A time to worry?

Greetings good citizen, as the 'disgruntled' have been mumbling about for years on 'the net', now the corporate owned media has joined the chorus that's long been pointing at the elephant in the room.

Dissatisfaction with the current political process isn't going to dry up and blow away. We 'net grumblers' take that for granted but when the corporate owned media starts pointing to it it is definitely 'a time to worry'.

Why would that be 'worrisome'? Won't they just ignore it like they do everything else?

'History's Actors' are a 'funny bunch' [and I don't mean 'ha-ha' funny...] nobody was expecting this 'War on Terror' (despite a repeat of THE TERROR being their worst nightmare!) so they could have ANYTHING up their sleeves in order to distract an obviously ANGRY PUBLIC.

Understand, it all starts with an 'ANGRY PUBLIC'. Get the natives riled up enough and they're liable to tie you to a pole and set you on fire!

So the quiz question posed by the title of today's piece could be how far would the 'infamous they' go to head off a revolt?

Would they resort to the 'unthinkable'? You wouldn't think so but some of them are still under the 'delusion' that they are 'God's Chosen' so pushing the button would be, in fact, 'God's Revenge'/Divine retribution for rejecting the Will of God all those many centuries ago.

Did I mention it was 'Time to Worry'?

I know I questioned the 'sanity' of those who have taken charge yesterday but do any of you appreciate the gravity or the reality of that situation?

I strongly suspect it wouldn't be the first time a branch of our species was 'euthanized' by someone less than fully 'mentally competent'.

It is only 'common sense' that dangerous objects should be kept from those who don't fully appreciate the danger...how sad is it that 'common sense' is but another 'human construct' that doesn't really exist?

While we all can 'perceive' the passage of time but we live in the perpetual NOW and the two shouldn't be confused...nor should TV dabble in 'time travel' via cameras and actors because it just ain't possible [and a vast majority of the public isn't bright enough to comprehend that!]

Look at all the people transfixed by corpses that never rot? Extend that to vampires and you can really guage the depths of our collective STUPIDITY!

{I gotta stop using metaphors! Everytime I indulge I end up screaming off the reservation!] Sorry.

Where were we? Oh yeah, common sense and the decided lack thereof.

Ever get the impression we really are 'tap dancing on a landmine' and it is only a matter of time until we do ourselves in.

But as long as 'the possibility exists' we can avoid being the authors of our own destruction, the effort must continue, thankless or not!

While I wish I could be 'more specific'... the clinically insane are capable of anything and the ANGRY PUBLIC is all the motivation they need to justify just about anything...and that's 'worrisome' all by itself.

Once again I thank you for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Okay, enough with the poo! Not my monkees and not my circus!

Quid Pro quo

Greetings good citizen, like news from a parallel universe, the real life presidential campaign is following the script being laid down by South Park.

Left unanswered is the question of what would we do if Trump 'pulls out' right before the election? Would we call for a 'redo' or let the outcome be as it has been 'engineered'?

The press is calling this 'a critical election' [the one where the US gets its first female president whether it wants her or not.] Still the, er, 'true power behind the throne' [What? You didn't know our unelected 'betters' still used such things? They may have stepped down from 'officially' running things but their position as king is 'god given' and can't be revoked! Even if they 'walk away' they are still our overlords...god said so!

What SHOULD disturb YOU MORE is the 'architects' of this fiasco are already pointing out that Hillary may save us from a Trump presidency BUT she does ZERO to alleviate the problem that led to Trump's 'viability' in the first place!

Hillary is no longer a 'closeted' oligarch. She and Bill hid behind the small 'd' they added after their names to camouflage their true colors during Bill's run for the White House. Once there, they revealed themselves to be card carrying conservo-whackos willing to sell out the workers of this nation for their own 'place a the table' among the exploiters and slavers.

Some of you may object to my 'terminology', they work hard to make you believe it is THEY who are the 'Salt of the Earth' when that title rightfully belongs to YOU!

That said, if you don't start calling them by their 'true names' you will soon find yourself compelled to address them as 'your highness' [under the penalty of death.]

