COLOSSAL FAIL

*Note:  Written back in the Summer.  Contains mature themes and strong language.  And some just plain sorry shit.

Amendments voted down in the early AM today, in the Senate, nearly entirely along party lines:

Allowing young people up to 26 to stay on insurance.

 

Lowering prescription drug cost by allowing importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada.

Guaranteeing that women do not pay more for insurance than men because of their gender.

 

Guaranteeing that rural hospitals will stay open.

 

Guaranteeing that those with pre-existing conditions will not be charged more and will be protected.

So, everybody pleased?  Gonna throw a big party and cheer about the Poor and the Sick and the Indigent, the families that will go bankrupt- lose homes, possessions, dignity, the people whose lives now will end sooner?  How about sick children born into Poverty through no fault of their own?  Is this really your idea of "making America great again"?  Or does something like this now qualify as some Glorious Christian Act to some of you?

Y'know, contrary to what you've allowed yourself to believe, what so many of you seem so damn desperate to believe, in direct opposition to the Truth, (remember that?  The Truth?), everyone that needs help ain't a Piece of Shit.  And this Country wasn't founded on the principles of "Every Man for Himself" and "Tough Shit" and "Too Fuckin' Bad, Loser".

Nor are those things present in the minds of genuinely Christian People, or in the minds of Compassionate Atheists, Agnostics, or Hebrews, Muslims, or good people of any other religion.

Here's the thing, or things:

Nobody's perfect.

And no one subset of humans has an exclusive claim to virtues such as Honesty, Empathy, Kindness, Humility, Grace.  These are the traits of an individual, not of a clique or a club or a race or religion.  Just like other traits:  Hate.  Pride.  Greed.  Pettiness.  Cruelty.

So, tonight.  If you're scared, worried about the fate of loved ones, even concerned about the futures of strangers, I can bring you no solace or comfort.  Not without pretending or just plain making shit up.  Not within my scope.

But if you're kicked back wearin' your best shit-eatin' grin, nice and snug in your home and your knowledge of the desperation of others, have another cocktail.  No skin off your nose, huh?  Fuck 'em, right?  Probably Trash, anyway, right?  That's how things work now, right?

Fish~

From the plaque mounted at the Statue of Liberty, in its entirety:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus  

November 7, 1883

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~   

THE NEW AMERICA

The New America- Home to the Temple of the Modified Christ, the New Myopic Brotherhood, the Church of the Sociopathic and the Criminally Insane.  The birthplace of Death for Dollars, White Collar Supercriminals, Government for Hire, Injustice in the Name of Elohim, where the concepts of Compassion, Understanding, and Empathy are now Dirty Words, where we hold ourselves deserving enough to pray for a fellow parishioner's safe vacation flight as a child starves to death across town.

The New America- Improved.  Efficient.  Cold.  Where Anti-Intellectualism and Absence of Civility are celebrated as Examples of Strong and Enviable Character, where Hatred of Others is displayed openly and proudly, a New Badge of Honor, where Mockery and the Villification of Our Downtrodden supplant Baseball as the National Pasttime.  Where our very planet has been reduced to nothing more than a Commodity, a Revenue Source, rather than a precious and revered place to stand for a moment, perhaps catch our Breath.  Where Sensless Death has become passé, looked upon with disregard.  A Simple Fact of Life.  

The New America- Harder.  Leaner.  The place where the Unprovable trumps the Obvious, and Thoughtful Consideration of Fact is looked upon as an Act of Deficiency and Weakness.  Where Common Sense is held Hostage in a cage with no door, a cage constructed of axe handles and rifle barrels.  Where Pleas for Reasonable Discourse are met with the eye-rolling and sneers of Mouth-Breathers as they vomit Insult and Accusation.

A place of Great Wisdom without Mercy.  Wickedness without Consequence.  Where Nothing is Fair.  Where Meanness of Spirit is a Great Shroud that defeats the Sun, and Love is no more than a drop of blood in the dust.  Wasted.  Useless.  Forgotten.

Fish~

I DID NOT AGREE TO THIS SHIT!

The TPP.  The Trans Pacific Partnership.  

Our President, along with most of Congress are for it.  Hilary Clinton claims to not favor it.  Bernie Sanders feels it is utter bullshit.  The fully loaded clown car of Republican Presidential Nominees Hopefulls?  I could care less what their opinions are- they're all friggin' nuts.  

