26 years later, and war is still peace. well, all is well that's orwell.
besides kool and the gang, who exactly wants to celebrate, and what is worth celebrating? well, many of us are still alive. i suppose that's good.
the mavs are 22 and 9. kidd, nearing his 37th birthday, has yet to win a title. now, if someone could kidnap the celtics and lakers, we might be on to something.
2010...how about 2020? we could make eye jokes. i can see that this will be a perfect year...shit like that. and i think it's by 2040 that whites will no longer be a majority in the states. i hope i feel like celebrating at 60. but then, blacks were 90 percent of south africa during apartheid. you can have your population percentages, it seems that the power percentages are the thing. if we can get non-whites to have a majority of the power, things may swing a little, though the big o doesn't give us much to be hopeful about in that regard. maybe if its class based, or feminist, or something. hey, we got to hope, right?
there is evo and hugo and fidel still writes an article now and then. there are movements from the grass roots, though i have always preferred an ass roots movement. come to think of it, an ass roots bowel movement is really where it's at.
so, today, many will travel from miles around to hit up old beantown. they will wear silly hats and blow horns. they will listen to mediocre singers and wear the red white and blue. they will forget their troubles and blindly hope for a better tomorrow. they will lie to themselves, but what the fuck else is there?
i am getting slightly wasted before i hit the local bar. cheaper that way. funny thing is, i prefer the taste of chocolate milk and apple cider.
happy jew year.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
two rights don't make a left
yeah man, now we are bombing yemen. but, you see, it's to save lives. you know, bombs for peace. will that help the dozens of dead? only if they think positive thoughts!
saturday, we killed eight school children in afghanistan. i think we were after some taliban, or terrorist, or something. but it was children who took the bomb. i suppose this is the price we pay for fighting a "just war," but it isn't we who pay the price, is it? it's not obama's kids who get killed when one of these bombs are dropped. but, what makes these children any less valuable than his own? didn't they too have parents who loved them? will they cry less, knowing the man calling the shots in the country that killed them is more liberal than the man he replaced? perhaps they will not shrug their shoulders and say, "hey, at least he's a lot better than bush." just as the vietnamese didn't give thanks that they weren't being murdered by the nazis.
we have a funny sense of progress in this country. progress means a guy can speak in complete sentences, have a half way decent looking wife, know his jazz and blues. it's a progress of style, of form, a shadow progress, a superficial progress, a surface progress. for, you see, we can all make it now. what if the odds are a million to one? what if making it means having to be as big an asshole as the cats you will replace? people of different shades have always made it, and still millions starve, countries are bombed, the earth is polluted. a token is only good for a ride on a subway, and now, they want tickets, so tokens don't even work for that anymore.
what is going on in pakistan, afghanistan, yemen, and iraq is not progress. the dismantling of democracy in honduras is not progress. a watered down gift to the insurance industry, euphemistically referred to as health care reform, is not progress. yes we can has quickly turned to no we can't.
america, land of surface and superficiality.
and murder.
saturday, we killed eight school children in afghanistan. i think we were after some taliban, or terrorist, or something. but it was children who took the bomb. i suppose this is the price we pay for fighting a "just war," but it isn't we who pay the price, is it? it's not obama's kids who get killed when one of these bombs are dropped. but, what makes these children any less valuable than his own? didn't they too have parents who loved them? will they cry less, knowing the man calling the shots in the country that killed them is more liberal than the man he replaced? perhaps they will not shrug their shoulders and say, "hey, at least he's a lot better than bush." just as the vietnamese didn't give thanks that they weren't being murdered by the nazis.
we have a funny sense of progress in this country. progress means a guy can speak in complete sentences, have a half way decent looking wife, know his jazz and blues. it's a progress of style, of form, a shadow progress, a superficial progress, a surface progress. for, you see, we can all make it now. what if the odds are a million to one? what if making it means having to be as big an asshole as the cats you will replace? people of different shades have always made it, and still millions starve, countries are bombed, the earth is polluted. a token is only good for a ride on a subway, and now, they want tickets, so tokens don't even work for that anymore.