The oligarchs, via their 'ownership' of the media have hand picked the winners and assured the failure of the losers so they would be able to fulfill their promise of 'it will be yours next time' to she who stepped aside for our first 'black' [in skin tone only] um, and this is disturbing too because they are now referring to the job as that of 'commander-in chief' and that's not the freaking job!

So, assuming a 'status quo situation' remains, our next 'Commander-in Chief' will either be Gay or a Latino...or both if they decide to turn one of their lapdogs into a 'crowd pleaser'...

Pretty pathetic if you ask me. When do we get our Native American president? [Because I'm hoping he revokes the citizenship of all of the capitalists for crimes against his people!

But I digress.

Not by much though. AGAIN, if you haven't noticed, SOMEHOW our 'democracy' (participatory government) has been 're-imagined' into being a 'representative' government...where the only one being 'represented' are the oligarchs/One Percent [as you know, the term One Percent is just a 'figure of speech' the number is actually much smaller than that!]

Just as the preamble to the Declaration says, Government of the One Percent, by the One Percent and for the One Percent!

What do you mean 'it doesn't say that???'

Did you (foolishly) think YOU were a 'People'? Oh, that's rich!

I know, it's a common but extremely SILLY mistake! If you were a 'People' they wouldn't dare shit all over you! [which they do regularly, as you well know.]

This is what I mean when I admonish you to call things by their 'proper names'. This is how misunderstandings happen!

We can't have the 'riff-raff' considering themselves People! That's insane [just like our 'betters' who routinely believe at least 25 impossible things before breakfast!]

[FULL STOP] We need to shift mental gears here and put the 'mental fitness' of the people who have 'commandeered' the leadership of our species under the microscope.

On the surface our system APPEARS to 'work' but that 'assertion' doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

People are in an uproar because the government, 'established' to manage the affairs of the people ISN'T DOING ITS JOB! [It hasn't 'worked' since 'Morning in America' but the average dolt is too stupid to see that!]

So cozened by the 'you'll write what I tell you to write' media [which is to opine a 'free press' doesn't have an 'owner' and the reporters are 'free' to report what they see, RESPONSIBLY!]

Not that we don't have people who would object when someone informed viewers/readers that the sun was shining, some people have problems with everything!

But that's not what I'm pointing to, is it? [Although the right immediately gets 'indignant' whenever their batshit crazy assertions are challenged!]

But this is also the road to nowhere.

Here on the cusp of yet another 'stolen election' the question remains 'how long will we put up with this crap?'

Well, good citizen, how long?

You know what to do, I've told you repeatedly in past posts, quiz time! What did I tell you to do the day AFTER the media coronates Hillary?

Begins with a S and rhymes with Pike...

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Um, is that mud or is it poop? I can't tell just by looking and I'm sure not going to stick my nose over there! What have you been up to???

Interests...

Greetings good citizen, tangential to yesterday's offering we back up our exploration of 'good' with a cursory examination of 'interests'.

Again, these are all over the map and you can only wonder 'why'? Why aren't people focused on 'what's important'?

If you're older than your typical college grad you already know the answer...what's 'important' to YOU isn't necessarily setting the guy beside you hair on fire.

Just how it goes.

Funny how 'important' isn't the same for everyone EXCEPT in the 'broadest of terms'.

While a surprisingly large number of people would merely shrug over the prospects of a nuclear war (those would be the ones where 'death personal' would solve a LOT of their 'man-made' problems) Unsurprisingly, announcing We launch in five minutes might even elicit a cheer..followed by the in earnest question 'do you know where it's gonna hit, I gotta get out there!'

This (and our goof-ball, 'profit driven' media) doing 'whatever it takes' to drive advertising revenue to new highs! How many of you, er, 'remember' media is advertising driven? The 'News' exists to advertise crap...and boy is a lot of it 'crap'!

Now [and you know it would happen] What commercial will they play during the 'final moments' of our civilization? Wanna bet it will be one for some insurance company?

Can't make this shit up good citizen!

People 'seem to' come together over 'safety issues' like exploding cars of unsafe passenger planes...but you don't give a crap about exploding cars if you don't drive and defective aircraft if you never fly...again, just how it goes.

Is there ONE THING we all 'agree on'?

