Genius At Work or Idiots At Play?

4.26.2005
Notes. For now. 4.26.05 0800

1) We KNEW that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were admittedly ENEMIES...why did we assume that they'd be working together?
Saddam Hussein is an enemy to the interests of Bin Laden's extremist ideals...to that end, why would they?

2) Saddam Hussein is NOT a stupid person. On the contrary, he's at the least, very coy. Sociopath? Absolutely. Psychotic? Yep. Willing to "hand over the keys" to any amount of troops and/or weapons (either nuclear or otherwise) to terrorists? HELL NO. Come on. If you have an enemy, a mutual enemy that you share with another enemy of yours. Are you going to work in concert to rid yourself(yourselves) of said "3rd party"? No way.

3) As far back as 1991, Iraq was without nuclear ability - at least to the ability of doing any untold/unannounced damage to our country.

4) Iraq was never proven to have nukes. Let's assume that they did. Why should THEY or any other country in the world NOT BE ALLOWED by our hubristic bullying to have them? Are we the only country that should be allowed to have them?

5) If we do indeed have enough nukes to destroy most of the world several times over - why do we need more?

6) If Iraq really DID have nukes...why choose the date we did - POST 9/11 to attack Iraq? WHY NOT do it when Bush Jr. came into office - releasing the bile/contempt/defending his daddy that was built up behind his icy eyes?

7) This is an easy one, really, but what the hell: Why haven't we gone to Saudi Arabia to search for terrorists, since that's where the "main ones" came from originally during 9/11?

I'm A Reader... I Read. It's...What I Do.

4.24.2005
Hoping to finish all of the following by year's end. Just FINALLY read "A Catcher In The Rye" this year. Not sure what the big deal was with that book. Maybe a few language issues, but I don't think enough to have the book banned in schools across the nation. Different times I suppose.

Anyway, click the links to see what I'm tackling. You might find some interesting stuff to check out.

1) Noam Chomsky - Media Control

2) Thomas Paine - Common Sense

3) James W. Loewen - Lies My Teacher Told Me

4) Eric Schlosser - Fast Food Nation

5) Jon Ronson - Them: Adventures With Extremists

6) Alexandra Kitty - OutFOXed: Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism

7) Various - Abuse Your Illusions

8) Howard Zinn - People's History Of The United States

"PATRIOTISM is supporting your country ALL the time, and your government when it DESERVES it." Mark Twain

Kevn. Fucking. Kinney.

4.17.2005
awesome. tough to describe how magical an experience is - or the artist performing - when 1) there's nothing to compare it to, and 2) seemingly no one else has heard of the guy ;)

kevn kinney is an incredible songwriter (from Athens, GA via Atlanta - which is home nowadays...) and drivin' & cryin' (his first band) put out some incredible cd's as well, and to this day were the loudest concert I've ever been to.

anyway, timmy and I went backstage, timmy gave him a gumball machine angel and a note that he wrote describing why he wanted kevn to have the angel. kevn said he was gonna put it on the dashboard of their van to keep 'em safe. gave timmy the pick he used for his opening set. tore timmy's note in half (since half of it was blank anyway) and wrote a note to timmy on the blank half that said "timmy! thank you so much for the angel! (scribbled a really neat pic of a guy playing guitar) Kevn Kinney"

timmy starts grinning from ear to ear. informs KK that his favorite song is the "Indian Song". they talk briefly and shake hands and kev goes off to get some chow, and we go back inside to see sarah lee guthrie (grand daughter of woody, daughter of arlo...) and her husband play a folk style show that'd just blow you away.

venue is a small art gallery in downtown lansing. LITERALLY 100 people. small, acoustically incredible. the building has a life of its own. we sat front row center of course for both parts of the show. except when sarah lee and johnny were playing, kevn came out and sat on one of the benches against the wall about 10 feet from us... timmy marches over and sits down next to him and talks quietly about "did you know The Clash are from England?" and "your show was great" and "I like your hat..." and "thanks again for the pick..." I kept turning my head to look at timmy making sure he wasn't being a pest, and seeing the interaction between timmy and an artist/person who over the last year or so has become one of his favorites was truly incredible.
kevn kept flashing this grin and kind of giving me the "it's okay" type of wave...

sarah lee guthrie is as lyrically/vocally talented as she is fucking beautiful :) her husband johnny irions is equally talented both lyrically and vocally, but doesn't do much for me physically ;) hahahahahahahahaha

there's something to be said for seeing artists you admire and have respected and researched (in my case, it's like a mission...I wanna know what makes folks tick...)...something else to see them in such an intimate setting. something even more to meet them and have them treat you as a person, with no sign of piousness or arrogance. simple personal values of treating folks like you'd like to be treated are rare nowadays. "keeping it real" for real. the epitome of an artist who plays from the heart, on stage and off.

