Standing Up Against ICE in Sub-Zero Temps!

Will Stancil describes himself as "a Minnesota Guy." He is pretty damn woke, he is politcally active, he has been roaming the streets of Minneapolis, documenting the horrors, and the terror unleashed by the ICE goons.

Yesterday there was a massive protest against ICE in Minneapolis. The good folks are rising against the oppression. They are common folk, brave, courageous, admirable American citizens, standing up for their rights, and for each other. It so inspiring, powerful and good to see the people giving a damn, taking a stand. ABOLISH ICE NOW!

BTW - I am re-reading  one of Roberto Bolano's great novels The Savage Detectives. It seems so of the moment right now, even though it is based on experiences of young poets in the 1970's & 1980's. It is the  story of people searching and reaching for meaning in Mexico City and beyond. It's the kind of novel I love, young idealistic, searchers, wanderers, dreamers, people looking to be onto something, and at the same time, they are confronting conformity, oppression & standing up in opposition to vast retrograde, life-killing forces.  

These lines resonated with me last night during my late read (page 372): "... the heart of the matter is knowing whether evil (or sin or crime or whatever you want to call it) is random or purposeful. If it's purposeful, we can fight it, it's hard to defeat, but we have a chance, like two boxers in the same weight class, more or less. If it's random, on the other hand, we're fucked, and we'll just have to hope that God, if He exists, has mercy on us. And that's what it all comes down to."

So yeah, I do think this present evil is "purposeful" it resides in very flawed, cruel, brutal and corrupt hearts & heads, and we know who to hold to account and who to fight, and who to bring to Justice.  Yes. Indeed. We do...

The thing is to make it...

Here in the Midwest the weather is God, sometimes a benevolent God, I am thinking of those sunny, blue sky days in Spring, Summer & Fall, when the temps are liveable, and the days and nights carress you. Going out, & meeting the moment can be joyful, pleasurable, and life-affirming.

It's not like that here, now, in the depths of a deep, bone-chilling winter, & polar vortex episode. We are in the middle of the deep freeze. Harsh, brutal temps 0 to -20 with the wind kicking up. God is acting as if he/she despises humanity, and, you know, if that's case, it's understandable. To venture outside is to venture into hostile territory. Everything is harder. Everything is cold, brittle, clunky, every step is a potential misadventure.

Up early, and I figure I am not going anywhere today. Being forced to be Zen today. Take one's cues from this icy, frost-bite wielding God, and lay low in a warm  & friendly home. This Winter God is very Old Testament; a cold, unforgiving, unyielding, quite brutal God who probably hates the frailty & idiocy of humanity. Yikes.

You know, I am agnostic when it comes to believing in a higher power. I mean, of course there are higher powers, we are surrounded by them, non-human powers that rule & guide us. But they are mysterious, can't beseech them, you know like gravity, evolution, energy, vibes, and the complexity & uncomprehending nature of existence, etc. I think there is Mystery embedded in everything, but beyond that, I am kind of like "who knows?!" 

But it is easy to believe in the weather. Or you don't have believe in it, just experience it's unforgiving power. It just is what it is, and it is God-like in it's glory, it rules, and we must deal with it day to day. That's the challenge of living. Making it through in the light of unbridled benevolence or malevolence. No sense in taking it personally. The thing is to make it to the next day, and the one after that too.

Yes. Of Course, Horrified & Embarrassed...

Yes. We should all be horrified & embarrassed that Donald Trump speaks for the USA in Davos Switzerland. Paul Krugman is brillaint and spot-on once again.

"I listened to Trump’s Davos speech with fear: How much damage will this demented, vindictive individual do to America and the world? I also felt a deep sense of shame: What is wrong with my country, that we put someone like this in a position of unprecedented power?

As the whole world watched, the president of the United States (God help us) repeatedly referred to Greenland, which he is willing to blow up NATO to acquire, as Iceland. Don’t dismiss this as trivial: if any previous president had been that befuddled, the whole press corps would have been howling about senility and demanding that he step down.

And of course Trump’s press secretary insisted that he didn’t say what we all saw and heard him say.

Trump also repeatedly displayed his trademark willful ignorance, for example when talking about renewable energy. While berating Europe for using wind energy, he admitted that China also has big wind farms — someone must have showed him pictures — but declared that

They put up a couple of big wind farms, but they don’t use them. They just put them up to show people what they could look like. They don’t spin, they don’t do anything.

In reality, China accounts for almost 40 percent of total world generation of electricity from wind power, substantially more than Europe.

Beyond confusion and ignorance, Trump delivered menace..."

Yes. We are trapped in clutches of the worst of the worst people on the planet. If you aren't horrified & embarrassed, you either aren't listening, or you are well beyond help.  Mercy, mercy me...

Bewitched & Bewildered...

Folk #1: A sentence from a friend - "Live by the Dream, Die by the Dream." I suppose that is close to the mark on what my credo, or code of conduct, might be. If you are in the biz of dreaming, you know, many, maybe even most of those dreams will evaporate into nothingness. Still, in the depths of the down & out, always conjuring up the next dream. It's a funny existence. The more I know myself, the more I realize I am perpetually amused & bemused.

Star-crossed = "pleasantly entertained or diverted/marked by confusion or bewilderment." Yes. Makes for a mildly entertaining existence.

The other tool in my kit-bag: Always on a mission. Onto the next thing. There is a lot of wreckage behind me. Crashed plans, broken eggs on the pavement, dreams combusting, but, surprisingly I seem to always be moving forward. Sure, I hit bottom from time to time. Can barely speak. Energy lost in the breeze. But I always bounce. At least that has been the pattern up to now.

I am bewitched & bewildered by the world. No doubt. I turn to humor, and a certain detachment from all things human. I get it. The Universe isn't about me. I am just being, doing, recalibrating...

Don't Cry for Me Greenland...

Ok. As a chorus of a song, it is pretty damn clunky: "Don't cry for me... Greenland?!" Doesn't really fly off the tongue.

So now, this born & bred American Boy finds himself rooting against the clod, the idiot, the madman, the big, fat crybaby, who just can't get over not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and now wants to claim Greenland for himself, just because... 

This all can't really be that stupid, can it?! Yes, dear reader, it can.

The Danes (a NATO ally), are deploying to Greenland to defend the land from the clutches of the idiot. Anyone with half-a-brain left, finds themselves on the side of the Danes, no doubt.

Sure, America, we are fucking lost. Now we need to hope & pray that the Europeans can stand strong & united in resistance to the grand madness of Mr. Corruptly Stupid.

The Lay of the Land, the State of Things...

You are forgiven, & you should forgive yourself too. If your brain feels like it's breaking, that everyone is lying to you, that the world as you know it seems like a severly damaged & stupid place, and it is running rampant with grifters, conmen, liars, idiots, corrupt fucks, bullies & assholes all out to destroy your brain, your common sense & good cheer, you are not wrong. That is the lay of the land, the state of things. Do you feel betrayed? Cheated? Disappointed? Good. You are getting it.

The Mad King of Chaos, Uncertainty & Bedlam Has Made his Stupidest Move Yet...

Yes. Call him the Mad King. Call him the King of Chaos & Uncertainty. A King with no wisdom, little fandom, and lots of stupid, cruel, corrupt ideas. Sure. Why not, King of Bedlam? We have called him every other bad name in the book, and calling up bad names gets extremely tiresome. Jesus. Can we all agree that that man in the White House is "a danger to himself & others?" Seems like an easy call. Yesterday, they say the Mad King of Bedlam has made his stupidest move yet. Shouldn't it be about time that someone locked him away in a rubber room? Give him a desk, a bed, a phone, and of course, a big, grotesque mirror so he can strut around like a fat chicken, and pose & pout, and act like a big man totally off his nut, & rig up his smartphone so that his Truth Social posts go nowhere, they would be launched into the black void, seen by no one, and, we could all try our best to forget him, bury his name in the mud. Sure, death, by natural causes, would be better, better for both him & us, but, in the meantime, rubber room for him, sweet peace & silence for the rest of us. We certainly don't need any more Chaos & Uncertainty swirling around in our crazy-ass lives. We have enough of that shite, more than enough, to go around.