You'd think the answer might be 'Spirit in the Sky'. Just about everybody at least has an opinion about the creator, don't they?

NOPE.

[Is it beginning to look like the people who cast us out and marooned us here were justified in their reasoning?]

{They have the 'stupid marker', there is no hope...}

But I digress...and I am obliged to cross the line and 'tell you' what you should care about. Unlike the advertising driven media, I won't insist you believe me...that remains for you to decide.

You should care/be 'interested in' Equality because Justice flows from Equality. No mystery that karma is all about 'equilibrium and balance'.

An 'imbalanced world' is a world of conflict. If you want peace (from which all prosperity/'good' flows) you must first achieve Equality.

Then you must avoid 'exploitation' (in both directions) neither exploit nor allow yourself to be exploited. [So basic it should be a law!]

I (once again) reiterate that I have zero truck with 'Spirit in the Sky' and this isn't 'airy-fairy, feel good, hocus pocus' bullshit.

It all starts with Harmony...and extends outward. One people, one purpose, one world.

Can I get an 'Ommmmm'?

Because the idea isn't 'new'.

Kinda ironic that Eastern mysticism started to rise around the same time Gordon Gecko stepped up to the pulpit and declared 'greed is good'.

Don't take a 'rocket scientist' to see which 'philosophy' won...it also don't take a genius to figure out who 'lost'...[the answer is YOU!]

Most people aren't interested in 'balance' or equilibrium but that's what you 'should be' interested in.

Round and round, good citizen, what comes around goes around.

I once again apologize for breaking the 'telling you what to think' rule but I: A.) admit I'm doing it and B.) leave the choice up to you.

UNDERSTAND, People WILL 'rally around the bandwagon' and if I were to preach that all would be well if we threw our poop at life's bullshit artists, there would be people out there throwing their poop at political rallys!

[In yet another 'mystery' regarding just how closely related to simians we are, it has never ONCE struck me as a 'good idea' to even handle my own poop never mind throw it at anyone! Just a little something to ponder when some meathead starts blaming your behavior on your 'lizard brain'. We Todd Did.]

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Okay, who threw the poop?

Good

Greetings good citizen, as you may imagine, 'good' is a highly relative term that means different things to different people.

Worse, what's 'good' to one often isn't even desirable to many others.

How many of you keep returning to Aerosmith's lyric "Judge's constapation has gone to his head" when you look at the world around you? [Hint: Same old Song and Dance...I'd give the date but the elevator doesn't go back that far anymore...yeah, I could look it up so why don't ya?]

Anyway, I call you 'good citizen' because you are interested enough in learning about the world we share and how it could be 'different' from what you were taught. Perhaps what makes you 'good' in my estimation is that you have seen the lies and it made you unhappy.

In fact, you marvel at why EVERYONE isn't 'unhappy' [or fighting mad; mad enough to WANT TO change things!]

But this isn't about what's 'good' to me...this is about [and don't say you didn't see this coming] WHAT'S GOOD TO YOU?

Dropping back a couple of steps here I will remind you that like many things, good is 'relative' so it goes without saying that 'good' to you may be downright tragic to someone else.

Like the dog that keeps you up all night, barking at everything that moves being killed while chasing a car...good for you but not so good for the little kid who loved that pup like a sibling...

Did you sleep in a dry, clean bed last night? You may not think of that as 'the good life' but our betters do! It's not that they don't sleep in warm, dry beds but they figure since they provided YOU with 'the means' to sleep in a warm[ish] dry bed, it's what makes THEM 'good'.

We all know if not for the hard work of some dedicated individual we'd all be sleeping on a cot in some shelter...somewhere...and that cot may be dry and it may not...and that cot may be sanitary and it may not...and the third part, is the cot someplace 'warm'? Depends on the time of year and hey, at least it isn't OUTSIDE...where millions call their automobile 'home'.

Seriously, good citizen, 'Life is what you make it' but the ONLY people living the 'good life' are ACTING!

The rest of us wake up everyday and mentally prepare ourselves for what today's bite of the gigantic 'shit sandwich' is going to bring.

