Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Detritus
Mr Jones violates the 11th Commandment("thou shalt not criticize Israel")...other than that, I can find nothing, whatever, to refute:The American Trajectory.
....................
I wish I could figger out how to access JSTOR, etc...seems one needs a bit of cash-flow, or some Institutional Membership. I abhor Paywalls for Academic Journals...so Anti-Enlightenment.
Here's a list of free ones,lol:http://www.doaj.org/doaj?cpid=47&func=subject
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
https://globality.cc.stonybrook.edu/?p=1
Seems that a lot of the Free Ones are kinda dated...nevertheless, interesting.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Behemoth
(see:Cosmopolitanism)
Also, in this context, think about the idea of "Multinational Corporations"...Exxon is no longer an "American" Company, rather, it is Supranational...no matter that it's "Headquarters" are in Houston. I consider this the Vanguard of Post Westphalianism...Nation States, as we know them, are like a favorite shirt, tattered and torn, that we continue to wear...despite the admonitions of our spouse.
I , for one, haven't felt like a "Texan" for some time...and , since the post 911 Freakout, I haven't felt all that "American", either.
The Demographic Changes, in re Electoral Politics, I've been on about, contain these things...in the case of Mason(as Microcosm), there are at least 4 Communities, existing side by side, White Evangelical, Hispanic, Ranch, and "New Comers"(Immigrants from the Cities, in Texas, and elsewhere). I "belong" to the latter...and there is considerable overlap.
I can posit a fifth, although I don't have a good name for it...it includes members of all 4, and could be considered "Official Mason", or the Face that the Newspaper attempts to present to the world...somewhat ecumenical(in a non-religious sense)...It contains not only City Governance and the Chamber, but the various Book Clubs, Garden Clubs and the Lions...
While this Fifth "Community" is ad hoc, sort of, and disparate, sort of...it presents a kind of accidental Unity...
As usual, I'm in a category of One,lol...
More:World into Globe
>>>>>>>>>>>
Flowing from all of that:The Lost Libertarian Moment
I have always had a soft spot for Ron Paul.
And I've always "Leaned Libertarian"...I can honestly characterise myself as a "Left Libertarian"(rara avis)/
But the Libertarian Party lost me, during the Bush Darkness...perhaps a little before...with their Utopian Bent, and the habitual inclusion of the Corporate Model as the pinnacle of Freedom.(go on, challenge this assertion).
I am in no way, a "Big Government Liberal"...I abhor what the Fedgov(and the State of Texas, for that matter) has become...a meddling Leviathan...up in everyone's business, yet leaning towards the Rich and their Corps(e).
However, I understand the Reasons for such Big Government Interventions, as Foodstamps, Medicaid, etc. Even OSHA.
We have never honestly addressed the Rise of Corporate Power, from the late 1800's till now...and, to counter the sundry Usurpations and Bad Actions by these Monsters, Big Government has been the Default Answer, since at least FDR.
It's not the ONLY Answer, of course...just the one we tried. We got into the Rut, by a lack of Honesty....and a concurrent lack of Imagination...and, since then, as I continue to assert, we've allowed the Marriage of Government/Military/"Intelligence/ and Corporatism to become the Machine...clouding Reality with Mythos and Crazy.
Mr Cincotta continues this Habit of Neglect...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"
The "determinate x" is a creation of the pragmatically required mutual hypothesizing of singularity.
So, to spell out the Schutzian insight, for two partners in dialogue to obtain a rough-and-ready mutual fix on a portion of the real, a partial overlapping of their differing selections, they have to behave as if they have a perfect one. The psycholinguist Ragnar Rommetveit puts it thus: we "take a perfect intersubjectivity for granted in order to achieve a partial one" (Rommetveit 1978: 31). In Schutz’s own words it constitutes a "reciprocity of perspectives," or "the idealization of the interchangeability of the standpoints," the taking for granted that, if I were in your shoes, your standpoint would seem to be the same as mine, and you and I see "things" with the same typicality."
