Mere Epiphany.

Patti Smith, r&r poet, speaks. This is from her latest book (see previous post), "The Year of the Monkey."

"Nothing is ever solved. Solving is an illusion. There are moments of spontaneous brightness, when the mind appears emancipated, but that is mere epiphany." - Patti Smith

Dreams are Just Another Angle on Reality...

I am reading Patti Smith's new book "The Year of the Monkey". Maybe not so much reading it as luxuriating in it, savoring every word. Slow reading. It is a slim volume. Attention must be paid. It's worth it. I usually blast thru books, also, I usually start yawning when someone tells me about their dreams. Not this time. No yawning. The book is dreamy, beautiful. The dreams are as real as the "reality." Everything is grounded by old boots and fresh-brewed coffee.

Patti Smith, 70 years old, living like a vagabond, rambling around the USA, in conversation with inanimate objects; a life where reality and dream morph and infuse each other, "dreams are just another angle on reality." Patti is a poet, living poetically, you want to live in that world with her. It's pretty inspiring.

I Finally Won Over My Favorite Barista!

My Favorite Barista and I have had a running conversation about our President and his love for Vlad Putin and Russia, and all the scandals and skullduggery that flow from that relationship. I have maintained that this relationship will sink this Presidency, and, in fact, our current President will not only NOT be re-elected, but in fact, he will not even be the Republican Nominee in 2020. I have been predicting that our current President may not make it to Xmas, but, for sure, will be out of office by March 2020.

My Favorite Barista has maintained, that I'm nuts, delusional, crazy, and totally misreading the situation. While he is busy making my morning Latte he tells me that although, he hopes I'm right, he just doesn't see it, that I live in a little Blue Bubble.

It is true, I do live in a little Blue Bubble. But I don't think I'm crazy, I'm just projecting forward into the future, reading the tea leaves, and I strongly believe that the corruption of our current President is so complete, there is no way this can continue. How will it all end? I'm not sure yet, but I am sure it will end in a blaze of epic stupidity.

Yesterday, there was a change in the conversation. For the first time My Favorite Barista told me he thought I was correct, that yes, indeed, Impeachment is inevitable, and the sands are shifting quickly, right before our eyes, and well, maybe I really was right all along. It was a sort of enjoyable breakthrough. Smiles all around.

What does it all mean? My Favorite Barista and I are now in agreement. That's a good sign. Let's see how events unfold. They seem to be turbo-charged, and most of the news is not good for our Little Baby Man President. He is getting pretty whiny and needy. A man so puffed up with his own B.S. The deflation will be epic. I do believe. Stay tuned.

"All roads with you lead to Putin." - Nancy Pelosi

A Heroine, a champion for our Democracy...

Yes, I love this photo of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi confronting our Little Baby Man President. Notice all the old white guys. Seems no one else is willing to stand up to the petulant, child-bully.

Nancy Pelosi, speaks the truth: "All roads with you lead to Putin."

When I was a wee lad, a neighborhood bully - older, bigger, stronger, fatter - would push me around, knock me down, sit on my chest, make me eat dirt, etc. One day, surprisingly, I pushed back, got in a lucky punch, gave the bully a bloody nose. He never bothered me again. I always admire folks who stand up to bullies. Calling their bluff usually reveals a coward waiting to be called out. Nancy Pelosi, you ROCK!

Helplessness Blues...

I had a rough night. Damn alarm ringing in the street. Alarming. Am I the only one who heard it? Was that ringing only in my head? I moved to another, quieter part of the house. Still, a rough sleep, not restful, crazy-ass dreams. People from my distant past kept popping up, unfinished business, slogging through menial tasks. It was all pretty exhausting.  This morning there is only one CD I can think of to put on the box: The Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues." Acoustic instruments, beautiful harmony vocals. A beautiful helplessness. Exactly.

Ukraine is Russia. 2016 is 2020. Trump is Putin.

If you really want to track with the latest scandal, the impeachment inquiry, and the Ukraine extortion, you really, really need to be tuning into the Rachel Maddow Show. She really does have her finger on the pulse, she has a knack of conveying the story with verve and excitement, she really knows how to unroll the narrative. So many details, detours, back-stories, it is easy to lose the thread.

Rachel reminds us the Russia Hack story is the Ukraine Hack story. The election interference story in 2016 is the same story in 2020. Trump was doing Putin's bidding early in 2016, and he's still do it now.

We are getting to the nitty-gritty phase. I do think it's all gonna get quite captivating, and funny as hell too, except of course, at the center of it is an epic constitutional crisis. How to deal with a criminal-Russian-tied Mob Boss in the White House?