The 'Smart People' [read LUCKY] have a 'cushion' to keeps life's bumps in the road at bay but the rest of us get the slats kicked out of us with 'frightening regularity'.

How ironic is it we seem to do better when we DON'T SAVE?

Because everytime you get a little bit set aside, something comes up...and it's not a 'little thing' that is going to 'dent' your nest egg, it will total it!

So where is this 'good life' we all keep dreaming about?

You can bet the people with more money than they can spend are enjoying every minute of it, aren't they?

On the sly, you know...can't be too obvious or they would make themselves 'targets' as Kim K/West just found out.

In fact, if you asked her I'll bet she'd complain just as loudly as someone that calls a '78 Country Squire their home!

Which is to point out that 'happiness' is NOT our 'natural state'.

Bringing us full circle to the 'relativity' of 'GOOD'.

I'm sure the police think they are do a 'good job'...not that you'd find many people who agree with that notion.

And the media, while constantly 'striving to improve itself' [scoff!] truly believes it is doing as good a job of keeping us informed as those who cut their paychecks will allow.

Let's not forget the professional athlete, paid millions for playing a game to 'entertain' the rest of us.

That's 'good'...right?

The 'good' list for most of us is actually pretty pathetic when you come to think about it...mostly because it could be A LOT BETTER if not for the greedy among us.

The 'good list' consists of a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs, better if everyone is 'relatively' healthy and the wheels under our backside aren't in 'urgent need of repair' (you KNOW you have to get to the brakes EVENTUALLY!) Same thing with the roof.

Discounting the aged and infirm, 'good' is not being under indictment and still being employed at the end of the day; tomorrow is still a question mark!

Beyond the basics, 'good' veers all over the map, depending on individual circumstances. Is our current state of living too close to our situations be what is driving all of these wrong-headed programs that actually 'help' nobody?

Yes good citizen, what's 'good' for somebody else is indeed ruining your day/life as we [and by extension our needs] are not the 'same' as everyone elses.

So programs 'tailored' to help Guatamalan refugees don't do much for you because you have an entirely different set of needs...and there isn't a government program set up to address that.

But this is what happens when we let politicians turn government into personal charities...

That, good citizen is a whole 'nother essay so we'll leave it right there to fester some more.

Food, water and shelter, in varying states of repair and in some cases it's debateable as to whether or not it is an 'improvement' over sleeping out in the open on the cold, hard ground is what is behind our collective definition of 'good'.

Just as the old saying goes, One man's trash is another's treasure...and Heaven to YOU may well be someone else's Hell!

When weaving baskets to contain our little collection of 'nuts' we need to be mindful of the fact that the dream isn't the same for everybody.

But don't be cozened by the selfish who insist people are 'happy' living by their wits and lacking the basic comforts most of us take for granted like clean water and toilets for our personal use that have a sink handy to wash up in afterwards...

Yes, the greedy few call people who lack these basics 'happy with what they have' because they have accepted it isn't going to get any better.

Do you see who this is 'good' for?

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Ugh, where did all the dust come from? That's the trouble with minds, nobody 'cleans' them!

Look down! [Theme from Les Miserables]

Greetings good citizen, welcome to yet another fine day here in the cracker factory! Wish I was technically savvy enough to embed MP3 clips into my posts because some of you may not follow contemporary opera and therefore have no clue what I'm referring to.

You Tube probably has the opening scene and accompaning music available from Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of 'Les Mis' and the 'establishing scene' brings home what life feels like here in this 'prison of our own making'.

Still, some of you DO know the tune and that haunting refrain that is repeated throughout the play.

Why am I reminded of such a gruesome mental image on this fine morning? I begin everyday by visiting This most excellent page which often provides me with 'fuel' to compose MY posts with!

Today's post is especially, er, 'insightful' and CKM's observations are nothing short of brilliant!

But that is just my opinion.

Rather than recite my usual 'litany of woe' I shall indulge in this 'Reader's Digest' condensed version and leave you to ponder what you find when you FOLLOW THE LINK!

Thank you [once again] for letting me inside your head,

Gegner


Don't ask, I'm not sticking around!

A life well lived...

Greetings good citizen, I tread truly dangerous ground when we approach the topic of 'the meaning of life' but the average individual usually doesn't confront the subject at all.

