HELP ME!

No one said healthcare reform legislation was gonna be easy or perfect right outta the chute. It seems to me that anyone with half a brain would get that.  I do not mean that as an insult, and if you have more than half a brain, you should understand that. As well. (How's that for a really bad caveat?)  

It’s complicated as Hell!  So, why is it that people wanna call somethin' that corrected a major problem, even if it's not perfect, how is it that people think it's okay to represent somethin' as a "complete failure" with their rhetoric?  That’s just nonsense and the people spewin’ it know that it’s nonsense.  Their arguments are in favor of “throwin’ the baby out with the bath water.”  And it ain’t even their baby!  

(As of November 02, 2017, the United States House of Representatives had considered 100 resolutions to repeal, deauthorize, defund, or otherwise destroy the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.)

Indulge me:

If people without healthcare coverage  'cause they can't afford it are then given access to it rather than burdenin' the system in its current form is a bad thing, then why is healthcare for anyone a good thing?  Why don't we do away with all healthcare insurance and adopt a "pay as you play" system?  That'll satisfy everybody, right?  Across-the-board fair, right?  Nobody gets the advantages of an "insurance pool,”  Right?  If the folks in a tight spot ain't deservin' of inclusion in some kinda shared expense collective- that's what insurance is- then what makes folks in spots not quite so tight more deservin'?  Sure, some are loads, but that's inherent in the concept.

So far, in this damn country, we ain't turnin' people away when they need medical care.  At least not as a rule.  Folks show up, they receive care, they get billed.  If they ain't got insurance or cash or possibly Medicare or Medicaid, the bill for said services may likely go unpaid.  In such instances, hospitals “recover” such losses the  only way they can- by spreadin' those losses out across the group that is able to pay.  Sound familiar?  It should.  It's how insurance works, with one exception:  Insurance companies operate for profit, so they need to recoup net losses AND gather operatin' costs.

Me?  I'm fortunate enough to still be healthy enough to work and have a job that affords me access to health care.  It ain't free- it's a part of my “benefits” I receive for workin', part of my “total compensation.”

For a good look at the historical timeline and evolution of health insurance, give this a read:

https://stanmed.stanford.edu/2017spring/how-health-insurance-changed-from-protecting-patients-to-seeking-profit.html

(*As of this postin’, I have retired and now receive health insurance coverage through my wife’s employer.)

Fish~

I thought it was from Swords to Plowshares...

Gonna preface this with clarification that shouldn’t be necessary, but I’m tryin’ to head off the leaders that may be already anxious to recoil as if you were pressed into thinkin' about somethin' that scared you, ‘cause I didn’t even think of that until right this second.
Just cleaning out the closet.  Me. 6/15ish/2020

Somethin’ got my mind.  (It's become inescapable.). Gonna go straight to it:

If Christian churches choose to forego their tax free status in order to promote particular agendas through interactions with political and government entities, then it stands to reason that those would be concepts in line with the teachings of Jesus, right?  Houses of Christian Faith?  What in the world else could that particular bunch folks ever hold higher than that specific set of simple and elegant statements attributed to Jesus Christ?

Separation of Church (any church, by the way) and State?  

This is how churches take advantage of tax exempt status, so it's fair and reasonable within the context of standin' proclamation, historical precedent, right?  Sure it is.  Based on expected and accepted interpretations of at least most of what the Founding Ones tried to detail for our ignorant asses.  Right?  Sure it is.

So, why would any religion, assumin' that they are all ultimately representin' the Word of God, why would any religion choose to condemn and ridicule anyone?

Seems contrary to the Point;  Some things even appear blatantly in direct conflict with the teachings that are supposedly top of the heap.

Let's face it: once you get past all that meanass Old Testament shit, in Christian terms, it's all about Forgiveness, Compassion, all the good stuff.  Yeah Buddy!

Then why is it that so many would claim to carry the Mantle of a Forgivin' God with one breath, then damn so many to their Specific Hell with the next?

I'm gonna tell a buncha y'all what you already know, but have chosen to forget:

We ain’t no more than just plain old people.  Fallible.  All of us.  Even your Granny.

And when you reach that point where you feel you have some kinda right or privilege to condemn others 'cause the details don't line up with yours, then you have failed.

You may no longer stand as Proxy for your Deity.

