Blog-a-oki

I was roaming thru my list of blogs and as usual, Buffalo had written a post concerning the wonders of having nothing to write about, only nobody I know can take such a dearth of material and make such sweet hay out of it.

So here I sit in much the same situation. I have nothing to write about. Oh, sure, I could regurgitate plenty of my own take on the surreal happenings in politics this week, but I'm still trying to adjust to the new reality, still expecting the worst, still hoping for the better. I'm the worlds most pessimistic optimist, or optimistic pessimist, take your pick. I WAS considering lording it over anyone who was actually stupid enough to think gas prices wouldn't shoot straight back up as soon as election day was over, but hell, I think anyone who did would have shot himself anyway. Then again, anyone that stupid doesn't have the sense to relieve his own misery, because he's so mentally numb that a mercy killing would be beyond his comprehension. Yes, I can be cruel when I want to.

But tell me, you husbands, or significant others of the male persuasion, does YOUR mate suffer from "cleaning seizures"? You know, those periods when your female loved one starts cleaning anything within reach with the slightest trace of dust or dirt on it and can't seem to stop? I really wouldn't mind this condition my wife suffers from so often if it wasn't for the side effects that go along with it. It only happens when I myself am engrossed in an activity, like trying to post to my blog, but NOT when I am already performing some chore around the house. Women engaged in these seizures will perform their "missions from God Almighty which MUST be performed NOW and must be completed at ALL costs no matter HOW long it takes" rather loudly, in order to insure that you are VERY aware that they are having these seizures, and that you, their loving husband, really should be feeling quite guilty about doing something you might actually enjoy rather than leaping up and helping them experience their all consuming and vital to national security activities. Other side effects include constant "Honey, can you grab this or that for me and bring it over here", or "Could you hold this up for me while I sterilize underneath it where not one photon has ever landed", or "My God, this was SOOOOO FILTHY!". If, for some reason, you have been so engrossed (and in defiant denial) in your activity that you have managed somehow to block out her oscar winning performance, you WILL hear the inevitable "sigh", the kind of sigh that an SR-71 Blackbird passing over your property at mach 3.8 would produce. If you look this version of "sigh" up in the dictionary, it would be defined as "I hope you are enjoying yourself doing nothing of any importance whatsoever while I am slaving away over here!" I think Webster was married, or had a significant other, also. Oh, and one more important requirement for this condition is that it usually occurs AFTER a full day of activities, after the evening meal has been eaten, when any other rational human would have decided it was a fine time to wind down and smell a few roses. (addendum: you wouldn't BELIEVE what I got when I googled "cleaning fetish")

Oh, and yes, we did have a full day. Got up, took out the trash, burned the paper, fed the goats, did some assorted other odd things, took the wife to the doctor, and dismantled the king sized waterbed frame to study possible methods I might employ to convert it to a queen sized frame that might fit the two hospital mattresses we'll be putting some memory foam pads on to give me something I can sleep on that won't make my mornings the agony they have been trying to get up in the morning having slept this aging back on a waterbed. It's not as simple a proposition as you might think. There's going to be a lot of sawing, bracing, and creative adaption in order to make this work. Why am I going thru all this instead of just going out and buying a new bed? Have you priced a GOOD mattress lately? Nuff said.

I still can't think of anything to write about, but while I'm at it, would you believe that one of my neighbors actually called animal control and suggested that I was starving my goats? You can imagine my shock when that dog-catcher truck pulled up in my front yard and the guy with the clipboard walks up and asks if I'm so and so and do I have some goats. I gave him the tour. I showed him my fat (obese is more like it) happy goats, where I feed them, what I feed them with, the places I tie them out to eat weeds and grass, the watering bucket, the barn I built for them, and asked him if he understood that you can feed a goat the state of Nebraska and they STILL want more...........I think he got the picture. Now, if I could just find out who to bitch slap and tell to mind their own frigging business.......