Me?  I think it's just another raw deal for everyone but Big Corporations and their Wealthiest Stockholders.

It's being negotiated in secret.  The little we do know has only come to light through leaks.  And judgin' by the previews, it's on track to be yet another Corporate Protectionism Plan implemented across National Boundaries.  

A couple of the larger points- the TPP seeks to expand and extend protections on Intellectual Property, which, in turn, stifles competition, which then results in higher prices for consumers.  (But bigger bonuses for CEOs and other corporate officers.) This will be of particular benefit to Big Pharma, as well as Big Ag. 

Another primary tenant of the agreement will allow Corporations to sue National Governments where they operate for any legislation enacted that impacts, or even might impact, profits or projected profits.  This would place sovereign authority in a position where they could be held responsible for any legislation, let's say somethin' like anti-pollution laws, for instance, if a Corporation can prove that such laws reduce their profit margins.  And the Corporations won't have to prove that they lost money, only that they might lose money.  And Taxpayers, here and abroad, will be the ones on The Hook.

Historically, free trade agreements have little or nothin' to do with free trade or creatin' or protectin' jobs.  These "agreements" are constructed by Big Business, in secret, with the primary goals of squelchin' competition and ensurin' the continued profits of the organizations that use their great wealth to strongarm 'em in place.  (Incidentally, TPP ain't the only trade agreement slitherin' around boardrooms and law offices right now...)

 

We can look back at the failed promises of NAFTA, (which, incidently and ironically, was supported by President Bill Clinton), particularly the broken promise of more American jobs, and with the benefit of hindsight, see the real reasons it was championed by Politicians and Corporations.  Strictly Greed.  

The Rich get richer, while the rest of us just get poorer.  

Unfettered and Unregulated Capitalism ultimately destroys the Consumer-based Economy that it relies on for its Profits by reducin' or even doin' away with the capacity of the Middle Class to participate through their ability to purchase goods and services.  (The Poor and Unfortunate?  They never really even get to play.)

The Money-Grubbin' Über Rich have created a system that is both untenable and unsustainable.  Like a snake eatin' it's own tail...

Fish~

NEW THIRD WORLD

Been thinkin'.  Got a little food for thought I'll share with y'all.

People seekin' a better life here in our country are lured by the chance to find work, and they are willin' to work hard.  They don't find work here because they pushed someone out of line, they find work because there are people that are anxious to exploit 'em by payin' 'em less, not matchin' FICA, not offerin' holidays/sick days, safe working conditions required by law...  Even refusin' to pay 'em for time worked or time and a half for any hours over forty in a week.  (That last one?  That's what that phrase "Wage Theft" refers to.  Think of it as makin' your employee act as your part-time slave.  That sums it up nicely.)  All in the name of Increased Profits, aka More Friggin' Money.  

The "Illegals" ain't takin' jobs from Americans.  Businesses are.  It's scarcely different than when American Jobs are moved Overseas.  It's the Same Sorta Thing for the Exact Same Reason- Increased Profits.  

If many of our politicians, particularly Those on the Right, have their way, (which is the Way of Those To Whom They Are Beholdin'), the jobs that have left this country may possibly one day return.  After the destruction of safety requirements, the right to bargain collectively, the rights to safe food, water. air, after the repeal of the Minimum Wage, Child Labor Restrictions, Overtime Pay, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Protection from Discrimination, etcetera, perhaps then these so-called "Corporate Leaders" may decide to move jobs back here to the country that provided 'em the opportunity to prosper and profit in the first place.

When Our Middle Class has been sufficiently beaten down and forced into a dangerous, unhealthy subsistence living, then some of our jobs may return.  If They feel like bringin' 'em back.  But no guarantees!  They don't have to guarantee anything.  Just like They don't have to guarantee job creation or any other types of returns in exchange for more and more tax cuts, these self-described "Job Creators".  And we'll be expected to grovel and show Our Everlastin' Gratitude, gratitude for bein' given the opportunity to dine on their Scraps as they grow ever fatter as Our Unfortunate starve and die.

Huh.  I just described a Third World Country, didn't I?  Just the kinda place where they shipped our jobs to begin with...

Now how crazy is that!

Fish~

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~

NATIONAL PORK

Over the past few months, several stories have surfaced concernin' the proposed "openin' of Federal Land, much of it part of our National Parks System, to private  ventures involvin' the natural resources that may or may not happen to be located in these public, but currently protected, areas.  The goal?  To bolster the Fortunes of a Select Few, with little or no regard to the Consequences.  (Not unlike startin' a War based on Lies and Fabrications.)

