The Mall

We were at 'The Mall' last week. The Mall is a good place to observe Holiday Bliss. It's full of Bliss; decorations everywhere, party dresses on hangers, stacks of sweaters on sale, and people everywhere buying things for others... things others don't need. It was business as usual. The Holidays.
As my son and I walked through Macy's I noticed the strapless party dresses; short, with frill around the bust. They reminded me of the dresses from the roaring twenties. Do women really wear those 'party' dresses? Are there really parties where people dress like that? I decide it's time to buy new teeth and try to meet the Jeffersons. The excess. The bliss. Don't people in the city watch the news? Is the story different?
The orgy is over. America is now broke. We don't have the money to finance our desires anymore. People are losing homes. Banks are failing. Automakers need a bailout. Real estate lost 2 trillion dollars in 2008. China owns us. Am I the only one worried about the future? Am I needlessly worried about nothing?

Looking around I realize I'm the oldest person in the mall . Or at least it seems so. Now I am depressed; not only do I feel like a killjoy, but an old humbug of a Grinch too.

Thirty years past my prime mall carousing days, I can only wish I was young and handsome and attractive to the numerous young women that 'eye' my son and ignore me. I'm happy and proud for my son. I tell him enjoy every minute of being young. I think that life is too short and youth (the shortest segment of life) is way too short. The hell with growing old gracefully. Nobody at the Mall is living in reality except the minimum wage store employees waiting to get off work and join the consumer orgy of Bliss themselves.

So I decide I'll join the fantasy... I give a wink to a young women looking in my son's direction, and Boom Baby, Like a Bomb reality slaps me almost as quick as that girl could twist her neck and look in the other direction.
Worse yet my son sees what happens and chastises me for not knowing how to act. So much for Holiday Cheer and Good Will. She could have humored me a little. I didn't want to marry her. I didn't even care if I knew her name. I just wanted to be thirty years younger, dumber, cooler, and irresistible. And she could have done all of that with an air kiss or a wink.

Instead it was whiplash.

Not that I would have believed she was sincere, but later when I was alone, the male ego could make anything reality. Oh Well.

I start to think about how if I'd only known how Austin men don't age gracefully, I would have tried harder to be a good husband. Shocked back to the ugly truth, I try smiling at an older women looking at the party dresses; she looks me up and down and walks away, obviously not impressed with my dress and lack of obvious wealth. Damn, I was only trying to make her feel good about being old, too. I could never be interested in anybody whom would actually buy and wear one of those silly dresses.

I tell myself, "You've known love, romance, passion. You had your day. Aren't you a little old for such shallow measures of worth?" But the Annie L song 'Stay Young and Beautiful' keeps popping into my head.

Now, too old and poor and ugly for the Mall, I feel like a spaghetti western without Clint Eastwood. I tell myself it's not too late. I'm not all washed up. I realize I can still have all the love and desire that money can buy, and the male ego can make it real.

All right, now we're getting in the Holiday Spirit. The Bliss.

Later, lamenting to my son about the emphasis put on attractiveness, and how it's making me feel old....

He says, "I know, I started going to city college and met lots of new girlfriends. When I started at Berkeley, I met 'the bomb' and dropped the others. I lost the bomb in pursuit of the BA, but got the degree. And with every degree the quality of my women goes up. I can't wait to pursue my Law degree, or Masters." ...All for the desire of an education.

And then I was happy. None of us get forever on this earth, but it is fulfilling to see the evolution and immortality of ourselves in our descendants.

I hope When you are at the mall this year you'll think of this letter and remember : The orgy is over. America is now broke. We don't have the money to finance our desires anymore. People are losing homes. Banks are failing. Automakers need a bailout. Real estate lost 2 trillion dollars in 2008. China owns us.

And then find the money and pretend. Join the Bliss. It's Christmas and life. Especially youth, is way too short. Happy Holidays.

By the way, YOU look marvelous... Wink, Wink!

The Third Year

Saturday. The Shack in southern Oregon is 2 days away from it's second birthday and the start of year 3. It's raining outside, just as it was two years ago. Unlike two years ago there now is an insulated house with plumbing and hot water, a toilet, a kitchen, and a shower. Life is good, time to sell. Fall is most beautiful here. Deciduous trees mixed in with the Evergreens combine to make a spectacular array of Autumn colors. The waterfalls in back and on both sides of the house are starting to drip, and soon the pond will be full. The firewood is stocked for the first half of winter, and a plan is had for the second half of winter. If I had an oven I'd bake something and Life would be full. I love listening to the rain hit the roof while the house is cozy. Inside the Shack it is a different world than out in the raw wilderness that surrounds it; like a Hobbit hole, with the security and warmth of the fire. I have a Pipe too. In the beginning it's tranquil and serene, after thirty days it's cabin fever. Now though, it's serene.

Sunday. Football. Two years on the Hill complete. It's been raining for four days now. The five day forecast is rain for five more days. The raindrops are softly tapping on the roof, lulling the less wary into forgetting the waters true nature, and force; Erosion. Even the soft tapping becomes monotonous, then aggravating; gently taunting the "cabin fevered" with it's wet reminder that it's raining. I check the Pacific Satellite map at the weather channel website. It will be time for some 'doom and gloom for the valley' predictions soon. Is it sunny and warm today in California?

Monday. Happy Birthday Bradland. It's raining. The weather channel talks about this storm and that storm, in the rain forest the only way to tell is the different temperatures of the rain. Today's has turned cold. This is the fifth day of rain, and the five day forecast calls for five more. Great concealed weapon, weather. I see that Mammoth Mountain in southern California is going to open it's slopes today; no need to ask if it's snowing in the Sierras. The Shack seems to be holding the heat this year. Halleleujah for insulated floors. I'm looking forward to snow on the ground for six weeks this year. It's soundless. Sometimes it all seems worth it. You really have to define 'all' and 'it', and what choices that you have.

Cross Eyed Fish

This last week I was in that large California city in the valley where the rivers meet, and it was hot. And the City; fast and furious with busy people, crowded, young and amped on testosterone, impersonal and hard, began to feel uncomfortable and dangerous to me. I felt old and slow and disoriented. I visit my friends and they seem old and tired and unsure of their footing. There are those that aren't disoriented though; they realize their world, and time, and life's opportunities approaching. These are the twenty-five year olds I know.
Those my own age I tell,"Get up and go!" At our age we're the ones that have less to risk. How long do the mortal live?
I feel good. I am on an adventure. Life is exciting, challenging, rewarding, and fun. Well... it isn't desperate anyway. Life is wonderful, every miserable moment. It is good living another adventure at fifty. It has to be; I'm here and the best course to stay appears the one I'm on. Additionally, the longer I live as I do the more comfortable my life becomes. Only affirmed more and more by the city's decreasing attractiveness as I become acclimated to the rural life.
Here, in the mountains, on a still day, Time stands still. Almost always Time crawls and life is elongated here, but when the forest is entirely still, time doesn't move at all. The world looks two dimensional, as if one is standing in a picture. Time to learn how to plane jump.
If the answers are in-between the parameters, then humans must be looking at the world wrong. Not in a philosophical manner, but in their actual vision.
Juggling supposedly increases Brain Mass three percent. Probably due to forcing the mind to focus on ones peripheral vision and reacting. I think looking at the world cross eyed to force one's mind to see, and mentally respond to one's entire peripheral vision might be the next evolutionary step. Like driving down the road with one eye on the rear view mirror and the other on the road, digesting both pictures and responding; building brain mass.
Be careful though... with everything to live for, watch your 'road'.
Next time I see you though, if you're looking cross-eyed and seeing everything, like a fish with eyes on different sides of it's head... well, I'll know that you know a good idea when you hear it.

2 out of 5

The beginning of November will be the start of my third year here in Oregon. If the progression of the improvements on the property continue at the rate they have the previous two years, by this time next year the shack should be complete. In three more years the place should be paid off, or paid down to less than what you paid for your last car.
Life is good. I'm adapting to the new world and the lifestyle changes. I need a few goats and some chickens, a 'Sea-Land container' filled with MRE's and a ton of rice and beans. A little more ammo and fishing lessons and I'll be ready for the Apocalypse.
The last thirty days I've had caretakers at the house to feed the dog and watch the property: Randy and Jacob. The three of us Insulated underneath the shack, water-sealed the exterior, dug trenches and helped the Plumber plumb the place. It's a whole house now, or at least a whole shack. When we weren't working, or they weren't fishing, I was riding the motorcycle back and forth to California. It was good to have someone watch the dog and guard the property while I rolled a little. But alas, all good things come to an end; last week Randy went to his mother's in Portland. Today Jacob returned to Sacramento. It's back to me and the dog.
It'll be nice to have the shack to myself again for a while, but it will be lonely far too quick.
I look at pictures of my sons and kick myself in the ass for not video recording our every moment together. I try to talk them into coming and living my life with me, but they want their own lives. They are exactly whom I thought they should be in many ways...what the hell did I know? They're Worldly, Educated, the Beneficiaries of learning from my mistakes, I feel like the ultimate loser on Jeopardy around them.
It was a good year. Three more to go, this base will be paid for, and I'll be able to start the next Five year plan: buy a 36 foot sail boat and become a Asia coastal trader for five years while I pay for the Boat. But I won't think about that for the moment...
Don't live for the future, Live for the NOW, you get more done that way. Yours must be a busy, enjoyable world.

