Something Happened. Figure "Weird."

The body language says it all. Trust your eyes. Ha, ha, ha. The little one has something over the big one. It's a long-running comedy/tragedy that has crippled the USA since 2016.

How the press shoud have covered this event yesterday.

Something really weird happened in Alaska yesterday (see previous post). A war criminal who intentionally targets & kills civilians, met with a convicted felon, confirmed sexual predator, and corrupt imbecile.

One guy strutted around like the ruler of the Underworld, and the other one waddled around on a red carpet like a drunk-penguin, and then clapped with joy, like a trained seal, when he spotted the littler one approaching.

They got in a car together, unaccompanied, except for the driver, and then later had a private meeting. What did they talk about?! No one really knows.

Maybe it was a progress report? Just checking in with the Russian Boss?

The vibe was definitely "fucking weird." Something strange happened. Probably something really, really bad, stupid, and who knows, eminently dangerous...

"... the Dictator Coming to Reclaim what Russia Owns..."

Seems to me this photo taken in Helsinki in 2018, immediately after a private Trump/Putin meeting, says it all. The guy on the right looks like the cat who swallowed the canary. The guy on the left, looks like a guy who just had a very difficult and invasive proctology exam. We all have always wondered, "What does Putin know, and have over Trump?"

This post from Marcy Wheeler goes into all the details of the Trump/Putin Love Affair.

How to explain Trump and his campaign of destruction of the USA? It's all about Putin & Russia. It has always been so. Today in Alaska will be just another sad chapter.

So, yeah, read her post, it's got all the juicy details. A sellout of Ukraine, and a sellout of America. The Trump  campaign slogan should have always been: "Make America Russia."

Here's Marcy. Brilliant. Perfect. Most of the media and the American public are onto other things and refuse to see the obvious reality dancing before their noses.

"The mistake, in analyzing the Alaska meeting is not just about Ukraine.

It’s about the United States.

It’s not just that Putin can bide his time in Ukraine.

It’s that the longer he holds out, the greater his true objective — turning Trump into his puppet and the United States into a dying kleptocracy that is child’s play to manipulate — comes into grasp.

Putin may still be fighting in Ukraine. But he has achieved far more than he probably hoped for in the US. He has all but defeated every nuisance the Main Enemy once stood for: rule of law, free trade, freedom of speech, science, human rights, reason.

It’s not just that Trump is welcoming a dictator on US soil. It’s that the dictator is coming to reclaim what Russia owns." -- Marcy Wheeler

Every Day...

Every day is a challenge. Oh yeah, and they say it's an opportunity too. Sure. Why not? Every day is a step forward into the Future. Every day you try not to take a step back, and you try to avoid any set-backs. It's a dance. First rule: Do no harm. Try not to hurt yourself, or any one else either.  Also, remember: "Don't fall down." Otherwise, live completely. You wonder to yourself: "What new fuckery today?!" AND, "Can I make it thru unscathed?" Ha. Probably not. Every day counts, one way or another.

Bifurcated Existence...

Yes, we are living in bifurcated circumstances. Two distinct branches, forks or parts. 

Check in with the National conversation and it's all lunacy and grifting. The Mafia state in full force. Mind-boggling, and infuriating. 

Locally, closer to home? We "touch grass," commune with the trees, lull & hypnotize ourselves watching the waves crash into the beach. Soothing, spirit-building.

We are paying attention, which takes a bit of discipline. We are living in the contradiction, and it sort of cleaves our consciousness into two very different modes.

That is just the way of the world. Navigating thru, trying our best not to lose our shit.

It's the Lying...

A little short-hand for dealing with this Fascist Regime. Just remember, maybe tattoo it on your forehead backwards, so you can read it in the mirror.

THEY ARE LYING! 

About everything. They refuse to acknowledge the Truth, or any semblance of Reality. They have hijacked our Country, and are trying their best to destroy the American Dream, all based on malicious, ridiculous, unsustainable lies.

And lots of folks, who should, and do, know better, are just repeating the lies, nodding & going along. Not Acceptable. They are totally abdicating their reponsibility to the Country. It is disgusting, but absolutely true. We can do better. 

The Real Big City...

We went to the Big City yesterday. I am talking about Chicago. Took a train down. It was late pulling into the station. Getting around in the "analog," world is always a crap-shoot. What about the City? Amazing. Vibrant. Alive.

We hear people on the TV and socials, all the time, ranting & railing against American Cities, but, you know what?! A big American City is really the best of America. It is a roiling, boiling, crazy-ass merging of every kind of Human Being.

On the streets, in the parks, on the river & lake fronts. Lively. Colorful. The energy emanating off the streets was a bit overwhelming. We took a long walk down the Magnificent Mile, and it really was sort of magnificent. A carnival, a street-fair, bursting with life. It almost felt "international."

So, yeah, a Summer Sunday afternoon in the Big City. It was an energy-booster. Those Fucking Liars, lying about American Cities? They are so, so wrong and wrong-headed. Full of B.S. Just another con-game. Propaganda. Disinformation. Getting out & about is quite instructive, and real...

I Know Enough to Say, "I don't know enough..."

Magical thinking: "the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them, particularly as a result of supernatural effects."

Yes. It's easy to get off the boat of rationality into the magical. At the moment much of our culture, politics, and vibe right now is bat-shit, fucking crazy. Maybe it's quite appealing? Believing what you want to believe, because, you know, you just want to believe? 

I am a big "vibes" guy. Mainly from experience. This idea that there all invisible connections people between people in close quarters. Go to any good music event and you can see it and feel it in action. 

Even my own band is known for the vibes we create. It's kind folded into the power of positive thinking too. Some folks can walk into a room, and armed with their own personal energy & charisma can change a room. No doubt. The other side of it is evident too. Some folks are just black-holes of bad vibes. You can see them coming a mile away.

Maybe there are rational explanations? Maybe these vibrations travel in the air? Or you know some kind of scent or chemical reaction is taking place?  It appears to be a bit of magic, a bit irrational, but, there  probably are really good explanations for what's going on? Instead of magical, let's just say unexplainable at the moment? There are limits to what we know. Good advice, be open to saying, "I just don't know."

Yesterday, we played music with our band in a small rehearsal room. I have been nursing a very sore knee the last few days. One wrong step can change everything. Lots of pain & stiffness. It has not been easy to get around. As soon as we started playing, all of that fell away. I stood in the room, sang into a microphone, strummed my guitar, and all of that pain, stiffness, and discomfort totally, completely vanished. Two hours of no pain at all. 

When we finished playing, and started to pack up, it all came back. Funny. Sort of magical. I chalk it up to being totally lost in a flow activity. Doing something you love to do, commiting completely, everything falls away, time and space seem to tilt and morph.

Yeah, the vibes, man. 

But you know, I think we all need to be humble in the face of this kind of thing. Sure, flow activities, recommended. Find things you love to do and do them Heart, Head, Spirit totally aligned. And yes, sure, believe in something, I think that's important, but maybe something like "a better day." Or "goodness." 

Be fucking humble, man. We are just very human beings.

Simple. Practical, Rational (?), Magic. Yes. There is mystery all around us, but that's just because, it's a big complicated Universe. Lots going on. I know enough to say, "I don't know enough..."

Oh, the Meaningless Futility in the Oval...

Folk #1: "Here is that super-rotund, world-class, imbecile, lumbering & waddling around the oval office, hyping silly, manufactured, totally meaningless charts that he had his boot-licking, lackeys put together..."

"This one chart really says it better than anything, if you look at this. This is great. But this chart is pretty amazing. Right here. All new numbers."

Narrator: (quoting Wm. Shakespeare via Macbeth): "It is a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing."

Culture of Lies, There, Then, and Here, Now...

 "What is the cost of lies? It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all." - Valery Legasov

My partner and I recently streamed the amazing, powerful, devastating 5 part series, "Chernobyl," (2019). What to say? Masterful. Heartbreaking. Maddening. An ugly story told masterfully & beautifully.

Yes. For us. We learned so much about something we knew so little about. Human Beings exposed in all their heroic and flawed natures, in the most dire and heartrending circumstances. 

Sure, it may have been the disaster at Chernobyl (Man-made hell on Earth), the efforts to contain it, the efforts to cover it up, that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but the echoes of that event in today's culture of lies in the USA, really, really hit home.

We are the "tricky monkeys" who think we are smarter than we really are. And we will lie, cheat, deceive, do whatever it takes to not face the music, or the consequences of our actions. There are a very few truth-tellers. They stand out from the pack. They do give us a glimmer of hope. But it is a slender reed, indeed.

"How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”

Yes. A question from a woman at a townhall meeting in Nebraska yesterday. It was a very good question. Totally on-point. "How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”

From Heather Cox Richardson this morning:

"Members of the House of Representatives are back in their districts for August, and on Monday, Republican Mike Flood of Nebraska held a town hall in Lincoln. A woman asked what she called a fiscal question.

She said: “With 450 million FEMA dollars being reallocated to open Alligator Alcatraz, and 600 million taxpayer FEMA dollars being used to now open more concentration camps, and ICE burning through $8.4 million a day to illegally detain people—How much does it cost for fascism? How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”

The crowd cheered wildly.

Untethered & Unhinged...

Well. It is sometimes nice to just let words fly. I find it sort of theraputic. But then again, they say that "brevity is the soul of wit." And it is important to have your wits about you, especially in this so very stupid, and incredibly witless time in which we find ourselves. 

So, today, after that little preliminary opening blast, one pithy thought: We are the People, the Country, the Culture that has gladly, happily and mindlessly decided that being Untethered & Unhinged from Reality is a good thing. Of course, it's not. And there will be consequences. I mean, yeah, like right fucking now...

Taking Care...

Well. We took our own advice yesterday. We took a long bike ride on the lakefront, and then parked ourselves on a bench facing Lake Michigan. It was pretty agreeable August, Summer day. Temps in the 70's, a cooling breeze coming from the North. The waves were up. Looking across the horizon, the lake looked like an ocean. There were some beach-goers, lots of kids in the water. We sat under a shady tree, like two aspiring Buddhas. We talked a bit about the madness of the world. But, then, let it all go. We weren't going to solve anything. We just noted the madness, and then turned to the waves. It seems like a little thing, sitting quietly on a bench, watching the waves, the clouds, the sunshine sparkling off the water. But it was immensely healing. There is something about facing an expansive horizon, it sort of opens you up. It was calming, healing, and recharging. We have been struggling with the latest news, & the 24/7, shit-show America, it is gruesome, and is not going away any time soon. We do expect things to get worse, maybe much worse. But we need to take care of ourselves. Meditating on a bench in the face of beauty & wonder? Oh yeah. Necessary medicine, for sure.

Crazy & Lazy...

We, the culture, the people, have totally lost the thread. As George Orwell (the Oracle of Dystopia), put it, our daily task is "to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity," and "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle". 

It seems we are now incapable of that kind of will, clarity, intention, discipline & struggle. We just don't want to. What made us so willfully crazy & lazy?

My friend and I have theories. Below are some of the Contenders, but you know, it is probably a combination of all of these:

Covid lockdown. 

The Internet. 

Media Click-Bait. 

Smart-Phones - Tik Tok, Facebook, AI, Doom-scrolling, etc.

The Unrelenting Swamp of Lies & Disinformation. 

Virtual & Simulated Worlds. They are Halls of Lies.

Elevating Money to God-Like Status. 

Climate-Catastrophe (cooking our brains one day at a time, robbing us of optimism for the Future).

Electing a Convicted Felon, known Racist, Sexual Predator, Shit-Stirrer, Grifter, Con-man & Corrupt as Fuck Person as President (twice, with a double-assist from Russia)   

Magical Thinking - wanting to see what we want to see, to believe what we want to believe, when we want to see & believe it. Evidence, Facts, Truth, Reality, Gravity be Damned.

We both have concluded that our culture & our people are absolutely committed to not seeing what's in front of our noses! We just refuse to do the work!

What is the antidote to the crazy & lazy? Stepping back, stepping away. Living in the "analog world." Being real. Breathing. Meditating. Taking a walk in Nature. Observing the passing scene with merciless intelligence. Trying to keep all of one's perceptive skills honed and at the ready. Seeing and cataloging the Lies, calling them out. Refusing to succumb or surrender.

The Zombies Running Amok...

So much bad shite going down. I think they are even trying to kill Big Bird. Fuck these evil people. In our heads we still believe in the forces for Good, but right now, the onslaught of evil & pointlessly bad-shite is a bit overwhelming. Yeah, sure, we find ourselves in an evil Kingdom where cruelty, corruption, and idiocy are supreme. What to do? Ah, I guess, stay alive, aware, awake. And then what? Refuse to surrender. Everything these fuckers are unleashing in the USA is complete, retrograde, immoral, hollow, soulless, inhumane garbage. I suppose it is sort impressive just how completely unrelentingly disgusting these Trumpers , MAGAs, Republicans are. It is like watching the Zombies take over. The heartless, brain-dead, running amok. There is no reasoning with these folks. They hold the levers of power in D.C. Seems they are intent on breaking everything. To what end? Pure power, greed, hate & corruption. Ha. One almost has to laugh. It seems like a dead-end movement. Nihilistic. It can't last right?! We carry on with our day to day, doing our best to lean to the Better Angels. But it ain't easy, watching the shit-show unfold in full technicolor.

Conspiracy-Land...

Folk #1: Usually, I am pretty much "conspiracy theory agnostic." 

You know. Look for the simple explanation. No need to conjure up some grand, multi-pronged, coordinated skullduggery. But then, for instance, this Epstein/Trump thing just seems to be getting bigger & wilder. And the basic facts, lots of very wealthy, prominent folks ensnared in a sex-trafficking ring hatched by Epstein, we are already in the thick of conspiracy right out of the gate. Just the basic, on the record facts reveal a conspiracy of ugliness. And among those prominent folks implicated, there is a certain toxic President that is acting like a very guilty perpetrator, spinning, and flailing about with obvious, distracting, lies.

So, well, I read this post by the writer Craig Unger - "Too Good to Be True,"  and I come to the great insight that the Epstein Scandal and the Trump/Russia Scandal are actually one and the same grand conspiracy. Ha. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. I mean, this is just me connecting the dots. Craig Unger seems to have lots of the receipts, and connecting evidence.

Read Unger's latest post. Can it be that 478 sex tapes initially recorded in Epstein's lair, are sitting somewhere in Moscow? Is Vladimir Putin the great puppet-master who has successfully helped his very special "asset," win the White House twice, holding these sex tapes over prominent folks around the world? International blackmail? Was Epstein basically running a "honey trap" for Russian intelligence? Was Trump ensnared early on? Has he subsequently been running a counter-intelligence "op" on America? Is Trump, Putin's embedded asset, destroying America from the inside out? 

Hmmm. Who knows?! I mean all the mayhem and destruction of this admininstration is quite diabolical. Once you jump into the conspiracy pool, it's hard to extract yourself, the pool just seems to expand, and hold together quite elegantly.

This is from Unger's Post: "Dougan’s story is filled with inconsistencies and lies, but it’s still worth telling because it shows how the Russians cultivated an intelligence operative who became a significant figure in spreading disinformation in the 2024 election.

As I’ve already shown in previous posts, both Lana Pozhidaeva and Masha Drokova appear to have been Russian intelligence operatives when they worked with Epstein. Dougan’s story adds another component to what we know about Russia’s active measures in America at the time."

So, yeah, Epstein, Trump, Russians, sex-trafficking, money-laundering, active disinformation campaigns, it all sort of collides & congeals. Welcome to Conspriacy-Land.

Ashes & Insanity...

Folk#1: Funny. I woke yesterday with that vision of an American flag burning to a crisp (see previous post). It was not a happy image. But maybe it was a sign that I knew something I didn't yet know?  Turns out there was a bold Canadian breeze blowing off the lake in our little town. It chased the humidity out, and brought a bit of cooling to the land. It also brought smoke from fires in Canada. The air itself was dangerous for folks to breathe. Most folks didn't notice or didn't care. Eveyone was out and about. My partner and were the only ones taking precautions. I wore a bandana over my mouth and nose, she wore a hospital-grade mask. Flashback to the pandemic. We were definitely outliers in our little town, but even that little act of self-preservation seemed inadequate. We both could taste ashes, and smell smoke, as we made our appointed rounds, and we both ended up burnt-out and nursing headaches. In the evening, we ended up watching "The Tragedy of Macbeth." (2021). So powerful and well done. You know, for some reason we were in the mind of a movie about a corrupt, murderous, King, unloved by his kinsmen. And of course, the play and the movie are so satisfying because after a long string of skullduggery, Macbeth runs out of luck & time, and meets with a swift and perfect Justice. One can only hope the same happens in our own cursed land with our own corrupt, Wanna-Be-King. This is the line that my partner latched onto, as we took in all the dazzling visuals, definitely the "state of the state" at the moment in our bleak & cursed land... Banquo speaking: "Were such things here as we do speak about, Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?"

