Wake up goddamn it!
Let me first couch my opinions. I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. As far as I'm concerned all politicians are equally worthless. Like all rational, thinking people I have some conservative stances and some liberal stances.
With all that said, I'm awed by dyed-in-the-wool Conservatives calling the President "too partisan" with regard to the health care. How does one maintain a straight face while articulating such blatant hypocrisy? Republicans are having two "rebuttals" to the President's speech (which is way more bipartisan than it sounds). One rebuttal immediately following the address so as to not allow the President to completely dominate the news cycle. The other rebuttal will take place after they've had time to muster up some spin and disinformation, so it should be fun.
Pushing past my hot-air, and getting down to health care.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
I'm quite certain I've read that somewhere. Go back and read that again, and you can probably guess where I'm going with this. Who can argue that access to health care is not essential to LIFE, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness? They are inseparable. If the people can "institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such forms, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their SAFETY and happiness," what is wrong with creating an "insurance exchange" and a government-run, non-profit provider?
If you call it socialism and say that you don't want to pay for my health care, then I hope you don't have United Health Care as your insurance provider, because your premiums are already paying for by diabetes treatment. Just as our premiums went into paying for my triplet niece and nephews' stay in the NNICU when they were born 8 weeks early. The premiums paid by the healthy are subsidizing the treatment of the sick. We all take our turn on both ends of the cycle. This only seems to be a problem when the subsidy is called a "tax" instead of a "premium." Call it "macaroni." I'm always up for some antics, but as long as I've got medical professionals to tend to me if I go into an insulin coma I don't give a shit what you call it.
If you tell me taxes are too high, Cousin, you done stepped in it. I am not married. I do not own a house. I do not, nor do I intend to have children. I will not live to collect one cent of Social Security. How do my tax deductions compare to yours? How does my tax benefit compare to yours?
If you don't feel like you should pay for my health care, then kindly tell your parents and grandparents to give me back my fucking Social Security payments. You can pay to complete your garage and let them putter around in there. Or pay to euthanize them. I don't give a shit, but give me back my money. Furthermore, you can pay for your kids' tuition, books, athletic uniforms, etc your damn self. Shut up, and give me back my money. I'll use it to pay for my own damn health care.
Of course that's not the way I feel about the matter. I'm playing devil's advocate to make my point. I don't want previous generations who made this country strong and sacrificed for my freedom to live in squalor. They should get Social Security. I don't want younger generations to grow up to be stupid, ill-informed jackals (though I question their parents' and teachers dedication to that cause.) I want our society to be civilized one. So let's act like it, and take care of one another instead of quibbling over semantics.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Status Quo
Wake up goddamn it!
I heard Carlos Santana say, "Everyday is a battlefield, but if you fight with anger in your heart, you're the problem. If you fight with joy, you're the solution." Amen brother! (By the way if you want a source of joy check out "Safiatou" by Herbie Hancock ft. Carlos Santana and the amazing Angelique Kidjo. If that don't make you feel good you have no soul. If you have no soul you needn't read any further. Damn it, this ain't for you.)
Santana hit it on the head, my minions. I would alter the wording slightly, "If you fight with hatred, you're the problem. If you fight with bitterness, you're the problem." In order to fully round out the concept expressed by Santana, it must be combined with an idea expressed by the incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou who said, "If you're not angry you're either a stone, or you're too sick to be angry. You should be angry. Now, mind you there's a difference, you must never be bitter...Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger, yes. You write it, you paint it, you dance it, you march it, you vote it, you do everything about it. You talk it. Never stop talking it." You're goddamn right!
Take a look around, minions. If you're not angry you're either a stone or you're too sick to be angry. That is largely true. We must also include a vast percentage of the population that is too tame to be angry. We've been taught to be passive. "You shouldn't let that upset you. There's nothing you can do about it." Yeah. Right. Why should I get myself worked up about it? There is nothing I can do to change it. I'm only one man. But there is something WE can do about it. We could change things. We should change things. We all agree to varying degrees that things are pretty much fucked. Why aren't we angry? Nevermind doing everything about it. Why aren't we doing anything about it? Because it's too damn hard. Actually, it's not. Together we can accomplish anything, but we've been conditioned to make the minimal acceptable effort in all things. We don't want to rock the boat, because we could lose everything. All of our comforts, and shitty-little possessions, and everything we love could be snatched away if we don't stay in line and silently follow the herd. At least that's what the culture of fear leads us all to believe. We want shiny cars, and giant TV's, and a pretty wife without a thought in her head, and a rich husband with no soul, and perfect little children to whom we can never say "No" that a live in a big, beautiful house that appreciates in value at regular intervals. Right? They're not just wants, they're needs. These are the things you need in order for your life to mean something, and your life has to mean something, at least in everybody else's eyes. You can't do anything to impede whatever forward momentum you might have toward obtaining these things. They're the tangible evidence that you are good. The cost? Doesn't matter. You have to stay in line. You can't rock the boat. You can't object. You can't question.
