit more time-consuming, but no less possible, or even less probable….

Since I can’t thing of anything positive to suggest, other than to stay alert to what may end up as a critical issue, I will fill out what should normally be a rant, with a number of cogent pearls, to try to jab the stick into the appropriate eyes…. and my friend will have to wait a bit longer for a good, old-fashioned brouhaha, as I get nasty and vicious in my denouncement of the BRC, the churches, and the corporate masters….. I will say this to her….. have no fear, my outrage isn’t gone, just temporarily dormant, and I WILL be back to rant….. meanwhile, enjoy these tasty gems…..

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” — Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Linear Model: An assumption concerning the nature of reality applied unquestioningly to every relationship as though God had determined that truth must always run in straight lines. — Smart Bee

“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dogmeat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)

“Has history ever recorded a time when the majority was right?” — Lazarus Long

“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” –Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 2

“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow

“If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.” — Carl Schurz (1829-1906)
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I suppose, in a way, I’ve failed at the poetry challenge for the month, as I haven’t been creating one per day (except haiku, which I produce whenever I wish….. like today’s, which is fresh and clean….), and again today will need to use one from my archives, which, fortunately, have enough to choose from for all the days I’ve missed…. This one speaks to, and about, the friends who helped keep my hope alive when I was struggling, just to get enough to eat….. As every day this month, these are being included as part of the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ I hope you enjoy them…..

Haiku VII

Making it all up
I go merrily along;
waters of Lethe.

~~ gigoid ~~

“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.” — EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994

Unsolicited Gratitude

Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.

Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.

Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.

Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.

Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.

~~ gigoid

__________________________________

To attempt to soothe the ruffled feathers of my friend who wants me to rant, I give you now a rant from 2012, post-election category…. It kind of fits in with the morality play above…. sort of, maybe…. any who, enjoy…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Integrity is when what you say, what you do, what you think, and who you ARE all come from the same place.” — Madelyn Griffith-Haynie

Okay, I know we are all probably sick to death of politics, and the election, and everyone would like to have a break from talking and thinking about it….. I know I am. So, I’ll try to make this fairly short, and make it the last political diatribe for at least a day or two. It may be possible, if nothing in the news jumps up to stimulate my outrage (which may be on a short vacation itself….. I hope. I could do with the emotional space….).

Any who…. here is what I was thinking when I came across this little gem…. What if we devised a test, that in some way would enable us, as voters, to determine the relative status of each of the candidates according to this rule? A way, as it were, to measure their degree of integrity, which is something I think we can all agree would be a good thing to see in a politician, unlikely as it may be. If we could, say, set up a scale of integrity, and make it law that a person had to score in the top 5% of the scale in order to merely be eligible for office, I think we might see a whole new set of politicians, who had never before been seen in public.

In fact, in thinking about the current crop of those in office, it is entirely possible that ALL of those in office now might not be eligible…. I am not excluding the President, out of fairness, though I personally believe he might score in the top 10%…. I still have questions about some of the stuff he has signed that didn’t seem to be very well publicized, as they didn’t exactly fit with his image….. The newest version of the Patriot Act, the NDAA, that he signed last New Year’s Day comes immediately to mind….

I don’t care if he did try to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of the law, he still signed the damn thing, thereby seriously endangering a number of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. Plus, the method he used to keep it from the public awareness was rather suspect, in my mind, and reminiscent of the old days under Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, and the two Shrubs, may they all rot in whatever level of Hell they are destined to occupy….. (I know, I know…. not being a Christian, that curse has little weight, but, hey, it’s a pretty clear indicator of my opinion of all of them….)

As I suspect it might, this grew to be somewhat more than I intended it to be, so I’ll cut it short here. But, my suggestion above, about the test for integrity that should be a given for political aspirants, is completely serious, and I wanted to get that out. Maybe by the next election, we can get the rest of the country to buy into it…. which should be interesting, and fun. I’ll be looking forward to the expressions on the faces of all the supporters of those now in office, when their people gloriously fail to pass the test…. and to the results it will have on society, should it ever be adopted…. I don’t see any way at all that it could do anything that wouldn’t improve the situation…..

And so I penned
It down, until at last it came to be,
For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.
— John Bunyan (1628-1688) — Pilgrim’s Progress, Apology for his Book
__________________________________

Well, that went fairly well, if somewhat less than totally creatively…. I’m still looking for that magic bullet, unfortunately; old habits die hard. Nonetheless, I’m done, so that has to count for something, doesn’t it?…. Let’s see how it flows….. Okay, again, not too bad, all in all, so, it’s going out, as is…. gigoid has spoken. Also, gigoid is tired now, and wants to go back to sleep…. Say bye, bye, gigoid…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

We won’t be crenelating this year…

Posted on April 17, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Pasty faced goons marched across the square, eyes right, to view the diminutive man on the platform above them, at the head of the palace stairs. The short, obese figure of the Beloved Leader of Millions raised his hand in salute, continuing to watch the marching squads as they moved out of the square that fronted the palace. His eyes, surrounded by folds of flesh, peered with suspicion at the aged adviser on his left, then returned to focus on the soldiers, an expression of hunger on his face at odds with his pulchritude, for this was obviously a man who missed few meals.

As the final myrmidon passed under the archway leading away, into the city proper, the adviser turned to the fat young man, saying, “How did Your Eminence find the parade today?” Ignoring him, he turned and started indoors, his bodyguards falling in one step behind, as always, moving quickly, as if he had a mission, and was running late….. Little did he know just how late it was…..

I’m already bored with this one; it’s too close to reality, and I don’t much like what I’ve been seeing in North Korea…. It’s a bit of an unstable situation, for sure…. That obviously insane family has the country in a choke-hold, one I’ll never understand, as the people of that ancient land sadly bury their heads in shame, while the rest of the world just shakes their heads over Kim Il Jung, or Jung Il, or whatever his name is, and his latest outbreak of….. well, I was going to say insanity, but that’s too obvious…. it’s more like asininity.

How can any normally intelligent group of people stand for the crap he and his cronies are handing out? It seems to me that our best bet will be to just smuggle in a few pamphlets, and some guns, maybe a few preachers, (We’ve got more than enough, and can spare as many as we need to teach them how to accept our own lies instead of theirs….) and encourage the people there to do what they want to do, and kick the bastard out of town….. Oh well, just another crazy day on Planet Earth….

You will observe, please, I have indulged in a mini-religipolitirant in the first section, which is a clear indication that I’ve already given up on today’s effort, and am simply allowing my subconscious mind to have free rein in picking out subject matter. It’s a dangerous technique, but often results in some of my best Pearls….

Of course, it must be noted that the judgment of ‘good’ versus ‘bad’ is one that I make, so it is immediately suspect. I do try to maintain an objective eye in those judgments, however, and I’d say they are fairly accurate…. I DO have a lot of experience in reading different types and styles of literature, so my opinion is more than simply a reflection of how I feel about it; there IS some technical oversight being applied, as well….