Only the Bear does now

There's a Shower, Dishwasher, Sink, and Washer hookup too. The Shack was also water-sealed and insulated underneath this month, which should make Winter MUCH more comfortable than last year.

Say Good bye to the bucket.

Sarah Palin's Inacessability‏

After Sarah Palin's nomination, a McCain spokesperson, one Tucker So and So, was pressed about Gov. Palin's Qualifications by CNN's Campbell So and So. The spokesperson for McCain could hardly sidestep the question of her not meeting McCain's own declared prerequisites for a Vice Presidential candidate; being qualified to be president. He continually avoided answers, and spoke 'off' the topic of the question. Afterward, the McCain camp was offended, claiming Campbell went over the line. She did not. She was patient, considerate, and in the end, probably as exasperated as I was with Tucker talking out of both sides of his mouth, but never at the question. Campbell was still very polite. McCain canceled an interview later that night on Larry King over the interview. Why? Despite what they say, I believe it was what the Campbell interview revealed; the McCain camp cannot answer questions directed at the campaign's hypocrisy, and Sarah Palin's inexperience The McCain camp has not allowed Reporters access to Sarah Palin since her nomination. I've seen speeches and grandstanding, but no 'Straight' talk in any open forum since Sarah arrived. It seems she really is no Hillary Clinton, and so the McCain camp can't let her roam freely among the reporters lest the lipsticked Pitbull bite herself. Sarah Palin is being investigated for abuse of her office. The accusation is that Palin couldn't control her emotions, and used her office to fire a man for not firing her brother-in-law. ...Right, just the person that I want on the nuclear trigger. She and John McCain exaggerate and lie about her accomplishments. She is bought and sold OIL. Sarah Palin will be a great leader if you want to play 'Holy War', and 'The rich get richer', and 'In God's Name', and take another step towards backpedaling into the middle ages. Evangelicals worry me. They're the religious extremists of America, but isn't extremism the same all over?
Do you really want a False Front a heartbeat away from the presidency? An individual so raw she has to be primed before she can Meet the press?
Now there is really only one question... Is anybody listening?

Hillary Dissenters, Mount Up?

I thought the first consideration for picking a Vice President was the qualification, 'would they be ready to step into the Presidency in the event...' John McCain's first prerequisite in choosing his running mate seems to have been, "How can I steal those Hillary dissenters?" In June Sarah told Glenn Beck she wouldn't take the job. But who is this First Term Governor from Alaska? What makes her qualified to be President?
Well, for starters, she's an OIL advocate. A pro-driller. All about tapping Alaska's OIL reserves. Arnold seems better qualified than Gov. whoever she is. Talk about a 'judgment call'. All that bullshit from McCain about how Obama would lose a war to win an election, but McCain would pick a total unknown, unqualified running mate just to steal those fem-nazi votes who won't give up on Hillary. The McCain Camp is showing early (as the Republicans have been accused) to be willing to do anything to win.
Would you vote for Gov. Whoever she is for President? Talk about destroying all the 'experience' lectures McCain has been feeding people. This woman has two terms as mayor of a town of 7,000, and two years as governor. She's already the subject of an ethics investigation. Does America want to take the chance she would become President with her experience? And how about the judgement call choosing her?

The Earth

The first thing I gotta know is why are all the planets round? The Moon is round.The Sun is round.
Why aren't there any square planets? Even rectangular? I mean MASS seems to take every other shape; why are the planets, moons, suns all round? Galileo, Columbus, they questioned the earths squareness and proved themselves right; making history in the proces. So I say, "The secret to the universe is the secret of why is everything round." Firstly, I was thinking about the Earth though. I was thinking about how the Earth and the other planets go around the Sun (SEE, there it is again). I was thinking that as the Sun burns, it must lose weight so, inevitably, it's suction would decrease and the planets, one by one, starting with planet #9 (Pluto, Uranus?) would drift off and be lost in space. This is nothing to be alarmed about; the Earth has no idea where it is in relation to 'outer-space' anyway. Lost from where? As long as Earth kept spinning, (keeping the atmosphere around it, right?) the Earth could be like the biggest cruise ship ever! Never mind the heating problems. Spaceball. Stellar road trip. Why does the Earth spin? The spinning is necessary, but who thought of making the place spin to retain it's excretions and create atmosphere?
I was thinking about the Black hole thing too. I don't understand how we could be sucked into a hole though. I mean we revolve around the Sun because of its mass. When the mass is burned until consumed won't we be free of the pull? There shouldn't be any vacuum created when the Sun collapses, right? So... what's up? I think it's Pinball Earth. And then what? It's all such a delicate balance of things. Maybe we'll end up somewhere where there are square planets. But, today's burning questions are, 'Why are the planets and moons and suns ALL round?' And spinning. Are they all spinning? Are the answers to these questions known?
Forget the Black hole stuff. I don't understand it so it can't be real. I know people who solves life's questions like that so I thought I'd try it. Doesn't work for me though. Still thinking...

The Seperation of Church and State

Watching the presidential candidates suck up to these 'religious leaders' in their quest to win votes is all the reason one needs to affirm our founding fathers belief that the church (all churches) should be kept out of the business of running the country. You are the educated ones now; is the story of Armageddon anything more than self fulfilling prophecy between the competing religions? And if so, then won't we be better off to let the fools kill each other off for their competing Gods? And if one of them (Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist), any one of them, die and return from Heaven we can be jealous. Otherwise, put this life above all else because it is all we have. My advice; no man is closer to God than another. I have never seen an angel, miracle, anybody rise from the dead. I have never seen a ghost. Things have happened in my Life I could not explain too. My point? Life is what it is. First hand perception... it's all you get. Love it . Cherish it. Make yours, yours. In the final analysis, seize the day. We can hope for more as we get older. We can fear death. We can believe in the after-life, but why does it always take money to support the faith? Like beggars with their hands out... selling something for your fears, or conscience, or pain. The opiate of the masses.
McCain and Obama should do their next debate up here in southern Oregon where we recognize what's real and base decisions in this world accordingly.
McCain is more dangerous than ever as far as I'm concerned. Voting for McCain is like supporting the Ayatollah. Archaic thinking for the future. Soon we'll be as far behind as the Iranians... and look what living in the past and strong religious beliefs has done for the land of the grudge. McCain and the Evangelists are the first step toward being a Taliban! How about McCain and the Mormon? Everybody Google 'The Bible Vs The Book of Mormon' and see what Mormon scholars are saying about the book of Romney. Gotta Go, Remember 'Separation of Church and State'. God can hang out for us each individually if desired.

Oil in Value

"It only carries a million barrels a day, but it replaced the old one that ran through Russia. And it was built because the OIL consortium wanted it in friendlier countries, ie. Not Russia. But damn, don't these 'pipelines' seem to attract trouble like arteries in a knife fight?" (According to Russia, 13AUG08)
I was thinking about that pipeline in Georgia, then I started thinking about what the OIL is valued at: 1000000 barrels a day valued at $120 a barrel) is $120 million a day and multiplied by seven is equal to $840 million a week or $3.36 billion a month or about $40 billion a year. I'm sure the BP OIL consortium that built the new pipeline is about to take a big loss. They might as well have stayed in Russia and used the old pipeline.
Watching today's news, I realize there are several countries piping OIL through that line. Grabbing Georgia will give control of that OIL to Russia. Did Georgia have weapons of mass destruction? Make sure to kill the Al Qaeda. Russia would not be so bold if our military wasn't strung to the point it is. And how much more willing are the American people to fight for yet another countries Freedom? Again.
They are talking about re-arming Georgia, as soon as the cease fire is for real. Why would Russia want a cease fire then? The Irony; all this talk of Russia's 'Conduct in the 21st Century' by our leaders and yet, what about the conduct of the Bush administration in the 21st century. The Hypocrisy. The crowning result of the Bush years; The re-ignition of the Cold War and the realization of Armageddon...
Our boy Bush, who looked Putin in the eye and saw a soul as black as his own. Birds of a feather... everybody better wake up. You lead by example, and by example... Putin is wrong too.
War, Torture, Greed, Lies, Profits, Control, ZEITGEIST!
It's on your Tv every day.

