hood.....winks
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Posted:Aug 25, 2011 8:38 pm
Last Updated:Aug 30, 2011 5:37 pm
5744 Views
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news from somewhere.....
else...
One or two of you
might remember
occasionally...
when I attempted to impart
the local
flavor
of where I
...reside.
I call it
Uber Urban...
It is
...locally?
called
"North of Delmar"...
Our own,
Mason Dixon Line...
I'm in
the
depressed section...
LOL
I am not complaining.
I actually fit in here...
better than I would
in say, Steppford.
I have my pack
and my Eastwood eyes...
and my sincere
between the trapeze-ez
attitude.
To me?
It's flying...
to YOU?
it's probably falling...
Consciousness
is
such
a
bitch.
So anyway..
My point...
is that
I am surrounded
by a myriad
of attenuating details
that most people successfully
posty note
themselves away from...
Disneying
with the possibilities....
I have the tent cities,
whom I know most of...
might need a room one day...
many whom have left the state
and follow me
and gather nostalgic
at my postings...
(I totally RULE on
"hopeville"
on youtube..
just sayin...)
And I have the prison
or release center
or
what...evvvahhhhhhhhhh
...
the politicians
and oh I DO meet them a lot..
(it's NOT that I know them
but they know me....)
they
NEVER
want to call it a prison...
although...
I have also
over my 13 years here
met quite a few of THEM
...the "residents"
(hmmm many of them in Hopevile)
and THEY call it a prison...
as well as a racket...
It is one of two
State release centers
for the State prison system...
It AIN'T summer camp...
but I digress...
So I get foot traffic.
And I have a pack of dogs.
And they bark
on a seismic accentuation
according to how close
you come to
the fence...
to ME.
My pack started almost a decade ago...
When me and one dog,
found an abandoned pup..
Bear.
He was six weeks,
and hid between my feet
to get away from Gracie,
chasing...
Now?
He is 160 pounds,
and has eyes...
less residual...
than mine...
I named him well..
so they ARE mine...
They love to group sing
to the sirens
out high noting each other
seemingly endlessly...
when the first responders
are on call.
we have a fire station
a few blocks away...
and if I appear...
they stop...
same thing,
if there is an intruder..
I can get them to
"shush"...
if "we"
need to study...
A bit harder
for a rabbit
but we practice it
just the same...
Group mind is important here...
And I can always just
follow their noses
to know where to look...
It's very handy...
WELL worth the hundred pounds a week...
in feed
and rawhide.
So
a few days ago
they alerted me to
a lineman sized black guy
bald headed
deep in the brush
of the lot next door
my lot
as a matter of fact
just in the last year.
I try to cut folks slack,
but I DO get tired of being
everybody's bathroom.
But this was different.
Now
the "prism"
(Let's not call it a prison...)
doesn't allow
cigarettes, cell phones, or cars...
Is that just a "C" thing????
So the "cache" them
all around.
I have had
in the past
the occasional stash,
(420 once..
in teardrop sized
plastic
WTF is THAT????)
and as a rule
advising folks
that
"This is NOT the
dark,
quiet
place
that you THOUGHT it was"
and usually
that
is enough.
Occasionally?
Not so much...
So yes, occasionally
I bring Bear out too...
outside the fence...
He's big, and "bashful"...
a barker
He won't come close
unless...
and to be truthful?
I don't know
what he might do...
if I were threatened...
I have an idea...
But suffice it to say,
that if I meet a gun,
the best advice I can give...
is that alive,
I can call him off..
Dead, or shot?
not so much.
It only happens maybe once a year,
but there is a reality
outside the fence
downside of the sun...
So this guy
has cleverly constructed
what you see in the pic...
I bike chain,
looped to an electric box
with a padlock
hidden
or so he thinks...
a cache?
or a drop box?
I don't know...
All I know is...
DO NOT set my dogs off
and DO NOT come around often enough
that they might stop.
Oh
and NO DRUG DEALING!!!!!!!!!!
Pretty simple
but
ubiquitously vague
to those
with agendas that do not
respect my place
in their world
which
ironically
is on my own property.
So,
the dogs bark,
it's hot..
damn hot
I'm almost naked...
and have to stop what I'm doing
to physically go check it out...