(Myth of the Summum Bonum )
"To delve deeper here we must ask what "reciprocity of perspectives" and "idealization of the interchangeability of standpoints" mean in this context. We might start with the word "standpoint." What is a standpoint?—one’s inclination, bent, or bias, in other words, one’s current habit of intention, one’s desire, one’s motivation, one’s attitude with regard to forthcoming action. And what is Schutz therefore detecting in the situation of human communication? That the two participants mutually assume, that is, hypothesize together that their inclinations, intentions, attitudes as regards the portion of their sense-fields that they also take to be similarly attended to are, as regards this portion of the real, relevantly the same. The convergence of what each is attending to is presumed to be ideal—did not Schutz use the word "idealization" of the match of the two standpoints?"(Ibid)
(see "Cognitive Bias,list of"...on Wiki)
............
This is the way I like to spend such cold mornings(I arose, reluctantly, at 3am, and stoked the front fire, kindled the back 2).
I'm glad that there's such a variety of Academia available, for free...but, still, I wish that JSTOR, and others, would get on board...they're the ones Wiki, etc links to in "Sources"...
"Oh give me land, lotsa land, where I can roam around Freely...
Don't fence me in....."
Ha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLoYFvbR0XY
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thank you, Mr Spielberg
“The whole
fabric of southern society must be changed, and never can it be done if this
opportunity is lost. Without this, this government can never be, as it never
has been, a true republic.” –September 6, 1865 (Thaddeus Stevens) 1
The new film, “Lincoln” (which I haven’t seen, it’ll come to
Mason, eventually), will have Us talking
about these things for the next year, at least.
How fortuitous, that such topics as Slavery, Lincoln, the all-but-forgotten Thaddeus Stevens 2, and the Unfinished Civil War, will be on the Collective Mind of America, in these first years of Mr Obama’s second term.
These things will, perhaps, draw out the NeoConfederate Sympathy, that lines the dark underbelly of the Right…the Racism, loudly denied, despite all of the Evidence; the whole mess of “the South will Rise, again”…entailing the Revenge Fantasies of the American Right; “Heritage, Not Hate”, and other similar nonsense; and the Politico-Historical Reality of the past near-fifty years, of an actual resurgent South, begun with Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”….which has had the effect, in the real World, of Dixifying the whole country.
How fortuitous, that such topics as Slavery, Lincoln, the all-but-forgotten Thaddeus Stevens 2, and the Unfinished Civil War, will be on the Collective Mind of America, in these first years of Mr Obama’s second term.
These things will, perhaps, draw out the NeoConfederate Sympathy, that lines the dark underbelly of the Right…the Racism, loudly denied, despite all of the Evidence; the whole mess of “the South will Rise, again”…entailing the Revenge Fantasies of the American Right; “Heritage, Not Hate”, and other similar nonsense; and the Politico-Historical Reality of the past near-fifty years, of an actual resurgent South, begun with Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”….which has had the effect, in the real World, of Dixifying the whole country.
That the Civil War is Unfinished may come
as a shock to many of my neighbors.
Consider that, if it had been finished, decisively, there would have been no Jim Crow, no Segregation, and no need for the Civil Rights Movement, a Century after Lee Surrendered.(the South Lost…try to remember that.)
Consider that, if it had been finished, decisively, there would have been no Jim Crow, no Segregation, and no need for the Civil Rights Movement, a Century after Lee Surrendered.(the South Lost…try to remember that.)
Even now, fifty years after that dark time
of fire hoses and dogs, set upon Black Americans…and a hundred and fifty years
after the “end” of the Civil War, there are Public Figures still calling for
repealing parts of the Civil Rights Act…of Undoing the Fourteenth Amendment….let
alone screaming about Secession whenever they don’t get what they want.
An uncomfortably large portion of Americans
speaks in Coded Language about Race, and we all know what they mean…but when
the rest of us call them forth about their
Not-So-Hidden Racism, it is they who accuse us of “Playing the Race Card”.
The Unfinished Business of the Civil War is
a large part of the Surreality we are surrounded by, in 21st century American
Politics.
I hope that this film is as good as the few clips I’ve seen would indicate…We need to have these discussions. The Racists must be confronted, and called out, at last…then, perhaps, We can move forward.