Keep your eyes peeled for that spiteful, lugubrious, walrus-moustache-wearing, right-wing flame-thrower John Bolton. This is gonna get quite fun and interesting:

"Bolton instructed aide to report Giuliani pressure campaign to White House lawyer. “I am not part of whatever drug deal Rudy and Mulvaney are cooking up,” Bolton said, according to testimony to House investigators."

Yes. Confusing. Remember: Ukraine is Russia. 2016 Election interference is 2020 Election interference. Corruption is Corruption. Biden is  the new Hilary Clinton. Disinformation = Disinformation. Disinformation Rules. Trump is Desperate. As Steve Bannon once said: "Trump doesn't know anything, and he doesn't give a fuck." Also keep in mind: Trump is Putin. Everything flows from Putin's lips to Trump's ears. Watch our President do Russia's bidding around the globe.

Ugly. Democracy in Crisis. It is the story of our times. Stay tuned. Be assured, Rachel has the latest.

Re-Writing Headlines Now...

I know, making fun of ridiculous, charlatan, TV Evangelists is sort of like shooting fish in a barrel, but, shite, someone has to do it...

A recent headline reads: "Pat Robertson: Trump could risk 'losing the mandate of heaven' with Syria decision"

How the headline should read: "Creepy, Delusional, Lunatic Televangelist, Pat Robertson, Long-Time Charlatan & Grifter, Promoter of 'Pussy-Grabber President'  Reeling from Slaughter of Christian Kurds in Syria, Has Second Thoughts, Thinks He Knows What's in God's Mind, WTF ?! Creepy Old Guy Now Committed to a Rubber Room, Under Heavy Sedation!"

Yes, much better...

The Attorney General of the U.S. is an Ayatollah of the Hard Christian Right.

I cringe at having to take up the topic. William Barr, Attorney General of the U.S. , the head of the "Department of Justice" reveals himself as an "Ayatollah of the Christian Right." Really. Funny. Horrifying.

So it turns out the Barr is a right-wing, true believer, at war with secularists & progressives:

"This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secularists and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion & traditional values." - Wm. Barr

Explains so much. Barr is bending the law to carry on his war with the modern world, in support of a "pussy-grabbing," white, racist, imperial President. Good luck, fucker.

So according to Barr our problem is not crony capitalism, not white supremacy, not discrimination against women and people of color, but "secularism" & "progressives."

The mind reels.

An aside: As an Ex-Catholic myself I can testify that much of the flight from the Catholic Church is not the result of the pressure of militant progressives, but from the Church's own moral corruption. Think: support and cover-up of Pedophile Priests. Years of coverups, and official protection for abusers of children. Many of my friends and associates have exited the Catholic Criminal Enterprise and gone onto greener pastures at other more "liberal-minded" places like the Episcopal Church. Woman Priests! Lesbian Women Priests! Diversity! Multiculturalism, Social Activism, Progressive Politics.  Oh my! Organized Destruction, indeed!

Barr is so full of his own shit. He is a position of great power, but I do think he is whistling past the graveyard; Barr is like one of those old Stalinists of the Soviet Era, a relic from the past, fading away, a dying breed, good riddance.

Can secularists and progressives live moral, ethical lives without clinging to the old creeds? Of course. What of the Left-Wing, Liberal, Progressives who preach love, multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion. What of equality, fraternity, liberty?

Hope lies in the future: beyond racism, beyond slavery, beyond patriarchy, beyond the old creeds and superstitions. The most destructive forces today? Rampant corruption, malignant capitalism, white supremacy, income inequality. Barr is clinging to an old world picture. A dead-end. Good riddance. May the corruption swallow him whole.

Justice. The future is unwritten. We can write a new future: more diverse, more equitable, more inclusive, more welcoming of all races, creeds and colors. A rainbow of love. Yes. I believe.

Thinking of a Better Human Being.

Thinking about Rodney King and his famous question this A.M. - "Can't we all just get along?" 

The short answer seems to be "No." Too many competing interests. Too many complications. Too much hate, small-mindedness, greed, selfishness and ignorance.

We really do need a "better human being." I don't think it's something we can, or should, try to engineer (see Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange"). Our Dystopias usually emerge from our desire for Utopia. We need to try to cultivate our human gardens. More kindness, more gentleness, more thought, more contemplation, more grace, more humility, more silence. Quality.

I am listening to John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," as I type these words, certainly one of the greatest masterworks ever committed to vinyl, so inspiring, so beautiful, powerful, mysterious too. What do I hear in the grooves? Lean to the Light Pilgrim. Turn out the noise, the constant chatter, the loud-talkers, the know-nothings, those who want to divide and conquer. Turn to the silence. Turn to the Love.

