Tag Archives: George Carlin

Orders to cease and resist….

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Ffolkes,
Damn, damn, damn….. say it rapidly enough, and almost any frustration is, if not eased, at least properly expressed….. In this case it is my reaction to being up again at 0630. I have no idea why I’m up this early again, unless it is a physical reaction, somehow, to all the heat we’re having around here. It is the middle of October, almost a full month into autumn, and the temperature today is predicted to be near 90 degrees F. There is no fog outside to cool things off, so it is not a typical summer pattern; it is more like a stalled high pressure system sitting over the state that traps the heat, burdening us with weather that brings to mind tropical islands, swaying grass skirts, and drinks with umbrellas…..

Whatever the cause, I am up, and too awake to persuade myself to go back to sleep…. so, I’m here courting inspiration, hoping the poem I’ve felt percolating for some time will come to light…. Oops, don’t want to spook it away by talking about it…. any who, what to do, what to do….. hmmm, how’s this?…. I found this last night, thought it might come in handy, and sure enough….. Here is a bit of deeper information on an old nemesis….

I often lament in this space the ubiquitous presence of Murphy…. In order to get full appreciation of just how much he messes with me, of course, one would have to walk in my shoes…. but then how would I get anywhere? No, I’ll keep my shoes, thanks…. However, let me just say, I hate his guts, sincerely, and hope such negativity so early doesn’t darken your day….. Nonetheless, I like to help people understand his far-reaching asininity, so here is some information on the origins of Murphy’s Law, as cobbled together by the editors of Smart Bee, and the on-line Hacker Jargon File….

:Finagle’s Law: n.  The generalized or `folk’ version of {Murphy’s Law}, fully named “Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives” and usually rendered “Anything that can go wrong, will”.  May have been first published by Francis P. Chisholm in his 1963 essay “The Chisholm Effect”, later reprinted in the classic anthology “A Stress Analysis Of A Strapless Evening Gown: And Other Essays For A Scientific Eye” (Robert Baker ed, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-852608-7).

The label `Finagle’s Law’ was popularized by SF author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of asteroid miners; this `Belter’ culture professed a religion and/or running joke involving the worship of the dread god Finagle and his mad prophet Murphy.  Some technical and scientific cultures (e.g., paleontologists) know it under the name `Sod’s Law’; this usage may be more common in Great Britain.

One variant favored among hackers is “The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum” (but see also {Hanlon’s Razor}). — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423

Well, there you have it…. all the latest on our old pal Murphy, and the great god Finagle…. HAH! The asshole…. may his lips become close through the efforts of super-glue…. Given the early hour, perhaps you will excuse my lack of taste and impulse control…. I’m thinking at this point it is most likely the best idea if we just give up on achieving any real coherency, and go on to diving…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.” — Dr. Albert Hoffman

Dr. Hoffman (I suspect a Ph.D. here, or, at best, a Doctor of Divinity….) (and certainly not THE Doctor….. you know, the one with the Tardis ….)  has made a very astute observation, and a clear statement. However, it is constructed, and presented, in such a way that 99% of the people who need to know this will fall asleep by the end of the first sentence…. and anyone who makes it to the part that says “new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality” will certainly lose any remaining interest in a flash….

The people who most need to understand this are people the good doctor does not comprehend, for to them, “oneness” comes only with the involvement of beer cans…..or Vaseline…. In order to throw off a materialistic, dualistic belief system, one needs to have the basic ability to understand what that is, and the average human, busy with life, has no time or inclination to think about their belief system in those terms, or at all, for that matter….. Much less have they any investment in whether or not it is dualistic; they deal with it just is the way it is, without any thoughts as to its structure….

“It is your resistance to ‘what is’ that causes your suffering.” — Buddha

The point related here by Buddha is also very astute, and in a way, offers support to the statement above. One of the problems with the idea of humanity changing its basic world view is that we, as a species, have learned to cope with things, as they are, in ways that may not be moral, or ethical, but are very effective in terms of allowing those who use these methods to have their way, thus reinforcing their desire to continue doing things their way. This means that, no matter how logical, or true, a new, different way of doing things may be, no matter how morally or ethically superior, people aren’t going to want to use them, unless it appeals to their own self interest, and rewards them somehow for giving up their old ways…. Difficult to do when it takes away all their power over others….. a very addictive bonus in the old method of coping….

Thus, we see that these people, who learn to love power, deal with their suffering by attempting to change “what is” to suit their own preferences. That others allow them to do so is, to me, one of Life’s great mysteries; I suppose it can be attributed to human stupidity, but I hate to be so simplistic, and would rather think it is either cowardice or cupidity. Neither is more attractive, as a reason, or as an excuse, but at least they place the blame where it belongs.  In the larger picture, humankind does not present a very pretty aspect, because our history is rife with examples of how people who know better give in to people who just don’t care.

Hell, our entire system of government, if you look at it dispassionately, can be described as one where the greatest number allows the least number to dominate, merely on the basis of how well they can tell lies…. and it is also set up to reward those who lie, cheat, and steal from their society mates, with the full approval of those mates. Doesn’t make a lot of sense when one looks at it from that direction, does it?

I’m afraid I stumbled into a deep discussion, before my mind was fully prepared to deal with it…. this subject deserves a much more detailed examination, with some expanded reasoning and discussion. But, this morning isn’t the time to do that, as I am already in a small corner, and can’t seem to find a good route back out into the middle. So, we will leave this here, with a pearl that, if nothing else, will provide you with a path out of this morass back into the realms of reason…. as well as giving a hint of how some of us deal with the intransigence of the majority of society….

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me.   If I find them tolerable,  I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.  I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Professor Bernardo de la Paz

In the infamous words of the Governator, “I’ll be back….”
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Ah, there it is….. I knew it was in there somewhere…..

Raging at Aging

As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,
custom assures such vision will carry us far.
Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold
it is really quite painful, and very, very cold.

The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth
desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.
Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth
as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.

As physical powers fade from this fragile shell,
we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.
The strength that once filled our bones and hearts
is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.

Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice
no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.
Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,
failing to do so, our only way to lose.

Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,
always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.
One must accept reality, for it is true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid
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I’m feeling a bit lazy this morning, (big surprise!….), so here is an old school pearl, loosely pointing at the value of individuality and self-expression…. with the usual bent toward taking responsibility for self…. In the interests of keeping that purpose foremost, remember this….

Hard work has a future. Laziness pays off now. — Bumper Sticker

See? All in the wrist….. enjoy!

I is the first letter of the alphabet, the first word of the language, the first thought of the mind, the first object of affection.  In grammar it is a pronoun of the first person and singular number.  Its plural is said to be _We_, but how there can be more than one myself is doubtless clearer the grammarians than it is to the author of this incomparable dictionary.  Conception of two myselfs is difficult, but fine.  The frank yet graceful use of “I” distinguishes a good writer from a bad; the latter carries it with the manner of a thief trying to cloak his loot. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

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

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.  With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance”

“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” — Sir Winston Churchill

“I know a lot of people without brains who do an awful lot of talking.” — The Scarecrow, Wizard of Oz
(Oops! Busted!…..)

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

Finally, in order to bring just the right touch of class and elegance to this process, I give you this most excellent finishing thought, to return you to the proper state of mindfulness necessary to getting on with the day…..

“My pants just went on a wild rampage through a Long Island Bowling Alley!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Okay, well, they can’t all be masterpieces…. that would be a bit much to expect, don’t you think? Of course, we are in no danger here of ever being accused of that anyway…. but, we keep trying…. I’m not sure about y’all, but I’m done trying to think coherently for the day. I’m going to save the dark energy simmering in my mind, as my unconsciousness mind chews on the things in my life that are stressful, to let out on some telemarketer, or a bureaucratic bozo who manages to get through my phone screening system…. they generally deserve it, or are at least accustomed to hearing it…. or maybe I’ll go read a newspaper’s front page, to get an idea on how close we are getting to the Apocalypse….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Scratching at the nadir of indifference….

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11

Ffolkes,
I’ve always known that Murphy was an asshole, but this month he has gone to new, extreme lengths to mess with my head, and I really don’t appreciate it.  As a non-corporeal entity, he no doubt feels safe from any retribution on my part, but I swear, I will figure out how to have a negative effect on an iconic force of nature, and he will pay, and pay, and pay for all the crap he puts me through….. and if not, well, it’s fun to think about it…..

