Asleep at the Wheel

He went into Dallas, Texas or was it Memphis, Tennessee, it doesn’t matter, he was shot there by some mysterious stranger, a man who wasn’t on any radar as the most dangerous man of the year, or was it, he was killing the most important man of the time and those who are supposed to protect such people, fell asleep at the wheel. 

Another instance was Election Day, 2024, when everyone was asleep, the sheep worrier came to power in the land of lambs and ewes, mutton all around the table for all the wolves was his game, tell a lie, boast about it, and it all came true. For the man in Dallas and the man in Memphis, they were good shots but nowadays anyone can get a gun but there’s nowhere to practice the city longshot. Some people say it’s the power of prayer, add a little corruption that’s already there, in case god lost the recipe for success. Isn’t it so true that the more anyone group is a victim, the press and public opinion figure you’re either guilty or deserve whatever punishment you’re getting. I don’t know if that’s an American value alone or universal. Probably universal. Just imagine that with all the punishment to indigenous people, slaves, genocides it seems to take hundreds of years for people to either get over it or find some other people to kick around. Americans finally did accept Italians (probably because the Mafia could really kick ass), poles (because no one else would work the steel mills), Germans (probably because of Hof Brau’s and beer). Yet, women, black, Mexican, communists, socialists, Cubans (actually from Cuba), anarchism, free thinker Gazans never get a pass no matter how much they do or how much they become innocent victims of the greedy sons of bitches who add a little corruption and lots of lies to the power of prayer. Homeless wasn’t a derogatory term until the heartless politicians and greedy contractors and social engineers discovered they couldn’t fix the problem by profit alone. 

In sacramento ever since the gold rush there’s been people sleeping on the streets, in encampments, by the river, in the doorways. They’ve been called drifters, vagabonds, migrant, lumpen proletariat, hobos, bums, ne’er do wells. There was a time when they looked for work but there were always ones who were destroyed by economic disasters brought on by capitalist adventures, such as wars, collapses, crisis, layoffs, capital moving overseas, out of state, going bankrupt and once that happens, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is nearly impossible. Once down like that, you aren’t getting back up even after the count of ten. Monetary debt, credit cards, high interest, war wounded, no health plan, high insurance, lose your car, has anyone ever tried to look for work without a car and by just using public transportation. So, it’s always been there, the mostly men, who drifted away or were pushed further from the fringes, from the mainstream dreams into crime or begging or drugs and alcohol, just to survive among those who haven’t ever hit bottom or who haven't just yet. Sent from my iPad

It's Now or Never

With the iran vs us-israel world war crawling along on shoestring budgets, rope a dope strategy and miscalculation on everyone's part and ukraine and russia in full blown exchanges of modern gunfire, the earth burning in heatwaves and real flames, we stupidly go on, don't we? There's a lot of myths being blown up around the world along with tit for tat warfare, isn't there? Does anyone still believe ground troop invasion anywhere in the world is a real strategy, especially when nations are just too big to fail by colonization. No emperor to be wants to bloody their hands that much, putin, the us, and israel, exceptions noted. I guess as long as you keep your own nations death count secret, just keep it locked up in your closeted consciousness. Drones are the weapon of choice these days, technology coming to the rescue again. Threats are big but after a while people lose interest: us, iran, take note. Colonial rule from afar, such as by sanction, hostility, military intervention, all have a certain amount of prowess, but starving people to death, killing innocents (by that, we can define "innocents" as those who are not fighting back). The claim of self-defense has been completely misappropriated by the victors rather than the victims, such as in a nuclear state obviously willing to commit genocide, ethnic cleansing, murder, sanction by any means necessary. No folks, Israel and the US are not valiant versions of the Black Panthers, the Thirteen colonies, or any other citizens/movement's attempt to be free from any dictator or imperial president, such as in everywhere. I think thats taken for granted among all peoples, whether citizens or those just held in contempt by the nation state. 

It's a law of equilibrium, not an international humanitarian law established by the very oppressor states which either rule or want to rule by decree and not by necessity.

There has always been a weird transactional philosophy that emerged from the last two centuries in america. From colonies to democratic dictatorship is not unfamiliar transition. It happens all the time, from liberation to self-defense. The state has no exclusive right to domestic self-defense and in today's example, just because Israel never wanted to accept any responsibility for its Palestinian "caretaker" status, as outlined in the very charter which allowed them to form the state of Israel, does not mean they have any right to claim self-defense against a segment of their population that rebels because the state oppresses them. 

No matter whether you believe in climate change or not or think capital (money) interests should be managing the world resources or not, it's ridiculous for anyone to deny there is a problem. Or many problems. Civilization is at a reckoning point. I doubt technology is going to save us from itself. I doubt we're going to save us from each other's flags, allegiances, guns, and the thrill of chaos we create for ourselves. No superheroes, billionaires, nation, philosophy, nor gods will be stepping in to save our necks.

