I decided that I had cancer.
I had this little thing on my nose. And if you went at it like a pimple, it would bleed for over an hour...
And after doing some reading online about skin cancer, well, I figured I had a touch of skin cancer. This did not freak me out, but I assumed it was so. I decided I would get it removed and like so many other people who get things removed, I'd be fine with the change.
Life would continue. I'd be cancer free. The sun would keep beating down on me, but I would forever be protected by Sea & Ski SPF 50. And though the aging process cannot be halted, I would fare well against future cancer. I would add the application of sun block to the rest of my keep-the-future-corpse-shiny scheme---flossing, trimming, sacrificing grilled cheese sandwiches.
I went to the dermatologist in the Mt. Sinai medical tower. Dr. Mekelburg (a name that demands to be said out loud with a clownish accent and a dada tilt of the head toward the ridiculousness of unknowing and the resignation to omniscience) and I waited for an hour with all the others who trekked to Beverly Hills to have their lumps examined. And then I got into an examination room where I waited again.
And though he wasn't wearing floppy shoes and a red nose, that joyful Mekelberg came at me, took one look at my nose lump and told me without a clown tone and with one-hundred percent assurance that this thing was not cancer and that he would have it off in a jiffy if I wasn't wary of possible scarring.
I told him to have at it.
Which he did do. The thing to be excised was just some sort of keratin buildup...but it did have its own blood vessel supply in there and this is the reason I thought it was cancer. Novocain, Snip, Gone, Ointment, Bandage, Melanoma check, out the door just two hours after I had arrived. Not an altered DNA cancer cell in sight.
My advice to myself: I think I need to stop the self diagnosis. And, I think I need to assume that most things are not cancer. This new approach should serve me well.
And every now and then, just to lighten things up, I will say Mekelburg like some sort of deranged clown.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Sound of Chewing Insects
Every week, one company is eaten by another one and we all must go along for the ride.
Fine.
Every day, the format for something changes and we have to adjust to it.
Fine.
Every hour, another bill enters the mailbox and it's just wrong. Almost never in your favor.
And you get mad, and you call, and you try to get back that $2, that $8.95, that $157.50. It's infuriating, but if you were a big company who could steal from people with a shrug and never have to pay any consequence, wouldn't you try to do it, too?
Sure. Fine. Thieves. America. Fine.
But what I can't stand in all this....what just makes me nuts...is at bottom the actions of the game are simply: attack, compete, destroy, grab and head back to the castle. And everyone is happy to play along.
While already very unhealthy, poor people eat KFC. Still beaten down, women die of breast cancer, daily, from the poison in our environment.
And no one is outraged?
Sometimes, I think my anti-virus program is the virus.
Sometimes, I think the drug companies are drugging us.
Sometimes, I think the banks are taking our money.
Sometimes, I think the ads are selling us things and we pay for the selling.
Paranoid? Me? I gave up weed over a year ago.
I love the variety of the big city. With everything there is to see. But does it all have to be for sale? And Rupert Murdoch always gets the vig?
While everyone gets richer, everything becomes more expensive.
I like nice sheets. However---
I wish the spam would stop. I wish the credit card offers would stop. I wish I could meet one person who did not have issues around money. I wish the sausage was fresh and the cheese more creamy.
But then, I'm a romantic.
Fine.
Every day, the format for something changes and we have to adjust to it.
Fine.
Every hour, another bill enters the mailbox and it's just wrong. Almost never in your favor.
And you get mad, and you call, and you try to get back that $2, that $8.95, that $157.50. It's infuriating, but if you were a big company who could steal from people with a shrug and never have to pay any consequence, wouldn't you try to do it, too?
Sure. Fine. Thieves. America. Fine.
But what I can't stand in all this....what just makes me nuts...is at bottom the actions of the game are simply: attack, compete, destroy, grab and head back to the castle. And everyone is happy to play along.
While already very unhealthy, poor people eat KFC. Still beaten down, women die of breast cancer, daily, from the poison in our environment.
And no one is outraged?
Sometimes, I think my anti-virus program is the virus.
Sometimes, I think the drug companies are drugging us.
Sometimes, I think the banks are taking our money.
Sometimes, I think the ads are selling us things and we pay for the selling.
Paranoid? Me? I gave up weed over a year ago.
I love the variety of the big city. With everything there is to see. But does it all have to be for sale? And Rupert Murdoch always gets the vig?
While everyone gets richer, everything becomes more expensive.
I like nice sheets. However---
I wish the spam would stop. I wish the credit card offers would stop. I wish I could meet one person who did not have issues around money. I wish the sausage was fresh and the cheese more creamy.
But then, I'm a romantic.
Labels:
Social Studies
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
November 29, 1974
We went ice skating with Earl tonight. We ate at McDonald's and we saw the Kennedy Center and Watergate. We went into this cathedral and I got lost in the crypt. Shit! I pissed in my pants.
I guess I was visiting my cousins in Washington, D.C.-- We often went there for Thanksgiving. I remember seeing the Watergate Hotel. And how odd it was that it was simply a hotel. The term Watergate seemed much larger than some building.
The Cathedral must have beenThe National Cathedral. It had the moon rock in one of the stained glass windows.
I am sure I did not piss in my pants. Just an overwrought expression.
I guess I was visiting my cousins in Washington, D.C.-- We often went there for Thanksgiving. I remember seeing the Watergate Hotel. And how odd it was that it was simply a hotel. The term Watergate seemed much larger than some building.
The Cathedral must have beenThe National Cathedral. It had the moon rock in one of the stained glass windows.