I suspect that he really doesn’t have to extend himself very far to get cooperation from the USPS; they’re set up to aid his kind of purpose by the very nature of their business. They are responsible for carrying dreams and hopes to people who are desperately waiting for them to arrive, and it only takes a minimum of effort to slow that process down, thus putting the people waiting through a world of pain and anguish, merely by the act of being later than expected, or reasonably desired. And, the work is so mindlessly boring, once the routines are learned, that the people who move the mail generally end up slowing things down just to amuse themselves, not caring who is being screwed over by their lack of integrity….. SIGH…. I HATE Murphy, with a passion as great as any I’ve ever felt, and I WILL figure out a way to hurt him….

That being said, we may as well get on with the business at hand, which, while it may not be as important as what is coming in the mail, it is at least as interesting, in its way…. it’s too bad it has to wait until I can get online to get finished, but, I’m just not finding what I need without the resources there…. for the nonce, interest will have to be enough…. Shall we Pearl?……
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George Carlin was the most accurate, the most loved, and the most honest social and political philosopher of the twentieth century, without peer, and may well hold the same distinction for the twenty-first century. He pulled no punches, spared no feelings, and was as honest as the day is long. Nothing he ever said, in any of his monologues, or in what he wrote, was ever inaccurate; he spoke only of what had actually occurred, and what everyone could see around them in society. He was pitiless in his condemnation of stupidity and ignorance, and all of its proponents, who, as we know, are legion. Nobody in the public eye was spared the sharpness of his wit, or ignored and thereby enabled because they were too powerful; he speared them all, just as he does in the above statement……

Mitt Romney is one of the people (and I use the term advisedly…) who is in The Big Club…. He’s a relatively new member, but is well-liked by the others in the club, because he doesn’t seem to be bothered by people thinking this kind of stuff of him; he almost seems to enjoy being put into the elitist category, and almost smiles when he is vilified by the poor or vulnerable. Proof positive lies in the off-the-cuff statements he made last week at the fund-raising dinner, where he thought he was among friends, and could say what he really believes; it is obvious that it is not just that 47% of Americans about whom he was talking that he disrespects. It is ALL Americans who don’t make more than $100 million a year who have his disdain….. and that includes about 99% of the available people…. He doesn’t really care about ANY of them, even his own family…. they are just props for him to make him appear like the rest of America; they don’t really mean anything to him, beyond their images….

Romney and his cronies want to consolidate the power they already have, bringing their greed and total lack of compassion to new heights of calumny. They want to lower taxes for the rich, and raise them for the poor and middle classes; they want to take back the money I, and millions like me, have put into Social Security, and, like George says, put it back in the pockets of Wall Street’s denizens, thereby casting the most vulnerable part of the population, senior citizens, into poverty. They want to turn back the clock to the days when women, and people of color, and immigrants, were second-class citizens; they want to marginalize well over half of the population of this country, all in the name of the almighty dollar. They want to make being gay, lesbian, or transgender a crime; Paul Ryan has stated that he supports a law making it a crime for a woman to become pregnant without being married. They want to impose the religious beliefs of what is now a minority of citizens on all 330 million of us, no matter what our religious beliefs might be; their only concern is to maintain their own ascendancy…..

All of the statements I just made in the above paragraph are absolute truth; you can check out the veracity quite simply, by reading the Official Platform of the Republican Party for the 2012 election. It’s all there is black and white…. and yet, there are millions of STUPID, STUPID people who are going to vote for him, just because he isn’t black. It totally amazes me how these people, with the evidence right in front of them, will give their support to a man who will proceed to fuck them over royally as soon as he is in office. He holds as much, or more, disdain for them as he does for the rest of America, because he knows that they are so ignorant and bigoted they will let their fears of a “black President” overcome their common sense, and give their vote to him, merely because he is white…. and you thought racism was a thing of the past!…….

This country is, whether it realizes it or not, is at a crossroads, a nexus in time, where the fate of not just this country, but humanity at large is riding in the balance. If the election goes to the Republicans (who are making every attempt to control the vote in their favor, by passing illegal voter suppression laws that are continuously being struck down in court….) the overall effects on society will be felt over the entire world. This country will become even more isolated and at odds with the rest of the world than it is now, and the possibility of a world-wide conflagration is not entirely impossible….

So, as an American, each of us needs to make a decision…. Are we going to give in to the elitists who want to completely control the rest of us to their advantage, and take the chance of an end-of-time scenario, or will we make the choice to take back the controls they have usurped, and return the power to the people, where it properly resides? I can only hope that there are enough of us shouting out the truth to get the attention of all those who think they can let it go, that things will get better on their own…. otherwise, we are ALL up shit creek, and no paddles in sight……

“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
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Fatal Supplication

But what becomes of our deepest dangerous dreams?
Does fantasy rescue any part of life’s imperiled favor?
Reality becomes but silvery pairs of mismatched teams,
Dining with affable elegance, such diffident waste to savor.

Who decides what sorrows to carry bravely to term?
Will fragrant moments of sanity make hasty manifestation?
Only Time’s patient mutability sends messages so firm,
Yet salient impersonal vexation lends credence to ripe imagination.

Can folly bring out sadness and rampant visions of beauty?
What kindness can be found in distant open relations?
With countless faces the dead disturb with dire impunity,
From separate caches of wisdom come simple stylish privations.

Shall shallow emotion serve to provide such explanations?
When does avaricious intensity assume primary focus?
Plain answers slide softly through with multiple mitigations,
While conceptually indignant bigots engage a fatally personal locus.

~~ gigoid

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Due to the unfortunate demise of Smart Bee, I am forced to search through my older Pearls for material…. I came across these gems, two consecutive  Pearls from sometime around April of 2008, while I was working at the state hospital…. they kind of fit in with today’s earlier themes, so I’ve included both below…. pearls were shorter then, but, hopefully, no less compellingly true…. enjoy!…..

Babbling brook

Ffolkes,
Generally I refrain from picking on politicians; it’s too easy. But, the American political arena has consistently made a hobby of attempting to legislate morality (to impress the great mass of religious sheep who habitually vote), and this hobby has created an unfortunate cultural phenomenon, what I like to call “warped honesty”.

I was listening this morning to a commercial (for a car which shall remain unnamed, for fairness’ sake). (the heck with it, it was rude….Subaru Forester). The announcer gleefully touted about 8 features of the car that demonstrated its’ superiority over other vehicles, speaking for about 38 seconds. The remaining 22 seconds in a full minute were taken up by one of those announcers who can speak 500 words a minute who gave the legal disclaimer, which consisted of a disclaimer for all 8 talking points in the advertisement. Amazing! Nothing in the commercial was true, but because of the disclaimers, they could say it anyway. It boggles the mind. Obviously, none of these people (the ad folks, the car sellers, or the politicians) have ever heard of axiom #4, or worse yet, #7. (#4: Excellence is its’ own reward. #7: Do your Duty. Honor the Truth. Respect Life.  Share your Love.) The sad part is, most folks haven’t heard of them. Sigh……

“In the mountains the shortest way is from peak to peak: but for that one must have long legs. Aphorisms should be peaks.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Be alert folks……Y’all take care out there…..

yesterday, continued

Ffolkes,
There were some good responses to yesterday’s offering, and today I just want to finish up the line of reasoning begun. The two quotes below explain a lot about human nature, which is, without a doubt, our greatest handicap as well as our salvation. Enjoy!

“Morality is the best of devices for leading Mankind by the nose.”–Friederich Nietsche

“If stupidity got us into this mess, why can’t it get us out?”–Will Rogers

And never forget…

“Those who are clever, who have a brain, never understand anything.”–Winnie the Pooh

Y’all take care out there….

Not too bad for a flash from the past…..
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Such as it is, it is what it is, and cannot be more…. So be it…. It’s another Pearl fashioned on the run, and posted in haste…. hopefully, this will not detract from its relevance and veracity…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Plain as the zit on your face….

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Ffolkes,
As the sun sets over the western horizon, we bid a fond farewell to another day in paradise….. or would, if a) the sun were setting, instead of rising, and b) we were in paradise….. I guess you can’t have everything. In this case we have nothing, so it would behoove us to try to get serious here….. and we would, if a) we wanted something, and b) gave half a damn…. neither of which is true, so it looks like we’re all out of luck, and ideas, too….

Actually, I’ve got lots of ideas this morning, but most of them are X-rated, and unsuitable for a family blog….. I could send some over to Kyle I guess; he likes to write that sort of stuff…. but he probably wants to use his own, so that’s a wash….. This batch of concepts will just have to go into the scrap pile, as do many, many such useless thoughts of mine….. uh oh, break time…

Okay, I’m back…. Don’t ask…. Once again, picking the material that will best serve to introduce today’s Pearl has become more than a mere search; it is now more of a desperate floundering, and I’m liable to start throwing out all sorts of stuff, just to see if it sticks…. We could write a poem, but we like you all too much. We could stop talking in the royal third person, and take actual responsibility for our words, but it’s so much fun to use the royal “we”, as “Thank you, we are in the pink!” ~~ Lord Peter Wimsey, from Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers….