According to Russia

According to Russia, the border war going on between Russia and Georgia was initiated by Georgia, which is no surprise when it comes to the blame game. However. there's the further accusation that 'the West' (meaning the US) gave the green light to Georgia to initiate the fracas; something about unlimited support if they got it on. A surprise?
Think about it; MONEY supplies both sides of a war... MONEY in Russia is MONEY. Draw a border. Pick a fight . Make a profit. And the Shock? Hasn't the US been invading and attacking sovereign foreign countries now for eight years? What Shock? According to some experts and a large amount of 'factual' evidence is really that we simply took a swipe at ourselves to get a war going: The War on Terror. Our administration uses 'foreign terror' to create enough fear to fight back at the shadows, while the evidence and the true intention of it's action are as plain as day, but IGNORED.
Back to Georgia, where there's pipeline that connects the Azerbaijani Oil and Gas from Caspian Sea to the West. Surprise! An OIL and GAS pipeline. It only carries a million barrels a day, but it replaced the old one that ran through Russia. And it was built because the OIL consortium wanted it in friendlier countries, ie. Not Russia. But damn, don't these 'pipelines' seem to attract trouble like arteries in a knife fight? I mean, it seems like everywhere there's OIL that needs a pipeline built to it or where the pipelines exist, then there's trouble. Is it the pipeline that causes the trouble, the fight for the OIL that goes through it, or the representation of foreign powers and foreign exploitation that inevitably make these pipelines targets for rebels? Back to the surprise.
Georgia wasn't voted into NATO. And so MONEY knew this War was coming. Russia could not sit idly by and watch the US gobble up oil producing countries and pipeline routes in the 'War on Terror' in Russia's 'Near Abroad', and not get back in the Imperialism game too. You lead by example. Actions are louder than words. Russian national security demands that Russia not have a problem neighbor armed with western weapons (supplied by US and Israel, according to the Russian Diplomat on CNN). And why does it sound so familiar?
We've played all these games before. We've played all these games before. ZEITGEIST. ZEITGEIST. ZEITGEIST Someones making money on both sides of that war. You can bet on it. The 1%.
There's a reason Georgia wasn't voted into the NATO alliance recently; MONEY didn't want things to get out of control and wind up with a real war between nuclear powers. No cos, like the 'War on Terror', or Vietnam, or any shitty little proxy war, in Georgia MONEY is being made by The 1%. ZEITGEIST. Does the Cookie fit the Cut? MONEY is nation-less. MONEY'S Allegiance is to itself. Borders make good Wars, Profits, Control. The Cold War is being replaced by The OIL Wars; Formerly called 'The War on Terror', or 'The Terrorize Yourself 'Til You Terrorize Someone Else Wars', or 'The 1% Wars'.
There is little difference between our invasions of the Middle East, and Russia's invasion of Georgia. Russia doesn't bother with concealing their true intent. They don't need to attack themselves to attack others. As long as the US is 'policing' the world (at least the OIL producing world) then how can Russia be condemned for a little 'policing' on their own border? It's their border (fuck, we let Mexican Bush Cartels wage war on our border). According to the Russians, the US is supplying arms to Georgia and encouraging trouble.
Doesn't it seem like in all these strategic OIL related places where Western OIL rubs elbows with the corrupt democracy, trouble starts... When you consider what has been done in the world by the US over the last eight years in the name of any excuse available, while the real reason is simply greed, how can the current US Administration lecture Russia?
Does the Cookie fit the Cut?

American Terror

Have you seen…

Zeitgeist?
9/11 revisited?
The God delusion?
The Sun of God?

The Shack is twenty months old now. In that twenty months I have had the time, and in some aspects was forced, to examine myself, life, death, etc. It has not all been pleasant.
In admitting my own mistakes to myself, and reconciling to the idea you can never go back, that the first fifty years are gone, I was forced to shed old lies and accept new truths. Partially due to this process of growing up (something I had neglected to do in my first fifty years of living, and still have trouble with), I came to the realization that instead of becoming more conservative in my thought as I grow older, holding on to what I know, I am becoming more open minded. More willing to consider ideas that don't mirror my own. Instead of just calling bullshit, I'll look, read, consider before I call bullshit now.
I was more rigid in my parameters of tolerance in thought at twenty-five then I am at fifty-two, I was more ignorant at twenty-five.
Easier for me to change than others, I imagine. I was raised without religion, had no real expectations to live up to, lived day to day, hand to mouth most of my life, and believe strongly in nothing. I witnessed life in the drug culture for twenty years too, so obviously I had some mental adjustments to make. My convictions are few, but my patriotism is strong.
My family has been in this country since the late 1600's. I spent six years in the Army. So, we’ve established that the USA is my country, and I am a charter member patriot.
In the last eight years this country has been hijacked for the private interests of the ultra rich. It is a great country and my home. Unfortunately, it’s being driven not by the will of the people, but by the greed of a few. Elitists who think, despite what the masses want, that they know best. And what is best usually includes a large profit for them. That is not Democracy, but a facade of oligarchy.
Watch 9/11 re-visited.
Watch Zeitgeist.
I'm convinced The US government are the terrorists.
Take the war in Iraq. The American people were willing to stop Saddam Hussein from having WMD. But occupation? Here it is years later and our leaders are giving us every reason in the world to continue their policies, i.e.: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iraqi Independence, The War on Terror… it's like a Star Trek series where in the Universe’s infinity the dangers are never ending.
Now that Iraq has it's new puppet Government, the problem is now in Afghanistan, coincidently along the pipeline route. And the War on Terror continues. Except, IT'S ALL BULLSHIT.
We are the terrorists.
We have taken Russia's place in Afghanistan, the same place we denounced them for taking from 1979-1989. The Taliban are the same as they were then, except now they're the bad guys fighting the good foreign invader? I'll say it again, we don't need permanent fortresses along that pipeline to search and destroy Al Qaeda (The news 08DEC07).
Watch Zeitgeist, America is being fed a line. The American Army is fighting so Profits can be made on a pipeline to supply INDIA. I don't give a fuck about Indian Markets. Do you?
And the elitists don't give a rat’s ass about a country, or people, or the average man. Money lives where life is best, so money doesn't care if a few hundred thousand people die, if countries are ravaged, if the poor starve, etc. Money won't be in the neighbourhood, just profits. The fact that it is a country other than America doesn't make it right (The Aliens 12JUL08). Even if they are American companies, or the American Army, exploitation is exploitation and imperialism is imperialism.
Enter my neighbor, a local schoolteacher and resident of Southern Oregon since the 70's. An intellectual. I think he can't resist opening minds and eyes, but he has successfully changed my outlook on some things by simply saying, “Hey, watch this.”
Those four titles above are great food for thought. Especially Zeitgeist and 9/11 Revisited. You can Google all four.... Zeitgeist has no picture the first two minutes, just words from the Dahli monk.
Now, most American’s live comfortably, myself included, but what am I willing to allow my country to do in order to make this the best place in the world to live? At the very least I want to know the truth.
I honestly cannot look at people who think those planes brought the WTC down without feelings of disgust for their ignorance.
I always felt these religious fanatics (Jihadists, Christian warriors etc) were brainwashed fools, but after Zeitgeist and the God Delusion I realize that I was a fool too. I am ashamed of my own ignorance and lack of education (part of the remorse for having screwed around for twenty years in the drug culture).
People here in the State of Jefferson question everything. Oregon is the most atheist state in the union. Fewest Catholics and Baptists. Independent Voters. This is Ron Paul country (probably due to his platform to repeal the income tax (there is a lot of non-taxable income in this area)). It is fertile soil for alternative lifestyles and ways of thinking, good and bad. Who knows what my mental makeup will be after a few more months?

Black in America

I've been watching ‘Black in America’ and now I know... that being a misplaced Smokey mountain Hillbilly, raised in California without a father in the home, almost makes me Black. I like to grab my crotch and tell people I'm part black, but that's a joke of course… I'm part Donkey.
Of course I'm really watching ‘Black in America’ because, ‘How ya' going to know?’
Nobody looks at me like I'm black. They look at me like I'm ugly. All you handsome, pretty people might not know what I'm talking about, but ya' know… when you pull up next to that hot girl with her hair washed and her shiny lipstick on and even if she ain't good looking, she got her hair washed and her shiny lipstick on, so she thinks she is.... and anyway, inevitably I'll pull up and I'll be looking to see who is in the car next to me.... and whoosh, that girl will damn near break her neck twisting it around to look the other way. I want to jump out and yell, ‘Hey! I wasn't even looking' for a girl with her hair washed’.
But anyway, they always turn their head. Which is like looking at you like you’re ugly. If they don't turn their head, they ain't pretty enough for me. Good thing too. Ya' know, the male ego can make anything reality.

Reminds me of the joke:
I go out. I try to meet women. The first line is always different ‘Hi, how are you. You look nice.” Ya' know, something like that. But the second line is always the same, “Hey Bitch! I’m talking to you!”

