The Grand Theme!

Ignorance and Corruption. Humans. You are so predictable.

An Invisible, Invincible Shield of Stupidity!

Little Baby Man, you know, the guy in the White House, says really stupid things. Often. I mean, all the time, no, I mean, just about every time his poorly-chosen words (a stream of nonsense), pour from his slobbery mouth.

Little Baby Man actually said this about the Parkland shooting, no kidding... “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.” (Unfortunately for us... NO SUCH LUCK!).

Is that the stupidest thing Little Baby Man has ever said? 

Not sure, it's hard to judge the levels, the degrees, of stupid. In order to discern the stupidity on display, you actually need to delve deep into the stupid, kind of like jumping in a pond of scum, and try to make arbitrary decisions on what is "stupider" than stupid.

Let's just say, it was another really, really stupid thing to say. One of the uncountable number of stupid things that dribbles out of that man. Does anyone really believe that Little Baby Man would run into a building where a murderous kid armed with an AR-15 was randomly shooting down innocents? Nah. Don't think so. Even his biggest fans must know that is complete, utter, deluded & supremely stupid bullshit.

And just what would an unarmed Little Baby Man accomplish by standing in front of a heavily armed shooter? He'd be ripped to pieces by the bullets. For sure. Do you know what an AR-15 can do to the Human Body? 

"The bullet from an AR-15 does an entirely different kind of violence to the human body. It’s relatively small, but it leaves the muzzle at three times the speed of a handgun bullet. It has so much energy that it can disintegrate three inches of leg bone. “It would just turn it to dust,” says Donald Jenkins, a trauma surgeon at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. If it hits the liver, “the liver looks like a jello mold that’s been dropped on the floor.” And the exit wound can be a nasty, jagged hole the size of an orange.

These high-velocity bullets can damage flesh inches away from their path, either because they fragment or because they cause something called cavitation. When you trail your fingers through water, the water ripples and curls. When a high-velocity bullet pierces the body, human tissues ripples as well—but much more violently. The bullet from an AR-15 might miss the femoral artery in the leg, but cavitation may burst the artery anyway, causing death by blood loss. A swath of stretched and torn tissue around the wound may die. That’s why, says Rhee, a handgun wound might require only one surgery but an AR-15 bullet wound might require three to ten."

So unless Little Baby Man has an invisible, invincible "Shield Of Stupidity" he'd have been cut to ribbons, and bled out on the linoleum. Just another victim. Oh Little Baby Man, you are such a stupid, I mean, really, really stupid example of a human being. A complete, total, profoundly stupid disgrace to the species.  Yes, indeed!

Hey, We All Have Mental Issues!

Is it just me? When I read the Florida Governor say that "I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone with mental issues to use a gun," I think, well, that pretty much eliminates any human being I know, or expect to meet... right?!

One of my favorite sayings: "Rationality is just a mask we wear." Yes, and some of us very rarely wear that mask, unless we are trying make a point. Entertainment purposes only!

Aren't we all basically "mental?" None of us should be able to own a weapon that could kill lots of people. That's CRAZY!

Let's all take a little test. If you answer "yes" to any of these, YOU ARE MENTAL!

1. Ever feel lonely?

2. Ever feel depressed?

3. Any thoughts of suicide?

4. How about murder fantasies?

5. Ever feel insecure?

6. Powerless?

7. Do you stock-pile lots of weapons and ammo?

8. Do you think everyone is watching you?

9. Do you think "it's all about you?"

10. Do you talk to dead people? People who aren't there? Inanimate objects?

11. Do they answer?

12. Do you believe in life after death? Little people? Aliens from another Galaxy?

13. Do you think you are on a mission from God?

14. Do you believe in Angels?

15. Have you watched them dance on the head of a pin?

16. Do you think if you wish it, it will be so?

17. Do you think God is watching you?

18. Do you think bad people are going to hell?

19. Do you think all your dead relatives and pets are up in heaven waiting for you?

20. Do you think you are fine, it's everyone else who's crazy?

Still have doubts that Human Beings have "mental issues?" Did you ever read History? Or watch TV? Read a newspaper? Talk to basically anyone for any length of time? Case closed!

