Tag Archives: politics

Sketching a Parabolic Curve…..

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Ffolkes,
Fully clothed in his suit of innocence, he sallied forth into the new day, whistling. Obviously, he had no clue….but I do. Boy, a whole new year to play with; we gonna have some fun, you betcha! You guys take the left, I’ll take the middle, and the right can go to hell….meantime, let’s go diving…..
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“After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.” — Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.)

It’s most likely an effect of advancing years, but I find myself of late spending more and more time pondering death. My own, that is. It isn’t imminent (at least I feel fine, and my doc doesn’t look panicked when I see him), but it’s fer sure gettin’ closer. My thoughts aren’t on the death itself, but rather the attendant rituals, and on my legacy. We all come to a place in life where planning for death is necessary, and the ordering of disposition of property is best spelled out clearly ahead of time, in order for there to be no discord amongst the surviving relatives.

I won’t be leaving a lot of money; money has never interested me much beyond my immediate means, but there are items of affection that will need to find new homes, like my guitar, and personal mementos. Plus, who knows? My writing could become successful in a financial sense, then there would be that to take care of as well. But, I don’t intend for anything of mine to cause a rift between my kids after I’m gone.

It’s strange, really, thinking of one’s own demise. Accepting the inevitability of death is a task unto itself, and not an easy one. Mankind’s greatest universal fear is fear of the unknown, and what can be more so than what happens after we die? Realistically, fear of death should be easily processed, because we actually do have knowledge of death; how would we know we were alive, if we had never been dead? There must be some genetic memory of death, for we live with such gusto, and our nature responds so naturally to the joy of living, that only if we had once died could we feel such joy in life. Maybe that’s why I’m having so little fear over the whole thing; a part of my mind, one that is directly connected to the pulse of life and death, knows there is nothing to fear. It’s a comforting thought. And if my memory is valued, I will have lived well…..

Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Over sharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
— Tao Te Ching
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In the days when Sussman was a novice Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6.  “What are you doing?”, asked Minsky.  “I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe.”   “Why is the net wired randomly?”, asked Minsky.   “I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play”  Minsky shut his eyes,   “Why do you close your eyes?”, Sussman asked his teacher.   “So that the room will be empty.”   At that moment, Sussman was enlightened. — AI koan

In the beginning, over ten years ago, the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom looked much differently than they do today. A short comment, followed by one very profound Pearl, and a short ending. They have expanded over the years, to include more quotes, often strung together to form a single point, said point being left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader. Only in the last month or so has it evolved to its current incarnation, and I’m still getting used to having so much material to write about. But I’ve always loved this little koan, because it is just so absolutely tautological, and so sublimely subtle.

Just as an experiment, here is an optional homework assignment. Answer the question, “Why did Minsky close his eyes?”…… we’ll see how many out there are really paying attention…..just send your answers in as a reply to this email. Or, conversely, leave a reply at my blog site, where these Pearls are posted each morning after being sent to you….that net address is: https://gigoid.me/ ….your prize will be a strong feeling of accomplishment, and your praises will be sung in a future Pearl…..good luck! (though luck won’t find the answer…..)
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If he applies The Eternal to himself his virtue will be genuine;
If he applies it to his family his virtue will be abundant;
If he applies it to his village his virtue will be lasting;
If he applies it to his country his virtue will be full;
If he applies it to the world his virtue will be universal.
— Lao-Tzu (fl. B.C. 600)

This sounds like Lao Tzu was predicting the future, giving the world a chance to get used to the idea of the Messiah. One need only look at these lines, and see yet another example of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was possibly the most puissant soul mankind has ever witnessed; he is one of very few men who lived exactly what he preached. Of course, being a brilliant psychologist as well as politician, he knew that for his ideas to last, he would need to couch the concepts in a format that would be acceptable and easily understood by the primitive populace with whom he lived. (and, naturally, once he was gone, the humans managed to distort his message, and turn it to their own purposes, ie, power over others) He did well, but like any one whose soul is pure, he could not fully understand just how down and dirty men can be; it just wasn’t in him to do so.

So, instead of living in heaven on earth, we have, for the last 2000 years, watched as his ideas were perverted and twisted into the justification of entitlement so inherent to the Judeo-Christian set of beliefs. “We are the Chosen People of God, and were given dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Jesus proved it when he died for our sins.” What a crock! Makes me wanna puke…….Jesus deserved better, and if alive today, would be living in a homeless shelter, ministering to the poor and disenfranchised, just as he did 2000 years ago. Except now there are millions of them, more than ever…..and the fat cats (otherwise known as priests, preachers, deacons, and fundamentalist “born again” fanatics) would crucify him even faster than Pilate….. and then go back to the rectory/house/church/office and figure out more ways to steal from the public purse, and increase the influence of the church on the policies of the state……
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“I don’t believe a tree is a tree and if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.” — Ronald Reagan, Sacramento Bee, 9/14/66

It might be an unpopular position to take, but I figure that most of the people who thought Reagan was the Second Coming, were folks who never lived in California (close as I can figure, about 240 million ‘Murricans). They never had him as a governor, back when he wasn’t as careful about saying what he really felt, instead of the all-too-natural lies that tripped so lovingly from his tongue.  In addition to this little gem, he also said, after some protests on the UC campus’s, “If they want a bloodbath, we’ll give them a bloodbath.” He was speaking of the children of his constituents, children who are also citizens, and would presumably possess the right to assemble peacefully to protest inequity. I’m sorry folks, Ronald Reagan wasn’t the Great Communicator; he was a selfish, small-minded little man who gave not one little shit about the public at large. He was only in the game for one reason, and that was for fulfillment of his grandiose dreams of adequacy. Oh yes, he was loyal. He always liked to make sure that his supporters and sycophants got their share of the public pie.

Though even Mr. Greenspan is reluctant to say so, it is patently obvious to any observer that Reagan’s economic philosophy is the major contributing factor to both the current recession and the preceding 30 years of deregulated lying, cheating, and stealing from the public that created the mess we are in now. That mess was made bigger by the first Shrub in the White House, and further decimated by the junior Shrub’s stay during his stolen terms. (Don’t tell me you thought those voting discrepancies in Ohio and Florida, resulting in Bush winning the elections weren’t planned? If you think so, you really need to take a reality check….)

Okay, that’s enough Reagan/Bush I&II bashing for one morning. Any more and the day would be spoiled, by the taste it leaves in my mouth to even discuss the man’s unwarranted reputation. Just writing that line brought to mind three more reasons that could fuel a rant, but there are other, more palatable tasks awaiting my attention.

Let it suffice to say, if you disagree, I encourage you to write back and present any evidence you may feel is pertinent in support of your support; I’m all about dialogue. I know it may not look that way, as a blog is one long monologue, but I believe that democracy is impossible without the free exchange of ideas. So if you have any thoughts, come on back with them, & we’ll have some fun…..

According to Descartes, “Dittoheads” don’t exist…
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“Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” — Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773) — Letter, March 10, 1746

“Excellence is its own reward.” — gigoid (1950- ?) — Peruaosophy, the Philosophy of Pearls, axiom #4

Here is the first installment of my newest project (translation: I just thought of it…) In the coming days and/or weeks (depending on how long it takes to find just the right Pearls from the Past), I will present quotes from wise, or seemingly wise, men or women who lived prior to the 21st century that act as proof of the axiom’s validity. Well, maybe not proof; that would only come from actually applying the axiom to real situations that would indicate its value as a mental tool. It’s okay to try this at home. But, the quotes will provide, at minimum, positive evidence of the timeless nature of the Pearl under review. Be sure to look for this new feature in coming issues…..and feel free to comment any time…..
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Two days, gone already. Boy, the year is just flying by, isn’t it?….. well, maybe not. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Splendid specimens, sir….do they wiggle?

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Ffolkes,
We go now, in search of cognitive dissonance… heavily armed with oodles of insouciance, and eager to wage war with words. Let us then take a foray into the day, spreading the contagious joy of living……

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
— Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882) — A Psalm of Life

Alrighty then, let’s have at it……
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“With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” — Picard, ST:TNG, quoting a fictional judge, The Drumhead

One doesn’t often find profundity in Picard’s words, though he has one of the best voices for delivering such gems. This one seems timely, considering that we Americans just watched quietly as Congress passed another version of the Anti-Bill of Rights (aka, the Homeland Security Act), abridging even more of our Constitutionally guaranteed liberties. I find it reprehensible that the fear of terrorism that followed the attacks on 9/11 was used to justify an attack on the Constitution, and even fanned into flames, by the very people who are supposed to protect the liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights.