And honestly, you never qualified to begin with.  No one ever does.

Fish~

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~

ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS...?

*Note:  Another thing started months ago in a different place.  The topic, however, should make plain the point in time.  I personally don't consider this rant to be a political one, but I can see where many would be quick to color it as such.  It's a reasonin', acknowledgin' kinda thing for me.

Gonna go over this in a deliberate fashion in the hope that it helps me get my head around it.

Go!

Okay... the President of the United States is admonishin' people for their opposition to another group?  Oh, sure- he's waggin' a finger at the other guys, too.  He's givin' everybody shit, apparently in some kinda bizarre attempt to spare somebody's feelings.

Anyone else remember anything from History class about a Bigass War that claimed the lives of millions?  What was it that a lotta people called it?  World War II, the "Big One"???

From what I can recall, our enemy was pretty damn clear cut.  What was the name a big part of those monsters called themselves...?

"Nazis!"  That's it!  "Nazis"!

Seems like they were easily distinguished by their flag, their special salute to their psychopath leader, their claim of racial superiority.  Even made a pretty good run at Global Conquest, I'm thinkin'.  

Yep.  I remember somethin' like that.  Anybody else remember any of that shit?  Anybody?  Anybody seen anything similar to any of that shit lately, especially over the past couple days?  Sure, smaller in scale, even amateurish, but somethin' a whole lot like all that other.  

Yep.  All comin' back to me...

War.  Intolerance.  Hate.  The extermination of the Infirm and the Indigent, even the Handicapped.  Even among their own Citizenry.  Murder in the Name of God.  Genocide.

But the President of Our Country...?

Why would an American President  lump Americans standin'against the resurgence of such a Bone Deep Evil in with the very Traitors that embrace and would resurrect the Aberrant Ideology of Nazism?

Seems to me, in this particular instance, that it's pretty damn easy to distinguish who the bad guys are.  It ain't even some kinda new threat- we actually have the advantage of havin' access to an incredibly detailed Historical Record.  It ain't even that old.  There are still people alive today that were alive then. (Hell- Some even have tattoos as reminders.)

This is major serious , and we can't just stare at our shoes or, even worse, make up ridiculous excuses for this kinda dangerous shit.  To do so is not just to slip backwards a few generations, but to slip back centuries, even eons.  The ever-childish deflection or comparison to someone else's prior acts, be they factual, exaggerated, or pure fabrication, changes nothing about the immediate, the current.  That's just some infantile excuse that's worth absolutely nothin', changes nothin'.  Grade school shit.

Remember that "two wrongs" thing?  

Yeah...

Fish~

ASYLUM KEYS

Y'know, the election is over and a winner was chosen.  Didn't turn out the way I'd have preferred, but I'm glad it's over.  Mr. Trump will be the president and he'll be my president.  

Initially, I was reassured when the president elect appeared to soften extremist and unreasonable/unworkable views on some key campaign issues.  That's the typical flow of Our Politics-  neither party ever has the will or power to follow through on all their campaign claims.  In other words, much of the campaign chatter is just Good Ol' Fashion Bullshit, regardless of party affiliation.  Always has been.  Not expectin' any kinda sea change any time soon.  

So I set to work revisitin' areas where I actually agreed with some of Mr. Trump's campaign rhetoric.  There are a few things- like congressional term limits, reducin' the unchecked flow of money into our political system....  I really wanted him to be successful, 'cause as goes the Presidency, so goes the Country.

But the choices he's made for cabinet and staff positions this week have only served to validate and reinforce many of the more grave concerns I've had all along.  The disturbin' shit.  Racism, Anti-Semitism, Intolerance, disdain for Human Rights, the championin' of the Wealthy over the Remainder...  (And the crazy, outright lyin'.  Really hoped that would at least subside a little bit.)

Then I read a post from a friend yesterday- she was describin' an experience she had just had this week while out with a coworker at the end of the day.  In a public place.  I'll give no other details here, but I will say that it was one of the most disgustin', ugly, racist/misogynistic, even frightenin' things that I have ever heard in my life.  (And I ain't young and I've heard some damn terrible shit.)  Just readin' her brief account disturbed the Hell outta me and I'm havin' a damn hard time shakin' it.