And I see him deep in the brush
for far too long....
for far too long.
I let him finish, walk off
grab my camera,
and go watch him
walking far down the blocks.
Then I discover his creation.
I attempt to fiddle with the combo
on the bike lock...
change the numbers
set it as 1111...
so it is OBVIOUS
that someone was here.
FAIL...
Next day,
I pull the greenery out
around it
bare his box to the barren world..
change the numbers to 6666
and again
FAIL...
This morning
before work,
the dogs again,
hit defcon 4
and there he is..
So I call to him.
Hey!
You need to move that!
He bolts...
Come here man
I'm trying to protect your property...
It won't be me
it will be the police...
I follow him out,
but he is two blocks down...
My heavily armed neighbor
cracks his metal windowless door,
and says
what happened?
He just took off running?
I shrug
still allowing baldy to see my silhouette
as a bicycle from tent city passes
and says hi to me..
I say hi back...
and watch
as he rides the two blocks
and conferences with my
unpaying land user...
\
I see them look
I raise my hands
I wave
"come here"
None do...
Oh well....
But after a day of work
cross the river
in the other state
I came home
and he moved out...
This after a two hour meeting
with an alderman
and a couple of activist women
from the "hood"
who
after hearing of this curiosity
also
fell behind his posty notes...
saying
and in passing I might add
"be careful"
"It is only after we've have lost everything, that we're free to do anything"
Fight Club
P.S.
"You met me at a very strange time in my life"
"We have the exact same briefcase!"
...also.... Fight Club
cheers !
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4
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disclaimer: .........Politicians as class warriors
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Posted:Aug 24, 2011 12:04 pm
Last Updated:Aug 25, 2011 4:48 am
4465 Views
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The following is from Roll Call... the official news reporter of the Hill...
The 50 Richest Members of Congress (200
* By Paul Singer, Jennifer Yachnin and Casey Hynes
* Roll Call Staff
* Sept. 19, 2008, 10:59 a.m.
Everything that you are about to read might be wrong.
Roll Call’s annual attempt to rank the riches of Members of Congress is hampered by one fundamental flaw: It is based on the lawmakers’ financial disclosure forms, which are extraordinarily unreliable sources of information.
The disclosure rules allow Members to report assets in broad categories, so there is no way to tell the difference between a $20 million investment and a $5 million investment. The top category on the Members’ forms is “over $50 million,” so it is impossible to accurately account for anything worth more than that — like a professional sports team, for example. There is also a gaping loophole for assets owned by the Members’ spouse or dependent ; anything worth more than $1 million in value can be reported as “over $1 million.” There is no way to tell whether that is $1.2 million or $1.2 billion.
The rules also don’t require reporting things of value that are not used to produce income — most notably any primary residence or other home that is not used for rentals. That loophole removes from most Members’ portfolios hundreds of thousands of dollars and in come cases millions of dollars worth of assets. Airplanes, fancy cars, antiques or other valuable items are not reported.
In filing a detailed disclosure form on behalf of Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), his accountants added this editorial note, which sums up the problem: The form is meant to comply with Senate disclosure rules but “is not intended to be a complete presentation of Senator Corker’s financial position.”
Beyond all of these flaws, there remains the fact that many, many financial disclosure forms filed by Members of Congress are simply inaccurate. A check mark placed in the wrong box can inflate or deflate a Member’s apparent net worth by millions of dollars, and misunderstandings of the rules have led Members to understate some assets, overstate others and claim additional assets they no longer own.
Where the errors are obvious or have created noticeable discrepancies from prior-year filings, Roll Call has attempted to contact the offices to get a proper understanding of the actual value of the asset or assets in question.
What remains below is a ranking of the 50 wealthiest Members of Congress based on the minimum net worth reported on their financial disclosure forms. To achieve these numbers, Roll Call totaled the assets listed on financial disclosure forms filed in 2008 (covering calendar year 2007) using the lowest number in the ranges in which Members are required to report. An asset from $500,000 to $1 million is counted as being worth $500,000, unless the Member has provided a brokerage statement or other documentation that offers more specific detail.
Liabilities, which are also reported in ranges, are calculated based on the minimum value, and are subtracted from total minimum assets to establish total net worth.
