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Saturday, July 30, 2011

chaos

Well.
America, the United States there of, that is,
is officially in trouble
from within

The ruling powers, those elected officials
elected to represent the peoples in
the  geographic area that elected them,
are powerless to make decisions that will benefit the nation,
or are unwilling to act in their behalf.

Whether or not the budget crisis is real
there is in fact the illusion of an authentic calamity

It is probably a reality
there is no money
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are bleeding us dry
BUT not for the reason of government expenditure
to fight for democracy
But for all the stealing an pilfering

The disappearance of equipment in Afghanistan
is disturbing
It has been reported that ten million dollars a day
is disappearing from Afghanistan

There seems to be no one protecting the interest of the
American people over there
since it is our money they are using to fight this war
and it is not being protected
how can any good be done over there

how can the war effort be effective when there are
individuals, groups, many removing the tools needed
to win the war and to rebuild the nation that war has
destroyed

It is all a hoax, or is it.
It is all for the oil.
And there is a higher price at the pump.

China is now a consumer, in competition with the USA
so prices in America for fuel should continue to rise,
no matter what war we fight.

One problem now is that China has all the money to spend
and we can not afford to bid above them, we have as they say
no money to pay our bills

So they will create more money
backed by the good name of the USA

BUT if the USA defaults, it will have to pay a higher interest
to borrow to buy anything
and to fight the wars

We seem to be boxing ourselves into a corner
with no way out
no matter what is done
there will be hardship

And what will be very difficult
is
all those kids who have been living with those silver spoons in their mouths
will have to suck the silver
because there will be nothing to put on the spoons
and they will not know how to react
because they have never been hungry

and whatever enemies we in America have
will have the advantage
having grown out of hardship
they will know how to live the lean life

they will not be hungry
because they have tightened their belts

It has been a long time since we have had a war on our territory

The high unemployment in America
and the rest of the world
is prime fodder for conflict

The powers that be, know what to do
they simply refuse to do it

and we all will have to suffer for it.

too bad for us.
the good times are gone.
every generation alive now will suffer,
except for the few who have accumulated the wealth
and have found the rules to keep it.
bona fortuna.
count your blessings.
think happy thoughts.
live one day at a time.
expect nothing.
therefore whatever you get
you will appreciate.
except if you expect everything to be laid in your lap.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The way it is

Corporations are free
accountable to no one
not you and not me

corporations make decisions
that foul the environment,
all over the world,
and like the timex, they keep
on ticking
while those living in the surrounding
areas are harmed physically, emotionally
and financially

Their land is destroyed
their health compromised
and their life cut short

and the corporation beats on

sometimes, when they are sued,
without accepting responsibility,
after years have passed, they
pay off the plaintiffs with token
remuneration, most of the
settlement benefiting the legal teams
that fought the battle, and appropriately,
they who fought the battle,
 should be reimbursed for their
knowledge, diligence and time.

And the persons responsible, the corporate
personnel destroying the habitat and health
of others are still paid their salaries including
benefits and retirement income.
Nothing happens to them, they are
no names, living out their lives in comfort.

Corporations are like shell games,
under no shell will you find the nut
that cracks the case that fixes the mess, 
or the nut that made the mess.

The sacrificial lamb, so to speak, is Rupert
Murdock, his corporation violated the rules
and was caught, and he takes no responsibility
neither does his son.
And he appears before the world and says
nothing.

It will be interesting to see if the British
are more willing to get to the bottom of things
and tell the world what has happened, who is really 
responsible and what safeguards are in place
to protect the unprotected.

The current financial crisis could be, in part, to terrorism
and the role governments and the media played in
instilling fear. There has always been danger in the world
but it seems that those who lead and those who inform
are too terrified to think, terrible, horrible, awful, frightening,
dangerous, horrific, scary, and every other adjective
to describe fear is the only way they informed us of
what was happening in the world.

They could not say, "A bomb exploded at a train station, killing
two wounding twenty" instead would have been reported
"terrible bomb explosion at a train station.....
A horrible bomb explosion....."

And we follow in their footsteps and get scared, and squirrel away everything.

But, also, the Clinton Administration(notice there is no one accountable
here either) changing the rules for Freddie and Fannie Mac destroying
the economic formula for a more sound housing environment.

If someone out right kills someone, the killer is punished.
But corporations and governments, who are no people,
no one that is named, maim and destroy and keep on ticking.

Until we the collective conscience, vote with our dollars, and refuse
to endorse those corporations and governments that are not acting in the best interest of the collective all.

When, that is, we find out what is really going on.
  

Friday, July 15, 2011

Leaders

We are the leaders, we permit individuals to make laws and enact rules.
Without us, they are not leaders.
We are the driving force.
We change the world.
We go on strike.
We revolt against tyranny.

Unless we close our eyes and ears, we see what is going on in the world,
and WE allow things to happen.

we are responsible, the collective US.
Sometimes we are too tired, to act,
sometimes we are too busy to act
sometimes we are too frightened to act
sometimes we are too lazy to act
sometimes we are too hungry to act
and then,
we look around and see the ugliness which has evolved
we blame everyone else not ourselves.

One hundred years ago in New York City, was what has been called the Triangle Factory Fire. Workers, mostly women, mostly young women crowded on one factory floor with three hundred sewing machines, fabric, thread and paper patterns. One door open as an exit and two freight elevators with one lighted cigarette thrown or dropped, igniting history with the single most dramatic destruction of life in the history of New York City. Through negligence, indifference, greed, stupidity, laziness, and exploitation, women jumped to their death from windows to escape the flames.

