Dignity

When did it happen? When did we as a culture decide that other human beings are the problem in almost every circumstance? Reading over the local blogs this morning, most notably: “The Humboldt Herald,” (HH) I think I may have poisoned my day. Isn’t that what it is when you start your day off with the witness of human failings? Perhaps the focus on the failings of others enables me to avoid my own.
In the thread on HH about the destructive influence of St. Vincent DePaul’s Dining Facility in Eureka, CA, I was reminded of an article about Mother Theresa years ago, about how the local associations of government and business interests in Calcutta, India; had registered complaints about the destructive influence of the Facility Mother Theresa had started: “The Sisters of Charity Mission” in Calcutta: 1950. Let me separate the goals of the mission in its caring for the dying poor on the streets; from the personal/religious goals allegedly held by Theresa herself.
It is the same old argument: which came first, the homeless; or the charitable facility? One side, the business side; says that the homeless are there, because St. Vinnie’s feeds them. There are analogous references to cats, and other feral animals. I think therein lies the poison. That we care so little for the obvious suffering of our outcasts, that we compare them to feral creatures, who are also seen as a pest to be exterminated; rather than a fellow earth-dwelling, life-living partner on the planet. One writer, probably hiding behind anonymity, talked about being overrun with feral cats because if you: “feed feral animals, you’ll have thirty cats running around”. I suppose this reasoning account for so many homeless on the streets in Eureka.
So…do the homeless stay in Eureka because there is a facility there that allows them one hot meal a day, and maybe a bag of groceries twice a month? Would that in itself, be enough of an inducement to keep a person living in one location? Yes, sadly it is. If we look at the reality of the people’s lives who utilize the facility; it becomes easy to see the limitations of abject poverty. Where could they go if they wanted to?
Much to the defense of the argument that most of the patrons are actually well off; is the obesity of many of the patrons. As if all the recent studies about the real causes of obesity in the poor, were not already known. If the patron is malnourished and thin, then they are: “Tweekers” a name given to Meth-Amphetamine addicts, who under the influence of the drug, dismantle, arrange, re-arrange and ‘tweek’ their environment. Not all who lose their teeth are ‘Tweekers’ but many are. If we had a decent system for dental care, then we might know if the actual numbers of the toothless-homeless are victims of their addictions, or their socio-economic circumstances. Until then, all we have are the grand allusions to who people are, without knowing what they have endured. What brought them to where they are, to whom they are dear.
I say we need ten more dining facilities. Until people have dignity and hope again.