Where does that leave us? Bluntly, up shit creek without a paddle, as they say somewhere in the alligator swamps of america. It's not within the purview of this blog or the sometimes belief of this writer that i know best but from my best guess, there is not one best all-encompassing solution but many small, healthy possibilities, we all need to start shopping around and take a side and then live it, protect it (yes, exercise your own right to self defense) and protect your allies while you're at it.

High Anxiety

I am a high anxieter. 

I didn't start worrying about who has the atomic bomb when Iran overthrew the wicked US sponsored Shah of Iran, that's for sure. In fact, I was raised in the cold war, at least that's what people called it then, now young people may feel all of what's happening now came about just in their lifetime. No, the UN behind the US and post WW2 guilty western powers, gave Palestine to the Zionists in 1948, with the condition that they, the Zionists, wouldn't abuse the Palestinians too much. Plus, Russia and the US, without too much consideration of anyone else started blowing off (practicing) their nuclear capabilities, realizing after a while, that the atmospheric river, which the earth has developed for billions of years, moves whatever is in the atmosphere around the globe.

Meanwhile, as kids, we practiced surviving a nuclear exchange while some parents who could afford it, dug shelters, practicing survival living by storing longer lasting canned food products and other essential survival techniques so that when we all emerged from a nuclear exchange, we were ready to rebuild suburban life. 

I still wonder who gave the nuclear bomb to Israel, though. I mean what president took that secret to their grave? And then I worry about what other secrets have been taken to the graves. It’s kind of scary thinking that all those grave bound secrets are going to be released like Pandoras opening of her box when the Trumpeter sounds the alarm that He is coming back and if your grave isn’t opening to receive Him, then it’s too bad on you but if you are risen, what awaits you up there in heaven?

I don’t think Jews, Zionist Jews, believe in heaven, after all they have the Promise. With Iran out of the way, they’ll remove maybe the last vestige of competition to their ancient claims in the region.

Everything is going along according to the book of John. Thank God for the Air Force. And Israel. And the freedom to do whatever your military is capable of doing. There’s some great think tanks in the military. It does help though that weak minded nations like Venezuela, Iran, and next up, Cuba believe that some sense of morality or political decorum will save them from being written out of history.

I liked it better when Cuba and America exchanged assassination attempts against each other.

Imagine Iran wanting to believe America was not going to attack until after the last vestige of peace negotiations were resolved despite a huge military buildup and the possibility of a repeat when America attacked in the middle of the last peace negotiations. Still, the Ayatollah went to sleep in his own bed.  And everybody with any knowledge of modern surveillance realizes Israel and America have been tapped in to Iranian or Venezuelan, or Cuban leaders like Santa Claus does with kids.

America has got to be the most paranoid nation on earth. Its kids are raised on Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, god, and now, The Sheep Worrier. “He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Wisdom is lost on the young.

There's No Joy in Mudville

Part of my days now are watching the towns and cities i once lived in or near, or sometimes visited, burn. I dont want to be Nero but i do believe modern vandals are more or less responsible, unlike the great washington national monument pond, being ruined when trump ran his motorcade over it.

I haven't figured yet if the rope a dope country of iran is genius amongst idiots or, if eventually, the idiots will take it beyond the fifteenth round to its rightful might makes right conclusion. So far, it's a wash. not exactly tit for tat though, as the citizenry of many big and small civilizations are being bothered at the least or murdered at the other extreme by inconsistent political and societal norms.

and the natural world isn't being all that cooperative. it's been years since i was able to at least think about going somewhere in america or even the world without considering firestorms, climate extremes, earthquake, infrastructure failures. sometimes it does feel like the apocalypse and in some places, the apocalypse already came and went, leaving wide gaps as to where it will end up later. So far, where i live has only been surrounded by smoke, disasters, and even the heart of political turmoil.

in the past, i visited such places as cuba, turkey, chile, mexico, supposedly, the worst of the worst nowadays, and I came away from them liking most of what i saw there, and sometimes wishing i could move there (just daydreaming) and now america has helped close off the world to any enjoyment or curiousity, a real ball busting nation, we are. america just seems like i'ts become the epitome of puritanical evolution, (maybe that's what trump is talking about, "making america great again", or more likely, make america plymouth rock again, but change the thanksgiving day celebration to the ballroom, minus the Natives.

There's no joy in Mudville these days.

I don't know if i can stomach the lack of real hope in american politics these days, but it's getting harder to find it in regular people too, we've all been infested with the ill will of real fascism. Yes, it's true the guns here, at least, haven't been given full permission to shoot indiscriminately and often, they've meant to be more selective (meaning carelessly protected). Even though it's true, real hope (for change) is hard to come by, it seems pie falling from the sky (literally) reality from religious points of view is growing at an alarming rate.

The dour and the insane have taken over the pasture, leaving the flock to fend for itself, which it might be able to do if it weren't so fearful of being left to its own devices without a gun. 