People look at me like I'm poor too, sometimes. That just means I'm fooling the one's not paying attention the other part of the time. And of course, in the dice game of what really counts, and blessings you can't sell, I am as rich as my ignorance allows me to be. Which takes me back to being looked at like you're poor...ya' know, if you wear blue plaid shorts and the blue doesn't match the blue in the flowered Hawaiian shirt you're wearing, and your green safarii hat doesn't match your grey cross training shoes, people look at you like your poor. Like you ain't got a clue. Like you’re too poor to know about white teeth and vaginal odor, and wouldn't know how to appreciate a girl with her hair washed and her shiny lipstick on. Too poor my ass, I'd pay to appreciate it.
I get other looks sometimes. The ‘whoa, you’re too loud’ look is common. I'd be exhausted if I concentrated on whispering all the time.
I get the ‘oh, he’s bald’ look a lot too. Ya' know when you're meeting that hot girl for the first time, and she's got her hair washed and her shiny lipstick on and you smile at her, and she's watching your every move. You can feel her radar on you, and then... you take your hat off.... it’s like the power went off. Your blip disappeared. It's like your face became twice as long and everything else became half its appropriate size.
Sometimes, I get that perplexed look, too. Ya’ know, like, I was talking to this attractive woman at this party that my friend was invited to and, I knew she was looking for a man because she was there… and her hair was washed and she had that shiny lipstick on. And I hadn't had a shower for three days so I was manly. Also I hadn't taken my hat off... all that said I figured that I was in the running. So I just told her, “I'll give ya' a try-out.” She said, “huh?” I said, “Well honey, I can't guarantee you'll make the team, but I'll give ya' a try-out.” She looked confused walking away.
Then you meet a woman who, for whatever dysfunctional reasons of her own, likes you, falls in love with you. And you don't know how to act.... back to being ‘Black in America.’ Lack of a good ‘male role model’ in any young man's life is a serious problem, regardless of his race.
It is an inherited problem too. My sons inherited a father who didn't know how to act sometimes. I just knew how I wanted them to act. What I knew from experience, Tom Sawyer and the Hobbit. Make sense?
And I misspelled safari above because Hawaii has two eyes and so do fish. I didn't say this was going to be easy. You figure it out because I'm working on a new campaign to bring bald, ugly, crude, old men back into mainstream American life where we can be treated handsomely. See, I'm going to call it ‘Bald in America’ and I want Soledad O'Brien to do the interview because I think I could be comfortable with her.... she seems so understanding, and I'm always getting a look...

On Reverend Jesse Jackson

The Reverend Jesse Jackson should have his nappy ass spanked by Don Imus.. I'll be the first to say it, "Where the hell is Al Sharpton now?" Making excuses for his Microphone sucking buddy. Bless his Hypocritical ass. Can someone pick up the limousine bill too? After thirty years of civil rights leaders that never saw a microphone they didn't like, it's nice to see a microphone the Reverend didn't like. After watching the way Don Imus was tried and condemned by these 'Leaders', only equal treatment of the Reverend Jesse would be just. I mean, who has a greater responsibility to the community; a talk show host, OR a civil rights and spiritual leader, and all the other credentials the reverend claims? And the real tragedy is the Reverends comment before using the word 'NIGGER'. And I quote, "He's trying to cut our balls off." That comment was in response to Senator Obama addressing the issue of black men taking responsibility for their offspring, or lack thereof; possibility indicative of the true nature of the Reverends true attitude toward women, children and responsibility? Already an admitted adulterer, the Reverend's true form is no surprise. The surprise is that the ANY Community (not just the Black Community) still allows him to claim to be one of their leaders.
The Reverend Jackson, having revealed his moral base, should now go find a hole to hide his despicable hypocritical ass. And I denounce him not for his language, or his hypocrisy, but what it reveals: The Reverend is an insincere microphone sucking phony. A man who would use others for his Profit . Has the Reverend ever had a job? I hope Imus has the Reverend on for a discussion on 'hypocrisy in the Ministry'; spiritual leaders exploiting their congregations, and the community. And my point?
Reverend Wright, Reverend Jackson ....how many other leaders will the Senator be forced to distance from himself?

The Aliens

The Aliens came to earth last night and spoke with me and they told me their plan.
They said, "We need the water".
I said, "What?"
They said, "The water, we need it, the water on the earth... It's ours, ya' know, and we need it back."
I said, "Yours?"
"Oh yeah," the alien said, "it's ours from eons ago. A long, long time ago the science department wanted to see what would happen if we put out the fire on the surface of a trashball, and just let it burn down inside til it was coal. Somebody thought it would collapse and disappear... make it easier to navigate space... so we dragged a huge ice cube here and slammed it into this trashball after successfully setting it on fire. It worked; the surface of the trashball was extinguished and the core was burning as planned but the planet was developing some form of bacteria that had evolved to the point that it was sending objects into space and the Supreme Board couldn't have that, so they ordered the return of the water to our world, and to start the experiment again closer to home where we can keep a closer eye on things... and spray."
"But what about Earth?"
"The trashball? Normal procedure; it will be dragged slowly into the big incinerator at the center, a few balls in front of it. Initially, they were going to slap the place with a comet, like the first time they tried to stop a fungus, but the scientists said without the water the growth would stop... so they're not going to send a rock."
"But there's life here," I said.
"Tell that to the guys that want the water," the alien said. "I hear OILPS ain't got water for their pools... you know how OILPS are! Without water for their pools they got nothing fo sit beside and drink. They got no place to tan, ya know... they need that water. Without it the OILPSROCK wouldn't be the haven it is."
"But do they need it to survive?" I asked.
"Oh, hell no," the alien said. "They just like the way it looks, but they have eminent domain over this trashball. When the place goes up in steam don't worry, we're just heating the it up so we can suck off the moisture."

The Takilma Tree House Party

I got up on the 5 July and my face hurt from smiling so much the night before. Next year you should come to the Treehouse Independence day Party here in Takilma, State of Jefferson, on the south base of Hope Mountain, opposite the north base of my home.

It all started innocent enough on the 3 July. Jeff asked me, "What ya doin' on the Fourth?”
I started to give him a brief itinerary for my weekend when he interrupted me and said, "You should go out to the treehouses in Takilma." Jeff knows I live opposite the infamous hippie settlement of the seventies.
"The treehouses?"
"Oh yeah, Man, you'll dig it, the whole community goes out there. There's live music, fireworks, food… it's a party, man. You should go." Jeff isn't exactly a party animal; a health nut with two teenage sons and a pre-teenage daughter, owner of the prominent Chevron station for the last twenty five years, he's a pillar of the community, so I naturally figured the ‘treehouse party’ would be a respectable family affair, for the most part.
I ran into another buddy of mine, Dave, that afternoon too. Dave carves bears and wizards and such, from cedar logs with a chain saw. He lives in a camp trailer on part of his sister's lot at the four corners (where my road and Takilma Road intersect). Toothless, wild and rambling, Dave’s a party animal. As I passed his place on the way home he hailed me over and asked me, "Hey, whatta you doin' on the Fourth?” Before I could answer he continued, "You should go to the treehouses. Man, you'll have a good time!
“Everybody will be there, man, you gotta go."
My phone rang on the morning of the Fourth. It was Devon, another buddy of mine. He owns a caravan park in Cave Junction. Devon is a businessman and a party animal. He loves women, being too loud, having too much fun, and drinking too much. At six foot seven and two hundred and seventy pounds, he’s a giant of a man. His best friend Jessie is two inches shorter and twenty pounds heavier.
So, Devon calls me on the morning of the Fourth and said, "We're going to the Treehouses for a party tonight, we'll be by to get you at six".
I said, " Have you been there before?"
Devon replied, " No, but everybody says it's a party, so you should go too."
Devon's only been in town about six months longer than I have and at thirty years old and single he's always on the hunt for love and a thrill. Twenty years older than he and Jessie, I didn't have their enthusiasm for a party, but after the third 'you should go’ I was beginning to feel like the community was waiting to meet me and I should go. Especially intriguing was the vast difference in the people who recommended my going.
Takilma has a reputation for being an ex-hippie haven/refuge, pot farming community on the Oregon/California border where the only way into the mountains and the California part of the valley, is through Oregon. Local law enforcement avoids the place. One road in, one road out. No radio, no cell service, no strangers. If there is a ‘State of Jefferson’, Takilma and the southern side of the mountain is the rebel base. The helicopter spends a lot more time over there...
The boys arrived about an hour late. Prelude to the party, and we were on the way. We were Happy.
The treehouses are just a few miles in on Takilma road. You can google 'Out 'n About', or 'Takilma Treehouses', and take a virtual tour.
Before the sun went down ‘the party” was a picnic, barbecue, and family affair. A cross between Golden Gate Park circa 1969, and The Renaissance fair at Black Oak Forest in Novato. Games, food, vendors, treehouses, and ropewalks. Ale, beer. wine, women and song. Mushroom tea... pungent smells in the air. Open laughter and pipe sharing. There was a country band and a few dancers. At least a couple of thousand people. It was Woodstock 2008 on a smaller scale. Everybody was friendly and COOL. The Party was an excellent representation of the community. I felt good to be part of the microcosm.
While were standing around drinking, eating and admiring other people's wives and girlfriends, a young lady suddenly dropped to the ground not ten feet away and started flopping like a fish on dry ground. Everybody was shocked. Her friends were frozen. She was about twenty-five and everyone just stood and watched as she wriggled in the brown dirt.
Moments into the drama, as the girl's color started to change I moved over to her. Holding her head still, I could she was biting her tongue. It was already bleeding. I yelled for a stick to put between her teeth. I forced enough of my thumbs between her teeth to release her tongue, and at that moment a young man with dreadlocks shoved an index finger size stick between her teeth.
I calmly told her to relax, she'd be okay. She was incoherent. I still kept repeating, "You'll be ok, just relax, you'll be ok."
Suddenly, her eyes met mine and she was back. I could see she was confused and scared. I told her, "You're gonna be fine." A security person arrived. They had called an ambulance for the girl and asked everyone to back up and for the young lady to remain still. I walked back over to the boys.
Scott handed me a beer. "You saved her life, man."
"Yeaaahhhhhhhh, kinda changed the mood for a minute though, didn't it?'"
I looked in the ice chest for the rest of the mushroom tea. Motherf*****s drank it while I was being a hero! Oh well... Devon had bought two red cups of 'tea’ and him, Jessie and Scott had split one. Then Devon handed me the second for myself. I decided I'd watch the boys for a while and stick to ale until I could see how they fared. I was about half way through the juice when the girl had started to flop. I never did find out what went wrong.
As the sun set the fireworks started. There was a water truck and the display was done over a large meadow. No fire danger here I guess. The party was lit up for about an hour. I was impressed. While the fireworks display went on, the bands changed. As the display ended the bass player started to rumble. A young man with dreadlocks started a rhythmic chant; suddenly the singer yelled, “Are you listening Takilma?" The saxophonist let loose with a long drawn out note, and the party started moving toward the stage. There were a lot of those red cups around. The reggae was top notch.
During the second song the saxophonist started throwing finger size joints out into the crowd. It got smoky. The crowd found some rhythm and got their hands above their heads. The band was hot. The singer yelled something about the State of Jefferson tonight. The crowd got cooler, younger, and happier. The whole place was moving with the groove. I couldn't stop smiling. It was a Freedom thing. The band played for three hours without a break. They did it again the next night, too. It was all good. Next year...............
Are you one of us, or one of them?