My Latest Sound Obsession!

Modest Mouse. I "discovered" them via Johnny Marr's memoir, "Set the Boy Free." Marr's description of working with Modest Mouse was so inspiring. I had to buy the record: "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"(2007). Yeah. Maybe a little late to the party. But now this record is the life of my party!

Portland band meets with a Manchester, England-based guitar specialist and creative sparks fly. The essence of the record is a wildly cool and unexpected collaboration. This record surprises in so many ways. Songs take wild turns, there are odd detours. There is a great mix of beautiful, harmony-laced passages with wild flights and "shout-ey" & noise-filled sections. I must say I love it. I have been playing it obsessively. I had no idea.

Issac Brock lays on a mad, stream of consciousness, defrocked, holy man schtick, and it totally works. The music, the lyrics, the vibe. It's a total knockout. 

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?!" - REM

We used to work under the premise (maybe it was a delusion), that in a free society, with open debate, we'd all listen to each other, and figure things out. You know, we'd float ideas and the best ideas would stand out, and we'd make decisions based on the best ideas. The best ideas would be obvious and they would win the day.

That premise seems so old world, so quaint, so null and void. Today, we are not engaging in a healthy debate of ideas. No, we are swamped with disinformation, with bad ideas, with Bullshit. Maybe it has always been the case? I don't know. Bullshit engulfs us. A river. An ocean. A universe. Bullshit.

We need a strong Bullshit Detector. But even a battle-tested Bullshit Detector is challenged. It's funny, there are folks who have no shame in spreading lies, hoaxes, disinformation. It has become a game, a business, a politics.

It is sophisticated too. You have to work hard to wade through the Bullshit without losing your head, your bearings, your grounding, your commonsense. 

How best to navigate? Stop. Think. Breathe. Don't just react. Don't get lost in the moment. Keep a level head. There is commonsense somewhere inside us. Yes. There are good ideas. There is a healthy debate going on. We all need to tune into a smarter frequency.

Gun Control. The Debate is Not Over.

I am not a Constitutional Scholar. Not a Legal Eagle. I was an English Major, who then morphed into a Psychology Major. You could say I'm a bit unfocused.  

As an English Major my take on the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: Ambiguous. Imprecise. Poorly written. It was written and adopted on December 15, 1791.

Second Amendment:  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

That's it. The source of lots of confusion. A lot of huffing & puffing. Bullets and blood.

Some folks declare they are "2nd Amendment Absolutists" and then declare the discussion is over. It's not.

I read the amendment and I don't see anything that prevents us from imposing rules and regulations on gun ownership. There is nothing written that tells us we can't adopt background checks, gun safety training, bans on certain types of weapons for civilians, limits on ammo, gun licensing, preventing some folks from acquiring guns (those deemed "mentally ill," those convicted of domestic violence) etc.

The NRA, The GOP have been playing a dangerous game with the rest of us. We don't need to play. We can do a much better job on gun control. We must.

Suffering + Compassion + Grace = Moral Authority!

I was wondering about something... what is moral authority?

"Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive, laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change, the principles of moral authority are immutable or unchangeable, although as applied to individual circumstances the dictates of moral authority for action may vary due to the exigencies of human life."

And then this...

Since the Age of Enlightenment, traditional sources of moral authority such as church or state have been viewed with increasing suspicion in Western culture.

I think this is correct. Moral authority does not come from "traditional sources," moral authority comes from suffering.

I have come up with a formula:

Suffering + Compassion + Grace = Moral Authority.

Those who suffer. Those who endure Suffering with Compassion and Grace increase their Moral Authority exponentially. 

Think of Nelson Mandela. Or Martin Luther King. The Dalai Lama. These great figures of Moral Authority suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. They endured. They spoke up. They called on others with grace and compassion.

Today we see that the Kids of Stoneman Douglas High School have emerged as significant voices of Moral Authority. They have survived the horror of a mass shooting and they are speaking up with intelligence, grace, compassion and fire. Moral Authority.