We no longer have the right to freely assemble to protest, unless we meet stringent regulations. Our telephone conversations are being monitored, both land-line and cell, for key phrases that would indicate terrorist activity. This law alone has caused a number of illegal arrests, which were made possible by the easing of the restrictions on police when performing searches. They now have the right to invade your home, just because they “suspect” terrorist activity. Racial and cultural profiling is rampant, and long-time citizens of this country are being harassed and vilified, just because they are Muslim, or “appear to be” Muslim.

What I’m saying here isn’t paranoia speaking. The incidents I’ve mentioned are all documented in the news. What disturbs me the most about the whole situation is that the American public isn’t protesting at all, not about what is important. Yes, it is the 99% who are perpetrating all these incidents of oppression, but that is normal; they’ve always done whatever they could get away with in their single-minded pursuit of most of the money in our pockets. The real danger lies in what they are doing to our basic liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights. 

They are accomplishing all this without censure, without oversight, and without conscience. I can only hope that enough people like me can shout it out loudly enough, and often enough, that the sheep out there masquerading as adult humans will become afraid of the correct enemy, to wit: those attempting to erode our rights. These are not necessarily the rich, though they are paying for it; these are the hired gunslingers of the rich, placed in power by virtue of the almighty dollar and their gift of Lies…….

“If a lie is repeated often enough all the dumb jackasses in the world not only get to believe it, they even swear by it.” — B.B. Franklin

“There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

and, lastly…..

“Any hack can safely rail away at foreign powers beyond the sea; but a good writer is a critic of the society he lives in.” — Edward Abbey
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Hmph! Seriousness.  Hmph! Sobriety.  A Jedi craves them not.

A limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I’ve seen
So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

If humanity has any hope at all, it rests in those parts of our nature that are often only seen in times of crisis. Courage. Loyalty. Compassion. Love. Creativity. Imagination. Introspection. Will. These are our finest qualities, the parts of us that are always in in harmony with the universe, and represent  possibly our final hope for redemption.

In today’s complex world of the future, (thanks, Firesign Theater) we are bearing witness to the increasingly obvious symptoms of decay and dissolution exhibited by modern culture. Divisiveness in public affairs. Imminent economic turmoil caused by severe inequity across the board. Global warming and severe climatological changes caused by pollution of the air, land, and sea. Erosion of human rights. Threatening species extinctions occurring continuously. Damage to the bottom of the food chain, which will have effects that ripple and spread all the way to the top of the pyramid, ie., us.

The evidence for all of this is overwhelming, and the theoretical conclusions are approaching certainty; this planet, and the species that exist today, are what we like to call “one sick puppy”, and the prognosis for recovery is guarded and uncertain; death is very nearly certain without treatment of the causes, not the symptoms. At this point, its not a good bet…..

I’ll bet when you started on this little section, you thought it would be funny. Just goes to show how far you can trust words, doesn’t it? Even when the one speaking is on your side, as I am, you can never tell from outward appearances just what may lie hidden under the surface. It could be, as it is here, with the intent of contrasting and illuminating a desired point, a lesson, as it were. Or it could be that all that is going on here is another attempt to fool you into doing something you don’t necessarily agree with; this too, should be a familiar experience, as that is the most commonplace gift we receive from our beloved ruling class. What I’d like you to take from this, is a renewed attitude of personal responsibility for what we say and do; none of us will be free, if we do not free ourselves…….okay, here’s a little humor…..

“Truth … never comes into the world, but like a Bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her forth.” — John Milton (1608-1674) (which throws light on the tradition of killing the messenger….)
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“Being frustrated is disagreeable, but the real disasters in life begin when you get what you want.” — Irving Kristol

This being the case, it points out another disturbing issue regarding our political choices today. Obviously, it is our preference (what we want) that only those who are the most skillful liars are allowed the opportunity to lie to the public at large, a privilege befitting their exalted position as a member of the beloved ruling class. After all, we vote for them, don’t we? Every time there is an election, both parties sally forth with their distorted truths and distractions, all cleverly designed to deflect attention from what is actually happening, which is a contest to see whose particular set of untruths is given precedence until the next election. Then we get to do it all again, whether anything good or bad has happened, or not happened.

It all seems a bit silly, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it make you feel just the slightest bit of embarrassment at not only bending over, but for willingly supplying the lubricant for the perversions to which these…people… are subjecting us? Sometimes, I get so ashamed, I refuse to even leave the house on election day, for fear I’ll snap, and start haranguing prospective voters as they wander in to cast their programmed responses, telling them they were all going to hell in a handbasket, just as if I were a preacher, or a politician, or someone of that ilk…..
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“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 21

It may have come to your attention that this seems to be a recurring theme here at Gigoid’s Folly. And you would be right in that. I’m scared, folks, and I don’t care who knows it (it just makes me more dangerous, not less). I’m scared to death that the degree of ignorance at work today in society is going to push us all into the path of the bulldozer of Extinction. I didn’t have children because I wanted to see them die, wallowing in the filth with which we have fouled our nest, choking on the air that is becoming thicker and more foul with each passing second. (Don’t believe me? follow this link to see just how fast we are killing ourselves….  http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/ ) It’s getting to the point where I can see the muck in the air; look across a valley sometime, and see how much detail you can see across the way. In most of the world today, you would be lucky to be able to determine colors, but not shapes.

I reiterate. I’m scared. And I am monumentally pissed off, as well! Deliberately ignorant assholes are constantly filling the airwaves with the most egregious bullshite I’ve ever heard, and as an American who has witnessed election politics all my life, that is some pretty fancy doo doo.  What right do these ignoramuses have that allows them to spew their fear and loathing all over the rest of us? And how long is the general public going to allow this kind of self-destructive behavior in the people who are supposed to be protecting and nurturing our growth? It’s already gone on far too long, and I sense that change is in the air…..kind of smells like gunpowder in the morning air, doesn’t it?……
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How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — The Character of a Happy Life

Eureka! I have found the epitaph for my headstone, should I ever need one. This is me all over……this is not to say I’m perfect, far from it. But this is my picture of the ideal me, the prototypical me, from which all other possible me’s take their substance. It’s the kind of person I strive to be, even when I’m not. Even though I cannot yet spend all my time comfortably ensconced in the contented glow of this state of mind, I find it to be a most worthwhile goal for me to pursue. I shall go now and do so……
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That went well, I think. It would no doubt be best now for me to stop doing this, and go do something else. One nice thing about both retirement, and freelance writing, and that is getting to make your own schedule, without having to worry about anyone or anything other than one’s own whimsy. We all could use a bit more whimsy in Life, wouldn’t you say?  Y’all take care out there…..

P.S.  I’m once again writing for Examiner.com, as the Oakland Examiner for Social Issues. You can find all my articles for them by following this link. Page hits and clicks on advertisements are how I get paid, so feel free to come back often. I hope you enjoy reading my work there as much as I enjoy creating it…..

http://www.examiner.com/social-issues-in-oakland/ned-moore 

Thanks again, and carpe that old diem!…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Look, Nancy, it’s a pregnant Paradox!

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Ffolkes,
People often ask me, “Why am I asking all these things?” The answer is simple. It distracts me from thinking about all the scary stuff wandering around in my head. It also keeps me from doing nothing but sit around and plot a world-takeover, a life-long dream of mine. It’s not easy you know, being a megalomaniac. People are always out to get me…..


Enough fooling around….I am a bit saddened today. Yesterday, one of the Pearl Drops (those lucky few to whom this email is sent each morning) opted out, due to annoyance at my politics. I’m not upset that someone disagrees with me; I’m disappointed because I didn’t make it clear enough that my opinions aren’t written in stone. Yes, I express myself forcefully; it goes along with believing in what I’m writing, and from being a triple Scorpio. But I never intend for anyone reading it to think they would not be welcome if they wish to believe differently, and to say so. In fact, I would enjoy the dialogue, for that is what makes the true democratic process function the best. 