I hope that this film is as good as the few clips I’ve seen would indicate…We need to have these discussions. The Racists must be confronted, and called out, at last…then, perhaps, We can move forward.
2 Thaddeus
Stevens is one of my minor heroes…minor, not because of his stature, or
influence, but due to my arbitrary ranking system, and the relative dearth of
information, here, in Texas.I am very happy to see this man, finally, portrayed
in film as the Giant he was.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Constituencies, real and imagined
For the Tea Argument: http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa52.htm
Our Government no longer listens to Us.
This is a Bipartisan Statement…or should be.
It’s one place that everyone, from Tea to Commie, should be able to agree.
The other side to this is, of course, the Power and Influence, of Big Money… especially Corporations.
My Rep’s Aide says that “Corporations are just People”….implying assent to the idea that Money is Speech, and muddying the fact that, under current Law, Corps(e) are Persons, in their own right…..
It’s one place that everyone, from Tea to Commie, should be able to agree.
The other side to this is, of course, the Power and Influence, of Big Money… especially Corporations.
My Rep’s Aide says that “Corporations are just People”….implying assent to the idea that Money is Speech, and muddying the fact that, under current Law, Corps(e) are Persons, in their own right…..
( if this is the case, then why can’t I join and effective
Union(I’m in “right to work” Texas),
which should enjoy the same Rights? Unions in Texas are, under this argument, being Denied
their First Amendment Rights.lol)
The above Links are to Folks who are trying to do something
about all the corruption and shenanigans that go on so routinely in DC. I
support these efforts.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In addition to these Necessary Things, I have long been an
advocate for Smaller Polities…which means More Representatives. It’s silly to
expect One Representative to “Represent” hundreds of thousands of Constituents. Heaven forbid, that more of
those Constituents actually Get Involved!
Impossible.
I have had in my mind a sort of Political Experiment…where
one would spend a few years basically hollering…calling and writing letters to
their Rep….make note of the response, if any.(non rubber stamped responses, and
the like); then, for the second part of the Experiment, one would Donate a
large-ish sum to the Rep’s Campaign…and make note of the response, if any,
thereafter.
Compare.
Contrast.
My Hypothesis is that the second time period would garner a
far more tangible, as well as personal, response, than the former.
Some would say, I guess, that it’s a good thing that I
possess insufficient Funds for such an endeavor…
It’s interesting to compare the list of who gives money, and
the list of the Bills sponsored and
co-sponsored.
For “my” Rep: http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2010&type=C&cid=N00026041&newMem=N&recs=20
There’s a lot of meaningless hay thrown to Tea, of course…but
the substantive stuff seems to track rather nicely with the biggest
contributors.
I realize that I am somewhat prejudiced against Mr Conaway….due
to his long association with the Bush People….But I have tried to remain
open-minded, and give him the benefit of the doubt. To his credit, many of my missives
have been answered, in some form.
Still, the evidence, such as it is, indicates that those who
pay, enjoy the Congressman’s attention.
Imagine if Mr Mike didn’t have to pay so much for commercials(over Our Airwaves!)…that, alone, would free up a lot of his time…and at least do more than nibble at the need to raise so much money….thus mitigating the appearance of corruption. “Free” air time could be provided…simply mandate it, and require the various Stations who Use Our Air, to run an equal number of ads for each candidate. The Air Time belongs to Us, to We the People…this could be like a Tax on Media. Simple.
Imagine, as well, if his Constituency included only a Fourth,
or less, of the folks it includes, today…less money needed, and more access for
constituents. Mason’s Rep, closer than 250 miles away, in Midland.
I think of Star Wars, and the imagery of the Galactic Senate…with
today’s Tech, why is it so far-fetched to consider 2000 Representatives in the US
House?
Or more?
Our system only works for Us if We participate.
Most reason, Why participate?! They will never listen to Me.
Most reason, Why participate?! They will never listen to Me.
My Rep should be allowed to Listen to Me…currently, he is
Not…due to expediency, and the overwhelming ratio of him vs. 600,000 folks.