We should all listen...

The Intersection Between Reality and Imagination!

Yes, I suppose it's not surprising that a movie about Nick Cave and his 20,000 Days on Earth would be a cool, amazing, strange, inspiring trip. It's a "musical psycho-drama!" I was surprised that the movie was so intimate, gets so up close and personal, delves deep into Nick and his life, his working method, the thoughts inside his head. The movie explores the intersection between "reality and imagination" of one of our great artists.

20,000 Days on Earth - official trailer from Iain & Jane on Vimeo.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are two mad alchemists who specialize in thunder and lightening. There is a bit of mad wizardry in their method and in their results. Always compelling, intriguing, "transformational." Watch these two men perform live and you can't help thinking: "These guys are Warlocks!" Maybe a bit of black and white magic.

I always thought that if Edgar Allan Poe ever decided to reincarnate, he would come back as an Australian rock and roller very similar to Nick Cave. He'd end up fronting bands like The Bad Seeds and Grinderman. And why not?!

Maybe the Kids Can Talk Us Into Action?

Yes, Stoneman Douglas High School Students in Parkland, FLA,  survivors of the mass shooting speak up. These Kids are amazing... my new heroes... I am hoping when folks stop and listen, a change of consciousness is possible. We must speak, march, vote, for the kids.

Emma Goldman: "If you don't do anything to prevent this from continuing to occur, that number of gunshot victims will go up and the number that they are worth will go down. And we will be worthless to you."

David Hogg: "The only source of any grieving that I can do at this point is just keep fighting. I have to. There’s no way I can stop because I don’t want anybody else to die from this. If I don’t take action — because our stupid politicians won’t — more are going to die.

If you want some of those names that I’m talking about: Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and so many others that refuse to take action. The fact that Donald Trump called out the Democratic Party for not taking action when they were in full control is disgusting and hypocritical.

The Republicans are in control of the House, Senate, and executive branch — what legislation has been passed about mental health, if that’s what they’re pushing? None.

They’ve made false promises, which has gotten more blood spattered on our high schools, elementary schools, and middle schools."

Changable like the Weather!

I am as changeable as the weather. Aren't you? 

Yesterday, bright sunshine, shimmering light bathing everything. Blue sky. Snow melting. Optimism in every step.

Today. Gloomy. Gray. No sun. Muted light. Doubt in the air.

We are the weather. Locked in a fatal embrace. As above, so below. Outside and inside, reflecting. Watching "The Leader of the Free World" (see previous post), melting down in real time. One twisted tweet at a time. Scary.

I am confident this will all come to an end soon. But have no idea how it all shakes out. Could be lots of thunder and lightening. Hurly-Burly. Toil and trouble. Little Baby Man may not go down easy. Expect tantrums, crazy rants, lots of huffing and puffing. He is the kind of Human who has no problem bringing it all down with him. Setting himself on fire, and trying to torch everyone else too. How much damage can he do? 

The mind reels.

The Coming Months of Astonishment!

I am not trying to persuade anyone. Go to reliable, sensible news sources. Avoid the spinmeisters, avoid the blathering, blubbering heads on the crazy right. Tune out the noise. Look to real reporting. Follow the facts. Seek out the threads of the story that are unfolding before our astonished eyes.

A simple thru-line: Our current President is a Russian Stooge. Putin helped him "win," in 2016. Putin is blackmailing him. The plot and the details are slowly, methodically coming out. Little Baby Man is unraveling, he and his team of lackeys are standing on a castle of sand. The Mueller Investigation is like the great, white, shark of justice - it is relentless, it is building momentum, and lots of people are in big, legal trouble.

It will all be revealed. The truth will come out, it's happening now. It's a crazy, improbable story, one of the greatest espionage sagas ever. The next few months will be months of astonishment. Mark my words. Seek out the facts for yourself. It is  essential that we all do our best to see with a renewed clarity.

Ode to the Coffee Gods!

I find myself in a foreign place, on a foreign couch. Yes, it's comfy. So gloomy this morning. First thought when I awake, "Why get up?" I fire up the coffee-maker, yes, I brought my machine with me, that's the kind of adventurer I am. I try to go nowhere without my faithful coffee-maker.