Faith, Hope & Gollum...

I was gonna write about "Hope" & "Faith," inspired by Sarah Lyon's amazing post from November 7, 2025: "It's OK to be Hopeless."

She has decided to replace Hope, which she feels is disempowering, with Faith, which is empowering. Sarah Lyons: "I think it’s time we give up on simply hoping, and find something worth putting our faith into building. Hope is “what if”, faith, on the other hand is “even if.” 

I have leaned on the idea of Hope myself, but I get what she is onto here. Hope is sort just a vague cloud, that you want to surround & engulf you, but Faith is sort of something you have work for and towards.

And lately, the world, and current events seem to be loads of hopelessness...

I actually fall back on my own phrase: "You Must Believe." I even wrote a song with that title. Believing actively, and putting it to work. Now, of course, "what to believe," is critical. Believing is a tool, like any other, what you choose to believe can open the world or totally close it. Create or destroy? Good or Evil?

What do I believe in with all my heart & soul? The creative process. Working at it, doing it, being it, embodying it, as often as possible.

So, yeah, believe in simple, humble things like: practice, discipline, work, a better day, a better way, trying things, health & good cheer. And maybe believe in some complicated things like evolution & long-form improvisation.

I was gonna write about Sarah Lyons post, but then I came across this post & commentary from Paul Campos at Lawyers, Guns & Money, and I thought this is it, everything in a nutshell, the reason why hopelessness is rampant here in the USA, and we all feel like we are failing & flailing, no getting around it, we are under the thumb of a real-life, world-class turbo-charged Gollum. We are fucking cursed and the only way to banish it? Well, actually, Death, "... it will end when he dies."

We are in uncharted waters.

. . . commenter Richard Roland has achieved Zen-like clarity:

Trump is an uncomplicated creature. He’s the most UnEnlightened being on earth.

He wanted his Noble(sic) Peace Prize. He got it (for some values of got it) and now he doesn’t want it anymore.

He’s the most Hedonic Treadmill Human Being on Earth. He can’t stop because it’s the WANTING that keeps him alive.

The Electorate strapped us to a Fuck You Machine and it will end when he dies.

Good Hygeine...

Just a random thought this a.m. 

If you are paying attention, and you should be, you are watching & listening to horrible people do horrible things to other people, either for no good reason or, more likely, for very intentional, horrible reasons.  You are also watching & listening to a group of demented people cheering these horrible actions on, or turning away and ignoring all of the shite. This disciplined, paying attention is probably not good for you, not a good way to spend your time, not good for your head, your spirit, or your good cheer. Still, bearing witness, seems to be part of the deal. You are dealt into the grand game, and it turns out paying attention is just part of it. You need to be fully alive, aware, awake at all times. You also need to detox on a regular basis, just for good hygeine & in pursuit of a determined well-being of being well. You know, a little self-care oasis in the sea of horribleness?

Standing Up Against the Thuggery in Minneapolis...

Yes. Paul Krugman this a.m. with "The Minneapolis Crucible." The ICE goons, thugs, fascists, are occupying, and terrorizing an American City. The good folks of the community are standing up, and protesting against this brutal occupation. They are doing their best to protect their friends, families, and fellow citizens from the brutality of oppression. Minneapolis is the latest front-line protecting our democratic ideals. 

It is heartening, and inspiring to watch the brave souls of a community rise together. The best of America in the streets, aligned against the thuggery. Americans armed with smartphones, recording the assaults and abuses of an occupying force. It brings the reality of oppression to each and every one of us. Maybe in this way, we can remake, re-commit to our democratic ideals. From Krugman...

Heroes in a Small Town in USA...

One of the more inspiring TV moments lately comes in Stranger Things, when the kids in a small town stand up to evil. They don't blink, they don't hesitate, they stare down the big guns, the burly military-types, and big, powerful evil one, and they get busy taking back the streets of their little town. And various versions of David Bowie's fantastic, beautiful song "Heroes," is sung, first by Peter Gabriel and then later by Bowie himself.

What is happening in Minnesota right now, is that same stirring, inspiring, kind of heroic response from the common folk standing up in the streets against ICE and Border Patrol. Below is reporting from the front lines, the streets of Minneapolis. Yes, Heroes indeed. ABOLISH ICE NOW!!!

Common Folk Heroes...

Facing the Madness & Mayhem...

Yikes. Facing all the tumult, hurly-burly, madness & mayhem, one is struck dumb. Ha. I mean, of course, my mind is racing, my emotions are raging, there is a tornado swirling around in my body, and I find myself typing into an empty page, into the void, into the gaping maw. What to say? Hmmm. Maybe a certain silence is the best idea at the moment? A quiet fury, a disciplined silence enveloping me, in the face of the stupidity, cruelty, malevolence & evil insanity of my fellow human beings. One wants to take a shower, or a long bath, to the wash off the stink of humanity furiously at war with itself. Powerful, evil forces have been unleashed by the worst of the worst amongst us. We are all implicated, each & every one of us. Basic principles, hard choices are in the offing. How to right the wrongs? It's not going to be easy.

A Blurry Dream...

There is something to be said for "just making it." Even if, as the 12-steppers tell us, you sometimes might need to "fake it to make it." I am thinking of the benefits & certain good-will of simple, stubborn, longevity & endurance. Yes. Growing old, gracefully, or maybe not so gracefully, but with as much grace as one can manage. Live long enough, and life itself seems sort of like a blurry dream. Decades pass by in a flash. Turns out there is very little you can hang onto; there is the moment to moment, and the time to reflect on the moment to moment, and then, well, if you are lucky you still have your wits, your vim & vigour, a dash of energy & optimism, body parts continue to work, you are still curious about the world, and other people, still open to creativity, and changing your mind about things if the evidence of your senses call for a rethink. Life as long-form improvisation. Keeping your shit together even as you wade through the shit. Keeping a sense of humour, and a sense of proportion. A common sense grappling with a wild world.

Where are We Now?!

Where are we now in USA?

Our government is using our hard-earned-tax dollars to send well-armed goons into American cities, to brutalize, terrorize, kidnap, and murder our fellow citizens. They are lying about it all, hoping that we are just lazy dupes & dopes, who will believe their idiotic, easily disproven lies. I don't think this can, or will stand. Too many of us know that this is horribly, terribly wrong. There are brave citizens all across the country standing up and opposing this shite. A reckoning is in the offing. How soon do we get there? Not sure. But I do believe Truth & Justice will prevail. It won't be easy, but it is totally necessary.

We the People Stand with MInnesota...

We the people stand against murder in the streets. We stand against ICE. We stand in solidarity with the citizens of Minnesota. We will not forget Renee Goode, the young mother, so cruelly shot down. We will not forget the ICE goon who murdered her, and all the other goons who stood around doing nothing. Her murder was a brutal, vicious act; a cold-blooded murder. We will not forget those who lie about what happened, those denying reality, & re-writing facts. All of our major institutions are failing us. We stand with the common people, the average American citzens, those protestors, resisters, community activists showing such heart, courage & bravery, standing up against ICE in the cold streets of Minneapolis. We stand with all of our brothers & sisters. We expect Justice for Renee. This shall not stand. We all deserve so much better. Abolish ICE. Hold those responsible to account. Truth, Justice. The only way forward.

The Trump Adminstration Now Terrorizing, Kidnapping, Murdering US Citizens...

 

The Trump administration has declared war on Blue Citiies, American Citizens. It's a MAGA civil war come to our streets. Maybe in our hearts we all knew it would come down to them murdering folks, lying about it, and doubling-down, declaring that they will continue to terrorize, kidnap and murder.