If anyone has something to say, then say it. Holding it in and letting resentment build never ends well. I know I take the risk of being misunderstood, or even reviled, when I start to rant on politics, and I don’t at all mind some spirited argument; it’s very cleansing. But it’s disheartening when someone who believes differently doesn’t have the courage of their convictions; at least not enough to speak up and say so in a public forum …….let’s go on to something more uplifting……

“A witty saying proves nothing.” — Voltaire

“I always have a quotation for everything– it saves original thinking.” — Dorothy Sayers
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Inadmissible:  Not competent to be considered.  Said of certain kinds of testimony which juries are supposed to be unfit to be entrusted with, and which judges, therefore, rule out, even of proceedings before themselves alone.   Hearsay evidence is inadmissible because the person quoted was unsworn and is not before the court for examination; yet most momentous actions, military, political, commercial and of every other kind, are daily undertaken on hearsay evidence.  There is no religion in the world that has any other basis than hearsay evidence.  Revelation is hearsay evidence; that the Scriptures are the word of God we have only the testimony of men long dead whose identity is not clearly established and who are not known to have been sworn in any sense.  Under the rules of evidence as they now exist in this country, no single assertion in the Bible has in its support any evidence admissible in a court of law…

“But as records of courts of justice are admissible, it can easily be proved that powerful and malevolent magicians once existed and were a scourge to mankind.  The evidence (including confession) upon which certain women were convicted of witchcraft and executed was without a flaw; it is still unimpeachable. The judges’ decisions based on it were sound in logic and in law.  Nothing in any existing court was ever more thoroughly proved than the charges of witchcraft and sorcery for which so many suffered death. If there were no witches , human testimony and human reason are alike destitute of value.” — Ambrose Bierce “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Truly, a fine exercise of logic and pure reasoning……nothing to add, except to remind you to take this, like everything else, with a grain or two of salt, before you decide whether or not it is Truth…..
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(to The Caissons Go Rolling Along)
Scratch the disks, dump the core,        Shut it down, pull the plug
Roll the tapes across the floor,           Give the core an extra tug
And the system is going to crash.        And the system is going to crash.
Teletypes smashed to bits.                     Mem’ry cards, one and all,
Give the scopes some nasty hits          Toss out halfway down the hall
And the system is going to crash.            And the system is going to crash.
And we’ve also found                              Just flip one switch
When you turn the power down,             And the lights will cease to twitch
You turn the disk readers into trash.      And the tape drives will crumble in a flash.
Oh, it’s so much fun,                               When the CPU
Now the CPU won’t run                        Can print nothing out but foo,
And the system is going to crash.        The system is going to crash.

— unknown genius poet/hacker

This may not be poetry in the classical sense, though it does fulfill all the technical requirements. I don’t much care how good it may be technically; it’s damn good, whatever it is. I previously printed a poem, whose author escapes me at this moment, that was structurally identical to this, with 3 poems in one. The left column stands alone, as does the right column. Together, they form another complete poem/song, and in doing so have earned my undying admiration……
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LaForge: “On the other hand, I remember everything about the time I got my first pet, a Cirkacian cat.  I was eight.  I remember how funny-looking he was, I remember how excited I was.  It was if it happened yesterday.”
Data: “Perhaps you remember the pleasant memories and forget the unpleasant ones.”
LaForge: “No, sometimes the bad memories can be the most intense of all.”
Data: “It would seem there is no predictable pattern to human memory.”
LaForge: “‘It would seem’.”
— “Violations”, Stardate 45429.3

Memory is a fascinating subject. I’m considered to have a pretty good memory, and it has always served me well, especially when I discovered an important clue to how it functions in humans. You see, I’ve found memory to be just about completely dependent on our will. Think about this; almost everyone I’ve spoken to about this has the same experience. When something is important to you to remember, you will do so. If you don’t particularly care one way or another, your memory may be fuzzy. And if it is something your unconscious mind disagrees with, you will probably not find it when you go looking for it. In other words, memory in humans is almost 100% selective, and the selective criteria are different in each person.

The bottom line is this: if it is important to you, you will remember. Thus, having a good memory can be accomplished very simply. Just make everything you perceive important. Program your mind (which in reality is nothing more than a biological computer) to believe that everything you hear, everything you see, taste, smell, or touch is important to you. If you are persistent, it will become a habit, and you’ll find those memories you wanted were there all along. This little idea has helped me immensely all my life; I applied the attitude toward what I read, beginning at a young age, and now have almost eidetic memory for the printed word; I can often remember where on each page a particular phrase is located, and whether the page is on the left or right side of the open book. This shortens research time greatly.

So, if you’d like to remember the anniversaries, birthdays, and seminal events without fail and without stress, then give this a try. It’s not easy at times; the mind is lazy and requires motivation. If you need motivation, think of the expression on the face of your significant other when you give them their gift on the correct day. In the words of the commercial….priceless……
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I’m a little leery of discussing politics today, but can’t see myself giving in to fear or disillusionment without a fight, so I’ll compromise, and let the quotes speak for me today. These all go together, and would normally form the nucleus of an examination of whatever is currently biting my ass in the political news…….

“The public demands certainties;  it must be told definitely and a bit raucously that this is true and that is false.   But there are no  certainties.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), “Prejudice”

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom.  For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

“If you wants to get elected president, you’ve got to think up some memorable homily so’s school kids can be pestered into memorizin’ it, even if they don’t know what it means.” — Walt Kelly, The Pogo Party

TRAITOR (n.): A person winning an argument with a liberal.

COMMUNIST (n.): A person winning an argument with a conservative.

That’s probably enough to make the point…….if it isn’t clear, just dump it all in and let it percolate; it’ll come to you…..
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I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ve caught poetry.

I care not, Fortune, what you me deny:
You cannot rob me of free Nature’s grace,
You cannot shut the windows of the sky
Through which Aurora shows her brightening face;
You cannot bar my constant feet to trace
The woods and lawns, by living stream, at eve:
Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace,
And I their toys to the great children leave:
Of fancy, reason, virtue, naught can me bereave.
— James Thomson (1700-1748)
— The Castle of Indolence, Canto ii, Stanza 3

That should take care of that; better than garlic……

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DISCLAIMER: “Any resemblance between the above views and those of my employer, my terminal, or the view out my window are purely coincidental.  Any resemblance between the above and my own views is non-deterministic.  The question of the existence of views in the absence of anyone to hold them is left as an exercise for the reader.  The question of the existence of the reader is left as an exercise for the second god coefficient.  (A discussion of non-orthogonal, non-integral polytheism is beyond the scope of this article.)’ — Ralph Jennings

Well, I guess that’s enough fussing for one day. I’m thinking of substituting this for the lines now in my sig file; what do you think of it?

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

Close in sentiment I think, but not good enough. We’ll stick with what we’ve got……y’all take care out there…..
—

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Life, Death, and Six Inch Stiletto Heels…..

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3

Ffolkes,
Just so it’s clear…..I’m not an atheist, per se, at least, not in the classical sense of the word.  I do hold beliefs regarding the subject of divinity and spirituality, but they bear no great resemblance to those espoused by any organized faith, and I don’t normally discuss them with anyone. It just causes arguments.  I am not a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Unitarian, or a Buddhist, or any other of the virtually countless ‘isms’ people have come up with to try to understand those parts of the universe that we do not comprehend. I’ve read the holy books of most of the major faiths; Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, the Bibles of several different Christian sects , the Tao Teh Ching, the I Ching, and any other related material I could find. Not that I made a complete heavy study of each, but I learned enough to be able to draw comparisons, and judge the validity of each (which I admit, is purely subjective. But then, isn’t any religious belief purely subjective? Why yes, I do believe it is…..).

It just now occurred to me that maybe, for all these centuries that we have sought to explain what we do not understand, we have been looking at things from the wrong perspective, at least in terms of intelligence, and its value being so great, that man considers himself greater than “lower” forms of life. The attitude that we are the pinnacle of creation is obvious in almost every approach taken by philosophers and scientists to explaining why things are as they are. Since we do not have the ability to create worlds (yet), or stars (yet), or universes (yet?), we attribute the state of things as we know them to creatures of vast wisdom and power, as “far above us as we are above bacteria or amoeba.” How often have you heard the last part? Isn’t that part of any definition of a god, or even God, by whatever name one calls him/her/them/it?