Or, I could just get on with it, which now seems to be the right thing to do…. shall we Pearl?…..
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“There is no act of treachery or meanness of which a political party is not capable, for in politics there is no honor.” — Benjamin Disraeli

Considering that Mr. Disraeli was a politician himself, this becomes particularly rare; normally politicians won’t reveal their secrets like that, at least not until after the election. But, he’s dead, anyway, so what can he lose? You have to admit, you won’t see Mitt the Twitt, or Lyin’ Ryan admitting to stooping to such tactics… they do it, but they’ll never admit it….. Honesty is not one of Mitt’s strong points, as we’ve already had proven, repeatedly, and often….

It promises to be, if nothing else, a very interesting run-up to the election, now that Romney has used the biggest caliber bullet he could find to shoot his foot this time…. Not one day had passed when he (Romney) was forced to not comment (!!!!) on something his new Veep had said, as his position on that subject was documented elsewhere as in direct opposition to what Ryan had said….

“He’s racist, he’s homophobic, he’s xenophobic, and he’s a sexist. He’s a perfect Republican candidate!” — Commentator Bill Press on Pat Buchanan

Since the advent of the World Wide Web, it has become more difficult for Romney and his ilk, (which includes the Democrats; just because they aren’t as bad doesn’t mean they aren’t lying, too….) to tell their lies without a lot of preparation (otherwise known as “spin”) and denial. Websites such as FactChecker.com post daily reports on the lies that each candidate or politician utters publicly, checking the words against the Truth, as found by research and cross-checking of public records. Exaggerations, misquotes, taking out of context, all the different forms of promoting untruths are now exposed for all to see, if they wish….

Of course, many people don’t WANT to know if they are being lied to; in fact, it often seems to me that the folks who are supporting these idiots (Romney and Ryan in this instance…. the term “idiot” can be applied to almost any politician who opens their mouth..) are deliberately ignoring the truth, for the simple reason that they don’t care… As long as the candidates are white, they want them to get elected, because having a black President is fulfilling their worst nightmares, and making their racism obvious…. Of course, they will claim that they don’t like Obama because of his record, but that generally won’t wash, as much of his record shows that he has actually done them some good, a fact they are completely reluctant to admit….

“How pleasant then to be insane.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

The fact that there are so many racists left in this country is disheartening, but I suppose it’s better to have the issue out in the open, where it can more easily be dealt with in a manner that is dignified; it’s hard to maintain dignity when slinging shit in the dark, a place in which conversations with racists often end up. However, I am still amazed that there are seniors, gays, immigrants, and women who are still supporting the conservative ticket the Republicans have decided to offer the voting public.

These men have made it clear that, if elected, they will send this country back into the middle of the previous century, in terms of societal progress, by eliminating Social Security, Planned Parenthood, making gay and lesbian marriage illegal, and completely eliminating abortion and women’s health rights, as well as curtailing all immigrant’s rights. They have promised to eliminate all of these, but the people who are supporting them seem to be as deeply insane as are their chosen candidates, and are obviously in deep denial….

“You know how dumb the average guy is?  Well, by definition, half of them are  even dumber than THAT.” — J.R. “Bob” Dobbs (paraphrased from a quote by George Carlin….. everybody plagiarizes sometimes….)

This is obviously a subject that I could rant about for days…. but, there are still over two months until the election, and I should save some energy for the material that I know will be forthcoming on a daily basis…. I think we need some poetry, as a relief from all this curmudgeonry…..
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Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer

This is a song to celebrate banks,
Because they are full of money and you go into them and all
you hear is clinks and clanks,
Or maybe a sound like the wind in the trees on the hills,
Which is the rustling of the thousand dollar bills.
Most bankers dwell in marble halls,
Which they get to dwell in because they encourage deposits
and discourage withdrawals,
And particularly because they all observe one rule which woe
betides the banker who fails to heed it,
Which is you must never lend any money to anybody unless
they don’t need it.
I know you, you cautious conservative banks!
If people are worried about their rent it is your duty to deny
them the loan of one nickel, yes, even one copper engraving
of the martyred son of the late Nancy Hanks;
Yes, if they request fifty dollars to pay for a baby you must
look at them like Tarzan looking at an uppity ape in the
jungle,
And tell them what do they think a bank is, anyhow, they had
better go get the money from their wife’s aunt or ungle.
But suppose people come in and they have a million and they
want another million to pile on top of it,
Why, you brim with the milk of human kindness and you
urge them to accept every drop of it,
And you lend them the million so then they have two million
and this gives them the idea that they would be better off
with four,
So they already have two million as security so you have no
hesitation in lending them two more,
And all the vice-presidents nod their heads in rhythm,
And the only question asked is do the borrowers want the
money sent or do they want to take it withm.
Because I think they deserve our appreciation and thanks,
the jackasses who go around saying that health and happi-
ness are everything and money isn’t essential,
Because as soon as they have to borrow some unimportant
money to maintain their health and happiness they starve
to death so they can’t go around any more sneering at good
old money, which is nothing short of providential.

Ogden Nash

Providential indeed…. What better poem to follow a rant about politics, than an ode to Bankers from one of my all time favorite poets….. enjoy!
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Don’t even bother trying to tell me that there is no magic in the world….
    Human diplomats could learn a lot from just watching dogs and cats interact, when given the opportunity…..
    They always seem to come to terms with each other….
    Dogs get along pretty good with people, too….
    In fact, they like people a lot….
    So do cats….
    Sort of…. but, cats like dogs best, as much as they like people, though perhaps not as much as other cats…. it can be close though…..
    Why is it so hard for people to get along with each other, when we have these creatures to provide examples of how to do so?  Your guess is as good as mine…..

(All the pictures were found on Facebook….)
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Well, that certainly turned into an epic Pearl! And, one with so much effort put into it, that it is going out, no matter how it may or may not live up to my standards, such as they are….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

 

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

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Pure wrought iron with filigree….

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2

Ffolkes,
Sober faces, and worn-out traces of unrequited love mark the passage of unwanted time. Beelzebub and Albert continue their arguments over the nature of space/time, filling napkin after napkin with inscrutable symbols of rarefied math. A mastiff the size of a small pony snuffles around the floor, cleaning up all the scraps he can find, while the maestro gets busy pandering to the owner’s wife. Sodden reflections are all that remain of the rest of the band, but the bartender will polish his glasses all night long. All of the matrons, and all of the meritorious crew still danced to the music that no longer played. And the tick tock, tick tock of the grandfather clock marked the approach of dawn….

At that point, I woke up, with my head still whirling with the images of my dreams, blending with reality at first, until the sound of coffee brewing breaks through with a scented siren’s call. A bit clearer, albeit a bit fuzzy, I got up, used the facilities, and allowed my nose to lead me to the coffee pot, to stand impatiently while it finished its work….. Then, sheer bliss, as the first sip of black blood brings me completely into focus, if a bit confused as to exactly which reality I am inhabiting this morning. Gotta love that caffeine!

Since it also woke me enough to type out the surreal scene with which we opened today, I will celebrate the day by taking a moment to think back and reflect on how much I have for which to be thankful. (Using correct grammar sometimes comes out looking and sounding not right…. hmm, a puzzle….) It’s not much, to be sure, but it is a lot more than much of the world can count on. (See, put the preposition at the end of the sentence, and it sounds better, even though incorrect…..) Having not been given the opportunity to provide input on where I was born, I can’t correctly say that I am proud to be American, but I can certainly say that I’m thankful; in this country, our bottom line is still at a level that can be described as “it could be worse”.

Having thus straightened out my karmic burden, allowing me to shoulder it comfortably, I suggest we go on to our morning dive for pearls forthwith…. Shall we Pearl?….. C’mon, the oysters are waiting!…..