Starbucks are Closing

What up?
More bad news on the American economic front today. The place is falling apart. 35 years too late, there is no answer now, and the infuriating part is these were the same problems that faced the country in the Seventies. Only, now China will use any oil that we don't and, in the world of supply and demand, we have a lot less control.
It's like reducing fossil fuel emission: it doesn't matter what America does now because those developing countries thirsty for oil, industrialization, and modernization are not going to save the world at the expense of their own economies. America didn't and won't now.
Hell, America is practicing politics of imperialism and making wars over future supplies. Another reason the economy is falling apart. And here's what I'll look for in the future; can we change and will the 1% and OIL let us?
Will the American people allow Big Oil to dictate our Bankruptcy? In effect, milking the country dry by influencing policy to keep us dependant on fossil fuels till the atmosphere is ruined and we are slaves to our debt? Well, what the hell do the American people think has been done since the Carter Administration? And worse, the Bush Administration has lied to us, robbed us, and Shoved Big Oil Policy down our throat. When the cry for President Bush to be tried for treason and war crimes is raised, I’ll give a hearty “aye!”
Oh well, as I stated in February about Starbucks (Coffee Wars, Property Prices, and Nothing Left to Lose 26Feb08), that's the first factor I want to consider. Not that Starbucks and Dunkin-Donuts will determine our national economy and save the housing market, but they are great indicators of the times. See, I don't think that improving a latte or customer service, is going to save Starbucks. As times get harder it is my bet that the extravagance of $3.50 cups of coffee will be one of the first luxuries to give way to reality. Look for coffee shops, cafe mochas, and cappuccinos to disappear quicker than equity in a Las Vegas home (this might be a good time to invest in a personal home Mr. Coffee machine).
Starbucks announced they're closing 600 stores today.
My point: The world is changing, the common American is not as rich and, worse yet, has most likely already lost the wealth they had. The boom is over and the Piper has his hand out. Coffees are out, but look for an increase in Liquor consumption. Times are getting harder and unnecessary expenditures will be first to cease. Closing coffee shops are indicative of this. As the economy goes, Starbucks goes.
Six months ago things were a lot better in America. The stock market has lost 2.1 trillion dollars in the first six months of 2008. A barrel of crude is up about 40% since the beginning of the year, the dollar has lost about a third of its value and if you could afford to go out for coffee (obviously I can't) there's at least 600 fewer places to go.
Hope the world finds all of you more affluent than I, at least.

The Truth

Yup,
I have pecked almost fifty articles from my perch in the mountains of southern Oregon, now. By the measure of the response I have gotten from them, I guess most of them weren't worth responding to. People are busy. They agree with me silently, I know.
Occasionally, I get a response and it's all good; There's a million Samuel Clemens these days. Bloggers; how does one distinguish oneself where there are those that are more talented? Original thought is a lot of hard work. It normally takes research, ideas, travel ...and patience.
I'm recapping news today, but some interesting stories about Iraq's oilfields and production being locked into future contracts with US oil companies. And there is the Truth of the War with Iraq. Not weapons of mass destruction. Not Iraqi democracy. Not Al Qaeda, Iran or the Axis of Evil.
Oil, goddamn oil that's ruining the atmosphere, bankrupting the country, and will destroy the world, as we know it. Its warmer and wetter and the tornado season is all year long. Rainfall records and flooding levels are being shattered worldwide.
There's been a lot of talk about Jimmy Carter and the Seventies lately on the national news. I was comparing the situation to President Carter's tenure and the upheaval in the Seventies in article I wrote in January (Change We Can Believe In 10JAN08 and Educate Educate Educate! 21JAN08 ) It probably wasn't original thought then, but it's good to have the national media catching up with me. Normally it doesn't take them six months to steal my ideas.
The Carter Administration was neutralized by OIL in the Seventies, The Obama administration could very well be neutralized in the future.
The big question now is, will Obama play ball?
Alternative energy is the answer. And the American way of life will have to change. But will OIL let us?
It is the Bush Administration that concerns me. Never in my lifetime have I felt so deceived by the government. This whole escapade in the Middle East was an orchestrated collection of terror, lies, manipulation, greed and profiteering for OIL.
The war on Iraq was a manipulated act of imperialism for OIL. A shameful act of aggression and profiteering. US oil company profiteering.
Do you know it cost about $1.00 US to pump a barrel of crude oil out of the ground?
How quickly the President-Elect removes our troops from Iraq, and how aggressively he pursues alternative energy, will indicate how much he's working for every Americans future, or conversely, how long he'll continue policies that should have changed forty years ago. Will he sell out?
And the answer is not to throw all regard to the wind and let the bastards do what ever they like in the pursuit of oil, the answer is KICK the habit because the price of a gallon of gas will never come down.

Bring Money

The last six months I was in the Military, the Army allowed me to wear civilian clothes and attend Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The military was pushing College degrees, and if you (the individual soldier) were within one semester of obtaining one, Fort Bragg would release you from all duties to attend school at Methodist to obtain it. The College was all for the program; Uncle Sugar was paying all the fees and the College was growing like the troops were feeding it Miracle-grow.
While attending this fine institute of learning, I was assigned to read a story about a poor women living with three lazy sons, a slovenly husband, and a pack of dogs the men kept, which, along with the men, the woman was responsible for feeding. The woman had married the man, bore him sons, and then spent her life laboring for them. The men were demanding, ungrateful, and thoughtless. Even the dogs would howl and whine if they weren't fed on time. One cold evening, tired, old, and worn out, the old women began to trudge the mile and a half through the soft snow home from the grocer. The wind had picked up a little, and she was having trouble keeping her top coat button buttoned, a bag of groceries in each arm. Halfway home the dogs, hungry and impatient for dinner, came searching to hurry her. At home the men grumbled about a late dinner. And there in the snow, as the old women stopped to rest for a moment, she closed her eyes, and never opened them again. The dogs, sniffing the food, tore the bags open and feasted, afterward returning home. The old women spent her life, and last moments, for dogs.
I tell this story because BooBoo, my nephew's dog (Dogs 03Apr08), is soon to arrive from the city and I'm feeling a lot like the old lady in the story (my oldest son dropped a dog on me himself and then skipped off to Europe for life, seemingly).
Bring money nephew. Lots of it because I'm eight days from payday, and I got twelve dollars, four days worth of food, no gas, no grass, no ass, and I ain't looking forward to another dog I can't afford to feed.

Terracing the Property

My neighbor deopped by today with just the thing you need to turn 10 acres of Shack land in the southern Oregon mountains into something refined and a great deal more 'Europeanesque'. Anyway, he worked on my driveway for a while.

Notice my partner in the foreground? Croco-dog.