We need Better Humans. We can do it ourselves. Together. Everything we need, all the tools required to transform ourselves, resides inside of us. We just need to reach deep down, to be honest with ourselves, to be giving and vulnerable, and to do the good work. To live it. Every single day.

One of our Favorite Past-Times...

I didn't even think about it.

I grabbed a CD from the stack and put in on the box. Peter Gabriel's "Passion," the soundtrack from Martin Scorcese's "The Last Temptation of Christ." One of the all time great soundtracks, pretty good movie too. Willem Dafoe as Jesus, and maybe even better, Harvey Keitel as Judas.  Funny. I "blame" Kanye (see previous post).

A brief Interlude: Thinking Gods. Holy Men. Leaders of Cults. Kanye vs. Jesus. I'm thinking Kanye wins. Hands down. Sure he gets some criticism, lots of on-line hate, but he also lives like a King, he's a made-man, a Hip-Hop Genius. No crucifix, no whips, no sweating blood in the garden. Plus, you know, he gets to sleep with Kim Kardashian. Some would consider that a bonus. Jesus, he had a pretty, hard-luck story in comparison. Maybe he rose from the dead (not verified), but died at 33 under difficult circumstances.

Thoughts of Gods, religion, cults, transcendence, spirit, what's it all about, good jobs, purpose in life, mission from God, etc.  It's a rainy, dark morning, the smell of corruption in the air. My fellow humans and I, we seem so corruptible, so fallible, so ridiculous. Amazing how so many of us spend our time. Seems one of our favorite past-times is to fuck each other over.

One of those pearls of wisdom from that big old black book: "The love of money is the root of all evil." Pretty sweeping. Kind of an indictment of Capitalism and our whole economic engine. In the world we live in, money makes everything go "Whoosh!" Frankly, easily, obviously, it is all about the Benjamins.

Those crazy, renegade Jews in the desert, living in communes, living on bread and wine, preaching Love and Forgiveness, makes for a nice little fairy tale. Do any of those folks who tell us they are "Christians" actually live by that code? Or is it all just vanity, hypocrisy, bogus crap? Just another cudgel used to smack other folks on the head? Don't forget to put coin into the cup.

I mean, who among us can walk the walk? We talk big, we preach, pretend to be holy, god-fearing, etc. But when it comes down to it, who really lives like Jesus, or Buddha, or MLK, or Gandhi or fuck, man, pick your idol. So much damn hypocrisy. Quoting Dylan (another fallible man) "No man, Righteous, No, Not One..."

We live with a little parakeet here, she is pure white, white as snow, we named her "The Holy Ghost." Sometimes we just call her "Ghost." She is a reminder. She seems so much better than us. She is above the fray. Once in awhile she will sing. She can conjure up a big storm of sound. She loves the sound of water running from the tap, she loves the sound of the strings ringing on my acoustic guitar, she loves when we stream a flick, or play music on the stereo. (She is not a big fan of The Who). She is a singer. Our little Ghost.

She barely trusts us. She will sit on your finger. Briefly. Her hard, black eyes staring a hole right through you. She wants to fly to safety, to sit on a stick on the far side of her cage. She likes it there. A distance from the humans. Humans. I think to her, they smell funny.

Ghost knows. Humans are loud, stupid, unreliable, corruptible, greedy, not pure, no, definitely, not pure.

Off The Hook!

Feeling off the hook, like one of those old rotary phones.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, never mind, it's from another time and place in a land far away. Did it all ever really exist? I don't know. I have lost the narrative thread. Too many unreliable narrators, too many cul de sacs, too many random episodes and surreal, nonsensical scenes. David Byrne: "Stop Making Sense." No worries on that count. Some mornings, really, nothing makes sense. It's all sort of David Lynchian - dark doings, dancing little people, ominous music, lots of foreshadowing, and hints of strange violence and volcanic emotion.

You get the distinct impression no one is in charge, no one really knows what's what, and all the supposed explanations fall flat, or sound ridiculous, or are just calculated lies to confuse you even more. Living in a state of confusion. Ha.

I am thinking about Kayne West this A.M. Taking a break from my Dylan obsession I am listening to  Van Morrison's, "Hardnose the Highway," and "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart." Inarticulate. Indeed. Anyway, the last time I wrote about the Branded Hip-Hop Genius Kanye West,  I quoted Tariq Ali: "Wealth determines consciousness." I wondered if it was all about the $. Maybe. Where do you go next after you've acquired everything? Do you get fat, sitting on the couch, eating fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches and shout obscenities at the TV all day? Or do you hide in your mansion and store your urine in jars? Or run to therapy, or a 12 step-program, or you end up doing a cabaret act in Vegas? Or medicate yourself with every drug invented and surf off into a zoned-out oblivion, and certain death? Just how are you gonna kill time?