It is appalling, disheartening, and unbelievable that a President, a Vice-President, Department Heads, Republican Senators & House Reps can get up in front of cameras and repeat lies that are easily disproven by multiple videos. I do think this is the Death of America as we used to imagine it. If folks won't even admit the truth about a murder of a young woman, the country is lost.

If the Democrats ever get the chance, we need a radical re-do. But that is just a glimmer in our eyes, of a distant future. In the meantime? Murder on the streets, terror unleashed from our own very powerful, well-armed government. Reminds one of Nazi-Germany, Stalin's Russia, all those other countries with long histories of Dictators, Strong-men, & criminal-states.

What do we have? iPhones, the right to vote, our better ideas. The right to protest, free speech; raising our voices, putting our bodies on the line.  It is certainly a lopsided battle at the moment.

From Heather Cox Richardson:  

"On MS NOW today, columnist Philip Bump broke down when talking about the shooting of Renee Nicole Good yesterday in Minneapolis. “I have a six year old,” he said. “And…seeing the image of the stuffed animals in the glove compartment of her car—really emotional for me and…what I take away from this is, for me that’s the thing that stands out: that this was a family that could have been like mine.”

Bump went on to emphasize that “there are a lot of situations, a lot of incidents that have involved ICE, have involved the government over the course of the past thirteen months in which there is resonance for other families in similar ways,” but what he hit on in his first reaction to Good’s killing was the one the administration must fear most of all. Good was a white, suburban mother, whose ex-husband told reporters she was a Christian stay-at-home mom, and Bump is a white man."

Abolish ICE, Demand Justice...

Folk #1: Protests are springing up across the land...

You don't need to be on "the Left," to be horrified by ICE & Border Patrol's Nazi-tactics; terrorizing, kidnapping, and murdering citizens in the USA. A young woman is murdered in her car yesterday in Minneapolis, just the latest outrage & tragedy unleashed by the inhumane thugs unleashed by this criminal adminstration. Anyone can see that this is intolerable. We must stand against, resist, protest, & demand accountability for the crimes these agencies & agents are committing. Sure "Abolish ICE," reform Border Patrol, bring the perpetrators to Justice. Oh yeah, and tune out the lies spewing out from Trump & his adminstration. They just won't, can't, admit the truth of their atrocities. They will lie over & over, even if & when there is video that totally shows they are lying. We must take back our streets, our towns, our country from these lawless creeps.

It Ain't Easy...

Yes. They lie and want to rewrite history (see previous post). And many folks just nod their heads and go along. It's so ugly. An ugly to time to be living in the USA. I spent a day spreading optimism around the neighborhood. Spreading the gospel of postive thinking. But, then, well, my optimism only goes so far. Not much beyond my neighborhood. My optimism is blended with a certain, disciplined realism too. And that realism is darker, bleaker, and maybe a little too hot to handle. It's a combustible combo, and the battlefield is inside me. Yikes. Watching the USA sinking under a tsunami of lies, bad faith, & bad action. It's a heavy duty job to take on; bearing witness. Must try to recharge, renew, reframe things. It ain't easy.

I Remember, Do You?!

We are now the people who don't remember anything. Too much history in one day to remember anything that happened yesterday. We are a nation of fucking lazy amnesiacs. Like remember when that disgusting fat-guy & relentless blabber-mouth pretended he didn't lose an election, which he lost by millions of votes, and then incited a crowd of burly, crazy MAGA's to try to stop the House of Representatives from certifying the results by storming the Capitol, beating cops, and crashing into the halls? It was pretty memorable in my orbit. It was on January 6, 2021. It's a day and event that should have been seered into every breathing American's fricking head. And, of course, that famous fat fuck should have been hauled off to jail, stood trial, and banished, or imprisoned for life.

Nope. Didn't happen. Unfortunately. And then, well, that very disgusting person won re-election in 2024. Yes, a bunch of stupid amnesiacs voted for that guy. Really. I know hard to believe, totally idiotic. He now holds all the levers of power in America. A criminal running a criminal enterprise, with nukes, and a huge army. WTF did we do to our to beloved country? Talk about self-destruction, and self-sabotage. We should all have our heads examined.

And what are the amnesiacs doing now? Streaming cat vids on Tik-Tok? Who knows?! We are now in the clutches of the worst of the worst amongst us. They are destroying the USA from the inside out. Does anyone remember the American Dream? Is there anyone out there who remembers anything? 

It's Acutally Quite Cosmically & Terrestrialiy Simple...

All the great Myths, Religions & super-entertaining narratives spring from the fountain of Zorastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. All Human Psychology too.

You should check in with Joseph Campbell and the "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," (1949), for an in-depth review.

Think of our modern myths: Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things. What is the everlasting theme? Good vs Evil. That is the background & the playground of our imaginations and lives. We love to read & to watch these narratives because Good always triumphs over Evil. We love these stories, because the stories always end in a very satisfying way. Good is rewarded, Evil is punished.

Of course, in our lives, in our reality, the battle is never over. And we often watch Evil win. It's difficult being a Human Being. We watch as bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. That's just the reality of our world. It complicates things greatly, no doubt.

We Human Beings have an ever-recurring choice. We are confronted with this choice every damn day. Every breath, every thought, every small & great act we take.

It's not complicated. Sure we live in a complicated, ever-evolving existence. But the fundamental choice is really, very simple. If you are a Zorastrian at heart there is the Threefold Path: 

The Threefold Path

There is a Cosmic & Terrestrial war. Because humans are caught in the middle of this war, their primary duty is to support the side of "Good" through a simple but profound ethical framework:

Humata: Good Thoughts

Hūxta: Good Words

Huvarshta: Good Deeds

By living this way, a person actively helps "strengthen" the side of good and works toward the eventual defeat of evil.

At its core, Zoroastrianism views the universe as a cosmic battlefield between two opposing forces: Asha (truth, order, and light) and Druj (falsehood, chaos, and darkness).

We Humans don't need to get hung up on the question of Why? There is a battle in every human heart & head. The choice should be obvious & simple but often isn't. We often watch Evil flourish and prosper and we wonder if that is the way. Sometimes being Good is the more difficult choice. Difficult but essential.

I think we "moderns" realize, despite our myths & stories, that this battle is never over, as long as human beings exist in this Universe, the battle, the choice always exists. This Universe is inevitably both Light & Dark, Order & Chaos, Truth & Falsehood.  All those elements are in us too. The drama & trauma is being worked out with every breath we take, every choice we make...

A Criminal Doing Criminal Things...

Not sure what to add about this latest Venezuelan attack from the USA. Gobsmacked. Sent me into a bit of a tailspin. My simple formula: Elect a Criminal, don't be surprised when he does criminal things. The USA is now a a rogue, mafia state, an existential threat to all that is right & good in the world.

We are led by a criminal, a very twisted & sick psyche & human being. He is a hollow, very weak, vindictive, dementia-leaning, man, who constantly wants to show the world he is strong. And, of course, he wants to continue his crime spree, without facing any accountability for his actions. Any grasping for answers about his motivations or reasons are a fool's game, and leads to lot of huffing & puffing and a certain madness. 

Expect lies, lies and damn lies.

One year into this latest Presidency and we are in the grip of a deep stupidity, cruelty & madness. Fuck. We are all under threat now. The only hope is in the hearts & heads of folks who oppose this shite. We must rise up. Or all is lost. Yes. Existential threat. No doubt.

A Brain, Writing About Brains...

Human Beings. It's a great subject. I'm just a human writing about being human living in a world with other humans. A brain, writing about other brains. It's kind of weird.

Thinking that we are a very resiliant, complicated, contradictory species. Strong, creative, improvisational. We are also quite fragile, vulnerable, & subject to the whims & storms of a sometimes benevolent, sometimes neutral, and sometimes quite hostile Universe.

Limits. There are limits. To our bodies & minds. We don't know what we don't know. There are plenty of things we can't do. Things we can't surmount. Each of us must experience & learn as we go. It's hard to reach beyond our senses five. 