To continue, smash forehead on keyboard…..
___________________________________

A Considerable Speck

(Microscopic)

A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt–
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

Robert Frost

I thought it would be good to start off with something classic, and for that, Robert Frost can never do you wrong….. Enjoy!
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INFIDEL, n.  In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does.  (See GIAOUR.)  A kind of scoundrel imperfectly reverent of, and niggardly contributory to, divines, ecclesiastics, popes, parsons, canons, monks, mollahs, voodoos, presbyters, hierophants, prelates, obeah-men, abbes, nuns, missionaries, exhorters, deacons, friars, hadjis, high-priests, muezzins, brahmins, medicine-men, confessors, eminences, elders, primates, prebendaries, pilgrims, prophets, imaums, beneficiaries, clerks, vicars-choral, archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, preachers, padres, abbotesses, caloyers, palmers, curates, patriarchs, bonezs, santons, beadsmen, canonesses, residentiaries, diocesans, deans, subdeans, rural deans, abdals, charm-sellers, archdeacons, hierarchs, class-leaders, incumbents, capitulars, sheiks, talapoins, postulants, scribes, gooroos, precentors, beadles, fakeers, sextons, reverences, revivalists, cenobites, perpetual curates, chaplains, mudjoes, readers, novices, vicars, pastors, rabbis, ulemas, lamas, sacristans, vergers, dervises, lectors, church wardens, cardinals, prioresses, suffragans, acolytes, rectors, cures, sophis, mutifs and pumpums. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Boy, if there is any tagline I’ve found that needs no adornment, this is it! Ambrose spent some time on this one, making sure he didn’t miss any of the priestly hierarchies’ titles for their acolytes, and came up with a very impressive list. I spent a few minutes poring over it, and couldn’t think of a single title to add, so, here it is to enjoy in all its original glory……  Enjoy!
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Here are a few of the unpleasant’st words that ever blotted paper! — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merchant of Venice — Act iii, Sc. 2

Huh! It seems that Willie had an inkling of my birth, since he wrote my thoughts down like this so perfectly. I’ve stated my opinion previously, that Herr Shakespeare is the most over-rated writer that ever trod the planet. I find his work to be pretentious, over-bearing, and completely inscrutable. He admittedly had a pretty way with words, and he wrote so damn much that some of it was bound to come out okay. After all, he is not a room full of an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters, so a good piece of writing had to occur on occasion.

But, for the most part  I find his work is far too ornate, and far too full of itself for me to consider it anything other than sheer drivel. Even the line of his above expresses what I feel about his work with far more pompousness than it required. It would have been better reading, better literature, and better writing to just have said “Who wrote this? It’s pure crap!”…..

Here are a few other examples of his work, that serve to prove my point….

No man’s pie is freed
From his ambitious finger.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry VIII — Act i, Sc. 1
(All I can say is, “Eewwww! Don’t touch me!”)

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together! — (The Beatles) I Am The Walrus
(Sorry, couldn’t resist….) (But, note, please, the simple obscurity, mimicking Willie, as it were…. John was a true cynic…..)

I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Othello — Act iv, Sc. 2
(Could he make such a simple concept any more obscure? It sounds almost like the therapeutic technique of “active listening”, of which one part is mirroring, e.g., “I hear you are angry? Can you tell me a different way?” or some such nonsense delivered in a soothing voice….)

We burn daylight.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merry Wives of Windsor — Act ii, Sc. 1
(WTFDTM?)*

I think we do know the sweet Roman hand.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Twelfth Night — Act iii, Sc. 4
(Again, WTFDTM?)*

A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in a mile-a.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Winter’s Tale — Act iv, Sc. 3
(See? Adding a letter to a word, just to make it rhyme…. can he be any tackier?)

No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en;
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Taming of the Shrew — Act i, Sc. 1
(I got a headache just trying to decipher a meaning for this… any meaning at all would do, but alas, as far as I can tell, there is none….. or, to put it more succinctly, as above, WTFDTM?)*

That’s probably enough to get the point across…. Next time someone quotes Shakespeare to you, remember this, and you will be able to thoroughly embarrass the poor fool with nonsense from the same source….Don’t be intimidated by all those folks who fall for his hype, and stick with writers who aren’t so impressed with their own supposed talent…..

“He hasn’t a single redeeming vice.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

*It’s short for What The Fuck Does That Mean?…..
___________________________________

I had intended to add a pearl today since I didn’t actually write very much, choosing to limit myself to commenting. But, I’m feeling a bit lazy, and Smart Bee doesn’t seem to want to cough up anything interesting to write about…. I’ll give it 20 more tries, and if nothing comes out, we’ll call it a day…. be back soon….

Okay, so I found a pearl at number fourteen, but it’s not one that needs any discussion, since its author says it so well…. Instead of above, I’ll just add it in here…

Take Idaho’s license plates – they say ‘Famous Potatoes.’ Then there’s New Hampshire – their license plates say ‘Live Free … or DIE!!’  I don’t know, I  think that somewhere between ‘Famous Potatoes’ and ‘Live Free or Die’ the  truth lies.  And I think it’s closer to ‘Famous Potatoes.’ — George Carlin

See? It’s perfect, just as it is…. and on that note we will bring today’s effort to a screeching halt…. Just in time, too, I think, as it is starting to get away from me. So, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Maintaining a plethora of peregrines….

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3

Ffolkes,
Gosh…. I actually don’t have anything to complain about! What a novel concept! I think I like it…. The sun is shining, I’m not in pain, the birds are singing, and all is well in the world…. Perhaps this is an omen, of good things to come today. Sure, that’s it….

Now that we have dispensed with the shallow lies and dubious wishes, we can get on with the true business for which we are gathered…. and it has nothing at all to do with shallow lies….  🙂   Heh, heh, heh….

Sorry… sometimes I just can’t seem to help myself….. I start typing and this stuff just dribbles out, like the saliva that pools up on one side of your cheek when you lay on one side for awhile, and doze off…..  It’s probably just as hard to wipe off, I’m sure. Well, we’ll all just have to put up with it, because it obviously isn’t going to stop until I’ve driven you all completely batty, waiting for me to get around to something a bit more rational. Or at least funnier….

Funny, isn’t it? How funny is so relative…. and so personal. See, I thought the saliva piece was pretty good, but I also thought it was kind of tacky, y’know? Too much Benny Hill-style buffoonery, when I was really hoping for more of a George Carlineseque-style, an expansively witty, pretension-killing patter…… Maybe I should have used a locker room joke?….. Ah well, we’ll never know now….

Odds are, the way it’s going so far, nothing is going to happen unless I just seize control, and dive in. Y’all can join in, if’n y’wanta…. If nothing else, it should prove interesting….. and I mean that in a good way, really….
___________________________________

“I show a clear pattern of unpredictability.” — Smart Bee

This made me grin. I can’t help it, it just did. Since its uncanny resemblance to me is not quite enough to make it a pearl, as much as it may be a true and complete picture of me in today’s state of mind, I’ll play fair, and go on, without any further (intentional)  instances of unpredictable behavior….. Really, I will try…. But don’t blame me for what we end up with…. it could be more drivel relating to Mitt the Twitt, and you know what that means…. blood, & gore, & guts, & veins in my teeth!

It is alleged that when Einstein and his wife visited the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, Mrs. Einstein pointed to a particularly complex piece of equipment and asked its purpose. Their guide said that it was used to determine the shape of the universe. “Oh,” she said, not at all impressed, “my husband uses the back of an old envelope to work that out.” — Also Smart Bee

Now THAT is a story worthy of pearl status, and if I am not mistaken, has been utilized as one in the past. Not that I’m going to go check or anything like that, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already used this up, so we’ll try again….

“The people who say you are not facing reality actually mean that you are not facing their idea of reality. Reality is above all else a variable. With a firm enough commitment, you can sometimes create a reality which did not exist before.” — Margaret Halsey, No Laughing Matter (1977)

Bingo! This is the clear winner here, as we all are, provided we can take this idea in, and use it in a constructive fashion. It’s the finest kind of pearl, one that stimulates, and tickles, and surprises, and inspires, all at once. This brings into focus my entire purpose in exploring the boundaries, or lack thereof, of Consensual Reality, the one we all agree on….

We agree to acknowledge the perceptions we share, yet, even in our agreement, we are unique, because our vision, our perception of that reality, is one that only we can see, and our interpretation of that set of perceptions is one only we can make…. Ensuring and magnifying that uniqueness, it joins with all the other unique visions to make a reality that is whatever we wish it to be…..

“Reality is the leading cause of stress for those in touch with it.” — Jack Wagner

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” — Philip K. Dick

Stay real, my friends!…..
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I Speak Not

I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name;
There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame;
But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart
The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.
Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,
Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease?
We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, –
We will part, we will fly to – unite it again!
Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!
Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt;
But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,
And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st.
And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,
This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;
And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,
With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.
One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,
Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.
And the heartless may wonder at all I resign –
Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.

George Gordon, Lord Byron

I can only say, “Incredible!”  And, in spite of my usual habit of running off at the mouth, that is enough…. simply, incredible…
___________________________________

Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blends with the others to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..

“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts

“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short

On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and, someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee

Those Jesus Freaks
Well, they’re friendly but
The shit they believe
Has got their minds all shut.
— Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing”

“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote

and last, but certainly not least….