My muse is still missing, but you know, what really pisses me off about representative government is how your "representatives" make decisions taking money out of your pocket without asking you first how you feel about it. Oh, sure, they call a public meeting to hear objections, but since they already have the contract out and have sent out the billing notices, it's not like they really give a rats ass whether you like their decision or not. We out here on the periphery of civilization (another word for "rural") have been hauling our own trash to the county landfill (and being charged quite handsomely for the privilege), but now, our county commissioners in their great wisdom have decided that we need to have garbage trucks come and do it for us for another $150 a year (on TOP of the trash fee we already pay) whether we can afford the extra expense or not, and have noted in the notice of intent that they WILL come after our property if we don't pay the bill. This is our elected representatives looking after us. That is, the "US" being the brother-in-law or second cousin who happens to own the waste disposal company that got the contract. Well, fine. I hope these contractors like the smell of goat poop! I think maybe I have enough and can share.

Well, folks, I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to come up with anything profound to write about tonight and the dog is behind me growling to get let out or fed a treat or something. Any guy who thinks he's KING of his castle is deluded. That is, unless he lives alone and has no pets, or produces any garbage whatsoever.

Death be not Proud.....

Anyone who has watched CBS 60 Minutes knows what a treasure we have lost when award-winning television journalist Ed Bradley died this Thursday of leukemia. Ed was just one more of those individuals who made you almost unaware of his race, so powerful and unique was his own unique personality. Like Peter Jennings, Ed was the kind of reporter and interviewer whose integrity I never thought to question, and was the kind of person that those who revile the "liberal" press would happily avoid getting the attention of. Go rest, Ed, you did your job, you did it well, and now any and all questions you ever had are now answered, you lucky dog. You'd share those answers with us if you could.


As far as those complaints go concerning having only the lessor of two evils to choose from in political races, I refer you to this news item which demonstrates quite aptly just how powerful the voice of the electorate can be.


And on a lighter note, Representative Bobert Blob (R) was just elected House MINORITY leader, a position he did not seek, and has threatened not to serve in.

THE BIG BLUE TSUNAMI

My fellow Americans, you have restored my faith in your ability to accept the truth when that truth has smacked you upside the head hard enough. Unfortunately, if you look at how close the numbers were in a number of these races, there are still a good many Americans who find more comfort in being afraid, in believing anything fed them as long as it's being labeled "conservative", and in refusing to face up to the growing number of our sons and daughters dying for false ideals. Yes, a more sane mindset has now taken control of Congress, but the Monarchy still remains, yet to be held accountable for the crimes against this nation it has committed.

Now is not the time for rejoicing, because we have only replaced one species of politician with another. Unless this new crop of elected representatives have the guts to go back and undo the damage that Dubya and his neo-cons have done to our constitution, then we will continue to live in as much fear of our own government as we have for our enemies. The bills that this last Congress passed with reckless disregard for cherished American principles MUST be reexamined and consigned to the trashcan, and measures must be taken to insure that such attacks upon our freedoms and moral character can never happen again. If the Democrats cannot do this, then they are no better than the vermin they replaced.

I honestly believe that Dubya was never smart enough to create such chaos all on his own. I think we all know that the puppet master himself, Dick Cheney, and Bush's Rasputin, Karl Rove, were the true architects of this fascist regime, and they are the ones that should be held accountable. Bush is now lame-duck, and cannot do much more damage than he has already done, but I truly believe that now is the time to investigate the closed-door energy task-force, the politically motivated perversion of intelligence, and the corrupt no-bid contracts funneled to Haliburton and subsidiaries. The tax cuts that had no real benefit to middle class Americans but enriched the fat-cats must be taken back, and REAL tax relief given to working class citizens. Subsidies to oil and coal interests must be cut off, especially in light of the record profits these money-sucking monsters have enjoyed. The Insurance companies must be forced to return to their purpose, to provide coverage at reasonable prices, instead of cutting people off, overcharging the rest, fighting off claims, and commanding record profits even after the hurricanes. And we FINALLY MUST make the move to universal health care so that people no longer have to choose between food or doctors, so that doctors and hospitals can actually be paid for their services, and the burden of providing insurance as a benefit that they and their workers can no longer afford can be taken off their shoulders. We must END this assault on the American middle class, and stop enriching CEO's and legacy rich people who must begin to pay their fair share of the tax burden.

And, My fellow Americans, I think we now can point out with confidence what happens when you mix religion and politics. Most of the scandals of this last year have come from the very people who have claimed to be intent on bringing morality and the "word of God" back to government. For too long now, right-wing fundamentalists have become our own Taliban, intent on removing our democratic and secular institutions in favor of their own twisted brands of Christianity, all the while proving that they are no less immune to sins of the flesh and of character than any of us.

