A Fate worse than Fate Itself

... and the list of breaks and windfalls and protections for the Richest Americans marches on.

If you bought into this trickledown crap, again, then you’ve allowed yourself to be played for a fool.  More than once.

Just look around- the Middle Class got slight to nothing, while the Rich are raking it in hand over fist.

Feeling foolish yet? Damn well should be.  If you supported this garbage, you hurt us all.  (Except for the Rich.)  

You helped set up the scam.  Again.

You stood back and allowed them to rob us all.  Again.

Know what?  I’ll get by.  I’m fortunate in a number of ways. And I never had and any issue with paying taxes that helped create jobs, helped the less-fortunate, kept things closer to fair, honest.  

But this ain’t what’s takin’place, now or under Reagan’s bullshit policies.  (What was it H.W. called it?  “Voodoo Economics.”  Yeah...)

We even had the luxury of hindsight, historical record!  And a buncha you folks fell for that same stupid shit.  Again.  It wasn’t even that long ago.

This time around, many CEOs even said that they had no intention of using the Trump/Republican Tax Scam money for hiring or expanding!  A number of corporate executives admitted that they would use that money for stock buybacks and big dividend payouts- and that’s exactly what they did.  They even said this BEFORE the tax “break” became law.  Some even said their companies didn’t need or want it!

But some of you weren’t listenin’, were you?  Not teally ever been much for details, all y’all.  Far easier to allow garbage to just soak into your brains through your porous skulls, huh?  You barely have to even think, huh?

This information wasn’t any secret, wasn’t conjecture or supposition.  It was right out in the open.  

You chose to get suckered.  Again.  You made that choice.  In direct conflict with all evidence, both current and historical, you fell for that same dams shit: give the already Rich even more in the hopes that they might bless us with some kinda charity that they never exhibited before.  No contracts, no guarantees.  Not even a handshake or a promise.  No nothin’.

And the Big Dealmaker was right there signin’  off on it. all-  Too stupid or careless or greedy or cold-hearted to give a shit.  The Prince of Liars made more money.  His rich grifter pals made more money.  

And what are you doin?  Kneelin’, hopin’ someone drop some crumbs or feed you a little something for fun, like a dog beneath the dinner table?  Ignorant and Delusional.  Suckers.  Really some stuff to be proud of, huh?

Deny it if it suits you.  So many of you have developed a bottomless capacity for denyin’ the Blatantly Obvious, an ability to ignore Fact even when struck dead between the eyes with it.  Some of y’all even use your Religion to make excuses for the foul and vulgar that rob you and then laugh about it.  (I am really, really confused about that particular misuse of something supposedly at the top of the list for so many of y’all.  Confused, saddened, disappointed.)

But, it has become abundantly clear over the past four years that the original lofty tenets of Religion ain’t really that important after all to many that would espouse ‘em. It’s just a comfortable (and potentially lucrative) place for Ravenous Grifters to dwell and Fools to hide while attemptin’to save face, protect their pride and hubris, cover for the black-hearted rather than admit they support and enable Monsters.  Faith now twisted into some sort of tool with which so many attempt to disguise errors in judgement, hate and disregard for others, regardless of the terrible consequences.

Others: using willful ignorance as their shield.  The folks out there that retreat to their corner when reasonable acknowledgement and acceptance of Absolute, Presentable and Verifiable Truths becomes too much to bear; Those people that stagger back and use the last tool available to them as they flee from the truth and shout over their shoulder the “well, all I know is...” statement.  Yeah, that- the admission of ignorance or distaste for facts, a preference for bullshit, the defiant proclamation that perversions of reality are a legitimate opinion as strong as any honest, thoughtful observations, while proudly brandishin’ Dumbass as if it were some kinda shield, an “Evidence Prophylactic.”

And McConnell and his Band of Raiders continue with their “Corporate-friendly” endeavors and protections, attemptin’ to squeeze in language that would further shield Big Business from responsibility/culpability for their actions into the latest relief bill supposedly written to assist Everyday Americans with all that trivial shit like Food and Shelter and Medications/Healthcare.