But what if the amoeba was God? Amoeba are the most ancient form of life of which we are aware, utilizing the simplest means of reproduction available (as far as WE know anyway…), and essential to the formation of other life. Perhaps the entire bacterial level is God’s nervous system, and the amoeba are the thoughts of God. And as other forms of life evolved, maybe each entered another part of the symbiotic whole that is life, non-life, energy, matter, and non-matter, all of which must be present in order for our universe to manifest itself. Which makes our viewpoint completely backwards; we are the bottom of creation, not the top. Every other part of the universe, and almost every animal and creature on our planet we know of, except ourselves and our vaunted intelligence, are functioning according to their place in Nature because they have no need to do anything else.  Our intelligence is generally accepted to be that which makes us ‘better’ than the rest of creation, a convenient word to describe something that may not have been created, but might just happen to be the way it is, because it wants to be….so far we haven’t done too well at learning how to be at one with the rest of creation; quite the opposite as a general rule…..

Hmmm…..well, I guess that’s one way to look at it…… at least with this credo, there’s no guilt, no shame, no incentives, and no rewards, other than self-respect……
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— Things We Can Learn from a Dog

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.  Run right back and make friends.

There is nothing I need to add to this; it’s just fine the way it is. If there is any creature on this planet that might really be the physical manifestation of Jesus Christ, it would be a dog, for sure. Probably a border collie, they’re pretty smart…..
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, here is indeed deep insight into human nature! One must respect MLKII, not merely because of his integrity and commitment to a higher purpose, but because he did so when there was no expectation of success or reward. Even those who disagreed with him (a group I am not part of, thankfully) learned to respect him, even as they reviled his positions. And this particular statement is one that applies to all human behavior and interaction. Much of the current world-wide troubles stem from this principle’s veracity; in too many corners of the world, people are oppressed, held down at the behest of tyrannical leadership in the name of either religion, geography, or sheer human avarice, unable to speak for fear of reprisal. But, eventually, one of them does speak out, and is heard by those in thrall with him. One man, or woman, showing the bravery to fight for their freedom, can inspire a million others; when that happens, change happens. It is well to remember that it takes only one person to act with courage and honor to change the world. But that one person must speak out when they witness, or are are victimized by the cruelty and rapaciousness of those who prey on their fellow men…… It is then a good thing, for all of us, to find opportunities to………practice acts of random kindness and senseless beauty, and be brave in the face of evil…..
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“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD)
— Socrates, xiv

Discouraging, isn’t it? This concept has been part of mankind’s legacy of wisdom for AT LEAST 1900 years, and we are still struggling with the war between good and evil, knowledge and ignorance. If one is the type who is easily discouraged in the face of difficult problems, this would definitely be a major obstacle to finding a solution. I think the part of this issue that is particularly hard to accept is that a lot of people enjoy their ignorance, and resist any attempts at education, or for that matter, any type of change, either in what they think, or what they do. Today’s culture is, sadly, infused with a sense of entitlement by far too many people regarding their actions and thoughts. They believe that what they want, no matter how destructive or indifferent to the rights of others, is owed to them by the universe. It is this sense of entitlement, promulgated and reinforced by religious organizations, that is the root cause of most of the problems we face as a species, to wit: pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, extreme climate change, and most significantly, the economic disparity so glaringly obvious it’s pasted all over the news on a daily basis. I’m still a tiny bit optimistic, but it’s getting hard to maintain any positive energy about this issue, and I wish that I were smart enough to be able to come up with something in the way of a solution. How to accomplish change in others has always been a mystery. The changes we need now are all internal, proprietary to each individual human, and the changes must be initiated by them, or they won’t be real, and we’ll continue down this road to perdition, instead of to redemption……___________________________________

I confess that I love Pooh and have never seen Beavis and Butthead.

Well, maybe I’ve seen a couple minutes of the two bozos; it took no longer than that to notice that watching it was killing brain cells. I haven’t bothered to watch again. Nothing I saw was at all attractive to my taste, so continuing to watch would have merely annoyed me, and caused arguments with my kids, who were fortunately old enough not to take the show seriously. The very existence of the show could arguably be considered as proof of the arguments presented in the section prior to this one. It could be considered one more manipulative attempt at mind-control by the PTB, deadening otherwise normal people’s sensitivity and intelligence by overexposure to deep ignorance. It’s not an unusual tactic; television is the perfect medium for distributing propaganda, disguised as comedy, or as dramatic, pseudo-intellectual thrillers. Why do you think cop shows are so popular? In reply, I will refer you to the quote above by Diogenes Lertius, via Socrates…..the battle goes on, with ignorance leading on points, which, of course, were awarded by default, due to lack of protest on the part of the normals……
___________________________________

I can’t say I’ve lacked for anything to say today, can I? I’ve done you a small favor, by only having four sections today, rather than the customary five. I did so because I wrote so much in the introduction that I am now getting fatigued, though I’ve only been up about an hour and a quarter. It would probably be best if I just stop now, before I cannot…….y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Just Dozer

Kowabunga!

Launched with dignity and pomp…..

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2

Ffolkes,
Ambivalence is never a good thing, and feeling it immediately upon awakening is, in the words of Gen X, totally bogus. I much prefer a sense of purpose and investment; it just makes the day go better. But I suppose it’s another test, and I’m supposed to get up and find a way to work around the lack of drive. I can do it, it’s merely a matter of focus; it’s just that the ambivalence makes it hard to work up any enthusiasm for anything. And enthusiasm is what makes things work, providing us with the energy to follow through. Well, sitting around complaining about won’t get anything done, so let’s dive right in……SPLASH…….
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“Our congressmen are the finest body of men money can buy.” — Morey Amsterdam (written for Will Rogers)

“I used to be amused. Now I’m just disgusted.” I didn’t write the previous sentence, but feel I can claim it as my own, as it describes my attitude perfectly, and was given without attribution. So I don’t know who said it, but he must have been channeling me, because it’s exactly how I feel. I thought when Obama was elected in 2008 that things had a chance to get a little better. I’m old enough to know that it’s difficult for any president to get anything done these days; the party that didn’t elect him spends too much time blocking any attempt at reform, and in general throwing up obstacles to getting anything done, much less anything useful.

But it’s gotten worse out there. The Republicans have offered no compromise at all, and have spent four years trying to find a chink in the President’s armor. But what they don’t realize (thank goodness) is that the harder they try to besmirch the office, the more absurd and pathetic they appear to the voters. Of the 8 or 9 candidates running for the Republican nomination, all but one of them has already shown the voting public more than enough foolishness and false information to have them voting Democrat. I just hope they don’t catch on to what they’re doing to themselves until November of next year……
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The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror.
It grasps nothing.  It regrets nothing.
It receives but does not keep.
— Chuang Tzu

I will be honest with you; the way things are going today, it’s the only hope I have…..I was going to open a discussion of this subtle concept, for it is an important step in realizing one’s true nature, and is helpful in getting us through times of turmoil. But honesty compels me to admit that today, I just don’t have enough subtlety to carry it off. I think today might be a good one to just stay indoors and try to avoid contact with other people; I’m uncertain as to what may happen, and it’s probably best for all for me to pull into my shell for a day. No need to go out and bring my nasty attitude to bear on the outside world. It’s never a good outcome when I do, and I can only be glad now for all 61 years I have under my belt, that have taught me that foresight is invaluable in the search for tranquility……
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“People who don’t Think probably don’t have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that’s blown into their heads by mistake.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

And the world now has an unlimited supply, thanks to gas and electric clothes dryers…..we’re going to need a large supply to fill 7 billion empty heads….. according to new evidence gathered by the National Speculative Science Foundation, dryer fluff makes an excellent filler for anyone who prefers watching reruns of “Charmed” to actual participation in physical activity with other humans.

If anyone reading this thinks that this is foolishness, think again…..I’ve mentioned previously about how the average IQ is falling in direct proportion to the growth of population, and how it is not a guess, and not a joke; it is a proven scientific and mathematical fact. In coming years, we will all be dealing with the effects of this, as our own inability to control our impulses continues to bring us incrementally closer to extinction, while our ability to deal with it creatively reduces itself at an ever growing rate.

I have reached a point where I just don’t know what we will do, as a species. My intelligence tells me that there is very little hope for mankind, not without some major changes that I don’t see happening. My heart, meanwhile, grieves for the promise our species brings to the universe, and for the possible beauty that we are able to create out of our imagination, beauty that will never be seen, because we will be gone…..and we don’t have a return ticket…….
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Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral principle.

I could spend a lot of time on this subject; goodness knows I do so already. But this one is so easy, I had to bring it in. It’s easy because the news today, for the last four months, and until the election next November is and will be filled with perfectly obvious examples of this very idea. We have,  at last count, seven people in the news every day campaigning for the Republican nomination; of that seven, at least five have already given notice that they are fully invested in carrying out their campaigns based on the above concept.