None of which matters in the slightest, as it’s all moot (lovely word… moot…. it just SOUNDS useless, which is what it means…. I love English!), so it would no doubt be best for all of us if I got started on today’s dive. Anything will be better than pasty faced goons, insane world figures, and seemingly endless blather, right? You shouldn’t worry, though, as I really do have an unlimited supply of blather, so, we’re in no danger of running short in that regard….

Since I AM a nice guy, underneath my deliberate crust of curmudgeon, I’ll cease and desist now, and we’ll get on with our regularly scheduled program of rambling, hopefully insightful ranting, and raving, all directly in the face of Reality….. In other words, Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Among the many handicaps of old age which must be lived with is wisdom.” — Smart Bee

When I saw this pearl, I knew I had to use it, for it is a perfect example of the very wisdom of which it speaks, and MUST have been first noted by a senior citizen…. No one who hasn’t BEEN old will believe that there is any advantage to it. We are invulnerable when young, and just KNOW that we will be the first to breeze through our golden years on roller skates, never get old and creaky, and never, ever die. It is only when we actually reach the pinnacle that we see how high was the climb…. which is fine, because if we knew what we now know when we were younger, we would likely have just killed ourselves, or gone back to bed…..

I would try to explain to you the actual mind-set that is necessary to be able to understand this subtle concept, but, it wouldn’t do any good, because it is not something that CAN be explained…. It’s something that only real experience can teach. However, we CAN give directions, on the road to wisdom; we can supply indicators that will give the reader an idea of the inner path that must be traveled before reaching serenity, and an understanding of the knowledge of the ancients….

In a sense, this is what I try to accomplish with my old-school pearls…. I try to push, or nudge the mind to a place where it can perceive what the Universe has to offer, and if lucky, achieve an understanding of the underlying rationale of reality, which, in turn, brings inner peace, and the ability to perceive even more clearly than before…. I don’t always succeed in this, but, hey, it’s worth a shot, I figure, and it can’t hurt….

On that note, here is a five-star pearl, in the same vein as the first one, above…. Enjoy!…..

“It hath been an opinion that the French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are; but howsoever it be between nations, certainly it is so between man and man.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626) — Of Seeming Wise

“When opponents present openings, you should penetrate them immediately. Get to what they want first, subtly anticipate them. Maintain discipline and adapt to the enemy in order to determine the outcome of the war.” — Sun Tzu

“Don’t let the same dog bite you twice.” — Chuck Berry

“Ignorance is king, many would not prosper by its abdication.” — A Canticle for Leibowitz

EXCEPTION, n. A thing which takes the liberty to differ from other things of its class, as an honest man, a truthful woman, etc. “The exception proves the rule” is an expression constantly upon the lips of the ignorant, who parrot it from one another with never a thought of its absurdity. In the Latin, “_Exceptio probat regulam_” means that the exception _tests_ the rule, puts it to the proof, not _confirms_ it. The malefactor who drew the meaning from this excellent dictum and substituted a contrary one of his own exerted an evil power which appears to be immortal. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
(Aha! Obviously, some ancient form of a Preacher, before they thought up the word….)

See? I TOLD you it was subtle…. Hmm…. maybe TOO subtle…. Okay, here are two more pearls, making it a seven-star effort, to help bring the point home…..

“If thou shouldst lay up even a little upon a little, and shouldst do this often, soon would even this become great.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 360

“I don’t think it would have all got me down quite so much if just once in a while- just once in a while- there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn’t, it’s just a disgusting waste of time.” — J.D. Salinger, Franny & Zooey

Okay, that’s about as clear as I can make it….. It’s all in the wrist, you see….. 😆
__________________________________

Well….. Phew!…. They were bigger than me, boss, but I stuck with it, and I won! I didn’t cheat either…. The haiku, and the poem below, are both fresh out of my head (I’m surprised I was able to get them cleaned up, too, it was a messy process today….), and thus answer the “poem a day” challenge for this month, in the affirmative, for today, at least…. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ I hope you enjoy them…..

Haiku VI

Well, morning is come,
in spite of plain reluctance.
Too bad, so sad, deal…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

__________________________________

“A thing is not proved because no one has ever questioned it…Skepticism is the first step towards truth.” — Smart Bee

As I was cruising through Smart Bee this morning, looking for inspiration for section 3, I came across this little gem, unattributed. It sounds like it could have come from a number of different philosophers, all of whom are noted for their wisdom and perspicacity (another great word….). It is also a part of the human flaw that has contributed to many of the problems we face as a society, and as a species.

Actually, it might be more accurate to say that the lack of this in humans is part of the flaw; most people one talks to would not agree with this idea, as stated. In fact, it is directly opposed to the educational premises of many cultures, especially those heavily influenced by religions, such as those in Mexico, Central and South America, where Catholicism is a powerful factor in society, and in the governing of that society. India, and much of the Eastern Hemisphere, too, have societies that are heavily influenced by religion, though with more participant sects than is true in the Western Hemisphere; Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, to name a few, are always a contributing factor in the political events that have shaped history.

“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs
you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G Gaia

As a result of this influence, many people tend to reject skepticism, as it doesn’t fit in with what they have been taught, which is to never question anything told to them by persons in positions of authority. Churches tend to encourage this sort of attitude, as their outrageous claims of divinity, and supernatural events performed by their deities, do not stand up well to scrutiny by an objective eye. The leaders of the churches thus play right into the hands of the Beloved Ruling Class, as they counsel their flocks to obey worldly, temporal authority as readily as they are conditioned to obey the secular variety…..

“I just stepped on a factoid!” – Zippy the Pinhead

Thankfully, not all of humanity is defenseless against this sort of conditioning. There are many ffolkes out there who don’t buy into the sort of psychological blackmail being promulgated by the preachers, priests, imams, and shamans of all shapes and sizes around the world, and a large number of them seem to end up blogging, right here on WordPress….

So, I end up preaching to the choir pretty often. But, that’s okay, too, because I know that occasionally, one of those folks who do believe in what they are told, without any questions or doubts, will read this, and, if nothing else, will think about what I’ve said…. Who knows, maybe I’ll go viral, and the whole world will remember that WE ALL ARE GODS?”…… (Remember? Axiom # 3…. “Thou art God, you know…. Let’s do lunch….)

“Youth of today! Join me in a mass rally for traditional mental attitudes!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I suppose that’s a note from my subconscious, to let me know I’ve gone far enough off the rails for now, and should let these good people get on with their lives, rather than wandering around in mine…. Goodness knows where we’ll end up…. Anyway, just remember to cultivate your sense of doubt, your “crap detector”, as it were, and never, ever take anything “on authority”, without tangible proof…. You’ll find Life to be less confusing that way; certainly, it makes it a lot easier to look yourself in the mirror in the morning…..