What is the logical next step for a Branded Hip-Hop Genius?

Well, I didn't see this one coming, but of course, it does make sense: Turn to Jesus. Then become Jesus. Then transcend Jesus and become a God. And then lead a branded-NDA-wielding Cult. Brilliant. Logical. Kanye.

Who can argue with any of that? Really? Being a God, leading a Cult? Shite, man, that's a job! Put me back on the hook! Taking calls now!

The Oracle of Imbecility!

Rules for Survival #, well, I'm not sure what #, I haven't compiled a list yet, but recent events compel me to start a list, so not sure what # this one is, but it's an important rule.

Rule # (who knows?): If anyone you know puffs themselves up by crowing about "My Unmatched Wisdom," run for the hills. Don't hesitate, please, just stifle your laughter, there will be time for laughter later, when you find a safe place, run, just drop everything and RUN for your LIFE!''

Who used this phrase? I refuse to utter the name. Let me give you some clues, all of them relevant: Oddly Colored White Guy (see smudges of Orange), Loud, Fat, Ill-Fitting Suit, Goofy Hair, Brain-Worms, (the brain-worms are aggressively & progressively working thru his brain-matter), speaks nonsense always, constantly, a Colossal Imbecile.

You know those ancient Greeks, they had something called the Oracle of Delphi, it was located at the navel of the world. Folks would trek there, seeking guidance, words of wisdom, and to have their burning questions answered.

We instead have the Oracle of Imbecility located in the shadow of the Washington Monument. This man is a never-ending fount of stupid. His "My Unmatched Wisdom" phrase is not the stupidest thing he has ever said, you know, it truly is impossible to parse and to rate his complete idiocy. He is a man who declares himself a genius, a genius of geniuses. It is hard to get a grasp upon his imbecility, it is still spinning out in prodigious quantity. We expect the frequency and audacity of his infinite stupidness will increase as the folks around him try to figure out how to oust him from his position of power. This is a black hole of stupidity. Unfathomable.

It is all going to get so much more stupid. Run, Pilgrim.  Run for the hills.  Find a safe place. Then let go, laugh, big belly laughs are recommended.  Thrill at the infinite stupidity of man. I mean, for sure, the infinite imbecility of this man.

Popped Into My Head.

I have not thought long and hard about these, they just popped into my head...

It's not good enough to support Leaders who hate the same people you hate. Hate is a powerful weapon, it can move people, destroy mountains, help build concentration camps, murder children, etc. Hate is nihilism. Hate is a cheap high. It doesn't last. It is Death. Finally leads to a solitary bunker and a fully-loaded revolver. The Leader who promotes Hate, Hates himself too. That Hateful Leader will make the history books, but he will end up in the dust heap, a black hole, Hell. Increasing suffering in the world is no way to live. Hate+Hate=Hate.

It's not good enough to side with the Man who only works for his own self-interest. Another dead end. A short-term high. Follow the money. Follow the Ego blowing smoke up it's own ass. You get the thrill of watching a Shark being a Shark. It's a tired thrill. Watch the Greedy One stuffing himself with the treasures of the world. An Epic, failed, toxic, over-stuffed clown.

Watch the thought bubbles rising across the land. Even over those who you consider your Political Opponents. What happens when even they see that their Last White Hero is working for the interests of another country, another TinPot World Leader? What is the fate of a Man who betrays his followers, who betrays his country, who betrays the law, the constitution and and all moral and ethical limits? What happens when the Last White Hero is finally revealed to be a sycophantic toady to another nihilistic power?

Justice can be a thrill too. Watching Folks getting what they deserve. Earning their rewards. Justice can be appealing, swift, brutal. What happens when the Last White Hero stands naked before the world? Weak, blubbering, no defense, no friends, no allies, finally standing to face the music. The Smart, Gentle Ones amongst us, must turn away. Yes, we say, "Let it come down." But let us not celebrate. There is no joy. Justice is a hard master.

The Almost Never-Finders.

I  found myself in some unknown, foreign territory this weekend, a church-like gathering, a Stepford like neighborhood. Felt like an intruder, an outsider, a misfit, an interloper. That's not unusual. Not sure just exactly where I fit in, and really, if I think about it, the answer is probably nowhere.  Sometimes it's slightly disconcerting, a little surprising, maybe humbling. I'm one of those humans who just doesn't fit. I have always been a bit uncomfortable in my skin. I have never really felt at home, except maybe in my head. My own imagination, my own internal landscape. I have affinity for the dreamers, the imaginers, the visionaries, the poets, the quirky singers, the searchers, the almost never-finders. I suppose I would put myself in that camp. But of course, this camp only exists as a vapor-trail in my dizzy head.