Taking it all, one day a time. Thinking this is long-form improv, but time is limited, the improv does not go forever. Never sure when and where it all ends. Probably best to think it can end any moment, and live for each & every moment as long as one can. A Human Being doing human things, running out the string.

Mickey D. Do Your Stuff...

 

Is it bad juju, or bad karma to wish that something bad happens to another human being?! You know, even if that human being happens to be the worst of the worst amongst us? What is that magical phrase?! Cardiac arrest? 

Hmmm... I am not wishing for anything. Except, may that man get what he deserves...

Let's just say that one hopes that the ridiculous diet of the Great Mar a Lago White Whale reaps what it sows. I can't imagine what that McD Shite does to one's arteries & heart. But whatever it is, let it do it's oversaturated, empty-calorie best. 

All signs tell us the at the Great Mar A Lago White Whale is not a healthy person. Sick in body & soul. I do believe we are one last over-amped Happy Meal from being very, very happy indeed. Our nation's lonely eyes turn to you Micky D. Do your stuff...

The Killer Conundrum, 2026 Variety...

If you have read Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel "The Road,"  (2006) (it is a worthy read), you know one of the key existential questions, that "the Boy" asks "his Father," after much drama & trama, and a long, winding journey across a bleak & scarred land, a question that sort of makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up:  "Are we still the good guys?" 

It's a question that this particular American is asking himself this particular morning, the 1st day of 2026. This country I live in has taken a very dark turn. The USA is being led by a criminal & a criminal administration. All evidence points to the conclusion that "No, sorry to say, we aren't still the good guys."

Crimes against humanity near & far. The USA now seems to be a force for evil, corruption, murder, greed, racism, white supremacy & idiocy. It's a major bummer. Makes living in the USA a very difficult proposition. A thorny, contradictory, porcupine-like existence.

 It's  a killer conundrum. I cling to a disciplined positivity as a basic & essential survival strategy, but also I adhere to a determined clarity. To see the world as it really is, not just how I want it to be, no rosy-colored glasses. Clarity. Stone-cold clear-seeing.

How to live a good life, knowing that crimes are being committed in my name every damn day? The only answers I can conjure up: Stay close to ground. Create music. Try to do my best to be honest, true, with positive thoughts for a better day and a better way. Love those I love. And resist, oppose the evil-doers,  refuse to along with the idiocy, and the bad actions of others, with every ounce of my being. 

I choose Love, Grace, Beauty, Intelligence. Happy New Year.

A Long Series: Life...

I am now living for a time at another's home. Care-taking. This morning, I open another's book at random, and find a few lines of  Emily Dickinson's poetry. These two lines hit the bullseye: 

I think to Live - may be Bliss

To those Who Dare to Try

I brought my own book too for the long stay over. Roberto Bolano's "Savage Detectives." Young poets in Mexico trying things. Beautiful, raging, raunchy, hilarious. Reading it for the 2nd time.

My partner told me it is a fallow time. Clear the field. Think about planting seeds. It is dark to dark here in the deep winter season. A good time to lay low, get our shit together. Dare to try new things.

A friend of mine remarked: "I like how you always have something positive to say." 

I replied: "Ha. It is the only way I can keep going."

It's true. Just survival. Thinking of Emily & Roberto. Yes. To Live. It's a Gift. But what to do with it? Keep a going until one can no longer.

Being Human, I find, is a long series. Drama. Trauma. Giving. Getting. Some days  there is a wide spectrum of broken. We wear our experiences on our skin, in our hearts & bones. There is satisfaciton weathering the weather.  Challenging. So cold, so windy, so hard, every step an adventure. Getting through in one piece, a sort of victory.

Laid low one day. Bounce the next. A Life.

Zombification...

Folk #1: The signs are everywhere. Zombification of the System. System fails everywhere you look. Lots of hurly-burly, toil & trouble. Lots of noise & thunder. We have been struggling with understanding WTF is going on. Something is happening. I think we are witnessing a death of something, and maybe a birth into something else. The corruption & idiocy is so prevalant, all-encompassing, all-consuming, it leaves one sort of breathless. We are just tiny elements in a grand symphony of decay. There is something to be said for a studied detachment. A stepping back and watching it all unfold. Not predicting anything at the moment, but it feels like seismic changes are happening, underground, overhead, in the ether. Stumbling towards a new dawn into something else. No idea or guesses what it actually will be...

Experiencing the Best...

Folk #1: Yes. We live in sleepy little town near a big, thriving, quite wonderful Midwestern City (Chicago - it is no hellhole). We take public transportation often. We remark to each other how nice riding the rails into the big City can be. We stroll the streets of this teeming urban environment. We mingle with folks from all races, creeds, colors, nationalities. We eat exotic foods "invented," in faraway lands. We are friends with folks who identify as "theys & thems." We are also friends with folks who have transitioned from one sex to another. This doesn't scare us, it only leads us to marvel at the  wonderful variety of human beings, being human, on this planet.  And we marvel at the acheivements of science & medicine. We are happy to break bread and converse with a diverse array of folks on politics, religion, pop culture. We love interacting with folks of all ages and generations, folks with experiences and histories very different from our own. I suppose that means we are "woke." Probably so. And it's marvelous, fulfilling, we really can't imagine living any other way. We turn away from irrational fear of "the other." We actually embrace the other. Seems so much better than the hell-hole vision of prejudice, racism, white supremacy, being force-fed to us from the purveryors of hate & ignorance in Washington D.C. and beyond. Our vision & experience of America is much more inclusive, open & welcoming. The best of us in a beloved community of souls. Yes. We had a good day yesterday. It was a beautiful, inspiring, enriching, nourishing experience. The Human Thing at it's best.

Not for Me...

Paying attention to the crazy, the sick, the deranged...

That describes much of our social media, and pop & political culture. Not recommended. Detrimental to our mental health and well-being. I mean, yes, it's important to know what's going on in the world. To see what fresh hell your fellow humans are swimming in. It is important to be aware, alive, awake. But there are limits. You must sometimes walk away, shut your eyes, stop up your ears, observe from a healthy distance, and then dimiss with extreme prejudice. The crazy, the sick, the deranged, will slime the best of us. There is a gravitational pull that we all must resist. Tuning out the shite, not paying attention, carefully curating our intake; critical to sanity, good cheer, a healthy mind, body & soul. Yes. Being disicplined in thought, action & attention. Identifying the crazy, the sick, the deranged, seeing it clearly, and withdrawing. Taking a determined stance: not for me.

Hanging Out with Other Human Beings...

Being sociable. That has been the theme the last few days. Hanging out with other Human Beings. Usually when my partner and I are around folks, we are on stage, performers performing for an audience, playing music with our band. The conversations before & aftewards are usually short & sweet. This holiday season, there has been no performing, just socializing: eating, talking, hanging out. Family & community. It has been a great, instructive reminder that Human Beings are social animals. We need the interaction, & communication to keep our heads in the game. Most of the folks we met and chatted with reside on the creative side of things: painters, poets, musicians, writers, DJs, teachers, gardeners. Our tribe. There is Hope in the tribe; everyone intent on keeping their heads, working on projects, living well-rounded, enriching lives. We all basically tuned out the looming dystopia. Sure, the horrow-show government, the fascists & bullies, hung over us like black, toxic-clouds, but we turned away, talked about music, & music-making, art, literature. It was all quite inspiring. The folk are doing their best to get through to next possibilities. Hopefully, maybe a better way, a better day ahead. We all wondered a little about what that could be, but the focus was on the next song, the next book, the next meal, the next good story.

Towards Better Human Interaction...