There was a moment of doubt while the machine did it's work. "What if it doesn't do the trick?" You know, what if the coffee doesn't work? What if the gloom doesn't lift? What if I can no longer conjure up a good reason to face the day with false courage and a well-fortified smile?

Never fear. Never doubt. A couple cups of coffee and the courage, the fire, the can-do attitude descends upon me. Yes, this is another ode to the Coffee Gods. Yes, this is a little prayer of thanks to the potent bean from a confirmed coffee addict.

There is a rush of energy and good feeling. I can face the day. I can face the music. Bring it on. I'm ready...

NRA Money + Guns + GOP Inaction = Blood in the Streets

Moms Demand Action

I don't want to think or write about mass shootings at schools. It's a horrifying subject. A failure of our society and our politics. Why? Why do these things happen? Many reasons. All interconnected. So much trouble in the world.

But for sure there is a one simple equation at the heart of all this horror. NRA Money + Guns + GOP Inaction = BLOOD IN THE STREETS. Simple. Maybe sounds simplistic? I don't think so.

The Blood Caucus (see previous post), are the first to offer up their "sympathy and prayers," and are the first to tell us, "Tsk, tsk, oh my, Nothing to be done." Of course that is a bald-faced lie, there are many things that can be done. What is missing is political will. Where did it go? The NRA bought and paid for it. They own this issue. They own the GOP. It is blood money. It is despicable. Irrational. Horrifying. Also, of course, the GOP is terrified of the Fanatical Gun Crazies. They vote. Every time.

The rest of us, the Sensible Majority, need to speak up, need to act, need to vote these assholes out. They are a threat to our society. A threat to "Homeland Security," and a threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We need a new consciousness on this issue. The Blood Caucus must go!

The Blood Money Caucus!

Blood Money: The National Rifle Association spent $419 million in 2016, increasing its 2015 total by over $100 million and dwarfing spending in previous presidential election years by far more, according to an audit published Thursday.

We are Gun Crazy. This Country. Completely Gun Crazy. We talk about these mass shootings like they are "natural catastrophes," they are not. There is money on the table. Money from the NRA, and the Senators and Representatives that Money Buys, prevents any sensible control measures.

The Majority of the Country favors sensible gun control measures, easy and sensible things such as: Background Checks, Prevent sales to People with Violent Misdemeanors & Domestic Assaults, Requiring a License to Own a Firearm, Banning Assault Weapons, etc.

This is a failure of our Democracy. Dirty, Blood Money prevents us from being sensible & responsible. This is not acceptable! It is an abomination. A betrayal. A scourge. 

The GOP and Little Baby Man benefit from the flow of guns & the flow of money. The flow of blood too! Here are the worst Congressional offenders. You wonder how these people sleep at night. They have blood on their hands.  Let's call them the Blood Money Caucus...

Corruption Everywhere!

Corruption: Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. The action or effect of making someone or something morally depraved. The process of decay; putrefaction.

Corruption. Rot. Decay. Putrefaction. Everywhere we turn. An epidemic of rotten-ness. The rot starts as the top and flows down through all aspects of life. It also starts at the bottom and flows upward. Look everywhere around the world. Political (of course). Human (yes, indeed). Personal. Moral (outlandishly). Ethical. Biological. Rot. Total rot.

Everything dies, everything is reborn. The grand, never-ending (maybe), cycle: Life to Death to Life, etc.

Recovered Poem!

I don't remember writing this poem. I don't doubt that I did. Sort of sounds like me. I found it when one our external disks crashed and I ran a recovery program. It was one of the "lost files." So weird. I do not remember writing these words. A voice, a sequence of words, lost and then found. Kind of like a message in a bottle (in this case, a message in a malfunctioning hard-drive) from a past-self.  A poem finds life amongst the "recovered files."