I am sure I did not piss in my pants. Just an overwrought expression.
Labels:
Journal
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Theft
Why do people get oil rights? And why do they get to keep the profits from such a thing?
I guess I don't understand how someone can own a part of the earth. I mean, don't we all own it?
And if that's a naive idea...fine...but if the swiftest and the greediest can claim they own the rights to something under the ground (oil, diamonds, what-have-you)-- then simply enough, we live in a world based on school yard bullying.
The strongest kid with the greatest will just keeps getting more.
Obviously, this cannot continue. This cannot be the future for the species.
I wish I had a fix for it.
All I can come up with is---INTENSE OVERSIGHT AND REGULATION AND ENORMOUS TAXATION.
Time for a change, friends.
Labels:
Momma Earth
Monday, November 27, 2006
Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do--Michael Moore
Friends,
Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II.
That's right. We were able to defeat all of Nazi Germany, Mussolini, and the entire Japanese empire in LESS time than it's taken the world's only superpower to secure the road from the airport to downtown Baghdad.
And we haven't even done THAT. After 1,347 days, in the same time it took us to took us to sweep across North Africa, storm the beaches of Italy, conquer the South Pacific, and liberate all of Western Europe, we cannot, after over 3 and 1/2 years, even take over a single highway and protect ourselves from a homemade device of two tin cans placed in a pothole. No wonder the cab fare from the airport into Baghdad is now running around $35,000 for the 25-minute ride. And that doesn't even include a friggin' helmet.
Is this utter failure the fault of our troops? Hardly. That's because no amount of troops or choppers or democracy shot out of the barrel of a gun is ever going to "win" the war in Iraq. It is a lost war, lost because it never had a right to be won, lost because it was started by men who have never been to war, men who hide behind others sent to fight and die.
Let's listen to what the Iraqi people are saying, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Maryland:
** 71% of all Iraqis now want the U.S. out of Iraq.
** 61% of all Iraqis SUPPORT insurgent attacks on U.S. troops.
Yes, the vast majority of Iraqi citizens believe that our soldiers should be killed and maimed! So what the hell are we still doing there? Talk about not getting the hint.
There are many ways to liberate a country. Usually the residents of that country rise up and liberate themselves. That's how we did it. You can also do it through nonviolent, mass civil disobedience. That's how India did it. You can get the world to boycott a regime until they are so ostracized they capitulate. That's how South Africa did it. Or you can just wait them out and, sooner or later, the king's legions simply leave (sometimes just because they're too cold). That's how Canada did it.
The one way that DOESN'T work is to invade a country and tell the people, "We are here to liberate you!" -- when they have done NOTHING to liberate themselves. Where were all the suicide bombers when Saddam was oppressing them? Where were the insurgents planting bombs along the roadside as the evildoer Saddam's convoy passed them by? I guess ol' Saddam was a cruel despot -- but not cruel enough for thousands to risk their necks. "Oh no, Mike, they couldn't do that! Saddam would have had them killed!" Really? You don't think King George had any of the colonial insurgents killed? You don't think Patrick Henry or Tom Paine were afraid? That didn't stop them. When tens of thousands aren't willing to shed their own blood to remove a dictator, that should be the first clue that they aren't going to be willing participants when you decide you're going to do the liberating for them.
A country can HELP another people overthrow a tyrant (that's what the French did for us in our revolution), but after you help them, you leave. Immediately. The French didn't stay and tell us how to set up our government. They didn't say, "we're not leaving because we want your natural resources." They left us to our own devices and it took us six years before we had an election. And then we had a bloody civil war. That's what happens, and history is full of these examples. The French didn't say, "Oh, we better stay in America, otherwise they're going to kill each other over that slavery issue!"
The only way a war of liberation has a chance of succeeding is if the oppressed people being liberated have their own citizens behind them -- and a group of Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins, Ghandis and Mandellas leading them. Where are these beacons of liberty in Iraq? This is a joke and it's been a joke since the beginning. Yes, the joke's been on us, but with 655,000 Iraqis now dead as a result of our invasion (source: Johns Hopkins University), I guess the cruel joke is on them. At least they've been liberated, permanently.
So I don't want to hear another word about sending more troops (wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers), or "redeploying" them, or waiting four months to begin the "phase-out." There is only one solution and it is this: Leave. Now. Start tonight. Get out of there as fast as we can. As much as people of good heart and conscience don't want to believe this, as much as it kills us to accept defeat, there is nothing we can do to undo the damage we have done. What's happened has happened. If you were to drive drunk down the road and you killed a child, there would be nothing you could do to bring that child back to life. If you invade and destroy a country, plunging it into a civil war, there isn't much you can do 'til the smoke settles and blood is mopped up. Then maybe you can atone for the atrocity you have committed and help the living come back to a better life.
The Soviet Union got out of Afghanistan in 36 weeks. They did so and suffered hardly any losses as they left. They realized the mistake they had made and removed their troops. A civil war ensued. The bad guys won. Later, we overthrew the bad guys and everybody lived happily ever after. See! It all works out in the end!
The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month. We will fight you harder than we did the Republicans. The opening page of my website has a photo of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, each made up by a collage of photos of the American soldiers who have died in Bush's War. But it is now about to become the Bush/Democratic Party War unless swift action is taken.
This is what we demand:
1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.
2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.
3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.