We have spent the last few days being sociable with our fellow human beings. That's the gist of the holiday season. A simple rule for better human interaction? Lead with smiles & kindness. Most likely you will get the same in return. Not always. There are those decidedly grumpy, surly, grouchy, pessimists in the crowd. You can steer away. Or look on them from a healthy distance with a dollop of amusement. It can be a form of entertainment, successfully navigating the black holes of the soul. Those black holes will swallow you up. I flashed on the "Power of Postive Thinking," during the holiday festivities. It's a tool, a useful & helpful one, as long as it's grounded in the real, and also being aware that there are limits. Postive thinking can change your body, your chemistry, just by conjuring up & flooding your brain with positive thoughts. It's true. Science backs it up. And that positivity can be extended to others. Not as a con, a hustle, a grift. Not with the intention of gaining the upper hand. Being positive just for the fuck of it is a good thing. Still, you don't want to over-do it either. There is a concept known as Toxic Positivity - the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations, dismissing or invalidating genuinely negative emotions like sadness, anger, or fear, even in difficult circumstances. Right. Dealing with human beings, you have to account for all valid thoughts & emotions. It's complicated, and a disciplined way forward. Still, leaning to the Light is definitely fun, fulfilling, and very likely joy-making!

Sometimes, "I don't know, " is just Fine...

Folk #1: What is the meaning of all of this shite? You may think that a simple, clear declaration: "I don't know," might be a retreat, an abdication, a giving up, a turning away, a hiding inside the cloud of unknowing, and well, maybe so. So be it. At the same time, to say those words feels like a liberation, a relief, a little burst of joy, a way forward, a ripple of humility, an acknowledgement of the fundamental reality of the mysteries we swim in. Not having an opinion, or making a guess? Maybe that is just a disciplined mind? I mean, I know, that the human world we've constructed seems totally fucked up and confusing at the moment, things seem to be careening out of control, but I am ok with not having any answers about what that means, or why that is the case. Maybe there is no explanation, at least no good one, you know, maybe it's just all too much. Searching for meaning and answers in the shite?  What is the point? What is happening & why? Who knows?! Maybe the asking is a fool's game? No reason to think that one simple human being needs to have all, or any, of the answers at the ready. And, you know, often these simple "explanations," guesses, opinions are just muddying the waters. Not enlightening at all. So, yeah, living with "I don't know," right now, seems just fine. Pitch-Perfect. It's ok to just sit back and observe. As Dylan sings, "Watching the river flow..." Living with the "I don't know," the simple ambiguity of a life, is fine. It is fascinating to watch it all unfold.  Fills one with wonder. The not knowing what to say or think, in the face all the shite, seems oh so right, and surprisingly a certain freedom bubbles up & blossoms.

Lean into the Weirdness...

Yes. Things are weird. And getting weirder. That seems to be true. Human Beings are flailing, failing, unhinged. A long winding road of significant events seem to have broken our brains. Quick hit-list: 9/11, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Bush/Cheney Torture Regime, 2007 Financial Crash, Hurricane Katrina, Electing a 1/2 Black/White Man for President in 2008, the Blacklash, Resurgence of White Supremacy, Trump I, Social Media Madness, Covid Pandemic, Lockdown, Mandates, Sleepy Joe, Greed-flation, Trump II, the Fascist Idiot Era, AI frenzy. Oh yeah, and the bleeding phones. Smart-phones. Broke Our Brains. We are all driving each other nuts. What's the remedy? Not sure. 

Tune out once in awhile? Sit back and watch the show? Maybe accepting the weirdness goes into the equation of healing? Still, it seems the weirdness transcends the healing. I suppose we are watching the disintegration of the world as we once understood it. Maybe this overwhelming weirdness is a reminder that we never really understood Life anyway. Maybe there is no true understanding, only experiencing. Life is bigger than all of us. It includes the darkness & chaos. And there are forces that transcend the human realm. Mystery. Like a black cloud hovering around everything, always dancing with the Light. There is no center to hold, there is no going back. Regenerate, Remake, Renew, Revive. Doing our best to thrive in the face of the unknowable. Lean into the weirdness. 

USA: We are all Complict in the Atrocities...

The TV news show Sixty Minutes spiked their segment about Trump's concentration camp in El Salvador. It aired in Canada, and folks are sharing it on the internet.

The mind reels from the horror of what America has become. You want to reach out for simplicity, a razor-sharp clarity, thinking it will help you cope. You hope you are not being simple-minded: We are all complicit in the atrocities committed in our names. We are all complicit in the Trump Adminstration's crimes against humanity.

Everything else is noise. That is the bottom line. A dark stain on our country and it's citizenry. As that Dylan song tells us: "Bury the rag deep in your face, now is the time for your tears."

Sometimes Chaos is My MIddle Name...

Folk #1: Sometimes I do think chaos is my middle name. I wonder, am I the source, the channel, the generator or receiver, or the conductor of the chaos? I am not thinking of major, catastrophic, chaos, no, more like little, tiny, moments of micro-chaos built into the smallest of actions & thoughts. I can be orderly & disciplined, I enjoy & cultivate my silences & quiet times, I love working in the calm before the storm times, setting up a theater space or a performance space, arranging the deck chairs, running the cables, placing the microphone stands in just the right place, setting the lights, conjuring up a mood & a positive, beautiful vibe. But then fill that space with a rambunctious crowd of human beings in close quarters, with friendly noise, and chatter, and  the power of electricty animating everything, drinks flowing, a soft buzzing in the air, anticipation & expectation floating above us, things happen. Unsourced feedback, a drop of sweat in the corner of an eye, an imprecise instrument, a cable fail, a weird noise from some unknown location, a tiny almost imperceptible tuning issue, being slightly sharp or flat, a surprising demand or comment from an innocent, a dropped guitar pick, a teetering,  a nearly tripping & falling, a hint of mortality, a surge of energy running through the cells of my body; funny, unconnected thoughts, words falling from my lips in surprising ways, my head suddenly swimming, uncommon feelings of being unmoored, uncomfortable. Conducting moments of chaos, trying to corral & tame things, but watching, listening, experiencing the awesome powerlessness alive in every tiny moment.

Trying Their Best to Redact, and Deep-Six, the Truth...

Does Trump and his very corrupt DOJ think the American people are that stupid? Probably so. Trump's success is based on his own voters deep, in the bone, stupidity. Turns out lots of redacting going on in the partial, minimal, woefully inadequate release of the Jeffery Epstein files. We were supposed to get everything. Nope. Funny how references to Epstein's BEST BUDDY have been deep-sixed. Not sure this will satisfy all the inquiring minds who want to know the names of all the perpetrators. Hmmm... What are they hiding? Who are they protecting? Fuck. Haven't they learned anything? The Coverup just becomes the next phase of the scandal. We are there.

The Terrible Ones are Ascendant...

Terrible people doing terrible things...

A simple shorthand for a deep understanding of "what's happening," right now, in pretty much every realm of our lives. As they say, "the vibes are bad." The Folk seem unhappy, crabby, out of sorts, conspiracy-minded, unhinged, untethered. Nothing seems to be clicking, everything seems to be careening forward like a driveless vehicle out of control, and over a cliff. Even basic public health, rudimentary common sense, is under assault. What is a good Pilgrim to say about it all? WTF?!? That is it.

Oh,  BTW, they released heavily redacted versions of a portion of the Epstein files. So our DOJ is not in compliance with the Law. Wonder what happens next? Was there a theme to the redactions? Hmmm. Seems one name just wasn't going to see the light of day. Hint: Jeffery Epstein's best buddy...

Positive & Dreamy...

Ah, well. You can only swim in the ocean of outrage for so long. Then you need to get to shore, dry off, and get on with it. Take care of yourself, and others too. Recharge, refresh, renew. We turn to music, laughter, love. My partner and I are so lucky to be able to keep a roof over our heads, to be able afford good, nutritious food, to cultivate an attitude of wonder & beauty. Ok. Sure, there are worries, doubts, kerfuffles, and bad juju swirling around us at all times. But we tend to lean to the positive & dreamy, we are "works in progress," doing the good work, trying to always be working on ourselves and in the community. It's important to have a job, to do our daily rounds. You know even if it's a low-level, menial  job, but, an honest job, earning an honest buck, there is something grafitfying in the doing, it keeps us in touch with the real world. All essential to keeping our heads on straight, to filling our hearts with goodness, keeping our bodies sound. There are no utopias over here. There is always a battle of contending forces. The key: doing stuff, keeping engaged, working thru. Sure, Good & Evil, it's an existential contest. We lean to the Light. Living in the grand, unhinged Era of Lies & WTF?! Making it anyway. Fuck it. Damn the torpedoes. 