Sadly, it's more than a little obvious that the thinly veiled hate speech that has been such a huge part of what we've been subjected to over the past year or so is squarely to blame for the Emboldenin' of the Darker Side of far too many people in our country.  An anything-but-subtle invitation has been extended.  An invitation grantin' Permission and Acceptance to the Hate and Vilification of anyone of your choosin', for any reason or excuse, regardless of whether Anchored in Fact or simply a Product of Imagination or Fear.

I was hopin' things would wind up goin' okay, but now I just can't, not for the life of me, see it bein' anything short of a nightmare.

Damn worried, y'all.

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~   

NOT YOUR JOB

A few days ago, while speakin' before the Southern Legislative Conference in Lexington, made up of legislators from fifteen southern states, Republican Governor Matt Bevin urged attendees to "be shepherds, not sheep."  He also used the word "agnostic" and "apathetic" while referrin' to "our mores, our values, our principles, our convictions, our love of liberty."

Simple Definition of agnostic

: a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not

: a person who does not believe or is unsure of something

Simple Definition of apathetic

: not having or showing much emotion or interest

Okay.  The use of these two words, particularly the word "agnostic", appear to be a passive aggressive attempt by Bevin to question the Faith and Conviction of his audience, or at least foster guilt.  This is further bolstered by his use of "shepherds, not sheep", another thinly-veiled  allusion to Faith and Scripture.

Here's why I take issue with this language:

First, he, and everyone he's speakin' to, are politicians, officials elected to their posts to further the Will of their given Electorate.  They are not Spiritual Guides. They do not represent an arm of the Clergy.  In fact, in relation to our Constitution, their elected positions dictate that they operate without regard to Religion. 

Stop!  

I know what some of you are thinkin': 

"So, what's wrong with approachin' your duties as an Elected Representative of the People in a Just and Moral fashion?  

My answer... Nothin'.  There is absolutely nothin' wrong with our Elected Officials approachin' their job in a Just and Moral fashion.  

However, Christianity, nor any Religion for that matter, holds Exclusive Rights to the Concepts of Justice, Compassion, Morality, or a number of other generally accepted Admirable Social Conventions.  Bein' a Decent Human Being ain't some kinda club comprised of Strictly Christian Members.  It's just not the way things are, or have ever been.  In fact, there are people among all Religions who, through their Intolerance, their Narrowmindedness, their Ignorance, act in ways contrary to the teachings they profess to embrace.

Now, why is that?  

Easy:  

They're Human.  

Imperfect, Fallible Human Beings. 

We all are.

And I damn sure don't look to Elected Officials when I feel the need for Spiritual Guidance.  In fact, that is probably the absolute last place in the World I would look.  In our current Governmental Framework, these folks are put in place to represent us, not to "guide" us, or "show us the way" as they would see fit.  Not their job.  Not even close.  This concept of "Political Shepherds" stands absolutely to the contrary of the intended position for these people.  And, any attempt to elevate politicians to such a position represents the Extremes of Self-importance and Conceit.

If someone's Faith helps them to live a life that embraces Tolerance, Empathy, Understanding, and Charity, then it has served them well.  But by no means does that imbue them with the right to insist that all others adopt their chosen position, their particular interpretation of a life philosophy.  To do so is to distort and do a grave disservice to the very ideals they profess to embrace.

Jesus and Muhammed ain't on the ballot.

Fish~

DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT...

Waitin' for an offsite meeting to wrap up so that I can break down some data equipment.  A speaker just finished up with a quote that he attributed to Winston Churchill, complete with a presentation graphic displayed on the colossal screen behind him.  It was a particularly simple, but eloquent, statement, and I pulled out my phone so that I could copy it down.  Before I could finish, the slide was taken down.  I turned to the Interweb to make sure I had transcribed it correctly- found multiple references immediately.

Funny thing:  This particular quote is often attributed to Churchill, but there is nothin' to prove that he actually said it or wrote it.  No letters.  No speech transcripts.  Nothin'.  Several sites displayin' it as a quote, none givin' reference to anything.

These were good words, placed in a certain order with appropriate punctuation, that expressed a fine sentiment.  But somehow, at some point, someone felt it necessary to attach a famous name to these words in what I can only assume was an effort to give the statement some sort of heightened (inflated?) legitimacy/validity.