In closing, there is one final thing I know. We Americans are better than what has been done in our name. A majority of us were upset and angry after 9/11 and we lost our minds. We didn't think straight and we never looked at a map. Because we are kept stupid through our pathetic education system and our lazy media, we knew nothing of history. We didn't know that WE were the ones funding and arming Saddam for many years, including those when he massacred the Kurds. He was our guy. We didn't know what a Sunni or a Shiite was, never even heard the words. Eighty percent of our young adults (according to National Geographic) were not able to find Iraq on the map. Our leaders played off our stupidity, manipulated us with lies, and scared us to death.
But at our core we are a good people. We may be slow learners, but that "Mission Accomplished" banner struck us as odd, and soon we began to ask some questions. Then we began to get smart. By this past November 7th, we got mad and tried to right our wrongs. The majority now know the truth. The majority now feel a deep sadness and guilt and a hope that somehow we can make make it all right again.
Unfortunately, we can't. So we will accept the consequences of our actions and do our best to be there should the Iraqi people ever dare to seek our help in the future. We ask for their forgiveness.
We demand the Democrats listen to us and get out of Iraq now.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II.
That's right. We were able to defeat all of Nazi Germany, Mussolini, and the entire Japanese empire in LESS time than it's taken the world's only superpower to secure the road from the airport to downtown Baghdad.
And we haven't even done THAT. After 1,347 days, in the same time it took us to took us to sweep across North Africa, storm the beaches of Italy, conquer the South Pacific, and liberate all of Western Europe, we cannot, after over 3 and 1/2 years, even take over a single highway and protect ourselves from a homemade device of two tin cans placed in a pothole. No wonder the cab fare from the airport into Baghdad is now running around $35,000 for the 25-minute ride. And that doesn't even include a friggin' helmet.
Is this utter failure the fault of our troops? Hardly. That's because no amount of troops or choppers or democracy shot out of the barrel of a gun is ever going to "win" the war in Iraq. It is a lost war, lost because it never had a right to be won, lost because it was started by men who have never been to war, men who hide behind others sent to fight and die.
Let's listen to what the Iraqi people are saying, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Maryland:
** 71% of all Iraqis now want the U.S. out of Iraq.
** 61% of all Iraqis SUPPORT insurgent attacks on U.S. troops.
Yes, the vast majority of Iraqi citizens believe that our soldiers should be killed and maimed! So what the hell are we still doing there? Talk about not getting the hint.
There are many ways to liberate a country. Usually the residents of that country rise up and liberate themselves. That's how we did it. You can also do it through nonviolent, mass civil disobedience. That's how India did it. You can get the world to boycott a regime until they are so ostracized they capitulate. That's how South Africa did it. Or you can just wait them out and, sooner or later, the king's legions simply leave (sometimes just because they're too cold). That's how Canada did it.
The one way that DOESN'T work is to invade a country and tell the people, "We are here to liberate you!" -- when they have done NOTHING to liberate themselves. Where were all the suicide bombers when Saddam was oppressing them? Where were the insurgents planting bombs along the roadside as the evildoer Saddam's convoy passed them by? I guess ol' Saddam was a cruel despot -- but not cruel enough for thousands to risk their necks. "Oh no, Mike, they couldn't do that! Saddam would have had them killed!" Really? You don't think King George had any of the colonial insurgents killed? You don't think Patrick Henry or Tom Paine were afraid? That didn't stop them. When tens of thousands aren't willing to shed their own blood to remove a dictator, that should be the first clue that they aren't going to be willing participants when you decide you're going to do the liberating for them.
A country can HELP another people overthrow a tyrant (that's what the French did for us in our revolution), but after you help them, you leave. Immediately. The French didn't stay and tell us how to set up our government. They didn't say, "we're not leaving because we want your natural resources." They left us to our own devices and it took us six years before we had an election. And then we had a bloody civil war. That's what happens, and history is full of these examples. The French didn't say, "Oh, we better stay in America, otherwise they're going to kill each other over that slavery issue!"
The only way a war of liberation has a chance of succeeding is if the oppressed people being liberated have their own citizens behind them -- and a group of Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins, Ghandis and Mandellas leading them. Where are these beacons of liberty in Iraq? This is a joke and it's been a joke since the beginning. Yes, the joke's been on us, but with 655,000 Iraqis now dead as a result of our invasion (source: Johns Hopkins University), I guess the cruel joke is on them. At least they've been liberated, permanently.
So I don't want to hear another word about sending more troops (wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers), or "redeploying" them, or waiting four months to begin the "phase-out." There is only one solution and it is this: Leave. Now. Start tonight. Get out of there as fast as we can. As much as people of good heart and conscience don't want to believe this, as much as it kills us to accept defeat, there is nothing we can do to undo the damage we have done. What's happened has happened. If you were to drive drunk down the road and you killed a child, there would be nothing you could do to bring that child back to life. If you invade and destroy a country, plunging it into a civil war, there isn't much you can do 'til the smoke settles and blood is mopped up. Then maybe you can atone for the atrocity you have committed and help the living come back to a better life.
The Soviet Union got out of Afghanistan in 36 weeks. They did so and suffered hardly any losses as they left. They realized the mistake they had made and removed their troops. A civil war ensued. The bad guys won. Later, we overthrew the bad guys and everybody lived happily ever after. See! It all works out in the end!
The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month. We will fight you harder than we did the Republicans. The opening page of my website has a photo of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, each made up by a collage of photos of the American soldiers who have died in Bush's War. But it is now about to become the Bush/Democratic Party War unless swift action is taken.
This is what we demand:
1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.
2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.
3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.