..."all of your lack of aggression. Pull your skirt back down. Grow a set, man!"-Shawn Carter.
The status quo also seems to mandate that all of the reproducers need to recite the herd's motto, "What about the children? What kind of world are we going live for our kids?" If you're having a hard time reconciling how questions can be a motto, so am I. That's just what a bunch of pussies we've all become. Well, when combined with the fact that nobody bothers to look at the answer. I don't even have kids, and I'm terrified of the world we're leaving my niece and nephews, and all of the generations to follow. A world where the parents haven't told their kids "No." As a result, they never learn to deal with disappointment or adversity. Which means they'll never learn to overcome disappointment or adversity, which you do by fighting. Fighting those feelings of defeat builds the character that is needed to make your world a better place. The character you need to: question authority, to fight injustice, to stand up and shout in defense of reason in the face of an irrational mob, to fight with the joy that comes from the knowledge that we as a species are capable of so much more than this. The joy that comes from the knowledge that you have indeed left behind a generation better than yours, who can leave behind a generation better than their's, and so on until, many generations from now, humanity reaches our fullest potential, and accomplishes all of which we are capable.
Just the knowledge of the fact that such potential exists, and that we have only glimpsed it in: Newton, and Einstein, and Shakespeare, and Davis, and Lennon, and Pryor, and Kinison, and Bill Hicks, and Dr. Angelou, and Dr. King, and Malcolm X, and Beethoven, and Mozart, and all of the genius that has come before us, and has left a better world for us, is enough to fill me with joy I can barely contain. It feels me with joy in spite of the fact that we are falling immeasurably short of achieving this potential. That we're wasting it. We're just giving it all away. That is why we must fight! We must fight with joy of our potential success, and anger about our recent failures, but never bitterness. What other choice is there?
My boy Maynard James Keenan told us, "the only way to fix it is to flush it all away." We better hope he's not right. We better be ready to fight.
I heard Carlos Santana say, "Everyday is a battlefield, but if you fight with anger in your heart, you're the problem. If you fight with joy, you're the solution." Amen brother! (By the way if you want a source of joy check out "Safiatou" by Herbie Hancock ft. Carlos Santana and the amazing Angelique Kidjo. If that don't make you feel good you have no soul. If you have no soul you needn't read any further. Damn it, this ain't for you.)
Santana hit it on the head, my minions. I would alter the wording slightly, "If you fight with hatred, you're the problem. If you fight with bitterness, you're the problem." In order to fully round out the concept expressed by Santana, it must be combined with an idea expressed by the incomparable Dr. Maya Angelou who said, "If you're not angry you're either a stone, or you're too sick to be angry. You should be angry. Now, mind you there's a difference, you must never be bitter...Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger, yes. You write it, you paint it, you dance it, you march it, you vote it, you do everything about it. You talk it. Never stop talking it." You're goddamn right!
Take a look around, minions. If you're not angry you're either a stone or you're too sick to be angry. That is largely true. We must also include a vast percentage of the population that is too tame to be angry. We've been taught to be passive. "You shouldn't let that upset you. There's nothing you can do about it." Yeah. Right. Why should I get myself worked up about it? There is nothing I can do to change it. I'm only one man. But there is something WE can do about it. We could change things. We should change things. We all agree to varying degrees that things are pretty much fucked. Why aren't we angry? Nevermind doing everything about it. Why aren't we doing anything about it? Because it's too damn hard. Actually, it's not. Together we can accomplish anything, but we've been conditioned to make the minimal acceptable effort in all things. We don't want to rock the boat, because we could lose everything. All of our comforts, and shitty-little possessions, and everything we love could be snatched away if we don't stay in line and silently follow the herd. At least that's what the culture of fear leads us all to believe. We want shiny cars, and giant TV's, and a pretty wife without a thought in her head, and a rich husband with no soul, and perfect little children to whom we can never say "No" that a live in a big, beautiful house that appreciates in value at regular intervals. Right? They're not just wants, they're needs. These are the things you need in order for your life to mean something, and your life has to mean something, at least in everybody else's eyes. You can't do anything to impede whatever forward momentum you might have toward obtaining these things. They're the tangible evidence that you are good. The cost? Doesn't matter. You have to stay in line. You can't rock the boat. You can't object. You can't question.