The American Gestapo Comes to Our Sleeply Little Town...

Folk #1: The American Gestapo, ICE & Border Patrol were back in our sleepy, happy little town yesterday. There were about 5 helicopters overhead, buzzing & circling like mechanical vultures, and I saw a burly, mirror-shaded officer in an unmarked vehicle on the corner of one of my familiar intersections. The day was a beauty; warmer temps, glorious sunshine, massive blue sky. It was certainly disturbing, and maddening to experience the clash between the Authoritarian Hellscape vs. Glorious Beauty on a Wednesday morning. There was one helicopter seemingly hovering over me as I walked down the path. I couldn't help but once in awhile pause, look up, and give it the finger & shout "Fuck You." I wasn't the only one unhappy about this surreal scene. Folks all along the path were shaking their heads, wondering WTF happened to our town?

Word later came that there was a raid going down near a Home Depot, the heavy hand of government oppression was targeting our neighbors and friends. Our tax dollars were being used to terrorize, harrass, & detain retail workers, landscapers, teachers, home-care workers, etc.  I must say ICE & Border Control are doing a magnificent job of radicalizing our community. The opposition against these disgusting operations grows by leaps and bounds. Safe to say most of the folks here hate this Nazified version of America.

Our mayor, our city council, are united in opposition to these terror tactics. They are losing the folk one raid at time. FUCK ICE. These agencies must be abolished, or heavily reformed. And the perpetrators of these human rights violations must be held to account. They are an obscenity. A blight, & a black mark on our country.

Two Words for our Present Circumstances.

Folk #1: Slinging words. Finding the right words, writing them down. Just the act of thinking & writing is important & essential to my well-being. I find that it is a way for me to swim towards some kind of clarity and understanding, even if what I am trying to understand is not really understandable, and clarity is a bit of a chimera. The writing down is a working through, or a working towards; it is a process of trying to process the workings of the world around me. Two words come to mind in the latest thrashings, skirmishes, and ungodly doings and sayings of my fellow human beings. Vile & Depraved. These words point other words: vile = "morally despicable or abhorrent, physically repulsive, foul, disgusting, uttlerly bad." depraved = "marked by corruption or evil, having or showing an evil and immoral character." There are a host of very prominent & powerful folks who have earned these over the top moral judgements. No doubt. I am sure you can guess of whom I am thinking.There are some humans who just make you want to distance yourself from the human species. You want to reach for some other window into the human soul, invoking Demonic & Angelic forces contending in our human bodies, but really, one suspects it is all just typical human behavior. A wide, grand spectrum of human posibility & capability. Demon or Angel, humans can channel both forces and do every day. Yes. When it goes bad it is truly ugly. I mean, even if you don't think of yourself as a moral authority, (and I don't), your simple Humaness makes you want to recoil, & retreat to a certain solitude, and a renewal of good cheer and good will unsullied by the craven bullshit of our present political & social cirmcumstances. You want to lean to your better Angels. Even if you fear an undercurrent, a shadow, in every ray of sunshine. It's a way of staying healthy & sane. Finding, cultivating & embracing those shining moments of goodness & light. It just takes a bit of will, dicipline and determination. Clarity requires us to admit that the worst and best can be found in our species.

A Culture Unhinged...

Folk #1: I am amazed, and super-surprised, that I appear (to myself), as more disciplined, more dignified, more circumspect, more level-headed, more gracious, more tempered, more even-keeled, more optimistic, more cultured, more full of good cheer, more grateful, more empathetic, more compassionate, & less fucked up than many, or even most, of the folks getting attention in the broader world; in politics, business, pop culture, social media, etc. I am thinking of folks who are supposedly more successful, smarter, more accomplished, powerful, influential, lauded & praised, than me. I mean, I know, that is a self-flattering, totally outrageous, unsupportable assertion & opening sentence; it is a bald-faced, over-arching generality. And it is not a statement I can back up with facts or proof. Also, I have usually thought of myself, observed myself, being a very sensitive, rambunctious, excitable boy, subject to the never-ending slings & arrows & hurly-burly of existence. But, over here, sitting in my own little bubble of silence, I am astounded by the sheer depravity of other people, those stupefying, noisy hordes who seem totally undisciplined, undignified, unhinged, and completely fucked up beyond any common sense, or semblance of reality. A noisy bubble of babel intent on getting attention, and saying, & doing, the most self-sabotaging, retrograde, idiotic, soul-killing things imaginable. It is gob-smackingly ridiculous. It's like watching and listening to a world gone mad, totally bonkers, watching other folks drive themselves, & each other, completely insane with idiocies, conspiracies, and disgusting trolleries. I am smart enough to know that I don't have all, or any, of the the answers, I don't always have my shit together, I have my foibles, & quirks, failures, blindnesses, and moments of total folly. As a result, I am humbled by my own deep human-ness. But I see a culture fantasitcally unhinged. And it is sort of shocking.

Partying with the Great Gatsby Crowd - Thoughts of A Better Way...

Folk #1: Post-party (see previous post), I think of William Blake's poem, Auguries of Innocence, the key passage:

Every night and every morn

Some to misery are born.

Every morn and every night

Some are born to sweet delight.

Some are born to sweet delight,

Some are born to endless night.

Hell. Not everyone can be a Hedge Fund Manager. Do we really need Hedge Fund Managers? Not sure. Not everyone can be a landscaper, dog-walker, or house-cleaner. Do we really need lanscapers, dog-walkers & house cleaners? Not sure.

Each of us are on singular paths. I suppose the question we all need to ask ourselves: Can each of us find sweet delight in moments of our days? Even if for some us our days are filled with toil & struggle.

Living in a Democracy, we are captivated with the idea that we can all thrive & prosper, we can use the tools of government to make sure that all people are treated equally & with dignity. As one of my favorite politicians, AOC put it: Every billionaire is a policy failure. You know, it's takes a village to create a billionaire. How many public programs went into the creation of the wealthy? There are no self-made men or women. There is plenty of money floating around. And remember, money is just a game we play. Can we build a society where no child goes hungry, no human is homeless, all of us get a basic education, and access to healthcare, no-one is left behind & treated like "garbage." Aren't social programs smart investments in the people?

If you are a billionaire I suppose being a Libertarian makes sense. They want to keep every last dime they ever made and really don't want to share. Alternatively, most of the rest us can see the value in Socialism, instead of just lionizing the rich and punishing the poor, we see that a more equitable distribution of resources would be better for all.

Is that common-sense? Utopia? A worthy goal?

I suppose, partying with the The Great Gatsby Crowd, reminded me of that French Revolutionary Motto: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. It's a balancing act. A continual working out, a striving forward to a better day for all.

In our capitalist economy there are winners & losers. It's true. There are those with so much, those with so little. The haves & the have nots. Maybe we can tilt the machine slightly? Redistribute the wealth a bit? In order to create a fair & just society? We set up the rules, we can use those rules to make the world a better place for the maximum amount of humans. Those with so much, give up a little, to help the those with so little. Not such a radical idea.  Seems like the humanistic way forward. Viva La Revolution!

American Variety Peasants...