“This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.” — Bertrand Russell
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I must say, it’s refreshing to be able to compose an entirely fresh Pearl….. It’s all new and shiny, and just the way I like them…. Let’s see how it reads….. Okay, NOW you can alert the Pulitzer committee…. I may be prejudiced, but, this is a good one, and I’m proud to call it a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, because it fits the title, exactly….. Rather than tempt fate, I’ll be going now….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

27 Days will make a difference….

Posted on April 11, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Wonderful visions often invade my mind, seemingly from outer space, as I don’t usually feel they are coming from my own creative well. They probably are mine, but are just torturing me with their beauty, knowing I am incapable of writing them…. yet. Sometimes, I begin to think I’m getting somewhere with what I’m creating here, but, mostly, I just write, and take the consequences of what I’ve written, elegant or not.

I would like to think that my style and skills have improved over the last two years, but I’m afraid that the most progress has been shown in the area of how fast I type; I’m much faster, in at least one respect, if not all of those having to do with speed and accuracy…. Bound to happen given how much I write, so that isn’t unexpected….

Certainly, nothing about this intro section is improved by my superior skills in typing; it’s still a rambling, unpredictable mess of ideas and styles, sometimes fictional, then switching to reality mode, sometimes, like today, remaining in real time…. Whatever it is, it baffles me how I do it every day without shooting myself, for getting it done, most days, seems like an ordeal of major proportions, and leaves me bloody and bowed in defeat…. That’s how it feels, anyway…. Is it worth it? I guess it must be, because I keep doing it…. go figure….

Chatty….. there’s a word. It’s a word that I hope never to have applied to me, by anyone, especially myself; if I thought I was getting anywhere in the vicinity of ‘chatty’, I would immediately run in front of a bus to eliminate the possibility of it happening more than once.

Or, gossipy, there’s another one I will not engage in, not in my world…. I hate gossip, having lived in a small town for much of my youth; I got my fill of the musings of all the Mrs. Grundy’s in the world, who have nothing better to do in their lives but watch for other people to do something of which they disapprove, so they can spread their malicious rumors to all and sundry who will listen…..

So, if I ever start sounding like either one of the above, please, just shoot me, and be done with it, for I wouldn’t want to live like that, and that’s for sure and for certain. I’m not sure I want to live this way, either, having to come up with something new and exciting every morning to put into this section, to get ffolkes to read on….

Given my now essential, vital need to write, as much as I need to breathe, though, I’ll have to live with it, at least until I can figure out the proper template to use to fulfill my requirements for this part of the Pearl…. SIGH…. Just more proof, I suppose, that my bozoid tendencies are much more powerful than my desire for true excellence…. when the nose grows, you have to let it show….

On THAT singular note, I will now proceed to the rest of today’s nonsense, and hope that it goes more smoothly than this has done…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“He who conceals a useful truth is equally guilty with the propagator of an injurious falsehood.” — Augustine

If ever there was a perfect lead in to a rant about the Beloved Ruling Class, or our/their Corporate Masters, or about the Priestly Hierarchies, those fawning sycophants who support those two entities in their chicanery, well, I don’t know what it would be, if not this. It’s perfectly positioned to attack any, or all of these groups, all of whom make the described action, to wit: bare-faced lying, a habitual choice in their daily interactions with others. They do this with full knowledge of the harm they may cause, but are not concerned with that, other than as it pertains to the maintenance of their own image; they want us to see them as people who care about those over whom they hold sway. In short, they live a complete lie, they know it, and they like it….

Whether we speak of the political leaders of our nations, the corporate leaders of the banking crowd, or the Pope, Ayatollah, and other figures held as religious icons, they speak “with forked tongue”, in the vernacular of Tonto, our favorite TV Indian stereotype. Not only do they lie to the public almost every time the open their mouths, they know they are lying; with many of them, you can see it in their eyes, as they speak….

Some of them (perhaps even most….) are very good at concealing their cupidity from most people; it’s part of why they are successful. But, to anyone with even a hint of street smarts, or even moderate intelligence, and the patience to observe with impartiality, their lies are obvious…. Hell, it’s been said, with some reason, that you can tell a politician is lying, because his mouth is open….

“If I can’t misquote it, I don’t want it.” — Rush Limbaugh

This statement, whether he actually said it or not, explains quite accurately why he is so popular among the conservatives and ignorant fundamentalists in this country…. I would guesstimate the majority of elected officials in this country use this principle on a daily basis, as one of the standards by which they formulate their public policies, and one of their bywords when speaking in a public venue.

Nothing is accepted so readily by the uneducated listener as a quote, or a statistic, that sounds elegant, and real, and comforting, even though it is an absolute untruth, or a mistake, or even a misquotation…. None of that matters to those in power, because they know that their success hinges on their ability to lie successfully to the public….. It’s a time honored tradition in our government, one every politician knows in his bones…

“It’s not that simple, no matter how you wish it so. You made public statements from a position of false authority; now you’re having them shoved down your throat. Welcome to netnews. — Smart Bee

The advent of the internet has made it possible to detail these lies as never before in history. As always, however, the information is only accessible if one reads, and is competent enough to be able to use the internet to its full capability for gathering data. So, the lies continue, though they are much more visible now than in previous periods of history. They will continue as long as people are too lazy, or too brainwashed to think for themselves, and to question what they hear from those who hold power over them.

I don’t think it is reasonable to ever expect those who are in power to stop what they are doing, do a complete reversal of attitude, and start using their positions to advocate for the people, instead of their corporate masters; it isn’t going to happen, as they LIKE being able to raid the public treasury at will. There is no benefit for them, in their eyes, for them to stop lying, so they won’t….

No, if we want things to change, it will have to begin in that part of society that does not answer to the moneychangers, or to the call of avarice, to wit: with you, and me…. Otherwise, we may as well just bend over, and kiss our asses goodbye, because ultimately, the way things are going, we are all headed down the universal toilet, where all of Mother Nature’s failed experiments get flushed…..

I can rant on this subject without limit, I think, as there is no lack of material to work with; the news is all over the net every day with more evidence of the lies the BRC wants us to believe. Hell, one can take almost any large newspaper, look on the front page, and find at least two examples of issues that arise out of corruption in government, or some environmental disaster that is a warning of our impending doom….

In any of these, you will find at least one government official making a statement that is just plain wrong, or false in some way, intended to spin the information to benefit the administration, or to denigrate it, depending on which side is speaking…. It’s a circus maximus, for sure, and provides us curmudgeons with all the rantable material we could wish for, gratis (well, for the price of a computer, and internet access, anyway….).

“God said it, I believe it and that’s all there is to it.” — Smart Bee

I had to put Smart Bee as the attribution here, probably because nobody in their right mind would ever claim credit for having said it…. But, as I, in my lifetime, have actually heard several people say this, (realio trulio, I swear…. three times I’ve heard it, in person, come out of a real live idiot’s mouth….), I can only credit it as being a common feeling among a certain percentage of people. Be that as it may, as long as there is ANYONE who thinks this way, we are all going to be held back from being all our species could be, as well as being in danger of facing extinction because of the intransigence of their ignorance…..