“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee

Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….   🙂
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It is said that one day, a seeker will come, bringing the staff of power to the Monkey King…. oh, wait…. that’s another story, and the beginning at that. This is supposed to be an ending….

Since that is the case, I suppose there is nothing left to do but end it…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A bond of legacy weighs heavily….

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7

Ffolkes,
The following is a post I wrote for a site called GoodBlogs, for this holiday in 2010. You may note that a couple of the pearls were used again recently…. but they remain valid…. and this goes to show that on the subject of patriotism, my viewpoint hasn’t changed in the last couple of years; in fact it is even more pronounced now…. Abondanza!…..

Musings of an Independent Nature

Independence Day is one of the few holidays I respect, since it was not created merely to stimulate the economy, as were many of the  modern days on the calendar that we are told are “special”.  As such, I’d like to pay it the honor of recognition.

In doing so, today’s group of pearls will walk a very dangerous line, as they deal primarily with two subjects that are often unwise to discuss (especially together), i.e. politics and religion. It is generally considered to be unwise because no other subjects arouse as much passion, or as much anger as do these two when the proponents of one or another creed feels challenged by the beliefs of another.

However, lest we forget, the first, and perhaps the most important, of the reasons we fought to be free of English rule was religious freedom; our entire government is based on the principle of separation of church and state. Too often today, those who would call themselves patriots are in reality interested only in preserving their own religious beliefs, and would deny to others the same prerogative.

July 4th, to my way of thinking, is a day to celebrate the diversity of thought allowed by the Constitution, to honor Truth in whatever guise it may take. I find it immensely interesting, and satisfying  to note that the quotes I’ve chosen are the thoughts of people from a variety of different periods in our history, but all are alike in their intransigent resistance to any limits of thought or choice……

To forestall any flaming responses, or misunderstanding, I will also state at his point, that just because I have included a pearl, doesn’t necessarily mean that I endorse the same ideas. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t; as a matter of fact, I agree with most of what follows. But, most is not all, and as far as my own thoughts, they are my own; I’ve learned not to share all of them with others, as they have a tendency to make folks uneasy, or even angry. That is unfortunate, but, there it is.  Human nature, being what it is, always has the tendency to “shoot the messenger”.  I don’t mind; it keeps me on my toes……meantime, enjoy now these statements of belief by a number of important historical figures, and others…….

“But the greatest of all reformers of the depraved religion of his own country was Jesus of Nazareth.  Abstracting what is really his from the rubbish in which it is buried, easily distinguished by its luster from the dross of his biographers, and as separable as the diamond from the dunghill, we have the outlines of a system of the most sublime morality which has ever fallen from the lips of man; outlines which it is lamentable he did not live to fill up…  The establishment of the innocent and genuine character of this benevolent moralist, and the rescuing it from the imputation of imposture, which has resulted from artificial systems*, invented by ultra-Christian sects, unauthorized by a single word ever uttered by him, is a most desirable object…  *e.g.  The immaculate conception of Jesus, his deification, the creation of the world by him, his miraculous powers, his resurrection and visible ascension, his corporeal presence in the Eucharist, the Trinity; original sin, atonement, regeneration, election, orders of Hierarchy, etc.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Short, October 31 (Halloween), 1819

“Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” — H. L. Mencken (1810-1956)

“However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs.  There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly.  The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent.  If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.  I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in “A,” “B,” “C,” and “D.”  Just who do they think they are?  And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?  And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate.  I am warning them today:  I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of “conservatism.”” — Senator Barry Goldwater, from the Congressional Record, September 16, 1981

“You know your country is dying when you have to make a distinction between what is moral and ethical, and what is legal.” — John De Armond, Performance Engineering Magazine, 1994

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

“They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me will  be exerted in opposition to their schemes.  And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” — Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800

“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” — Confucius (B.C. 551-479)

There you have it…a veritable orgy of ideas, to do with as you please. But take a moment today to think about the historical forces that have led us to the situation we have in the world today, and strengthen your resolve to maintain that freedom that our forefathers left us as their legacy. You honor that legacy when you bend your efforts to use the mind you have been given, and reject outright any and all attempts to curtail, prejudice, or control that mind.  Y’all take care out there….and have a good Fourth!….

As a holiday bonus, I offer one final pearl on today’s subject….

“Quite frankly I admit that I am not too talented, rather under-educated, and not too up on current affairs, decidedly uninterested in sports, and additional to all of this I know practically nothing about the stock market, money management, international law, how to deal with terrorism and protective policy. These at the things that worry me, inasmuch as any day now, someone is going to come and ask me to run for President, since so few other folks are so well qualified.” — Smart Bee

Stay safe today, ffolkes. A lot of amateur drinkers get carried away by their enthusiasm, and nothing is more dangerous than a drunk, self-proclaimed patriot on the fourth of July…..
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Profound Truth differs from simple truth in that the negation of a simple truth is a simple falsehood, while the negation of a Profound Truth may be another Profound Truth. E.g. a button with “Life is just as simple as it seems” on one side and “Life is not as simple as it seems” on the other. — Smart Bee

This is an insightful piece of information, and, as such, is one most folks never would even consider, since it requires more than a minimum of thought to comprehend. But, there is hope! I see an opportunity here…. T-shirts! 

We could, instead of a button with two Profound Truths on each side, make and sell T-shirts with the same…. add a small logo, and voilà, $35 each, 2 for $60. I smell a small fortune in sales, just at county fairs, NASCAR races, and flea markets. If one of the large chains, like Penneys, or Macy’s, gets wind of it, they’d probably offer a buy-out, or a franchise consignment contract for a medium fortune. It’s a sure winner! Want to invest?….

We could even think up more Profound Truths to put on each side…. like “Always” on one side, and “Never” on the other side. Or, “Your vote makes a difference!” and “Your vote is wasted!” on two sides. Or, “God is Dead!” on one side , with “God is Alive, and living in New Jersey” on the other side. Heck, you could hold contests to see who could come up with the best dualities to put on the shirts. Since the subject matter is Profound, you might even be able to get tax exempt status as an educational tool maker, with a dot .org domain name to boot, where the shirts could be sold and shipped online, for a modest fee.

I see a lot of potential here, with eventual growth into a multinational corporation dedicated to everything all the other corps are against, like Truth, Equality, Diversity, and Responsibility. I rather like the irony of using a corporation, dedicated to justice, to bring down the other corporations, who have long since shown their dedication to greed and oppression….

Hey, another thought…. We could go to California to incorporate, and, jointly, register as a church; in that socio-political stew, who’d notice another new cult? Then we could fight on two fronts, using corporate weapons to fight the corporations, and religious zealotry to fight the religious zealots…. A very balanced, two-pronged attack, with the added bonus of irony on our side…. Can’t lose, eh?…. It’s worth a shot, nothing else seems to be working…..
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Vain was the chief’s the sage’s pride!
They had no poet, and they died.


— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace, Odes, Book iv, Ode 9

This is much how I react to the absence of poetry in life, so…. here are some fine examples from Mssr. Pope….

Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to His Royal Highness

I am his Highness’ dog at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?

Alexander Pope

Couplets on Wit
I
I

But our Great Turks in wit must reign alone
And ill can bear a Brother on the Throne.

II

Wit is like faith by such warm Fools profest
Who to be saved by one, must damn the rest.

III

Some who grow dull religious strait commence
And gain in morals what they lose in sense.

IV

Wits starve as useless to a Common weal
While Fools have places purely for their Zeal.

V

Now wits gain praise by copying other wits
As one Hog lives on what another sh—.

VI

Wou’d you your writings to some Palates fit
Purged all you verses from the sin of wit
For authors now are so conceited grown
They praise no works but what are like their own.

Alexander Pope

That should hold me for a day, and you as well…. enjoy!
___________________________________

“Honk! Honk! My nose is big, and red, my name is Ned, and I am a bozo”…. This is how all of us who attend the meetings at BA preface our remarks. Of course, I’m the only one who says “Ned”, but the rest is the same…

BA (Bozos Anonymous) is a fine organization, patterned on the AA model, that helps those of us who, for some genetic reason, easily fall into the life of a bozo, which, as we all know, is extremely bad, especially for the kids of such pathetic clowns…..

But, at the meetings, we support each other in learning to go through life without falling prey to our condition…. and, we learn not to miss having the occasional belly-laughs happen on a regular basis. As good as they feel, that much lack of seriousness can’t be allowed in a Christian society; it could lead to jokes about politicians, and lawyers, and priests, walking into a bar……

That being said, I wish you all a happy, safe 4th of July! Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Sacred Word for today is “Nosh”…..