Water

Water, what is more important? To paraphrase an old Jewish carpenter: “For what would you give in exchange for it?” In my own personal belief, water is the God of all mythology. Most of the modern religions in the west are founded on ancient beliefs that were prevalent in desert societies. In the deserts, water becomes more that just a refreshment. It becomes life itself. Just like today, water is life itself.
Throughout the last few millenniums, common people have been told that they have no right to the land on which they live. The acceptance of this lie, has led us to the present times, where distant humans with great wealth claim “ownership” of all the land. Is that possible? In my own philosophy it is not possible. The earth is no more the property of any one human being, than the moon is. Only through the slaughter of humans whose life if tied to the land they live on, are distant royalty able to seize portions of the earth and claim it for themselves.
This erroneous premise is also used to take a violent ownership of water. What a great business. As a wealthy, favored, aristocratic human being; I can put myself between the people and their only source of water, which of course they cannot do without. Once my “ownership” is secured, through murder and violence, backed up by the government’s enforcers, I can then appoint myself King. The government, as most of us know, is filled with members of the aristocracy. Not in the lower ranks of course, but they dominate the upper echelons of power. Sadly, in the US, we don’t promote our leaders from the ranks of dedicated public servants, who have worked for years in departments that they run from their middle management positions. Instead we bring in: “political appointments”, who might not have even the minimum experience in the work of the departments they are given control of.
Once the capitalist is given ownership of water, they are then in a kind of: “capitalist heaven” they have a product, that we can’t do without, a product that means life or death, depending on whether or not you have it. A product that the capitalist doesn’t have to produce, it just flows out of the ground. Of course, just like oil companies, the capitalists claim ownership based on their investment in the infrastructure of pumps and pipelines. Which strangely enough are mostly built with profits gained from public tax-breaks, and subsidies.
We desperately need a bill of human rights concerning the basic necessities of human existence.
Here are a few of the things that should be in it:
The right to have access to clean water.
The right to a garden space to feed yourself and your family.
This can done by giving people a certain set allotment of produce from huge agricultural farms. These: “Blossoming Deserts” are built with funds that are held in trust by the governments, but are then given, free, to commercial interests who can charge whatever they like. Instead of food stamps, one would be given the produce of say a 10’X10’ portion of the yield.
The right to be free from the violence of the state.
War is a completely capitalistic practice.
The right to be free from the greed of your neighbors.
No more giving legal status to those who sign papers giving away their neighbor’s land and rights to it. This was made famous in the days when one tortured native, was forced to sign away huge swaths of land to the U.S. Railroads. It didn’t matter that the man was not a person of authority in the tribes. This method was used many times in the stealing of this country.
The right to follow one’s own philosophy on living.
If a person wants to live in a tent while they build their dwelling; no one should have the right to come in a prevent it, on behalf of the capitalists.
Just a couple of thoughts.
Basically, the capitalists are given an inordinate amount of benefits from the current system. Why? Why does the aristocracy have more of a claim on the things of the earth, than any other group? One reason and one reason only: Greed. And their greed is enforced by killing.
The truly sad part of it; is that their greed is allowed, and even legitimized by those common people who support the aristocracy itself, to their own enslavement.
Which is more evil, the greedy aristocrat who wishes to profit by enslaving our children to their profit?
Or, the people who support them.

Local Blog Rolls

Ok, so I'm just like everyone else. Damn it! I thought I was special. But alas, no. I too feel the sting of rejection. I too feel the sadness associated with not being picked during the making of the teams for basketball.
I am speaking about the: "Local Blog Roll" located to the right of the posts on Wordpress and Blogspot.
My blog-roll is woefully inadequate. But I aim to enter into it, any who leave a link in the comments. This is my way of fighting back against the exclusion of Moviedad & Ecumenik, from the local blogdom. Ok, sure; Moviedad has no movie reviews, and Ecumenik seems to be anything but. But hey, that's only how it appears on the surface. Moviedad used to review movies of all types, but now, I only review movies I absolutely love. So they are few, because if you ask anyone who knows me, they will all tell you the same thing: "That Richard sure does hate a lot of stuff!" Yeah, I'm sorry. I do 'hate a lot of stuff', So I thought I would start a list of all the things I hate. I expect to be hearing from Andy Rooney anytime now.
So here it is:
Injustice
Lying
Stealing
Killing
Bullying
Yelling
Fighting
Yodeling
Selling out your neighbors
Buying out your neighbors
Self-Righteousness
Self-Loathing
Meanness
False jocularity
Political certainty
Political expedience
Political necessity
Politicians
Revisionists
The Uber-Rich
American Fascists
American Zionists
American Terrorists (legitimate and illegitimate)
Puppies (Yes Damnit!Admit it! You hate them too!)
The U.S. Media Corps.
Commercial Radio
There are many more things I hate, but I can't think of them right now.....
My conspiratorial thinking tells me that I am kept off the linking of local blogs, because I am too free. That's right, they hate me for my freedom. Or some such nonsense.

Conservative?