what is going on in pakistan, afghanistan, yemen, and iraq is not progress. the dismantling of democracy in honduras is not progress. a watered down gift to the insurance industry, euphemistically referred to as health care reform, is not progress. yes we can has quickly turned to no we can't.
america, land of surface and superficiality.
and murder.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
a tale of two crazies
two crazy things happened yesterday. well, more than two crazy things, but these are two that i am at least partially aware of. one, hit close to home, or rather, work. the other was on tv. one group of crazies were an ostracized number of fascist zealots, standing directly across from the high school that i work at. members of the phelps family, founders of the godhatesfags website, decided to protest outside of my workplace because our school has a gay straight alliance, and because the town i work in has a liberal reputation, whatever that means. and so they came. they were guarded by police officers stealing money from the town, making at least 30 bucks an hour to stand by and defend fascists. of course, as bad as these fascists are, they have not killed as many people as the various police agencies of this great nation. and speaking of white supremacists, it was not some kansas crazies who shouted "white power" after the massacre at attica in 1971. it was not those who tell us that aids is god's gift to gays who murdered fred hampton in his bed, bashed heads in the american south, or brutalized rodney king. something to think about.
in any case, there they were. they had children with them. one looked about 5 years old. a woman with them would occasionally burst into song. i yelled "you have good pipes. i would like to bust them!" then, i started making requests. hey, if they are gonna sing, why can't i ask for a few favorites? i asked for over the rainbow, but sadly, the tune was not in the real books they had brought with them, fully aware that such a request may well be made. a male member wanted to do it in c, but the back up singers balked. i then asked for skylark. i was met with silence. meanwhile, hundreds of students stood gazing at them, as if they were animals at the zoo. if only they were. i would have preferred a mass beat down, but cops and teachers kept that out of the realm of possibility. earlier in the day, i had casually stated in the teacher's lounge that i would personally like to see them get the crap kicked out of them. i was met with silence. "then, what is to stop them from beating up some gay guy?" well, what is to stop them from doing that anyway? why is it only the assholes that get to kick ass? nonviolence as an excuse for non action doesn't impress me.
eventually, they were led away. now, as bad as they were, they operated exclusively in the realm of words and ideas, twisted though they are. they flew no b-52's over our school, dropped no napalm on us, raided no one's houses. they were acknowledged as the fools they are, for they make the mistake of being honest. they put their bigotry out there, and therefore, their lunacy is apparent. and we rightly reject them.
later in the day, a well spoken man appeared on the television. the fascists hate this man, though he has killed many more muslims than they have. he is the physical embodiment of multiculturalism. he has succeeeded. millions respect him. no one mocks him. he doesn't speak from a pen, and is not made to feel that he is a pitiful fool. and yet, this same men, surrounded by young men who will likely kill many more people than the wackos i had protested earlier in the day, told us that he is sending 30,000 more soldiers to afghanistan. his words were not hateful, at least not personally so. he didn't once say that "god hates fags," though the bombs that will be dropped as a direct result of his decision will likely kill a number of gay people. he spoke in the liberal, sophisticated, wordly manner that excuses all manner of brutal acts. he wore a suit, was clean shaven, he looked calm. it is the facade of decency that makes it work. the appropriate language soothes us, as we proceed to destroy.
the first group of crazies command no army. they have no bombs, no marines. they have invaded no countries, stolen no resources. and yet, it is they that we fear. meanwhile, under the superficial cover of freedom and democracy, well dressed men mouthing pious platitudes, are destroying the earth and its people. one of those well dressed men spoke to us last night. he is supposedly a liberal.
and it is this liberal, and others of his ilk, operating within the american power structure, that will continue to kill with deeds far more abhorrent than even the most hateful signs held by the outcasts among us.
and we will watch the respectable ones, and vote for them. we will celebrate their victories, and fight their wars.
as we protest the crazies for their words, we will do our terrible deeds.
at least we will have nice suits and fine vocabularies.