 

Our National and State Parks are not there for Political Vultures to usurp, then auction off to the Highest Bidders.  They are controlled by Our Government, because that's who, like it or not, had the Collective Intelligence and Foresight to set these treasures aside for Future Generations of Americans to enjoy, and thus keep the Greedy Bastards Among Us from exploitin' and destroyin' 'em in their Vulgar Pursuit of Wealth. They belong to Us!  (Pretty sure that's also why we call 'em "National" and "State" Parks.)  Our Parks have been, up until now, protected from the Carpetbaggers and Corporate Spoilers by Our Government, Our Collective Representation.  

At least until recently, anyway...  

This latest Example of Twisted Socio-Political Capitalist Subterfuge reminds me of all the insanely dangerous Idiots' Indignation that arose when one Crooked Nutjob Millionaire Bastard refused to pay the insanely cheap lease fee for runnin' his cattle on Federal land, like all his fellow ranchers (who knew and acknowledged what a sweetheart deal they were gettin') were doin'. 

Just more Treasonous Prattle used to rile up a Certain Portion of the Population that's been manipulated and bullshat to the point that they can no longer see even the simplest of things because they're too agitated and too narrow-minded and proud to understand or admit they're bein' taken for a ride.  (Not the one they've been tricked into thinkin' they're on.)  

Sorry- that's about as nice as I can describe 'em, and it's far nicer than most of 'em deserve.

None of this has a damn thing to do with a Particular Interpretation of the Constitution or Somebody's Rights.  It is, in reality, just another example of the Manifestations of the Limitless Greed, Hubris, and Unscrupulousness of the Rich, all dressed up, disguised to appear as Proclamations of Inalienable American Privilege.  A Mask covering the Faces of Liars.  All Straight Up Bullshit.

(Gonna leap!  Stay with me...!)

So, just what do all the folks that seem to be just waitin' for their next chance to rally behind the latest Stream of Falsehood, (not all, but mostly from the Conservative Side, insistin' that the only way to create jobs and "save" this country is to continually give the Rich more and more breaks and subject "Corporate Citizens" (ugh!) to less and less regulation), what did they make of former State Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA), that Perennial Cheerleader for Freakin' Big Business, when he announced that he would bail on the remainder of his term to take a position on Wall Street for over Three Million Dollars a year?  Where's the outrage?  Where's the acknowledgin' of the fact that we've all been lied to, hard, and these sonsabitches barely even try to hide it anymore?  Are we so embarrassed when this kinda shit takes place that all we got left is to look the other way and act like it didn't happen?  Have we become that weak-willed, that apathetic?  That ignorant?

Lookin' the other way, puttin' it out of our minds.  I reckon that's what a bunch of us are fixin' to have to do when the drillin' starts in Yellowstone, the loggin' begins in the Smokies, and the minin' commences in Yosemite.  

But wait!  Perhaps Yellowstone could be spared!  Sure:  Divide the iconic gem into large residential tracts, thus allowin' for the construction of New Gated Communities, filled with golf courses and clubhouses nestled among Palatial Estates, Grand Palaces for the Über Wealthy!  After all, they're the Real Deservin' Americans.  Right? 

Now there's some Real Money waitin' to be made!  

Now that's American!

Fish~

KING OF AMERICA?

 Well, well, well!  It would seem that Mr. Rand Paul, Diminutive Warrior in the Battle for Smaller Government, (and one-time unofficial spokesperson for a popular water bong), has apparently decided to do everything possible to ensure that, if/when the size of Government begins to shrink, HE be situated in such a way so as to retain some kind of Government position.  

(I reckon the Senator has decided that the short hours, great perks, special attention, and the big salary are too much to his likin' to risk losin', so he's pressed for the rules of the game to be changed.  Somethin' about some cake and eatin' it keeps comin' to mind...)