A Poem to Silence

Silence

a friend…

maybe our only friend…

we fill the silence

and find the stillness in the silence

our hand holds a lamp 

and the center of the lamp

is a sun

the light is consuming

it’s fluid and iridescent

it lights up everything

the light is not our friend

it is a force beyond us

the light shows 

a universe 

fluid and alive

it shows us a snake, 

long and wriggling

slippery, unknowable

we are left with words

and words

are little things

paltry, misleading

words are betrayers

they betray us at every breath

we speak the moment

we speak the world

we speak the lie

or grasp the silence with both hands

and pray without words

A Fable, A Myth for the Outsiders...

My partner and I saw this beautiful Guillermo del Toro film over the weekend. We came out of the theater totally enthralled and satisfied. A work of art. I would call it a compelling fable, or myth, a "watery Beauty & the Beast." Powerful, funny, touching. We also thought it is a story about people like us.

It's a story of the Misfits. Those Who Don't Belong. The Outsiders. The Poets. The Artists. Those who are ignored or bullied by the Powers That Be.  

How to live? How to survive in a world where Power & Money rule? What is the trick? To find like-minded Souls. To find those on the margins who are choosing another way. To See. To Love. To Know. To embrace those who are different from us. To celebrate our differences, our quirks, our weaknesses. Those are also our strengths. There is strength in differences. There is beauty and power there too.

It is Time To...

Stand up to the fear. Stand up for the right thing. Stand up to the racism, ignorance, intolerance that surrounds us. Stand up. If necessary, be willing to stand alone. Call out the Bullshit. Call out the Liars, the Cheats, the Bullies. Challenge the loudmouths, the trolls, the fools and all the bad actors. Choose Courage, Integrity, Truth, Beauty & Love. Damn the Freaking Torpedoes! Stand Strong, with Joy, Determination, and Grit! 

The Masks of David Johansen!

Yes. I marvel at the masks of David Johansen...

First there was the trashy, flashy, gutter-punk, rock & roller... lipstick and hair-spray...

And then there was the lounge-lizard, cocktail sipping, raconteur... 

And the more obscure, radiant, incomparable blues-singer. Yes, this is my favorite David Johansen mask.  2 albums, recorded live at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Fabulous. Both records.

Shorter God: Thou Shalt Not Be An Asshole!

William Blake etching "Ancient of Days"

When I was a wee lad in Catholic grade school I learned the Golden Rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  I also remember hearing: "There but for the grace of God, go I."

Later, as a young, pre-teenager, I remember George Carlin talking about God:  "God was a cool guy. That's what we forget. That's all we ever wanted to be, most of us. We might of said it different ways, but at the end of your prayers, you say, "Please, God. Let me be a cool guy."

Good stuff. Stuff to live by. 

Kevin Drum tackles the "rules for life" and comes up with one all-inclusive rule:  1. Don't Be An Asshole - "That’s it. After 59 years on this planet, I’ve decided that it mostly boils down to this. It’s better than the Golden Rule; it’s easier to keep in mind than an actual list; and it’s relatively undemanding. And yet, it works."

Yeah. Works for me too. Moses would have had a much easier time, instead of lugging those two unwieldy stone tablets down the hill with the Ten Commandments carved into them, it could have been one nice, little, compact stone tablet with one little, old commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Be An Asshole!"  You know, add the exclamation mark, just for a bit of a Godly emphasis.

No Man...

I was talking to an experienced lawyer yesterday. Made me smile... Teddy Roosevelt's famous quote came up...

"No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it." T. Roosevelt 

Little Baby Man is in an untenable situation. I can't wait for the chickens to come home to roost.

A New Beginning, A New Moment, A New Future...

Is there anything wrong with being hopeful, optimistic, idealistic? If you toil in the fields of creativity, I say, "NO!" Nothing wrong at all. It may actually be essential to believe that the next rehearsal, the next poster, the next song, the next show, the next record, the next step could be a new beginning, a new moment, a new future. As Joe Strummer once said, "The future is unwritten."

Cross-posted at our band's website:

Gravity, Truth, Lies, Indictments, Convictions!