“Misanthropology: the study of why people are so stupid and why most of them should die, SOON!” — Smart Bee

I don’t know the exact figures, but I would say that at least 50% of all the elected officials in this country hold this attitude, if not as gospel or dogma for all issues, at least as true for most issues. Our government has been taken over, insidiously, over time, by religious fanatics, who are working frantically to cement their hold over everyone else by enacting their own morality as law…. As history has proven, time after time, legislating morality is ALWAYS doomed to failure, but, as this group believes implicitly in the rightness of their articles of faith, they will listen to no evidence to the contrary….

“Religion is the highest vanity.” — Friedrich Hebbel

Ah well, I guess all I can say at this point is I think we’re all going to hell in the proverbial handbasket, and I, for one, would just as soon not be involved in this particular picnic…. Nope, not me…. Sadly, there isn’t anywhere else to go, where I can get away from these fools, as they have infested almost every corner of this sad old globe, and are busy destroying the chances for any of us to survive their ignorance…. Unless I, and all those like me, change our nature, and become like the ones who are in power, willing to kill our brethren over these issues, there is little to be done, for they will never give up until they kill us all….

~~ gigoid has spoken….

“Buy a rifle, encrypt your data, and wait for the Revolution!” — .sig of Travis J.I. Corcoran (TJIC@icd.teradyne.com)

“Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.” — Slovenian Proverb
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Well, there is no poem ready for today, so once again, I’ll have to dive into the past…. This works out well for me, though, as I have one poem that may go well with the above rant…. I hope so, anyway….. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Geezer to Congress, with Love

Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,
except for their money, I thinks;
Though they talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,
what they actually do, it stinks.

“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,
steal from the aged, that’s their plan.
“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”
lie shamelessly, because they can.Maybe just once, if we all act together,
it couldn’t miss.
Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,
take careful aim, and piss.

Why the hell not?
It’s worth a shot!

~~ gigoid

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Having ranted today once, I’ll not subject y’all to another…. though there’s more in there to rant about, for sure…. I just don’t want to make y’all think I’m insensitive, or have become overly personal, or judgmental (read: boring….). So, we’ll fall back into default position, and put together a fresh pearl, with some kind of point, yet to be determined by my subconscious mind…. I just let that happen as it happens, as you know…. If you get the point today, be aware it’s worth extra points, and this one WILL be on the Quiz…..

we can never be born enough.
We are human beings;
for whom birth is a supremely welcome mystery,
the mystery of growing:
the mystery that happens only and whenever
we are faithful to ourselves.

— e. e. cummings.

“The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination — but the combination is locked up in the safe.” — Peter DeVries

“One day with life and heart is more than time enough to find a world.” — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — Columbus

I see my life go drifting like a river
From change to change; I have been many things –
A green drop in the surge, a gleam of light
Upon a sword, a fir tree on a hill,
An old slave grinding at a heavy quern,
A king sitting upon a chair of gold –
And all these things were wonderful and great;
But now I have grown nothing, knowing all.
Ah! Druid, Druid, how great webs of sorrow
Lay hidden in that small slate-coloured thing!

— William Butler Yeats, “Fergus and the Druid”

” Never eat anything bigger than your head.” — Kliban’s First Law of Dining

“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

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” — Bhagavad-Gita (and Robert Oppenheimer)

Well, there you go…. If that isn’t obvious, I’m doing something wrong…. it’s not your fault, so don’t hurt your brain trying to figure it out. My insurance company refuses to cover self-inflicted mis-comprehension…. I do have some nice tea, though, if that will help…..
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Hmm…. I’m a bit suspicious. This went a little too smoothly for me to be comfortable…. Murphy has been known to do this right before I save my work, then gift me with a power surge that eliminates all three hours worth of typing…. Gotta get me an autosave function for this program, for sure…. Well, let’s see how it came out, and get on with it…..

Well, not too bad, all in all, and well worth a yippee for being done…. It may not win any Pulitzers, but who cares? Social Security would just take the prize money out of my benefit checks, probably forever…. can’t have that; I worked too hard to get them awarded, broken as I am, so it’s just as well…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Viable ideologies have grown scarce….

Posted on April 9, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Knowing myself as I do, I am not going to allow myself to become upset, just because I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KILL SOMEBODY!!!! I also know this about myself…. if I use four exclamation points, it’s already too late, and someone is going to die, if only in a figurative sense….. As yet, I’ve managed to avoid any literal deaths, though it’s been a close call on at least two occasions…. One guy hurried me, and the other one, well, let’s just say he was lucky, this time…. Today, well, I’ll need to maintain my control, if I am to prolong my clear record, but it won’t be easy….

Hmm? What? Oh, that….. I was just thinking about my recent train trip to see my friend in Oregon, and thanks to the magic of PTSD, the emotions, like anger and embarrassment and frustration, come right back into my head, filling me up with the outrage I need to rant…. I’ve been letting it build now for a week or more, so that when I do sit down to write about it, all that emotional power will be there for the taking…. The only trick is to get that into what I write…. not always simple, but it makes for a more powerfully compelling rant, as it should be…. No sense in pulling punches in a fight to the death, now, is there?…. Nope…

I’m not quite ready, though, I think…. still some percolating to do before I sharpen up my figurative razor, and slide it neatly across Amtrak’s throat…. It’s a shame, really, as I do like trains, and would have enjoyed riding them around the country…. not going to happen now, as nobody gets two chances to treat me like they did. I’ll be flying where I need to go from now on, which, in the larger view, is probably best, as it is faster, and who knows how much time I have left, eh? I don’t, that’s for sure….

Having once again piddled and blathered through four paragraphs, chock full of diddly-squat, I declare this intro to be sufficiently complete, and will go forth to the daily dive, confident that all is well, routine-wise, and no sign yet of Murphy…. I probably shouldn’t mention that, it’s just a temptation for him, but, I figure, if he’s not fussing with me by now, he’s busy with some other poor fool, and I’m safe for a while…. long enough to try to get this done, anyway….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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As mentioned above, my rant isn’t ready, so we’ll go now with a harlequin pearl; whether it turns out to be five-, or seven-star, remains to be seen….. I am feeling somewhat mellow and generous, so not only will this NOT be on the Quiz, you can earn bonus points for finding the correct point, even if you’re wrong…. What a deal!…..

“Sight is a faculty; seeing is an art.” — Smart Bee

How lov’d, how honour’d once avails thee not,
To whom related, or by whom begot;
A heap of dust alone remains of thee:
‘T is all thou art, and all the proud shall be!

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — To the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, Line 71

“Eres encantador.” — Smart Bee

“No matter where you go, there you are.” — Buckaroo Banzai, Buckaroo Banzai – Across the 8th Dimension

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao-Tsu, The Way of Lao-Tsu

“He who adds not to his learning diminishes it.” — The Talmud

All is concentr’d in a life intense,
Where not a beam, nor air, nor leaf is lost,
But hath a part of being.

— Lord Byron (1788-1824) — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 89

There you go…. maybe I shouldn’t have made it so easy….. Nah, it will do…. What it lacks in difficulty, it makes up in obscurity, I think…. enjoy!
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Here is a fresh poem, written this morning, on demand (well, aside from one stanza, which came out last night…. the rest followed this morning, with the first verses as stimulus….) Any who, it’s not too bad, considering, and it meets the necessary requirements for the task I’ve chosen…. So Be It…. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Savory

Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.

Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.

Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.

Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.

Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only by losing our fear.

~~ gigoid

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Here’s the deal…. I still don’t have a rant ready, but I feel like ranting…. so, I’ll sublimate…. This is an article that I posted on Triond, another web site where I’ve published some of my work, in the latter part of 2012, near the election that took place in November….. All of it is still pretty valid, discounting the date-related issues…. all the rest, I stand by…..

Absence of Honor: The Untimely Death of The US Constitution

“Ignorance can be compounded, made denser, until the light of our spirits is smothered.” — Deng Ming-Dao

As I read this pearl, my immediate thought was that it is a very clear, very accurate take on the 2012 election process that is currently unfolding before us in the daily news. The end of the political scale that is represented so raggedly by what is left of the Republican Party, and the mislabeled liberal end of the scale who claim to be Democrats, are both engaging in ongoing battles to see who can display the deepest ignorance.

The leading candidate for the “loyal opposition” to the party in power, Mr. Romney, seems to have a proclivity for alienating the very people from whom he is trying to win votes; women, immigrants and Hispanics, animal lovers, seniors, teachers and students, all have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they matter not at all to him. His plan? We’ll stop taxing the rich altogether, and that will fix everything…. Sometimes I wonder if he is getting all of his information on voter wants and issues of importance from old newspapers from the 1980’s, because he certainly hasn’t a clue as to what is happening out in America in this decade….

The other party, led by our first Black President, is busy hiding what the left hand is doing by distracting everyone with the tax and healthcare issues, to keep them unaware of how few of the Bill of Rights are left to us. “Executive Orders” signed by the POTUS this year, beginning on New Year’s Eve, while the voters were all busy celebrating the advent of the new year, include provisions that allow police to stop, search, and arrest any citizen of this country whom they suspect of any form of terrorism, or even of protest against the provisions of those orders.

These same police who are arresting their ostensible fellow-citizens are not required to tell ANYONE that they have arrested and imprisoned a citizen, nor are they ever required to provide any evidence of their suspicions in a court of law. Even though there may be no evidence, they can subject these CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY to torture to obtain a confession, or whatever it is they are after. There is no oversight to these orders; they don’t go before Congress to be approved, nor are they reviewed by the courts. Both of those particular checks on the power of the Executive Branch are completely out of the loop on this…. and they aren’t even complaining about it!

Does it physically hurt to be that stupid? — Smart Bee

My guess at the answer to this is, No. It can’t hurt very much to be that stupid, as we continue to go out each time there is an election and vote these same lying, cheating, avaricious assholes back into the same positions from which they have been oppressing the American people for oh, a hundred or so years now. I’d say that around the time of the Depression was when the first real strangle-hold on the national throat was first achieved…. the pure bullshit the government was spewing back then can be seen to have been the first real time that the government’s outrageous lies were swallowed whole by a reluctant public, who had nothing else to eat, and thus nothing else to risk…

“He was born stupid, and greatly increased his birthright.” — Samuel Butler

So, how does it feel? Does it physically hurt to be so stupid as to be part of the crowd that continues to buy into all the bullshit lies that our own government heaps upon us every day? To keep going to the polls, just as if it really matters who gets elected? Get real, folks. You will not find a name on the ballot that belongs to someone who is not a willing tool of the powers of oppression, the money-changers who are the power behind the scenes of every government in the world. Not going to happen; they’ve been the real power in the world for centuries, and they’re not about to give up all they have, just to be nice, or because they’ve all of a sudden grown a heart.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty fucking tired of being lied to, and cheated, and looked at as just another idiot for them to shit on….. and I’m not going to put up with it for much longer, without some kind of return fire….. believe it…. I don’t think I am alone in this, either…. No way to tell for sure, but I find it hard to believe that EVERYONE is falling for all of it…. but, even if I’m alone in this, I refuse to knuckle under any further, and can only say that I will do all I can to see things turn in a direction that will return my Rights, and those of the rest of the American people…. or at least those not stupid enough to hand them over without a fight….

“He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Well, unless I can come up with a rant in twenty seconds, this is going to go, proofed or not…. Let’s take a look…. All in all, I think it will float…. it might not look nice in the water, but it will float…. Plus, you know, it’s done…. I’m going to go play now….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

We’ll obfuscate the prepositions after lunch….

Posted on April 8, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Some of y’all may have noted that today’ post is very late, for me…. I had a early morning appointment with my doctor, to go over stuff before I travel, and I got back to find the power off, after a severe wind storm last night…. So, it’s now, 11:40 AM, when I’ve normally been posted for three or four hours….. C’est la vie, I guess, so I’ll just bite the bullet and get to it….

Sovereign myrmidons drew new pictures without resistance, so the dance of woodland fairies held court, in the palace under the hill, near the old wise woman’s cottage. None of the fabled ogres came to observe, or object, as one last merry tune played, before the dawn chased them home, while in Cobh, a dragon wept in silent sympathy…. Echoes of gay laughter haunt the empty hills, while in the cottage, the old woman stirs the fire, humming an ancient tune….

Well, that was a bit odd…. I’m totally in the dark as to either why I wrote that, or what it means, but, it IS another paragraph, which, by my count, makes it enough to call this an intro section, pitiful as it is…. Due to the lateness of the hour, part of the following will be taken from the archives, so I can get this up before dinner time…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Okay, what I’ve found here are three sections of a Pearl from late in 2011…. they all seem to go together, so I left them in place, with a crooked dividing line to separate, rather than the straight lines that separate the current sections….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heartily accept the motto — “That government is best which governs least”: and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe — “That government is best which governs not at all”: and when men are really ready for it, that is the kind of government that they will have.” — Henry David Thoreau

A just lament from a pastoral patriot, one who carried a more pure vision of what the founding fathers were trying to achieve for their ancestors (us) than can be found in today’s society. Today’s government is too busy attempting to legislate morality to stop and consider the truism, as vocalized by Will Rogers, “The people never suffer as much as when Congress is in session.” It’s too late to change it now, however; we missed our chance already. Our beloved ruling class has too much invested in the way things are to ever entertain the faintest notion that things would get better, or be better, if they’d just stop trying to regulate everyone’s behavior to suit some outdated, discriminatory Judeo-Christian notion of propriety. Besides, there’s no money in it, and we all know that is priority number one for politicians.

Back around the 16th or 17th of December of last year, (2010) Michelle Bachman gave an interview ahead of the Iowa caucus preliminary elections, during which she stated unequivocally that, if elected, she would assert all her influence to reform the Supreme Court, to bring it more in line with Biblical Law. Yup. She said that. No shit, I’m telling you she did. Like all her peers in that particular flock of Republican geese who gathered in Iowa for the caucus, she gives me the distinct impression that any of them, if elected, would consider themselves King, or Queen in Ms. Bachman’s case, and would magically assume the power to change society with a wave of their royal scepter.