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6

Ffolkes,
Yesterday, having so readily turned into a clusterf__k, leads steadily to today, which promises to be better, if only because it can’t be worse. Without getting into a huge rant or whiny outburst, let’s just say that I’m not looking forward with any great anticipation to the next six months of limbo, a word that oh so accurately describes my current state of existence. In fact, I’m dreading it, but there is, as usual, not a damn thing I can do about it, except learn how to wait, even more than I have already learned….. It is said that all things come to he who knows how to wait…. well, it would be nice to see a little proof of that. I’ve done, and continue to do, the waiting part of the deal….. so, where is the “all things” that are supposed to come?…..

Ah well, it’s bad enough believing in Murphy, and his power over me. It’s probably a good thing in this instance that I don’t believe the traditional dogma on God, as it would just be a pisser to think that God had anything to do with this…. By all reports, though, He is pretty vindictive and jealous, and putting me through this kind of trial probably wouldn’t be unheard of…. Look at what He is supposed to have done to Job, that poor idiot…. I guess having to spend some months scrambling for food isn’t much, compared to plagues, crop failures, losing sons and daughters, and generally getting shat upon by God…..

With that relatively morbid, but encouraging thought in mind, I guess we should go Pearl…..
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“Of the two smartest creatures on the earth, man and the dolphin, each thought they were smarter then the other. Man thought he was smarter because he built many things and did much work, when the dolphins just played all day. The dolphins thought they were smarter for the same reason.” — Smart Bee

Perspective is everything, eh? I still think the dolphins got the better deal…. Actually, this just goes a long way toward showing the inappropriateness of the sense of entitlement that most humans feel. Having been granted “dominion” over the rest of the world’s creatures, said dominion, of course, self-granted, we hunt, and kill, every other animal on the planet, often just for the sake of killing, to see if we can….

I never understood the concept of “hunting” animals while using a high-powered rifle, unless those doing the hunting issued rifles to the game. I always thought that if one wished to hunt and kill a wild animal, then they should be limited to the same weapons the animal has… e.g. deer have antlers, which cannot be thrown, so the human gets one knife, which must be used without throwing.  Bears have teeth, claws, strength and speed, so let’s make it even, & give the hunter a nice, sharp spear, AND a knife. Even bows & arrows aren’t fair play, to my mind, as they allow the human all the advantage of being able to injure or disable from a distance.

“I’m pretty good with people on an individual basis, but in groups, I really can’t stand the bastards!” — George Carlin

If hunters were limited to that sort of rules, designed to make it more fair, then perhaps I could feel more okay with it. But, the whole idea of killing for sport seems to me to be a bad habit to foster at all, from a wider ethical viewpoint. Killing, while natural to us, is not our most attractive feature, and our tendency to use it on each other is part of why we are so close to extinction. Killing, whether it is killing of animals or humans, also kills the spirit of the one doing the killing. Every time one takes the life of another creature, a little piece of their soul is damaged, and deadened. If carried on, the spirit becomes completely callous, immune to the pain of empathy for the creatures they kill. They become….. politicians…..

Ronald Wilson Reagan is an anagram for Insane Anglo Warlord. — Smart Bee

Now that might seem like a stretch of the imagination, but I challenge anyone to disprove my contention. Politicians don’t care about anyone but themselves; their spirits are dedicated to lying, stealing, and taking advantage of their fellow man. What kind of soul does it take to carry out those activities? One that is dead to empathy, that cannot feel the pain that others feel…. and that is a politician, by any other name….

“They [preachers] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.” — Thomas Jefferson

Okay, so that connection is a little dubious. But, it’s not really all that far off the mark; one could add preachers to the list of those who wear and/or display the hunter’s mask, as they are the ones who started the whole entitlement nonsense in the first place. Boy, if that wasn’t one of history’s greatest con jobs!

Getting folks to buy into that Garden of Eden story, straight out of somebody’s feverish imagination, was one of the best snow-jobs ever, for sure…. Of course, it does feed right in to that human desire to be special, but still, it took a lot of chutzpah to pull it off, and to continue to run the “long con” by establishing churches and priestly hierarchies. Nasty as it is, ethically and morally, I still have to admire the way they pulled it off….

“God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, but also a kind of superiority, soothing to their macerated egos; He will set them above their betters.” — H.L. Mencken

I guess what this means in the large picture is that the human evolutionary change that Mankind needs the most is a change to our morals. When given a choice, most of Mankind opts to choose the easy path, the path of least resistance, and gives up the power of choice to others, in order to also give up responsibility. This is what needs to change. Mankind must learn to grow up, to take responsibility for the damage we have caused, and stop giving in to our baser nature. We need to cultivate the ethically higher parts of our nature… our reason, our empathy, our compassion. All of these need to become our motivation, rather than mere gratification of our base desires.

“Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

Ah well, one can hope, even in the face of probable disaster, and I’ll keep on hoping…. foolish, I know, but what else can one do?….
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ICONOCLAST, n.  A breaker of idols, the worshipers whereof are imperfectly gratified by the performance, and most strenuously protest that he unbuildeth but doth not reedify, that he pulleth down but pileth not up.  For the poor things would have other idols in place of those he thwacketh upon the mazzard and dispelleth.  But the iconoclast saith:  “Ye shall have none at all, for ye need them not; and if the rebuilder fooleth round hereabout, behold I will depress the head of him and sit thereon till he squawk it.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Ah, at long last…. Finally, a complete definition of what I attempt here on “gigoid– Exploring Consensual Reality”…. I can’t think of a better way to put it than this…..

A common criticism that is used to try to negate the effect of a writer, or a protester, or an iconoclast, by any other name, is that all of what they say is so negative, that they propose no solutions to the problems they lament. This is usually shouted, or at least delivered with a sneer, intended to convey dismissal of what has been said, as if it is of no importance, by supporters (worshipers) of the icon under discussion, or often, by the icon themselves. Those delusional figures of self-proclaimed importance always greet such attacks, no matter how true, or how justified, as if they are of no import; it is part of their sociopathy to dismiss all that does not fit into their rigid set of standards….

“Have integrity. Make your deeds follow your words. Keep your commitments to self and others, speak the truth.” — Smart Bee

Which is why I enjoy using the Truth to puncture their balloons; irrefutable evidence produces the most amazing faces on those who don’t want to believe it. But, even icons cannot deny what is staring them in the face, so they attempt to deny its relevance, or distract from its presence by a counter-accusation, or best of all, claim there is an attack from outside.

(I don’t know about the rest of the world, but the timing of the attack on 9/11/01 was fairly suspicious, considering how close the Bush administration was to being exposed for having manipulated the election results in 2000.  Shortly after articles appeared stating there was solid physical evidence of chicanery, in the form of vote tampering in the results from three pivotal states that got Bush elected, the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 took place, completely drawing the public’s attention from the possibility of a reversal of the election, by the sudden, shocking attack from the outside. I was suspicious of it then, and I remain suspicious now…. the timing was just too damn convenient for the Shrubs…..)

So, any who, the most obvious iconoclastic target for me at this point is Mitt the Twitt. He’s not a particularly challenging target, as he pretty much furnishes his own BS, and stumbles over his own words, and trips over his own ego, and generally craps in his own shoes. It’s almost too easy…. but fun, to be sure, as he really can make an ass of himself, without half trying, and that is pure fun to watch and report. I don’t really trust the Democrats either, but I do have respect for the office of the President, and so for the man in the office I show the respect of saying nothing, even though I could….

Of course, should the Twitt, through some unthinkable mistake, get into that office, I won’t be showing that respect, as it won’t have been earned. The only chance he has of winning the election is to use the same tactics as the Bushes, and cheat…. Funny how certain voting machines break down right at election time, isn’t it? And only in certain districts? Hmm…. Well, you can be sure, if he does, my respect for the office will not only be gone, but it may just turn the tide, and light the fuse under the ass of the American people to rise up and kick their sorry asses right off the planet, so we can get some serious work done on solving the problems we already have…. Again, all I can do is retreat into hope……
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Summer Sun

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy’s inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

Robert Louis Stevenson

I’m often unsure how to take Stevenson’s work. He was a complex man, living during an historically volatile era, yet his work is very romantic and simple, at least in appearance. But, that’s okay, too…. there is room for everyone at the Inn of the Inner Eye….
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I’m not sure what to think of today’s effort….. I’m going to take a moment or two to do just that; excuse me, I’ll be right back…..

I must say….. whew! That’s quite a wild ride! I knew I was all over the place, but didn’t realize the extent of the issue until I went back over all of it at once…. Okay, here’s the thing, I could give a warning, to be cautious today, and take breaks while digesting all of this. But, we’re all the way back here at the ending, so you wouldn’t see it in time…. hmm, another conundrum. What to do, what to do….