In closing, there is one final thing I know. We Americans are better than what has been done in our name. A majority of us were upset and angry after 9/11 and we lost our minds. We didn't think straight and we never looked at a map. Because we are kept stupid through our pathetic education system and our lazy media, we knew nothing of history. We didn't know that WE were the ones funding and arming Saddam for many years, including those when he massacred the Kurds. He was our guy. We didn't know what a Sunni or a Shiite was, never even heard the words. Eighty percent of our young adults (according to National Geographic) were not able to find Iraq on the map. Our leaders played off our stupidity, manipulated us with lies, and scared us to death.
But at our core we are a good people. We may be slow learners, but that "Mission Accomplished" banner struck us as odd, and soon we began to ask some questions. Then we began to get smart. By this past November 7th, we got mad and tried to right our wrongs. The majority now know the truth. The majority now feel a deep sadness and guilt and a hope that somehow we can make make it all right again.
Unfortunately, we can't. So we will accept the consequences of our actions and do our best to be there should the Iraqi people ever dare to seek our help in the future. We ask for their forgiveness.
We demand the Democrats listen to us and get out of Iraq now.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Labels:
War and Peace
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Pilgrimage
I really think it's time to return to the relaxed joys of who we each are. No more anxiety over insane right wing Neocons. No more fear of ignorance and anger running the country.
We have to start believing we can get back to what is smart, good, clear about this country.
OR---is the truth that this country was founded by insane, religious Injun killers?
It would be so great to have a real understanding of what this country is really made of.
I fear it might truly be about greed and guns and hatred.
But I think we can create a reality that is based upon shared risk, clean air and some form of love. Even if the love is something as simple as mutual respect for people.
We did kill a lot of aboriginals to get this amazing piece of real estate. I wish that wasn't the case.
Some return to something good...something good. Sit back for one minute and let the earth breathe. Let yourself breathe.
We have to start believing we can get back to what is smart, good, clear about this country.
OR---is the truth that this country was founded by insane, religious Injun killers?
It would be so great to have a real understanding of what this country is really made of.
I fear it might truly be about greed and guns and hatred.
But I think we can create a reality that is based upon shared risk, clean air and some form of love. Even if the love is something as simple as mutual respect for people.
We did kill a lot of aboriginals to get this amazing piece of real estate. I wish that wasn't the case.
Some return to something good...something good. Sit back for one minute and let the earth breathe. Let yourself breathe.
Labels:
Social Studies
Monday, November 20, 2006
A New Way
Atheism is the highest philosophy for producing spirituality and romanticism. It is an urgent condition calling for greater sincerity, love and community.
Labels:
Social Studies
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Vanity Peeled
We revile vanity in others for it supposes separateness where the one in self-regard imagines himself to be of a higher station than the one who bears witness.
We revile it in ourselves because we know it cannot stave off death.
We do, however, put up with our own vanity and secretly adore the hit for in its most delicate form it is the colorful, romantic expression of our consciousness.
We revile it in ourselves because we know it cannot stave off death.
We do, however, put up with our own vanity and secretly adore the hit for in its most delicate form it is the colorful, romantic expression of our consciousness.
Labels:
Advice,
Internal Memo
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
How to Stop a Fight on Venice Boulevard
Driving West on Venice Boulevard today, traffic was going slow and to my right there was a pickup truck parked behind a sedan. Both cars had the angle that cars have after a small fender bender. Not quite at the curb. But certainly not in traffic. It’s the angle that says, “Let’s get out of harm’s way, but not park exactly.”
On the street side of the two vehicles were presumably the two owners of the cars. An old white guy and a middle-aged Hispanic guy. The latter was clearly stronger than the former.
Though I couldn’t see any damage to either vehicle, something went down and these two guys were yelling at each other. I approached the scene as the Hispanic guy was saying, “Go ahead. Go ahead,” egging the old white guy on to make good on his threat to hit him.
And you know what the stupid old white guy did? He hit him. But kind of old and girlie. And the Hispanic guy hit him back. And then they started kicking and punching each other. In turns.
What was wild about it was neither one of them were punching or kicking to win. (I am not a fighter. But the few times I have hit someone in my life, I have tried to make it a one punch done deal.) So this almost comical fight was going on. Odd half kicks. Half punches. Each guy getting out their aggression, but not hitting hard enough to cause any serious damage.
And there I was in my car and I did think, “This is serious enough so that it should be stopped. Two grown, civilized men. They should not be trying to kick each other’s asses.”
And though I had an impulse to get out of my car to break it up I thought, in my racist way, “What if the Hispanic guy has a gun?”
But then I thought, “The way he is fighting, with almost politeness, I am sure he doesn’t have a gun. And isn’t this fight, still, so oddly controlled in its amplitude?”
But being civilized myself, I felt like I had to do something to stop this fight. And traffic had come to a complete halt, everyone watching this. So I did what anyone who wanted to help but didn’t want to help too much would do. I leaned on my horn...like crazy. To cause, I don’t know, a distraction to the pugilists?
Immediately, all the cars around me started honking their horns with the same kind of cadence that said, “Stop the fighting, you two. You know better. Stop it right this instant.”
And then more horns joined in. And the two men, knowing that they were being watched and judged and honked at, stopped their fighting and got back into their cars.
I loved how the fight had this weird intensity that never got dangerous and how people honked it out of existence.
On the street side of the two vehicles were presumably the two owners of the cars. An old white guy and a middle-aged Hispanic guy. The latter was clearly stronger than the former.
Though I couldn’t see any damage to either vehicle, something went down and these two guys were yelling at each other. I approached the scene as the Hispanic guy was saying, “Go ahead. Go ahead,” egging the old white guy on to make good on his threat to hit him.
And you know what the stupid old white guy did? He hit him. But kind of old and girlie. And the Hispanic guy hit him back. And then they started kicking and punching each other. In turns.
