Waiting Room

(with apologies to those who cannot see the videos)
The King is long dead, having left the building early, despite being seen a few years ago singing a duet with Celine who was only born the same year Elvis first did the song.

The only two Bee Gees left are in their sixties and Mick Jagger’s lips are succumbing to gravity as much as Linda Ronstandt’s tits. The sound tracks of our lives ooze like morphine from the speakers in the waiting room of death, while strange nondescript creatures like a Justin Bieber slither in from the other side of the room. The Man in Black sang Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down,

but it seems to be holding well so far, unless by ‘body’ he meant his body of work, which he really didn’t.

An abundance of rather absurd games are offered to distract the residents from where they are and why, like politics and religion and consumerism and all are lulled into a calming stupor of thinking their lives have meaning, until eventually their number is up and they wink out of existence, just as all others before them.

I join a few grizzled waiters of various ages, around the perimeter of the room, participating as little as possible in the stupid and mindless games, keenly alert for my calling, as it has become a welcome relief to know the time here grows shorter; a relief from the unbearable pressing of monotony and insanity that pervades the only species on the planet to have evolved enough brains to be so insane, but never enough to get past it.

It is somewhat comforting to know that Jerry Falwell is just as dead as Harvey Milk. So few, it seems, can even see the past road traveled or that all ‘exits’ except the last one are dead ends; that the Hotel California is their lives and they can check out any time they like but can never leave; an arrogant grain of sand before the Universe, thinking itself important and powerful, oblivious to the fact that it is only Dust In The Wind.

signed, Dusty.

TRB

Sally forth

I like to Sally forth. Do you ever sally forth? I sallied fifth once but was so far back I couldn't see what was going on. Sally was no help because, of course, she always sallies first.

I drank the milk of human kindness today and I fear it has made me a tad tipsy. Did you ever go to a dentist and get one of those "I don't care" shots? There is a depression kind of I don't care, but this is different, much more...amusing.

If you think this is TMI, well, I'm sorry, just ignore please. For myself I don't think such a critter as TMI exists, at least among close friends...and we are friends, right? I was able today to get my sadist freak on. Oh no, this not even remotely sexual, far more pleasurable than that, in my opinion. I looked into his little beady, black, dead eyes and smiled...he tasted SO good. Someone had killed him, taken much of his body, chopped it up, added some other stuff, then stuffed a lot of it back into his carcass, which made an interesting serving platter. So utterly perverse...and delicious. It was the first time I had known the local Chinese buffet to have stuffed crab.

I left Melinda a note scribbled on the back of an envelope. It said, "You are invited to supper at the Chinese buffet. Click LIKE if you approve." She thumped my head which served as an adequate click. So we went off to engage in tasties.

They have a broiled shrimp/crabmeat dish which almost always has much more of the crabmeat left (after all, it is genuine imitation crabmeat, as opposed to...well) than shrimp...especially when I am there. I dipped it into a small bowl of buttermilk ranch dressing. Ordinarily I also have a slab of the baked flounder but, today, I passed it up because they also had a soft breaded fried shrimp with a white honey/coconut sauce to drool all over it. I drooled. Downright orgasmic Epicurean gastronomic (even though that word sounds rather disgusting to me - and sounds weirdly like astronomical) delights. Must have been somewhere during the third plate, with the second stuffed guy staring at me, over the stuffed mushrooms, with his beady, black dead eyes that I realized I might be stuffed too full and sloshing to get back to the car. I laughed...I didn't care. I could have died then and gone out very happy.

I feel rather heavy snoreage approaching. Later...

TRB

The Outcast

There was an episode of Star Trek TNG (The Next Generation) called The Outcast which I thought did a pretty good job of addressing the kind of situation many gay people find themselves in. The gist is that a species of humanoids called the J'naii have all evolved 'beyond' gender. There are no males or females but all persons are both. There are sometimes exceptions, people born who actually consider themselves one or the other and feel attracted to a male or a female. These are the social outcasts, the ones who have a 'sickness'. Luckily, there is something called psychotectic treatment which is quite effective at removing all traces of the 'perversion' from the afflicted person and they are made normal, just like everyone else.

An individual called Soren, who thinks of herself as female, falls in love with Commander Riker, and the feeling is mutual. She tells him how people like her must meet in secrecy, in fear of being discovered, in fear of being made to undergo the psychotectic treatment. Before a tribunal, she makes a very good, passionate appeal to them that she and others like her are no different at all from anyone else; they love, laugh, play, work, live life just like everyone else with the one exception of preferring to be and mate with one gender rather than the 'norm' of being both.