The collective we let that happen.

Mass graves around the world attest to the numbness of the masses, the collective we who care little that individuals are denied life. The collective we are numb to the stories reported of abuse.

And then the collective we, come to our senses. We reach the saturation point and we stand fast against injustice. Like the smouldering embers ignite to flames engulfing everything in its path, we sweep away the unconsciousness and stand alert to the horrors humanity has endured.

And we revolt.
We refuse to participate
We refuse to be a part of, or party to
that which we do not want done to ourselves and
finally
that which is being done to others that we find abhorent.

Only the collective we can affect the changes
only the collective we can make things better

Until the next time complacency reigns
Until habit again takes the place of thoughtfulness
Until we again subject ourselves to the inhumanity of man.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

happiness

A relative term
kind of like
if only

if everything goes my way then i am happy
if i get what i want then i am happy

if i were richer then i would be happy
if i were thinner then i would be happy
if i were smarter then i would be happy

if i were older then i would be happy
if i were younger then i would be happy

then when i get what i want i want more to make me happy
then when i realize my dream i will be happy

only if i can find the right formula
then i will be happy

then when i am happy
i am unhappy because my happiness is relative to what i do not have
what i do not have will make me happy
what i have is not good enough for me to continue to be happy

striving srtiving striving
more more more

greed?
disire?
need?

not enough
we always seem to think that what we have is not enough

the few who have little and are satisfied are admired by the many who have plenty

Saturday, July 9, 2011

another big mistake

the new big mistake, spending millions to release and track guns in Mexico & South America

America is so out of its element
America is not yet again hungry
America has leaders who have never been hungry
and do not know the motivation
of starvation

America, once the leader of the world
has lost its grasp
and can not seem to do anything right

America seems doomed to failure
everything it touches turns sour

America has lost its moral right
A nation built out of bloodshed
from the founding days when it destroyed
the native tribes, wiping out the complexion
indigenous to the land

then the battle with  the natives across the pond
and still the battle with each other

until the great war, to end all war
and instead of finding a humane way to close
the dispute, of course along with others
the stripping of the bad guys, leaving them nothing
to lick their wounds
furthering the fostering of the conflict
forcing the bad guys to come back with a vengeance
to rock their modern world

and then America, again,
with all its might, fights for control of the world
to make friends with the enemy

(what in fact is happening is
the bully is telling everybody what the game is
and what the rules are
and what the punishment will be
if the game is not played the way they say
THEN
they change the rules
and put the wrench in the works
and mess up the game
so only a very few
again win
and are on top of the pile)
"I will let you play my game until I win"
is really what the game is

Until the freak of nature
distorts the reality
then chaos rules

the old cause and effect
with the cause always blaming the effect for the results

and the results
for very many
the contraction
of assets,
of freedom,
of happiness,
of opportunity,
in some cases
the loss of everything
before the big chill

leaving a listless waning
an oblivion

with  crawling
the norm
and the creature
wanders the oblivion
crawling its way back
to civility and society...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

the fourth of july holiday weekend

Usually, at our household the holiday is about sports.
We begin the holiday with the renewed excitement of watching good tennis.
This year though, we were disappointed with the women grunters
and do not like joke a vics poor sportsmanship and the other guy who is always wanting us to pay attention to his back side, the two who seem not to have grown up, pampered brats. And after watching the grace and character of Roger Federer we embarrassed for those two men?/boys so we move on to other games of individual achievement.
Competitive bowling followed by women's college bowling
and the worlds heaviest man competition.
It is remarkable to think that one man can carry two two-hundred seventy five anvils for any distance
but to turn a nine-hundred ninety pound tire repeatedly, six to complete the course is thought provoking.
Picking up our sixteen pound cat repeatedly is a chore, lifting half a ton is stuff to dream about, albeit a tire
is not exactly the stuff dreams are made of, unless you are a member of the Bridgestone or Firestone family.

The fourth of July is a celebration of independence, not simply national independence for our household.
Yes we do grill burgers and watch the fireworks and generally relax and connect with family and loved ones just like everybody else.

But we seem to gravitate to the individual achievement sporting events as a necessary root for this particular holiday. Maybe it is our annual mega dose of sports, much like the sporting events leading up to the Olympic competition, and the Olympics. We sit and watch the new generation achieve, we study their demeanor and the stupid sports networks that don't even give the athlete time to catch their breath and the must have interview. It is remarkable enough when an athlete achieves success after preparation and practice and focus, but they must speak without getting enough oxygen to prevent their eyes from crossing. And these young people can think and speak without catching their breath. Personal achievement their driving force.

And then there is the guy competing in bowling who pops his water bottle to distract his opponent, winning any which way he can.

We also watch the fight, where the guy kept feigning a fall causing his opponent to lose a point and we wonder if it is a generational thing, the art of the game has lost it allure, winning is the prize, no longer- being the best- the goal.

To be the best at what you do no longer seems to be a goal any more winning is all that seems to matter.
Cheating seems to be the rule, instead of rules of fair play. It is more the slug fest, beat the other guy any way you can, and if you can not beat the opponent at the game by the rules CHEAT. So how does that foster self respect, how does that make one feel good.  It is like when the bully wins, only now we get to watch it on tv.

The bully rules is the 2011 mantra, the slug fest is on, toughen up your gloves, the rules have changed, and nobody told us, except sometimes there is an individual who realizes that being the best at what you do is a prize more valuable than winning.