They have a vested interest in keeping voters in the dark regarding their true motivation (i.e. to steal at will, while exercising power over others to their benefit only) while claiming to be of such a bent as to be attractive to the faith-based voting populace. They spout off about the evil rampant today because there’s a “nigger in the woodpile” (i.e. a black President), going on to cast doubt on proven scientific facts (which privately they probably agree with), and call it patriotism. It’s enough to make a sane man go out and buy a gun…….and don’t forget the ammunition….there’s plenty of targets…..
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“You doubted Me, God tells the Lawgiver [Moses], But I forgave  you that doubt. You doubted your own self and failed to believe in your own powers as a leader, and I forgave you that also. But you lost faith in these people and doubted the divine possibilities of Human Nature. THIS loss of faith makes it impossible for you to enter the Promised Land. — The Midrash

Now, THIS really pisses me off! I’m unaware of what the Midrash might be, but it’s immaterial at this point. If this is really how the Christian God thinks, then as far as I’m concerned, his devotees are welcome to Him.. Such BULLSHIT! This is like handing a loaded gun to a five year old, telling him to be careful not to point it at anyone, and sending him out to play with his friends. Then you get pissed at the kid because he shoots the dog. I have seen more evidence of intelligence and compassion from Nazi skinheads, who are currently in the lead for the “dumbest shits on the planet” award, just ahead of the Republican candidates currently spewing their venom on TV.

How can anyone bear to bring themselves to believe in an omnipotent god, who for some reason was not omnipotent enough to leave out the need to kill that is so much part of our nature? I’m not buying it, unless God is just a Spoiled Little Boy who made us this way, just to watch us torment ourselves, as we continually fail to meet impossible standards. Which, come to think of it, makes as much sense as what the Episcopalians and the 700 Club are dishing out.

I want no part of a God who would set up the world the way it has been done. If you’re going to assume some intelligent design, then how do you explain the fact that just about every characteristic of a human sets itself at odds with the rest of creation? It is not intelligent to create a creature as complex and volatile as a human, imbue us with a religious mandate to lord it over all the other creatures on the planet, and yet leave out any sort of ability to learn how to control themselves, subsequently blaming the predictably ugly results on the humans who were only living up to the nature they were given.

I’m sorry folks, but you just can’t have it both ways. Either things are not created, but evolved to this stage, and chaos rules the bottom line. Or you can buy into creationism, and completely ignore the flaws present in the creation. How can a perfect God create such imperfect people? The answer is, he didn’t. There is no he, no she, as we understand it, sitting up in the sky on a throne of gold, messing with our heads.

There may indeed be creatures in this vast universe who are as far beyond us as we are beyond the amoeba (though, come to think of it, amoeba are immortal, you know. Does that mean they’re better than us, or is Death just our reward for having lived in torment?). But if there are any such enlightened entities, they aren’t very interested in us, and won’t be until we can,  A) demonstrate some kind of ability to keep from killing each other, and B) be able to carry on a rational dialogue without giving in to the urge to pull out a gun.  In short, we need to grow up and act like adults. Not much hope of that in the near future, I’m afraid…..

“It [the Bible] is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. ” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)
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There!….that should cause some comments. I should know better than to write about politics and religion on the same day. It always brings out my tendency to rant…..but, hey, somebody’s got to do it, eh? Why not me?…… Sorry there’s no poetry today; couldn’t find anything appropriate that fit. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Hey! This cue ball isn’t round!…

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2

Ffolkes,
Hello…..I’m trying to find myself.  Has anyone seen me lately? So frustrating; I just set myself down yesterday, and when I got up, I wasn’t there anymore. I hate when this happens. It just throws a monkey wrench into my works, and I have to spend an unknown period of wasted time looking for myself in all the places I hide.  This time, I think I must have come up with a new place, because I’m not in any of the old places. Oh well, for today, we’ll just have to go on without me. You go ahead, I’ll catch up…..
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Women, cats, and golf; man was not meant to understand these things.

If this isn’t true, it should be. I can attest in all three areas that trying to understand any of them is fruitless. Golf, for me, isn’t a terribly big issue; I didn’t take it up until I was almost 40, so I don’t feel bad that knowledge of its deep magic may never be mine. Cats, in my opinion, are also unpredictable in their interactions. Cats were worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt, and they have never forgotten; it shows in their disdain for any mere human rules. And women! Boy, like any man my age, I could spend days recounting how many ways women have shown me that anything I think I know about them is ridiculously, pathetically useless in figuring out how to deal with them. No matter how well one knows a woman, they can change at the drop of a name, and exhibit characteristics we’ve never seen before, anywhere or when. It is a wise man indeed who keeps this knowledge in the forefront of awareness in his dealing with women; it’s the only chance we have of emerging from the contact unscathed. But, you know what? For all three of them, I wouldn’t have it any other way…..because it just makes them more attractive as a goal to know that bringing out the best in each will be challenging. And challenges, met with courage and wit, make us stronger, and feel more alive…..
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“Yesterday I saw a chicken crossing the road.  I asked it why.  It told me it  was none of my business.” — Steven Wright

Steven Wright’s may be the strangest mind ever produced by humans. I love the way his vision distorts the reality that the rest of us normally perceive, twisting it into some of the oddest configurations anyone has ever seen, and each is more hilarious than the last. When I used the old format for Pearls, at least once a year, I’d collect several of his jokes to present in a group, just because it was a great way to break rhythm, and it was always one of the best received productions of the year.

His genius lies, I think, in the way he can make ordinary life appear to be 180 degrees from where it actually is, and still make us see it as normal. The contrast between what he sees as normal, and our own, is what produces the laughter, just as if you had walked into a door and were forced to laugh at yourself. I’m just glad that he is alive now, and giving the world his unique take; it’s good to know that since he’s near my age, I’ll have had his humor to help me get through for almost my entire life. That’s a good thing; one can never have too many sources to help us laugh, even if, and especially if, it is at ourselves…..
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“He who learns but does not think, is lost!  He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with a huge bounty of material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but seem to enjoy it, and, at best, are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather you didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others. It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points.

I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and downright idiotic people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this. The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with any sort of objective information, and have determined that their own subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency. In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as “continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false.” Now, do we really want anyone who suffers from delusional thinking to be the one holding the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel a whit of guilt…..
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“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs on which you can hang a metaphysical system. If you must.” — Edward Abbey

Here then is a logical mind. My evidence? His reluctance to impose an invented set of rules on a world that resists any such restraint is, in my mind, eminently sensible. Why do we have to make up stuff to try to explain how the universe functions? What quality does our curiosity have that compels us to seek out some kind of system to help us to deal with reality that simply exists, as it is, no ups, no extras needed? Humans seem to want some kind of order to their existence, and for some reason, can’t seem to come to terms with things the way they are. They seem to need to apply their own set of prejudices to the world, an impulse stemming from some unknown inner compulsion that has held back the tide of human progress for just about our entire history.

My own opinion is that human nature, being what it is, noted way back in the old days, that a man with no principles can manipulate other people through their own set of behavioral rules. By balancing a friendly, smiling face with a completely sociopathic conscience, they have been able to keep most of mankind in thrall ever since we first started farming and coming together in cities to trade. And they continue today to blithely steal and rob from us without compunction, and without consequence.  As a matter of fact the news of late has been full of evidence of their millennial-long hold over the rest of humanity. We (the gullible masses, as identified in 1935 by H. L. Mencken, who coined the word ‘the booboisie’) have even given them a name; we now call them the 1%.

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.” — Albert Einstein

The battle lines for Armageddon have been drawn, and the combatants have chosen their sides; the war is coming, and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop it, because freeing ourselves from the people who live for power is our only hope for survival as a species. The 1% probably believes that they will be the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe, and odds are, they may be right. But I’ll be damned if I’ll go without putting up an epic fight, for my life, and my liberty……

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Walt Kelly (in POGO)
___________________________________

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.
— Emily Dickinson

We’ve all heard the question, in some form or another, “if you could talk to anyone in history for an hour, to whom would you ask to speak?”. Well, I’d want to talk to Emily……maybe it makes me strange (which is okay, and not entirely untrue), but I’d really like to be able to spend some time absorbing her world-view. According to reports she was rather reclusive, so it might be a struggle to get her to agree, but she is still the one I’d ask for. Having always wished I could be a better poet, I hold close to my heart the hope (as described so eloquently above) that by sharing space and thoughts with her for a time, perhaps some piece of her talent would transfer to my soul. SIGH…..one can always hope…..
___________________________________

Today’s effort was just that…an effort. But, I’m glad to say I was up to the challenge, at least in a manner of speaking. Which when you think of it, about all I have to offer is my manner of speaking. Thus, having given of all I have, I shall bid thee adieu……y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Carmelite nuns just taste better…..