Upon learning that Soren will be forced to undergo the treatment she so fears, Riker becomes so outraged that he is determined to rescue her, even to bring her onto the Enterprise for asylum, if necessary. But he is too late. He and Worf find her on the planet and he is trying to rescue her, but she has no desire at all to be 'rescued'. She remembers what happened between her and Riker, how she used to think and feel, but after having the treatment, she is now normal, like all the other J'naii. She is embarrassed and ashamed at having acted in such a way, and when Riker tells her, "I love you", she can only reply, "I'm sorry".

This is one of the few times I know of in fiction where they got it right about the treatment and results of it. Typically, there is always "some part" of the person they were before, imprisoned within the body, feeling horrible, etc. The truth is that when we develop the ability to program brains, this is how it will be. If you are one way, you may fear and loathe any idea of changing you, but once you ARE changed, it will be just as though you never were the other way, as far as your personality and desires are concerned.

We humans have a ways to go yet before we get to that stage...but we ARE getting there. At the moment, the cutting edge of such neurological science is being able to reconstruct, by reading brain activity, which video clip the subject has just seen. Some call it brain movies. If you look at the actual video clip versus the clip constructed from reading the brain activity, you see there is a great deal lost in the translation. It's hardly an HD reproduction. Then again, this science is very much in it's infancy. You couldn't see or hear very much, or very well, on televisions either when they still brand new things.

My point here, that I really hope at least some can understand, is that eventually, even if probably not in our lifetime, humans WILL have such technology. It will be commonplace in court for the accused to be subjected to such brain scans to extract information about where they were and what they were doing, what they heard, saw, said, felt, at the time of the alleged crime. Further, it will be entirely possible to program the human brain just as easily as a programmer might currently program an inorganic computer. It's all in knowing how.

TRB

Troy Davis; A Legal Murder

The basic facts:

Troy Davis was accused of shooting and killing a Savannah police officer in 1989.

There was never any murder weapon found.

There was zero physical evidence of any kind which liked Troy Davis to the crime.

There was only "witness" testimony, most of which was recanted, and some claimed coercion by police.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia declared that there was nothing unconstitutional about the state killing an innocent man and that guilt or innocence in such a case is irrelevant. Only the process is sacred...he was tried, convicted, and sentenced, end of story. The rest of SCOTUS has now agreed.

Many people get upset with me on what they sometimes call my "negative" outlook. I consider that, while my outlook might well be negative, it is nonetheless realistic.

Troy Davis had the support of perhaps millions of people around the world; in an unscientific poll on Huffington Post asking whether he should be executed, the response were 89% no and 10% yes; the support of a former US President (Jimmy Carter); the support of the Pope; the support of Amnesty International; there were protests staged all over the planet. It meant nothing. Nothing at all. Troy Davis was legally murdered by the State of Georgia and died at 11:08pm local time.

Tell me again, how we should 'protest' things we don't like or think are unfair or unjust. If something of that nature should ever happen to you are a loved one...especially if black... remember Troy Davis, his global support even from high places...and kiss yer ass goodbye.

Will the 'debate' and 'the fight for justice' continue? Of course...it always does. And the state goes right on killing...it always does.

Enjoy yer protests...and don't forget yer Thermos.

TRB

Potpourri

My state still plans to kill Troy Davis in two days now....'reasonable doubt' be damned!

Here's a good movie to watch if yer in the mood for getting really pissed off... if that Troy Davis thing doesn't do it for ya. Rosewood

Netflix has split, so now I can cancel the DVD part and my bill will go down to only about $8.50 a month. Handy, since we no longer have TV at all.

Three hours (this is the first) of cool geek stuff.

Bob Hope's wife Delores has died at 102. Remember him?

They call it "French" Vanilla cuz when you lick it, it licks back.

I love my friends here. Hope y'all are all well and happy.

So why did Plato only have five regular solids? What did he have against spheres? Nothing is more 'regular' than a sphere is it?

I have a lot of trouble trying to get my head around the idea that most people don't seem to want to live even a thousand years, even if it's in the peak of health and with complete financial and social freedom. It appears my species is a death cult. (See Troy Davis).

TRB

Prohibition!!

Did you ever wonder what it might have been like to live in the days of Prohibition ? Then look around you...chances are, if you were born after 1937, you have been living during Prohibition your whole life. It may not look so strange to you because it's all you have ever known...it's just the norm. But this is different from that OTHER Prohibition. For one, it's not actually called Prohibition but a WAR! Curious...why would whole nations make war against a plant!? Or is it only against the citizens who would grow, use, and sell the plant? Perhaps you would ask yourself why that is. Maybe you don't think that your well-known government officials would stand there on the TV machine and deliberately tell you lie after lie, with a straight face. But they do so all too often. It's easy enough to understand how some folk conclude that "every word that uttereth from their mouth is a lie".