Of course, there's a Dylan line that comes in handy: "If my thought-dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine." Right. It's kind of like this idea that the not fitting in is a problem, a weakness, but then, I suppose it's also a strength. That is something I have learned over the years. Even when I try to fit in, it doesn't really work. So maybe just accept it? Don't judge it, just let it flow. So the not fitting becomes a way of life. An affirmative thing. I just don't, so maybe like Melville's Bartelby the Scrivener, I choose to "prefer not to."

Yes. So preferring not to is a way of life,  a way of life totally acceptable to me. I'm not worried about it, just reminded of it, often. I didn't just adopt this pose, I embody it, ever day, every moment of every day. "You're not from around here, are you?"

A Series of Dreams, No Really Just Two...

I have been battling a nasty cold. Nights have been feverish, lots of tossing and turning.

I had two strange dreams last night. I don't always dream, I don't always remember my dreams, but sometimes I have very vivid dreams, and they seem important, like real events, real experiences, they often echo or mirror my reality, but at the same time, they are a bit weird, surreal, fractured, sort of like they are filmed and projected by a filmmaker and director who doesn't really understand how to tell a coherent narrative. Of course, there are times when my life doesn't resemble a coherent narrative either, so maybe the mirroring is spot on?

First up, someone I know, a beautiful woman was telling me about her latest, best, orgasm. It was an odd conversation. We were laying on cushions outside on a driveway. An intimate conversation outside on the hard pavement. Weird. Not erotic. Sort of clinical. Or not clinical, just matter of fact. There was a shared intimacy, but it was all in smiles, and laughter and gesture. I never learned how this orgasm emerged, this woman talked about it almost like it had rained, or she experienced a sunny day, or she had just eaten an amazing sandwich, or an angel had come down and touched her forehead. I think my main reaction was, "Wow." Nothing resolved. We laid back on our cushions, enjoying the day, looking at the big blue sky above. us. "Hey, did I ever tell you about my best orgasm ever?"

2nd dream: I was in a play. An actor. A major role. Most of the cast members were folks I know from all walks of life. There was big, elaborate set, many rooms, many levels, secret chambers. The actual stage and the backstage area sort of melded. The dressing room, the lunch room, the theater, the stage all was equal. Not sure if there was a script or if everything was improv, don't recall seeing a director. I was in the middle of the play, doing my part, I had a significant role and I was in a long scene with another male actor. After the scene resolved, actually, it didn't resolve, it just kind of dissolved, I went backstage, chilling. The other actor came at me violently, grabbed me by my shirt, got right into my face, and accused me of acting poorly. He was totally pissed off, accused me of "phoning it in," of being a phony, a charlatan. My response? "That's called acting, asshole." I walked back onstage, and someone I know, one of my closest friends was there, dressed just like me, she was playing my part, she was doing my lines, doing my gestures, acting just like me, only, maybe, better, more genuine. I walked off stage into the darkness. Scene.

Impeachment, It's On All of Us.

Patti Smith: "People have the Power."

A simple, direct, true statement. If the people forget that truth, if they forget that they hold the Power, then Democracy no longer works. Democracy is NOT a government of the rich for the rich. Democracy is NOT a vehicle for the Corrupt Ones to rule over us. When we go to the ballot box, we do not elect Rulers and Kings. We elect folks to represent our interests, to speak and act for all of us. All of us. It's an awesome responsibility, difficult too, to speak for and represent the common folk. And if those that we elect don't do their jobs, don't represent us, don't act ethically, legally and in the public interest, we should vote them out, or in extreme cases IMPEACH them with extreme prejudice.

That's they way it's supposed to work. We all have a role to play in Impeachment. Every Politician, Democrat and Republican must be held accountable, must stand up and be counted. We all must demand accountability. We can fix this, we must fix this, we deserve it, the country deserves it. We can do it.

A Fruitless Exercise.

No matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone else dealing with something worse, maybe much, much worse. You have a nasty cold? Be happy that's all you are dealing with. That's nothing, brother. You have no idea the pain and suffering some folks are enduring. So try keep it all in perspective. Deal with what you have to deal. Grin and bear it.

It's the same thing on the upside.

You think you have it good? Well, there are plenty of other folks who have it better, in some cases much better, no doubt. That's just the reality of our existence. It's kind of silly and ridiculous to fret about it. No sense in measuring or comparing yourself to anyone else. It's a fruitless exercise.

What to do? Live. Do your thing. Do the best you can do. Take some time to smell the roses.