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1

Ffolkes,
Today, International Space Station Expedition 31 will blast off from somewhere in Russia, to carry 3 new astronauts (from 3 countries) up into orbit to deliver supplies and personnel. I would willingly and cheerfully give any body part, and promise anything but my honor, to be on that ship when it leaves the confines of gravity for the freedom of space.

To travel away from Earth has always been one of my most cherished dreams, and remains as my penultimate goal, sometime before I die (which shouldn’t be imminent for some time yet). I’ve seen rumors in the news that it is now possible to go as a tourist; two or three civilian millionaires have already been to the station, paying an outrageous amount of money (more than a million, I believe, though they didn’t say exactly) for the privilege. Now all I’ve got to do is get my book done, and wait for it to hit the bestseller list. Then, with the advance money for the next one, I’ll take the trip, and count it as research for another book……slick, eh? Now all I have to do is write a bestseller…..piece o’cake!….Ooooooh, wait…..first I’ll check my lottery ticket!…….
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“Virtue is the beauty, and vice the deformity, of the soul.” — Socrates (B.C. 469-399)

I am continually amazed at the sheer bulk of the wisdom that was being promulgated in the centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The millennium prior to that historically seminal event gave us Socrates, Plato, Pliny the Elder, and the Younger, Aristotle, Archimedes (triangles, remember?), and a veritable host of other men, and women most likely (they’ve been less published, but were around, I’m sure) whose breadth and depth of understanding of the world around them formed and immense, balanced, and durable landscape, based on knowledge, garnered by both induction and deduction. Their thoughts make up the pillars upon which modern day society is built, and, as in the case of this statement on human nature, remain as valid today as when they were first uttered. Even in today’s complex world of the future, one can do worse than to base their behavior on the Athenian model…..
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“I went to the bank and went over my savings. I found out I have all the  money that I’ll ever need. If I die tomorrow.” — Henny Youngman

At first, this didn’t really seem of much value, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a subtle piece of sarcasm it really is. In just the one line, Henny was able to take a poke at banks, the government, the IRS, Social Security, and the culture of the time, one which spent a lot of time creating fantasies and embracing illusion. In at least one respect, my own situation mirrors this joke, which is, to me, a very damning indication of the sickness of modern culture. Too many people today are in the same boat; the fat cats have been nervous in the last couple of months, because all over the world, people are gathering together to speak out against the 1%’ers and the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Things have gotten to the point where the middle classes are not just joining in the protests with the disenfranchised poor, but starting and leading them in their desperation to bring the message to the world’s attention. Why are they doing this? Easy…..they have realized that the greed and soulless ambition of the 1% has created a situation where even those who pull in close to a hundred thousand a year are just two paychecks away from being homeless themselves. The beloved ruling class may have made a strategic error in allowing things to become so obviously imbalanced; it may be too late to stop the coming revolution. It is coming, for sure; the warning signs are growing ever more obvious, and the future is, to say the least, unsettled at best……
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He first deceased; she for a little tried
To live without him, liked it not, and died.
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — Upon the Death of Sir Albert Morton’s Wife

Reading this has been somewhat healing for me, even in the relatively short time since I found it. I find it to be wonderfully sentimental. It tells a story common in mankind’s history, of love that lasted beyond life. It is a bit saddening in one respect, at least for me, for I’ve come to realize that I never really have been loved like this. I’ve been in love several times in my increasingly embarrassing number of years, always with the intent on my part to give this measure of trust and love to my partner. But, here I am, alone once again, because like Tom Robbins asks in one of his books, “How can you make love stay?”. All of the women who I have loved, for some reason unknown to me, eventually wanted out of my world, and that is painful, for it makes me doubt myself. But I’ve come to realize that though I have yet to find the woman who is my true mate, I have given of myself all that I could, and all you can do is all you can do…..more patience must be cultivated. And hey, in the meantime, I always have y’all to keep me busy and amused, if only with meself……
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Cogito, ergo sum presupposes “I”-ness.

This is an elegant example of two things. First, how easy it is to let “logic” be applied as if it were a hammer, and second, a perfect model of the concept of mental masturbation. To look at it superficially, this is a truism, and actually somewhat subtle. But it requires a bit of unwarranted arrogance to assume self-hood, with no given basis of proof beyond its own internal structure. It leads the reader into the common mistake of using the word for a concept as an argument for its existence, kind of like saying, “only those who love can know love” or some similar inanity.

We cannot perceive the universe through any other filter but that of our own consciousness, and “I”-ness is OF COURSE pre-supposed . No “I’, then no cogito. Simple, yes? No, you’re right, it’s not. But it all serves as a good example of how one can get caught up in esoteric fields of thought by following our innate curiosity, and end up in a room with no corners, no light, and no help but our own inner strength…..and  a sense of humor, which allows you to laugh at yourself, and move on……
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“All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?” — Edward Abbey

In this spot, I had intended to open a discussion of the above question, and even looked forward to a morning rant in such a fertile field of interest as the public circus we call electoral politics. But my spirit this fine morning isn’t quite up to the emotional side-effects of stirring that particular pot, so I’m going to give you the above, and some direction. I’d like you to sit back, open up some spare ROM in your head, and think to yourselves what I might have written about this quotation, knowing as you do some of my cogitative peculiarities. When you’ve done that, read the following line, and we’ll count that as this morning’s exercise. Okay? Okay!…….

How come you never see a politician laugh? Because they know what they’re getting away with, and if they started laughing, they’d never stop.
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Christmas is imminent, so I’ve got to get back to Reality.  Where IS that silly Blue Dragon?…… Y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

This space for rent or lease……

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Ffolkes,
How lame it is to hate or bully,
I’ll never understand it fully.
Instead of living life on a level,
The bully gives his time to the devil.

See! This is what happens when I turn my hand to poetry. Oh, I know, it’s technically correct, and rhymes as well……it’s just not very good. It’s generally why I stick to prose for the most part, but every once in a while this irresistible urge to rhyme strikes me square between the eyes, and if I don’t give in, it drives me nuts until I do. Today, we were all fortunate that the urge came when it did, and that I was able to fulfill the urge quickly; this means we may now return to our regularly scheduled activities…….and top of the morning to you!
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“Do not be afraid of enemies;  the worst they can do is to kill you. Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you. Be afraid of the indifferent;  they do not kill or betray. Yet only because of their silent agreement, betrayal and murder exist on earth.” — Bruno Yasienski, contemporary Soviet novelist

This is a very subtle, yet powerful insight into human nature. Most people never think deeply enough about any particular subject to ever discover any insight, so finding this is serendipitous, leading the way as it does to our subject matter, to wit: indifference, otherwise known as active apathy. I’ve said it before; people are lazy. If they can accomplish their ends without any effort on their part, they consider it their due, and that they have the right to do so. If they must actually perform some act in order to get what they want or need, they will complain about it the whole time. And if they are forced to think, they become teenagers, resistant to any form of communication or control, and refuse categorically to use their mind for anything other than figuring out how to keep from thinking or acting.

In most of us, this inherent laziness is balanced by an understanding of the twin concepts of honor and duty. For these folks, laziness still exists, but their reaction to it, is to use it as motivation to think up new ways to do things that save time and effort. In short, they use their imagination to their benefit, rather than using it to find excuses for not getting things done. Mr. Yasienski’s insight is what this concept looks like when taken to its logical conclusion…..I hope to find a book or whatever this young man writes; he appears to have a good grip on reality, or at least of his version of it…..
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My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But, ah, my foes, and oh, my friends —
It gives a lovely light.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay

Ah, sweet bird of youth! These days I have trouble keeping one end of one candle lit, much less both ends. It’s like the early days of solar power, when the panels needed 3 full sunshine days to accumulate enough power to run the household for one day; every expenditure of energy on my part requires at least an equal amount of downtime, in order to maintain minimum function while conscious. In short, I’m getting old. It’s an interesting process, really, and can be quite entertaining at times, while at other times it can just be a drag. I don’t think I mind the grey hair that grows out of my ears; I have scissors and a mirror. And I can usually deal okay when I find some physical activity I used to perform easily is now a pitched battle; that is expected.