Article 1 of the Constitution says, “The Number of Representatives shall
not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least
one Representative...[5]”
(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_apportionment
)
Plenty of room, there, for Improvement.FTA:” Then in 1929 Congress (Republican control of both houses of congress and the presidency) passed the Reapportionment Act of 1929 which capped the size of the House at 435 (the then current number), but allowed temporary increases upon the admission of new states which were to be reverted upon the implementation of the immediate subsequent census.
In truth, the rules prohibiting legislative entrenchment would allow any subsequent legislature (after 1929) to increase or decrease the membership of the House of Representatives if such legislature so desired.”
A Wiki Chart of Population and Representatives
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/US_population_per_representative.jpg
Congress could Change this.
They might , if We Demand it.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Interludes
So.
I started writing about Sustainability,….for Mason….and how we might get past the Crazy(80%) that surrounds us, and move forward…do what we must, given Peak Everything, and a rational Malthusianism.
This sent me to the large trunks, stacked in a corner of the Pantry, containing, in addition to 100#’s +, Sciam, Discover, Astronomy, Archaeology Today, etc…several hundred pounds of Periodicals and other, Miscellaneous Info, on Organic Gardening, Blacksmithing, Solar Power, and all manner of pre-1930’s Technology, Techniques and sundry Collected Wisdom.
I started writing about Sustainability,….for Mason….and how we might get past the Crazy(80%) that surrounds us, and move forward…do what we must, given Peak Everything, and a rational Malthusianism.
This sent me to the large trunks, stacked in a corner of the Pantry, containing, in addition to 100#’s +, Sciam, Discover, Astronomy, Archaeology Today, etc…several hundred pounds of Periodicals and other, Miscellaneous Info, on Organic Gardening, Blacksmithing, Solar Power, and all manner of pre-1930’s Technology, Techniques and sundry Collected Wisdom.
This meant that I must reorganize the Library…when I built
it, all the books went somewhat haphazardly onto the shelves…
To do that, I must separate out Wife’s College and Career Stuff….
To do that, I had to clean out the “Cubby Hole”…which has served as Attic and storage for various electronic components…all of which Migrated, Painfully, to the , now, disused, Technicolor RV (circa 1975).
IE: Massive Fruitbasket Turnover.
To do that, I must separate out Wife’s College and Career Stuff….
To do that, I had to clean out the “Cubby Hole”…which has served as Attic and storage for various electronic components…all of which Migrated, Painfully, to the , now, disused, Technicolor RV (circa 1975).
IE: Massive Fruitbasket Turnover.
Cubbyhole will be Wife’s Cave…still needs a Computer, and
more Removal of the accumulated “Attic”, and much more shelf space.
Library, “My Cave”, is slowly becoming organized…large section of How To,DIY, etc…including Textbooks on lots of Useful Subjects.
Library, “My Cave”, is slowly becoming organized…large section of How To,DIY, etc…including Textbooks on lots of Useful Subjects.
Another large section, filled with Great Literature…another
on Mythology, including Xianity, and Philosophy…Economics, and American
History…subdivided into ; 1, Conventional, pre 1999 version, and 2. Other
History, like C Wright Mills, and the CIA.
Another rather large section on the Right Wing(my Taxonomy),
from Fascism, to the Machine…close by to Ancient History, then Medieval, then
The Renaissance, and Enlightenment.
Science Fiction still doesn’t have a home…this is a long term endeavor, after all…and my Body Rebels!
Science Fiction still doesn’t have a home…this is a long term endeavor, after all…and my Body Rebels!
During the necessary Breaks in the Action…..
A few things:
Damn! Now this is an Indictment!
Further evidence of bankruptcy, from our man on the ground:
http://www.alternet.org/what-i-learned-conservative-think-tank-propaganda-now-facts-later?paging=off
Nekked-ness is still a thing close to my heart…now that I
can no longer frequent the more lonely stretches of the Llano River, nor do I
live near the end of a dirt road…there’s little opportunity for being Skyclad
out-of-doors….at least until sufficient Fences Materialise, or strategic
plantings mature. http://www.alternet.org/nude-awakening-benefits-getting-naked?paging=off
Too, this is still Texas,
Deep red(lol, especially when it comes to Nekkid Folks,lol)…and Wearing the
River, while Fly Fishing can easily be seen as a Provocative, if not Political
Act.