We have two more years of reigning in this administration and blunting any more damage. Then we have to choose a new executive, not another emperor or king, but someone who can represent our true values to the world and repair the damage that Dubya inflicted on us on the world stage. If we retain control of Congress, we can elect someone of any party, as long as that person can govern from the middle instead of playing to either side of the aisle. However, I believe we need a strong contender from a third party, untainted by the left or right leanings of Dems or Reps.

No, as my good friend The Buffalo has stated, we haven't won anything yet. But, we still can. We as a people need to keep the pressure on, demanding real work from our representatives, work in favor of AMERICANS instead of in favor of the highest bidder. We need to encourage and support brave Americans wishing to serve as third party candidates rather than sticking with something that has become unworkable, the two party system that shuts out other voices and ideas. If we don't, we will become nothing more than our own version of Sunni versus Shiite, one of which will be painted as "insurgent", and we know so well what that will bring us.

Packing Heat and Voting Blue

It's Sunday afternoon and a cold rain is pelting my abode, ruining my wife's idea of having a nice fire out in the shade garden tonight, or of conducting a full moon rite, which, incidentally, one could perform inside, but not having the bright light of a full silver moon grace the ceremony kinda defeats the purpose of the activity. Ah, nature can be fickle......

Last night I had to dose myself repeatedly with tylenol in an effort to put down this persistent headache I've been having, and this morning I awoke with the beast begging to come back out and my back killing me from sleeping in this damn waterbed that has turned against me in my later years, so the wife offered me one of her high-octane pain pills which helped to calm the beast. I sleep on my stomach, which is probably contributing to the problem, but it's an ingrained habit I'm not likely to be able to break after 50 odd years of doing it. Getting rid of the bag of warm water and sleeping on a regular mattress is NOT an attractive alternative, since every regular mattress I ever tried to sleep on only brought me misery, which is one of the reasons I dread sleeping overnight in motels. One of those adjustable airbeds might solve the problem, but since I can't afford one, the point is rather moot anyway. I think I'm screwed.

My son-in-law, which you may or not know gets around on wheels rather than those annoying legs that you and I have to walk around on, has been tooling around on this special bike which used hand cranks for propulsion. I don't think I'd win any arm-wrestling contests with this guy. Anyway, one day while out biking, a couple of punks starting getting a bit too up close and personal with him, suggesting they might want to take his bike from him. These kids have no idea how wise they were in deciding to not follow through on their sick-ass threats. I found out this week that he may be handicapped, but is adequately equipped to "cap" anybody's ass who wants to assault him. Both him and my daughter have concealed weapons permits and carry their protection with them wherever they go, wherever is permitted by law, of course. Now, this coupled with the recent law passed down here in Florida that makes it perfectly legal to stand your ground rather than getting shot several times or beaten half to death before you can justify defending yourself, I think maybe these kids had it in the back of their minds that not everybody is totally helpless in this state, not even handicapped people. No, I'm not pro "shoot first and worry about it later", but I do appreciate that if trouble comes looking for ME, it might damn well find it, rather than having to accept that good people have to be victims BEFORE justice can be applied. Since we can't all have cops following us everywhere we go, it only makes sense that we be able to provide for our own protection from those who seek to do us harm for no good reason other than a criminal one. I have never fired my gun in anger (at least at a human), and I do not ever wish to, but until they shut down these gun factories and put these sell-to-anyone gun dealers out of business, I WILL keep the balance in my favor, bleeding heart sentiments be damned.

The elections are tomorrow and I am not at all assuming that the Democrats are going to wrestle control of the congress from the bozos who have been making the place a laughingstock all these years. Not with Diebold voting machines in place preprogramed to Karl Roves specifications. Even if they do, I doubt that they will have the balls to take out the Big Kahuna, Dubya himself. If ever an administration needed to be hauled off to the Bastille and repaid for their fine service to this nation, this group of yahoos have. Retaking the congress is one thing, but having the votes to override the veto's that this "president" will suddenly start writing with reckless abandon is quite another. Oh, if only we have a comfortable majority of moderate, third party legislators with brains.......but I'm dreaming, I know.

