Most people make sense, at least some of the time. I’m not one of them; I only do it when goaded into it.  Needless to say, when I do make sense, I’m probably either speaking from my own experience, or I’m lying. Very little middle ground there; I’m pretty opinionated, even for a Scorpio….. Nor do I at any time feel any compulsion to make an attempt to make sense; I figure that is an exercise for the reader anyway…..
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“Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Chou. But he didn’t know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou.” — Chuang Tzu

I had this feeling when I woke up this morning, that momentary confusion of two realities that comes on the edge of consciousness between sleeping and waking. It’s not a bad feeling, actually, and I for one always have a yearning to believe that I am the butterfly, dreaming of being me. Reality is, for me, already a slippery slope, and I tend to spend a lot of time sliding from one to another, and enjoying the contrasts that are inherent in changing at will. Being adept at adjusting to new realities is a good skill to have; it allows one the emotional distance and control that may be lacking in those who resist change. I’ve found its better to have some familiarity with the process, by exploring its procedural parameters on a regular basis. This way I’m not caught unawares so often by the capricious changes reality goes through all on its own…..
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“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” — Edward Abbey

Too many Americans have either forgotten what it means to be an American, or were left to try to deduce it on their own. And we all know what that means! It means giving up the only effective defense liberty has against oppression, an educated populace. Today’s society in the US is populated by an increasingly large number of young people who not only have no knowledge of American history, but actively resent any attempts to engage them in learning it. This is partly because schools don’t teach kids how to learn, but rather how to be good consumers. The government likes it that way, as an ignorant populace is much easier to control than one that is constantly challenging authority to justify itself. And now, thanks to the NDAA, brought to you in stealth by collusion of the three branches of our supposedly self-regulating government, ignorance has won the day in this country, and very few people at all are even paying attention. Those of us who are, are very, very afraid……

“Under current law, it is a crime for a private citizen to lie to a government official, but not for the government official to lie to the people.” — Donald M. Fraser
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“You can lead a yak to water but you can’t teach an old dog to make a silk purse out of a pig in a poke.” — Opus

You’ve got to love Opus, even though he is no longer with us on this plane of reality. Only a polymathic penguin could be so…..lovably erudite. It is now 7:45 AM, and I have been searching for something new or interesting to write about since 4:03 AM. This is what I’ve come up with, so it will have to do. Spending time in nonsensical pursuits is good for the soul, some say, and who am I to question some? I am beginning to think that I have written myself right into a self-imposed state of high dudgeon, and will now be compelled to spend some unknown amount of time wallowing in inconsistency and howling at the moon. I’ve lost touch with the funny bone of reality, and though I don’t relish the quick, agonizing pain of having it stimulated (generally by meeting unexpectedly with a sharp corner of satire), it’s the only way to get back to my center, where head and heart are balanced. I’ve spent so much time in my head of late, my heart is suffering atrophy; laughter will fix it in jig time though, and all I need to do for that is go look in a mirror….. 🙂
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It has been said, and not without evidence, that humor can indicate how a society looks at life. Jokes tell us what things hurt the most, for we laugh to kill the pain of living. And this is never truer when applied to how society looks at its leaders…..here are few examples of how people feel about politics in this country…..and not just today….

What’s the difference between a politician and a hooker? There are some things a hooker won’t do for money.

“Our congressmen are the finest body of men money can buy.” — Morey Amsterdam (written for Will Rogers)

“George Washington said to his father, “If I never tell a lie, how can I get to be President?” — Red Buttons

He’s not a politician.  He’s just ethically challenged.

“We, the people, are not free.  Our democracy is but a name.  We vote? What does that mean?  We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”– Helen Keller

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that it really isn’t funny any longer. We have lost trust in government, and thus have lost trust in ourselves. It’s another way of saying, the joke is on us…..

“Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history, mankind has been bullied by scum. Those who lord it over their fellows and toss commands in every direction and would boss the grass in the meadow about which way to bend in the wind are the most depraved kind of prostitutes. They will submit to any indignity, perform any vile act, do anything to achieve power. The worst off-sloughings of the planet are the ingredients of sovereignty. Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy the whores are us.” — P.J. O’Rourke, _Parliament of Whores_
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When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago,
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow?
— Rush, A Farewell to Kings

The answer to that would be Yes……
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Would that I had within me the strength to go on; though the day dawns, my spirit flags, mired in obscure beauty, afflicted by sober gravity. To reach an ending will be a fit beginning, to another day among the damned and the unwilling ghosts of regret. Fare thee well in this thy birth of a new day, and walk not the path of evil….. y’all take care out there…..