Ah, there we go…. I’ll end this here, remind you to go wash up, in case any of it got on your clothes, and take an aspirin for the headache it caused before you lie down….. okay? Okay!

Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

New styles of designer cheese….

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4

Ffolkes,
On most mornings, I can bring the power of the Metaphorse into play for the opening paragraphs of this missive. Phantasmagoria flow from my mind onto the screen, swirling and shifting into the shapes that will fascinate and entice. Odd connections and teasing concepts flutter around the reader’s head, pushing and pulling toward the edge of what is real. The very face of Reality can assume secondary and tertiary roles in passion plays of great import, and all hope of sanity retreats…..

Then, other mornings, such as this one, even the power of speech eludes me; the power of the Metaphorse is well out of reach. At this point, I’m amazed that I am able to type at all. It’s nothing untoward, I’m sure, just a lack of sugar complicating the start- and warm-up process. I should be fine after the second cup of coffee…. But it sure is inefficient, and nothing drives me crazier than inefficiency. Which is probably why Murphy likes to mess with me so much…. I’m an easy target….

Ah well, I should know by now that no matter how I feel upon arising, the lad will have preceded me and set up some fine, witty way to mess with my head within a few moments. It’s almost comforting…. Since ’tis the way of things, and there is nothing at all to do about it, I’m going to do what I probably should do more, which is try to ignore it. Maybe if I don’t give him so much attention, he’ll find some other bozo to go bother…. but, if not, at least I’ll have found a pearl or two by that time…. and I’ll settle for that….. Shall we Pearl?….
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A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” — Lazarus Long

This statement has always appealed to me, as it is a fine description of what kind of person I’ve always wanted to be. Everything I see, or perceive, is of interest to me; it’s all grist for the mill. I’ve never understood how boredom can be a problem, for there is always something new to be learned, even in the most mundane circumstances. I’ve always felt that to be bored means that one is tired of what is going on inside one’s own mind. That is not something to which I will admit, and since I believe it to be a matter of choice, I will always choose to learn something, rather than submit to feeling bored….

It doesn’t make any sense to me to limit what we can do, or see, or feel, or perceive, just because it presents a risk. Risk is involved in the act of breathing; life is risk of death, at the core, so there is no point, to me, in trying to avoid whatever life will throw at us, because it will do so no matter how we feel about it. Over that we have no control…. the only control we have is over ourselves.

We can shut our eyes and minds, and try to ignore whatever reality presents; it’s not usually a good idea, but it seems to be the favorite reaction by a lot of folks. Or, we can open our minds, hearts, and emotions, and jump right into what life brings, using it to increase our ability to understand and cope,  gaining the sense of accomplishment, and the pride of achievement that comes with learning something new….

Me?…. I’m no insect, and don’t intend to shut myself off from whatever life has for me to learn…. it’s way more fun than the alternative, for sure and for certain…. and I’m never bored….

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289
___________________________________    ‘Nuff said…. ‘cept, found on Facebook; my friend Patrick at work again…
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In the worlds before monkey, primal chaos reigned.   Heaven sought order, but the Phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown.  The four lands formed again and yet again, as endless eons wheeled and passed.  The wind, time and water (??) all worked upon a certain rock, old as creation, and it became magically fertile.  That first egg was called ‘thought.’  Tagahata (??) Buddah, the Father Buddah says, ‘with our thoughts, we make the world.’  Elemental forces caused the egg to hatch.  From it came a stone monkey.  The nature of monkey was IRREPRESSIBLE! — Smart Bee

This delightfully cheerful piece of rogue philosophy sounds as if it were written as an entry in a contest to write the silliest, yet most plausible creation myth imaginable. It bears a certain resemblance to certain aboriginal and Eastern religious philosophies, even using a perverted spelling of Buddha to imply, and absorb, some of that philosophy’s carte grise. The last line is particularly apt to me, as well as a nod to modern culture… you could say it’s fabulous, and would be right to say so….

The question marks are not mine; they were included in the quote, so I know not whether they are editor’s notes, or merely hints from the unknown author. All in all, I’d say that, as creation myths go, it is at least as plausible as several of the rather incredulous tales currently held as truth by different sects of different religions around the world…..

“The first egg was called ‘thought'” Exquisite imagery…. as a metaphor for the power of possibility that is the nature of an egg, this is perfect. The power of thought thus creates the world, and monkey is born…. he sits down to type, irrepressible, and Shakespeare was foisted upon the world for all to suffer…. SIGH….

If only the monkeys had, in all that time to type, managed to come up with some Neil Simon, or even Tennessee Williams, then maybe this would be a different world, and nobody would have to pretend they understood what the hell Will was talking about…. Think how many brain cells could have been saved had we not had to sit through endless variations of his themes, like West Side Story, and others of that ilk….. ghastly….
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Hmm… interesting stuff. As usual, hard to say where it came from, or where it’s meant to go, but, there it sits, just like a bowl of fruit, waiting for someone to reach in and grab a bite of sweet…. though I doubt the fruit in my bowl quite fits that description. Nonetheless, there it sits, so I can get on with the rest of today, and so can you…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you….

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

A strange trip, and long….

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3

Ffolkes,
Since retiring from my job on the last day of 2010, I’ve been writing a lot. For years, my need to write was sublimated at work, writing reports and evaluations according to set rules and formats, on specific subjects. All the dross that builds up in my head just kept sitting there, growing into a pile of emotionally charged opinions, radical political thoughts, religious heresies, and humorous observations on human nature that promised to bury me should it ever fall over. Fortunately for me, I was forced to retire, even though not fully prepared, and the chance to do something to reduce the pile presented itself…..

The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed.” — Charlotte Bronte

In at least a therapeutic sense, it came at just the right time, as I had a lot of angst and anger built up over the way I was treated when I left work. All that anger was, of course, useless to me, other than as a stimulus to write. Once began, the dam burst, and what I’ve been keeping inside came tumbling out, in daily portions of anywhere from 500 to 2500 words. It has been extremely liberating on an intellectual level, as I don’t believe I’ve ever had the opportunity to write exactly how I feel about “life and all that stuff” to any great degree.

Now, since beginning my own blog, first on SFGATE, and now on WordPress, I have allowed myself to show the darkest stuff that I have in there, at least in the political and religious fields, and the feeling is one of stupendous relief. Being able to get all that stuff out of my head has helped me in a lot of ways not immediately apparent to the casual eye; I do believe it was beginning to fester in there…..

I’m not sure exactly what I’m trying to say here, except that I feel pretty grateful, all in all, for having been able to write like I have for the last year and some…. grateful for both the opportunity, and for the wherewithal. And I am especially grateful for all the ffolkes that have come to read my work, and comment, and generally show the kind of support that only true friends can show.

Without having met anyone face to face, I can truthfully say that I’ve met a large number of people here that I am very proud and happy to consider as friends, and my only regret is that there isn’t enough time in the day to be able to read as much of their work as I’d wish to get to. But it remains a very well-appreciated gift to have all of that available to read; I never have to worry about finding something entertaining or interesting, because every one of the blogs I follow has the power to give me both….

So, to all those who have come here to read, and those who comment, thanks very much for stopping in, and I hope that what I write continues to draw your interest. I can guarantee that what I write will not always be politically correct (thank goodness!), nor will it always be comfortable…. but it will always be real, and it will always be mine…. I think it’s time to go Pearl, don’t you? ……

“And here, poor fool, with all my lore I stand no wiser than before.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
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Bright Star

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art–
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors–
No–yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever–or else swoon to death.

John Keats

A Drinking Song

WINE comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.

William Butler Yeats

Of late I find myself turning more often to poetry for recreational reading. Keats and Yeats, (and what are the odds of that similarity?), are two of my favorites, not surprisingly. Today I’ve put one of each of their pieces out for your perusal and enjoyment, and to assuage my practicality gene, which prompts me to make everything I write of some usefulness. So, this is your daily lesson in comparative literature; you won’t be awarded any points, but it will prepare you for the quiz that will come at the end of the week….. otherwise, just enjoy! It’s not every day you get two classic poets in one blog….
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“Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

Robert Heinlein was considered by his peers to be the Grand Master of Science Fiction, and with good reason. One of those reasons is his insight into human nature, a key element in creating the believable characters with which his books are populated. The above statement is a good indication of this insight, and is an idea that I’ve held as true for most of my adult life. It helps soothe the emotional turmoil that happens every time another bozoid member of the beloved ruling class opens their mouth to insert their foot…. It also keeps me from being disappointed when I face the daily proof of how dumb folks can be, said proof being presented on a regular basis online or in newspapers and TV shows.