The specific thing I speak of here is the hemp plant. More specifically, why it has been, for 74 years, "Illegal". How it is that one can be sent to prison for many years merely for the growing or possession of the plant. Yet this same plant has been used by humans for all kinds of things for at least 7000 years. It is absolutely THE single most useful plant on this world. Just FYI, I am not a "pothead". I have seldom smoked it and did not like it myself, when I did. But we should take note that there are two specific threads that relate to this plant...the fact that some people like to ingest it in various ways medicinally and recreationally, and the fact of the plant's overall usefulness. One might think that, aside from the government's 'war on drugs', they would at least acknowledge the other benefits of it. They lie about all that too. Why?

I highly recommend you watch the video Hemp War Conspiracy. Never mind that it has the word "conspiracy" in the title...if you watch it, surely the "conspiracy" will be abundantly obvious, although the reasons it persists may not be clear. You may note that the highlighted person in the video is Jack Herer. He is the man who wrote the book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes". The video mentions that he has a $50,000 offer to anyone who can prove the claims and statements made in the book are not true. That offer is now $100,000. From Chapter 1 of the book:

"Benjamin Franklin started one of America's first paper mills with cannabis. This allowed America to have a free colonial press without having to beg or justify the need for paper and books from England."

"From more than 1,000 years before the time of Christ until 1883 A.D., cannabis hemp, indeed, marijuana was our planet's largest agricultural crop and most important industry, involving thousands of products and enterprises; producing the overall majority of Earth's fiber, fabric, lighting oil, paper, incense and medicines. In addition, it was a primary source of essential food oil and protein for humans and animals."

And suddenly...in the 1930's, it is illegal, complete with national newspaper 'coverage' of how the 'demon weed' drives people crazy with lust, laughter and other 'undesirable' behaviors; propaganda films that would make Her Goebbels proud.... why? Do you know who William Randolph Hearst was? He was both a publishing magnate and a politician. How about his friend Harry Anslinger? He was the first Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) in 1930. Again, why?

For most regular folk, it might seem a really stupid thing that such an incredibly versatile and useful plant would be declared illegal, especially in a country in which, at one time, the nation's Founding Fathers grew it on plantations, one could pay his taxes with it. But remember, politicians and businessmen are seldom truthful and honest. They are not stupid. They know very well the wonderful possibilities this plant offers in virtually every major aspect of life, from transportation to medicine to the building and textile industries. Dupont, Monsanto, and other chemical industry giants would surely oppose legalizing the industrial growing of hemp. So would the oil industry. So would the timber/paper industry.

Although there are small pockets here and there where one might ostensibly not be arrested for marijuana growth, possession, use or sales, you certainly should never count on that because all these remain Federal crimes and Federal law always trumps all other laws. In June of this year, Barney Frank and Ron Paul sponsored a bill that "...would limit the federal government's role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal..." Nonetheless, even though "[m]ore than a dozen states allow the sale of medical marijuana, ... the practice is not legal under federal law, leading to confusion and clashes between local and federal authorities."> Source.

So, what can you do about it, assuming you would like to? First...education. Teach yourself factually correct information about the plant, its uses, its history, the reasons for its current illegality, etc. Second, pass the word on to everyone you think might care about such a thing as truth and honesty. Third, if you are the sort of person who thinks voting and writing to your Congressman is helpful, by all means do so. Fourth, join as many public web sites, demonstrations, etc. as possible. What would REALLY have an impact is if every person everywhere who had access to a piece of ground planted as many marijuana plants as possible, not hidden in the woods some where but on front lawns and in pots on porches and in window boxes all across America. Even now, they do not have jail space for 100,000,000 people.

Ask yourself why "they" want to keep marijuana illegal, when the supporters of legalization include not merely "potheads", but former Presidents (Jimmy Carter), members of Congress (Ron Paul, Barney Frank), and even a former Surgeon General (Joycelyn Elders).

I recommend:

Hemp War Conspiracy (video)

The Emperor Wears No Clothes (book) You can read the entire book, free, online at Jack Herer's site.

Jack Herer's web site

Marijuana Propaganda Movies Three interesting ones called, 'Devil's Harvest', 'Assassin of Youth', and 'Reefer Madness'.

NORML

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do (book) by Peter McWilliams. You can get it through Amazon for a few cents plus shipping. Beside marijuana use, talks about other victimless crimes such as prostitution.