After Paul recently pressed a group of Fellow Republicans to align themselves with him in respect to this, (after all, he is the designated Straw Poll Savior of the Right, right?), the office of State Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, Republican from Georgetown, was contacted by Paul's office regardin' the introduction of a bill that would change Kentucky State Law and effectively allow Randy to run for President of the United States, while simultaneously runnin' for reelection to his current office.  I'm sure that Mr. Thayer was as giddy as a school girl, havin' been selected as the vessel to introduce the bill that might allow Paul to keep his current gig, should any higher aspirations fail to materialize.  (I can't help but wonder what form the Junior Senator's  "gratitude" towards Mr. Thayer might take...)

http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/3/rand-paul-looking-to-hedge-bet-in-2016-election/

Today, the Spoiled Little Senator from Kentucky is one step closer to realizin' his Dream(s), be it the Big Dream or the Fallback Dream:

http://www.kentucky.com/2014/03/12/3135523/changes-made-to-bill-allowing.html

(Or maybe what Little Rand actually means by Smaller Government is Smaller Politicians, physically and philosophically!)

(Okay!  Okay!  Sorry.  That  one was just too easy...)

Ya know what?  Perhaps the Law in Kentucky should be changed even more drastically, and allow Rand to be automatically added to every ballot and run for every elected position come election time, regardless of overlap or issues of conflict.  He clearly believes a man of his calibre deservin', entitled, to have the Law tailored, customized, to suit his lofty, egomaniacal aspirations, regardless of the realities and eventualities that might work to stifle his Potential Greatness.  Why, that just wouldn't be fair to to America, not to mention the Extreme Fringe Minority of Paul's Party, (that group of oft-distracted, easily controlled buffoons who look to Randy as their Ticket Back to an America That Never Was or Never Should Have Been) or to Paul, their Chosen One, for whom they squeal and clamor with all the Zeal and Fervor of a Fanatical Religious Cult.  Oh, no...  Wait...  Ugh!

Or, should the Kentucky State Lawmakers go even further?  Why should a man, a Patriot, such as Rand Paul be expected to divide his time, energy, and special interest money between two campaigns?  Or, for that matter, even one campaign?  Why not just let 'em pick from the list of State and Federal Government positions?  Who could possibly be more deservin' than he?  He has obviously proven himself to be the Consummate Politician- concerned only with his own Agenda, his own Future, willin' to pander and connive to alter Standin' Law, all in order to ensure his own continued self-promotion.  When can we expect this Absurdity to end?  Can we expect it to end at all?

Are ya catchin' my Sarcasm here?  What about my Disgust?  My Disdain?  Or my Dread?

If you're not pleased with the Potential Outcome of the Game Mr. Paul, then just change the friggin' rules.  After all...  You deserve it.

This is Absolute and Utter Bullshit.  Just like Mr. Paul himself- Absolute and Utter Bullshit.  And I'm not sure if this Circus is ever gonna end.

Maybe we should call our Representatives.  Or maybe we should just run a tub full of nice, warm water and stick our heads in it.  Either way, we're probably sunk.

~Fish

Death Less Conventional

Within the past two years, around seventy thousand Syrians have died as a result of the civil war there.  The recent chemical weapons attacks are estimated to have killed around one thousand, five hundred. 

(Math...)

(Okay- fifteen into seventy, four, then ten, about forty-six, doubled and a little more...)

That puts the percentage of Syrian deaths due to recent chemical attacks at just over two percent of the total deaths durin' the past two years of civil war.  Two years...

Huh...!

Ain't it odd how the United States, and the Rest of the World as well, stood back and watched, (granted, with an appropriate amount of the obligatory disdain) for two years, while tens of thousands of people in Syria died in any number of violent ways?  Death by anything from torture to gunfire to bombings and God only knows what else.  

But then, when some of the very same people are wholesale poisoned, we drag from storage our Righteous Indignation, and proclaim that such a heinous act is categorically unacceptable!  An outrage!  A line has been crossed!

Fifteen hundred vs. seventy thousand.

Fifteen hundred men, women, and children vs. seventy thousand men, women, and children.

For me, after a brief, but thoughtful, comparison, the greatest difference between these two figures is obvious: they are two distinctly different figures.  That's it!  That's the biggest difference!

One figure bein' a relative shitload  greater than the other.  Both are body counts.  Sums of dead people.  And yes, their respective routes to an end are broad and varied.  But, the destination is exactly the same.  Exactly the same.  

Dead.

Are the deaths of the first seventy thousand of these people somehow diminished by the fact that their lives were taken by the use of "conventional weapons"?  

("Conventional weapons"...  Now how freakin' brilliant a phrase is that?!!)