Even though I consider myself to be a member of the last group mentioned, I am also realistic, and know that I am part of the majority of those who think, those who don’t always do it very well. If I did, I’d probably not be living in poverty. I’m perfectly aware that it was my own angry reaction to my employer’s rudeness that complicated the retirement process, and has placed me in this position of having to survive until all of my retirement resources have been garnered for use.

If I had paid more attention to my cosmic judo, I would have just let them push me out as disabled, gotten my State Disability Retirement, and would now be enjoying my Social Security. But, noooo, I had to spend six months arguing with the State to placate my pride. I won, in that I got what I wanted from them, but in the process, screwed myself…. typical human behavior, but nonetheless disappointing to know that my bozoid tendencies can still rule my behavior…..

Ah well, now I must use other parts of what I’ve learned over the years, to enable me to put aside my disappointment in myself, and move on to rectify the situation. I’m getting where I need to go, but having to keep myself under strict control to keep from banging my head against the nearest hard surface every time I am confronted with another delay. Sheesh! One more thing that they don’t tell you about in any of the retirement planning manuals….

The statement above doesn’t help me much in this situation, other than to make it clearer why things take so long to get done in the SS and federal bureaucracy. In fact, this insight is most useful for just that…. to help understand why the world is going along the way it is, limping and rushing toward extinction for our species. The inability to think, and worse, the reluctance that most folks have to think, is one of the root causes of why the world is going to shit…. and it’s getting worse all the time, as the forces of ignorance gain ever more of a foothold in society.

The current Presidential political scene that is developing ahead of the election in November is truly a frightening prospect to anyone with more than two functioning neurons between their ears….. I find it incomprehensible, if all-too-believable, that the race is as close as it appears to be. I’ve seen reports that, before even being officially picked as the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, or more accurately, the Republican platform, has more committed electoral votes than I would have believed possible.

I don’t think that there is much of a real chance that the incumbent won’t be re-elected; there is just too much time left until November, and I don’t think that Mitt will be able to keep his mouth shut long enough to keep from self-destructing. But, the tendency of the media to blow up anything they see to sell stories gives him far too much credence, and may complicate the matter. Time will tell, but it makes me nervous, as there are too many historical precedents of the idiocy of the voters to help me feel very relaxed about it…. and neither should you be…..    I predict that if Romney even gets close to being elected, there will be an upheaval that this country hasn’t seen in over 200 years, as the forces of ignorance contend with those among us, such as myself, who will be moved to act if the election results go south… and it won’t be a move toward compliance, or submission to a new order….

REVOLUTION, n.  In politics, an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.  Specifically, in American history, the substitution of the rule of an Administration for that of a Ministry, whereby the welfare and happiness of the people were advanced a full half-inch. Revolutions are usually accompanied by a considerable effusion of blood, but are accounted worth it — this appraisement being made by beneficiaries whose blood had not the mischance to be shed.  The French revolution is of incalculable value to the Socialist of to-day; when he pulls the string actuating its bones its gestures are inexpressibly terrifying to gory tyrants suspected of fomenting law and order. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
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I think I’ve rambled enough for one morning; reality is calling me to get on with the rest of the day. So, I’m going to cheat a little…. Below is a picture I found on Facebook; I titled it “The Last Will and Testament of Noah”, as it seemed to fit what I believe he would have said, if he could speak. He lived with me about 17 and a half years, passing away last August. I’ve spoken of him often here, and will no doubt do so again in the future. A short time after he passed away, I wrote a tribute to him and our life together. That piece “An Ode to Noah” can be found here:  http://therealowner.com/dogs/an-ode-to-noah/  This picture says it all, for me…. and yes, I know, I’m a softie at heart….___________________________________

Duty calls, and I must answer, so I will now be ruthless….as much as I ever do…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Curiously lacking inflation collars….

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8

Ffolkes,
As a general rule around here, titles and/or subject lines don’t have any connection to material. Today’s title came within a hair’s breadth of breaking that unwritten rule, until it morphed into final form, which was well out of the range of possible inclusion (I don’t keep any inflation collars on hand, so….). But, it didn’t look good there for a while, when I couldn’t seem to find the proper non sequitor phrase… A close call, but all is well now….

As well as is possible at this point, anyway…. What with the interruption of almost making sense, combined with a certain lack of spirited energy, this morning’s turn at the keyboard is turning into more of an effort than I had imagined. I already took an extra hour in bed, and it looks as if I won’t be making that up anytime soon, the way things are progressing. I think it would be best if I get started, before any further interruptions can occur…. let’s go Pearl, shall we?…..
___________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

For over 200 years now, the beloved ruling class and their hidden supporters, the prelates of the churches and synagogues, have been repeatedly and subtly attempting to undermine the purpose behind educating people, trying to limit the amount spent on education, or luring people into believing the nonsensical alternatives that religion offers in lieu of independence of thought, thus minimizing the effects of the education received outside their influence.

They (the politicians and priests/preachers….) continuously bombard the public with lie after lie, until the lies are accepted as truth, just because there is nothing else offered. They then use those lies to further confuse the public as to what is really happening, and go about their business of stealing and grabbing power wherever they find the opportunity….

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

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

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

I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen,
Of Meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been;
Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were,
With morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair.
I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see,
For still there are so many things that I have never seen:
In every wood in every spring there is a different green.
I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago,
And people who will see a world that I shall never know.
But all the while I sit and think of times that were before,
I listen for returning feet and voices at the door.
— J.R.R. Tolkien

There was a lot of pretty good poetry in Tolkien’s work, a fact sometimes overlooked in critical essays. Some of it isn’t very good, of course, but many of the verses, such as this one, are very good efforts, and not only fill in the story background, enriching it, but would very easily stand alone, and still deserve reading out of context. I’m not going to say any more, as this one just makes me feel good….
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O Proserpina,
For the flowers now, that frighted thou let’st fall
From Dis’s waggon! daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty; violets dim,
But sweeter than the lids of Juno’s eyes
Or Cytherea’s breath; pale primroses,
That die unmarried, ere they can behold
Bright Phoebus in his strength,–a malady
Most incident to maids; bold oxlips and
The crown imperial; lilies of all kinds,
The flower-de-luce being one.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Winter’s Tale — Act iv, Sc. 4

Delivers in such apt and gracious words
That aged ears play truant at his tales,
And younger hearings are quite ravished;
So sweet and voluble is his discourse.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Love’s Labour ‘s Lost — Act ii, Sc. 1

Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride
At length broke under me and now has left me,
Weary and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must forever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:
I feel my heart new opened. O, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours!
There is betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have:
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.
— William Shakespeare, King Henry VIII — Act iii, Sc. 2

Kirk: “Spock, comment.”
Spock: “Very bad poetry.”
— “Catspaw”, Stardate 3018.2.
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A young man came to Socrates, asking to be admitted to his school, that he might learn from the master himself. Socrates grabbed the young man, dragged him into a pool of water, and ducked him under until he was gasping and clawing for air. Finally he released the young man, and waded back to dry land. Then Socrates questioned the man. `What did you most want just now?’ The young man replied, `Air.’ `When you want knowledge as much as you just wanted air, you shall have it.’

When I was a mere lad, around 11 or 12, I first heard this story; when I heard the last line, I had an epiphany, and the search for truth became my primary goal in life from that point on, lasting to this very day. I had not seen this story in print for many years, so it was just like finding an old friend, and I am filled with good memories. I remember with fondness the breathless feeling I still get when I have learned something new, or seen a new poem, or witnessed a new sunset…. and how the process of learning has always been the same to me as breathing, an essential part of life, one that I will never forswear….
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“Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man’s subordination. Anarchism is therefore the teacher of the unity of life; not merely in nature, but in man.” — Emma Goldman “Anarchism: What It Really Stands For”

This probably looks a bit intimidating…. I know I was when I first looked at it. It is probably also much too deep a subject to take up as the last pearl of the day…. so I won’t.

I will go so far as to say that while I can agree with much of what Ms. Goldman says here, I cannot fully embrace Anarchy as a viable form of government for mankind. For such a system to work, every member of society MUST be educated and aware of their own place, and their own duty to BE their own government, their own moral guide.

Unfortunately, though I have to applaud the idea, it is far beyond what the average person is capable of either understanding, or of practicing. Hell, look at the world as it is… and then, when you stop laughing, you can just nod your head in agreement that humanity at large is not ready for Anarchy, as attractive as it may sound to those of us who might be willing to try….
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Whew! That was a struggle, to be sure…. I hope it turns out as well as it could be hoped; I’m not doing it over, so once again, it will have to fly on the wings it has…. It’s a big relief, though, just getting it done, so I’ll take that and run…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you….

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!