So, someone took a perfectly good, even above average, expression of thought and hung a chunk of Bullshit at the end of it.

This was unnecessary, and may well only serve to reduce the impact of a set of good words.  The statement, with the misattribution attached, has become nothin' more than a lie.  Some Bullshit.

Think of how often we're exposed to things like this every day and we never even know it.  The Politicians and the Spin Doctors and the For-Profit Media have figured out just how gullible a huge portion of our citizenry actually is.  And they know that practically anything can be said, no matter how false and absurd, and a large percentage of those that hear it will take it as Absolute Truth.  It can be refuted and proven wrong over and over again, but a great number will still hold on to it and take it as Gospel, especially if it happened to be somethin' that they wanted to believe to begin with.

Disregard for Honesty?  Self-delusion?  Intellectual Sloth or Plain Ol' Stupidity?  Couldn't tell you.  But I would imagine it to be a combination of many, many things, includin' those I've mentioned.

Perhaps, some day, we'll grow bored and embarrassed by our own ignorance and decide to start engagin' our brains enough to cut through the Fog of Lies and Distortions.

But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.  I've heard that can actually turn you into an atheist...

Fish~

FREE STUFF

So, today I'm attemptin' to put the beat-down on this three acres or so of lumpy, former tobacco field that now serves as my yard.  

I figure I'll mow the patch down along the creek first;  That's where the grass is highest.  And there's a coupla places along the bank where sobriety can be a plus, seein' as how windin' up in the creek with this big ol' mower on top of my skinny ass would almost certainly destroy my weekend... If it didn't kill me.

Anyway, with my early-in-the-season zeal, I manage to slide down into the creek bed on the very first pass.  

Fortunately, it happens to be in the spot where the bank is the lowest.  

Unfortunately, there's also a shitloada rock that's been deposited exactly here by the recent deluge, and I drop in hard- blades a'churnin', slate rock splinterin' and scatterin' like organic shrapnel.  

But, I am the captain of my ship.  

With a slow motion Dixie Chopper drift, I maintain correct orientation, (wheels down), and spin 'round in a tight circle in the shallow, mossy water.  After after a few attempts, PTO disengaged, I ultimately scale and bounce back up over the creek bank.  Back to where the grass is.  On my mower...

I continue on with the mowin' of this little patch and notice that the mower ain't fared so well durin' my unintentional foray into micro-terraformin'.  Those few seconds of plowin' into a pile of stones have rendered my blades no more than dull, spinnin' slabs of steel.  Like giant butter knives.

Undaunted, I push forward.  

Now, however, the longer, thicker blades of grass withstand the attack of my Compromised, Gas-powered Machine of Mayhem,  bendin', then poppin' right back up, practically unscathed. 

A worthy adversary, indeed.

I decide to let it be what it will be- bust out this patch as best I can, then return to the house and commence with the ritual Sharpenin' of the Blades.  No one comes down here but me, anyway.

As I run the edge of the stand of trees that separates the higher land from the creek bottom, I see the wildflowers- protected from my onslaught by the small understory trees and bushes- that spring up every year.  Some are the result of the re-seedin' of perennials that I scattered years ago. Others are things that occur regardless of me.

This causes me to think, as I'm rollin' and whippiin' on my Smoke-Belchin' Noisemaker,  about the these little things- these little things that I have the good fortune to witness this time of year: tiny flowers- so precious, fragile.  Beautiful.  Just what is it that makes these colors and forms so pleasin' to gaze upon, to study intently with no real purpose or goal?  What explanation is there?

I got nothin'.

Seasons will change, petals will drop, foliage will fade.  Stem, stalk and leaf will ultimately wither and vanish.  And these things, fleetin' and wonderful as they are,  will somehow be pushed down, buried beneath a mass of work and worry. Things to do.  People to see.  The Suffocatin' Minutiae of the Day.  

Should I have the good fortune to survive another cycle, find myself witness to this recurrin' miracle once more- the colors, the fragrances- the feelin' will be resurrected.  

And I'll wonder to myself just how in the Hell I ever allowed the experience and the resultin' memories to sink so deep, even if only temporarily.  And I'll find a degree of comfort in the knowin' that, at least for now, these things will continue to take place, should I happen to live to once again bear witness, or not.