The Chevron Incident

Sons and Friends,
The Road through the mountains to my Shack is open again. The last of the snow blocking the road has melted away and the scenic route from the Northern California Redwoods through the Southern Oregon mountains is now open. The logging trucks, rolling by my house daily now, are laden with the BIG trees from somewhere back, up in the mountain forest above. Motorcyclists seeking the Scenic route are no longer passing by the Shack twice; finding out the hard way the route was closed. I'll be worn out by the end of the day, watching the extra traffic go by. Actually, I have postponed my Spring work until Summer and now must get busy. The result of being idle. Life is Wonderful, Every Miserable Moment. But first, a man has to live and escape the routine occasionally. I was in that California city in the valley where the two rivers meet for four days last week. Saw friends, played Poker and won, rode the motorcycle. It was all good. The motorcycle gets 40Mpg on the Highway. The RoadMonster. I filled up on the Oregon side first. Gas was $3.89 a gallon. It jumped $0.20 cents in Northern California, and when I got to that river city, then it was $4.29 a gallon for Regular, except ...... Thursday morning I pulled into Chevron. I was on my way to get a comfortable hotel room when I stopped for gas. As I swung my right leg over the Motorcycle and dismounted, I was face to face with the pump. It read-

20.00 DOLLARS
5.83 GALLONS

As I turned towards the store\cashier I started doing the math and two steps later I realized; That ain't 4.29 a gallon! Then I looked again. The prices read REGULAR 4.29 / PLUS 3.39 / PREMIUM 4.51 across the pumps. Like they do, you know? There are twelve pumps at this Chevron. Two rows of six. Three to a side. They were mostly full. I walked up to the gentlemen in front of me. I asked him if he noticed the PLUS was a dollar cheaper than the sign advertised. He looked at me and responded,"Yeah, I noticed that. Probably a mistake , huh?" I responded, "Yeah, probably,.... maybe I'll tell the clerks inside... after I fill up, of course." We laughed.
I noticed he was filling up with PLUS, too. I say 'too' because on the way into the store to give the clerk my twenty dollar bill, I took note that EVERYBODY was pumping PLUS into their cars. As I filled The RoadMonster (yes, it occurred to me that my windfall wasn't as big as some but, I didn't mention the price on the pump to the clerks), a large 1980's type, big ol' wide, true-gas-hog of a Cadillac pulled in on the other side of the pump. As the youngish driver of the car stepped out I said, "Hey.... the PLUS is selling a dollar cheaper on the pump then it's advertised on the sign." He looked at me and said, "Huh?" It didn't take much explaining for him to get the gist of things pretty quick though; He was filling up with PLUS too when I hung up the pump and went in to get my change. CHANGE from a twenty after filling up my motorcycle. Unheard of since forever! On the way out, at the pump nearest the door, I saw this fella hit the regular button as I walked by. So I stopped him and explained the situation. He couldn't see the price of the gas though; when he hit the regular button the price of the other two grades quit lighting up so he couldn't see their prices. You know... like they do. But he shut the pump off and, when the other prices were lit and showing, he picked the PLUS too. I felt like Santa Claus. I was Paul Revere running around that gas station telling everybody about PLUS! A self-exiled Californian returned from the mountains of Southern Oregon, Informer of the Exploited, Carrier of Good News, Enlightener of those within my reach... Let the Seller Beware! I did have a moral moment though. I reflected to a gentleman in a suit as he filled his Explorer with PLUS, "...all these otherwise honest, hard-working people don't seem to have any reservation about taking advantage of an obvious mistake." He replied, "Chevron can afford it." So I called my friend Gary; He lives nearby. I called Sandy, she works nearby. Chevron can afford it. Let the Seller Beware. It was their pump. As I drove away, I saw the guy in the suit step around the pump and converse with the stranger on the other side, something about PLUS, I think. It was a happy group that morning. Sandy went by an hour later, Plus was 4.39 a gallon.
Maybe the clerks noticed, or maybe a sympathizer showed up. Regardless, though it was not planned, and we were not to blame, there was a moment that morning; a moment of opportunity to conspire and be secretive, a moment to fight back and be offensive, rather than helpless and at the hands of the profiteers. And I was Proud to share The Chevron Incident with my fellow Americans who, doubtlessly, are indicative of the resentment and attitude of the whole Population: Let The Seller Beware... Revolution is only a mistake away. I can hear Jefferson Airplane now. TakeStock ! (Catchy Name, huh?)

Now It Is Our Time

It is now Your Time Gentlemen.
It is your duty and responsibility to the American People to speak out from Experience, Memory, and Knowledge; Those who were alive in the seventies, Who Remember the Protests, The Administrations Lies, the Bullshit, and especially those who served as proud Americans and saw the cost, first hand, of at the expense of the 1%. Those who were shelled, while Shell oil transports sat in the harbor within range of the enemy's weapons, but were immune to attack because Shell paid the Vietnamese not to do so. It is your duty to remind America of the guile of her politicians. (One of many stories the country should be reminded of...)
And why now? Because there are many other similarities between the seventies and the present, that those who were there should remember. The reason we were in Vietnam?
To stop the ‘spread’ of communism? And today’s fear? The ‘spread’ of nuclear weapons. And who is using that ‘spread’ word and continuing to propagate fear of ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ and ‘Al Qaeda in Iraq’ and ‘Axis of Terror’ etc?
Our GOOD OL' BOY: John McCain for no change. This jerk wants to recycle the mistakes of the Seventies; probably thinks our memories are completely up in smoke!
Another similarity to the Seventies? Recession. Inflation. Skyrocketing oil prices (Vietnam wasn't helping. Iraq isn't helping).
And the Commander of all US forces in the Pacific? John McCain's Father. 1968.
A Position very Close to the top, I would imagine. A man whom would know the truth, have to be a team player and, maybe, get a cut of the Profit? Or maybe have his wife get a cut? We questioned the whole damn war, so why shouldn't I now question the integrity of the Admiral, and his successor? The Vietnam war was an imperialistic military action for a Profit. So is Iraq. Like father like Son. Let's remember and end it now!
John McCain is showing the signs of a man who will do anything to win.
How Senator McCain can stand and state that Senator Obama has no right to question his action in regards to our veteran affairs because Senator Obama is not a veteran is outrageous. It is exactly the kind of arrogance and attitude that makes Senator John McCain a dangerous candidate, and a pompous asshole.
I spent six years in the Army, and my family spent three hundred years before that conquering, and defending this country, so that everyone (including Senator Obama) can give their opinion and question the Powers that be! I am American; would the Senator ever question my right to question him by virtue of his position?
Additionally, Senator McCain is willing to continue the current policies that waste billions of dollars a day, yet votes against a bill for veterans benefits that cost less per year than a days worth of folly in Iraq? That is not a veteran's actions. Those are the actions of The Profiteer. The Senators actions belie his words, and he is not a veteran that this veteran would trusts.
And I'm a super-American-voice; my family are North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountain Hillbilly charter members.

The Result of Being Lazy

That's what these literary outburst of ignorance are; the result of my being too lazy to work around the property laboriously, and maybe also no money for materials. That means no money to eat out, drink in bars, ride my motorcycle, cruise aimlessly around being bored or travel… none of the good shit. So I write to occupy my time. But even that isn't easy.
Another result of being lazy is I lack the vocabulary it takes to fully express my deep, complicated, often emotional perspectives on the world around me. As I said before (I Can Write Too 12Nov07), although my vocabulary is not in the league of a senior classman at Berkeley. It dooooonnn't matter, I should practice ‘PLEASE’ and ‘THANK YOU’ more (and place less emphasis on ‘aahhhh fuuuuuuuck it’ and ‘it don't matter’).
But it does matter. You could put my vocabulary inside my sons two or three times now. They taught themselves everything they know, academically speaking, over the last twenty years while I was lazy. Now, grown, intellectual, educated, possessing reflections on the world capable to those with great minds, I can only hope to understand them and converse on their level.

What is the African Proverb?
When the sun rises in Africa the fastest lion knows that he has to be faster than the slowest gazelle otherwise he ain’t going to eat.
When the sun rises in Africa the slowest gazelle knows that he has to be faster than the fastest Lion otherwise he ain’t going to live.
In other words, it doesn't matter, Lion or Gazelle, when that sun comes up, your ass better be running.

In the human world though, with enough food and without the fear of being eaten, one's conscious becomes the a slow old lion. And that sun still comes up every day and, academically and intellectually, I've been lazy for twenty years. I don’t rest easy to my sons eating me alive, now. But its the consequence of being lazy.
Another result of being lazy is not being well read enough to expertly and authoritatively expound on my ideas. Like this morning I was drinking coffee and thinking about St. Peter at the Golden Gate, then I realized is all I could remember is he stands guard at the Golden Gate (not in the Bay Area (don't be silly)).
So... I googled ‘St. Peter at the Golden Gate’, and sure enough there it was; every website mentioned guarding the Golden Gate. And that's the part that got me to thinking...
It would seem to me that if there wasn't any way to sneak into Heaven, they wouldn't need a guard. Therefore, since there is a guard, you must be able to sneak into heaven. And that opens up all kinds of avenues of thought.
Remember the saying, ‘May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead’? Well, maybe the Irishman that made it up knew something we don't. Like there's a little lag time between this world and that gate where a guy could get ‘lost’. Or, maybe if you can beat your files there, you can slip past ol' St Peter before he finds out you don't have a clean slate.
It sounds good to me, but logistically there is still that initial problem of how to get to the Gate. It reminds me of a few years back when those people rented that house on the Oceanside so they could have a party with Wine and Sleeping pills, then they suffocated themselves in order to catch Haley's comet and go to Heaven. I could never figure out why, if they could jump to Haley’s comet, couldn't they leap all the way to Heaven? Why screw around with a layover? If I want to beat the Devil by a half hour, I better leap direct!
Anyway, all of this bullshit is a result of being lazy. Not forcing myself to do anything other then look out the window and wave to the people stopping to look. When I'm not waving, the keyboard is right in front of my hands and so I write.
I should appreciate the last of this time in the shack. If the number of cars slow rolling by, and those that stop to take flyers from the container are any indicator, I will be moving soon. Even writing it saddens me. I could be lazy here forever, if only it wasn't Hell Explained.
Work, work, work; makes you feel good, good, good (Grandpa Bud).