Assets that are not included on the forms but have values that have been established by Roll Call or other publications are not included for the purposes of assembling this ranking, because the Members are not required to report these numbers. This ranking is based only on what is reported on the annual disclosure forms.
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1
comment
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Lifeboat
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Posted:Aug 23, 2011 9:02 pm
Last Updated:Aug 23, 2011 9:05 pm
3442 Views
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we never actually choose
who to be
in a lifeboat
with...
we just
are...
and that preciousness
allows us
to be at one with each other
with a present without
guarantee...
of a future.
In fact
we redesign the future
from the crayons at hand
often
with only two of us aboard.
We may not make it
so we abandon
a lot of the hypocrisy
that we brush,
shave and wear
each morning.
Most often
it is
just two of us...
clinging,
first...to life
and then
to each other...
none wanting
to die alone...
but the now
is all the matters
...now...
When it might be
the last
the words come clean
easily
..the touch
deep...
the heart
unencumbered...
as if...
if I don't make it
you might...
and I would
want
the honest me
to go with you...
then...
we survive.
And at that same time
"we" die.
We become yet again
encumbered...
and need that shave
that coiffure
that reclusive retreat...
that unmanageable definition...
of others.
Oh we will never forget
but we will never
ever
again
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0
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thrust ...and parry
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Posted:Aug 23, 2011 6:27 am
Last Updated:Aug 23, 2011 7:41 am
3491 Views
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definition...
thrust and parry
Fig. to enter into verbal combat [with someone]; to compete actively [with someone]. (Fig. on the sport of fencing.)
Living without the pre-programmed timing
and delivery system of television
I find that I am left to my own devices
to come across and then research
news of the day
and also
news of the weird.
So, evidently
psuedo-citizen and newscaster
Steven Colbert
has created a "clever" injection
of himself into the political process.
He created a Super Pac
to suggest that Iowans
vote for Rick Parry...
with an A..
What first caught my "eye"
was that he chose to call out
a small town news reporter by name,
working at a station
that declined to run the ad.
...and she had no prior notice
that this was happening.
She awoke
to calls, emails and tweets
and suddenly she was the story
and not the story teller.
It immediately reminded me
of a "reality show"
on which one person was allowed
to meet and speak on stage
to a "crush" from their past.
It turns out
it was two guys,
and the unknowing guy,
killed himself.
Great rating though....
really created a "media buzz"
Back to Colbert...
I can see the "genius" of his attack.
He now wants the GOP
to review all of Perry's 700 plus votes
and look for "A"s..
I get that...
What I don't get
is that here is a guy
admittedly a persona
an alter ego
(which people do forget...
he was allowed to be 'in character'
in Congress...)
And this guy, first
wants to take issue with a MidWest station
deciding that his ad was unclear
at a time of political importance.
Secondly, he called out
a very young female reporter
who may or may NOT
appreciate the uninvited attention
of New York and Beltway narcissism.
As it turns out
the Iowa station is playing nice
with Colbert
and "promise"
to stay on the story.
My prediction?
If the GOP ever does relent
Mr. Colbert will discover
that his ads are no more motivating
than the rest.
They caused smiles, and tweets
but no one actually voted for Parry
with an "A"
Sometimes
the unavailable story
is much more interesting.
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0
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Fun In The Hood
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Posted:Jul 27, 2011 6:19 pm
Last Updated:Aug 3, 2011 1:44 pm
4942 Views
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Fun In The Hood
Late night, pokey motor,
road trip,
...barefoot
to the inner city
bright lit corner,
where all cash action
happens...
the Iranian
gas, food,and booze mall
...the Crown...
at 12th and Cass
I slip in
just before midnight,
hoping they're still open,
(you never know around here
not many places to spend a dime
after dark...)
to get a twelve pack
and some ice
to fuel another
late night, online..
It's been a habit lately.
...its Saturday night..
with a dozen barely legal
hanging out,
flirting
in the liquor store.
The party spreads
in and out of here
on a regular basis,
with a cup of ice machine
right by the door.
I can't say
as I've been here
this time of the week
before...
Meat Night
cash, clothes, and conquest....
and it feels like a gauntlet.