I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that she holds that image of herself (as a white-robed, chaste Christian soldier in God’s army, waving her newly interpreted King James version at the evil influences rampant in the Supreme Court and Congress, and all the Democrats while we’re at it, by God, banishing them all to a fiery lake of molten lava in deepest Hell) in a dear place in her heart, where she can take it out and look at it any time she feels picked on by those mean old media bullies, while some romantic Disney movie music plays in the background….. can you believe this crap? At this rate, they may as well just cancel the Republican Convention next year right now; there won’t be any viable candidates left if they keep opening their mouths…..

“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms!”” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Letter to Colonel W. S. Smith, 1787

I am serving notice here, to all and sundry who would abridge my freedoms for the sake of security, expediency, or any other reason: I will resist you unto death, yours or mine, it matters not at all to me. I would rather die than submit to such indignity, and will use all of my not inconsiderable martial skills to remove you from this plane of existence, should you be so unwise as to ignore this warning. I don’t believe in leaving live enemies on my back trail; that’s just basic strategic policy. You should should write it down, lest you forget, to your unending dismay….and my sheer delight…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Joyous distrust is a sign of health. Everything absolute belongs to pathology.” — Nietzsche

So, what he’s saying here is that Doubting Thomas was correct, and that is heartening; for those having chosen to tread the path of reason, doubt is one of the most formidable tools available. In order to reason, first one must admit to being ignorant; only then will the mind learn how to walk toward the light of knowledge. Doubt is especially potent when used to examine the outrageous assertions made by public figures, and should be applied liberally in the special case of political pundits. Every word that leaves their mouths must be examined for veracity, because it is a proven fact that they will lie at the smallest opportunity.

One of my favorite bumper stickers was originally stated by someone who understood this principle; it says “Question Authority”. It doesn’t mean deride authority, or challenge authority, or any other adverbial direction; it just means to apply one’s natural tendency to doubt to those who are in authority. It’s an unfortunate fact that, given the opportunity, those in authority will abuse the privileges that accompany Duty, and they always require close observation to prevent them from falling prey to temptation. Doubt is the liberator of truth from the clutches of evil, and is worthy of our respect for that…..
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As mentioned, this is one of my poems from last year, during a two month period when my urge to create them exploded, having been dormant for about 40 years…. 50-some poems later, they’re still leaking out on occasion, but, not yet on demand…. and I really need one for today, so, back we go to the old stuff…. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Intelligent Crimes

The value of wit is often said to cause harm,
for those who think, such is its greatest charm.
The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled
if innovation and change is left unwilled.

Society behaves at its base as a mob
conformity and submission its primary job.
Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule
is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.

Intellect and talent are looked at askance,
expressing artistry stands nary a chance.
To stand out from the rest of mankind
is fraught with danger, for body and mind.

Often I stand to watch in solemn dismay
as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.

With shouts of derision the normals make known
their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.
They hope to stop all semblance of progress;
for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.

The world struggles on in spite of all opposition,
managing to maintain its advanced position.
Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,
helping each to learn the survival dance.

Hard though it may be to keep up with the future
genius manages its plans, to develop and nurture.
In the final analysis, those who live by reason
enjoy life the most, season to season.

~~ gigoid

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Rather than go an entire day without creating SOMETHING, here is a harlequin pearl, a seven star, with some rather pointed pieces…. There IS a point they all point at, but, it may not be entirely clear what that is without a bit of number crunching, so you may want to have a calculator at hand…. Lucky you, though, as it won’t be on the Quiz….

“The major problem–ONE of the major problems, for there are several–one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well known fact that those people who must WANT to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.” — Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

“It is the individual’s task to differentiate himself from all the others and stand on his own feet. All collective identities… interfere with the fulfillment of this task. Such collective identities are crutches for the lame, shields for the timid, beds for the lazy, nurseries for the irresponsible….” — C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

“Lies written in ink can never disguise facts written in blood. Blood debts must be repaid in kind. The longer the delay, the greater the interest.” — Chinese author Lu Xun, 1926

If you knew 9 more things, you’d be an idiot. — Smart Bee
(Are you talkin’ to ME, tough guy????… )

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Buddha

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)

“Contrariwise”, continued Tweedledee, “If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.” — Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832-1898), Alice in Wonderland
__________________________________

“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha

And isn’t that fortunate for us all?…. This took forfuckingever to get done… it’s past 1:30 PM, and I’ve yet to proof…. Be right back…. ‘Kay, it will have to do…. it feels a bit fractured, but, the pieces seem to all be in one tidy area, so we’ll go with it…. I’m outta here….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Word is, WordPress rocks!….

Posted on April 7, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
As may have been noted, I love serendipity, in all its guises and forms. Nothing is more delightful in life than realizing the plain brown rock one is holding is really a diamond in the rough, or that the person we just met is the long-lost brother for whom we’ve searched, or whatever surprising shape it may take for our delectation. It is one of the truest joys in life, for it is always unexpected to receive anything nice from the Universe; generally the things we are allowed to experience are designed by the Murphy Team, and are somewhat less than delightful in their nature…..

This morning’s events led me to meander along these lines…. This time, the impetus for my thoughts is alive, and has taken the form of a vocal, affectionate, attention-mongering young cat by the name of Sadie….

She is a beautiful cat, with markings and colors that tell me part of her ancestry includes a pixiebob, a recently recognized breed of cat bred to look like a miniature lynx, without the funny ears, and a touch of calico. They have tiger-like stripes, in black, against a coat of three shades of brown, with just enough white to add contrast. Pixiebobs are dog-like in their actions, liking to hang out with their humans, following them around the house and lying nearby when quiet, and are quite trainable. They are also very affectionate, and like a lot of attention….

Another part of Sadie’s ancestry was obviously Siamese…. She has the identifiable small kink in the tip of her tail, when she holds it up straight, and her voice clinches the resemblance, as it has that Siamese tone, regal and demanding, that will cut right through a door, or three, and she uses it to express EVERYTHING…. Talk, talk, talk, just like a…. well, I’d better not say that, a good number of my readers would kick my ass…. but, she won’t shut up until I figure out whatever it is she wants from me, or decides to take a cat nap…. I’ve known a lot of Siamese, and she fits the personality type to a T, once the affectionate pixiebob characteristics are factored in….

Sadie is destined to go live with my daughter, who picked her out, but cannot take her for a week, so I agreed to let her stay with me; Sadie needed to leave where she was, in an uncomfortable (for her) home, whose human loves her dearly, but whose cat population just exploded by a factor of 5 (kittens)…. Sadie was not amused by the kittens, so she came to live with me until my daughter can take her home. As I love cats, it is no hardship, kind of like babysitting the grandkid for me, since I get to eventually send her home….

This morning was our first morning together, and it has been a wonderful way to start the day, having someone to talk to, (well, mostly listen to more than talk with….), and provide me with some affectionate company. As I sit now to write, she is lying on the floor next to the chair, purring loudly, and occasionally looking up to see if I’m looking at her; if I am, she says something, then accepts a pat on the head with a grateful blink and preen. Lovely!