A Dream, Aflame...

Folk #1: I had this vision of America, you know, the idea of America, the American Dream of Lincoln & MLK Jr. It is burning, it is a flaming, burnt husk. Those of us still clinging to the Dream, well, we find ourselves cautiously stepping around the burning embers of destruction. The revolution has happened. The liars & thieves have commandeered all the levers of government, and those creepy, corrupt folks in power are punishing all of us. Why? They actually hate America. Really. It is that simple. They hate the reality of America. They hate the aspirational dream-version of America. We are multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-denominational & nondenominational, population, we are a melting pot of humanity; diverse, educated, "woke." The powers that be want to destroy all of that. And we are watching them do it in real time. What of the forces of opposition? Grasping at straws, spitting in the wind, counting down the days to the next election. It is a dicey, disturbing time, even if you seek out the glimmers of light & goodness. Hanging onto a burning, flaming Dream, hoping it all dosen't disappear, disintegrate, go up in smoke.

Beautiful Karmic Justice...

Last night I ran thru the Epstein Conspiracy Story with my partner. It is a weird, convoluted story for sure. And I don't think this story is going away anytime soon. It is now consuming the Trump Presidency, which is certainly some kind of Beautiful Karmic Justice.

I am not usually a conspiracy-minded person, but if you take the time to review the evidence, this is a story that gets weirder and weirder the more you examine the evidence. The more you look, the more you see, the less you understand. There are major holes in the story, and all kinds of contradictions. 

It is the perfect conspiracy theory. At the heart of it is Jeffery Epstein & Donald Trump. Two wealthy human beings, known for being super-creepy and corrupt. I am one of those folks who has no set idea about what happened, and/or what to believe happened.

I am just a very inquiring mind, inquiring!

Trump, all these years later, is furiously spinning out, continuing to confess about things, and lie about things too. You almost think he is getting close to outright confessing something monumentally damaging, just by mistake. 

Freaky. Weird. Strange. Fascinating.

CBS News drops a story about the videotape of Epstein's cell: "The CBS News review found the video does little to provide evidence to support claims that were later made by federal officials. Additionally, CBS News has identified multiple inconsistencies between that report and the video that raise serious questions about the accuracy of witness statements and the thoroughness of the government's investigation."

Will we ever know the truth? Did Epstein commit suicide? Did someone assist him? Did someone murder him, and make it look like suicide?

And what of Trump? What did he know? When did he know it? What is he afraid of now? What are in the files? Are those files being tampered with now? Will we ever get the full, complete, truthful story? 

Marcy Wheeler too has some great questions, for instance, "Did Trump Just Confess He Learned about Virginia Giuffre before Jeffrey Epstein Recruited Someone Else at Mar-a-Lago?

Wild. Amazing, And it is sort of hilarious that it is Trump and people in his own administration who fanned the flames of conspiracy, and this conspriacy is now so toxic to Mr. Toxic.

"The Great Conspiracy-Monger Being Consumed in the Flames of a Conspiracy He Helped Stoke."

Trump & Epstein

Yes. In my own little patch, we don't soft-peddle fascism, or look away from the sordid-corruption of the mafia state. Seeing clearly, with eyes-wide-open, is essential. So, yeah, I am determined to be determined. Leaning to the Light. Looking for the sparks of creativity, freedom, joy & wonder, but also pointing out the ugliness, the bleak, the dire, the scary. Why bother? Because I can. I choose to be a concerned Citizen of the World. 

This has always been a place where I just jot down my latest thoughts about anything on my mind. It is a bit of a safe space for me. My mind is a place of hurly-burly and thunder. Writing helps me to keep my head on straight; so I find myself typing into the void.

Lately it is the brewing, bubbling Epstein scandal that has me stirred up. I just find it funny and strange that our President is madly spinning. It is also sort of gratifying to observe the great conspiracy-monger  being consumed in the flames of a conspiracy he helped stoke. Maybe it is a case of the "inner saboteur." Self-sabotage is the best variety.

Of course Trump is "in the Epstein files." They were best buddies for years. They have lots in common. Why is he so furiously contorting himself now like a very corrupt pretzel, with all these crazy, nonsensical non-explanations? The lies are coming fast & furious; extremely stupid lies, yes indeed.

What is he hiding, what is he commanding all his lick-splittles, lackeys, evil-minions, and doofus-go-fors to cover up? Inquiring Minds want to know...

Impressive Resume...

Putting it down in one post like this is pretty illumniating. You know who we are talking about, right? Impressive Resume, no doubt. How could one human being be so utterly transgressive & disgusting?

How did America whiff on this one? How is it possible we let this guy get anywhere near the White House? Still godsmackingly wild. I, for one, will probably never understand how we let this complete fail & fuck-up dominate our political scene. 

Can we get thru it? Hmmm. Don't know. How bad will it get? How bad is it right now? 

We are disappearing people off the streets of America, building concentration camps, destroying all the institutions of Education, Science, Health & Human Services. Taking Healthcare and Food away from the needy. Selling out America to the highest bidders.  We are a corrupt Mafia State (see previous post), and a budding Authoritarian Hellscape. All this carnage and mayhem to our lovely country is intentional. Fuck.

We are going to need a total rethink, redo, of the American Dream. But at the moment all the forces of opposition are on their back foot,  & out of power.

Let's not lose heart or hope. We need to get thru this horrible phase, some how, some way. We need a renewal. So, yeah, first acknowledge the utter shittiness of the state of the state. Lean to the light. Damn the Torpedoes. Believe in  Better Day and a Better Way.

USA = The New Mafia State...

 Yes. A new framing idea: Mafia State. Maybe better than Fascist State? I mean, better, as in, more accurate? 

"In politics, a mafia state is a state system where the government is tied with organized crime to the degree when government officials, the police, and/or military became a part of the criminal enterprise."

Certainly that is where Toxic-Fat-Boy-Slim is heading. The organized crime emanates directly from the fevered, dementia-oriented, totally corrupt & disgusting, deeply disorganized mind of our Felon in Chief.

"The fix is in." And "where's mine?" Those are the two guiding principles in this lawless administration.

We are being cheated out of good government, honest public servants, and  a fair, humane, equitable, honorable, deal. A simple idea. The folks in power are corrupt, morally-bankrupt, crooks. And they are robbing us of our government and our future. 

And the coverup continues. The President's mafia lawyer went to a prison to manfacture a new narrative with Jeffery Epstein's co-conspirator,  to take the heat off the Toixc Stain. Ha! Inquiring Minds are not fooled!

Whatever Happened to "Smarts?"

Weird. So many of my fellow Americans are really, really slow on the uptake. Whatever happened to "smarts?" I am not saying I am a freaking genius, nope, I am clueless on so much, but really, there are some obvious things floating around in the air, that supposedly intelligent human beings are totally whiffing on. Sure, it's that partisan politics influence that's part of it. Republicans and MAGA dupes are willfully ingnorant for political power purposes. They are in the business of lying about so much of what's going down in the world. And they gladly follow the lying, sexual predator in the White House; even as he is clearly sinking, a horribly-degraded, corrupt, buffoon. He is wailing, flailing, whining and failing now like a desperate scoundrel looking for a way out. How long can this whole weird charade play out? The folks in the House and Senate could end it all today, or tomorrow. I mean, it's all so pathetic. And what happened to the smart folks?! Where did they go? WTF?!

Something in the Air...

Something is in the air. I woke up with this sentence ringing in my head: "A million ways to Sunday." What does it mean? Who knows?!

If I am reading the room correctly there is one very large, prominent figure who is garnering some heat. Not the good kind.  A few random hits:

News that Trump's personal lawyer is visiting Jeffery Epstein's long-time co-conspirator. You think, another episode of "Dumb Godfather." Surely, the coverup is now kicking into over-drive...

Then word that the Toxic One is going to Scotland, and their local press responds accordingly. Makes you sure that a bit of distance, also brings clarity:

And, then, well, the anarcho-libertarian, provocatuers of South Park, give us the Dear Leader in Bed with Satan. Hmmm. Something is in the air.  Yes indeed...