Here, as in a lot of places, Nudity is regarded as always
Sexual, and, thus, always “of the Devil”.
sigh.
Meanwhile, from the Faction that imposes this dangerous
world-view:
Damn,part 2: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/anti-gay-christian-right-attorney-busted-horrifying-sex-offenses
More Mendacious Hypocrisy, on Government Run Insurance: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/giant-lie-trotted-out-fiscal-conservatives-trying-shred-social-security?paging=off
…and
News!
News!
I have Finally, and at long last, begun receiving
SSI/Medicaid!!!!
After 6 ½ Years of
Imperial Entanglements and Kafka-esque Wrangling with Bureaucracy, I’m In!
Now, I must begin the Consultation, starting with our Regular Doctor…determining just how to go about Repairing my Cripplehood…at least, it is hoped, making my life a little less Painful, and…dare I to Hope?...allowing me a little more Freedom of Movement!
Now, I must begin the Consultation, starting with our Regular Doctor…determining just how to go about Repairing my Cripplehood…at least, it is hoped, making my life a little less Painful, and…dare I to Hope?...allowing me a little more Freedom of Movement!
Yay.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
two things
http://www.texasobserver.org/rick-perrys-compassionate-sales-pitch-for-drug-testing-welfare-recipients/
what assholery!
Texas is already at, or near, the Bottom in all things "Social".
Who votes for this pompous ass/??!!!>?
http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/12943/awesome-rick-perry-lets-federal-government-design-texass-health-insurance-exchange
Perhaps some much needed Federal Relief?
It is still unknown if this will , in any way, benefit Me...hasn't, yet...mostly due to Good Hair's Cruelty and Intransigence...but also due to the results of Obama feeling the need to play footsie with the "Industry"....as in the requirement, for one of the portions of Obamacare, where one must be recently denied normal Insurance...which, as near as i could tell, at the time, required $200-600, upfront(refundable? no one knew!), in order for Blue Cross, or whomever, to deny ya....they hafta accept yo, before they can deny you...or some such convoluted tripe.
AAAARRRRGH!
what assholery!
Texas is already at, or near, the Bottom in all things "Social".
Who votes for this pompous ass/??!!!>?
http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/12943/awesome-rick-perry-lets-federal-government-design-texass-health-insurance-exchange
Perhaps some much needed Federal Relief?
It is still unknown if this will , in any way, benefit Me...hasn't, yet...mostly due to Good Hair's Cruelty and Intransigence...but also due to the results of Obama feeling the need to play footsie with the "Industry"....as in the requirement, for one of the portions of Obamacare, where one must be recently denied normal Insurance...which, as near as i could tell, at the time, required $200-600, upfront(refundable? no one knew!), in order for Blue Cross, or whomever, to deny ya....they hafta accept yo, before they can deny you...or some such convoluted tripe.
AAAARRRRGH!
tap tap tap
Is This Thing On?
Hello?
Writing on this little blog has been enormously Helpful, in
many ways…
The Shrink Lady who suggested it was spot on…I’ve been able to better organize and collate my Ideas, and Ideals…and Bitch and Moan, to boot.
The Shrink Lady who suggested it was spot on…I’ve been able to better organize and collate my Ideas, and Ideals…and Bitch and Moan, to boot.
One of my frequent Complaints about the Real World…or, at
least this little corner of it, Mason…is that I have no one to Talk To…at least
no one who appears to Understand.
I also complain, a lot, that it feels as though I am talking to a Tree…Shouting Down a Well…
Talking to Myself.
I want, so badly, to Engage…but on my terms…(assertion is not fact; statements must be backed up, somehow ,etc)
In RL, I get the distinct impression that most folks who take the time to Ask me what I’m Thinking about, don’t really want to know…or spend any time attempting to Find Me….
Similarly, I abandoned FB…mostly due to remorse over my Quarterly Drunken Outbursts™…but also, because it seems that the majority of those who engage, are…to be Charitable,lol…Trolls.
I also complain, a lot, that it feels as though I am talking to a Tree…Shouting Down a Well…
Talking to Myself.