What was wild about it was neither one of them were punching or kicking to win. (I am not a fighter. But the few times I have hit someone in my life, I have tried to make it a one punch done deal.) So this almost comical fight was going on. Odd half kicks. Half punches. Each guy getting out their aggression, but not hitting hard enough to cause any serious damage.
And there I was in my car and I did think, “This is serious enough so that it should be stopped. Two grown, civilized men. They should not be trying to kick each other’s asses.”
And though I had an impulse to get out of my car to break it up I thought, in my racist way, “What if the Hispanic guy has a gun?”
But then I thought, “The way he is fighting, with almost politeness, I am sure he doesn’t have a gun. And isn’t this fight, still, so oddly controlled in its amplitude?”
But being civilized myself, I felt like I had to do something to stop this fight. And traffic had come to a complete halt, everyone watching this. So I did what anyone who wanted to help but didn’t want to help too much would do. I leaned on my horn...like crazy. To cause, I don’t know, a distraction to the pugilists?
Immediately, all the cars around me started honking their horns with the same kind of cadence that said, “Stop the fighting, you two. You know better. Stop it right this instant.”
And then more horns joined in. And the two men, knowing that they were being watched and judged and honked at, stopped their fighting and got back into their cars.
I loved how the fight had this weird intensity that never got dangerous and how people honked it out of existence.
Labels:
Social Studies
A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives
To My Conservative Brothers and Sisters,
I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.
Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power -- and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.
Thus, here is our Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:
Dear Conservatives and Republicans,
I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:
1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you "unpatriotic" simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.
2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be "different" or "immoral." Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love -- it's a wonderful gift.
3. We will not spend your grandchildren's money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It's your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.
4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.
5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we'll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.
6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.
7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.
8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.
9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren't much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.
10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you -- and your employees -- that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.
11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don't put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs ("Blessed are the poor," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Love your enemies," "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn't just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism -- starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.
12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.
I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans -- and for the rest of the world.
Signed,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.
Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power -- and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.
Thus, here is our Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:
Dear Conservatives and Republicans,
I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:
1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you "unpatriotic" simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.
2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be "different" or "immoral." Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love -- it's a wonderful gift.
3. We will not spend your grandchildren's money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It's your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.
4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.
5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we'll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.
6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.
7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.
8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.
9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren't much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.
10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you -- and your employees -- that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.
11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don't put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs ("Blessed are the poor," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Love your enemies," "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn't just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism -- starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.
12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.
I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans -- and for the rest of the world.
Signed,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
Labels:
War and Peace
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
November 14, 1979
Today was good. I went outside for soccer, we had an assembly 8th period for this group- Free Wheelin, After school I had play rehearsal, Eileen brought me home. I did Physics homework, I slept 2 hours, ate, read a real lot, and tonight I sold concessions with the senior class. We had a pisser. Miss Sliffman talks about anything, the horny thing. It was a good day. Goodnight.
Miss Sliffman was the teacher who was the advisor to the senior class government. I was friends with many of these people. There was a train link of subset crossover between student government/honor society/theatre/choir. It was a lot of good students/geeks/Jews/fags and not many jocks or burnouts.
I was rehearsing for the play Murder on the Nile.
I played the embittered communist.
I think Free Wheelin was some odd jazz fusion band or something like that. I guess I should mention at this time that the first real concert I ever went to was Chuck Mangione. It was in Chatauqua, New York, a spiritual retreat settlement. While Chuck played there was a lot of knitting going on.
Miss Sliffman was the teacher who was the advisor to the senior class government. I was friends with many of these people. There was a train link of subset crossover between student government/honor society/theatre/choir. It was a lot of good students/geeks/Jews/fags and not many jocks or burnouts.
I was rehearsing for the play Murder on the Nile.
I played the embittered communist.
I think Free Wheelin was some odd jazz fusion band or something like that. I guess I should mention at this time that the first real concert I ever went to was Chuck Mangione. It was in Chatauqua, New York, a spiritual retreat settlement. While Chuck played there was a lot of knitting going on.
Labels:
Journal
Monday, November 13, 2006
It All Comes Down to You: Joni
I first started listening to Joni Mitchell, in earnest, during a weekend trip to Pittsburgh in 1979. My girlfriend from high school, Barbara, who was a year older than me went to Duquesne and my sister and I drove out to see her. Barbara had Court and Spark and we listened to it all weekend. I couldn’t believe how good it was. In fact, it would be "time for dinner" and I just wanted to stay in Barbara's dorm room so I could listen to side two over and over again while I smoked Parliaments. After that, I listened to Joni Mitchell all through the early eighties, took a break for about eight years and then listened to her every day since 1991 when Night Ride Home came out. Bought everything she ever recorded. And just became one of those Joni nuts.
I knew I would eventually meet her. She eats lunch at The Daily Grill in Brentwood almost every day. I thought I could catch her there, but I didn’t want to be a stalker. I figured—let our paths cross naturally.
My friend Jeff and I were walking down La Brea a month or so ago and we saw that there was going to be a Joni art exhibit. I got on the list.
Green Flag Song. Joni was going to be there. And so, I went. Friday night.
I had some friends come, too. Bart understands my love for that open chorded lady. He came with me, took pictures, and paid for dinner afterward. Mild mannered Steve, from my writing group, was quite aggressive. He really wanted her autograph. It was his assault that gave me the courage to talk to her. I felt bad for Joni. Most of the scrum there attended much for the same reason I did. Joni sallied in and out of the VIP room and faced the plebian gallery crowd for short bursts.