The Truth, Radiant, Sometimes Ugly & Obvious...

You know, the lies are now coming fast and furious. It is rare when the truth rears it's sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, always radiant & revealing head.

Awhile back, one sketchy Billionaire dropped a dime on another sketchy Billionaire (see below). And now the Wall Street Journal confirms the story: "Bondi Told Trump he is in the Epstein Files." 

The "bombshell," from Elon was posted, and then subsequently taken down a few months back on the Nazi-fied platform & toxic sinkhole that he owns. 

This seems to be the stupid, obvious truth that is sending the other toxic Billionaire into a wild, furious, careening, spin-out. Funny. Sometimes the cold hard truth cuts like a knife, & stings with a pure & deadly precision...

Yes. Back to the Swamp.

Do I wade into that sordid swamp once again?!

Well... yes...

This Trump/Epstein thing is not going away. Which is kind of hilarious. The Right-Wing Nutjobs have been hyping this scandal for years. And somehow they concocted a wacky plot-line that their Beloved Hero was going to expose this insane tale of a Deep State Cabal of Pedophiles and Child-Cannibals.

One little detail seemed to get lost. Their Beloved Hero was best friends with the Evil Madman & Prime Suspect, and well, one wonders, is he too intimately, implicated in the skullduggery himself? Plus, seeing how the Beloved Hero is acting, like a wildly, unmistakably guilty person, one can't help thinking that there must be some major bombshells buried deep in those vaunted files.

Inquiring minds want to know...

So the story continues to spin out. The Beloved Hero is wailing, whining, spinning, flailing, failing. He seems to be a desperate man, looking for anything to change the subject. And the more he wails, flails and fails, the more everyone is beginning to think, that the dude is guilty of something.

Yes. Well. Hilarious. Scary too. A powerful man, unraveling & desperate. It has the potential to get even weirder, stranger, & more dangerous. What a tangled fucking web. You couldn't make this shit up...

State of Things...

Funny. My partner I do not know any MAGA Americans. We are white, working-class people, we come from long lines of working stiffs who did their best to stay afloat in difficult circumstances. Working folk. We may have been connected to a few MAGAs on Facebook, but we quickly, and happily deleted them. As Dylan once sang: "So don't hate nothing at all, except hatred..." In our estimation MAGA is all about hatred. 

Who knows there may be a few "undercover MAGA," lurking about, but they are quiet about it in our hood. Sure, we know what MAGA is, we pay attention. But really, it's true, personally, we live MAGA-free. We live in a Blue Bubble Political Consciousness, in a Blue Bubble Town, in a Blue Bubble State. Happy to be in the Bubble.

The wealthy, majority-white town we live in hosts a major University, which adds to the diversity. Lots of young folks, lots of students from around the world. We also have progressive City Council that promotes diversity and "integration." There are many wealthy folks living, here, progressive Dems mostly. The "working class" folks here are multi-cultural rainbow; they are the folks who do the landscaping, make the deliveries, do the house-cleaning, the nannie-sitting, the dog-walking, garbage-pickup, street-cleaning, pot-hole-fixing,  cappicinno-making.

Yes. Colorful. Young & Old mixing. There are black, brown, red folks, trans-folks, gay-folks, non-binary folks. LGBTQ+ folks. You, know, you name it. There is some crime here. Gangs, guns. Sex, Drugs, R&R. But pretty much in the background. It's sort of sleepy town. A beautiful, lakefront village.

We do not deny Reality, Education, Science, Diversity. We embrace those things. We love Immigrants & Cities. We love the melting-pot nature of the USA. We were both born here, but we come from a long line of folks a few generations back who were immigrants, born in lands far away. Immigrants made America, America.

We are opposed to racism, bigotry, hate, torture, concentration camps, disappearing folks off the streets of America. We are open to evidence & facts. We are open to changing our minds if reality disagrees with our opinions.

We believe in Democracy and the promise of America. We believe that government can & should be a force for good; helping the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged, and also, enouraging the best for, and from, all of us.

Sure it's a bit of a dream. But it is a good dream, and a goal, and a process, for living a good life.

We know people are tricky & complicated; capable of wondrous, beautiful things, and also horrific, terrible, unconsciounable things too. It's the duality of being Human. Angel on one shoulder, Devil on the other. Born to Kill & Peace, Love & Understanding.

It's a strange, sticky, winding road. What's the point?! Even though everything seems to be going to hell in the broader culture, we still live in very nice community of very open minded folks. We worry and care about the terrible direction USA seems to be heading. But we still lean to the light, and have high hopes for better days ahead. 

Can't help it, maybe just the way we were drawn. Damn the torpedoes.

The Primarily White Priviledged Clowns of Our Corrupted Democracy...

Reading smart takes from smart people makes you smarter. That seems pretty solid. This morning, no surprise, Paul Krugman tackles a subject and enlightens. It's a beautiful thing, from a beautiful mind.

So yeah, be sure the read about the raging Tech Bros. Many lines of the piece speak to me. This hits the fuckng bullseye: 

"The thing is, the tech bros haven’t just turned right. Many of them are filled with rage — that special kind of rage exhibited by men who enjoy vast privilege and can’t abide any suggestion that their privilege is unjustified."

Right. Doesn't that ring so damn true? Same thing with the Bankers, the Corporate Titans, the Fat (especially) White Clowns stuffed with $? Oh yes, and the compromised & sassy toadies of the GOP.

This stark income inequality in our Corrupted Democracy is killing us. I flash on AOC's brilliant insight: "Every Billionaire is a Policy Failure." If, and when, the Democrats get back in positions of power, it will be time to even up the playing field a bit.

Tax the Rich. Yes. Indeed.

Yes, Everybody Still Talking...

Folk #1: Pardon my French. I can't believe we are still talking about that heinous, disgusting, totally despicable asshole. What the fuck happened?!

The Rails, Off & On...

Gone off the rails...

What am I referring to? The media, our politics, the culture, the vibe, the zeitgeist. Can't trust anyone to do the right thing for the right reasons. Figure most of of your fellow humans are doing the wrongs things for the wrong reasons.

Blame the temperature (climate catastrophe), blame the $ (stock market unhinged, business folks in a mad greedy frenzy - "YOLO baby."). Folks are just plain fucking nuts.

It's pretty impressive. Almost makes you want to jump in the pool of madness too. But you hesitate. Staying on the rails is actually a sort of radical idea nowadays. Keeping your head, staying calm, "watching the river flow," hunh, maybe that's the thing?

I think of words like: morality, ethics, conscience, honesty, humility, grace. Seems they are missing in action in the hearts & minds of most of my fellow humans. Weird. Whatever happened to chivalry? And a generous, hard-boiled code of honor?  You know like a cold-eyed Sam Spade, or Philip Marlowe?

Whatever happened to clarity, gravity, reality?!

Over here in our little world, we met the day head on. Not chasing, not running ahead, just in the moment to moment. It's was a beautiful, perfect day, filled with music, laughter, quiet times on the lakefront path &  under a shady tree. We marveled at the crazy-ass shite going down all around us. 

Crazy fucking humans...

Box of Lunacies...

Yes. Seems the "scandal," (see previous post), is getting crazier, and the bad people are getting more & more stupid & desperate. Last night, this particular Pilgrim had a few very disturbing dreams. Some kind of warning or prophecy? Ha. Probably not. But... yes... crazy, desperate, stupid, and immensely powerful people = a very unhealthy combination. Especially when the crazies are backed by major institutions either because of fear, or greed, or their own special madness. I flashed on Pandora's Box. Sure. It is sometimes useful to reach back to Greek Mythology. Seems we have opened a box of lunacies, curses, and atrocities. How low can Human Beings sink in the grip of madness? Well. A review of History is quite scary. I won't even name the atrocities. We all know of them.  Holy shite. Right?!

A Scandal with Legs?!

A scandal that is "landing..."

Reminds me of Ticky Dick, and a little break-in at the DNC, that blew up to be the biggest political scandal of the 70's. It wasn't so much the crime, but the cover-up of a host of crimes that actually brought a President and a clutch of his co-conspirators down. Tricky Dick won a real landslide election in Novermber 1972, and resigned in disgrace in August, 1974.

So now we have the last two Playboys of the Western World, Trump & Epstein. And it seems we are watching this scandal blow-up with a very clumsy cover-up happening right before our eyes and ears.