in any case, there they were. they had children with them. one looked about 5 years old. a woman with them would occasionally burst into song. i yelled "you have good pipes. i would like to bust them!" then, i started making requests. hey, if they are gonna sing, why can't i ask for a few favorites? i asked for over the rainbow, but sadly, the tune was not in the real books they had brought with them, fully aware that such a request may well be made. a male member wanted to do it in c, but the back up singers balked. i then asked for skylark. i was met with silence. meanwhile, hundreds of students stood gazing at them, as if they were animals at the zoo. if only they were. i would have preferred a mass beat down, but cops and teachers kept that out of the realm of possibility. earlier in the day, i had casually stated in the teacher's lounge that i would personally like to see them get the crap kicked out of them. i was met with silence. "then, what is to stop them from beating up some gay guy?" well, what is to stop them from doing that anyway? why is it only the assholes that get to kick ass? nonviolence as an excuse for non action doesn't impress me.
eventually, they were led away. now, as bad as they were, they operated exclusively in the realm of words and ideas, twisted though they are. they flew no b-52's over our school, dropped no napalm on us, raided no one's houses. they were acknowledged as the fools they are, for they make the mistake of being honest. they put their bigotry out there, and therefore, their lunacy is apparent. and we rightly reject them.
later in the day, a well spoken man appeared on the television. the fascists hate this man, though he has killed many more muslims than they have. he is the physical embodiment of multiculturalism. he has succeeeded. millions respect him. no one mocks him. he doesn't speak from a pen, and is not made to feel that he is a pitiful fool. and yet, this same men, surrounded by young men who will likely kill many more people than the wackos i had protested earlier in the day, told us that he is sending 30,000 more soldiers to afghanistan. his words were not hateful, at least not personally so. he didn't once say that "god hates fags," though the bombs that will be dropped as a direct result of his decision will likely kill a number of gay people. he spoke in the liberal, sophisticated, wordly manner that excuses all manner of brutal acts. he wore a suit, was clean shaven, he looked calm. it is the facade of decency that makes it work. the appropriate language soothes us, as we proceed to destroy.
the first group of crazies command no army. they have no bombs, no marines. they have invaded no countries, stolen no resources. and yet, it is they that we fear. meanwhile, under the superficial cover of freedom and democracy, well dressed men mouthing pious platitudes, are destroying the earth and its people. one of those well dressed men spoke to us last night. he is supposedly a liberal.
and it is this liberal, and others of his ilk, operating within the american power structure, that will continue to kill with deeds far more abhorrent than even the most hateful signs held by the outcasts among us.
and we will watch the respectable ones, and vote for them. we will celebrate their victories, and fight their wars.
as we protest the crazies for their words, we will do our terrible deeds.
at least we will have nice suits and fine vocabularies.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
giving observations, not thanks
took an evening walk through the empty streets this thanksgiving. saw a sign outside the fire department building, showing a child with a toy. the poster read "toys for tots." toys for tots is a toy give away done by the marines. hopefully, it will be better than their original production, "bombs for babies." the facade of compassion and decency in this culture is almost as hateful as the brutality of our actions. almost. when you think of all the children our military has harmed, something like toys for tots becomes a sickening thing. it is not enough for us to kill. we must also pretend to be peaceful.
the hypocrisy is ongoing. we celebrate family on this day as we destroy families throughout the world. it would shock if it wasn't so mundane. we are such hypocrites that our hypocrisy has taken on a normality. honesty is a foreign trait. it would blind us if we came face to face with it. if someone asked the firemen, many of whom ride their trucks with a plethora of american flags, what do they make of an institution which kills children sponsoring a toy drive, they would look at this person as if he had three heads. or, they would tell him off. for, truth is no where to be found. it is buried deep, hidden within our degraded culture, but we are too busy digging for oil to notice. for, there are stars to be danced with, and songs to be sung, so simon says. it is bleak. we have pushed out the sun with lightbulbs, gigi gryce with lady gaga, home cooked meals with burger king. the bombs are dropped, as we debate the merits of adam lambert. yes, he kissed a man on stage. that's neither here nor there. but, what was he doing on tv in the first place? and, while children starve, what does it say about us that we spend precious time speaking of such matters?