C’mon!  Step right up and assume your rightful portion of Blame for this ongoin’ Conservative Nightmare as President Candyass Psycho Brat hammers away at our Democratic Institutions with his Wreckin’ Ball of Bullshit while  his Cultists wail and foment, wild-eyed and bloodthirsty.  You might wind up bein’ remembered for it, your names showin’ up in the final credits: ...and the Lunatic Mob, as played by...”

Pathetic Shit.

Fish~

MISDIRECTED INDIGNATION

I continue to be amazed by the things we choose to be enraged over.  (And, no- it is not improper grammar to end a sentence with a preposition.  Another example of bullshit we've all been fed...) 

Sorry, distracted myself.  (That was quick!). 

Anyway, you might not agree with the method a professional athlete in our country may have used to bring attention to somethin' about which he clearly feels very strongly about, and that's fine.  This is the United States of America.  In our country, you have that right, just as he has the right to do what he chose to do for the reasons he had.  We are all afforded that right.  Right?

But, know what?  If you're focussin' on what he did, as opposed to why he did it, then both he and you have failed- only in starkly different ways.

Here's the thing:  

Wanna get pissed about somethin'?  Get pissed about Institutional Racism, Childhood Poverty or Food Insecurity.  Get vocal over how Money and Greed have destroyed our Political System.  Or maybe you can raise some Hell because our Soldiers have been killed and maimed in the Name of No Bid Contracts for Cheney's Halliburton and Company.

Stop usin' Bullshit Flag Worship as some kinda Holy Hobby you can use for damnin' anyone who tries to bring attention to a Real Issue.

No shit.  Pick a genuinely legitimate thing, a true injustice to get mad about.  Ain't like there's some kinda shortage out there.  

And another thing:  All that "Support our Troops" bullshit that gets regurgitated every time somebody chooses to speak out about War for Profit and the Wholesale Murder of the Innocents like it's a reflection on Those Who Serve?  You people?  Sit down and shut the fuck up, 'cause if you really supported our Troops, you'd be mad as Livin' Hell over their bein' treated as Cannon Fodder in the Name Corporate Profits.  

Know who I feel is guilty of not supportin' our Troops?  All you Sonsabitches without the wherewithall to challenge our "Leaders" regardin' Their Preference for Monetary Support over Human Life.

Stop for a second and think!  Damnit, y'all!

Are you so afraid of the Real World that you would seek comfort by Embracin' the Misdirection that extinguishes your very Capacity for Reason?  

Does your Pride prevent you from recognizin' and condemnin' the Dirty Tricks you choose to fall for almost daily?  

Y'all are killin' me.

Fish~   

HERITAGE or HORSESHIT?

I realize that the recent dust up over the Stars and Bars bein' flown over the Capitol Building in South Carolina has been pretty much addressed by the legislators in that state, but it seems fairly clear that the discussion is far from over.  

I just finished readin' over a short exchange on the Facebook thing between some longtime friends of mine, and some of their friends, regardin' the flyin'- or not flyin'- of the Confederate Battle Flag.  It was a reasonable, non-toxic exchange, which was refreshin', since all y'all know it can sometimes be really easy for these kinda things to disintegrate pretty damn quick into bein' not much more than an insult/name-callin' session that ain't worth a damn.  (I admit it: I'm as guilty as anyone of participatin' to some degree in that kinda shit on occasion.)  Hell yeah- people actin' like they got some sense.  More Rarity than Regular these days.  

Anyway, on with it.

The Confederate Flag Uproar has yet to turn into an assault against anyone's Personal Freedom, and I seriously doubt it will, regardless of what a buncha agitators wanna incessantly repeat.  No more than, after a number of mass shootings that have and still continue to plague our country sparked most Americans to favor common sense changes such as waiting periods and background checks for gun purchases, meant that the Government was "comin' to take all our guns away".  Again, the same buncha folks makin' the same kinda extreme exaggerations in the hopes that we'll be distracted from the Genuine Bullshit that's bein' perpetrated by 'em.

Flags.  Any flags.  No one's "comin' to take our flags away".  Or tryin' make it to where ya can't fly a flag.  It just ain't happenin'.  Just people blowin' smoke up our ass.

 For the sake of this last point, let's even take Slavery entirely outta the equation.  

Okay. 