They adopt a sort of 'let the chips fall where they may' attitude; meaning, it is what it is. It's not up to me to figure it out. [Assuming there IS anything at all TO figure out .] Or they decide their 'fate' is predetermined and the whole concept of 'choice' is an illusion. That your whole life is already 'etched in stone' and you CAN'T change no matter how hard you try.

You exist to learn the lessons life has to teach you and that the 'journey' is and always will be 'personal'.

[FULL STOP] Neither of the above are the views of the author. I offer the 'most prevalent' views expressed by organized religion...which agree only on the singular point that 'the will of GOD is not to be A.) Known or B.) Questioned.

[NOW FULL REVERSE!] Like Money and Time, GOD is a 'human construct' wholly fabricated to support the twisted psychology of the 'More for Me' system of belief/government.

Which is to point out [to those of you that haven't already figured this out] ANYONE THAT DEMANDS 'BLIND OBEDIENCE' [AND ALL ORGANIZED RELIGIONS DO] DON'T WANT YOU THINKING FOR YOURSELF!

SO in our modern time of technological marvels, 'blind faith' is seen for what it really is, the 'refuge of scoundrels'...and you will never meet a greater scoundrel than anyone who claims to speak for the creator!

[And there is no shortage of people making that claim...although now they claim they are just 'coaches', advising you on what to think and how to live...]

{FORWARD] So where am I going with this? Since I have disavowed 'Spirit in the Sky' I am not about 'bringing you around to my way of thinking, my 'goal' remains unchanged...I'm not here to tell you 'what to think' (or what NOT to think) but simply to give you SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

Do I have ALL the answers? NO! But I do have more of it 'figured out' than the average knuckle dragger and if you have but a tiny bit of faith IN YOURSELF you may be more able to make rational choices ON YOUR OWN!

WHY do we live in a cesspool of our own creation? Because YOU refuse to stand up for yourself!

I understand YOU don't have the first clue regarding how you 'demand' your just share from a corrupt government bent of preserving the 'status quo'...but it all starts with the ability to sort 'fact from bullshit!'

Until you can do that the rest is an exercise in futility.

'A life well lived' is a personal journey centered on playing the cards you're dealt to the best of your ability. It may not turn out ANYTHING like you 'envisioned' it but the 'minimization of harm' is the goalpost that guides us all well, most of us.

Often we take on Giants, unaware that the odds are against us [but sometimes we are up to the challenge!] We may not win but there is a certain satisfaction from the effort itself.

Why are rebels so dangerous? They [defenders of the status quo] may silence me but they can't silence an 'idea'.

Especially an idea whose time has come.

There are 3 'pillars of civilization, Equality being the principle pillar, followed by Justice and working together they create PEACE [without which there can be no prosperity! It is why we live in a world filled with WANT!]

Understand: Equality and Justice MUST BE TOTAL, not 'relative' because that is the breach injustice needs to permeate a society. Those who set themselves above the rest of us BELIEVE they 'deserve to be there' when NOTHING could be further from the TRUTH!

I'd go on but I suspect from that 'crackling noise' I'm hearing I've 'overloaded' your circuits AGAIN, happens every time we drift from jingoism to concepts!

You're fine when I use 'metaphors' but when I switch to concepts your head goes 'TILT!'

Thanks for letting me inside your, er, 'brain bucket'...

Gegner

I'd apologize but the shoddiness of the workmanship here is just unforgivable! Seriously, what was it thinking?

Existential Question

Greetings good citizen, while the evidence is all around us, many of us refuse to believe the forces that keep the lights on and the trains/planes running are, well, 'organized'.

For an operation based on 'competition' there sure is a lot of 'marching in lockstep' going on.

In a semi-sidebar, have you seen the fall line up for television? Did or is TV trying to transport us 'back to the Eighties?'

Don't know whether to be relieved or worried that reality shows have finally exhausted themselves...which says something else altogether about modern humanity but that is not today's topic.

In testament to their 'lack of taste', those who greenlight projects out in Tinseltown are recycling old dogs because they lack the imagination to create new material.