Well, that's all I have to say, at least for now.

P.S. Don't overlook that one down there (crap, where's the down pointy key?)

National Memorial for the Mountains

A National travesty gone largely unoticed......

After a two year voyage of discussion, home-front reporting, and uncensored opinion, Dances with Leaves has received a new coat of paint, brand-spanking new engines, and an array of weaponry bound to strike fear into the hearts of conservatives, fundamentalists, criminally minded politicians, and idiots of all stripes. With her sleek new superstructure, she gets a new name, one that is more in line with her stated mission. "Dances" served me and my readership well, but with the new bells and whistles provided by the Blogger Beta, "These Thoughts Escape Me" will be better able to carry on the proud tradition begun several years ago by the original creaky rowboat without a paddle known as "Madness, Musings, and Melancholy". I want to thank all of you who stumbled across this blog, read it, and bookmarked it rather than consign it to the virtual trash-can. Thank you all for the help, the encouragement, and the inspiration you all provided me via your own great works. I hope to continue to be worthy of your company.

For her maiden voyage (that last post was simply her shake-down cruise) I want to revisit a travesty that I touched on briefly a few posts back, that being the wholesale destruction being visited upon the Allegheny mountain range as the coal companies bypass the slower, more expensive, and yes, more dangerous mine-shaft method of coal extraction in favor of the cheap and dirty process of simply removing the entire mountain covering the coal. Using explosives, mega-sized buckets and bulldozers, these companies are making flat whole mountains, filling in the nearby valleys with rubble and toxic dirt, destroying the fish populations, poisoning the water, and altering forever the topography and culture of the residents living in the shadows of these once great and beautiful creations that took eons to create. While providing immense wealth to a relatively few individuals and investors and a dirty and polluting energy source for our powerplants, an entire region of our country is being altered and destroyed on a scale not seen since the building of the Three Gorges Dam in China, with even far worse consequences environmentally. The residents living in these regions, not all who are employed or benefit in any real way from these mines, have seen their homes covered in coal dust, their water wells rendered worthless as the water table is polluted, and landslides and flooding increase dramatically as these mountains are leveled. What they end up with, when the coal companies finally get around to it, are large flat areas that are sold to those lucky few for new homes, farms, and even new townships where once the topography prevented it. Some of these areas are described as flat, featureless zones that look like sterile golf courses paved over with astroturf. This is man's tendency to want to pave over nature to the ultimate extreme, as though what nature has provided is simply something that needs to be terraformed to better suit our flat and soulless nature. Imagine all the new territory that has been provided perfect for hundreds of new Walmarts!

Meanwhile, the product of this rape and pillage has provided tons of the dirtiest fuel we know of to burn in powerplants and pump back into the atmosphere, further degrading our air quality and ramping up global warming. It amazes me that all these people involved honestly give little thought to what effect this is going to have on their own children and grandchildren. It amazes me that they can sleep at all on their beds of money. On second thought....no.....nothing amazes me anymore as to what mankind is capable of. Suicide by greed, graft, ignorance, corruption, and self-centered ego is one of our most celebrated traits.

All this has pretty much slide under the radar, not garnering much attention in the mainstream media, which is amazing considering that this is no less equal in importance to Three Mile Island, the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, or the Love Canal fiasco. It remains to be seen if the new government about to be formed, less influenced by conservative fundamentalists out to bring on Armageddon, will take notice of this disaster and put a stop to it. I doubt it will unless this new crop of electees are immune to the sweet talk and cash contributions of the Energy special interests, and I honestly don't think they will be. Only the elimination of the Bush/Cheney Monarchy and their Tom Delay co-horts will allow such concerns to be addressed, but by the time they are, most of these mountains will have been laid low, and an entire region of our country scarred forever, a permanent and very visual reminder of just what evil we are capable of.

You, my readers, can help shed at least a little more light on this travesty by sharing this video with everybody you know, in hopes that at least the knowledge of it might help raise much needed outrage against it. I realize that the American people are not famous these days for caring about their fellow man, but who knows, maybe this once they will, at least enough to bring it up in discussions with the right people, people who vote for those who should have done something about this years ago.

Thank you for your patronage, and please, get out and VOTE, or never grace the pages of my blog again..........