The End of Days

Sons and People,

Aren't these exciting times we live in? We might possibly get to be around for The End of Days. Not that I'm wishing the world to an early end, but as I've said before (The Problem of Mortality 09MAY08), I don't like the idea of things going on without me. I can't stand the idea of missing anything: if it all ends at once, it'll be easier to determine the point to start backtracking and catch the whole show inversely.

It's all there, these end of time predictions, encoded in the old testament of the bible. Using computer technology they've discovered a matrix that predicted this, and a matrix that predicted that. I don't know why they can't figure these predictions out before they happen. Did you know that within hours after 9/11 they discovered a matrix in the bible that predicted the whole thing?

Of course, some skeptics have run the same computer analysis on the Hebrew edition of Moby Dick and discovered the same matrices. It's the great debate: almighty God or conscious algae from a warm pond? In the end it seems to be the same; dust to dust.

This whole Biblical Code changes things though. Mankind/life would have a purpose. A purpose to the puzzle. To crack the code.

Have you guessed that I'm watching an episode of The History Channel on "The Bible Code - Apocalypse and Beyond"?

It's the 'beyond' part that concerns me. I hope God likes me enough to rapture my ass out of here on the first ship. I was talking to the boys in the city in the valley where the two rivers meet and according to them if you don't get the first ship out, you've missed the boat. I thought if you missed the first chance, you could still make the second string, IF you make the cut. According to them Rapture is the cut.

All the more reason to decipher that 'biblical code' and be at the station on time. This shit is important, you know? As mankind races to The End of Days, I'm thinking I might actually need to read the Bible, and Moby Dick again. Maybe I can come up with a matrix that ties both stories together and become the bridge between the Almighty and the skeptics.

High Aspirations.

And lets face it, these guys coming up with the matrices, they're way out of my league. They've got Doctorates in mathematics, history, theology, etc. A lot of them have that little round skull cap, too. The hat of 'the Chosen'. Hell, is all I've got is a fitted Kings hat from which I removed the bill. But it says, 'KINGS' on it. And as the descendant of a bastard son of King Richard the Lion Heart, it's all good!

Hey, I ain't worried about being blasphemous, this is a popularity contest, and the only way to heaven is if the BIG girl likes you. 'Hell Explained', explains it. And 'make her laugh' is always a top priority for womanizing young men! I don't care what people think. If she likes me, who is going to override her decision because I didn't make Sunday School. And if she doesn't like you... well, changing images is a lot harder then creating them.

Now, is all I've got to do is crack that code and confidently hang around and wait, I hope.

Anyway, should any of the facts, ideas, or research done on this paper be in error, blame the damn History Channel for putting it on the air and making me think about it. Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise, I would have written about the weather or something.

Raining today in southern Oregon. Good for the Jungle.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

$150 a Barrel of Oil

Another doomsday report from southern Oregon, but first... BE HAPPY. Spend your stimulus check.. no better not. When it makes no difference to the economy at all, you might find it depressing to think of the billions the American people have been swindled, while your cut was a mere few hundred dollars.

Yes, I've been watching the news today. Some of it is almost humorous, if not tragic. Ford Excusions, Chevy Suburbans, BIG trucks, SUVs, all of those $40 - 60k vehicles aren't worth 30% of their original cost less than two years after they're purchased. People trying to trade them in due to the gas crisis (again, circa 1976) are finding they have no re-sale value due to the cost of gas. What? You don't have $240 to fill the tank on your 3\4 ton that gets ten miles to the gallon? No matter, it'll still look good with those 22" rims. Hey... and if the asphalt gets so hot your tires stick to the pavement and two wheel drives can't move, you got four wheel drive, just no gas!

I mean, what the hell did you expect? People out there living in $500 a month apartments, driving SUVs with $600 a month payments, plus insurance (maybe) and gas too. Then there's the homeowner who refinanced and bought that car. Now he's upside down in his house. Then he tries to cut expenses, dump the gas hog, and what happens? He's upside down in the SUV, or already lost $20-30k.

Uh-oh, it's the spiral effect and it's snowballing.

I'm poor, so we must keep in mind my views are from one who views gas prices as devastating to people on fixed and lower incomes.

However, why would anybody want to buy a new car today? Motor home? Hell, at this point anything that burns gas is a bad investment. Soon fuel costs for private transportation will become prohibitive. Which brings us to $150 a barrel oil prices. It was only two months ago that oil hit a previously un-thought of $100 a barrel. At that time gas was over $3 a gallon.

Today it's at $130+ a barrel, and at the current rates of increase it should be $150 by the end of June. As I stated before (All Things Being Equal 05 MAY 08), the price of gas will be $5.25 a gallon by the end of summer and, unfortunately, everything else is going to be 35% more expensive too.

Now here's the back breaker; while everything else becomes more expensive (and the dollar loses value), your house, which is your hedge against inflation, loses value too! Coming and going, Baby, coming and going.

Anyway, don't get me wrong, I'm not worried. Misery loves company and I'm lonely as hell, and I've already downscaled. It ain't all bad. There are unprecedented opportunities in the decline, also. One only need know where to look. I'm looking to the garden.

The Buyers

Sons,
I woke up this morning with a stomach ache. The same stomach ache I have every morning. It's worse lately. I went back to bed, slept in till almost eleven o'clock, maybe later. I don't know what time it was, really, when I got up to make coffee and start a fire. I stepped outside to grab a little kindling; it was then I thought I heard someone call "hellooooo".
I even called "hellooooooo" back, but hearing no reply, and having collected the kindling, I went back inside to start the morning routine.
I even chuckled at myself; hearing voices.
I do have visitors. This month alone there were the Canadian Honkers, The wild Turkey, Grey Mule deer daily, and everybody whom drives by for the first time will take pictures, or stop to admire the shack. I might start taking pictures of the people taking pictures. And I've been to the city in the valley where the two rivers meet twice in May, and up to Oregon city (by Portland) visiting this month. I'm not lonely enough to be hearing voices.
But there it was again..."helloooooooo".
This time when I looked up, there they were; two women standing in the driveway, looking at the glass shack, cooing "helloooooooo", and probably wondering if there was life behind the mirrors.
COMPANY!
I could hardly get my shoes on fast enough. I recognized them. Potential BUYERS.
(Who the hell else could they be? I'm not exactly in the right area for a neighborhood stroll, unless you're a bear, and I can't remember the last time a damsel in distress didn't smell of liquor or worse. On the fringe of the wilderness, here, it's worse. No, they were looking for property; they had the mannerisms of not wanting to intrude, but being curious. The younger hung back a little as they approached, uncertain if they would be welcome (WELCOME? They were invited to breakfast!).
After exchanging introductions, we talked about southern Oregon, and myself, and the weather here, etc (of course, as you are aware, I can talk). One of the ladies asked me why I was selling. I replied, only half honestly, because I don't have any idea where the next adventure takes me. "I was thinking of going to China to teach English."
And then the MAGIC started. One has to be careful with MAGIC. The main ingredient is Illusion. The younger women replied, "Oh, I just graduated from the University of Southern California. My major was Chinese-Mandarin. My mom taught English in Taiwan.
Speaking Chinese, I asked if she spoke Mandarin, when she replied in Mandarin it was like the lightening bolt. I invited them in.
(It is often noted by those who have studied a foreign language, the difference it makes breaking down barriers, when you speak another’s language. I.e. entering a shop in Chinatown San Francisco, or a Chinese owned shop in London, The moment I speak Chinese everything changes; I'm a friend, we have something in common. I'm looked at, spoken to, treated entirely different then a common 'ugly American'. When the young woman spoke to me in Chinese, everything changed. We all seemed to relax; it was no longer ‘business’. It was business with someone you like.
I showed them the inside of the house. I told them stories. We talked about what they were looking for in land and purpose. I talked too much, listened too little. I enjoyed their company immensely. After seeing the house, and politely keeping me company, the ladies asked to see the springs. We hiked the hill and saw the springs. I never shut up, and they never seemed bored. I had fun.
When I looked at my watch after walking them out the gate, it was 4:30. By my estimate those ladies had spent 4 hours visiting with me. It was no wonder their ears were turning blue when they left. I hope they enjoyed themselves as mush as I did.
But now, the analysis.
Being who I am, I had to consider: what are the chances of two Mandarin speaking, American born, round eyed women, showing up at my property as potential buyers? Just being potential buyers weans the numbers way down, and drives the odds conversely up. And speaking Chinese as a second language too? Lastly, how did four hours go by? Maybe they found the circumstances as compelling as I did. That's doubtful, and I love to talk.
The whole thing was MAGICAL. Unexplainable. Illusion: I should be so interesting, they should be so interested. Like the THUNDERBOLT. I had fun, but never forget, "the male ego can make anything reality" and so I have to wonder, and considering the odds, I must ask, who were they really? Is the world really that small? Oh well, another day in southern Oregon, but this one escaped much too quickly.

McCain for No Change

People,

I'm a troubled soul and my teeth don't fit properly, but I still don't work my jaw around as much as Senator John McCain. Every time I see the Senator, he seems exasperated with the ignorance that questions him. If we were all enlightened then, of course, we would agree with him. Meanwhile, isn't it bothersome, all these questions? He reminds me of old men I bothered as a kid.