She looked beautiful. Old. Uncarved. Jowly. Big gorgeous teeth. Watery eyes. But very alert and present.
Of course, I was sensitive to her position. She was there to be with her art. To sell her art. Like any other artist in a gallery wanting to sell her work. Most of the public was there to gawk at the Joni Mitchell they love. The Joni that they play to get through life, breakups, work, anything.
After Steve got his autograph, I pushed in with a gaggle of women talking to her. And others were pushing all around me. It was tight. Very hot in the place. I am sure they exceeded the maximum allowable occupancy, at least with regard to the air conditioning system.
Three women engaged Joni in conversation about this work, Green Flag Song. Triptychs of news images of the war, printed in large green, grainy photos. Joni told the women how she had this flat screen television and she turned it on and just recorded Ted Turner’s news channel, then had images photographed using a paper camera. I have no idea what that is...but I imagine it's some sort of box with photo sensitive paper. And then she had the images printed into these triptychs. In green. She talked about how she does art for herself, that she never really wanted to get into the art racket. Very human. Very humble. Very vulnerable. She went on about the war images. She said, “It would be so much better if the men just went into a field and used bow and arrows in the open air. You know? It would be so much better.” And I jumped in with the need to engage, “Or big arenas where they can play out their war games.” Joni acknowledged me in agreement.
After she did a couple more autographs, and I could still feel our miniscule connection from the comment that I made, I pushed forward, put my CD booklet from Turbulent Indigo in her face and said, “I know your being swamped with people tonight. I just want to say I'm a big fan and I’ve listened to your music almost every day for twenty-five years. It's great to be here. Would you sign this?” She said, “Wow,” in a tone that was pleased yet a bit dismissive. Then I thought, "Well, I haven't really listened every single day for twenty-five years. Oh Man."
She signed it, To Don, from Joni Mitchell. And there it is.
Now, I am no autograph hound. In fact, this is the only autograph I have from anyone famous. But there I am.
In the end, I always knew if I ever met Joni it would be less than thrilling. First of all, I have this whole experience with her, in my room. And that’s kind of personal. And why would she want anything to do with that? My relationship is to her creations, obviously, and not to her. I think the only truly satisfying experience I could have with Joni would be to pull out the guitars and sing songs together. But that’s not going to happen.
So I settled for talking to her a bit about her art, getting an autograph and being happy that I got to say hello.
You know, the stuff that comes out of her comes out of her. That’s it.
And I get to enjoy it. That’s it.
And Joni will never know who I am. And that's it.
Unless I start plotting. Could happen.
I knew I would eventually meet her. She eats lunch at The Daily Grill in Brentwood almost every day. I thought I could catch her there, but I didn’t want to be a stalker. I figured—let our paths cross naturally.
My friend Jeff and I were walking down La Brea a month or so ago and we saw that there was going to be a Joni art exhibit. I got on the list.
Green Flag Song. Joni was going to be there. And so, I went. Friday night.
I had some friends come, too. Bart understands my love for that open chorded lady. He came with me, took pictures, and paid for dinner afterward. Mild mannered Steve, from my writing group, was quite aggressive. He really wanted her autograph. It was his assault that gave me the courage to talk to her. I felt bad for Joni. Most of the scrum there attended much for the same reason I did. Joni sallied in and out of the VIP room and faced the plebian gallery crowd for short bursts.
She looked beautiful. Old. Uncarved. Jowly. Big gorgeous teeth. Watery eyes. But very alert and present.
Of course, I was sensitive to her position. She was there to be with her art. To sell her art. Like any other artist in a gallery wanting to sell her work. Most of the public was there to gawk at the Joni Mitchell they love. The Joni that they play to get through life, breakups, work, anything.
After Steve got his autograph, I pushed in with a gaggle of women talking to her. And others were pushing all around me. It was tight. Very hot in the place. I am sure they exceeded the maximum allowable occupancy, at least with regard to the air conditioning system.
Three women engaged Joni in conversation about this work, Green Flag Song. Triptychs of news images of the war, printed in large green, grainy photos. Joni told the women how she had this flat screen television and she turned it on and just recorded Ted Turner’s news channel, then had images photographed using a paper camera. I have no idea what that is...but I imagine it's some sort of box with photo sensitive paper. And then she had the images printed into these triptychs. In green. She talked about how she does art for herself, that she never really wanted to get into the art racket. Very human. Very humble. Very vulnerable. She went on about the war images. She said, “It would be so much better if the men just went into a field and used bow and arrows in the open air. You know? It would be so much better.” And I jumped in with the need to engage, “Or big arenas where they can play out their war games.” Joni acknowledged me in agreement.
After she did a couple more autographs, and I could still feel our miniscule connection from the comment that I made, I pushed forward, put my CD booklet from Turbulent Indigo in her face and said, “I know your being swamped with people tonight. I just want to say I'm a big fan and I’ve listened to your music almost every day for twenty-five years. It's great to be here. Would you sign this?” She said, “Wow,” in a tone that was pleased yet a bit dismissive. Then I thought, "Well, I haven't really listened every single day for twenty-five years. Oh Man."
She signed it, To Don, from Joni Mitchell. And there it is.
Now, I am no autograph hound. In fact, this is the only autograph I have from anyone famous. But there I am.
In the end, I always knew if I ever met Joni it would be less than thrilling. First of all, I have this whole experience with her, in my room. And that’s kind of personal. And why would she want anything to do with that? My relationship is to her creations, obviously, and not to her. I think the only truly satisfying experience I could have with Joni would be to pull out the guitars and sing songs together. But that’s not going to happen.