If I didn’t already have plans to travel, my daughter might have to find another cat, as Sadie would be welcome to stay as long as she likes…. She slept politely all night at the foot of the bed, and didn’t knock anything over in her nocturnal explorations…. very lady-like behavior in a new place, so all is good….

There, how’s that for a low-key, happy introduction to a Pearl? Not too shabby, I’d say, and a good way to start off a day devoted to family style events…. (see section one….) I think it’s now time to get on with the rest of today’s effort, so I’ll leave this now, and get to the easy part…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

One of my oldest friends on WordPress…. Wait, let me qualify that, because I have no idea how old she is, and wouldn’t assume, or say, anyway…. Let’s start over…. A blogger friend of mine, known as Willowdot21, ( her site is at: http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/about/ ), who has been coming to my site (and I to hers….) since I started a couple of years ago, AND who has been one of my best blogging friends, nominated me for a new award, the WordPress Family Award. It was created by the blogger at this site: http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com , who nominated Willow for the original, initial award. This one is a simple award, giving us a chance to acknowledge how great the WordPress family of bloggers are, in their support and encouragement of everyone who writes for the site….. Those rules are as follows:

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog. I hope it worked….

2. Link back to the person who nominated you. Right here: http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/about/

3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family. The hardest part of this for me was limiting the number to only 10…. as I rolled through my blogroll, I found at least that many more that should go on the list, but, to save time, I’ll follow the rules…. I’ve picked those sites who assumed family status soon after our meeting each other online….

Dolly http://allaboutlemon.com/
Europaicewolf   http://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/
Carol Welsh   http://carolwelsh.wordpress.com/
Carolyn at ABC of Spirit Talk   http://abcofspiritalk.wordpress.com/
Linda Vernon   http://lindavernon.wordpress.com/
Ginger Snaap   http://ohmygawdjustdowhatisay.wordpress.com/
Lizzie Cracked   http://runningnakedwithscissors.com/2013/04/06/a-z-challenge-f-mm/
Eric Alagan http://ericalagan.net/2013/04/07/samuels-counsel-fallen-grace-15/
Jerry Doby   http://theurbanlink.net/
Lou   http://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/

4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them…. I’ll do that today…. or, more simply, I’m on it….

5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as a friend, and spread the love

So, there you have it…. I’m part of the WordPress Family, and now, so are you….. One of the best parts of this award is that there isn’t any real pressure to accept, or to send it on by nominating others…. which is why I ended up taking the time to do so, because, hey, it’s family…..
__________________________________

I was feeling some whimsy last night, and this is what leaked out, such as it is…. It may grow, I think, but, for now, it’s not bad, just strange…. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/

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

__________________________________

“The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” — H.L. Mencken

I can feel it building…. the anger, the angst, the frustration at the members of the Beloved Ruling Class, and the priestly hierarchies, who prey on their brethren, fully knowing the evil they do. It is also building up against those idiots who allow themselves to believe what these egregious assholes tell them, no matter how outrageous, or how badly it mangles the Truth. I really, really want to rant, and I think when this one comes out, it will be a big one, and I’ll have to coin a new word just to describe it…. but, no worries, I already did that part…. I’m going to write a politireligirant of major proportion, to go along with the upcoming epic take-down of the American Rail System, as personified by Amtrak…. They (Amtrak) forgot that there are SOME American citizens who not only know HOW to write in English, but are capable of doing so, to their soon-to-be-detriment and ultimate chagrin…..

Right now, though, I don’t have the proper frame of mind for ranting; Sadie’s morning activities have bemused and amused me too much, and I can’t quite get my outrage collected enough to spill over. So, I’m going to refer you to a fairly new (to me) blog site, where the blogger rants on what seems to be a daily basis, mostly on the political scene in this country, with side trips into how politics and culture may clash…. The writer’s name is John, and he is a die-hard liberal, politically, with a lot of good sense, and a fine grasp of the reality of the issues, as far as I can tell. His arguments and statements are clearly expressed, as well as well thought out, and he does his research, with attribution, too….. 😆

The site is located here: http://americanliberaltimes.com/ This address link will take you to one of his posts, from today, I think, where you can peruse his archives for quite a few good takes on society, politics, and common sense…. which, as we all know, is not as common as believed by most. When I feel the urge for dialogue, I go over to his site, and can always find a post that will prompt a comment, usually several paragraphs long, and we’ve had some good conversations (which, to me, is a big part of what this blogging stiff is all about….).

Sorry if I’ve disappointed anyone by not having a rant ready, but, Sadie just wouldn’t let me get upset enough to get pissed, so you’ll have to blame her…. If you feel a NEED to hear a rant, try one of John’s well-mannered, but pointed, pieces to sublimate for today, because I just don’t have any outrage to vent….. Oh well, who’s to say who’s luckier, eh?…. On that note, I’ll leave you with this final thought from an old friend….

“Give them RADAR-GUIDED SKEE-BALL LANES and VELVEETA BURRITOS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

It’s a wrap, if it passes the proofing stage…. let’s go see…. Oh, hey, that isn’t bad at all…. I’ll take it, and not look a gift frog in the gums…. In fact, I’m going to escape now… TTFN, as my kids would text…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Standing by with unqualified operators….

Posted on March 30, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Well, let’s see what kind of trouble I can get into this morning….. Murphy threw cold water in my face today, precisely at 0437…. That’s in the AM, by the way, in case the use of military time didn’t clue you. He didn’t bother to explain why, just grinned at me, then disappeared, so I’m sure he’s got some sort of booby trap set up for me, to hit me when I’ve relaxed and forgotten about him. SIGH…. there are times, such as this, when I wonder what life might be like without his unkind attentions, and though it might affect the balance of the universe somehow if he weren’t around to see to that, I’d be willing to try it out, just to see if I could deal with it any better than I do with him dogging me…. In fact, I’d give serious money to try it…..

Sadly for me, money won’t buy my freedom from Reality, or the elements of Chaos and Entropy that are as much a part of life as are Order and Beauty….. There are people who believe that money CAN buy happiness, but they are deluded, and exist in a way that prevents them from ever really connecting with the universe deeply, or experiencing the finer parts of life, that only come when one is open to compassion and love. Moreover, they are completely unaware that they are missing out on anything….. I suppose that means that I must once again come to my own terms with the events that Murphy perpetrates in my life, and just smile as if it didn’t hurt…. For me, the alternative is unacceptable….

Wow, how did I get so serious? It’s too early to rant; even I have limits, and two paragraphs in is NOT where I like to begin letting it all hang out, even if the target deserves it…. Hell, I’m barely awake, even though I’ve been up an hour now, and have sucked down an appropriate amount of coffee. I’m so out of it, actually, that I just tried to think of a joke to put in here, and it caused a stabbing pain right behind my eyes, like I’d been struck by a brilliant blast of light right in the face, or a left fist to the temple…. ouch!…. Maybe serious isn’t so bad….