I want, so badly, to Engage…but on my terms…(assertion is not fact; statements must be backed up, somehow ,etc)
In RL, I get the distinct impression that most folks who take the time to Ask me what I’m Thinking about, don’t really want to know…or spend any time attempting to Find Me….
Similarly, I abandoned FB…mostly due to remorse over my Quarterly Drunken Outbursts™…but also, because it seems that the majority of those who engage, are…to be Charitable,lol…Trolls.
Very Little Logic…let alone verifiable Sources…cloud
these(sometimes) well meaning folk’s minds.
I gather that there are many who are, I guess, part of the
Choir…who mostly agree, but remain silent…
This is maddening, just as much as the illogical trolls.
I’ve been aware of the one-sidedness of my Thought, for a long time…from long before the Internet.
I’ve been aware of the one-sidedness of my Thought, for a long time…from long before the Internet.
I worry about that, and try to “correct” for it…and I have a
long habit of maintaining an imaginary Interlocutor, in my head…
This Person changes…from Her(largely unconscious Default) to Kay Baily Hutchinson to Obama…to Folks I know, or are acquainted with…to numerous wimmens I see, out in the world, and find attractive, for whatever reason…(floor manager at HEB, who is nice to me(short, compact, brunette, sexy,and obviously Competent… which is sexy, too))
This Person changes…from Her(largely unconscious Default) to Kay Baily Hutchinson to Obama…to Folks I know, or are acquainted with…to numerous wimmens I see, out in the world, and find attractive, for whatever reason…(floor manager at HEB, who is nice to me(short, compact, brunette, sexy,and obviously Competent… which is sexy, too))
This Fantasy Dialog is quite detailed, at times…I try to
make the “Other Side” as authentic as possible, given the fact that it’s all in
my head.
But it’s Frakking Boring, after 20+years of doing this, in
lieu of an actual Salon, or Lyceum.
Is my Blog well received?
Beats the shit outta me!
the Stats paint a cloudy picture…how many of those “page
views” are me, ere I discovered the cookie that excludes me?
That cookie, it turns out, is wiped by my crap cleaner program, and must be renewed, or I’ll be counted, again…
That cookie, it turns out, is wiped by my crap cleaner program, and must be renewed, or I’ll be counted, again…
Even without that particular distinction…where are my
Readers?!
8000 “pageviews”…200+ “posts”….and only 47 comments!...many
of which are my own!
I want the Flaws in my argument, in my Reasoning…to be
pointed out…challenged…argued with.
I want Dialog, dammit!
More than anything, I want to know that someone’s There.
I spend the vast majority of my time alone.
All of 5 people seem to have my phone number, and they’re all relatives.
In deepest despair, I reckon that it’s my fault…that Drunken Me has trained the world that he’s the only me…
I spend the vast majority of my time alone.
All of 5 people seem to have my phone number, and they’re all relatives.
In deepest despair, I reckon that it’s my fault…that Drunken Me has trained the world that he’s the only me…
Like everything else, this is mere supposition…there’s no
feedback, either way.
The Other Blog is even worse!
Started with the express intention of Invigorating the fearful and harassed Minority of Democrats, way out here…it’s been an abject failure.
Is no one interested?
The Other Blog is even worse!
Started with the express intention of Invigorating the fearful and harassed Minority of Democrats, way out here…it’s been an abject failure.
Is no one interested?
Don’t know.
Do I say it so well that there’s no need?
Do I say it so well that there’s no need?
Unlikely.
No Feedback.
So I go on, with my Imaginary Dialog…and the ongoing Project of Sponging Up all Knowledge in my path, interpolating, collating, incorporating…
So I go on, with my Imaginary Dialog…and the ongoing Project of Sponging Up all Knowledge in my path, interpolating, collating, incorporating…
Spun Up, till I cannot stand it, any more…then fall into a
bottle, and engage in the Primal Scream/Howl/Moan…which, then, seems to be
misunderstood, misapplied…if it’s noted, at all(I don’t know)
Reinforcing, along with my increasingly Painful Body, the
Agoraphobia and Isolation….which reinforces the feeling of Anomaly, of being
some Subspecies…some Mutation…and the inevitable(if yer of a certain frame of
mind, I guess) questioning…do I Exist?