Folk #1: It was instructive. Undeniable. A bit intimidating & deflating. We went to a party last night and were confronted with unfathomable, unimaginable wealth. The kind of in-your-face, over-amped wealth that you just can't get your head around. How does anyone make this much money to to be able to inhabit such extravagance & luxury? Not exactly dictator-chic, too classy for that ugly Mar A Lago type grossness, but absolutely maximum luxury fortified with Hedge-fund mad money. Yes. Hedge-fund $$. An astoundingly large, over-built, mansion, sitting in a prime spot, right on the shore of Lake Michigan, surrounded by, hidden behind, an enormous impenetrable stone wall, almost castle-like, a vast front yard, and Olympic sized, outdoor pool. The house itself was super-sized, as if  it was built for a extended family, or really, an unwieldy tribe of giants. You could comfortably fit our apartment in their living room. Gorgeous art on the walls, sculptures, a grand piano, a woman playing classical pieces, jazz pieces and show tunes too. Servants walked around with fancy bites of food, a well-stocked bar with a smiling bartender. We were surrounded by very accomplished, prestigious folks. The kind of folks who sit on boards of major companies, folks who work at places like the Federal Reserve. Architects, Hedge Fund folks, Economists, Corporate Executives. These are all made, solid-gold people. Definitely "the Haves." We did not belong there. My partner and I are folks from the margins, the working stiff class. We were welcomed with open arms, but, no doubt, we felt a bit like circus-people, you know fish out of water. These are our neighbors, we see them out on the streets and paths often, but this was a revelation, and a reminder, that the rich really do live in a different world. We think that in America we all somehow transcend class, and it is true, we were all in the same room together, speaking a common tongue but, for sure, economically, materially, worlds & realities apart. Some of our worries, you know, feeding, clothing, & housing ourselves, basic survival-type things, aren't really concerns for these folks.  In many ways we are in totally different galaxies, that just so happen to be situated side by side in our town. I mean, we live blocks away in the "apartment living" part of town. We didn't talk politics, or current events, we stuck to dogs, music & literature. Safe harbor topics. These folks belong in a Henry James novel, or you know The Great Gatsby, we belong in a Samuel Beckett play. The party could have, but didn't, send us into a deep existential crisis, ok, maybe a little hint of an existential crisis, I mean, wtf, we didn't feel any envy, or ill-will towards these folks but we also couldn't avoid the idea that we are not on the winning side of the equation, we are on the outside looking in, still walking, talking & breathing, but, for sure, holding the short end of the stick. You can't really fault these folks for being super-wealthy & super-accomplished. They are truly the economic winners in our capitalist fanstasy-land. But it was overwhelming, & quite humbling for us to see all of this up close & personal. My partner & I, we both come from a long line of working-stiffs, folks who were lucky to just make it day to day, often paycheck to paycheck. We are clingers to the moment;  common folk, not exactly have-nots, but, basically adequately-housed & fed peasants, American-variety lower-class, peasants, just one catastrophe from catastrophe. And, well, that's our reality, and it's ok. I mean, it has to be...

A Lab Project in Flux...

I am reminded again, we humans are basically chemistry sets. Little labs of chemicals. Getting the mix right is essential. What we ingest is consequential. The stresses, worries, anxieties of the day, the sheer physicality of getting through a day, all take their toll, and influence the chemical balance and/or imbalance in our bodies. We should all be smarter about chemistry. Everything counts. Get it right and you can flow & fly with the day. Get it wrong and you hit the wall, dead man walking. Doing research, it's a constant task and process. Experimenting on the fly. Life is a lab project in flux. 

The Reckoning Has Begun...

Folk #1: Ha. Trump is losing on many fronts now. Indiana didn't bend the knee, Kilmar walked out of detention a free man (for now),  Presidential approval ratings are diving to historically low levels, Americans are thinking they really fucked up by electing this old, very sick man. Funny how electing a toxic clown good at bankrupting casinos, and pretending to be a smart guy on TV, is really, really bad at politics. Trump soon will be as popular as testicular cancer. America's cut-rate, felononious, tin-pot, faux-gold-leaf, dyed in the wool deplorable-racist, wanna be authoritarian is flailing & failing. Everyone is starting to notice. Ok, maybe not the hard-core, zombie, MAGA hordes, or the retro-anti-human Nazis, but you know, every other sentient human being can see that this very bulbous, brain-fried man is out of his element, out to sea, drowning in his own hate-filled idiocy. The Reckoning is happening now. Expect lots of huffing & puffing, noise, and bad-action, but it's all for a losing cause. Sure, the guy gets to live in that very trashed and sullied White House, but he is the lamest of lame ducks, he is dead-man walking. Even folks in the Republican party realize that in order to survive, they need to turn away from that great white whale of failure. The blubbering words will still emanante from his greasy lips, but most of us will tune that shit out. America will move forward and leave that piece of shit in the dustbin of history. Mark it!

Teetering on the Brink...

Folk #1: I am no financial wizard. I don't invest in the market. I don't have any great insights. I do follow a few smart people, economists, & market-watchers, who do know how the economy and the markets work. I do tune into the vibes, & I do have my eyes wide open. I see all of these flim-flam folks; the grifters, the con-men, the scammers, the disrupters, the over-amped billionaires, the AI lunatics, all those filthy rich folks throwing around billions of dollars like confetti. They all think they are geniuses and they believe that they play by different rules, or no rules at all, unlike us common folk. They have turned the USA into some creepy, glitzy casino of bad faith and corruption. Some of us watch in wonder & awe. Some of us watch in horror. If, like me, you believe in gravity & reality & common sense, you begin to suspect that all of this furious hurly-burly, panicky spending and crazed-investment in a hazy, lazy future of robots, colonization of Mars, and an AI singularity, is just fever-dream, ketamine-driven, cocaine-hallucinating dribble. What is the sentence of the day? I am not making any dire predictions. Who knows what the future holds? But the phrase ping-ponging in my head: Teetering on the Brink of Bust & Bankruptcy. And as in Shakespeare's Macbeth, I say: Let it Come Down...

His Brain is an Exploding Jello-Mold...

Folk #1: Yes. Again, Paul Krugman gets it right. We all have PTSD now. What's the problem? It comes down to one very sick, corrupt, racist, deplorable man in a position of great power. It is pretty amazing that all of the flaws, sins, idiocies, and crimes of America are embodied in one man, but it is undoubtably true. Weird how that happened. We are assaulted every day by his actions, his words, his example. He is totally bonkers now, seems his brain is turning to mush, an exploding jello-mold, and he spouts vile words like a very toxic volcano. He has no discipline, no control. He is a raging, drooling abomination. He is unhinged, and out of touch. The American Dream is just a plaything for him. He has no idea how to do his job. Funny. We, at one time, were the envy of the world. A shining city on the hill. All that has evaporated under this fat-freak's thumb. Of course, most of the country is at odds with all of this madness. This very powerful man isn't powerful enough to crush the opposition. In fact, every word he utters now enegerizes the opposition. He isn't all there. Which is his fatal flaw, the flaw that will ultimately crush him. Which is some kind of beauty. The fatal flaw, the ultimate sabotage is actualized by his own cruelty, meaness, idiocy, and deep ignorance of America, the Constitution & the Rule of Law. Most of us know he is a sad excuse of a Human Being not worthy of our time. 

Full-Metal-Stoic...

Finally. You are left with just the day to day slogging through. You must draw upon your inner Stoic to make it. Whining, complaining, raging against your fate is just wasted energy, energy that you need to survive. "Living a well-reasoned Life;" a worthy goal. Even if sometimes the Universe doesn't appear to care a whit for one's reasoning. Is the Universe reasonable? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe beyond Human Reason? Still, even if things don't make sense, even if "bad things," happen, death lurks around every corner, innocent children die, the evil ones thrive & face no consequences, even if sometimes it seems that Chaos Rules, the honorable, admirable way forward is to be a fully-rounded, fully-engaged Human Being gravitating to, aspiring to, living a life of Stoic Virtue. Full-Metal-Stoic. No doubt.

The Moment...

Monday morning. Up early. Still dead-black-dark outside, no hint of the sun. The coffee is really good, and it's doing it's job, which is to fire up my synapses, get the brain waves rocking, fortifying myself to face a challenging day out on the very cold, snowy, icy, midwestern streets. The cold & snow makes everything a little bit harder.