Conservatism, I think; has different meaning, depending on which socio-economic group you belong to. It is quite obvious in conversations with my friends and neighbors who refer to themselves as: “Conservative.” That they are talking about a completely different set of politics, than the upper levels of power and wealth in America. Those at the middle to lower economic class speak of conservatism, in terms of: not rushing to change things quickly.Not expanding governmental power over the individual. Being financially responsible and saving for a rainy day.
What a contrast from the conservatism of the ruling class. The rulers use the government as their purse, as an instrument of their control, and as a mechanism for gaining unfair advantage over global business competitors.
This is only Moviedad’s opinion. But it is based on empirical evidence. Listen to what the common man demands from life and you will find no difference between, logger-environmentalist, fishermen-conversationalists, cop-anarchist.
But talk about how to implement those shared ideals, and there is nothing but disagreement and war. This is what the ruling class exploits in its ascent to power.
All one need do is look at the current content of the media, and one sees classification upon classification. It is really just simple marketing. They are creating demographic targets to market products to. So it is just good business to accentuate the differences between races, ages, sexes, politics, regions, education, religion, tastes. It has for sales. And it has worked for social manipulation. Everyone these days is resentful and suspicious of anyone outside their own demographic. Whatever happened to getting to know people from other walks of life and celebrating the differences?
This new wave of personal isolationism makes it very hard to reach out to the guy on the other side of the fence.

Against Fascism

The whole idea of not charging multi-billion dollar companies for their fair share of taxes, and not increasing income tax on the beneficiaries of these companies, is all part of the ruling class gutting middle and low income services. Some of us have been yelling about it since Reagan. First they make everyone destitute and desperate, then they have a cooperative work force. We have been in a class war since the founding of the country. And the “House slaves” do the work of the Aristocracy, by first denying that it even exists; and second, being the enforcer for their unjust policies. The real star of “1984” is the media. They have done their work well. We can’t even discuss these things without someone pretending it’s all: “Conspiracy Theories.”
It is the same struggle that has been going on for centuries. The criminals are, right in front of us, enjoying the money they've stolen. Look at these salaries and bonuses paid to the aristocrats in the executive class of corporations and government. Whenever an artist, or intellectual , starts using their talent to focus on the class war, they are bribed into the aristocratic system, or they are shut out of the aristocratic system.
Penned, fat, overfed hogs; do not remember their days of freedom as wild boars. They accept that they are meat, and nothing more.
Unfortunately for me and many others, I’m idealistic. I was raised on westerns like: “High Chaparral,” “Bonanza,” and the like. Which, while re-enforcing the “rich white man saves the world” mythology; still had the hero saving the union, providing health care, standing up to the mining corporations and railroads. You could say that those shows made me a socialist. If by ‘socialist’ you mean that the true necessities of basic living are held in trust, to a government made up of average citizens. And all the usual commerce of business takes place as it does. My kind of socialism, is found in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. What we have now is: “Neo-Corporate-Fascism” (my term) and all the bad that comes with it. The Executives are the new SS. They can, and do, use the national military to do business in foreign countries.
This is not the system of government my uncles, aunts and parents fought for in world war two. They thought they were fighting against fascism, not for it.

This Wonderful Now

The Craigslist Scene

Ok, I admit it. I browse the "Rants & Raves", section of the craigslist.org site. I only post, maybe once a month. Or even less. But the few minutes it takes to peruse the list of complaints and compliments, is a nice break in the day. One fact that is true in internet communication, is that those with highly developed typing skills, are the bully-boys of the cyber-hood. School is out on whether those who type with the "lock caps" key on are helping or hurting their argument. My vote is that it shows a lack of education. But then, my own writing, shows a lack of education. which I am trying, at 52, to correct.
The character assassination that goes on at craigslist has been exempt from legal issues. No way can it continue. I cannot think of another time in history, when a small, insignificant member of the lower class. Could so publicly denounce the rich class. This also applies to other blogs.
All one need do to assassinate the character of another; is publish hateful, and shocking accusations against that person. One would name them, their business, Perhaps their employers.
Since the accuser is unknown behind the cloak of anonymity, the tone of the charges can be very sensationalistic. There is no burden of proof on the accuser. The person named in one of these attacks; however, is known. And they are in a position of defending themselves against what? Tax evasion, major drug dealer, adulterer, sexual abuser. Whatever gets the job done. It is left to the accused to mount a counter-campaign to clear their name.
I have watched these scenarios play out over the last couple of years. And I'm just waiting for the lawsuits to start for real. Those who attempt to assassinate the character of others. Others who are then denied the right to face their accuser, will be held responsible for what they publish. Just as if you got up on a box in the courthouse, and denounced your neighbor. What's the difference?