So I settled for talking to her a bit about her art, getting an autograph and being happy that I got to say hello.
You know, the stuff that comes out of her comes out of her. That’s it.
And I get to enjoy it. That’s it.
And Joni will never know who I am. And that's it.
Unless I start plotting. Could happen.
Labels:
Write-Paint-Score
Friday, November 10, 2006
For Make Glorious Benefit
Borat. In the tradition of The Marx Brothers, the King Lear Fool and so many other clowns of distinction, Sacha Baron Cohen plays the idiot and sets the stage for petty, severely flawed mortals to show their true natures.
Worth every dollar you spend to get in.
Sure, you may not like the Jackass humor and the naked ass-in-face wrestling. But the idiot-clown shining a klieg light on the petty, small Americans of 2006 will be a historical postcard to future generations who want to know what in fuck’s name we were up to.
Beyond laughing, I sat, shocked, wondering how they could have possibly filmed this movie. Pamela Anderson getting a weeding sack pulled over her head. Crazy Pentecostals speaking in tongues. A bear riding and pooping in the back of an ice cream truck. The gay bashing rodeo guy signing a release form...”Sure, let the world know I’m a Nazi.”
Wild stuff.
Worth every dollar you spend to get in.
Sure, you may not like the Jackass humor and the naked ass-in-face wrestling. But the idiot-clown shining a klieg light on the petty, small Americans of 2006 will be a historical postcard to future generations who want to know what in fuck’s name we were up to.
Beyond laughing, I sat, shocked, wondering how they could have possibly filmed this movie. Pamela Anderson getting a weeding sack pulled over her head. Crazy Pentecostals speaking in tongues. A bear riding and pooping in the back of an ice cream truck. The gay bashing rodeo guy signing a release form...”Sure, let the world know I’m a Nazi.”
Wild stuff.
Labels:
Stage and Screen
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Failed King Haiku
War profiteer,
The wet wind of Katrina-
Time to pay for drinks
The wet wind of Katrina-
Time to pay for drinks
Labels:
Momma Earth
Ding Dong the Witch is Lame
My prediction for Bush-the-Lesser? He will act like a spoiled child. “If you don’t do what I want, I’m going back to Crawford to clear brush.” And off he’ll go. With his devil tail between his legs.
The bastard.
What was so interesting about tonight’s returns was watching the happy faces on CNN and the glum ones on Fox News.
You know, Democrats are humanists and Republicans are greedy slobs. So it seems. To watch those newscasters on Fox get all glum because the satiation of their bottomless appetites will soon be thwarted, you just want to say, “Go home and overeat, you pigs.”
This greedy nature of conservatives disguised in Calvinist righteousness is so sour and so sickening. I do understand that human nature becomes very big animal behavior in the den of unconscious men. The cloven-hoofed, curly-tailed oinkers can’t help themselves. They are such fearful swine. They even sanction murder in the name of war so they can drive their huge cars. And truly, they are just responding to some lizard portion of their brain—aching for an endless feast of crickets. It’s pathetic and it needs to end. Good riddance.
The new setup is heartwarming.
I can’t wait to watch that prick, Bush, squirm. And that spitfire Pelosi is just the happening babe to hook that worm.
Go back to Crawford, idiot. And take Cheney Cow and Rove Sow with you.
We are done with you. You made us all smaller, older and sadder. You were a tyrant. And now your party is over. Go wash your filthy, bloodstained dress.
The bastard.
What was so interesting about tonight’s returns was watching the happy faces on CNN and the glum ones on Fox News.
You know, Democrats are humanists and Republicans are greedy slobs. So it seems. To watch those newscasters on Fox get all glum because the satiation of their bottomless appetites will soon be thwarted, you just want to say, “Go home and overeat, you pigs.”
This greedy nature of conservatives disguised in Calvinist righteousness is so sour and so sickening. I do understand that human nature becomes very big animal behavior in the den of unconscious men. The cloven-hoofed, curly-tailed oinkers can’t help themselves. They are such fearful swine. They even sanction murder in the name of war so they can drive their huge cars. And truly, they are just responding to some lizard portion of their brain—aching for an endless feast of crickets. It’s pathetic and it needs to end. Good riddance.
The new setup is heartwarming.
I can’t wait to watch that prick, Bush, squirm. And that spitfire Pelosi is just the happening babe to hook that worm.
Go back to Crawford, idiot. And take Cheney Cow and Rove Sow with you.
We are done with you. You made us all smaller, older and sadder. You were a tyrant. And now your party is over. Go wash your filthy, bloodstained dress.
Labels:
War and Peace
Monday, November 06, 2006
Happy Election Day to All
You just have to wonder. How many contested elections will there be? Will the Republicans fix the Diebolds?
Will they intimidate the colored folk from votin’?
What will these animals try to do this time?
They are so drunk with power, so addicted to righteousness, they act justified in their illegal shenanigans. They must be stopped. They must be voted out. It’s time.
The idea of George Bush flapping his wings around the oval office like the greasy lame duck that he is will be such sweet revenge. Let’s only hope that true elections occur.
And we’re counting on South Dakota to help with the gay cause. An unlikely place. But life is full of warm surprises.
Will they intimidate the colored folk from votin’?
What will these animals try to do this time?
They are so drunk with power, so addicted to righteousness, they act justified in their illegal shenanigans. They must be stopped. They must be voted out. It’s time.
The idea of George Bush flapping his wings around the oval office like the greasy lame duck that he is will be such sweet revenge. Let’s only hope that true elections occur.