Or (Worse!)…am I Insane?!
Are these the Rantings of a Madman?
(tap,tap,tap…)
Is this thing on?!
Hurry up, and Wait
It’s been almost four Months, since I was “Approved” for
SSI/Medicaid.
Turns out “Approved” was not exactly accurate….
They still needed Paper….and the Platinum Trailer Issue had
to be resolved.
A Month after the initial phone call that said I was “Approved”…I had hired a realtor, and sent in the relevant Paper….then, Nothing.
I called my guy…left messages…still nothing.
So, after3.5 Months, I called the Main Number….and after navigating the Cylon Woman/Gatekeeper, got a Real Person…who had the situation all wrong!
After 30+ minutes on hold, she finally found the real situation…not Wife’s Income, but “Assets” were at issue….
Then, she said to call “my Guy”…
So, I did…and….actually got him on the phone, first try!
A Month after the initial phone call that said I was “Approved”…I had hired a realtor, and sent in the relevant Paper….then, Nothing.
I called my guy…left messages…still nothing.
So, after3.5 Months, I called the Main Number….and after navigating the Cylon Woman/Gatekeeper, got a Real Person…who had the situation all wrong!
After 30+ minutes on hold, she finally found the real situation…not Wife’s Income, but “Assets” were at issue….
Then, she said to call “my Guy”…
So, I did…and….actually got him on the phone, first try!
First woman had said that Nothing had been done in over two
months…”my Guy” confirmed this, with no explanation….waiting for me to call. I
guess…
So, he says that he needs More Paper!
A copy of the actual Newspaper with the Realtor’s Ad, as well as further Proof of Wife’s Income…from the almost Four Months of Inaction.
He said I “should be getting mail, next week”…like a Medicaid Card, or at least a “Handbook”.
Week came and went….Nothing.
Too, “my Guy” said something about “transferring my case” to someone “in SSI’….which confuses me, since I had thought that he was SSI…
I have no idea.
Stuck in amber, waiting for Machine to Roll Over Me.
So, he says that he needs More Paper!
A copy of the actual Newspaper with the Realtor’s Ad, as well as further Proof of Wife’s Income…from the almost Four Months of Inaction.
He said I “should be getting mail, next week”…like a Medicaid Card, or at least a “Handbook”.
Week came and went….Nothing.
Too, “my Guy” said something about “transferring my case” to someone “in SSI’….which confuses me, since I had thought that he was SSI…
I have no idea.
Stuck in amber, waiting for Machine to Roll Over Me.
Meanwhile, no substantial Work has been done around here,
since March…I never recovered from last Winter.
The Simplest Thing …(Laundry)…Does Me In.
I don’t sleep.(2:30 AM, today).
The Simplest Thing …(Laundry)…Does Me In.
I don’t sleep.(2:30 AM, today).
On the rare “Good Day”, I manage an hour, or two of “Work”…
Then I lay around, Painfully, watching Netflix.
Never thought I’d run out of good shows,lol.
Never thought I’d run out of good shows,lol.
Almost Four Months….of Hope.
Nothing to do, but Think.
Ruminate on Surgery, and Anesthesia, and the Fear engendered by these.
Ruminate on Surgery, and Anesthesia, and the Fear engendered by these.
If it’s Medicaid, can I expect a Rookie Surgeon…Inferior
Replacement Parts?
Do I dare hope for a full Body Scan?
A Comprehensive Survey of all of the Damage?
A Comprehensive Survey of all of the Damage?
Skeletal Barometer is increasingly unreliable…and I can no
longer play guitar, sans Beer.
Is this what “Approved” means?
To be in Limbo, my own Purgatory of Uncertainty, for Months on end?
Is this what “Approved” means?
To be in Limbo, my own Purgatory of Uncertainty, for Months on end?
This, so-called, “Safety Net” is Cruel…in so many ways…
and that Cruelty is made worse , every time I venture forth, by the Applied Mythology…
and that Cruelty is made worse , every time I venture forth, by the Applied Mythology…
“Welfare Queen”. “Foodstamp Army”.
Six and a Half Years!