"There are far more photos of Jeffrey Epstein hanging out with Donald Trump in obviously dubious social settings than there are trans women athletes in the entire world of American college sports."

It was known these two "playboys," were good buddies. One ended up dying in jail before he could be brought to trial, the other got elected (again!) to the Presidency in 2024.

Sure seems like the one in the White House is furiously trying to change the subject.  What is he afraid of? Inquiring Minds really, really, really now want to know...

House of Lies...

I think we've entered the " spider-web-like, house of lies," phase of our Democratic experiment. Pretty interesting to watch prominent folks who have spun lies, about pretty much everything, as a tool of politics, propaganda, to mislead, and to acquire power, are now ensnared in a swamp of lies of their own conjuring. And the swamp is deep & murky. Every move opens up to more strange, and unbelievable lies. Funny there is a whole movement built on this swampy, cess-pool of lies. And now the liars are fumbling, fuming, lying to their own devoted cult members with the thinnest, baldest-faced lies imaginable. What is a loyal cult member to think?! The grand conspiracy that they are believe in, is now crashing before their eyes. They are told: "Nothing to see here, just move along." That powerful tool, being able to lie with no conscience, or compunction is now a double-edged weapon turning back on the big, shameless liar. There is a rough Justice there. No doubt. Weird how people will lie to themselves and to each other for so long. Then what?!  Will the truth ever rise up and smack them in the kisser?! Ha. Inquiring minds want to know...

Being Good, Is Good...

"Be a good person." Yes. That came up in a conversation yesterday. Really. Isn't that the ultimate goal or end-state? The really important thing to be? Not so mysterious. Of course, the trick is to get out of your own way, drop your ego a few notches, get out of your worried mind, meet the day, and the folks in it, with a clear head & heart.

Is it too normal, sappy, mundane? Nah. It's actually sort of radical, wild, an unkempt state. You have to gravitate to some truth in your being, and be willing to take on the realities of existence with ingenuity and enthusiasm.

Is it not ambitious enough? I don't think so. Being good while enduring all of the slings & arrows, wading thru the never-ending waves of b.s. &  the hurly-burly of a well-rounded existence? Probably takes heart, courage, fortitude, discipline. Pretty ambitious right there, for a humble Pilgrim. And just a point of emphasis, this project of being good has nothing to do with organized religion. Most, all (?), religions make a point of beating up on non-believers. That's a disqualifier right there.

So, yeah, pick & choose your wisdom carefully. This is a singular, personal journey you are embarked upon. It's all up to you, but you know, it's not all about you.

Not saying it's easy. As Ringo once sang, "It don't come easy."  Kindness, gentleness, acceptance, less judging, more experiencing; guideposts along the way. Maybe you never quite get there, right? Being human and all, it's always a process, an adventure, a journey. Good/Evil. It's the human duality thing.

And just why did we construct a human society that rewards the unkind assholes amongst us? That is a "good" question worth a good think.

Devolving One Day at a Time...

Could we be devolving? You know, like the band Devo suggested?

"The name Devo comes from the concept of "de-evolution" and the band's related idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind had begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society."

Yes. Has the ring of truth. Lately, especially here in the USA, seems that as things are getting hotter, we are also getting much stupider. You know, the political movement called MAGA is a movement of the stupidest amongst us. Stupid, hostile, racist, loud. The worst of the worst.

All of us seem to have forgotten that representative Democracy is good, that we are a nation of immigrants. Immigration is the life-blood of our country. 

Oh yeah, Diversity, Equality, Inclusiveness. All good qualities for a healthy populace. How did we forget? 

"Are we not men? We are Devo..."

Conspiracy Monger Hoisted on HIs Own Conspiratorial Petard!

Oh. This. Is. So. Fucking. Hilarious.

Trump is now trying to say, "nothing to see here," about the long-running, Q-Anon/MAGA-fueled, Jeffery Epstein, Pedophile Ring Conspiracy. It's one of the core & defining MAGA lunacies, and MAGA-land isn't having it. They are furious! Fat Boy is now sweating bullets. Could the Mad-MAGA-King be consumed by his own MAGA Hordes?! Ha!

The question on MAGA's lips: Is the Trump administration finally going to reveal the grand Pedophile Network in the Government?!

MAGA wants to see the files now! Ha. Ha. Ha. Wouldn't it be hilarious if it's Trump's own crazy-ass conspiracy theory-mongering, that finally opens MAGA's eyes to his supremely ugly, lying, corrupt nature?!  I mean, I know, don't hold your breath. But something tells me the conspiracy nuts are not going to be satisfied with just moving on, and dropping their ball of lunacies.

You know, it's just so sweet that the Ultimate Bullshitter, is now flailing around in a swamp of bullshit.

Sure. We sensible ones, the rest of us common folk, have always assumed that Trump himself was always deeply implicated in Epstein's creepy, island, horror-show. That was a common-sense no-brainer!

Release the files! Let's see everything. Come on Fat Boy. Show the goods! Ha. Ha. Ha. It's Karma, baby! Snake eating it's own tail. Love to see it.

Taking the Temp...

Yes. Taking the temperature. Blazing hot here. Intense sunshine, overwhelming humidity, trekking down a city street, you think you are going to melt into the sidewalk.

Luckily I am living in someone else's home outfitted with central air. As Pete Townshend once sang, "I'm an air-conditioned gypsy." Yep. That's me.

And the country? Good ole USA? Well, trending towards full Nazi. Shite. 

It's early morning here. I am blasting Neil Young and Crazy Horses' "Weld." (1991) Of course, powerful, majestic, mayhem & rough beauty. Pure r&r glory.

The soundtrack goes well with my morning coffee. Can't help thinking we are somehow gonna get thru this fucking shite. The citizens need to get their heads out of their asses. The glorious, inclusive, diverse America of Immigrants from every corner of the globe is a dream worth keeping & saving.

"Keep on rocking in the free world." Right. 

A Little Healthy Pessimism Might Be in Order...

Another sign that things are not going well in your home country...

Your partner is spending lots of time going thru the tedious paperwork clarifying that she was born to a citizen of Canada, and that she too qualifies as a Citizen of that fine Country. Since I am married to this budding Candadian, this would be my ticket out too.

Escape plan? Yes, maybe so, the Fascism is getting a bit much...

Also, we now get word that one of our long-time friends, and her whole immediate family (father, sisters, niece) are all applying for Polish Citizenship. Life-long Americans looking for a safe harbor. Yikes. I mean, I wonder why?

I am an eternal optimist, but, you know, maybe there is place for pessimism too? I came across this Billy Wilder quote which sort of brought me up short:

The director Billy Wilder in 1945: "The optimists died in the gas chambers, the pessimists have pools in Beverly Hills."

So, yeah, weird, back in the day, folks were fleeing facsist, Nazi-Germany for the safe harbor of the USA. Now? Fleeing from a newly-robust facsist USA to freer & friendlier countries around the globe? Fuck. Wild.

Where Does the Energy Go?

Folk #1: Long day yesterday. Woke up this morning & already a bit burned out. Where does the energy go? My thoughts this morning: "We are all burning up, and getting stupider too." Pretty sure we can chalk it up to man-made climate catastrophe. We all must get up speed on the UV Index. Sure seems like the rays of the sun are getting more intense. We all also seem to be at odds with reality. Seems reality isn't all it's cracked up to be, or all that fun. So we have spun off into all of these diversions, excursions and deep denials. Living in these kooky counter-factual, virtual concoctions. Bad fascimiles of reality. A terrible way to expend our time on the planet. What ever happened to "Be here, now?" You know, even if it's hot, we must be present. Gravitate to the shade, hydrate, think cool thoughts. Keep calm, carry on. Don't forget sun-block.

The Confounding Unsayable...

Some folks probably turn to the Bible, or the Koran. Dip their toes into some inspiring or humbling line or verse. Me? Hell no. I turn to my r&r. Early morning, sun just breaking across the lake, sipping my coffee, watering the outside plants & flowers, dipping into Neil Young's album "Rust Never Sleeps."  (1979). So, I find myself spraying water into the air, vibing off  the line: "Welfare Mothers make better lovers..." and all seems right with the world.