 Now:

The Stars and Bars is the battle flag of the Confederacy, and is therefore a symbol of Treason and Sedition used by enemies of the United States of America.  You can disagree all you want, but it's the truth, pure and simple.  

Fact: More Americans died in the American Civil War than all other American Military Conflicts combined.  

That flag, the flag of an enemy of the United States of America, should not be flown by our Government any more than our Government should fly the flag of any of the other nations with whom we've been at war- wars that resulted in the loss of American Lives.  

Anyone can fly the Stars and Bars should they choose to do so- just as it's anyone's Right to fly the Rising Sun of the Japanese, or the Union Jack of Great Britain, or the flags of Russia, or North Vietnam, Korea, or that perrenial favorite, Hitler's Swastika, or even the freakin' Jolly Roger if they wanna.  But the flags of our enemies- those responsible for American deaths- it's sorta ridiculous for any part of our Government to fly those flags.  In fact, I t's an insult to those that died in defense of our Country and the Stars and Stripes.  The flag of the Untied States of America.  Our Flag.  The one that represents Our Country.  All of it.  All of Us.  

Fish~

Additional Bonus Fact:

The Great State of Kentucky was never a part of the Confederacy.  Never seceded.  Never tried to secede.  You're welcome.

LUMPY THINKIN'

Couldn't sleep the other night.  Been thinkin' of the Track of Common Discourse.  Perceptions, Attutudes, Opinions.  That kinda stuff.

So- I got up, poked around in the fridge, came up with a slice of cold pizza and a nearly full can of Pepsi, and grabbed the remote.  Slim pickins' that time of night: Infomercials, Ancient Aliens, Miracle Diets.   Typically, I opt for the Ancient Aliens thing: wide-eyed characters with crazy hair positin' even crazier theories, cheesy re-enactments, even cheesier special effects.  Good stuff.  But that night, I found myself slowly clickin' further and further down the digital dial.  Down to that Dark Place where Twenty-four Hour Cable News lurks.

I knew better.  But I thought I'd just zip through...

Didn't take long.  Bad stuff.  All of it. 

Particularly all the Meanness.  The Hateful.

And then I got to thinkin' about some of the folks I know and have known.  People and families that have a damn tough time makin' it- good people. People that work hard, raise good kids, go to church (or don't), help their parents and families.  Good people.

I even know some people that used to be in a decent spot- maintained a comfortable, if modest, livin' for them and theirs, but now find themselves in a bad way through no fault of their own.  I've also known some that never had nothin', and never would.  Not because they missed or misused a chance, but because they just never really got one.  And from the look of things, I'd bet money they ain't about to get one any time soon.

Know what?  Everybody that falls on Hard Times ain't a Sorry-Ass Slacker.  The World just ain't that damn simple.

Sure, there are plenty of Takers around.  With a population of over three hundred, seventeen million, the rough number of people in our country alone, it would be ridiculous to think otherwise.  Again- ain't that damn simple.  But, there are also a whole lot of other people, people of all kinds, people from a near-infinite number of backgrounds in a near-limitless set of situations.  Plenty of Users.  Plenty of Liars and Cheats- some Poor, some in the Middle, some Rich as Hell.  Hippocrites, Bigots, Racists, Extremists, Fools and Intellectuals, Greedy and Giving, Compassionate and Cruel... on and on, ad infinitum.  (I use that a lot, I know.  Sorry...)

But, when we choose to embrace the Bullshit spewed by parties with somethin' to gain through redirectin' our gaze in a particular direction, when, in Times of Great Frustration and Confusion, we allow ourselves to be conned into feelin' the Need to Lay Blame so intensely that we choose to lock arms with folks that paint our very own people with such broad strokes that Common Sense and the Simple Law of Averages alone would prove it a Falsehood Absurd, when we choose to participate in the Wholesale Condemnation of large groups of our citizenry en masse, then we are guilty of behavior that is neither Devout nor American.

It's time for us to once again view television and radio as forms of Entertainment, as Diversions.  Time to stop turnin' to 'em for Advice, for Moral and Spiritual Direction.  It's time to Think for Ourselves and scrutinize the Words and Deeds of Others and take them to task when we witness use of the Media to spread Dogma and Supposition as though it were Irrefutable Fact.