Nah, I’m not in a serious mood…. Of late, I’m experiencing a bit of how the universe maintains balance over the long run, as the past two and a half years of relative misery is countered by a period of positive support by reality, in the form of an influx of resources.

I’ve been steadily using those resources to set up my life for retirement on a different level than it has been thus far, and the concomitant release of built up stress is delightful, as well as liberating…. I’m only glad I am able to appreciate it; I’ve known many people who would complain about even good things that happened to them, but, as I’ve said before, I’m not one to look a gift frog in the gums…..

Why is it that the quality of what I write in the intro is so variable? I can’t seem to find a method, or a format, or anything that is consistent, allowing me to segue into each day’s work smoothly, unless I go through all these rambling, blathering contortions….

Of course, in the course of writing these every day, I DO get a lot of practice at different styles, and get to let out my imagination to play, especially when I do a fictional opening. But, I can never seem to get it just the way I want it…. Oh well, I guess you could say that is a metaphor for life, in a way…. we can’t always get it just the way we want it…. So, I’ll just get on with the rest of today’s dive, and go with the flow, like I had some kind of choice….. Shall we Pearl?…..

“I just stepped on a factoid!” – Zippy 😳
__________________________________

If the intro section is any indication of how things will go today, I am firmly convinced that ranting would be problematic, for one of us, if not both….. Rather than chance any ripped clothing, or lost hair, I’m going for an old school rant, which is to say, a pearl, very pointed, and very obviously sarcastic about its subject…. Today, just in case it isn’t so obvious, I’ll tell you, this one is about our Beloved Ruling Class, and their hobby, governing nations….

“Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike. — Plato, The Republic. Book VIII. 558

“A stiff neck usually supports an empty head.” — Smart Bee

“The voice of protest, of warning, of appeal is never more needed than when the clamor of fife and drum, echoed by the press and too often by the pulpit, is bidding all men fall in step and obey in silence the tyrannous word of command. Then, more than ever, it is the duty of the good citizen not to be silent.” — Charles Eliot Norton, True Patriotism, 1898

“Anybody who wants the presidency so much that he’ll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office.” — David Broder

“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Abigail Adams, Paris, Feb. 22, 1787

“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

“Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How’s that again? I missed something.” — Robert A. Heinlein

As a chef, and an artist, of sorts, I know that odd numbers are more attractive to the eye, and to the mind, than even numbers…. So, I should stop here, with seven pearls, which, I might add, made their point beautifully. But, the following pearl just seemed to fit perfectly as the last comment for this subject, and I couldn’t resist adding it as a post-script…..

And, as in uffish thought he stood
The Jabberwork, with eyes of flame
Came wiffling through the tulgey wood
And burbled as it came

— _Jabberwocky_, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)
__________________________________

Having decided NOT to rant today, due to a distinct lack of outrage, I’ve sublimated with old-school pearls, in sections one and three, one with the BRC as its target, one focused on the priestly hierarchies, both of which hopefully demonstrated my opinion (low) of both entities. In keeping with that sentiment, and to replace the rants with what is at least my own work, I offer this poem, that I wrote last October, prior to the Presidential election by about two weeks….. I hope you enjoy it….

Intelligent Crimes

The value of wit is often said to cause harm,
for those who think, such is its greatest charm.
The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled
if innovation and change is left unwilled.

Society behaves at its base as a mob
conformity and submission its primary job.
Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule
is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.

Intellect and talent are looked at askance,
expressing artistry stands nary a chance.
To stand out from the rest of mankind
is fraught with danger, for body and mind.

I often stand and watch in solemn dismay
as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.

With shouts of derision the normals make known
their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.
They hope to stop all semblance of progress;
for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.

The world struggles on in spite of all opposition,
managing to maintain its advanced position.
Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,
helping each to learn the survival dance.

Hard though it may be to keep up with the future
genius manages its plans to develop and nurture.
In the final analysis, those who live by reason
enjoy life the most, from season to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

__________________________________

In 1980, when my son was a baby (born in December of 1979), we started watching Sesame Street, both together, and by ourselves, just about every day. When he was about five months old, he was so alert, and interested in the world around him, that we could plop him down in his car seat, on the floor, where he would sit, serenely watching the entire hour-long show, making happy noises, babbling to the muppets, and closely watching all the action on the screen.

I learned, by watching with him, that the show was made for children, but with the knowledge that adults were watching, too, because much of the humor in the show was too obviously aimed at the adults…. I also found I enjoyed watching it, though it was, of course, somewhat repetitive in nature at times….

One of the best skits, or lessons, that was repeated frequently was one called, “Which of these is not like the others?”, wherein a group of four items…. pictures, letters, fruits, balls, or statements…. would be shown together. One of the items in the group was obviously different, such as one blue bird in a group with three red birds, or a puppy with three kittens, etc…… The lesson for the kids, of course, was to teach how to recognize patterns, and differences between patterns, a useful skill for all humans….

Having decided earlier today not to rant, I’m substituting old-school pearls, in place of my customary thousand words on various targets. This pearl is patterned after the Sesame Street skit, and has one aphorism grouped together with several others (you are adults, and can have more than just four to pick from….), which is a of a different nature than the others….

All of them have been painted with a coating of sarcastic impudence, I hope, as they speak about organized religion, tongue firmly in cheek. The single exception is an idea that is contrary to all the religionists believe to be true, thus setting it apart, as being rational…. It shouldn’t be too hard to find, and the others will give you an idea of how today’s rant might have progressed, had I written it…. Enjoy!

“Religion is the fashionable substitute for belief.” — Oscar Wilde

“Cockamamie is a word that comes to mind.” — Smart Bee

PHILISTINE, n. One whose mind is the creature of its environment, following the fashion in thought, feeling and sentiment. He is sometimes learned, frequently prosperous, commonly clean and always solemn. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“Probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which live was first breathed… There is grandeur in this view of life … that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being, evolved.” — Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Give a man religion and he’ll starve to death praying for a fish.” — Smart Bee

“Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was that they escaped teething.” — Mark Twain
(Sorry, couldn’t resist….)
__________________________________

“And never think about the past. No regrets, ever.” — Robert Heinlein

I’ve always tried to take this advice; it’s good stuff….. In keeping with that policy, I’ve decided to post this mess, even though I haven’t proofed it, or checked it to see if it will be either legally actionable, or, worse, terminally boring….. I’ll do that now, & be right back…..

Well, okay, that’s not bad, all things considered. I’ll take it…. And, before I can change my mind, I’ll be on my way, out into the Big Blue Room, to see what kind of mischief I can find to get into out there in the real world….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

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

Twice around the neck should do nicely….

We’ll have to spit-ball the hinges…..

It got a great review in the Gazette…..

Such fabulous shoes require spanking….

We won’t be crenelating this year…

27 Days will make a difference….

Viable ideologies have grown scarce….

We’ll obfuscate the prepositions after lunch….

Word is, WordPress rocks!….

Standing by with unqualified operators….

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