It could have have just as easily been Tom Petty's "Wildflowers." (1994), "No one knows what it's like to be me..."  or the Stone's "Exile on Main Street,"  (1972), "I just wanna see his face..." or Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," (1965) "Tell me, great hero, but please, make it brief, Is there a hole for me to get sick in?" or the Who's "Who's Next" (1971), "I once heard a note, pure & easy..."

Whatever. You know, the r&r canon & gospel. 

My partner & I finished off the 4th season of "The Bear" last night. Oh, man. What to say? Love the series. What is it about? Grief, depression, suicide, family, yelling, business, machismo, success & failure, deep anger, loss, loneliness, death, Chicago, great food, great music, gorgeous film-making, friends, enemies, the great unsaid, and the deeply confounding unsayable.

Seems like the most important things in Life happen to be invisible, and hard to pin down. Funny.

We had a long, rambling, heartfelt conversation afterwards. It opened up some new avenues, deep pools and silent places in our beings. I suppose that's the power of great art. 

New Blue Sun, the Best Medicine...

Music. Yes. Truly Spiritual and Psychological Medicine. Listening to it, playing it, being totally obsessed with it. Always having it spinning on the box, or always having a guitar nearby, or having a band of musicians (or two bands), ready to meet, rehearse and play. My partner and I are a songwriting team. I also have another close friend with whom I write songs. It's kind of amazing. Even to me.

I have all my favorite singers & bands at my fingertips. I have my little CD player and my very fine GRADO headphones. Wherever I go, there is usually a big stereo system in the family room to keep busy.

Lately, the last 5 or 6 months, my partner and I have obsessed over Andre 3000's "New Blue Sun."  (2023). It's Andre's "flute album." We each have our own personal copy of the 2 CD album. We both refer to it as "medicine." We play it when we meditate, or when we just want to set a chill atmosphere, or right before we go to sleep. Truly magnificent.

It's all very floaty, like a beautiful, cooling breeze, or swaying trees, or a bird silently flying low over a green field. You know, listening to good music is good for you. An easy formulation and recommendation. And yes, this is just the finest. Highly recommended.

Singing Your Truth...

So happy no sun yesterday, just big black clouds, and a sprinkling of rain. My friend and I were so exhausted, we didn't meet up, only whispered to each other over the phone. Late in the day, with a blazing headache, I worked on a song; armed with a borrowed mahagony Martin guitar, and one nagging line that has been with me for awhile.

I had just finished watching Bono's Stories of Surrender (2025). Yes. It's a bit much. But I found it incredibly beautiful and compelling. Bono totally exposes himself, it's over the top, melodramatic, extravagant, bombastic. Bono is certainly full of himself. He is also a compelling evangelist for music. No doubt. The film opened me up. It brought me to tears. That man, now ruminative, weathered, melancholy, and vulnerable, in the midst of his blazing self-assurance, and prodigious, full-stop, confidence, can really sing his truth. 

So, yeah, exhausted, headache and all, I was inspired to tackle my own little song. I discovered a new riff or two, and blasted thru my nagging line and a few stray chords. Sitting on the couch, improvising & spitting new lyrics into the wind. I flipped on my iPhone and recorded all that noise & rumble. This morning, listening to the recording, I think: "Not bad... it's something..."

A Concentration Camp in a Town Near You! That's America Now!

Well...

Signs and clues that things are not going well in the country in which you live: 

The powers that be have authorized a force to kidnap Human Beings, disappear them off the streets of America, and ship them out to rot in prisons in lands far away. No charges, no hearings, no apologies, or explanations.

The powers that be have also conjured up & secured massive amounts of dollars to construct concentration camps across the land. They envision shiny new cages & camps to imprison Human Beings in every state of the Union. 

The powers that be have declared the best way to amass dollars for these new intiatives? Kick folks off of their healthcare and take food assistance away from poor children.

The powers that be have also declared that the Filthy Rich shall get tax breaks forever. They call this Making America Great Again.

It's the new Golden Age of America! Welcome to the Terror Dome, suckers!

Celebrating/Not Celebrating...

How did we celebrate the 4th of July 2025?

First my partner and I played a little parlor game, we tried to decide what's the worst crime in the bill this zombified Republican Congress, and this criminal President just passed? 

1. Taking Healtcare from our fellow Americans? 

2. Stealing food from poor, needy children? 

3. Killing off Green Energy prjoects? 

4. Giving tax breaks to the filthy rich? 

5. Funding ICE to make that abominable force the shiny new Police State in USA? 

6. Building concentration camps in every state of the Union? 

7. Disappearing Human Beings off the streets of America and putting them in cages like animals?

Hard to pick the worst offence. We decided they were all dastardly evil crimes against humanity, against our intelligence, good cheer and well-being too. Fuck. Welcome to our New American Dystopia.

A day off. So, yeah, we turned away from all that shite, ordered up some takeout: vegetarian ravioli & lasagna, and spun Steely Dan records on the box, while we lazed around on lounge chairs under big canopy umbrellas, next to a large pool, and a garden of earthly delights (not our place, a caretaking gig). 

We are not wealthy, but we work for some very nice, benevolent, progressive, fully-woke & wealthy folks.

My partner remarked, "Steely Dan always makes me happy." Yes. Indeed, nothing like blasting "Countdown to Ecstasy"  (1973) at maximum volume on a magnificent stereo system. "Show-biz kids don't give a fuck about anybody else..."

We talked of other things; movies, books, philosophy, ways of keeping our heads, trying our best to be happy, in the face of the shite & madness. We ignored the hoopla of the lakefront 4th of July celebrations.  The teeming masses were burning meat on grills, playing volleyball, gathering for the evening fireworks display.

Did any one of them give a fuck about the trashing of our Constitutional order? The strangling of our little Democratic experiment?  What & why exactly are we celebrating today? Who knows? Fun & frolic seemed to be the theme. Denial is a powerful tool.

Lots of "sound & fury, signifying nothing." 

Anyway, we adopted a defiant attitude, we decided that we will refuse to be defeated. Dreaming of better days. You know, Hope, it dies last. Fuck the evil-doers. Damn the Torpedoes. America is a story. The story is still unfolding. The future is unwritten. 

Something in the Air...

Sure. Not happy about America's turn to Fascism, and anti-democratic idiocy (see previous post, and all the latest news). Maybe it's something in the air? The Evil-doers (I know, it sounds a bit overwrought, but it really isn't.), seem to be on the ascendent, and the good, hard-working folks are on the "outs."

Summer is here. It seems that it is hot everywhere. Lately we have been intimately aware of the UV Index. Intensity of the Sun, turned up high. 

My partner and I have had a long-standing theory that as the planet heats up, humans are getting goofier, crazier, meaner, & yes, lot's stupider. That would explain a lot of things. It would also include us; we do feel under pressure & under threat, for sure. Trying our best to keep our heads and hearts clear.

How to carry on? Just carry on. No special secret sauce. Things seems to be going in a retrograde, super-bad direction in so many fundamental ways. We can only take care & "lean to the light." Jump into our creative pursuits. Chase rabbits down rabbit holes. Turn to each other. Look for the love and the humor that can bubble up in the most unlikely moments. 

We get lost in making music. Working on new songs and old songs too. Little things to engage us. A bit of a turning away from the heat, madness, and supremely bad juju. Survival techniques. Damn the torpedoes.

Blood on Our Hands...

Yes. I think the existential, bone-crushing question during this current Trump era will be "What did you do when ICE disappeared, detained, & tortured innocent people here in America?" 

Blood on our hands. All of our hands.

I know lots of folks are just stupidly, blindly, blissfully, tuned out, maybe they have no idea what's going on. Their ignorance is not an excuse. It's a crime. You must pay attention. These "Crimes against humanity," committed in our names, are crimes against us all. We are all implicated. We must all do our best to right these wrongs.

Truth & Consequences. Truth & Reconciliation. These acts of Evil shall not stand. That's just me. I still believe in American Democracy, in Truth, Honesty, Justice, Human Rights. We are better than what is going down, and will continue to go down, in the near term.  

It is all exceedingly, excruciatingly bad. These are horrible people doing horrible things to other people. The worst of the worst. We must take a stand against this administration, and all of their crimes. We must stand with, & support those in opposition. 

The Unbound Evil Phase...

What is Evil? 

"Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others."

So...

The Republicans passing a budget bill that takes food from poor children, kicks 17 million, or so, folks off their healthcare, to try to justify extending tax cuts for the big corporations and the supremely wealthy, would be a textbook example of pure, unmitigated evil, for sure. Correct?