Can You Die From Hiccups?

I am the optimistic sort. I recently came down with a nasty cold, and my first thought, "Well, maybe this will be a little reset?" I have had that experience where I'm feeling "under the weather," makes me a bit more careful, quiet, observant. I am forced to slow down, take care. And then when I recover from a cold I feel better than ever, almost euphoric. Funny. I find myself thinking of the upside of a nasty cold.

This A.M. my first question: Can you die from hiccups? Yes, it was that kind of night. I had a coughing fit last night, which then led to the hiccups. There was a brief moment of panic, "What if I never stop hiccuping? Will I die?" That actually crossed my mind. The answer? Probably not. Thank god, it really would be a silly way to go.

"Charles Osborne hiccupped for 68 years straight and holds the Guinness Book record for the longest bout of hiccups." 

Yikes! That is a major bout of hiccups. So. What happened with my bout of hiccups? I was laying in bed, hiccuping like mad, and the thought popped into my head, "Go to the kitchen, pour yourself a glass of Aloe Vera Juice, and drink it, pronto!" Really, I swear.

And you know what? It worked. I drank a glass of Aloe Vera Juice, and also a glass of mineral water and the hiccups totally disappeared. No Guinness Book of World Records for me.

"... Power and Greed and Corruptible Seed Seem to be all there is..." - B. Dylan

I am still in the midst of my Dylan Obsession. Almost exclusively listening to Dylan these days. It's been like that for months and months.

Bob Dylan. Genius. For sure. He is a perverse genius. For sure. He recorded one of his greatest songs, "Blind Willie McTell," in 1983 with Mark Knopfler for his album, "Infidels," but then left it off the record. Puzzling. It was released in 1991 on the Bootleg Series.

The "Bob" of "Infidels," "Oh Mercy" and "Under the Blood Red Sky," is one of my favorite Bobs.  The Post Conversion, Post-Apocalyptic Preacher Man, bringing a cold, brutal eye of Judgement on Mankind.  It's Old, Old Testament Bob.  A voice conjuring a dark world. You know, our world (see previous post). Read the headlines. See what's going down in the palaces of power and greed, all over the world.

"Well, God is in His heaven

And we all want what’s his

But power and greed and corruptible seed

Seem to be all that there is

I’m gazing out the window

Of the St. James Hotel

And I know no one can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell"

Bob Dylan

Copyright © 1983 by Special Rider Music

Too much skullduggery to catalog this A.M.

The leaks and bombshells are coming fast and furious now. That's the result of Nancy Pelosi pulling the trigger on an "impeachment inquiry." Everything has changed.

Too much news. Too much skullduggery to catalog this A.M.

I am still trying to process it all. The narrative has branched out in so many ways, it's a bit difficult to pull the threads together into some rational coherence. That's the world we live in now. Information Vs. Disinformation and trying to parse & understand which is which. Head spinning.

As I write these words I am listening to Roger Water's great record "Is this the Life We Really Want?" Perfect music for our dysfunctional dystopia. I try to tell myself some basic facts. They are like lifeboats. Essential ideas.

Some plain-thinking, plain-speaking is in order...

1. Our President is corrupt as fuck. He is a desperate, ignorant man, who cares not a whit for his country. Keep that in mind as this all comes crashing down.
2. "The whistle-blower" whoever he or she is, is a hero, a patriot. Brave. Courageous. Finally one person in this mad adventure has stood up and called out the corruption. This person has totally changed their lives, and ours too. Nothing will ever be the same. Their lives are altered forever. What a grave and important act. To blow the whistle on a corrupt as fuck President.
3. The President's enablers, lackeys, boot-lickers in his administration and in the GOP are the worst cowards. They have looked away, knowing that corruption oozes from every poor from our Little Baby Man President. There will be lots of back-biting, back-stabbing, rats jumping from a sinking ship. Expect lots more bombshells, leaks and black deeds brought to light. Ugly for sure.
4. The Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi, have to step up and lead this effort to reveal the truth. They have to do the clean-up. The American People need to pay attention. To listen. To support this effort to bring the corruption to light, and then to fix our Democracy. A big job, for sure.
5. Keep our heads. Pay attention. Don't get swamped by the news, the lies, the spin, the disinformation. We are all easily swayed. We have such short attention spans. It's time to pay attention. Be awake. Alive. Our Democracy is teetering.

Reflect and Mirror.

Visiting the graves of loved ones. I can recommend it. Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead , it reads even better in Spanish: Día de los Muertos.

"The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and helping support their spiritual journey. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of celebration because their loved ones awake and celebrate with them."