I only hope that my children keep those values as well - not as artists, but as people. just be themselves 100% of the time. not to be swayed by the temptations of cliques or trying to be someone they aren't to please someone else.

you can sell a million records and be an asshole. you can sell 100,000 and be true to yourself and those who admire you as an artist and as a person. most of the artists I like can (seemingly) attest to the latter.

front row tickets for the show (3): $48
donation to the art gallery: $40
watching your son enjoy and appreciate a great show and meet some truly incredible people: priceless.

hard to find anything this morning (give me a couple hours... :)) to be pissed off about. hence the happier side of me being exposed.

walking on clouds this morning...timmy couldn't hardly wake up to get to school but sure was excited to tell his unknowing friends about going to a show with his daddy.

gotta stop. tears. happiness.

Taking Out The Trash

4.12.2005
...look, it's really simple. if you didn't want to be a trash man, why did you take the job? you get like $20 an hour in this small town. it's a freakin' mint, bro! never mind the smell, shit man, we ALL reek of sugarbeets being processed between October and May and exhaust fumes from our beater/bondo supreme vehicles fer crissakes.

sorry, that the neighbors on either side are 80 some years old and only put out one goddamn bag each tuesday morning, most likely filled to the brim with cat food cans and leftover spaghetti. and I'm sorry that we're the youngest family on the block, have a total of 5 or 6 bags of trash by the curb every tuesday morning...but shaking your head in disbelief every goddam trash day when you arrive at our place isn't gonna make it better, ya fuckin' jerk.

dude, next time you shake your head like that, it could be just the kickstart I need to make it spin all the way around your fat neck, ya jackass.

and don't even get me started on the way you toss the rubbermaid barrels around after you empty them, ass.

give me a reason, and I'll haul your punkass back to the waste treatment factory that spawned you.

If You Love Me, Then Give A Yell, Otherwise, You'll Go To Hell!

4.10.2005
Recently saw a sign at the "Pilgrim Methodist Church" here in open minded Essexville...you know, open minded as far as 75 percent of the population owning oversized/big wheeled 4 X 4 trucks with rebel flags and/or Calvin & Hobbes "piss on (insert HATED NASCAR DRIVER/ANTI HUNTER/ANTI GUN LOBBY/ANTI TED NUGENT LOVING entity here...)" sticker and/or gun racks and/or "you'll pull my gun from my cold dead hand" stickers...can be.

"How can a moral wrong, be a civil right?" Hmmmmm....could be a reference to a myriad of things. I suppose since the contents of morals in general are completely subjective, regardless of what one's religious beliefs are.

If it specifically references "pulling the plug" on someone who is terminally ill, and who has previously made their wishes known that if tubes, machines and drugs are their only source of sustenance and that they cannot otherwise feel happiness, experience the pleasures of living without any physical senses about them - then they want to be unhooked for a quicker transition into whatever afterlife (if any) they'll soon be crossing over to...is considered a "moral wrong"...well, then I would deign to say that many of us belong behind bars based on that "code of law".

If it's even more generic than that...adhering more to a "code" laid down in the good book, I would say the following. There's religion all over this world. There are many religious beliefs - and even (gasp!) those who don't believe in a "god" per se. Or, those who choose to live a life based on what they feel is right. Folks who would never harm another person, animal, plant, bug, etc... just because they feel it would be wrong to do so. With no encouragement? With no SPECIFIC SET OF LAWS - other than (you're kidding right?) COMMON FREAKIN' SENSE? Say it ain't so. How will the publishers of religious propaganda and/or bibles and/or koran's and/or pamphlets of the week possibly survive?

Easy. People can make their own decisions. To NOT kill someone on the street out of hatred, doesn't require education in a church, mosque, synagogue or whatever... it requires common sense. respect for living creatures. The same can be said for helping to facilitate the end for someone who is suffering endlessly inside, unable to communicate, unable to feel...in spite of overzealous relatives or church members who feel that that person is better off suffering than simply being at peace.

Where's the sense in that? As far as judging what is morally wrong - wouldn't it be against the "law" of most religions to make that judgement? OR, to NOT FORGIVE those folks who aren't towing the line? What's gonna happen when the whole shithouse goes up in flames (original term credit to jim morrison) and there's armies of folks from every religious affiliation fighting to get in first because they're morally superior to anyone else? If there is a divine creator - do you really think they're going to accept everyone if they're acting like a bunch of self serving hypocrites from day one? If yes, then doesn't that completely wipe out any chance of passing judgement of "sin" on anyone else? If NO...then you better start shaping up or stick to yourself and your fellow idolators and go on your way.

If there truly is one judge, let's leave it to them to deal with the acts of us earthly souls on our own. Don't call me a sinner because I don't go to your church. Or, any church for that matter. Introspection is an excellent source of divine inspiration. We're all given the gift to look within ourselves and to be kind. And to pay the consequences for actions we commit against others that cause physical, mental or emotional harm.

What goes around comes around. Knowing this, live and let live. Oh, and forgive.

Whatever, Dudes... Jealousy Of Britney Ain't Cool.