Now, I ain't sayin' that all forms of death are equal in regard to sufferin' or mercy, or the lack of either.  The point I'm hopin' to make is that the result is the same- Death.  I've said it before- Death knows no "degrees".  Ain't no "very dead", or "kinda dead".  These may exist as literary or oratory devices, but, as actual conditions, these simply do not exist.  Dead is an extremely narrow and specific (permanent?) state of being.  

And everyone can think whatever they will about an "Afterlife".  But, if there is one, I'm bettin' that Cause of Death ain't a particularly popular Topic of Discussion among those that are there hangin' out.  

Example:

"I sure wish I had been struck by somethin' smaller than that semi- like a pickup or a sedan, maybe..."  

Or even:

"I don't care what anybody says- freezin' to death is about one of the best ways to go out as anyone could wish for."  

See?  Now that shit just sounds stupid.

(I'm havin' trouble comin' up with some sort of analogy, reasonable or absurd, that might explain or even help clarify the dissonance of this situation.  But don't count me out- not just yet...)

It seems that somehow, ain't got a friggin' clue how, but somehow, we, the Human Race, have developed some kinda bizarre skill or aptitude or whatever ya wanna call it, that allows us to freely divorce the Results of Mass Murder from the Methods of Mass Murder.  We can entertain each of these as entirely free-standin' concepts, and discuss, examine, and formulate ideas relatin' to one, while completely ignorin' the other.  

Utterly freakin'  fascinatin'!

So, what of the Father tryin' to make his way home after workin' a menial job, only to fall victim to indiscriminate gunfire?  What of the Mother that hears the shellin' and shoos her Children into their modest dwellin', only to have it collapse as a result of rocket fire, thus crushin' them in the rubble, extinguishin' their lives?  Or, the young man, stomped and beaten by his Tormenters as they repeatedly insist he share anything he might know about efforts to resist the slaughter, only to wind up with his brains blown across the sidewalk, regardless of what he did or didn't know or share?  Or, the young girl, dragged into an alley and brutalized for no other reason save that Conflict creates an arena where the Base and the Vile might carry out their perverse desires, free of Conscience or the Fear of Justice or Retribution?  What about those people?

Fifteen hundred men, women, and children vs. seventy thousand men, women, and children.

Do these things not play well enough in the headlines of the mornin' paper?  Are they too complicated to be distilled into a  suitable sound bite for the crawl at the bottom of the screen?  Are they too far away?

Has Death become passé?  Are we that desensitized?  Must we "dress it up" before we consume it?  

Is it just too borin'?

Now, this must surely be a sign of a Truly Advanced Species.

Never before have I  been more Goddamn Proud...

~Fish~

PERSPECTIVE

The following entry began as a comment on a particular Facebook post.  It promptly outgrew that venue, so I did myself, and a buncha other folks, a favor and moved it here.  

Gonna be Upfront- It's a Downer, like Many Important Topics and Most Good Music.  But, I feel compelled to share with you (or subjugate you to) what I got rattlin' 'round in my head this  evenin'.

Bail now, or read it all and suffer the consequences, which may include Feelings of Guilt, Lack of Compassion, Selfishness, Sadness, Frustration.  Shame.

Boys and Girls:

You may not approve of the lifestyle of those that call themselves Gay- married or otherwise.  

You may not like the fact that over 11,000 Americans die from the discharge of firearms every year and, in response, a great number of Your Fellow Citizens are callin' for more comprehensive, common sense gun laws.

You may not care for people that are not Christian.  You might even disagree with some of Your Fellow Christians as to the interpretation of certain details- minutiae- in the Bible.

You may dislike people of a different race/color- perhaps, with the possible exception of those that you deem to be some "of the 'good' ones."  (How Progressive of You...)

But, consider this:

Globally, Undernutrition is a contributing factor in the deaths of approximately 2.6 Million Children every year.

Just short of 2 million Children on this Planet die every year (about 5 thousand a day) due to the lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation.

An estimated 850 million of Your Fellow Humans go to bed hungry each night. 300 million of those are Children.

16 million of those Starvin' Children are right here in our Great Country, these United States of America.

So, I reckon the point I am tryin' to make here would be one of Perspective.

Perspective: A sensible way of judging how good, bad, important, etc. something is in comparison with other things'.  (Source- Macmillan Dictionary)

"...in comparison with other things."

"...in comparison with other things."

"...other 'things'..."

Somethin' has happened to Us.

"What it is ain't exactly clear..."

It would seem (well, at least to me) that We- the Folks of this Great Country of Ours- have managed to develop some new form of, what's the best word... Laziness....?