Time to end the takin' of pride in our Selective Ignorance.  Time to wake up, open our eyes, and engage our brains.

Time to stop bein' so damn lazy.

Fish~

Evil as a Pasttime

The Supreme Court just handed down a new ruling regardin' the constitutionality of "buffer zones"  around the entrances of clinics that offer abortion services.  You can read about it here (I'll wait...):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/06/26/325806464/states-cant-mandate-buffer-zones-around-abortion-clinics-high-court-say

You good?  

Okay.  

Now- my Pretentious Take:

It seems to me that, regardless of what your feelings/beliefs on this subject should happen to be, it would be obvious to everyone that Violence and Hate in the name of God are just dead up wrong.  Some folks just appear to be lookin' for a target for their Anger, and feel that it will always be justified, so long as they hide behind the Robes.

I can't help but wonder why people don't look for a better outlet, try and steer their excess emotions and energies into somethin' genuinely positive and compassionate.  There are a great deal of things out there that fit this description, (many that benefit unfortunate children), that don't involve fire bombs, explosives, guns, ugly speech and intimidation.  Actually, none of the things that come to mind for me include any of those things.  Not one.

To believe you can emulate Christ through acts of violence is counter intuitive and absurd.  Attemptin' to bend Today's World into a cheap imitation of Heaven on Earth is futile.  In fact, just effort wasted.  I'd really appreciate it if someone could point out somethin' to the contrary...

We seem to have lost our way and we can't even see it.  Wars of Ideals rage unendin', while those in need are more often than not ignored or looked upon as part of the "problem".  

Hate as a Hobby has become the norm for so many in our country.  Perhaps the time has come for us all to start lendin' legitimate, heartfelt assistance to our Fellow Humans.  

Or, maybe it's time for a buncha these Hateful Sonsabitches to take up needlepoint...

Fish~

IS IT BULLSHIT? WELL...

So, been sorta broke down for the past few days, hangin' around the house, completely non-productive.  Bluesy.  A Stationary Front, somewhere between the Top and the Bottom of a Depressive Swing--just ain't exactly sure of the direction, up or down.  (Odd.  The direction is usually pretty damn obvious.)  But, this afternoon, feelin' better (up?), I thought I'd kill a little time by diggin' up a few thought-provokin' (emphasis on "provokin'") historical quotes that I could drop out here on the Ol' Interweb.  (I call it "Stirrin' the Pot...")

With not a lot of time or effort, I soon gathered several bits that I found interestin', even topical.  You know--Venerable Statesmen, Foundin' Fathers, that kinda stuff.  Bona fide--or so some might have you believe...

Never intentionally wantin' to be the Purveyor of Bad Info (though I have been guilty in the past) I set about the task of vettin' my Chosen Slices of Flowery Dead Man Rhetoric.  However, the actual content of these particular Pearls of Wisdom ain't exactly what I've wound up feelin' like sharin'.  Nope, not exactly.

It ain't that tough to do a little fact-checkin'.  Just copy a relevant snippet of text, drop it in the tiny window, search, cross-reference and compare.  (With somethin' as specific as quotes, the results of a query are fairly free of irrelevant material.)   More often than you might expect, results may render strong evidence, or downright proof, that information peddled as Truth is, in reality, a Falsehood. Or, what is better know by it's more descriptive common name--"Bullshit".

So, I shifted gears and went lookin' for it.  (For Bullshit.)

Curious as to just how broad a swath this phenomenon cut, I began to pull up random quotes and claims and statements.  Even dumb stuff;  Stuff you wouldn'ta thought anybody would ever bother to lie about or have any reason to misrepresent.  (I suppose my original pursuit--quotes from historical figures--would be placed in the Dumb Stuff Column by some.)  I found that, with suprisin' frequency, after a little diggin' and the application of some Common Sense...  Yep, some Bullshit.  Sometimes, it's hard to question the validity of a statement or postulation, particularly when it's comin' from somethin' we may consider a "trusted source", or if it should happen to fit a particular pre-conceived notion we may personally hold in favor.  (This would be a polite way of sayin' "what we want to hear.")

"Where'd ya hear that?"

"Read it out there on that Internet."

"Oh.  Well Hell, then it must be true..."

