Year of The Ox, 4707
3 November 2009, AD
0831 hrs CST
Stormcrow Ranch
Boone, IA
USA
"Squirrel Corn Capital of the World."
Faithful readers, my apologies I have been a way far too long. The fault is solely mine. Thank you for your continued patience.
‘But, now we are drawn into a great civil war, testing whether this nation or any nation can long endure.’ Lincoln said those words.
And we face these times again. Not in physical ways, or beliefs of succession, nor the rights of states to choose slavery as a source of economic reality. Oddly enough, our separation from each other comes from a far more insidious and vapid source. Our own government pits us against each other, separating us into the haves and have-nots.
"It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. … It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eyes of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its sallow limbs."
--M.W. Shelley, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus
Sounds a lot like our political process of late. Ye gods, what have we wrought? The monster exists and we have made it live and breathe. It has no soul, or morals, no empathy, sympathy or trust. It exists merely on lust of self, and its boundless hunger.
John Locke said, "The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts."
The shine is off the rarity and charm of The New Boy and his continuing, ailing administration. Nothing has changed, and we’re still being raped as our government succumbs under the weight of a whore-wrought hellbroth of malfeasance known as the 80’s and early 90s. At least whores have the presence of mind and decorum to admit what they are doing is illegal—well, in most states, and parts of Illinois where one pays double for political sodomy. It is, of course, a value-based economy, rather than that of the service industry (here, I must note, I have a lot more respect for hookers than I do Congressmen or lobbyists. The Ladies have always--and ever-- been honest in their trade).
“Senator; Love the dress.”
--Hannibal Lecter, MD
Let’s back up a bit: The Crash of ’06-08 did not occur over-night. The signs were there for a long time. Since at least October 1929. No. No Look again. The cycle of boom and bust began then. Inflated prices, over-valued properties, graft, theft, Tammany Hall, swampland in Florida, Prohibition. Look to the past to understand your future. Christ on a crutch, you’re paying for bottled water, about $10/gal. Really? Why don’t you just drink gasoline that is still cheap at $3? By all means, have it your way. Drive your kids everywhere and then bitch that milk is expensive. See what that does about putting food on the table.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”
--Nietzsche
Yea. Verily, yea. I am said monster, and I make no bones about it. Abyss R Us.
I believe The Crash was an adjustment, a purge, a culling of a mindless herd. For far too long were more people hired to manage more people who we hired. Who the hell’s assistant needs an assistant? I’m sorry, but all the math I know says one cannot divide by zero. You cannot take nothing from nothing, nor do it rapidly by long division.
Which is the core of algebra and even calculus. Numbers don’t lie. Only humans do.
I am out of work myself, which is really no issue to me. I can get by on peanut better and Ramen noodles. What bothers me about going to job service is this one guy. 54, laid off, too late to learn new skills, too early for retirement. I really feel for this man—he wants to do right by his family, to himself, and to and for his country. Instead, he gets wealthy opportunities to be a dishwasher at minimum wage. Apparently, he—like me—is over-qualified for… anything. This is our legacy. So much is lost for no good reason at all.
“Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes.”
--L. DaVinci
We live in a world of Somebody Else’s Problem. Indeed, just blame it on the dog, what with its bad bowels on a diet of lamb and rice. Flatulence that clears a 12’ by 12’ room. Tell you what—if something stinks, it is bad. No amount of Glade solids or incense will change that. It is rotten, putrid, and poisoned to its core. Don’t look at me as you wave miasma away from your face—I voted Independent.
There is hope, though. I found quoted: ‘Sauce will thicken as it stands.’ (Double Cheesy Quesadilla Hamburger Helper). Maybe a roux of lard and cheese with pasta will make things better as the world winds down. Cheap and quick seems to be the intention and philosophy. A place where walking away makes all things perfect and right. But remember to stir occasionally. And my friend Chef still believes it was Huckleberry Finn who discovered the Mississippi River.
Uh huh, and Mount Saint Helen’s will never erupt in our time. Hmm. Maybe you saw something about it on YouTube. 4800 tons of particulate matter thrust violently into the atmosphere, half a mountain sliding away, flesh-melting ash raining down…. Ring any bells? No big thing apparently when it comes to complaining about the price of coffee at 7-11.
Do you get it yet? You bet your ass I’m pissed! And you should be too. Play your Twitter, and Facebook games as you deny our failures, that one last chance to make things whole. I’m sure it is vital that your kids know you are top player in Farkle and Mafia Wars.
Sorry. I have been shouting at you. I get a bit hepped up about the lack of magic in Life. In this, I leave you with three quotes: you get to choose how your lives will be; they juxtapose but all speak of the same thing:
“Make my own home be my gallows.”
--Dante
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
--Gandhi
“We must hang together, or surely, we will all hang separately.”
--B. Franklin
Little wonder I always,
Rage, rage….
~~Hob
Post Script: Just as I was finishing this piece up, I came across three things:
The first is a quote by Thomas Huxley:
“We should not pretend to understand the world by only intellect; we comprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the intellect is, at best, only half the truth, and must, if it be honest, also come to an understanding of its inadequacy.”
The second:
“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human discourse; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.”
--J. Austen
Both these quotes speak directly to me and my admittedly egocentric worldview. And in the latter, it is true: everything I say is a lie. At least I am honest about it. Giggle.
The last is troublesome. And irritating: Someone posted ads for shoes in the comments of one of my blogs. While said women’s shoes are quite fetching, none are my style, size, or color, and I had nothing to do with their posting, nor do I condone or appreciate this. It is kind of funny though, but still, I must apologize to my readers. Sorry, my friends.
~~H.