Yep. No doubt. 

And the glad-handing, gleeful, chorlting Nazis talking to the press, getting pictures of themselves in front of cages built for folks they plan to disappear off the streets of America? Yes. That's disgusting and supremely evil too.

The disheveled & disgusting Fat Man who envisions detention centers to be built in every state in America. Evil Embodied. 

Detention Center > Gulag > Concentration Camp > Death Camp = EVIL...

You wonder what phase have we entered here, now in America? The Unbound Evil Phase.

Raised by "Lady-Wolves."

I think of my childhood as a bit "raised by nuns." Very similiar to being "raised by wolves." These particular "wolves" were women, dressed in black & white habits, with gold wedding bands on their ring fingers (married to God don't you know). They were kind of scary, harsh, maybe bitter that they were stuck in classrooms with 30 or so children every day of the school year. 

What were these lady-wolves trying to teach us? Mainly fear of God. God was an old, bearded man, sitting on a throne; a scary, harsh, bitter God that would be judging all of us somewhere down the line.  For me, for some reason, the lesson just never took. Maybe because at home, in my own world, I was a happy little gangster, with my own gang, my little brother & my two sisters. 

Sure, I was left with a bit of guilt & shame for being a gnarly, snot-nosed kid, but that deep, in-bred fear just never did materialize. The story just seemed so improbable. I am the same today. The fear-mongers and their fear-mongering just doesn't work on me. I think those folks are just too full of shite. I can't take them seriously. It might be a flaw in my character.

This new era of hate, racism, division, unthinking idiocy just rolls off my back. I don't get it at all. It doesn't resonate. Maybe I can thank those "lady-wolves," maybe they unintentionally innoculated me to the ways of manufactured fear and idiocy?

The lessons I learned on the playground, at lunch, and after school, were the ones that really did sink in, and are still with me to this day: "The Big Ones will always stomp on the Little Ones." And, well, "There but for the Grace of God, go I."

Invaluable information. 

Kind of gave me a code for better understanding and better living in the real world. And when the Big Ones beat up on the little powerless Ones, I immediately side with those being beaten down. 

Ha. Now that I think of it, that seemed to be the gist of the whole weird Jesus story too. Jesus was a nice, helpful guy, who looked out for the poor & downtrodden. His whole schtick just didn't sit well with the powers that be. That simple Jesus story has been twisted into a goddamned pretzel by the crazy-ass Christian Nationalists. Seems they have forgotton that whole Love, Forgiveness and taking care of your Brothers & Sisters idea, and replaced it with a stone-cold, racism & Hate. Fuck those fuckers.

Anyway. Amen Brothers & Sisters! And an early morning tip of the hat to the Lady-Wolves...

Rooting for the Real...

"My political opponents," that would be the Republican Party, want to impose their god-awful-ness on all of us. Yikes. You wonder to yourself: "Why do they hate the America that exists today?" One thing that seems to bind them, hatred of the other. Anyone not a White Christian Nationalist Repbulican is on the outs with these folks. Everything I celebrate about America, our diversity, our inclusiveness, our multi-cultural cornucopia, our thriving urban centers, are considered foreign and unwanted by them. I keep thinking this political movement can't happen, can't last, it must implode, disintegrate, fall apart into a million ugly pieces. The reality of America is too strong, too diverse. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Maybe I am wrong. Not sure. Every day I watch these sick fuckers trying to dismantle this beautiful experiment of a Rainbow Democracy and I shake my head. Who knows, maybe it is my optimism, my hopefulness that blinds me. I hope not. I do my best to see and think clearly. I do  believe that reality has a way of having it's say. It's time for reality to make a come-back.

Your Instrument...

Think of your body as your instrument. It allows you to play all the notes in a life. You didn't get to pick your instrument. It was handed down to you. Generations. It comes with it's own quirks, limitations, faults, and capabilities too. You must contend with it. It's up to you. You can use it, abuse it, baby it, put it in dicey, dangerous and tricky situations. Seems we all often take our instrument for granted. And think we know it. But, really, living is a process, and our instrument is always morphing, changing, evolving, devolving. And we have these major currents running thru us. There are the emotional strings & keys. And there are the rational/logical strings & keys. Sometimes they play off each other, or against each other. Sometimes you are aligned, or in deep unalignment. You have to be diligent. Listen to your instrument. Stay in-tune, with yourself, others and the world around you. It's your vehicle to approach some kind of truth, reality, transcendence, intelligence, wisdom. Or, you know, not.

A Singular Journey...

Folk #1: Well. Seems you are on your own to try to make your life as meaningful and fulfilling as possible. It's just up to you. No one is gonna do the heavy lifting for you. You are on your own. You are on a singular journey of one. Of course, you need to surround yourself, and fill your life with people you can relate to, and spend time with. You need to find things you love to do and do them as often as you can. There is no saviour coming. God ain't looking out for you. Heaven & Hell are here right now. There is a play of Light & Shadow. Good & Evil. Every day is an existential crisis. It is all up to you, but don't get full of yourself. Humility, Grace, Kindness, Love, Happiness, Joy, Creativity, Music, Poetry, Drama, Intelligence & Heart. These are your tools & inclinations. Plunge into healthy obsessions. It's not that hard. Fuck it. Damn the torpedoes. Much of Life is disappointing, disillusioning. No one promised you a rose garden. Oh well. Fuck it. Plant a garden yourself. Water it. Care for it. Do it. Carry on.

Snake Eating it's Own Lying Tail...

Folk #1: That desperatly fat, flailing & failing guy is ranting & raving on TV and social media again. I know, not really new, or surprising. Maybe there is some kind of formula, or calculation? Too much bullshit fabricated by one human being starts to calcify, to no longer stick, to bounce back, and diminish the source? Or, you know, the endless stream of lying finally twists around? The snake turns on itself; wildly, ravenously, devouring it's own lying tail? We have definitely reached the point where EVERYONE knows that guy is lying. Although, of course, there is a small, committed, fanatical group that enjoys hearing the lies. Fat-boy's lies are entertaining to their ears & hate-filled hearts & heads. The rest of us just assume everything that idiot spouts is just a damned lie, and the truth is to be found somehwere in "opposite-land." And, thankfully, we can just point to the obvious, ridiculous lies, and then just tune him out.  Which of course drives him insane. He amps up the lying machine even higher, the lies come harder and faster. There has to be an end-point. Can one malicious fat guy choke out on his own vicious, stupid lies to the wild cheers of the teeming masses? One can only hope...

Celebrating Mamdani...

Oh. Yeah. I wanted to celebrate some good news: Zohran Mamdani won the NY Primary for Mayor and is the favorite to win in November. Yes. A young Muslim/American, a Socialist & Progressive Democrat from the AOC and Bernie Sanders wing of the party beat the candidate the Democratic establishment  were backing: a failed, disgraced ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo. It was a magnificent surprise. Even over here in our sleepy Midwestern town we were rooting for Mamdani. Seemed like a long-shot. Sometimes the remarkable good thing happens. Should New York have a young, dynamic, socially-idealistic, Democratic Mayor? Of course.

The celebration is for Democracy too. Funny. You think it's all going down the shitter. America on the ropes, and the long slide into oblivion, and then, a surprise. That is the beauty of Democracy. It can turn on a dime. People Power. Just common folks, can step up and make it happen. It helps to have a charismatic personality to ignite the folks. This time the igniting wasn't based on hate or division, but a coming together for a common good. Yes. That is a great reason & occasion to celebrate.

The Blizzard of Lies Will Always Melt...

Sure. Yes (see previous post).The lies of a desperate and flailing, wanna be strongman, get more wild, & over the top as reality starts poking back. And reality always has it's say. Building anything on a foundation of lies is sketchy, and a fool's paradise. The blizzard of lies starts to melt in the face of facts. Those of us who believe in truth, can see the hard glimmers & shards of a spiky reality, suddenly popping up everywhere, all at once. Sure the liars may have their power, their guns, their Bibles, their hate, but the opposition is armed with a healthy relationship to facts, truth, science, rationality, logic, math, gravity. We have the clarity of questioning & discerning minds. We observe & learn from Nature, and the real world. Those are great teachers. Always inspires those great qualities: Wonder & Humility.

Hall of Lies...