One particularly sardonic
smilin' guy
wants to sing out
low and slow...
mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
"no shirt
no shoes
no serviiiiiiiicccccce..."
...with a presenter's flair,
...at my
bare
feet...
I finger 'shushhh'
to my mouth,
and paddle my hands down
to keep it low
and plead
"why you wanna bust me out?"
shhhhh
...as I smile
and navigate
my familiar path
to the back
of the narrow store.
Without intending
I become
a part of the scene...
entertainment,
...not a homey..
just an older white guy
with a half case of Stag,
and bare feet...
but...
This isn't my first trip
here
today
so, I'll play...
I'm cool...
I'm still
meeeeeeee...
Then...
I get a defender,
a guy saying
"hey
he got swag..."
( I think he said swag...
maybe it was Stag.. )
not everybody
can DO that..."
I pointed out
it's a home town beer...
a point lost
on my defender
...maybe not
such a great defender...
and I know
he won't
penny up for me
if I'm short on tax...
just ...
out for play
of all kinds
on a Saturday night
and I ain't it...
I just smile
and wait in line
making sure the employees
don't
give a shit.
They certainly know me...
I come here a lot
and as I defend myself
in this mock trial
of
"hood"
vs
"who-the-fuck-are-you?"...
where no one
is allowed to back down,
I smilingly plead
with laser eyes
on the mercy
of the court...
the people
behind the counter.
About then
with a huge smile,
the Iranian woman
with HUGE boobs,
that I see here
ALL the time
says 'no worries'
and raises her bare foot
over
her shoulder...
"I'm barefoot all the time"
Like a one legged split
this radiant smile
on this chesty beauty
and this
brown
bare
foot!!!
and with that
unpredictable turn of events
the verdict was in.
I pay
and pass by
this pride of lions...
not having to have growled
and willing to give my back to them
as I walk out slow.
Not sure I want to do this
every Saturday...
Too many amateurs....
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3
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Ask not....
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Posted:Jul 22, 2011 12:10 pm
Last Updated:Nov 7, 2011 10:03 am
3336 Views
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"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. "
from:
Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy - January 20th 1961
...
The last iconic President,
acknowledged,
the role of the American constituency...
YOU
He told you
to do
and to do more
than just for you
for others...
for the country...
Now
another iconic President
counts on you....
In the debate about the debt ceiling
Pres secretary Jay Carney was asked
if the President agreed with a recent poll
that showed
that 60% of Americans were "fed up" with the whole process.
He IS frustrated with the way the process works... about the
process... but...
"His optimism,
which is perpetual,
is that he understands....
has great faith
in the American people,
to.... to.... to understand
what is happening,
and to send...
uh...
to convey to their elected officials,
what they think ought to be done,
and he seeing that now."
So...
I wonder...
is he talking about YOU?
or
just someone
LIKE you?
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0
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the Political Will
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Posted:Jul 21, 2011 4:03 pm
Last Updated:May 3, 2012 5:07 pm
4257 Views
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political will
we are surrounded
by reinforcing repetition
and whether we realize it
or not
talking points are formed for us
to navigate our collective consciousness
into a realm of believing
that we "know"
what is being talked about.
That...
it is familiar to us...
But often
slipped into the blather
that hits us every day,
are terms that are
becoming set
becoming familiar, and yet
we won't grasp
the collective pertinence
until later.
In the S/M parlor
that is Congress...
a goal will be set
that appears to be a common one,
...balancing the budget for example...
and yet the terms for that agreement
are hotly contested.
Both sides
may actually want the terms
but the projected status of "staid" candidate
precludes he or she from saying so
outright
there are voters to consider...
"My constituency..."
so
the masochist..
...THE WILLING but CONSTITUENT CHALLENGED...
will
"make" the sadist
...THE PARTY IN POWER...
make him do it...
concede...
vote against
his own constituency...
And the talking points
are how this is conveyed...
And in this debate
about the debt ceiling
one of these terms...
is Political Will.
IF...the political will is there...
Well,
in light of the fact
that you have heard the term a hundred times
and without thinking
think that you KNOW what it means...
let me ask you
what does it mean?...
Political I get..but "will"
to me
has more than one meaning...
and the inferred meaning,
...motivation...
well ALL politicians have
"political will"
They are always running for re-election.