surely, they will talk of us years from now. and oh, how vulgar the conversation will be.
just a walk down quiet streets. as the alcoholic once said, you can rum but you can't hide, so you might as well gin and bear it. it's better than singing the scotch blues.
toys for tots, sponsored by the marines. the walk for hunger, sponsored by raytheon.
war is peace
ignorance is strength
obama is bush
2009 is 1984
well, i give thanks that i am 5 again.
but there is noise in my head.
the hypocrisy is ongoing. we celebrate family on this day as we destroy families throughout the world. it would shock if it wasn't so mundane. we are such hypocrites that our hypocrisy has taken on a normality. honesty is a foreign trait. it would blind us if we came face to face with it. if someone asked the firemen, many of whom ride their trucks with a plethora of american flags, what do they make of an institution which kills children sponsoring a toy drive, they would look at this person as if he had three heads. or, they would tell him off. for, truth is no where to be found. it is buried deep, hidden within our degraded culture, but we are too busy digging for oil to notice. for, there are stars to be danced with, and songs to be sung, so simon says. it is bleak. we have pushed out the sun with lightbulbs, gigi gryce with lady gaga, home cooked meals with burger king. the bombs are dropped, as we debate the merits of adam lambert. yes, he kissed a man on stage. that's neither here nor there. but, what was he doing on tv in the first place? and, while children starve, what does it say about us that we spend precious time speaking of such matters?
surely, they will talk of us years from now. and oh, how vulgar the conversation will be.
just a walk down quiet streets. as the alcoholic once said, you can rum but you can't hide, so you might as well gin and bear it. it's better than singing the scotch blues.
toys for tots, sponsored by the marines. the walk for hunger, sponsored by raytheon.
war is peace
ignorance is strength
obama is bush
2009 is 1984
well, i give thanks that i am 5 again.
but there is noise in my head.
Monday, November 23, 2009
first slaughter turkeys, then people.
word is that the obama administration will not make the decision to send more troops to afghanistan until after the thanksgiving holiday. isn't that nice? but, what if it were october? would he wait until after halloween, or columbus day?
of course, a holiday which glorifies the slaughtering of past people is more important than the slaughtering of present people. indeed, whether to fight a war is not nearly as important as who gets the turkey leg, or first crack at the banana pudding. and you can't expect obama to make such a decision before he has the opportunity to pardon a turkey.
war is something that is done after the holidays. let it not ruin our joy, or cramp our styles. yes, there are impoverished children to kill. surely, we will get to that. but, let us entertain our annoying relatives first. all things in time. i suppose the afghans can give thanks that those 40,000 additional troops won't arrive for a while longer. aren't they the lucky ones.
you know, i wonder what the liberals would say if bush determined policies around his holiday schedule? in fact, i know what they would say..."he's an idiot." "his turkey comes first." shit like that. but, when their guy acts like a fool, it passes without comment. and there has been a lot of foolishness that has passed without comment within liberal circles during the last year. of course, the far right has been hard at work, painting obama as a radical socialist that wants to destroy our cracker civilization. but, does their insanity excuse their intellectual dishonesty? i think not. for, the liberals have always been this way. when clinton bombed serbia, they put their hands in their pants and jerked off, while thousands died. it's ok, as long as they are doing the killing.
saul alinsky once said that the conservative laughs as he stabs you in the back, while the liberal cries. well, that would be bad enough, but i'm not even seeing tears anymore. the liberal no longer apologizes. rather, he arrogantly struts on the big stage, killing easily. he always did, but he no longer hides his ferocity.
except at thanksgiving.
well, the turkey may feel differently.
especially, knowing that a jive turkey in the white house will be eating him.
of course, a holiday which glorifies the slaughtering of past people is more important than the slaughtering of present people. indeed, whether to fight a war is not nearly as important as who gets the turkey leg, or first crack at the banana pudding. and you can't expect obama to make such a decision before he has the opportunity to pardon a turkey.