Yeah, here, in good old USA this concept is a bit foreign, not a popular thing in White/Anglo culture. We Americans tend to celebrate eternal youth.  A total fantasy. We don't really want to think about death, until it smacks us in the kisser.

Anyway we trekked to the Cemetery yesterday. A dark, rainy afternoon. Rolling hills of green dotted with elaborate stone monuments and simple grave markers too. Lots of imagery of Angels, Jesus, Crosses, lots of flowers, and doodads decorating graves.

It was quiet. A certain heavy beauty. Thoughts of gravity, flesh, bodies, spirits and endings. Time is palpable in a cemetery. The boundaries of a life. Dates carved in stone. You start counting up the years. Some folks die young, some span many, many decades.

The "natural part of the human cycle." 

Reminds us of a greater thing going on. Life. Prayers. Memories. Spirit. Endings. Beginnings. You will find a bit of humility in a graveyard. You will find a certain peace. There's a longing too. 

I tend to believe that body and spirit are one. I don't really know what that means. I reflect and mirror the life and death around me.

Believing...

I believe in...

a better day
clear-seeing
being awake
the moment
another chance
change
the sea of possibilities
imagination
believing
knowledge
curiosity
grace
beauty
love
voting
speaking
laughing
justice
truth
liberty
the scientific method
blind-spots
discipline
humility
practice
walking
healthy-eating
vigilance
integrity

The Secret Server - The Road to Hell!

A "Secret Server." That would be the perfect end to this crazy time in our country. What destroys Little Baby Man? His own words illegally stored on a Secret Server. All his little minions, lackeys and boot-lickers will go down too.

This from Journalist Michael Weiss: "He told the Russians he knew they interfered and that it was fine, but he kept denying or casting doubt on this fact to Americans. Says a lot about this president."

Three phrases from Bob Dylan dancing in my head this a.m.

"No man righteous, no not one."

"Corruptible seed."

"There is a Slow Train Coming..."

No one is totally clean. It's a struggle, a battle, there is the Angel on one shoulder and the Devil on the other. There are the big dreams of big bucks, lots of diversions and inducements and ways to cheat and steal.

We all pay a price for the things we do. There is some kind of karma underlying everything. And everyone will have to stand up and account for the things they have done. Look around. Corruption. Lies. Secrets. High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Little Baby Man is finally gonna have to face the music. He betrayed his country, his oath of office. All the sordid details will be revealed. Truth will out. There will be a day in the future when no one will freely admit that they voted and supported this man, a man sold his country out to a hostile foreign power.

We thought it was Robert Mueller and his report who was gonna bring this man down. Turns out it will be Little Baby Man's own words stored on a secret server. Who enabled this man? All his minions, boot-lickers and lackeys will need to testify and pay for their misdeeds too. Crime. Corruption. The Power and Glory.

What will be the fate of Little Baby Man and his cast of criminals?

"A one-way ticket to burn." - B. Dylan

The Old Marty Feldman/Igor/Young Frankenstein Defense...

Ha, ha, ha...

The President is caught in the act of shaking down Ukraine, spinning disinformation, trying to smear a political opponent, trying to steal another election, holding $ as leverage. Blatant corruption. Impeachable. "Violating his Oath of Office." Serious shit, right? Little Baby Man is basically caught with his pants down doing more "crime-ing." He just can't help himself.

He is uniquely Corrupt & Ignorant. Hard to tell what is more dominant in his psyche. Maybe they are  co-equal branches in his deeply dysfunctional mental landscape?

What's his defense?

"Hey, look over here! Nothing to see! Move along! You can't believe your lying eyes and ears!"

It's seems some of his Republican defenders have very poor "reading comprehension." They just don't want to know. The rest of us can plainly see that this time, there is no doubt, Little Baby Man has stepped in it, big time.

Finally all he has left is the old Marty Feldman/Igor/Young Frankenstein Defense. "What Hump?!"

Postscript: Yeah... this one is called, "whack job." Is it any wonder two old white guys with advanced brain dysfunction are leading the destruction of the USA and the GOP? There are remedies. Impeachment & Prison.

Impeachment & Prison!

Wow. Didn't see that coming. Our current President got help from Russia in the 2016 election, and now, he is embroiled in a scandal where he was trying to enlist help from Ukraine in the 2020 election. Seems he just doesn't believe he can win an election fair and square.

Also, freaky wild, our current President wanted to run a disinformation campaign to blame Ukraine for election rigging in 2016 and take blame off of Russia. Why would our President want to help Russia declare innocence?

And he wanted to concoct an elaborate conspiracy implicating Joe Biden, the DNC and Ukraine. Insane. Crazy. So damn corrupt.

Funny our President is so damn corrupt, he just can't stop committing crimes against his own country. There are remedies for that kind of thing. Impeachment and Prison!

"No Man is Above the Law." - Nancy Pelosi

Ha, ha, ha...

Nancy Pelosi pulls the trigger on an "impeachment inquiry" and Little Baby Man is throwing a tantrum. Welcome to Democracy.

Remember: Pelosi is not doing this because Little Baby Man is a Republican, it's not because he is a "conservative," it's because he's corrupt, a two-bit crook, and has been running the Government like his own little Mafia Kingdom. As they say, "No man is above the law." Elijah Cummings, take it away...

"We Will Never Forgive You." - Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg speaks to the U.N. in full. Essential listening... take 3:53 to give her your full attention... "how dare you..."

"Small Acts, When Multiplied by Millions..."

Yes, thinking a bit more about Greta Thunberg. Every movement needs a leader (see two previous posts). Or make that many, many leaders. One young woman stands up, speaks out, demands action, and captures international attention. Maybe she is the MLK, the Mandela, the Cesar Chavez of our Climate Catastrophe? Maybe her courage, fearlessness, her plain-spoken-ness, her bold truth-telling will inspire others? Speaking Truth to Power.

Moral Authority? Where does it come from? Usually some kind of suffering. Often from the outsiders, the ones who don't fit in, those who are marching to a different drummer. Those who don't just "get along and go along."

Greta Thunberg suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. She considers it her "superpower."

"I have Asperger's and that means I'm sometimes a bit different from the norm. And – given the right circumstances –being different is a superpower." - G. Thunberg

Yes, of course, it is often the case, our greatest weakness is our greatest strength...

Thunberg's attributes — including her fearlessness and ability to speak and act so matter-of-factly — that makes hers such a potent voice. He writes:

She disdains celebrity. She makes no claim to heroism. She rebuffs efforts to idolise her. She isn't calculating or preoccupied with fame or ego. There is no artifice about her. She speaks plainly, without affectation or embroidery.

In words and deeds, Thunberg is the embodiment of philosopher Howard Zinn's admonition: "We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can quietly become a power no government can suppress, a power that can transform the world."

"We Can Still Fix This..." - G. Thunberg

Climate Catastrophe. This is the movement of our time... we all must stand up, speak, act...

We have to acknowledge that the older generations have failed. All political movements in their present form have failed, but homo sapiens have not yet failed. Yes, we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around. We can still fix this.

– Greta Thunberg

Maybe it has to start with one to build to millions or billions? One face, one body, one mind, one spirit, one voice. Maybe Greta Thunberg is the "one," who will inspire millions or billions to take action on our Climate Catastrophe?

Think of other movements. We have always needed one to stand up to show others that they can stand up too.

We need a million, a billion Gretas...

The climate is not going to collapse because some party got the most votes. The politics that’s needed to prevent the climate catastrophe—it doesn’t exist today. We need to change the system, as if we were in crisis, as if there were a war going on.”

– Greta Thunberg

I Saw the Future Yesterday...

I saw the future yesterday at the Climate March. There was a gathering in the town square. Folks from all age groups, all walks of life gathered to listen.

I saw the future on a makeshift stage equipped with p.a., a microphone, a bull-horn. High-school-age girls were speaking, leading the rally.

These very young women are the future of our community, of our country, of our planet. Young, female, engaged, socially-smart, totally-connected, plugged-in, aware, awake, active.

They talked the talk: The future is now. We must act. We all can play a part in addressing the looming climate catastrophe.

The future. These young women are the future. They will be here when the worst of the worst climate projections will become real. Lots of folks in the audience will be gone. Some of us will be long gone.

So what does the future tell us? Vote. Support the New Green Deal. Vote out politicians who deny climate change. Be vocal. Demand action.

What else? Each and every one of us can change our behavior. Eat less. Consume less. Become a vegetarian, or eat meat much less often. No fast food. No burgers. Avoid plastic containers & bottles. Turn off the lights. Buy less stuff. Be conscious. Conserve. Live with less.

Some of these sound like paltry, tiny steps, but multiply any of these actions by millions of consumers and you begin to see the logic. One thing we are good here in the U.S.A? We are excellent consumers. Let's be smart, Green, Climate Conscious Consumers.

I saw the future yesterday. There is hope. It was in the eyes, hearts and voices of those young women. The future is now.

Tumbling Down...

Silence today. Radio silence. The news is so confusing. Everything seems to be going to hell. Pretty sure our current President is wrecking the country. Ukraine is now the latest flash point. Did our President try to extort and bribe a foreign country to sway an election? Well, no doubt, of course he did. I think I will just unplug, and watch the walls come tumbling down.