Forgive me- got to ramblin'.  Gonna take a shot of the Clear, jam a dark beer, then climb back on this damn machine and get back to the task at hand....

~Fish

THE DEATH OF CONVERSATION

1/10/2014...

I spent my entire work day today workin' with a fella from AT&T, workin' on three T1 circuits for US Customs.

Charlie.  Seemed like a pretty good guy.  We got to talkin', (Me.  Talkin'.  How crazy is that?) and he said he started in residential installation when he was just sixteen.  He talked of his plans to retire in a few months.  When he does, he'll be sixty-two years old and have forty-five years with the company.  I thought that was damn amazin'.

Then, I got to thinkin' about my own work history, and then about Life in General. 

The only thing I could think of that I've done consistently for forty-five years was to breath.

 

And that was involuntary.

~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~

Dream to Nightmare

The followin' is my response to a day that consisted of a Deluge of Commentary, Partisan Spin, and Dead Up Bullshit and Ugliness surroundin' the efforts to take advantage of the anniversary of a particularly eloquent and influential speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Dr. Martin Luther King, fifty years ago.  I failed to scratch up a suitable image to pair with it until recently.  Unplanned, but...

  

Ya know, we all know Pieces of Shit of all colors, shapes, and sizes.  This is a statement that few would deny, at least at the beginnin' of a conversation.  Hell, some of 'em may be family or friends, somethin' worthy of self-deprecatin' remarks to be met with laughter.  And yet, when we choose to piss and moan about Percieved Injustices, the Conversation all too often devolves into some kinda Proclamation regardin' Race.  

Whether this is due to Culture, or Upbringin', or somethin' else, I ain't smart enough to say.  I would really like to believe that most of us are above a thing such as this.  But, alas, more often than not, things seem to travel the Short Circuit that leads back around to Color. 

Sure, we like to claim that it's "not just that", that we're experiencin' a legitimate reaction to unfairness and abuses rife through programs of Public Assistance, Affirmative Action, even maybe just a percieved sense of ingratitude, of entitlement.  Or, maybe it's mumblin' kids with their caps on backwards, their boxers showin', or roofers that work too damn hard and make the rest of us look lazy that we find annoyin' and embarrassin'.  The Race Thing?  That just happens to be an incidental (though legitimate) device that assists us in our attempts at self-expression and validation of a particular interpretation of the Current State of Things.  Just another simple concept makin' its home in our Sociologic Tool Belt.

The Civil Rights Movement was not some knee-jerk reaction to Make-Believe Slights or Exaggerated Tales of Injustice.  The Civil Rights Movement arose in response to Real Events-  ugly, brutal events, perpetrated by the Base, the Ignorant, the Intolerant.  Events that didn't just simply serve to perpetuate the callous marginalizin' of a particular demographic in respect to Opportunities and Fairness, but crossed into the Dark Theater.  The Civil Rights Movement was a response to the Untenable and the Unacceptable- includin' Terrorism and Murder.  Atrocities Committed in the Name of Racial Purity.  Cowardly Acts, ofttimes takin' refuge behind the Flowin' Robes of Christianity.  The Civil Rights Movement was a valid reaction by people that had been subjected, or were witness to the subjegation of others, to Hate and Intolerance.  Swollen, fevered Hate.  A Cultivated Cancer.

I don't know if the laws enacted by our Government decades ago were exactly what was needed.  If the original intent was to hopefully offer up somethin' a little more fair and honest to a people for whom bullyin' and intimidation were a part of everyday life, it has probably helped to a degree.  If it was intended to help bring that same group into the political process that is promised to all citizens of this great country, some progress was made.  If the intent was to foster Tolerance, Understandin', Acceptance, then it has proved to be a Catastrophic Failure.  

Perhaps the assumption was that if all Men (and Women) were viewed as equal in the Eyes of the Law, then all reasonable people would accept it as Fact and move forward accordingly.  Sadly, this assumption does not take into consideration that the Concepts of Contempt and Hate have no basis in Objectivity, Rational Thought, or Reason.  These are Vulgar, Primal Concepts.  These are Instincts.  Cold.  Selfish.  Calculatin'.

And, as much as most of us would like to believe that such Vile Concepts are all but extinct, they are quite alive and thrivin' in our America.

Damnit.

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