4.6.2005
if you...

had tons of money...the ability to make a ton more on your looks alone...have been on the cover of every magazine in the world...were good
looking (a stretch for some of us...especially yours truly...)...earned the admiration of a large fan base for whatever your talents are...would you be
happy?

what if you had cameras on you wherever you went? what if no matter what you did - you were scrutinized for it? you know, like "OH MY GOD! (name)
BOUGHT THE SUPER SIZE PACK OF DOUBLEMINT GUM!!! THEY'RE OFF THE SUGAR WAGON!!! LOOK AT THEIR TEETH!!!"

craving attention...fame...money...etc...or...choosing a career that will bring all of the above will also indirectly cause you choose boxcars full of
grief. fine. it seems any intelligent person would understand that. some folks can handle it better than others. considering that britney only
recently lashed out / stuck up for herself against the press...I think she's handled things pretty well for a young woman.

has she made poor choices? depends on the person you ask. there are no definitive answers - to ANY questions. there are NO definitive RULES that
say how a person's supposed to act or behave - unless you refer to laws (which she hasn't broken to my knowledge) regarding harming others. despite
what seemingly most folks would believe. getting married in vegas isn't a crime. spending money on nukes when we've got a stockpile already big
enough to tear the world down 10 times over - INSTEAD of feeding folks who are starving...now THAT's a crime. but let's not go there. wearing a
midriff showing t shirt and smoking a cigarette in front of someone with a camera who will take your picture - not pay you for it - and post it on the
internet proclaiming you as "The Trailer Park Princess" is also not a crime. shit, you can see that every day all around you. especially in the so
called "bible belt"...but again, let's not go there either.

we all make "poor/questionable/regrettable decisions" in our daily routines. we all (mostly) survive them. maybe even learn from them. not necessarily today,
but perhaps down the road sometime. eventually.

scrutiny is something that is indefensible. unavoidable. success breeds extreme jealousy, and you can't stop folks from hating you because you have
what they don't. it would seem our society could benefit from taking a step back, stop trying
to disguise our jealousy (and that IS what it is, lest one denies it...but that's what it is...) of those who have what we don't...and hoping for folks
to fail and frothing at the mouth waiting for that failure to come to life on our idiot boxes... and INSTEAD, just dig what we have for ourselves.

but...alas...what do I know? only this: what comes around, goes around - twofold.

and with that...end transmission.

Don't Call It A Blog

4.5.2005
I’ve decided to put my thoughts down on paper - or at least “screen” as it were. Thoughts that occur to me daily. Random thoughts and observations regarding what’s happening in my life and the world around me. Quite frankly, as simple a person as I consider myself to be, there’s tons happening upstairs lately. I’ve GOT to put this stuff down, lest I find myself incapable of decompression. Most of what I’m going to write about will have a political/sociological bent, as that’s really what drives my energy to write. Not much of a “here’s another ‘first in the life of my kid’” kind of person. I love my kids. As much as they disturb the momentum of working from home on a daily basis, those little people are the true light in my life…and a large reason why I fear the future like I do. Besides, I most often write about the things that encourage my poetic fervor (read: things that piss me off).

Although this will be on the web, for my friends, family and the occasional passerby on the WWWeb to see, I refuse to label it as a “blog.” That’s pigeonholing my inner turmoil and its impending irrigation into nothing more than a label. I’m here to teach. If for no one else’s benefit, for my own. Shit, as far as that goes, I’ll be the only one really interested in reading the thoughts in my own mind - daily, a year from now, ten years from now…whatever. I can’t imagine anyone being interested in what’s making me tick - or better put - what’s ticking me off. If nothing else, I hope to gain and possibly provide insight - whether just to myself, those in my “inner circle.” As I educate myself, I hope that occasionally I’ll be able to convince at least one member of this world to read more about topics that fuel my interests. To bring at least one person out of their comfort zone. To bring someone around on their way of thinking - even on something that really could legitimately “go either way.” I think the challenge of making that happen (possibly even turning myself around - maybe even several times), as I continue to research the world around me daily, not stopping at the surface of ANYTHING, constantly exploring deeper the things that I love (and, perhaps more importantly, those things that I despise…thanks Frederick…) to dig as close to the root of existence as possible - is what appeals to me most. Well, that, and long, long run on sentences.

Seriously, it’s really too bad that spending 10 minutes with every single person in this world is not a possibility. I think I could get this thing spinning in the right directions. “No Spin Zone” my ass. The “non spinning” of our society is responsible for the dead brain cells of the non thinking lemmings that share the earth with me. That’s most of this world unfortunately.

And, truth be told, I certainly don’t have all the answers. Not even freakin’ close. I’m no messiah. I don’t want followers. I’m not starting some cult. Unless it’s a cult of “READERS.” Straighten yourselves up folks. To quote the great Bill Hicks, before you jump in on some topic that a propagandist has spun towards the “right”: “Listen. Read. Think. Slow down. Shut the FUCK UP.” I wish good ol’ Bill would have been around long enough to riff a bit on Network “news”. But that’s another story. After all Terri Schiavo and The Pope are now both dead…what the hell else is there to talk about now?

And I can’t think of a better way to end transmission 1, than with this from my main man Steve Earle:

“The most important thing to remember is, no matter what anyone tells you, it is NEVER EVER unpatriotic or un-american to question ANYTHING in a democracy.”