Legally speaking, if you are an adult you are free to engage in sex with any other consenting adult...unless there is money exchanged. What does that tell you?

Carry on...

TRB

A Parable

If you are a slave (employee), your function in life is not merely to obey and fulfill your master's (insert your company's name here) wishes, but to eagerly make him as much more rich and powerful as possible. That should be your joy. From this notion comes much of the "Protestant work ethic". This is the message in the "parable of the talents" found in Matthew 25:15-30. Consider this from a Bible study site:

"The master's dealings with the third servant is a very different matter. This servant came to his master with only the talent his master had originally entrusted to him. He did not increase his master's money at all. In fact, if this were to take place today, that money would likely be worth less, due to inflation. This servant offered a feeble excuse for his conduct. He told his master that he was a harsh and cruel man, a man who was demanding, and who expected gain where he had not labored. He contended that this is why he was afraid to take a risk with any kind of investment. And so he simply hid the money, and now he returned it, without any gain. The master rebuked this slave for being evil and lazy. He took his talent from him, gave it to the one who earned ten, and cast this fellow into outer darkness, where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth." [emphasis mine] Source.

Do you suppose this is what Karl Marx had in mind with the famous slogan, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs"?

Money is neither good nor bad, it is simply a tool which is supposed to make it much easier and convenient to trade goods and services. Two of the most vile inventions of humans have been usury and the so-called "profit motive". The innate unfairness of demanding to be repaid $110 when the loan was for $100 is first noted (as far as I can tell) in the ancient biblical texts. The Jews of the time decided that it was not good to do this to a fellow Jew but it was fine to screw over anyone else. At various times in social and religious history, the practice of usury was encouraged or outlawed. The fact that nations and the citizens of them are suffering so much is due in great measure to this practice. As a nation, the US was doomed economically when it allowed the establishment of the Federal Reserve, which puts complete control of all money in the hands of private individuals, rather than in Congress which is, at least in principle, answerable to the people. One of the powers of Congress, according to Article 1, Section 8 is, "To coin Money, to regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures".

The Profit Motive is based on the premise that all, or at least most, people are motivated purely or primarily by self-interest, as espoused in the Ayn Randian Libertarian ideology. There is a degree of truth in this, in evolutionary terms, but it is grossly overly simplistic..."self-interest" can mean many different things, not simply direct personal gain at the expense of or to the exclusion of others. There is much 'self-interest' encompassed within the broader notion of the good of the whole. No one man could ever possibly have built the pyramids...or the US highway system.

In order to fix the world one must first make it a death penalty offense - probably the ONLY such offense - to engage in the practice of usury. Next, some method must be found to make it forever impossible for one person or group of persons to ever have more than another. The only way I know of to do this is to base the pay for work, not on the the kind of work, but on the amount of time devoted to it. Every human, without exception, has 24 hours in a given day. There is absolutely no way for anyone to ever have more than that. It is a fundamental law of nature, at least on this planet. Society should agree upon a certain amount of money that is to be paid to every person who spends a certain amount of their time per day (or week or month, etc.) doing work that is beneficial to the society. This would even follow the notion of "he who does not work shall not eat", not literally, but to a point. Given that the only persons who can truly do absolutely nothing for society are the dead, comatose and unconscious, there would be an abundance of workers. The most menial, repetitive, dangerous and nasty kinds of jobs would be mostly automated...so much so, that the needed amount of time spent "working" in this sense, by any individual, would be quite small. The rest of their time could be spent simply living their lives, doing those things which gave them personal satisfaction and pleasure.

Everyone could spend their money on whatever "personal items" they wished. No one would be allowed to hoard any items - why would anyone want to. Aside from purely personal items such as toothbrushes, no one would be allowed to "hold property"; rather, there would be an abundance of all things for all people to use whenever and wherever they were needed. There would never be any charge at all to anyone for basics such as food, clothing, housing, medical care, transportation, etc. No "Utopia" is ever possible. There would always be some percentage of persons unable or unwilling to live in such a way. Technology must be advanced to the point that such individuals can be reprogrammed to within acceptable societal parameters. Perhaps such persons could be given a choice of this or death or genuine and total exile from society.

Update from the Tin Can:

At least we got all the major bills paid this time, including the rent. The landlady decided to lower our rent for a while, so that will help. Remember, Melinda put in an application to be a cook in the restaurant at the truck stop? We never heard back...now we learn the whole place went out of bidness...hahahahaha I told her she should apply fer a gubmint job, ba da boom.

Now we return you to the regular program already in progress... join the smooth groove with the mellow stylings of Slick Jism and the Fleshtones, with "Sweet Honey Pie".

TRB