Feeling sort of philosophical this morning. Thinking about the Past, it's sort of a strait-jacket, but it is malleable. You can't change what happened in your life, but you certainly can change how you feel and think about it. And, you can let it all go. Ease up, inhabit the moment, and surprisingly, that strait-jacket just falls to the floor.

It is the same trick with the Future. You know, supposedly there will be a Future. But you never quite get there. It's always just the moment to moment. The present is always with us. The Past & Future are just mind-games we play on ourselves.

So yeah, long way around to one of my essential life-lessons and core beliefs: Be Here Now. Everything is Now. It is actually quite a Hopeful & Powerful realization, it is all about living in the present moment. It is where things actually happen, shit gets done,  it is where you have agency, ability & capability; you control the horizontal and the vertical. You condense that vast spectrum of Life into the very essential Moment.

The Power of Reading & Writing...

Folk #1: Reading & writing. Might be a super-power. I mean, I am no Shakespeare, Faulkner or Hemingway but I love to read & write. It is a past-time that I swim in happily. Over the last few days I was implicated in a weird conspiracy. Falsely accused; which is one of my hot-button issues. Maybe there is some deep in the bone trauma from when I was a youngster? Injustice. It really fires me up, it goes along with my loathing of bullies of every stripe. So, anyway, maybe it was just a little innocent misunderstanding, but I took it as an deep existential blow to the core of my being. Overly-dramatic? Maybe, but, you know, I am just built that way. So, what to do? I composed a little missive, arguing my case, presenting my truth & reality, and I fired it off to a very important person in charge. Basically the judge & jury. My few well-chosen, well-composed words and sentences made the whole thing evaporate & vaporize. The field was totally cleared. The madness was exposed as folly. My perceived nemesis was revealed, vanquished, and their conspiracy-theory was dismissed as an overly-emotional and paranoid rant. Of course, as completely empathetic folks we took pity on the ranter, & have shown nothing but kindness to this person. I was pretty happy & surprised at the immediate result. You never know how the thud of truth will be received. Anyway, that is the power of words. Clarity. Clear-seeing. Reading & writing, yes, a super-power indeed.

Denial - Grave Peril...

Folk #1: Yeah. The thing is, denial  can be a powerful tool & maybe it's sort of like a drug. You use it in times of hardship, or distress. You use it to power through difficult circumstances, you know, like that Vince Lombardi line: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But, then again, like any tool it is a double-edged sword. Denying reality is basically lying to your self. Do that enough, and you put yourself in grave danger. You put yourself in peril because of a deep, in the bone mismatch between your self and the world. That is the way of madness, lunacy, self-sabotage & self-harm. If a society, a culture, a politics is founded on deep denial of reality, it is a failed, and immoral society, culture and politics. Remember those old maps: YOU ARE HERE? We all here, now. "Danger Will Robinson!"

Do they admit that they murdered folks for no good reason? Nope.

Folk #1: "The tone has been set. Even if you are tone-deaf it is easy to grasp the tone. Can you grasp a tone? Ha. Messy, right. What is the tone of which I am writing? Lying. The tone is lying. Over & over & over. These folks lie about the little things, the middle things, the big things. Everything. You have video evidence of murder on the high seas? Do you trust your eyes? Your senses five? What do the liars do in the glare of a clear & present reality? Do they admit that they murdered folks for no good reason? Nope. They lie. Lie. Lie. They double, triple, quadruple down on the lies. What do the rest of us to do? Call out the lies, point out lies, look to other folks who are willing to look reality in the face. Does reality have a face? Let's imagine that is does. Reality. It's homespun. It's expansive. It is cold, hard, necessary, essential. Life is to be found in the real. These lying human beings now in power are not credible. They are hollow fools, and bad actors. They are swamping us. Destroying any shared sense of reality or truth. It is a deadly, stupid, corrupt game they are playing. The rest of can choose a different way forward & we must. What do we cling to? Clear-seeing. Sifting thru the evidence and the clues. Doing our best to establish the facts. Being brave in the face of contrary indications. You know reality is an unforgiving companion. We must be willing to admit that we are human and fallible and forge forward with a desire and an imperative to live honestly. It's a full-time job."

"Rotting Head Phase of the American Experience..."

Folk #1: "That fat, old, racist, extremely unhinged & unhealthy white guy ranting & raving in the oval office? Lying about a community of Somalis in Minnestoa? About 95% of them U.S. Citizens? Spouting, ugly racist idiocy? Yikes. There is no bottom to that man's despicable nature. Made me think of that phrase: "The Fish Rots from the Head." We are now in the "rotting head phase of the American Experience." And what of all those lickspittles, spineless lackeys, morally corrupt toadies standing around while that creep babbled such ugly nonsense? They all should be ashamed of themselves. Each & every one of them should have walked out in protest. They didn't, instead, they stood around like deer-in-the-headlights, racist zombies, grinning assholes, which tells you everything you need to know about these people."

State of the Union - "Laughable, Tragic, Unwell..."

Folk #1: Let me jump in with an early take on the State of the Union. Laughable, Tragic, & Unwell.  The only Hope for us all is to be found in the Oppostion. As they say, "we need fighters," the nation's lonely eyes turn to the Democratic Party. 

BTW - Please check out this speech & press conference from Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. If you are an engaged American Citizen, this is "must-watch." Mark Kelly absolutely destroys Trump and Hegseth. A complete, totally devastating takedown of those two very corrupt, ridiculous, dishonorable men. Kelly is a legit, real, American Hero. Fearless. Now that's the kind of smart, tough-minded, clarity we need in order to remake and renew the American Dream. 

Now for the Great Unraveling...

It might be hard to believe, but I think things are about to get even weirder. "Chaos Rules." You know, the case of murder on the high seas, may lead to some major consequences for all involved. That is the way it is supposed to work. But the folks in power are so corrupt, so distant from any sense of competency, decency, integrity, truth, and honor, that things may just go majorly tilt. Funny how reality, just won't give up. Figure lots of gnashing of teeth, pounding the table, rage-posts, crazy ass rants on cable TV, lots of hurly-burly, scapegoating, finger-pointing, gaslighting. The rats will turn on each other. It may quickly get really ugly. I can see lots of things devolving & unraveling on many fronts. It's a dangerous time to be in the USA. No-one in charge really knows "shit from shinola." Could get really scary. That seems to be the lay of the land at the moment.  Yikes.

Patti with Death On Her Shoulder...

I finished reading Patti Smith's "Bread of Angels" (2025). It is a beautiful, "death-haunted," memoir. I suppose if you live long enough you too will become "death-haunted." Death is sort of the mystery that envelops every life. Those of us still living must contend with the reality and finality of death in our own particular ways. Patti reaches out to the mystery & the poetry. It's admirable, inspiring and deeply sad too. I was happy to read the book, and also happy to finish it. Patti lost some of her most significant lovers, inspirers, and co-conspirators early on. And she lost many more significant & influential folks over the years. She pays tribute to all those who gifted her along the way. An extraordinary life. The r&r shaman & poet. I recently purchased the 50th Anniversary Edition of her debut album "Horses." (1975). The remaster CD sounds fantastic. One of the greatest debut albums of all time with probably, for me, the greatest opening lines of all time. Certainly lines that made this lasped-Catholic boy sit up and take notice. Yes. Head-opening. A glorious liberation: "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine..."  The lines that follow are epic too: "... my sins are my own... they belong to me... to me..." Very Jean Paul Satre "existentialist," don't you know?! And then throughout her rendition of the classic r&r song, "Gloria," Patti adopts the persona of a very insistent & aggressive rebellious-tomboy, on the hunt for a pretty young thing, "leaning on the parking meter, humping on the parking meter," or maybe she's imagining embodying a creative, rebellious, rambunctious boy, something along the lines of a young, surrealist-cowboy-mouth Dylan or an illminated Arthur Rimbaud? You know, totally, fucking extraordinary, mind-expanding r&r, right up there with Dylan's great album "Highway 61 Revisited" (1965).