But I wasn’t issued a manual with clues to how one should, or can, deal with the aging process, and I’m finding that lack to be problematic. It would have helped if I knew that with advancing years comes the creeping butt syndrome, where one’s ass spreads to fill the available chair space, and that makes one feel like they are walking around with a bowling ball strapped to their gut. It would have been nice to get a little warning about the importance of fiber; it is amazing to me how many of life’s activities at this age can be affected by the presence or absence of sufficient fiber in the diet. Get too much, and spend the day bouncing between bed and toilet; too little, and well, we don’t want to go there, it’s ugly. SIGH…..and there’s no road back to Youth, for any of us…..
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In Tennessee, it is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.

Which, if you think about it, makes perfect sense…..in the Bizarro Dimension. No, but really, I’ll bet there’s a really good story behind the passage of that particular piece of legislative frivolity. Obviously, the intent of the law is to stop folks from shooting at game out of their vehicles altogether; I have no idea if it worked or not (considering the fact they felt they needed the law in the first place, it’s doubtful it had any real effect other than to make people look around for witnesses before firing). But, as one who appreciates whimsy in all its disguises, I find it to be a delightful attempt at injecting a bit of levity into such a thoroughly stuffy process as making laws It’s no worse than the warning labels the FDA requires, to prevent us from having to live with our own stupidity, warning us against eating something any child of 3 knows better than to touch, or seeing if one can take a suppository orally (that one is real; someone actually did that…shudder…). Making laws like this, to protect us from ourselves, is a futile pastime, but for some unknown reason, we keep trying to legislate morality, and attempting to repeal the laws of natural selection, which is a fool’s game at best…..it reminds me of the old saw about trying to teach a mule to dance. It’s a waste of time and effort, and it just annoys the mule. In this case, we are the mule……
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Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she
With silent lips.  Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me…
— Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”

In today’s tempest-in-a-teapot of political chicanery, so-called “patriots” wander around spouting off about how proud they are to be an “Uhmurrikin”, (spelled phonetically to reflect their butchering of their native tongue),  and shower us on a daily basis with their nonsensical claims and ignorant racism. How can one be proud to be American? Did you choose to be born here? No, it was an accident of birth. Your parents have the right to be proud, for having provided you with your citizenship, but you didn’t have any say in the matter, and have no reason to be proud. It’s just a false pride, stemming out of the Judeo-Christian concept of elitism.

I would wager a considerable sum, and give odds, that none of the current political superstars knows where this poem is inscribed. Even if they know, they disagree with the idea, and will find some way to throw dirt on the sentiment displayed, because as we all know, we only want new immigrants who are white Christians; persons of color, or heretics, aren’t wanted by a surprisingly large number of politicians who live on the Right side of our two point six party system. The idea of sharing is foreign to them (pun intentional, naturally), and learning to embrace both compassion and diversity is well beyond their self-limited, and self-limiting, capabilities. Ignorance has won a lot of battles recently, in the eternal war it carries on with the forces of Reason and Knowledge. I’m thinking it’s time for the proponents of the latter to remove their gloves, and get down to the serious business of beating ignorance out of the human spirit……
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“A child can go only so far in life without potty training.  It is not mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation’s state legislators.” — Dave Barry

I enjoy Dave Barry’s sense of humor, especially when he points it at politics. I really don’t have much to say about this, other than to note that it is probably gospel truth. It may even be generous in its estimation of the number of elected officials who were able to complete the training; I’m not sure if even that many of them possess the required number of functioning brain cells to absorb the course material, much less the number needed to perform these essential functions without some supervision. Otherwise, we’d be seeing a lot more congressmen on camera with zippers in the open, unlocked position, or with yellow shoes…….I could go on like this forever, it seems, so we’ll call for mercy now……pity them, but never give them encouragement…..
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And another one bites the dust……it’s been real, folks. See you on the flip-side…..y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Overdone delete button blues…..

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Ffolkes,

After seeing this, can there be any further doubt at all that different species can learn to get along, or that ‘lesser’ creatures have a sense of kindness or compassion? If so, what more proof could you possibly need? 
I’m not sure how it’s going to work, or how well it may go over, but we’ll give a try to having some visual art in this here blog, by golly. Wish me luck; I can use all I can get…..well, it didn’t work for email; the pictures didn’t come through on the copy & paste….we’ll see how it goes on my blog home page…meanwhile, here is the textual part of this morning’s blog….
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“I heartily accept the motto — “That government is best which governs least”: and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe — “That government is best which governs not at all”: and when men are really ready for it, that is the kind of government that they will have.” — Henry David Thoreau

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



Back around the 16th or 17th of December of last year, Michelle Bachman gave an interview ahead of the Iowa caucus preliminary elections, during which she stated unequivocally that, if elected, she would assert all her influence to reform the Supreme Court, to bring it more in line with Biblical Law. Yup. She said that. No shit, I’m telling you she did.  Like all her peers in that particular flock of Republican geese who gathered in Iowa for the caucus, she gives me the distinct impression that any of them, if elected, would consider themselves King, or Queen in Ms. Bachman’s case, and would magically assume the power to change society with a wave of their royal scepter. I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that she holds that image of herself (as a white-robed, chaste Christian soldier in God’s army, waving her newly interpreted King James version at the evil influences rampant in the Supreme Court and Congress, and all the Democrats while we’re at it, by God, banishing them all to a fiery lake of molten lava in deepest Hell) in a dear place in her heart, where she can take it out and look at it any time she feels picked on by those mean old media bullies, while some romantic Disney movie music plays in the background….. can you believe this crap? At this rate, they may as well just cancel the Republican Convention next year right now; there won’t be any viable candidates left if they keep opening their mouths…..
“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s  more true  that power attracts the corruptible.  The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.  When  they do  act,  they  think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is  insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
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“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?  Let them take arms!”” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Letter to Colonel W. S. Smith, 1787

I am serving notice here, to all and sundry who would abridge my freedoms for the sake of security, expediency, or any other reason: I will resist you unto death, yours or mine, it matters not at all to me.

I would rather die than submit to such indignity, and will use all of my not inconsiderable martial skills to remove you from this plane of existence, should you be so unwise as to ignore this warning. I don’t believe in leaving live enemies on my back trail; that’s just basic strategic policy. You should should write this down, lest you forget, to your unending dismay….and my sheer delight…..
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“Joyous distrust is a sign of health. Everything absolute belongs to pathology.” — Nietzsche

So, what he’s saying here is that Doubting Thomas was correct, and that is heartening; for those having chosen to tread the path of reason, doubt is one of the most formidable tools available. In order to reason, first one must admit to being ignorant; only then will the mind learn how to walk toward the light of knowledge. Doubt is especially potent when used to examine the outrageous assertions made by public figures, and should be applied liberally in the special case of political pundits. Every word that leaves their mouths must be examined for veracity, because it is a proven fact that they will lie at the smallest opportunity. One of my favorite bumper stickers was originally stated by someone who understood this principle; it says “Question Authority”. It doesn’t mean deride authority, or challenge authority, or any other adverbial direction; it just means to apply one’s natural tendency to doubt to those who are in authority. It’s an unfortunate fact that, given the opportunity, those in authority will abuse the privileges that accompany Duty, and they always require close observation to prevent them from falling prey to temptation.  Doubt is the liberator of truth from the clutches of evil, and is worthy of our respect for that…..
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“The fundamental idea of good is that it consists in preserving life, in favoring it, in wanting to bring it to its highest value, and evil consist in destroying life, doing it injury, hindering its development.” — Albert Schweitzer

When I look back at the twentieth century, only one name comes to my mind when I think of a “saint”, and that name is Albert Schweitzer. Some folks will ask, “what about Mother Teresa”. Well, in my mind, she doesn’t qualify, because it always seemed to me that she got something out of being kind to the poor, and it wasn’t a sense of fulfillment. I think she enjoyed it because she could always assume the higher ground, spiritually speaking, and got a feeling of power from it. In the last days of her life, some of this inner vitriol against others began to show in her public utterances, indicating her lack of respect for others, her sense of entitlement, as it were. It seemed to me as if she had begun to believe all the crap everyone wrote about her, and lost whatever hold on reality she had.