...
They will always gerrymander
to appear "good"
to those that they "represent"
meaning
those pesky residents
that can vote me out
if I stick my head too far
out of the
"whack a mole" box set.
No
I think what we are being told here
with regard the debt
and its potential to increase yet again
and be a burden on great grand
..is the one
of inheritance.
There IS "political will" ...
There is A political will...
it chains our future generations
into financial servitude
They WILL
inherit
the National Debt.
The reading of the WILL
won't
ever happen...
They will just be born
into financial bondage.
So...
don't say that you have not been told
over
and over
and over again....
POLITICAL WILL
you are named
as a beneficiary
you and all who share your DNA.
Congratulations!
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3
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why Threesomes.... are taboo... ( it's a mind math problem )
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Posted:Jul 5, 2011 6:59 pm
Last Updated:Aug 23, 2011 7:46 am
5119 Views
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reality.
it
cums in twos...
you an me
cum together
against
the other...
to 2 choozzzze
geizendtheidttttttt
we FUCK 'em./....
but it does
bleed through,
cause life'
is not
periodic
but rather...
sporadic....
a non heart attack
...24/7,,,
in a mask...
that says...
"I meant to do that......."
so at some point...
the only way to
be in play...
is to hear
all the arguments..
that you might..
not...
yet
know.....today
No
I know
...you...
in your high cliff
glass house
of ....your
boreal aurora...
don't truly feel
the fear
of falling...
but rather
you trust...
looking up
as if
you own the air
for all its want
and what's due you ...
you...
good luck with that...
for
so far
our history
is only a tale of surfers...
and ignores...
the foreplay...
that the sea...
still offers all,
to explorers....
that still
exacerbate,
and submit..
to its unknown fury.
to skirt the curfew
with the malice
and forethought...
that we knew as
when we were clever
and
bracing against rules...
was "cool"
but is it?
How have we
...cum...
along...
how have our desires
and their resultant orgasms
steered us?
Where
have we lain
sated???
...in the unanswered morass
of societal group hypnosis..
wants,
dreams
and blood swollen lusts?
...have been milked away
into a cup
of
controlled
release...
why
do you think
there ARE drugs???
because only the symptoms
are ever cured...
ehhh???
not the want...
not the "illness"
the REAL "WAR'
is on ....INDIVIDUALITY.
the .......................................sin tax..........
no ONE IS "WEIRD...
IF YOU ACCEPT
INDIVIDUALITY....
It is the unbridled want
that makes control
possible...
ce qui est, la vérité
never
not know
what makes you tic
be not embarrassed
to offer to a potential mate
your uncollated notes
about your vehicle.
Unless you intend
to drive to your own
end.
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5
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stray libertarian blues
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Posted:Jul 1, 2011 9:43 am
Last Updated:May 26, 2024 9:15 pm
3151 Views
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You're young.
You
have qualities,
that are uncomfortable to you,
that you would "sell"
for acceptance...
while I not only accept
but honor your attempts
at balance
in a rocking ship world...
but you chose "them".
You played a hand
in an underhanded game
because they made you feel
less...
less of that unknowing...
and it was your ability to move
in unknowing
that gave me faith
you are young...
that will pass
I hope
so
will your dependence on them
to define you....
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0
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something binds the pages...
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Posted:Jul 1, 2011 12:49 am
Last Updated:Jul 1, 2011 1:52 am
3744 Views
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I miss things
that
never were...
I guess,
I
misplace...things.
If I say
'I miss you"
I don't...
Some other me
does.
Me now?
I miss
being happy,
or relevant...
or...
but I can't remember
a me
that knew you,
or who
even...
you really were...
Time
interceded.
and perceptions...
I can't remember me...
or the you
that I tell myself
was me..
with you.
and you
lost me too...
maybe after I did...
maybe before...
maybe we were just
lost
at the same time.
I misplace things
I do.
It's probably why
I always find things
I'm not looking for.
And I seldom find
what I think
I need.
Somewhere
between "Here"
and "There"
is where I have spent
most of my life.
It's how I get my mail...
It may not be
where I belong
but it IS
the here you need
to find me.
Darkness is relative...
irrelevance is sometimes
the looked for darker part
of night...
like my dog,
or myself...