The problem with this current administration. These people lie. You know, always, always lie, about the little, easily disproved things, and the big, easily disproved things, about, you know, fucking anything & everything; and when they get caught red-handed in their lies, they just double, triple and quadruple down with a barrage of more over-the-top, gob-smackingly, audacious lies. Where does that leave us? First blush, assume the opposite of whatever the adminstration is saying. We live in "opposite-land." Then we are grasping, gaping, searching, trying to drill down to the nub of things. Seeking the facts, trying to swim to a certain clarity & truth. We are stuck in a Hall of Lies. Sure, it's a strategy to wear us down. To defeat us, to make us want to tune out, to throw our hands up in surrender. But, fuck, that is the way to a certain ignorance & madness. We must work towards clear, verifiable facts. We are all essentially like scientists or private eyes; think of yourself as a Marlowe or Spade, in a  Raymond Chandler or Dashiel Hammet novel. Testing, verifying, doing our best to see clearly. Making decsions based on cold, hard facts.  Essential work for being a real Human Being.

Our Nation Turns it's Lonely Eyes to the Cowards in Power...

Yes. Well. Sometimes you turn to the court jesters amongst us for the best insights. I think especially of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce. They don't make them like that anymore. What of the Onion?  Sometimes the only way to find any sense is thru nonsense. Makes sense right?! As AOC puts it (see previous post), "The President's disastrous decision is a grave violation of the Constitution and the War Powers act." A Congress with a spine, a drop of integrity, a hint of conscience, and a moral compass would vote to Impeach and Remove this Tyrant in a heartbeat. Cowardice is a many-splendored thing, and a terrible waste of a Democracy.

Wrong in So Many Ways...

Many of us could see that electing Trump was a major catastrophe for America & the World. Wrong in so many ways. We could see that this lawless conman and his boot-licking lackeys could lead us all to a horribly wrong-headed, idiotic, heartless, criminal future. Well. Just how wrong can it go? Thinking epically, prodigiously, un-imaginably wrong. We are now deeply in the fuck around & find out phase of our existence. Yikes. Below is a pitch-perfect response to the latest outrage & stupidity. AOC is one our favorite Democratic Representatives, an essential voice in the middle of the chaos...

A Small Victory...

A small victory over here. We played a show last night, billed as a Summer Solstice Celebration, at a little, well-lit, totally cool & elegant wine shop, nestled in a very urban landscape. It was a warm summer evening. We played our set inside, gorgeous chandelier above us, gaping, unlit fireplace behind us, a room full of cool people in front of us. We were testing out our new, very tiny mixer board with two small speakers, you know, anything to make the schlepp a bit easier, and it sounded really good in that little room. It was just a trio, guitar, double-bass & percussion, 2 voices. 

Seems we connected with the audience, which is always gratifying & surprising. We are on our own very stony path, a creative journey; quirky, gnarly, very much homemade. We are always amazed that people can connect with these very personal, "vision songs." 

My bandmate triggered an episode of vertigo in the middle of our song, "Murmurations." She nearly spun out, but hung in there,  she truly is a creative dynamo, fearless and determined. We finished the set, smiles and cheers all around. Pretty sure we made some new fans. A couple guitar players in the audience came up to  talk tone. That's always a good sign. My beat up guitar was sounding very "present." All those little experiments with strings, pre-amps, speakers, seems to have paid off. The three of us definitely "got there." It was nice how the instruments all claimed their space, and stood out. We are always intent on losing ourselves in the moments of performance, it worked last night, even with the spinning couldn't deny us.

The Heavier Lift...

Ha. Feeling a bit philosophical this morning. This usually happens when I have "lost the thread." Events seem to be careening out of control, and I just don't know how to process it all. So, in my head, there is a strategic retreat into the realms of philosophy, I fall back on a ruminative posture. Figures like Sartre, Wittgenstein, Hume, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates pop up. It's all a bit of a confusing churn. And, then, of course, the thorny field of psychology is also "tangled up in blue," in my head too. I find myself in a hall of mirrors. Who am I? What am I doing? What's it all about? Where is all of this going? WTF?!  I remind myself that if you look closely enough, it always feels like things are carreening out of control, because, there really is no control. And who I am is always morphing, evolving, revolving, devolving. Everything is a moving target. Sure there is gravity & physics, but beyond that, so little to hold on to. I think of that David Byrne/Talking Heads line: "Stop making sense." You know, this morning, that seems easy. It is a piece of cake to get beyond the rational & logical, and into the poetic, intuitive. But, what about making sense? Of the world, and myself? That seems to be a heavier lift.

A Knotty Problem...

Getting your head around things. You know, reaching for some kind of hard-earned wisdom. No grand statements or theories. Suspicious of wide-ranging conspiracy theories. Resisting the simple answers, they often seem like fairy tales, off-target and more concealing, than revealing. Or what they reveal is an ability to obscure and evade cold hard truths. Sure, we like to tell ourselves stories that we can understand, about the world & the people in it; but of course, we will never really understand the world or the people in it.  People. They are always the problem, they are sometimes, rarely, the solution. Although, ultimately there are no solutions. Just problems being worked over & worked through, across generations. People are confusing, contradictory, arbitrary, shallow, self-dealing. Yep. The Tricky Monkeys who think they are smarter than they really are. There is often pain, suffering & chaos in our  human world. Most of it self-generated. Some of it is beyond human, there is Nature, Biology, to contend with too. It's a knotty problem. Living. You will never solve it. You just get to do it, be it, experience it.

Rewarding Bad Behavior: Strategy for Failure...

Rewarding bad behavior. It's become a thing. It's all too much. Feed the Out of Control Monkeys too much money & attention, and well, shit goes wrong; badly, weirdly, prodigiously, immensely, horribly wrong. That is where we are at the moment; in our culture, our politics, our social media landscape. Swamped with Bling & Bad Behavior.

Have we breached some kind of limit of Bad Shite?! The realm of no shame, no morals, no common sense? 

Not sure. And then, what comes after the reckoning? You know, there is always a reckoning. I mean, who the fuck knows?! Yikes, the scoundrels, the cheats, the liars, the fuck-ups truly reign supreme. We are well and truly fucked. It's sort of funny in a not so funny way. Are there any clear-headed, mindful, honorable, respectful folks to be found? Are they hiding? I imagine there is a vast underground of folks, calm, clear, composed; the level-headed resistance to the stupid debauch. Keeping their shoulders to the wheel. Doing their best to do the good work. Not because it pays, no cold hard cash, just because, it's good to be good. Ha. That's the new, radical stance, & credo, right there.

Hazarding a Guess...

Folk #1: I am going to hazard a guess. I woke up early this a.m. with a deep unease. I can't really call it a premonition, it's too vague, even to me, just a deep, dark, feeling of existential dread for all of us. This fool & idiot in the White House is going to do something really stupid & bad. No, I know, no big surprise, this fool & idiot always does stupid & bad things, we are getting numb to the stupid & bad, but I am just guessing that soon, this fool & idiot is going to stumble into doing something so stupid, so bad, it implicates, and has consequences, for all of us. Every last one of us. You know, blindly hurtling to some very stupid and bad catastrophe. Yikes. It's a bit of doomer idea this morning. Whatever it is, I'm not predicting the actual thing, whatever it is, it's not gonna be fun or entertaining. Those of us who somehow survive, and get thru it all, and God only knows who exactly that will be, will be left with one cursed thought: We are well and truly fucked. Hope there is light at the end of the tunnel. Good Lord. Yikes. Damn the torpedoes.

The America They Hate, The America We Love...

Funny. 

The Trump/MAGA movement can be summed up with one very elemental word: HATE. It is HATE that binds them. HATE that drives them. HATE that makes them all cowards, bullies, and assholes.

They actually HATE America. You know, the America we actually happen to live in. America is a land built by, and inhabited by, immigrants from all races, creeds, colors & countries. It is a vast multi-cultural & wildly diverse stew of Humanity.

If you happen to be one of those immune to the HATE, this all looks like madness, stupidity, fascism, white-Christian-nationalist madness. So inhumane & Un-American.

This weekend (see previous post), we reaquianted ourselves with the America we love. Folks from all walks of life meeting in the public square declaring our LOVE for America, Democracy, the Rule of Law, the Constitution, the melting-pot of a thriving, beautiful Human Civilization.

It is a much better place to choose to live in. Yes. We choose the classic American Dream, and reject the American Nightmare the HATERS want to sell us. Their HATE is built on a web of lies. It's a dead-end. A falsity, a nullity.