war is something that is done after the holidays. let it not ruin our joy, or cramp our styles. yes, there are impoverished children to kill. surely, we will get to that. but, let us entertain our annoying relatives first. all things in time. i suppose the afghans can give thanks that those 40,000 additional troops won't arrive for a while longer. aren't they the lucky ones.
you know, i wonder what the liberals would say if bush determined policies around his holiday schedule? in fact, i know what they would say..."he's an idiot." "his turkey comes first." shit like that. but, when their guy acts like a fool, it passes without comment. and there has been a lot of foolishness that has passed without comment within liberal circles during the last year. of course, the far right has been hard at work, painting obama as a radical socialist that wants to destroy our cracker civilization. but, does their insanity excuse their intellectual dishonesty? i think not. for, the liberals have always been this way. when clinton bombed serbia, they put their hands in their pants and jerked off, while thousands died. it's ok, as long as they are doing the killing.
saul alinsky once said that the conservative laughs as he stabs you in the back, while the liberal cries. well, that would be bad enough, but i'm not even seeing tears anymore. the liberal no longer apologizes. rather, he arrogantly struts on the big stage, killing easily. he always did, but he no longer hides his ferocity.
except at thanksgiving.
well, the turkey may feel differently.
especially, knowing that a jive turkey in the white house will be eating him.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
just a piece in a puzzle
they changed my schedule today. there was no notice. dude claimed he had been trying to reach me, but i'm always in the same place.
it really doesn't matter, but the kids wondered where i was. it matters to them. they haven't learned yet that we are all just parts on a giant chess board. when they decide to move us, we move. every once in a while, we refuse to move, but those times are exceedingly rare. in this case, it all seemed a bit silly. the teachers who were introduced to me where unaware that i would be joining them. friendly fascism, if you will. i felt as if i were a bit player in a marx brothers routine. it couldn't be taken seriously. where i am doesn't seem to much matter. that i have to be anywhere is the real crime. that i have to get up in the morning, put on my clothes, catch the bus, and take direction from men and women who aren't worthy of scratching my ass, is the problem of all problems.
and yet, the kids don't know yet. and it's sweet. they like you. they don't care that you are only a para. to them, all that counts is that you are a good guy. and we teach them.
so, i will be in some different classes from now on. mellish the gypsy. if only i could play blues for ike. as oppression goes, it ain't much. but, it would be nice to determine my own movements.
as it was, i was sitting in the teacher's lounge, listening to gene ammons, when a bearded man with a voice higher than little anthony, approached, claiming he wanted to talk to me. in actuality, he didn't want to talk to me, but to the position i hold. very few people want to talk to me, but that may be for the best. the bearded wonder laid out his plan, seemingly improvised on the spot. zoot sims he wasn't.
and so it goes. i'm just another piece of the puzzle. i can be moved whenever "they" decide i should be moved. there is sadness to it, and humor as well. it's meaningless and profound, simple and complex. like everything else.
they own me from 8:20 to 2:45, as long as they don't personally insult me.
they can impersonally insult me all they want.
sad, but true.
by the way, i told the kids that they would see me around. that i would drop by, still bring my basketball, sing in the hallway, all of that.
i'm still here, folks.
kind of.
it really doesn't matter, but the kids wondered where i was. it matters to them. they haven't learned yet that we are all just parts on a giant chess board. when they decide to move us, we move. every once in a while, we refuse to move, but those times are exceedingly rare. in this case, it all seemed a bit silly. the teachers who were introduced to me where unaware that i would be joining them. friendly fascism, if you will. i felt as if i were a bit player in a marx brothers routine. it couldn't be taken seriously. where i am doesn't seem to much matter. that i have to be anywhere is the real crime. that i have to get up in the morning, put on my clothes, catch the bus, and take direction from men and women who aren't worthy of scratching my ass, is the problem of all problems.
and yet, the kids don't know yet. and it's sweet. they like you. they don't care that you are only a para. to them, all that counts is that you are a good guy. and we teach them.