If you can find additional reasonable points of proof, arrived at independently from one another, that either support the original information or contradict it, then you have attempted to do due dilligence when it comes to acceptin' somethin' as a point of fact.  (One nail in a board- not very secure and easy to spin.  A second nail--more secure, much harder to move.  Three nails--damn secure.  Ad infinitum...  A simple, succinct analogy.)

First, I started drillin' down on the really easy things, the kinda stuff saddled with histories rife with subterfuge and manipulation:  Partisan Politics;  the Media--Left, Right, and Center;  Big Business;  Advertisin';  Religion--all of it; the Obvious Bullshitters; Those with Agendas Clear as Chrystal.

Some things were blatantly suspect on the first read, quick and easy to refute.  Other Bullshit was more cleverly disguised.  Some deceits were so subtle, so camouflaged, they were virtually transparent, invisible.  Arguably, Works of Art.  I'm confident that, if confronted, many of the more adept Authors of Bullshit would refer to their "manipulation" of information (I'm bein' extremely gracious) as "Spin".

The more I looked, the more Bullshit I found.  Everywhere.  Absolutely dead up everywhere.  Did I learn anything?  Did I experience an epiphany?  Have a revelation?  Maybe feel just a tiny bit smarter...?

It would appear that the Internet has become the New Roost for all manners of Bullshit: Hate, Commercialism, Religious and Political Dogma, even a place for the promotion of an authoritarian and nationalistic system of government and social organization with a contempt for Democracy.  (Okay, that last one is Fascism.  Just felt like slippin' in a quick definition...)  

Perhaps, regardin' the Distillation of  Legitimate Fact from a Churnin' Sea of Bullshit, it may actually be better, simpler, smarter in this particular scenario, to view the information in question with the help of metaphoric blinders, or as through the center of a narrow philosophical tube.  Somethin' that would assist us in shuttin' out some of the Noise and Flashin' Lights, increasin' our capacity for Focus, intensify Concentration, assist in avoidin' the Intentional Distractions designed and constructed to Influence and Sway.

We have all become active, unknowing participants in a Global Exercise in Gullibility, deployed on the Grandest of Scales.  Suspicion?  Sure.  Paranoia...?  Maybe...

The Internet, in so many ways, has become (relative to Conflict) a reflection of our Contemporary World.  On issues of Morality, Religion, Politics, All Things Devisive, it has become the Forum of Choice, where anyone (includin' Yours Truly) can inject their personal version of "Fact" and "Truth", in almost any style or form they choose, while enjoyin' near-total anonymity.  (Or, even more fun, under the cover of a fictitious personality purely of our own design.  How freakin' cool is that?!  Huh?  Whoa...)  

Yep.  The metaphysical Blunt Instrument of Propaganda.  The Information Highway:  our New Frontier--devoid of the Virtues of Honesty and Civility.  Unencumbered by the Rule of Law, Matters of Conscience, or the Burden of Fact.  Even the very Laws of Physics themselves fall before the Power of Bullshit.

Gotta say--this is startin' to get a little Crazy...

And, you know, a funny thing about Bullshit:  Whether well-intentioned or malicious, it's still Bullshit.  And, Bullshit is Dishonest, Dishonesty is Wrong.  Right?  Wrong ain't Right, right?  It can't be--it's wrong.  That's right, ain't it?  Ain't that a constant?  Wrong is wrong?  Anybody...?

Regretably, this has led me to what appears to be an Inevitable and Unavoidable Conclusion:  To blindly trust anything, anyone, is to do ourselves an injustice most grave.  Even dangerous. 

And yet, it seems that many of us consistently choose to embrace even the most suspect of statements, no matter how absurd or illogical.  Why?  Is it Intellectual Sloth?  Zealotry?  Plain Ol' Dumbass?  All these things, and more?  

Hell, I'll be honest--I ain't got a freakin' clue.  That's an admission of Ignorance and Confusion.  You ain't gotta vet that.

~Fish

No Free Lunch

I happened to be privvy to a conversation the other day, (post-Presidential Election) and it got me thinkin'...

It started out innocently enough- someone statin' that they felt that the teachers in our public school system were underpaid and how much they appreciated them and the work that they do. Another person commented that they felt the teachers were overpaid and failed to do the job with which they are tasked.