The hole
in the void
is eazily.....missed.
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1
comment
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credo veo
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Posted:Jun 24, 2011 9:58 pm
Last Updated:Aug 3, 2011 1:41 pm
4397 Views
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a talent for hire
has two choices.
...to create
for those ...
"hopeful"
or for those
in conceit.
Either way,
you are asked...
to embellish...
heaven... needs
to be desirable
to be moving...
and "I",
need to be...
me
my best
even
if I've
not quite?
...attained it yet.
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3
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Piss Off ( Private Lesson )
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Posted:Jun 3, 2011 7:41 pm
Last Updated:Aug 16, 2011 7:57 am
4293 Views
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....I took the young man with me
we ascended the trails
to the plateau that overlooked the plains
I picked him
for his guile,
well as his unbridled passion.
He found my methodical plodding
boring
... so as we ascended the incline,
he flit
to and fro
as if a bee
pollinating his every curiousness....
until we neared the summit, and
with his energy spent
he followed
with swollen tongue
unprepared
to have pre established "water"...
as we stepped to the crest
and the visage
Below us stretched the plains
from yesterday
into tomorrow...
and as I stretched my arm out
to describe it all
he sat...
I was able to show him
the continuum
of time
I was able
to explain
what surely was about to happen
as surely as watching a train
cross the wide flats below us.
He took this all in,
as if
in common knowledge...
as he stretched his feet and legs
and waited for his lungs
to be at ease
in our
rarefied air...
And then
when his color returned
I explained to him
how it will happen.
...as it has always occurred before..
That the future
is predictable to those that see
that it is the present
that they fight for
blaming t,,, t t .. t <<... t
the inevitable on each other
with arguments barely dependable
by logic
but in emotion,
spreads like fire
fire...
in the minds of men...
akin
to a time
when all men
cared
and didn't just "feel"...
And that it is THIS that
that rules the World...
that both sides accept
the future,
as inevitable...
but by accusing the other
of ignorance
they might swell
a herd large enough
to own the pasture...
THIS day..
... all wars are not about the future
but about the grazing
of this day...
There is truth
but it is not about
what we fight over
it is about when....
we fight over the right to own
the grass to feed
our herd
today
and the today
to follow...
Form here, my
a general can see
what a foot soldier
following the heels of another
cannot
and the blood
will never flood
us... here.
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4
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Charity, begins at home
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Posted:Apr 21, 2011 5:40 pm
Last Updated:May 10, 2011 7:57 am
4904 Views
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I have a friend of mine, Buddy Buddha
and we have debated ideas for decades.
But ever since the Presidential contest of 2008
it has taken a decidedly different path.
He was, is, a huge fan of Barack Obama
while I was, do support Ron Paul.
Somehow, there is a "lock" position on
We can't flow as far as wee used to
without Buddha getting defensive.
Buddha is a fairly typical Mid-Western Democrat.
While he was absolutely sure about the President
he didn't know who his Congressman was.
He told me it was "irrelevant".
I laughed...
in fact I asked him four times
over a year, and he still didn't know
even though each time, I told him.
He also told me, that before the election
Obama could NOT fix the damage to the Constitution.
It wasn't the right time...
After, when I asked...
how about now?
He told me it was irrelevant.
These memories came front screen last night
as I and friends attended a debate
at Washington University, here in St. Louis.
It was billed as a liberal vs. a libertarian
on Unions.
Obviously, this was "about" Wisconsin..
and a precuror, to the next round of "labelling"
in the political arena.
It was enjoyable.
It wasn't a real debate...
or points would have been lost
as emotional rhetoric, took the discussion
out of bounds.. predictably so...
Wisconsin.
But it was fun, to see "" involved
(I had to remind myself they WERE
over achiever youth,
wunderkind
but still... )
I think we older Ron Paul folks
made up half the room...
and we knew the student
arguing the libertarian view.
But it was after...
as we stood around outside exchanging views..
that my mind returned to this
decidedly differing definition.
Wash. U. is a LIBERAL
liberal arts college
and very affluent,
it's students a who's who's sons and daughters
from around the world.
And always, the liberal view of libertarians
is that libertarians are heartless about charity.
While libertarians believe that Liberty
is the source of prosperity
liberals hold,
that some will NEVER have it
so we have to give them a stipend.
Give a man a fish...
Buddy Buddha believes that the heart of man is black
and he needs to be forced to do the right thing...
I, on the other hand, believe that most people are good
and given the opportunity, help each other.
Buddha believes that the globe is out of balance
and we need to be taxed to fix it.
I believe that the tent city in my neighborhood
are my neighbors,
so I stay in contact, and lend a hand.
Over the past year, Buddha and I, have hashed this out
and each time, he is aware, that I am doing this
I invite him to come down, and meet these people...
but to date, that is not his approach.
He leans back, as he espouses
that man must evolve beyond greed...
He did have an occasion on a job going south (bad)
to tell the customer, his insurance agent
that while he didn't mind not charging for all this work
he wanted the guy, to donate 500.00 to the homeless.
And the customer agreed.
He called me for a legit organization that is helping out
and on my next visit down there, I gave a guy his number
Buddha's number
and set it up...
You see... people who believe that people
do not help each other out
are really telegraphing their own surrounds.
They are admitting
that THEY do not do this themselves...
Their idea of CHARITY is
to delegate the task to some other group...
Because, if you DO chip in of yourself
and help out
you automatically meet
other people doing the same thing,
and would answer in the affirmative
when asked if people...
are good...
From a blog on the subject:
.......
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued a report that reveals that on average, just 39 cents of every charitable dollar raised by professional telemarketing companies actually goes to charity. The rest is paid in fees costs to the companies.
From the report:
In nearly 80 percent, or 436 of the 553 campaigns, the charities kept less than 50 percent of the funds raised.
In nearly half, or 271 of the 553 campaigns, charities received less than 30 percent of the funds raised.
In 51 of the 553 campaigns reflected in the report, charities actually lost money.
In only 45 of the 553 campaigns did the charity retain at least 65 percent of the money raised, the amount deemed acceptable under the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charitable organizations.
.....
CHARITY... for many people...is a job.
I have always had a problem
when someone makes six figures
working for a "non-profit"
Once one personally gets involved in the process
one discovers that no "one thing" works...
People are people...
My latest attempt to help
trying to get members of three disparate tent cities
to meet with the man best able to help them
the Director of Health and Human Services for St. Louis
it was like herding cats.
There are politics, even among the anarchists...
trust me...
and time will tell if my solution pans out
but from the outside
this solution would never have been apparent...
You cannot legislate morality
and you cannot delegate charity...
If you truly want to help
then the public sector is not the answer
though they can help
the private sector is not the answer
though they can help
it is the voluntary sector
that will actually BE with the intended
and best know how to solve,
or at least help.
This was lost on my young fellows last night.
Even as we delved into specifics,
and I hope they recognize
just how often they said
"Yeah, that's messed up..."
when defending their precious systems
against the evidence of failure
mission creep
and outright fraud...
it brought me back to Buddha
for it was two months ago,
that I stood next to the volunteer
as he gave Buddha his particulars
truly believing a check for 500.00 was coming...
Buddha has yet to close the loop on the deal.
I guess, from a distance
the urgency is not apparent.
I guess it too
was irrelevant.
I guess "doing something"
was all that mattered...
It made Buddha, a better person.
It didn't do jack SHIT for the homeless though...)
There is an excellent documentary
called "Commanding Heights"
all about the differing approaches to economy.
There was a great quote
from an economist from India
himself a lifelong centralist
as India was following the Russian model
after its independence in 1948...
but it never gelled...
"If you want to eradicate poverty, you don't do it by redistributing wealth. You create NEW wealth."
Narayana Murthy
and as a local activist friend of mine, in the black community preached, as her neighborhood was being primed to be developed, at a meeting in her church she was not invited to...
"We don't want jobs... we want to be empowered..."
(see my youtube channel Maxine Johnson)
The economy, is anywhere two people exchange goods. It is NOT Wall Street, or Big Box Stores.
Buddy Buddha washes his hands.. The days of Mom and Pop stores are over. People shop on the internet...
Well I disagree.
People LIKE to intermingle with people.
They always will...
unless they are afraid.
(the coin was a coincidence... but I like it)
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