Cartoon

Sometimes, all you can do is laugh, like when you see Steve Bradenton's latest cartoon on BuzzFlash.com.

The Zen Of American Culture

It's tempting to try and keep up with all the recent developments on this blog, but that's not the point here. I'm not a news source, or a political pundit. I want to stream my thoughts out onto the Internet, but without diluting the primary theme. I am trying to find the underlying Zen ground of being within the stream, and to communicate that in a way that's very personal to me. Over time, I will have a diary I can reference, and trace back along the paths I've travelled. It's open to you because I have spent a lifetime in art and technology, and I have the background to realistically aspire to a level of creative input in these offerings.

There are Zen lessons to be learned from the recent scandals and resignations, and I will be remiss if I don't weave them into these pages in the weeks to come. But it's useful on occasion to pause and reflect, and remind ourselves of our tiny place in the world at large. On the occasion of Blogger's 8th birthday, I regret that I've taken so long to access this forum.

Over the last 5 years, I might have (carefully) written about the process of developing software for Microsoft Windows Vista, which defined my existence until February of this year. If you're using Windows Vista now, at least every few minutes you're using something I've had a hand in writing. I apologize. I have never been a particular genius at writing software, but I loved everything about it for a very long time. It already seems long ago now. Technology will come into play here at some point, but I was also an actor for twenty years. Some of my friends (unnamed) have become famous, though I've lost touch with them, and the creative approach of the actor still informs all aspects of my life. I have also practiced Zen meditation, with varying degrees of commitment, for thirty-five years.

I was told by multiple doctors in August 2006 that my condition might allow only three to five more years. So, I've stopped working, and rededicated myself to zazen with considerable zeal. As I also used my newfound time to look more closely at our troubled society, this blog has become important as an outlet, an organizer, and hopefully, a creative effort of sorts. It has the benefit of being relatively free from any desire for personal gain, other than a wish to create something worthwhile, and a desperate hope for peace.

There is word of increasing interest in investigations regarding corruption in Iraq. I'm hoping those trails will lead to further knowledge about the torture of Donald Vance. For the moment, that is the overriding Zen of our American culture. But the saga of Larry Craig has a lot to say about us as well. Sexuality is just one aspect of what can become perverse when we emphasize what has become the conservative perspective. If we want to be truly life-affirming, we must see the life-denying impulses for what they are.

The Whistleblowers

Iraq Corruption Whistleblowers Face Penalties

I didn't think I could still be shocked.

The above link points to an Associated Press story featured on the MSNBC news web site this weekend. It's a collection of accounts regarding those who tried to blow the whistle on Iraq corruption. The entire story is more than upsetting, but the lead-in account is of a Navy veteran named Donald Vance, who called the FBI to report illegal arms sales, and was rewarded with a 97-day stay in a military security compound outside Baghdad, where he was subjected to harsh interrogation methods before finally being released. The arms sales were being made through an Iraqi-owned company called Shield Group Security Co., for which Vance worked. He described the outfit as a "Wal-Mart for guns", with lots of cash, no receipts, and loyal customers also known as the insurgents.

So, I'll blow the whistle now. In honor of football season, Fweet! Time out! Stop the occupation! Stop the election! Everybody huddle up!

What in the hell is going on here? We're talking about illegal gun sales to the same insurgents that kill our soldiers, and instead of moving quickly to protect American forces, torturing the whistleblower! Enough! Last straw! That's it!

The Daily Kos also has a follow-up on the story: Whistleblowers on Fraud are Jailed and Tortured. It's equally interesting to read the blog comments, and particularly on the MSNBC site, where more of a common American cross-section has been reacting with shock and horror.

None of these stories is actually new. Donald Vance was feted in Washington back in April, and presented an award by Jimmy Carter, I believe. But the details seem to have been largely under the radar. I had not heard about Donald Vance.

Some of the comments ask "Why does this shock you?" Those comments shock me as much as anything. The story of Donald Vance is sufficient in itself, but as a parable for our times, it is an icon with meaning that rivals the Twin Towers. It is nothing less than the betrayal of America.

We tortured an American citizen who was literally trying to do nothing more than keep weapons from the hands of insurgents who want to kill our soldiers. I mean, is there something more you need to hear? The whole American system twists sickeningly in this equation, and seems as precarious as the South tower on that terrible morning.

For me, there's nothing left to discover after this. We are mortally poisoned as a society, and full of deadly venom that must be extracted before it "quite o'ercrows our spirit". We have to change now!

It's Sunday, August 26th, as I write this. The sun will come up tomorrow. George W. Bush will be in my district, holding a $1000-a-plate dinner for one of his favorite Republican Congressmen, Dave Reichert from my own Washington State 8th District. I didn't have the G-spot, so I'm attending a live online town hall meeting with Democratic candidate Darcy Burner instead, and, while my immediate concern will be her local plans for the district, it may be appropriate to raise the whistleblower issue. Or not. Poor Ms. Burner had nothing to do with it.

I could go protest Dubya, but I'd be cordoned off in the Protester Pen, and the President would never even be allowed to see me, so I'll concede to age and ill health, and spend my time with the honest folk. And George, if you're listening, I've got some words for you about this, and this is an issue I promise will not go away.

I'm not having much fun with meditation right now. Zazen can be very boring.

At least I'm feeling better. Not so many meds now. I'm still on prednisone ('roids), but I quit taking the SMZ/TMP after only 7 days (it was supposed to be 10). I felt like I was flying, and probably had a fever. The 7th day, I broke out in a rash, and itched everywhere. Scratching only made it worse. If your doctor prescribes SMZ/TMP for you, you might want to talk with her about it a little first.

But the meditation thing is pretty boring. That's just how it is. After all the harmonic thoughts, and peaceful dreams, and everything else that can float through one's mind while meditating, eventually a persistent sitter begins to calm down, and there's just the mat, and the room, and the sitter. It's very quiet, and reall-l-l-y dull. But that's ok. While my ego tempts me to drift into fantasy, or get up and start doing all the wonderful things I can do, I sit, and my ego doesn't get any stroking. Little by little, it may be wearing down.

So when I get up and start doing again, I've broken the habit of stroking that old ego, just for a little. And maybe the things I do are just a little bit less self-centered, over time. It's going to be a long, hard struggle.

Sometimes I read or hear about phases of Zen experience, and in some, the experience of sitting zazen is very pleasurable. I suspect my difficult, dull, boring phase may last for quite a while. It's not easy to tell my ego to shut up and listen.

If you wanted to know what my Zen was, now you do.

All of man's troubles and anguish arises from his being unable to be alone
with himself in a room, with nothing to do.

-- Franz Kafka

Cleveland Browns 17
Denver Broncos 16

Woof! Three quarterbacks played, and they all looked pretty good. But I think the kid Quinn plays on another level from the others. My prediction: Quinn starts on Opening Day.

I just watched a recording of the game (listened on radio yesterday). Quinn doesn't just get the ball to the receiver -- he gets it to the best place on the field for the receiver to make the catch and keep going. He gives the receivers, and running backs, extra leverage by doing things at just the right time.

Play the rookie!

They Attacked Us Here

I'm still on the meds, so when I thought about making an entry this evening, I thought I'd lead with a disclaimer, so my comments might be taken with a grain of salt.

But I've been struck by the recent ad campaign launched by former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and his Freedom Watch organization. One of the 30-second spots was aired on Hardball Wednesday (you can view it below). In the ad, a veteran steps out from his house on two artificial legs, and tells us that if we withdraw from Iraq now, all his sacrifice would be for nothing. The scene shifts immediately to a plane ramming into the Trade Center, and the veteran asserts "They attacked us, and they will again! They won't stop in Iraq!".

The young veteran was eloquent and moving. You can't help but feel for him. When Hardball's Mike Barnicle asked Fleischer for the man's name, the former Press Secretary unfortunately did not know.

I looked up his name. It is Sgt. John Kriesel. You can visit his web site by clicking on his name. He lost his legs when an IED exploded under his humvee. He's a brave young man, and admirably proud of his country.

I thought about sending an email to John, but I couldn't do it. John has enough problems, and he sure doesn't need me. But I wish I could talk to him, because I have a couple of things to say. I'm going to write them down here, and perhaps somehow, in this electronic environment, it may find its way to the right place at the right time.

Dear Sergeant Kriesel,

I'm not sending you this email, because I respect you too much to bother you with my petulant emotions. But please forgive me, because I need to get them off my chest.

First, I want to deal quickly with this stuff about "They attacked us here". John, that's just poison. If you pay any attention, you know that's just the lie that has everyone so upset. Mike Barnicle's comment to Ari Fleischer was to the point: "How many Iraqis were on the planes that hit the twin towers?" You know so much better than I what a serious thing war is. We need to at least keep track of who did what.

But I was most affected by your claim that all your sacrifices would be for nothing if we leave. I cannot imagine the depth of your sacrifice, and I defer to it more than I can express. But I cannot accept that your courage to wear the uniform into harm's way, suffer extreme injury, and battle back with inspiring will, needs any embellishment from the outcome of Congressional roll calls.

We live in an extraordinary age. In the last century, even through Viet Nam, we seemed to fight sub-human caricatures instead of people, and even with newsreels and television, the wars were far away. So much has changed. Hundreds of satellite signals transmit from all over the world. Internet communities are born spanning multiple continents. Globalization, with all its flaws, has moved us and interchanged us, and we're getting to know one another as never before.

As we intermingle, there are many clashes and outbursts, but the better we know someone, the more likely we are to be tolerant, on the whole. In America, we've had many failures, but we've bumped up against blacks and Indians for many years, and have finally begun to learn something. Men have bumped up against women for even longer, and that's changed as well. We have changed so much in so short a time, and there is so much potential for both good and ill. The debate now underway will say a lot about where we may be headed.

John, I want to help. I want to believe that we have the potential to mature beyond the boundaries of fear, and begin to examine ourselves and our objectives in the light of common humanity. And finally, America should let humanity speak for itself, and we should listen.

I am very grateful for your service, and am saddened by your difficulties. I'm very glad that we've met you, and I've been inspired. Yours is a powerful voice in this debate, and I know you take that responsibility very seriously. I hope you will at least take a moment to consider what I, in my passionate ignorance, might do in your place.

Donald Weed

Hodgepodge

I've been under the weather, but I wanted to try and mention a few things.

I've been taking some heavy 'roids for my condition, along with something I've never heard of called SMZ/TMP, which is short for some names you don't want to know. It's an anti-bacterial agent, and can give rise to a fascinating condition called porphyria. After reading up on porphyria, you really don't want to get that. It can take over the nervous system, causing abdominal pain, vomiting, hallucinations, seizures, paranoia, and arrhythmia, among other cool things. Best of all, the name derives from the Greek term for "purple pigment", which Wikipedia says is "likely to have been a reference to the purple discoloration of some body fluids in patients during an attack". Nice touch!

Well, porphyria sounds like fun, but I'll be a little surprised if that happens. It appears I have sufficient already to keep me occupied, and it helps to focus the mind. Let's just say I'd like to see this world point itself in a better direction sooner rather than later.

I feel like some of the lies that have informed our lives are beginning to lose their hold. The spell is breaking. That's a great reason for hope, but causation is complicated. For every action there's a reaction, and I've sensed our potential for violent reaction in the air. Let's bomb Iran. Let's jail the dissenters. Let's spy! We're still in a downward spiral, but at least we know it. We just need to have the courage to take over the controls and point the nose up.

How does consciousness change? A lot of people think Zen will change your consciousness, but I don't think that's what it's about at all. It just lets you appreciate the consciousness you have. As we watch the neoconservative weltanschauung meltdown slide down the drain with all our blood and treasure, perhaps we've blinked and awakened somewhat from our dreams of world conquest, and rediscovered some of the small, everyday blessings. Well, some may have blinked and looked around for someone to blame.

It's not a matter of blame. It's taking time to appreciate, taking time to feel. I know I've been absurdly fortunate. I wish all the reading and studying I've done in this life had really made me smart, but even so, I've been exposed to plenty, and it's had an effect. I want to emphasize how important I think it's been to have read so much of great literature, poetry and drama. As I study our politics and history, I've had a foundation grounded in exposure to the best of what makes us human, and was never likely to be swayed by limited, misanthropic views. Also, I was never rich, so that probably helped.

There are some who'll want to take the internet away, too. This is some serious freedom we have here on the internet, and it's now part of our consciousness. It's not perfect; it works a little like Wikipedia; but it's getting there. I know I've had advantages that have allowed me to refine some of my sensibilities (while slacking in other areas), and not everyone out there is quite ready to embrace his or her higher self. But things can change quickly. I want to see it happen.

If we can keep our powder dry and find some useful outlets for our less productive impulses, maybe we have a shot. I was pretty excited to see the debut of Brady Quinn, the Cleveland Browns' young quarterback, as he charged up his teammates for a couple of last-minute touchdowns over the weekend. I've always felt American football is one of the very best ways to manage our aggression; it's truly cathartic when you play, or at least have a team that's captured your heart.

Brady Quinn looks like a leader. Maybe he will be, maybe not, but for now it's exciting.

Maybe I should write something now about how we need some leaders. Maybe we do. But I wonder if we could just really appreciate the simple, everyday stuff, if we could just master the fundamentals, what we might accomplish.

Masters of War

The last few days, I've had such dark feelings about things that it's been difficult to envision how to build a blog entry to express them. It's very important to me to find a tone that speaks to all of us, not just Democrats or whatever. It would be a lot easier if I just watered down the message, I suppose, or just played along to encourage harmony, but I'm a very passionate individual, and I can't dilute that. It's me.

I think we're going to go to war with Iran. I'm sure there are people who think that's a fine idea, that we can fix things once and for all with a few bombs. More on that later.

I'm going to ask you to do something you won't want to do, and that I don't actually recommend. Warning! Warning! Violent images! If you do this, don't blame me! Here is a link to a YouTube query for "Masters of War". If you follow that link, and play some of the videos, you'll see the toughest images to look at I've ever seen. Bob Dylan's classic anti-war ballad is the raw essence of humanity's opposition to war, and is the perfect background for the real truth of war. I looked at several of these, particularly the montage-style offerings rather than performances by Dylan himself or others like Pearl Jam. I confess I frequently averted my eyes, and I saw too much, frankly, to ever be quite the same again. I saw bodies ripped apart, mass graves, brutally damaged infants with a look of horror on their tiny faces that even Botticelli never imagined. I'm not sure I can ever dream again.

Remember my man Howard Zinn? (Yes, I finished his People's History.) On page 664 of that book, Zinn offers his essential view of war:

... given the nature of modern warfare, the victims would be mostly civilians. To put it another way, war in our time is always a war against children. And if the children of other countries are to be granted an equal right to life with our own children, then we must use our extraordinary human ingenuity to find nonmilitary solutions for world problems.

War is beyond imagining. War is beyond hell. War -- any war, not just nuclear war -- is to be avoided like the plague itself. No, I do not understand why everyone doesn't agree. I never will.

So now we're going to war with Iran. I can feel it. Cheney's been pushing for it for some time, and now the administration is going to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard itself as a terrorist group. Never mind there's probably a grain of truth to that, but with the overwhelming tension in the air, joint military maneuvers by China and Russia, and the first halting steps at actual diplomacy, we're going full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes! Good God! If we want to keep bombing Muslim nations, man, we are hellbent down the path of total mutual annihiliation, if that's what we really want. And that's another thing I worry about a lot!

I've written congressmen. Heck, I've written the President himself, offering to have faith in him, if he'll just have faith in me, in order to start rebuilding together. I got nothing but a canned response, of course. I have a terrible, sickening sense of déjà vu, and I'm determined to do everything sane and reasonable to prevent this madness. I've been all over Barack Obama's website trying to persuade his organization to speak out specifically against the new Iran push. Dennis Kucinich has already done so. I may be powerless, but the elephant is going to be plagued by gnats while it tries to trample on the world.

As much as I love Bob Dylan, I could not in all sincerity sing his final verse. (I've been tempted to sing the song and put it up on this site, and I may still; hey, it's my blog!) In the final verse, Dylan speaks with a self-righteousness that can only be justified in the purity of youth. In my youth, I could have sung that final verse, but I'm older now, and I know my own compromises and corruptions. I have no right to wish harm to anyone, even those who do such harm to others. Why haven't I tried harder to stop all this before now? Why did I forsake my college protests and pursue careers, first in theater, then in technology? Because, in my inaction, I had become complicit.

I have now been six months away from gainful employment. I began this time intent on reading and meditating extensively, and I've done so. But while much of my reading has been highly eclectic and non-political, I've also been compelled to use this time to look deeply into today's political climate. It's been real tough on the meditative posture. It's never been that challenging to see through the political machinations, but I have a relatively coherent overview now, and it's no less disturbing than the images in the YouTube query above.

There's yet another verse of Dylan's song that I can't sing any more, not because I don't want to, but because I'm no longer young. If I were, I would sing this verse over and over:

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

(I sang the verse. A capella. For masochists only!)

In Remembrance

I'm rushing the season a little, but Keith Olbermann on Countdown picked someone from Fox News as his "Worst Person in the World" for the 9000th time. Today, it was John Gibson, who, on his Fox News Radio Show on August 10th, entertained a discussion of a column published the day before in the Philadelphia Daily News. The column was written by a conservative named Stu Bykofsky, and declared that America needs another 9/11 to straighten it out.

I'll let that sink in for a minute.

There's an informative article about this on mediamatters.org, including the voice audio and a text transcript of that portion of the broadcast. The article also contains a link to the column. I recommend you watch the YouTube clip below before examining the material on mediamatters. It's a moving 9/11 remembrance video that features the relevant portion of the post-9/11 Jon Stewart Daily Show broadcast.

I lived in Manhattan for nearly nine years. When I walked outside my apartment building down on Houston Street in the West Village, the World Trade Center towers dominated the sky to the south. I even worked briefly in one of the towers. Although I was in Washington State on 9/11/2001, I was deeply affected. For some time, I watched the lists of the dead in case someone I'd known had been among the victims. I had left Manhattan over 20 years before, and the names on the lists were unfamiliar. But that's not how I felt. The breathing, bustling heart of Manhattan never leaves you if you've lived there any length of time. Those brokers and administrative assistants and data processors and policemen and firemen were my brothers and sisters. My grief was nothing special or unique, but it was very real.

I'm not going to editorialize very much about all this. As we near yet another sad anniversary of 9/11, we all have our private thoughts and reactions to our memories, and to these latest references to the tragedy. I'll leave you to them.

I don't think you'll find much sentiment in the Fox broadcast or the Daily News column, but the video below is unabashed in its emotion. It's a fitting homage. As you watch, you'll remember what we lost, but you might also reconnect with what we somehow gained.

I don't need another 9/11. I haven't forgotten a thing.

The YouTube Video of the Year

Ok. Lots of people have seen this, but if you haven't, I defy you to watch this jaw-dropping video and tell me there's a better candidate for YouTube Video of 2007. Watch and listen as our Vice President explains in 1994 why the U.S. didn't go on to invade Iraq after Desert Storm.

These people aren't really completely stupid. Did you ever really believe they were? Dick Cheney has been in and out of politics all his life. He was very well versed on the complexities in Mesopotamia, as he eloquently proves below. So, remove any remaining doubt that the war planners were surprised by the difficulties they encountered in Iraq. They knew exactly what they were getting into, and they knew the approaches they were taking would not be successful.

The most difficult thing to hear is Cheney's calculus regarding how many American lives Saddam Hussein was worth. What I wouldn't give to hear Cheney's frank reformulation of that equation in 2003. And you're not allowed to use the phrase "9/11". That wasn't Iraq!!!

The other little tidbit worth mentioning is, of course, Karl Rove's resignation, but barring further developments, it's not really worth worrying about where Karl is, it's what he is, so that's a secondary issue for now.

And nothing tops this video!

The Browns

While keeping my ear to the ground listening to all the social and political rumblings, I suddenly heard dogs barking. Check that, Dawgs barking.

There's so much to be concerned about, but while we can still forget it all for a few hours watching the Cleveland Browns play football, I think we owe it to ourselves.

I'm listening to the game now on the hated NFL Field Pass, since the NFL keeps a chokehold on even internet radio broadcasts of its games. Ok, let's forget about corporate greed at least for now. Go Browns!

The Browns just kicked their 3rd field goal of the game to go up 9-7. Kansas City's only score was a freak, a pass from Charlie Frye to Jerome Harrison behind the line that was ruled a lateral, and the young Harrison forgot to protect the ball, allowing a Kansas City defender to pick it up and run 56 yards with the "fumble". Overall, the Browns have controlled the game, outgaining KC by a large margin and holding on to the football most of the game.

Still way too many dumb mistakes. Harrison needed to protect the football, Charlie Frye should never have tried to run at the end of the half with no timeouts, and there've been several other mental errors. But I'm pleased. Overall, Charlie Frye has looked good, and Derek Anderson didn't do badly, either. Ken Dorsey is quarterbacking now, so still no Brady Quinn. Whew, that's a lot of quarterbacks!

Kamerion Wimbley already has a sack. Jamal Lewis ran like a horse in a brief cameo, with 20 yards in 4 carries and 3 receptions, I believe.

They just showed KC's fumble return on the NFL network. It looked as stupid on TV as it sounded on the radio.

It sounded like Joe Thomas, the Browns' rookie left tackle, had a pretty good game, although he had at least two holding calls. His agility was noted by the radio announcers as he's been able to get outside to help the running game. Eric Wright, their rookie cornerback, kept things in front of him, and knocked away a long pass when he was tested deep.

There's been a pretty good feeling coming from the Browns announcers. Despite all the sloppiness and mental errors, it's a whole lot different when the Browns can control the clock. At least in the practice games, the Browns are more than holding their own, and depending on more than luck to win games. Things might be at least a little different this year.

Ok, so it's only the first exhibition game. So the players we'll actually be watching on Sundays averaged only 12-15 plays the whole night. I don't care. The Cleveland Browns have a very special place in my life. Nothing else matters to me when the Browns are playing. Dick Cheney can go bomb Iran while I'm watching the Browns. I'll worry about it later.

I played football in high school, but I was a small, slow guard/linebacker. I had no chance to continue playing in college, much less the pros. But when the regular season starts and the ball is kicked off for a Browns game, I devolve into a snarling, slobbering canine, shouting at the top of my lungs at the images playing across my tv screen. Don't talk to me during the Browns game. I'm not quite human.

As I said, there's a lot out there right now that's of great concern. It's difficult for me to predict the impact of all that's occurred lately on the political scene, and I'm meditating about it before committing my thoughts to the internet. But in the meantime, I hope all of you have something in your life that's just a little bit of mindless nonsense that you love passionately for no reason.

Stupid Dorsey got himself tackled in the end zone for a safety, so we're tied 9-9. Stupid Browns!

Still Blogging

Well, so much for vacation. I had a change of venue, a new perspective, as it were, and I feel refreshed.

Or not.

Anyway, it took a few extra days to consider returning to the old blog and try my hand at another posting. Miss me? Well, I missed you anyway. I missed this attempt to give a shape to my reactions to the world. A diary just wouldn't be the same. It matters that these thoughts, once published, create a record of my progress through the minefields of modern existence. I've not mentioned my blog to family or friends; let them discover it on their own, if they ever do. But I am speaking to them, and to you, and my ramblings keep a little tighter hold on reality because of that effort. I feel at least some constraint from the knowledge of who might read this someday, so this blog may perhaps never even include a profanity, although you never know. But there is also the freedom to step outside the everyday relationships, and try to filter through to something more essential. The adventure continues ...

A lot's happened in these last two weeks, and it appears we'll be stewing more or less in our current state for the month of August. Policy makers around the globe are heading for their favorite vacation spots, and perhaps a few cherished days of normalcy before returning to a political world gone pure bats**t crazy, from America to Iraq (almost slipped there!). It feels like some of us have worn The Ring a bit too long, and begun to whisper phrases like "My precious" with increasing fervor. I mean, this really feels serious!

Meanwhile, our heroes did some good stuff -- ethics reform, the 9/11 Commission recommendations, etc., and some really wicked bad stuff -- like sanctioning surveillance programs deemed unconstitutional by the FISA Court. Now they're resting, and folks like myself are checking out who voted where, and why. It's not the purview of this blog to get into representative-by-representative statistics, at least for now, but there's a little block of really disappointing Democrats that voted with their Republican counterparts to allow this obscenity. It's done now, and those who would be all-powerful have become all-seeing.

This blog is for anyone, even the all-seeing. For the foreseeable future, it will be a place for thoughts constrained only by compassion, and at least a passing nod to decorum. I've tried to dispel the notion that the market on truth can be cornered by anyone, least of all this humble blogger. But the market on opinions is in dispute. The news markets are consolidating, and the desire for control by the plutocracy seems at fever pitch. Like I said, it's getting serious out there! So, I'll continue to write this blog. Around the Internet, thousands of freethinking bloggers write as well, and publish, publish, spreading around the world. The lights of reason must be snuffed out one by one, and when one dies, ten more are born, and publish.

It must seem so easy at first, purring at The Precious, waving the staffs of power, bending the will of governments and seats of justice. But those little lights keep shining, here, here, and there. They are lit by a flame that must really be eternal, no matter how long and dark may be the coming night.