(Note:  I suppose this, in of itself, would actually be a pretty damn impressive accomplishment.  Not necessarily one to be particularly proud of, but impressive, nonetheless.)  

Sorry.  Driftin'...

I consider myself to be a part of the Great Middle Class.  Most of the Folks in my Small Circle are considered by me, and by themselves, to be a part of that same large, diverse group of People.  But, due to some vague, yet extremely complicated mechanism, we seem to have Lost Our Collective Way. 

Many of Us have devolved into a Mass of "Over-infomed" Idiots.  We now find Ourselves subjected to an Incessant, Overwhelming Barrage of Deceit and Spin.  Every day, We awaken inside a House Afire, the halls thick with the chokin' Fumes of Greed, the Black Vapor that is the Breath of Liars.  Our Capacity for Objective Reasoning, Independent Thought, Original Conclusions based on the Preponderance of Fact- these things are no longer Shared Skills, Evidence of Strength and Solidarity.  Examples of Pride.  They now suffocate, scarcely conscious...

We, the Giant Chunk of Majority from the Middle, both Left and Right, have chosen to abandon the Cultivation of Our Power to Discern Legitimate, Searing Fact from Dogma and Propaganda.  We have traded our Bullshit Filters for Slick, Gaping Bullshit Funnels, and have tilted back our heads and allowed these to be fitted nicely down our Throats.  

No longer do We turn to a thoughtful delivery of the day's Current Events from the likes of Murrow and Cronkite.  Instead, We, through our Lackadaisical Attitudes, are content to be spoon-fed the "News" from sources rangin' from the Weak-Kneed and their Genuine, but Futile Attempts at maintainin' some scrap of Integrity with a "fair and balanced" approach, to the Shameless  Regurgitation of Devicive Sputum, virtually Devoid of Truth, the only goal to Irritate, Agitate, and Inflame.

We continue Our Downward Slide, past Legitimate Disagreement met with Reasonable Discourse, beyond Simple Pigheadedness.  Always toward a Destination that none of us would consciously choose.

An image pushes forward in my head...

A silent, grainy, black-and-white reel:

It's a Nailbiter of a Fistfight between Two Protagonists, perched upon a runaway rail handcar.  At the bottom of the Grade- Dead Man's Curve.  

The Two continue their Brutal Struggle,  appearing to be oblivious to the Far Greater Peril that looms before them.  Their Primary Objective- the Absolute Destruction of their Adversaries.  The Elimination of All Adversaries, with Total Disregard for anyone or anything that may fall under the heading of Collateral Damage.... Including Themselves.

It is so easy to see only Our Own Hurdles and Obstacles.  A weakness mastered by most all Human Children before the age of three.  And, it is every bit as easy to allow Our Own Problems to become the Biggest Thing on the Planet.  But, looked at through the eyes of the Everyman, You scarcely have a complaint.

And, as we continue to view the Problems of the World in Our Narrow-Minded, Blinders On Fashion, it's as if we've lost one eye and no longer have the ability to see things in three dimensions.  We can no longer change where we stand and see things in a new way.  Everything is flat- paper doll cutouts, layin' overlappin', but still flat, two-dimensional.  Illegitimate.  More simple than their actual reality.

Too many of Us no longer have Causes.  Now, we have something more akin to Grievances.  Our Fear of not Belonging, not being on the Winning Team, drives us to select from a Short List of Faux Injustices that have been gathered or fabricated to inflict Maximum Stress and Fear, while supplin' very little in way of Truth and Comfort.  The worst part of this is that we have been intentionally steered toward these things.   Harangued and badgered by the Talking Heads through every media outlet possible until, due to confusion or exhaustion, we give in.  We cave and accept our lot: step up, choose a side, then begin fulfillin' Our Social Obligation to parrot the Lies, Innuendo, and Fabrications that we have been so lovingly fed.

We choose to assist only if it comes with Praise, Adulation.  Why toil in the shadows if Our endeavors are to go unrecognized.  Unappreciated.  Wasted time?  When we set aside Our precious time, are we not, by default, deservin' of grand praise for our sacrifices?

All the while, the Children of Man are starving and dying.  By the tens of thousands.

Through no fault of their own.

It may well be time.  Time to consider the Dead and the Dyin'.  Each time, before we open our mouths to speak.

Perspective: The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance.  (Source- Macmillan Dictionary)

Fish