(Obviously, both of these statements are generalizations. One would assume that each of these folks may have intended for some quantifier, such as "most" or "some" or "many", to be implied. Nothing is absolute, right...?)

The first person responded with what seemed to be an attempt to clarify what I had felt was a very straightforward statement, appearin' to be startled by the coarse response from her friend.

I watched and listened, both fascinated and shocked as the conversation quickly took an abrupt and bizarre turn.

The second person then continued with a string of comments in rapid succession. The first proclamation- that the food being served to her children during school lunch was positively inedible and that (I ain't makin' this up), it was all the fault of Michelle Obama. Yeah, that Michelle Obama. Pretty sure the only Michelle Obama you know of. The President's wife.

Her friend countered, politely, that the meals at her childrens' school were actually not bad for cafeteria food, and that the cafeteria personnel were quite creative when it came to the menu and preparation of the food. She added that during her volunteer opportunities there, she had, relatively speakin', enjoyed what was served.

But the cap was off the bottle and had been tossed away.

Next, her friend countered that some children weren't even required to pay for their lunch and, via some obscure logic, she posited that this shortfall in the revenue stream lowered the quality of school meals for all, and that it wasn't fair that her children should have to "suffer" because the parents of others could not pay "their share." Ultimately, this stream of thought devolved into the proclamation that this group of unfortunates was not her problem. I don't recall much beyond this, other than that it was basically more of the same. Thankfully, the conversation burned out quickly. Me? I was havin' a tough time gettin' past this irritation with hungry children.

When my family moved from Indiana to Brindle Ridge, Kentucky, Rockcastle was one of the poorest of all one hundred, twenty counties. I was in third grade and I remember clearly on that first day of school, Mrs. McKinney (a woman I fondly recall as a beautiful, dark-haired twenty-somethin') called roll, then immediately followed it by callin' for a show of hands from all the kids present that were gettin' "free lunch." This was typically around one in four of the kids in my class. I also noticed that these same kids had the three cent cost of mornin' milk break waived. Three cents. Three. If I am not mistaken, the cost of lunch was twenty-five cents.

This concept of "free lunch" was a new one for me. Near the end of the first week of school, I had to ask one of my classmates why he didn't pay for his meal. I remember him explainin' to me, in as few words as he could, that his family did not have enough money for him to pay. I wasn't a dumb kid, but the thought that someone couldn't afford what was literally this small amount of change never entered my mind. Maybe the fact that there were no fat kids in Mrs. McKinney's third grade class should have tipped me off. That, and the fact that the room was filled with worn shirts with stick arms hangin' from the sleeves, and pants that were worn at the cuff, but were now too short to cover the tops of their socks.

In 2010, 17.2 million U.S. households (14.5 percent/approximately one in seven) were "food insecure." Food insecurity is defined as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." This can lead to malnutrition. It is also estimated that at least thirteen million of our country's children go to bed hungry every night, or about one in four.

Malnutrition has been shown to affect cognitive development among young children and can affect school performance in children of all ages, as well as contributin' to a host of other health issues. Research shows that with hunger comes more frequent sickness and therefore higher health care costs. It can alter the brain architecture, stunting intellectual capacity and a child's ability to learn and interact with others.

I'm not gonna say that everyone should volunteer regularly at their local food bank or homeless shelter, or that everyone should make it a point to make regular contributions of time or money to organizations and agencies that work to combat this problem so that the world would be a better place. I think this goes without sayin'.

But, I will say that I personally find begrudgin' a hungry kid a decent meal borders on despicable.

So, when you sit down at the table and pick up your fork and spread your napkin in your lap, you should remember the people that, at that same moment, are doin' without enough food to eat and sustain their bodies and keep them in a reasonably healthy state. And, at the end of that good meal, when you have eaten all you cared to eat and have pushed away from the table, satisfied and lethargic, remember that many of those hungry are children, and are in that situation through no fault of their own.

If you feel that your taxes are too high, don't bitch about the small portion that might allow a skinny grade school kid to focus on his or her schoolwork, rather than the emptiness gnawin' at their gut. It's actually quite ugly.

Fish