And we’re counting on South Dakota to help with the gay cause. An unlikely place. But life is full of warm surprises.
Labels:
War and Peace
What a World
For fun,
Why not grow some food on your front lawn? You own the land. Now eat the fresh food!
Eat Your Yard
Then, you can go visit your friends and bring them some of your extra carrots in your nonpolluting car.
LA Electric Cars
This company, among other ones, puts up this enticing website. But where’s the store? I can never seem to find the electric car dealership.
TANGO
And on a more ridiculous note...Eyes are opening. Many citizens of The United States are discovering that millions of men choose men when it comes to sex time. So one would think this country would simply calm down about the whole thing and just shrug their collective shoulders in disinterested acceptance and then with the next shrug agree to equal rights. South Dakota seems to be getting it. They are not leaning toward a same sex marriage ban. Many members of Haggard’s church were not outraged when they heard he was whooping it up with drugs and a male whore. They merely accepted it as a little bit o’ sin. Frankly, the Pastor Haggard may not be gay, but he sure does look and sound like a lot of musical theatre guys I’ve known. Whatever the case may be, why not just enjoy the day and love one another in the name of Christ and Cash?
Let’s get on with it. Gay men, straight men, bi-women (because all women are bi) and Trannies--- grow your yard food. Drive your 0 emissions cars. Get out of Iraq and don’t come back. It's time for something else.
Why not grow some food on your front lawn? You own the land. Now eat the fresh food!
Eat Your Yard
Then, you can go visit your friends and bring them some of your extra carrots in your nonpolluting car.
LA Electric Cars
This company, among other ones, puts up this enticing website. But where’s the store? I can never seem to find the electric car dealership.
TANGO
And on a more ridiculous note...Eyes are opening. Many citizens of The United States are discovering that millions of men choose men when it comes to sex time. So one would think this country would simply calm down about the whole thing and just shrug their collective shoulders in disinterested acceptance and then with the next shrug agree to equal rights. South Dakota seems to be getting it. They are not leaning toward a same sex marriage ban. Many members of Haggard’s church were not outraged when they heard he was whooping it up with drugs and a male whore. They merely accepted it as a little bit o’ sin. Frankly, the Pastor Haggard may not be gay, but he sure does look and sound like a lot of musical theatre guys I’ve known. Whatever the case may be, why not just enjoy the day and love one another in the name of Christ and Cash?
Let’s get on with it. Gay men, straight men, bi-women (because all women are bi) and Trannies--- grow your yard food. Drive your 0 emissions cars. Get out of Iraq and don’t come back. It's time for something else.
Labels:
Momma Earth
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The Life Force is Deadly
Big fish eat little fish. Cats eat mice. This we can accept, the interspecies devouring.
But then, dogs fight over bones and monkeys fight each other to the death. This is done over a lack of consciousness and a perceived lack of resources.
This warring condition is still in full force during the modern era. With human beings.
Since we know the perceived lack of resources ends in coercion and war, it seems to me the way to stop war is to stop the perceived lack of resources.
Since we know we have this predilection, is it not incumbent upon us to limit the conditions that foment war?
At all costs?
It would be so much cheaper and less traumatic if we would insist upon the awareness that resources are not limited. And if resources do become limited, wouldn’t it make sense to decrease the birth rate until a newer, more plentiful resource is discovered?
Or is full blown war, fought over things like salt, oil, land, gold and slave labor the natural condition of a very stupid species?
But then, dogs fight over bones and monkeys fight each other to the death. This is done over a lack of consciousness and a perceived lack of resources.
This warring condition is still in full force during the modern era. With human beings.
Since we know the perceived lack of resources ends in coercion and war, it seems to me the way to stop war is to stop the perceived lack of resources.
Since we know we have this predilection, is it not incumbent upon us to limit the conditions that foment war?
At all costs?
It would be so much cheaper and less traumatic if we would insist upon the awareness that resources are not limited. And if resources do become limited, wouldn’t it make sense to decrease the birth rate until a newer, more plentiful resource is discovered?
Or is full blown war, fought over things like salt, oil, land, gold and slave labor the natural condition of a very stupid species?
Labels:
War and Peace
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
The Question Is
Why do people naturally concentrate power and then push it upward?
The boss assumes power over the actions of the employees, including objectives and schedules. The money moves upward to the boss, owners, too, which makes them more powerful.
And people seem to like this structure. It must be inherent in the biology of the pecking order.
If we are to accept human nature, then perhaps this needs to be accepted, too. However, this setup makes so many people so unhappy. And, it gives the power class too much, well, power. And frankly, most of them do not use it for the good. They seem to use their power to try to insure even greater power for themselves and for their genetic line. The ultimate expression of greed is devastation.
So couldn't we accept this pecking order, this paying-it-upward model since people seem to want to do it anyway? But then really see it for what it is and control and regulate the hell out of it? Based upon the greater health of society and the planet?
Right?
The boss assumes power over the actions of the employees, including objectives and schedules. The money moves upward to the boss, owners, too, which makes them more powerful.
And people seem to like this structure. It must be inherent in the biology of the pecking order.
If we are to accept human nature, then perhaps this needs to be accepted, too. However, this setup makes so many people so unhappy. And, it gives the power class too much, well, power. And frankly, most of them do not use it for the good. They seem to use their power to try to insure even greater power for themselves and for their genetic line. The ultimate expression of greed is devastation.
So couldn't we accept this pecking order, this paying-it-upward model since people seem to want to do it anyway? But then really see it for what it is and control and regulate the hell out of it? Based upon the greater health of society and the planet?
Right?
Labels:
Social Studies
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