so, i will be in some different classes from now on. mellish the gypsy. if only i could play blues for ike. as oppression goes, it ain't much. but, it would be nice to determine my own movements.
as it was, i was sitting in the teacher's lounge, listening to gene ammons, when a bearded man with a voice higher than little anthony, approached, claiming he wanted to talk to me. in actuality, he didn't want to talk to me, but to the position i hold. very few people want to talk to me, but that may be for the best. the bearded wonder laid out his plan, seemingly improvised on the spot. zoot sims he wasn't.
and so it goes. i'm just another piece of the puzzle. i can be moved whenever "they" decide i should be moved. there is sadness to it, and humor as well. it's meaningless and profound, simple and complex. like everything else.
they own me from 8:20 to 2:45, as long as they don't personally insult me.
they can impersonally insult me all they want.
sad, but true.
by the way, i told the kids that they would see me around. that i would drop by, still bring my basketball, sing in the hallway, all of that.
i'm still here, folks.
kind of.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
today is veteran's day. our nation will always make sure that there are plenty of veterans to honor. obama has just approved 40,000 more troops to afghanistan. 40,000. surely, those 40,000 troops will end up killing more than 13 people, the amount of people killed at fort hood, an event which has temporarily made us compassionate again. surely, obama, by continuing to prosecute wars in afghanistan, pakistan, and iraq, has been responsible for thousands of deaths. but, no one in the media has tried to figure out his state of mind. no one seems to think that the pressure has gotten to him, that he is suffering from ptsd, that religion is forcing him to kill. obama remains a liberal to both liberals and conservatives alike, the mounting death toll notwithstanding. in truth, truth doesn't matter. to the liberals, he wants peace. it doesn't matter that he makes war, for they know what he "wants." he has to move slowly, they tell us. why he has to add troops, they neglect to mention. supposedly, obama wants to do good, but it is tough. but, why is it easier to add troops than to subtract them? and to the conservatives, he is not sending enough troops. whatever he does, it doesn't matter, for he is a muslim socialist that wants to hand everything to black america. with two sides such as this, there is nothing to discuss. there is nowhere to turn.
we are left with the results of many more veteran's days to come. and come they will, courtesy of democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives. whoever drops them, the bombs feel the same.
we worry about the madmen, as the sane ones continue to kill in far greater numbers. erich fromm called us "the sane society," meaning that we are all nuts. in such a world, sanity is relative, as is madness.
it is mad to shoot 13 people, sane to send 40,000 troops to kill and be killed into afghanistan. what is the connection between sanity and madness? if it is sane to fight wars, why is it madness for individuals to pick up the gun and decide for themselves who they will kill? if we are willing to condemn the latter, why do we insist on condoning the former? we malign safe victims, knock the approved villian, as we salute killers of far greater magnitude. the big killers go to ivy league schools, lead countries. some even have african fathers. not many, but a few of them do.
just trying to judge men by the content of their characters. don't beat up on me too much.
i suppose tilberg won't post this one on facebook. too many would be offended.
well, that's when you know you're doing your job.
happy veteran's day.
here's to many more.
we are left with the results of many more veteran's days to come. and come they will, courtesy of democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives. whoever drops them, the bombs feel the same.
we worry about the madmen, as the sane ones continue to kill in far greater numbers. erich fromm called us "the sane society," meaning that we are all nuts. in such a world, sanity is relative, as is madness.
it is mad to shoot 13 people, sane to send 40,000 troops to kill and be killed into afghanistan. what is the connection between sanity and madness? if it is sane to fight wars, why is it madness for individuals to pick up the gun and decide for themselves who they will kill? if we are willing to condemn the latter, why do we insist on condoning the former? we malign safe victims, knock the approved villian, as we salute killers of far greater magnitude. the big killers go to ivy league schools, lead countries. some even have african fathers. not many, but a few of them do.
just trying to judge men by the content of their characters. don't beat up on me too much.
i suppose tilberg won't post this one on facebook. too many would be offended.
well, that's when you know you're doing your job.
happy veteran's day.
here's to many more.
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