..."all of your lack of aggression. Pull your skirt back down. Grow a set, man!"-Shawn Carter.
The status quo also seems to mandate that all of the reproducers need to recite the herd's motto, "What about the children? What kind of world are we going live for our kids?" If you're having a hard time reconciling how questions can be a motto, so am I. That's just what a bunch of pussies we've all become. Well, when combined with the fact that nobody bothers to look at the answer. I don't even have kids, and I'm terrified of the world we're leaving my niece and nephews, and all of the generations to follow. A world where the parents haven't told their kids "No." As a result, they never learn to deal with disappointment or adversity. Which means they'll never learn to overcome disappointment or adversity, which you do by fighting. Fighting those feelings of defeat builds the character that is needed to make your world a better place. The character you need to: question authority, to fight injustice, to stand up and shout in defense of reason in the face of an irrational mob, to fight with the joy that comes from the knowledge that we as a species are capable of so much more than this. The joy that comes from the knowledge that you have indeed left behind a generation better than yours, who can leave behind a generation better than their's, and so on until, many generations from now, humanity reaches our fullest potential, and accomplishes all of which we are capable.
Just the knowledge of the fact that such potential exists, and that we have only glimpsed it in: Newton, and Einstein, and Shakespeare, and Davis, and Lennon, and Pryor, and Kinison, and Bill Hicks, and Dr. Angelou, and Dr. King, and Malcolm X, and Beethoven, and Mozart, and all of the genius that has come before us, and has left a better world for us, is enough to fill me with joy I can barely contain. It feels me with joy in spite of the fact that we are falling immeasurably short of achieving this potential. That we're wasting it. We're just giving it all away. That is why we must fight! We must fight with joy of our potential success, and anger about our recent failures, but never bitterness. What other choice is there?
My boy Maynard James Keenan told us, "the only way to fix it is to flush it all away." We better hope he's not right. We better be ready to fight.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Leverage
Wake up goddamn it!!
They say, "you can't trust a man who's never been married." What they mean to say is, "the wicked can't trust a man who's never been married."
How can you trust a man like this? Which is to say, how can you trust someone you can't control? If you're his boss and you need him to compromise his morals and/or integrity how can you persuade him to do things your way? He doesn't have a wife who will nag him mercilessly until his dying day if he makes a decision that costs him a promotion and her dreams of fine home furnishings. He doesn't have children whose educations and future security you can threaten.
If you're a woman interested in securing her future, what do you do with this man? Give him the pussy until he can't live without it? Get him to marry you? Give him a child who he loves above all? Give him the sense that a mortgage and two car notes will make life complete? Bury him under a mountain of obligation that he can't possibly walk away from without earning the scorn of everyone he knows? What if he can smell a lie, and will only marry an honest woman? What if that ability allows him to reject the premise that you must have a wife and kids to have a life that is "worth something"?
It seems that everything in our society has become about leverage. Become the gatekeeper to someone's happiness, and they will do thy bidding. What if their happiness comes from within? What if they determine their own worth and don't give a damn what anyone else thinks? You have nothing with which to threaten them. How can you trust this person? To me is sounds like he is inherently trustworthy. He is guided by morality and integrity. But what if you are not? Ah! There's the rub. If your intentions are corrupt, how can you trust this man without any leverage over him? You can't.
You can't trust a man who's never been married.
They say, "you can't trust a man who's never been married." What they mean to say is, "the wicked can't trust a man who's never been married."
How can you trust a man like this? Which is to say, how can you trust someone you can't control? If you're his boss and you need him to compromise his morals and/or integrity how can you persuade him to do things your way? He doesn't have a wife who will nag him mercilessly until his dying day if he makes a decision that costs him a promotion and her dreams of fine home furnishings. He doesn't have children whose educations and future security you can threaten.
If you're a woman interested in securing her future, what do you do with this man? Give him the pussy until he can't live without it? Get him to marry you? Give him a child who he loves above all? Give him the sense that a mortgage and two car notes will make life complete? Bury him under a mountain of obligation that he can't possibly walk away from without earning the scorn of everyone he knows? What if he can smell a lie, and will only marry an honest woman? What if that ability allows him to reject the premise that you must have a wife and kids to have a life that is "worth something"?
It seems that everything in our society has become about leverage. Become the gatekeeper to someone's happiness, and they will do thy bidding. What if their happiness comes from within? What if they determine their own worth and don't give a damn what anyone else thinks? You have nothing with which to threaten them. How can you trust this person? To me is sounds like he is inherently trustworthy. He is guided by morality and integrity. But what if you are not? Ah! There's the rub. If your intentions are corrupt, how can you trust this man without any leverage over him? You can't.
You can't trust a man who's never been married.
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