Admiral Grandpa and Admiral Pa never faced this type of scrutiny. Admirals give orders, make choices, mold worlds. Nobody questioned the admirals.The military is authoritarian. John McCain is a military man. Can you see where I'm going with this? I'm just getting started, too.

I got shit to say about Senator McCain. First thing, it would be best to leave 'wives' out of the campaign. A word of the wise to the McCain campaign.

Secondly, I don't want anyone who suffered at the hands of captors as long as Senator McCain did as President.

I respect the Senator, however, he failed his mission, was captured, was unable to escape, and has to be scarred, deeply, from the experience. I don't want little voices in the night, or the necessity to exert his 'power' (free at last from the cage) running the country.

I've said it before, too. If they'll do anything to get elected, don't elect them. And the tactics. I saw the original debate where Obama said he would 'talk' with our adversaries. First Hillary, and now McCain, distort that statement way out of proportion. Dirty tactics. McCain should recognize someone's got to lose, and take the high road. Win or lose, 2 to 1 he's dead in eight years, regardless. A vote for McCain is a vote for no change.

VOTE for ISOLATIONISM and IMPERIALISM.

First we disband all international companies. Afterward, we cancel all debt owed to foreign countries and freeze all monies in American banks. As part of our new Isolationist Government, we will allow no money to leave the country, keep all monies in the country, and seize all foreign assets. There will be no imports and no exports. If we need it and don't have it, we'll initialize the Imperialistic half of the new Government. conquer and exploit. Kick their ass, make 'em a state, give 'em a fair cut.

The American way. Don't question me; my forefathers fought, kicked ass, and created states from the country's inception: the American way!

Everybody feel better politically about your choices now?

The Problem with Mortality

The problem of mortality has been bothering me quite a bit lately. I think it has to do with too much time to think. Life and space; those two things that bother me when I think about them. Space because it's infinite. Life because it's finite. I don't like the idea of life being over. What about all those tomorrows I'll never know? What about all those promises on tomorrow? I don't like the idea of space never ending. It seems to me at a certain point space should turn to solid. When I think about it, space and death should switch characteristics. Life should go on forever (true believers believe it does). Space should have some boundaries. Nope, end of the line, got to tunnel from here. Shake it up a little.
A man shouldn't have to wind down to mortality. At twenty I figured I had 80+ of Life left, but at 51 I KNOW that I have used at least almost half my Life. If I knew I could only live till I was sixty,... Oh, but even figuring to live to 105... every day another step toward the inevitable. Live every day like it's your last. Every day the odds of another decreases a little. Finite. But if life and space could switch characteristics, at fifty one you'd know you were half way to solid, and could look forward to a new world of tunneling.
All of this contemplation has led me to a new conclusion though. Given the choice of being the soul survivor of a dead world and spending the rest of my life alone, but having it all, or perishing with the rest of mankind at once in a meteor cloud or some other catastrophe, I would prefer to die with the masses in the calamity, rather than of loneliness. It has just occurred to me where I want to be buried, too. I don't. I want to be taken to the edge of the atmoshere and fired into space like a human cannonball. Then, even if life has ended, the road will go on forever.

Grand Theft Auto 4

Coinciding with oil reaching another record high of $123 a barrel today, the new video game 'Grand Theft Auto 4' generates $500 million in sales in it's first 1/2 week. That's half a BILLION in three and a half days in video game sales.
At the same time Myamar loses 100 thousand plus people in a cyclone (hurricane), and a good portion of Asia's rice crop is destroyed or threatened, unfotunately and coincidently, the week after experts predict world food shortages. Yet there is still $500,000,000 paid for this one new video game in 3 and a 1/2 days worth of sales. I underline this point because I wonder what the total game sales will in a week, month, year?
Now, I'm no Reverend Wright, and I won't claim to know anything about the divine plan, or how God really thinks. I'm not even going to claim there is a GOD, but supposing there is... then what the hell would you guess the Almighty is going to think upon her appraisal of the current state of affairs: "Things can't be that damn bad" or "How bad can it get"? Might depend on how many shares of Microsoft God owns.
Half a billion in retail sales has to be good for the stimulus package. Let me do a little research on that game and see if the money is going to China....
And just back from Google... Xbox is Microsoft. There you are; the rich get richer. And using theological criteria of appraisal for logic, God has to own a piece of Microsoft, otherwise no way in hell they could have that kind of success. Anyway, if the world falls apart, Americans don't think they care. They're stealing cars on the computer, and getting life's lessons from the perverted wisdom of Wall Street, graphic designers and the thrills of cyberspace.
What are life's lessons? I would guess for every life they are different. In America, where the vast majority of the now living population did not experience the Great Depression, where Baby Boomers have lived their entire lives in what, for the most part, was the expanding economy of the richest nation on earth, the lessons of life already learned may not apply to the world of the future. A world with a shrinking economy and the comforts and luxuries of yesteryear gone.
In a shrinking world, new lessons of life may be necessary to learn and, for Americans, it won't be easy. A world where property depreciates and today's pleasures can't be paid for with tommorrow's equity. How the hell are Americans going to pay for all those $35K SUVs, and put gas into them all $5 a gallon, if we can't refinance our homes every 3 to 5 years? That's why SUV sales are down in the billions and my Jeep has 235 thousand miles. Lessons learned.
A world where people go hungry. Everybody I know that has ever 'starved', afterward they could never be rich enough. Being hungry for food to sustain life, survive, must leave a long and lasting impression/fear. Today's native born Americans, for the most part, have never known real hunger. And the mass production of food depends on fuel and petrol chemicals and the weather. Absurd, Americans hungry! Not in our lifetimes. Hopefully.
Furthermore, in America (in our lifetimes) opportunity has always been available. Why save, just go make more money. Buy it on credit, pay for it with future money. Future money may not be available in the future. Opportunity may disappear. If you can't afford it now, forget it. Learn the value of a dollar and save. Damn, am I talking to the past, or what? I'm talking to the future, too. Too bad I can't afford to save. Anyway, I just thought the juxtaposition of current world conditions and video sales might explain why I think when the Almighty shows up she might be a little bitchy. Half a billion dollars. I wish I could afford that game and see what I'm missing.

Earth Day

Did I mention I live in the rain forest? Ferns cover the ground under Oak, Madrone, Pine, Redwood, and Birch trees. Spanish moss hangs on many branches. 200 yards from my house in any direction it is the mountainous jungles of the Pacific northwest. On days when it rains steadily for hours, like today, it's easy to sit enclosed in the shack, stoke the fire, and feel that 'man against the elements feeling'. Me against the world. The greatest force on Earth; the 'drive to survive'.
Ok, I concede, it's not exactly Mount Everest here, but I didn't say anything about 'conquering' Nature. I recognize and realize, the best you can do is hold your own. The elements will win in the long run. The beat goes on. Man is just one of the dancers. The song will change.
If one considers the age of the Earth (also the brevity of human history in relation to that age) and current predictions for the future, it is hard not to conclude that man's time will soon be over; even if it takes another 10,000 years. Life on the surface of this planet is very fragile. Ask a crocodile.
Which brings us to Earth Day. The Earth doesn't need any help. 'Man's Survival Day' is what we should be talking about. The Earth will continue to spin for as long as you can contemplate where space ends. The Earth can shed all living matter on it's surface like a dead skin and start over, so let's call it like it is, 'Survival Day'. Man's survival.
Now hear me well: man didn't care in 1970 on the first 22 April 'Earth Day'. Man doesn't care now. As my brother would say, "Save yourself. Mankind don't want to be saved." Man isn't worried about mankind's survival, only his own individual survival. Man's standard of living is more important than mankind's survival. Which brings us to that often asked question, "What will you tell your grandchildren?"
Grandchildren? How about children? How about me? How about everybody? Who ya' gonna call? The effects upon the atmosphere from urbanization and cultivation of the rain-forests, along with the problems of burning fossil fuels and the pollution of mankind's industrialization, have long been documented. I remember reading about them in the 70s.
1970 seems a long time ago compared to the period of knowledge in which we now live. But then too, like now, mankind didn't want to be saved. At least industrialized man didn't want to be saved. He wanted a higher standard of living. The rest of mankind didn't have much to say about it. They just wanted to be industrialized. Those that are now industrialized are not giving up the modern world. The beat goes on. The leastest suffer mostest. The fattest are hungriest.
Long past the realities of mere survival in a small, small, small world, industrialized man lives in the fantasy that he'll fix 'it' when necessary. Kind of like taking up religion when one learns they have a terminal illness; industrialized man stops smoking when he has lung cancer. Gas hits $4 a gallon, and then he buys a smaller truck. People will quit driving when the ice-caps melt and the roads are flooded. Then it'll be motorboats, but the guy behind the wheel won't care if people are drowning in a flood halfway across the world if he doesn't know them. Man don't care about man. Man cares about 'himself'!
The Earth is in charge, however. The earth will fix 'herself'. Man most probably won't survive the process. Which is why I wrote this letter; the beat goes on. Whether or not man shortens his existence or lengthens it a little is inconsequential. What counts is... the last man standing!

Happy rainy day from the jungle!

PS ~ These are exciting times we live in. Check out this UFO !