Gravity - Dow Plunges 1,175 - Worst Point Decline in History

Truth & Lies - Trump's Lawyers Want Him to Refuse an Interview in Russia Inquiry

Indictments & Convictions - Bob Mueller's Investigation is Larger - And Further Along Than You Think

Yes, as they say, "reality has a way of catching up with you."  Maybe, just maybe, reality and gravity and truth and indictments are finally coming our way. Hold tight. It will be a wild ride, but it's also a necessary cleansing!

Set the Boy Free!

Recently finished Johnny Marr's r&r memoir, "Set the Boy Free." What a great title. Excellent book. Marr is a true r&r hero. One of the good guys. Family man. Vegetarian. Runner. Conscious. Intelligent. Guitar-slinger. Great song-writer. Supreme collaborator/creator. Genial. Unsinkable.

Of course, I am very familiar with the Smith's years. One the the great bands. One of the bands that really mattered.  The work stands up all these years later. Not one false artistic move, featuring one of r&r/pop's great collaborations: Morrissey & Marr. But I suppose the revelation of the book is how much Marr has done in his post-Smiths career.

Some of the other bands Marr has worked with include: The The, Talking Heads, Electronic, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, the Pretenders. Oh yeah, he also jammed with Paul and Linda McCartney, as well as Patti Smith & Lenny Kaye.

What an amazing journey. Johnny fell in love with a toy guitar when he was 5 years old, and it seems his destiny was set. A great story. Totally original. Inspiring. A breath of fresh, jangly, shimmery, air!

Little Baby Man's Great Insight

Little Baby Man's great insight (as any great Narcissistic Sociopath would do - he looked at America and saw a reflection of himself): A good percentage of  the Citizenry of America is cynical, lazy, willfully ignorant, prejudiced, gullible, criminally stupid, mentally-unbalanced, egotistical, selfish, greedy, racist, conspiracy-minded, irrational, illogical, self-righteous, incurious, anti-intellectual, angry, fearful,  & mean. 

Make America Stupid!

I thought I read this somewhere, but I don't know where. Can't find it now. So who knows?! Maybe I came up with this myself?

This "Intelligence Memo scandal" is so STUPID, you feel like a TOTAL IDIOT trying to explain it to someone else!

You have to dumb yourself down so badly just to engage the topic, you actually have to park a portion of your brain in a dark corner of the cosmos to even try to start a conversation.

Icky. Isn't that the ultimate consequence of having Little Baby Man dominate our political conversation? To even try to engage in the conversation you have to pretend to be a functional MORON.

Make America Stupid. Really, really Stupid!

Transparency... You Decide!

Lots of chatter about that "Intelligence Memo" that supposedly will be released today. So much chatter, pretty sure there is no intelligence involved at all. The Stupid. It burns.

Here is the Democratic redacted version (Hat Tip: Roger Waters), of the "Intelligence Memo"...

And here is the Republican redacted version (Hat Tip: The New Yorker), of the "Intelligence Memo"...

The Key Rats are Singing Like Canaries!

Where we are...

Hah... Constitutional Crisis? Let's look on the bright side: Little Baby Man's Ship is sinking fast. The Rats are jumping ship AND Singing like Canaries. Little Baby Man's Goose is Cooked. Think: Foie Gras OR maybe better yet Think: Coup De Grâce. The Final Blow of Mercy is coming! Watch It!

Everyday another blockbuster story about the Russian Dupe/Asset in the White House. Late evening yesterday this one dropped: "Mueller Zeros In on Story Put Together About Trump Tower Meeting."

Yes, we always knew that Trump Tower Meeting was pivotal to the whole crazy plot. Sounds like many of the Key Rats are now jumping ship and singing like Canaries. This is Obstruction of the Obstruction! Yes, the underlying crimes must be so terrible, obstruction is the least of it.

There is no honor amongst these scoundrels. Who really wants to go to jail for Little Baby Man? We are watching this all unfold, piecemeal.  Very interesting...

As Lost Sandal (Dad, Patriot, ex-Special Forces, DIA, Night Stalker, Pilot, SAR, Scrappy Guy) so eloquently illustrates the status of the Mueller Investigation: