An imaginary place in a reactionary time

Tux measured? If not, do it now.

Thanks,

Ben

The mold at that second location was so pervasive I could not be in the place for more than a few minutes.

New 'Bushism' born at bill signing

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Bush offered up a new entry for his catalog of "Bushisms" on Thursday, declaring that his administration will "never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people."

by Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

Bush misspoke as he delivered a speech at the signing ceremony for a $417 billion defense spending bill.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

No one in Bush's audience of military brass or Pentagon chiefs reacted.

In Florida he was heard to say that we must acknowledge the life of feces, more than once

this man must go

Oakey -- call me.

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/19471/

Not all that great but it makes a point about the mass media culture

Could not agree more

Myopic Books was a place I would walk into when I would not be doing anything, like now. It was cool and absolutely anachonistic. It came at a time when I did not have money for books, like now. But it also came at a time when I became bored with the written word.

As a kid I read voraciously, I could finish a heavy tome in a day, and I would be reading a couple of light things at the same time. Lots of it was escapism, I hated my parents, and many of my peers had picked me out as a scapegoat. Life was too hostile so instead I read everything that I could get my hands on.

That kinda stuff sticks with you. So I was able to make occult allusions, and only later found out that people did not really have a clue what I was talking about. I have become, at least somewhat clearer in my old age, yet I still am amazed, when I refer to Babbit, few know what I am talking about.

Myopic was like the 60s firmly rooted in the kinder gentler way of doing things of the past, but with an expanded world view that was crazy fun and unconstricted, except by the form, the written word.

But today we have much too much competing for our attention. Reading is time consuming, costly, and rarely immediately gratifying. Unlike the 60s we are no long constrained by the written word. Instead we have content overload. We do not choose the information as we leisurley did looking through a bookstore, instead the information chooses us. Mostly what is heard is the constant repitition of certain societal themes, with bits and pieces of weird shit thrown in.

I am still bored with the written word, and I can not stand to read a book anymore. But I mourn the loss of time, and the freedom of choice, before information overload became the American way. Its like what we eat, its not healthy but its relatively cheap and there sure is alot of it.

Funny enough, I only remember Myopic at the original location. It was near my last WP domicile (I started there when it was still pleasant, crime free, Latin Kings controlled territory.)

I kick myself at least once a year for not purchasing a certain piece of vinyl which showed on the cover:

One female singer. Two males playing instruments looking something like a long necked bowed lute (ie. like a _sato_ from Uzbekhistan) with woodwork reminiscent of Moldavia. The costumery was reminiscent of SW Romania. To this day, the instruments and the nationality of the musicians remain unknown to me.

Of course, had a I bought the vinyl it would have
been burnt in the fire at Dreamers, along with the rest of my vinyl.

A disproportionate number of the books I own
(having given away 75% of my library when moving here) was purchased from Myopic, from the original store.

Pertains to nothing

Sensativity

Sensativity is a pain in the ass. Even though I am more described as an insensative prick, I am really pretty sensative, as I would imagine most of the readers of this blog are. Matter of fact I would not want most people to be as sensative as I imagine myself to be and Jerry and FFej are. Its way to much of a pain in the ass.

Most people have the absolute right to just go with the crowd and ring what ever pleasure they can out of life. But sensative people don't really have a choice. While their sensativies lead them to disfunctional behavior, they also are the ones to prod the world into being a better place.

Unfortunately we have those that are absolutely insensative. They see nothing but what is in fornt of their noses and they feel little or no connection to anything but themselves. It has been in all cultures and times. Think of the untouchables in India, and how they are like the rednecks of today. We need somebody to clean up our shit, kill and butcher our meals, work in the factory. IT really helps their survival and the surival of the system that puts them in such bad positions, if those people are not too sensative.

Most of society is not of this class. Up until about 20 years ago we lived in a society that believed in the middle class, believed in education, believed in reason rather than reaction. (true not always, but more often than not). So we grew in our sensativites and ability to be free.

But we are still left with remninents of this class. People who have lived as human cannon fodder, those that trade their childrens future for a brutish life. Most cultures have lived this way, sometimes for many generations, but they aspired to higher things and eventually won them.

However the culture I talk about does not aspire to higher things, maybe they want to be dominate by having the best truck, but they do not wnat to be sensative and they hate those that are. In our culture they are traced back to the English who needed the brutal ones to kill and rape and ultimately colonize the english empire, but they certainly came from other places as well.

What distinquishes these people is they like being brutal and want to remain that way. They even call it a culture even though they have little that would qualify them as a culture. The ethnic folks at times have lead brutish insesative lives, but what distinquishes them was they always wanted something better for thier children, and could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

However throughout American history this so called culture never wanted anything more for their children, just wanted some perverted sense of pride, that they were the real people. They were justified by god to beat the slaves in the feild, that GOd told them to keep that little black boy far away from their daughters. You had the same thing in germany.

Most societies that create such a class, know better than to let them rule. However in the past 20 years we have let them rule the cultural climate. Yes being like ALan Alda during the 70s really sucked to, but we have gone from hyper sensative to sensativity being literally sneered at.

Hitlers Germany gave its culture away to the happily brutish and insensative, and look at what happened.

Yes the majority of people believe in hard work and self sacrifice, but they also believe in something better. The "culture" that is pandered to by Bush, takes hard work and sacrifice in stride (not a bad thing), but they aspire to nothing better, nothing greater. Rather they want everybody in the same boat or below. The great mass of folks identify with the hard working values, and do not want to be burdened with ALan ALda type sensativities. But they are different than the fundi, as they aspire to something better.
THis is what Kerry should hit on. That we as Americans aspire to something better, that we are a courageoous people ready to face our challenges together, ready to live our values in the face of adversity, rather than shut away what we stand for in fear and trepidation. That AMerica's soul lies in its promise, and it powers stems from that. Not in our ability to kill and control.

This is the culture wars we fight. There is a culture of nasty brutish people who fully intend to stay that way. This is not the culture of the Irish, the Jew, the Italian, the African, the Chinese etc etc. We seek better for ourselves and our children, it is not always obtainable, and requires self sacrifice, but it distinquishes us fundemetally from the culture of the KKK, the fundis and that ilk.

We have gone from a culture that had values that cared about what happened in the future. Now our values just come down to, "will it make money". John Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"
Little Georgie after 911 called upon the country to shop.

THe past 20 years has been to shut out the people and create a ruling class, Kerry has to bring the people in like Kennedy did. If everybody is acting like cattle then so will they. BUt give them a chance and a stake in the action and they will show you they want something better. But we are always gonna have the fundis like crabs in a bucket pulling back all that try to escape.