Albert Schweitzer, on the other hand, apparently lived his life strictly according to the principles he outlined in this statement. It’s a pretty clear statement, and indicates to me that he had an intimate knowledge of human nature, as well as an insightful appreciation of human frailty in moral terms. If given the chance, humans will often fail to take the moral high road; if there is some sort of payoff, they’ll throw morality out like it was a baby in the bath water. He clearly saw the flaws in his fellow man, and still reacted with love to their imprecations. He dedicated the greater part of his adult life in service to others, never losing his optimism, or his faith in the inner goodness of each person he met. As far as I’m concerned, he deserves the label of saint, as no one else in that century does……
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“I don’t use drugs; my dreams are frightening enough.” — M. C. Escher

    I can see why he stayed sober. Are you familiar with the artwork of this amazing artist? If so, you can, as I do, readily believe his assertion, having seen first hand the mind-boggling and intense creativity that just bursts out of the frame, straight to the viewer’s mind, to present beautifully baffling twists of perspective, forcing you to see his unique view of reality. If you haven’t seen it, and you are reading this missive online, take a minute to zip over to Google, type in ‘M.C. Escher, images’, and in a paltry few nanoseconds, you will see how brilliantly his art insists on drawing the viewer along on a short trip to the center of Entropy, to worship at the shrine of Heisenberg. It’s the kind of art that pushes the mind to leave the constraints of normally accepted reality, and venture out to where a much wider panorama of reality’s potential awaits your perception, to places where you may find some inspiration of your own. If not, you can always find your way back again, just by looking at one of his doorways into another plane of existence…….
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Well, there you have it, another fait accompli, one of 122 in a row. Not bad for an old fart with flat feet and excessive flatulence, eh? I hope you like the new artwork…..Let us go now, and greet the day….. y’all take care out there…..
—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Dozer

Kowabunga!

Precisely one portion, no sauce…

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Ffolkes,
It’s been a long, strange trip, to be sure. One of my best days in life was today, 32 years ago. On that Monday night, my son came to join the rest of us, and my life as father began in earnest. As a small gift, today’s Pearl of Virtual Wisdom is dedicated to Cory Benjamin Moore, for his gift to me, a gift beyond price…..
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“Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.” — Benjamin Disraeli (Earl Beaconsfield) (1805-1881) — Coningsby, Book iii, Chap. i

Benjamin, th’ puir wee laddie, he’s lost his way, and kinna see th’ rrrroad no muir! I pity this man, he has let his despair get the better of him. My own youth was a dream; it taught me how to learn, and how to love.  Manhood was a time of pain and glory, love and loss, moments of agony balanced by days of joy. Sometimes I struggled, other times I coasted.  So far, old age hasn’t been too bad, all things considered. Though there are trade-offs, it’s nice deciding how to spend one’s time according to only our own desires.  Certainly nothing I’ve experienced so far in life would influence me to change a life-long vow.

I swore many, many moons ago, never to allow myself to regret how I’ve lived; I was, and am, determined to be happy, or at least content with whatever I might choose to do, and whatever happens to me. I am, after all, the only one responsible for deciding how to live. There’s no point in entertaining regrets; it’s uncomfortable at best, and at worst, cannot accept with grace the reality that it is impossible to change the past. Regrets allow guilt to get a strangle-hold on your conscience, removing a lot of choices from one’s possible responses. When that happens, you take the risk of being forever at the beck and call of other people, and never having the opportunity to even determine what it is you’d rather be doing with your life. Guilt is pretty much a choice, as I see it, and not a very good one……it neither adds nor subtracts to the course of events, but the one who feels it is miserable, sometimes even feeling guilty for feeling good…… What a terrible trap to voluntarily fall into!…….

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“If I had a large amount of money I should found a hospital for those whose grip upon the world is so tenuous that they can be severely offended by words and phrases yet remain all unoffended by the injustice, violence and oppression that howls daily about our ears.” — Stephen Fry

I would be happy to join this gentleman in his project, as I have the same reaction to a lot of what I see in the news these days. The folks pursuing the Republican nomination have been especially ubiquitous in this respect. From watching their ads, and from what they are reported to have said in the media, it’s a common tactic used by all of them to avoid having to say anything that has any real meaning. They attack the other candidates, or put down the current administration, and make all sorts of bogus claims, none of which directly addresses any particularly important problem. More than one of the candidate hopefuls have made use of this tactic, of spouting outrage over something one of the others said, and completely ignoring the issues that the voters care about, or issues that directly affect all of us, such as global warming and economic reform. It’s a time-honored tradition to point fingers instead of addressing issues, one our political pundits embrace fully. But it’s frustrating as hell to those of us who have actually understood what is going on, having to watch these idiots lead us all merrily down the path to Hell, to the tune of our own funeral march….,
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“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I, and just about every philosopher who ever drew breath, would have to agree with Emerson on this one. Nothing is more fulfilling than helping someone else, just because we can. There’s something pure, and innocent in the act; even though we are complex creatures, this kind of altruism seems to bypass the need to complicate matters, or reason it to death. It’s an instance of acting in perfect harmony with the universe, and our reward is the act itself, because it just feels good to do it. I’m not going to analyze this to death; it’s a pretty simple concept, and one that everyone should be aware of; one of the things the world needs more of is people who are willing to serve others without hope of reward. It’s the surest sign of an ethically and morally superior person, one who should be emulated by all…..
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Hey Laszlo!   Want to see a demonstration of gravity?

In order for this line to make any sense, you will need to watch a movie, made sometime in the 80’s, I think. It was one of Val Kilmer’s earliest movies, and possibly the one that propelled him into the public eye. “Real Genius” is the title, and it’s a hilarious romp through the halls of modern-day academia, poking some rather pointed fun toward the US military’s involvement in directing research in universities toward the production of weapons. It also makes a lot of tongue-in-cheek comments about university politics, and how the professors often manipulate and take advantage of their graduate students. It’s a silly movie, really, with a lot of Keystone Kops humor. The line I’ve included here is one from the movie, uttered by the character played by Kilmer.  As he says this, he knocks Lazlo’s books out of this hands, and they fall to the floor……well, you probably had to be there. Anywho, there are a lot of cute moments, and a lot of laughs, as the geeks take on the suits, winning another round in the age-old conflict between rambunctious youth and dyed-in-the-wool military and government fogies. It’s fun, and the good guys come out on top in the end, so it’s a great way to spend some time in a drama-free environment. Myself, I try to spend all my time there; I’ve had enough drama in my life, thank you very much……
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“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” — James Madison

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.” — Thomas Jefferson

The Homeland Security Act, passed shortly after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, is, to my way of thinking, the first time in our history that the American people have voluntarily allowed abridgments to our personal liberties to be enacted. The way I see it, quote #1, by James Madison, called that one perfectly. Our beloved ruling class, having decided we have “too many rights” (a direct quote from the junior Shrub, btw) in the Bill of Rights, carefully orchestrated events to provoke an attack on our home shores, knowing they could then fool the public into accepting their abridgments on our freedoms. And, to proceed to Mr. Jefferson’s comment, WE LET THEM DO IT! Anyone who rose up to speak against this vile, manipulative legislation was immediately shouted down as being unpatriotic.

For most of my life, I have avoided guns.  Being a fairly smart guy, I noticed at a young age that most of the folks who get shot were carrying guns; it makes sense to me to reduce the chances of becoming a target in this most simple way, i.e., never carrying this kind of weapon (though it would be a very big mistake to assume that I carry NO weapons; in fact I carry four at all times, all of different kinds, none of which are guns). However, since the PTB (powers that be)  have begun to try to take away my rights, I figure I’d better grab myself a bunch more firepower, before I no longer am allowed to do so.  If it comes down to it, I WILL fight, if they come for any more of my rights. I will not let the blood and sacrifice of my countrymen and forefathers, and my own father, for that matter, be in vain. I’m about done with putting up with these kinds of issues, and am drawing near the point of acting on my feelings. In one sense, I hope they stop and reconsider trying to further reduce our liberties, because if they don’t, I’m going to REALLY get mad, and they will find themselves with a whole new issue to deal with……I’m a Scorpio, a triple Scorpio, for that matter; I was born under the sign of the God of War. You do NOT want to make me an enemy…..

The vultures are circling…they have the faces of presidential candidates and carry bowling balls in their buttered claws….

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So that’s the name of that tune…..hope y’all enjoyed this morning’s romp through the meadows of my mind. If not, or if you happened to step in a cow patty in the meadow, well, the day is young…..y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!