I'm going to say it again, maybe in a different way. The revolution won't come from the barrel of a gun (because the gun has just become a new god to fear and must fall as well as the rest of their fake fears) and the part you really want to see won't be televised, podcasted, or even protested. Its already happening in many places and people are learning to live together (do i dare say, communally?)

It will be when we are ready to do the hard work of making new communities, new towns, as sustainable, free, and consensual as we can by joining with others who are also free, to get everything we need without the sheep worriers telling us we need them.

I'm not naive nor mad nor innocent

 I'm not naive nor mad nor innocent but I do know one thing, Change is hard to come by. It's far easier to think we can change everybody else who we think needs to change rather than think we are the ones who need to change. 'We think' is the very reason for the problems we all have, in our personal, our community, and political life. Over the decades and centuries, we've all been thrown together into a pit, governed by the exciting prospect of one day climbing free, or believing promises of getting freedom but not being free of them. But there is no more freedom right where you're standing than there is over the mountain, over the sea. We see freedom in the way we dress, the way we are colored, the way we walk, talk, and fuck. But no matter where we are, there are still toes we better not step on, or people we cannot cross but, in a way, that's all right, isn't it?

Freedom is chaos so we try to put restraints on it, mostly for everybody else. Where are the red lines we must not cross? Are they the ten commandments or the Bill of Rights? Is killing someone the same as coveting thy neighbor's wife? Is establishing a fascist government through the conventions of democracy the same as the violent overthrow of an established order? Are the rights of individuals the same as the rights of the social contract?

Defanged and declawed, a morality mired in self-indulgence, greed, and whether or not it's all right to compensate our shortcomings with violence, we are more like caged animals in the middle of an open-air prison.

When "god" created us, we were already ready for the slaughter, defanged, declawed, just had our wits and violent nature. we cannot tear our food nor catch our prey by claw but our genius is unlimited. It is time for retribution, recompensation, restitution but the evolutionary vault is empty, robbed many times over while we stood around like cows chewing their cud, regurgitating laws, standards, traditions, and punishments.

all my memories are attached to somebody, someplace and when that somebody dies or someplace disappears, that memory is like an electric spark generating a nostalgic sadness i can do nothing about, only can i cherish for only the moment until its gone, like remnants of a dream upon awakening. Once awake, i can no longer return.

Listening to Buffy St Marie's My Country Tis of Thee. She may be a fake Indian or, is it, fake Canadian but she got it right from her heart, which is the only place that matters.

Another warning. Get together and stick around with the ones you want to die with.

Remembering 2024

Don't want to get too far behind all this fast-paced breaking news.

First, the assassination attempt and now a week later, almost before trump took off his bandage prop (his ear looks fine, by the way). Second and third is Biden gets covid and then drops out of the race. How much covid had to do with it will be forgotten by history.

So it might be a Kamala Harris-donald trump battle for the white house. But is it any different than Biden-trump?

My problem with it is i've always seen Harris as a clone for whoever she has as a boss with little imagination to have an opinion of her own. It's true she can always claim she's a woman when the discussion comes down to power vested in the hands of men, take the sides of black, Indian, womanhood if she has a mind to, but the question is the same one every woman, black, brown, lgbtq, and man in america should answer to and that is, does america continue down its path of accepting genocide, sanction, military/weaponization of Nato and every ally, and continue to believe the hubric that america is the greatest and has always been the greatest nation on earth?

If she does, then like everyone else, politician and citizen alike, you may as well forsake whatever individualistic racial, gene code you go by because america is derived and implied and dependent on MEN's misunderstanding of the terms 'freedom' and 'justice' (for all of mankind).

As we get further and further along

As we get further and further along in this particular genocide, the emergence and reemergence of anti- holocaust and hero worship over resistance against the nazis, we, once again, slip into some sort of historical nostalgia that hardly anyone alive today lived through nor experienced.

The holocaust was horrible and those who survived or resisted it, especially in those countries who initially did nothing about it, or supported it, are brave indeed.

But as we witness the anti-semitic state of israel supported by the anti-semites of america, western nations, i'm wondering if there will be a day when all those gazans murdered not just over the last year, but throughout the decades preceding Oct 7th, 2023 will eventually be seen as victims too. That's history for you. You can't trust it, but we got to have it, it's our memory.

Of course, americans will confuse the issue by some harming innocent jews in synagogues and others just trying to get some justice for gazans, which will be a lifelong project. If there is any "good" in all this it's that old joe biden, old donald trump have been thrown together into the same historical pot and should henceforth be going forward into the past together as two different versions of the same problem.

Just like slavery, native genocide and ethnic cleansing, anti-humanitarian practices, there will be some reconciliation but not enough to satisfy.

This, of course, is not just an american problem because everything that happens is wrapped around the craving for money and resources. Look at the countries that thus far stood up initially to trumps deportation planes. There was bluff but once trump threatened sanctions and other economic punishments, capitulation was easy. 

Believe me, there is not one blessed humanitarian nation on earth that can or will stand on its own against this relentless international banking and corporate/fascist complex.