Nobody is surprised when these 'retreads' are bombing at the box office. [Lack of imagination is a terrible thing indeed! DO YOU want really want to follow people who can't conceive of a better future?]

Um, the question this raises is ARE THESE THE PEOPLE WE WANT TO BE IN CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE?

[Can I get a HELL NO! ?]

Once again we encounter proof that money and brains are two separate entities...where having one doesn't mean you possess the other.

But I digress [as usual]

Allow me to re-direct our attention to the elephant in the room, the insistence of the media that there is no 'cabal' of super-rich running the whole show.

How can you sit there railing against 'money in politics' and still give 'lip service' to the notion that the uber-wealthy' AREN'T in league with one another?

ONLY THE VERY STUPID believe that!

Even the media must be awkward parroting that nonsense but the wealthy KNOW they must 'deflect suspicion' whenever possible and spreading the word that is just ain't so through their various bought and paid for shills is their first line of defense.

For some bizarre reason [actually the desire not to appear 'uninformed' is perfectly normal, being hoodwinked into thinking something so patently, provably true is all part of a 'conspiracy theory' is bizarre!]

Here's THE KICKER...If the 'rich' are in league with one another, why are there Wars?

The average individual's inability to use logic lies in this very question. You may understand what it is like to 'hate' your neighbor but how many of us get up in the middle of the night and burn their house down because he ran his lawnmower over the flowers YOU planted at the edge of what YOU THOUGHT was YOUR PROPERTY?

Did you look at the plot plan to see who was right or did you just take the previous owner's word for it?

Wait, a 'feeble example' for sure but it is EXACTLY THE SAME LOGIC used when war is declared.

First and foremost...what do YOU care if two people in the NEXT COUNTY are too lazy to check the documents to see who is right? Are you willing to send your child off to fight for either side?

Let's take a look at the 'premise' for the current quagmire those who claim to lead have embroiled us in...Saudi Nationals hijacked CORPORATE AIRLINERS and flew them into targets on US soil, so we invaded Iraq for no good reason and Afghanistan for providing 'save harbor' to the alleged 'architect' of the attack.

Hundreds of thousands are dead and tens of thousands more are disabled thanks to this thoughtless, unwinnable 'exercise in futility.'

Well, same thing goes for 'war in general'...just who do they think they are 'teaching a lesson'? [Allegedly the 'point' of War] Often those that die in wars had NOTHING TO DO with whatever started the conflict in the first place! It also lends credence to the idea we were marooned here because we tested positive for the stupid marker!

As we enter the latest global conflict's 15th year we remain as baffled as we were originally by the question 'what does 'victory' look like? How will we know 'we won'?

Short answer, 'WE' never win. War is always a losing proposition for the civilian side of the population. Makes you wonder precisely how 'our betters' feel about the people they routinely cheat?

The 20th century was WALL TO WALL war! Save the two wars of global conquest [which seem to have never ended but that's just a personal observation.]

If we hold as true the fact that ALL MONEY IS FUNNY, what could be their motivation? Why do they keep killing? [Certainly not for the money!]

Well, it's for the 'distraction'...if we remain 'pre-occupied' with fighting imaginary 'bad guys' we won't turn our attention to the SCREWING we're getting from those handing down our marching orders!

The fearmongering media keeps us focused on the largely imaginary 'nutjob next door', the potential pedophile, serial killer, dope fiend, mugger, carjacker and yes, TAX CHEAT!

If you can be made to 'fear your neighbor' right next door then it's just a small mental shove into believing all of those foreigners ARE EVEN WORSE!

Complicating the entire larger picture are the decades it takes for the average individual to become aware that things AREN'T the way they were taught to believe and NOBODY has a firm grip on reality!

Which isn't entirely true, those sticking it to the rest of us know the score, they have to in order to keep the rest of us in the dark...

Which is not to say they weren't sold a 'bill of goods' too. They might well do what they do because it is what they were TAUGHT and lack the imagination to change things!

Yes good citizen, it really could be 'that bad'.

As we rush headlong towards 'more of the same', maybe it's time to enable a new, better vision?

You know the drill, Nov 9th and it's STRIKE TIME!

It's the one contingency they aren't prepared for.

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner