status

life is sweet

new favorite word

PAGEANTRY- definition 3 from American Heritage- Empty pomp or show; flashy display

I just heard the CU Vs. CSU football game advertised, and they promised pageantry. I have not been to a college football game since the Air Force quit giving free tickets to our Scout troop.

But, boy could I go for some pageantry! Footballers rolled in glitter, referees with over sized novelty whistles, nasty cheer leading dances, mascots run amok, a halftime show where the infield is flooded and boats fight! Maybe Rome fell because their circuses we not imaginative enough!

I demand a candidate who promises better bread and circuses! And I know this sounds picky, but if the bread could be Gluten free, it would be a HUGE HELP!

THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD

While thinking about the nature of power, I was thinking about persuasive power. Now, there are three types of power a government has, at least according to John Kenneth Galbraith, who wrote a big heavy ox stunner of a book on the subject titled THE ANATOMY OF POWER. To sum it up they can pay you to what they want (enlistment bonus), they can force you to do what they want (the draft, guarded borders, etc) or they can convince you to do what they want (billion dollar ad campaigns to join the Army).
But this persuasive power seems that it would be the most innocuous. At least until you read manufacturing consent and/or watch 10 seconds of the Fox news network and realize how huge this power is.
I then was thinking about quotes from American presidents. Like Roosevelt's famous "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". Or Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" which was actually penned by Arthur Sleshinger. I respect that more than Reagen's famous quote "Go ahead make my day" lifted from a Dirty Harry movie. Ok, Reagen also had "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall", which is better than W. Bush's "Is our children learning enough?" which he wrote himself with purple crayon on a dry erase board.
But if you want to quote the real voice of freedom, a voice recognised all over the world, it is Bob Marley. From Get up stand up to Emancipation song, the words of Bob Marley are so universal, they inspire us and give us hope long after his death. His lyrics are not a blueprint for a free world, but they are a foundation for a better understanding. The truth may set you free, but Marley can set you free and make you dance. Everyone, from the janitor at DIA to Bonno (kuddos on the African AIDS relief campaign) who feels it knows it.

lets talk about class and the enviornment...

Last year I was at a sustainable living fair. It was great, the beer was cold and the Keynote speaker was the very direct and personal Winona LaDuke. Great music too!
They also had booth spaces for local organizations. They apparently had an open censorship free policy, as nut cases like the Libertarians (new motto "we are even more enthusiastic yes men for the multi national omni corporations than the GOP!") were present. I once heard Libertarians described as Republicans who want to be able to make their drug habits and prostitution legal.
There was also a booth with some nut job blaming urban sprawl on Mexican immigrants. This is so wrong on so many levels. Most of the Mexican Immigrants I know live in apartments. That way they get to share that cool accordion music with their neighbors, and save money for their hometown hacienda. Like the Irish Immigrants before them, they have plans to go back to their native land. Unlike the Irish before them, they can drive home. Will they find life in the United States addictive and stay? Well, my ancestors sure did!
But blaming Mexican immigrants is soo easy, even a power mad looney from Littleton Colorado can use it to prop his silly presidential bid. Hey! It works for everything! Unemployment, pollution, climate change, loss of English as our one true voice of advertising, the list goes on! Now, where is that illegal alien who started our illegal invasion of Iraq? This quagmire demands an immediate scapegoat!
But lets focus on the environment for just a wee moment. Do you know what group practices such earth friendly habits such as thrift store shopping, Walking, using public transportation and living in smaller homes (our homes create more co2 than our cars, by the way)? The poor!
While they may not be able to buy every "green" product the day it hits the market, they are efficient out of necessity. So quit feeling so smug in your hybrid vehicle. The poor driver of that beat up old Geo Metro gets the same millage, and it didn't create any new co2 in its production.

happy

yesterday
I saw two young women; like 14 or 13 years old,
they were so happy, literally holding hands and skipping across the street,
laughing' smiling,
not self conscience in the least,
I hope they never loose that