Almost a quarter of my Life!
Almost a quarter of my Life!
A Victim of Heartless “Conservatism”…it would have been more
Compassionate to just shoot me.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Room Enough
(a response to this:http://www.masoncountynews.com/news/article/57116#disqus_thread)
What conservatives do not seem to understand, is that the USA does Not
belong, exclusively, to them.
It never has, and it never will.
Of course, that is not to say that it, instead, belongs to their Opponents…
America Belongs to All of Us.
It never has, and it never will.
Of course, that is not to say that it, instead, belongs to their Opponents…
America Belongs to All of Us.
Black Brown White Yellow Red Pink and Purple.
Liberal, Conservative, Moderate, A-Political.
Liberal, Conservative, Moderate, A-Political.
Gay, Straight, and all shades of Gray.
Racists and non-Racists.
Capitalists, of all stripes…and Communists, also of all stripes….or no stripes, at all.
Racists and non-Racists.
Capitalists, of all stripes…and Communists, also of all stripes….or no stripes, at all.
It belongs to the Young, the Old, and the Middle Aged.
Rich, Poor, and all in between.
Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, and even Atheists!
Rich, Poor, and all in between.
Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, and even Atheists!
The Intelligent, and the Stupid….and the merely Ignorant,
and Misinformed.
All of Us, Every One.
This is the Ideal that the Founders had in mind…not as an accomplished Fact, but as the Ideal that We should work towards.
Diversity, Complex Relationships, between Disparate sorts of Organisms, as all Ecologists know well, is Essential to Healthy Ecosystems.
The Uniform field of Cloned Wheat is always less Robust, than the Chaotic field of Diverse Weeds, hence the need for tons of chemicals, in order to thrive.
All of Us, Every One.
This is the Ideal that the Founders had in mind…not as an accomplished Fact, but as the Ideal that We should work towards.
Diversity, Complex Relationships, between Disparate sorts of Organisms, as all Ecologists know well, is Essential to Healthy Ecosystems.
The Uniform field of Cloned Wheat is always less Robust, than the Chaotic field of Diverse Weeds, hence the need for tons of chemicals, in order to thrive.
We, as a Country, are Not becoming Less American, but more
so.
Relax, It’s not the End of the World,
Monday, November 12, 2012
Our Reagan, and a Proposal(a letter to the President)
Mr President,
First, Congratulations!
I can hardly even express how Gratifying it has been to
watch the squirming silence of the Tea People, here in Very Red Mason County,
Texas.(80%R/20%D)
I am hopeful that this will prove to be a watershed
election, analogous to Reagan. It is high time for the proverbial Pendulum to
become unstuck from the Right side of it’s swing. You may have accomplished
just that. Thank You.
The Republican Rump, in the House, will likely come to the
table with you, so long as you keep the lights somewhat dimmed…but, while in
the spotlight, they will appear to double down on the, apparently habitual,
Crazy.
Their vocal, but shrinking, Base demands it.
Let them.
Give them all the rope they require…and they will lose the
House in 2014.
Please, do not fear the word “Liberal”…neither should you
fear comparisons to “Socialist Europe”.
The Economic and Social Policies that have so dominated these past 33
years are Bankrupt, and have proven this…by their own metrics and criteria.
Second, in order to further your Legacy…and to really
unstick that Pendulum…I will now hand you an Idea…and a collection of
Rhetorical Points(in a Ziploc, as it were).
Please direct the DEA, and the rest of Justice, to
Unschedule Marijuana. End Marijuana Prohibition, once and for all, at the
Federal Level.
There are many benefits to this action, and what negative consequences there are, are easily overcome.
1.
You’ll put the Libertarians, as well as the
Libertarian Wing of the Republican Party in an uncomfortable quandary, which
should be entertaining. At the same time, you will ensure that the Tea People,
and their “handlers”, in the House, walk right into the trap of defending a
draconian, nonsensical, mythology-based regime of repression, that the majority
of Americans know all too well is founded on little more than Racism, Corporate
Protectionism, and Ignorance. They won’t be able to help themselves, and will
lose support from all but the most zealous of their base. Let the Rope that you
give them, be Hempen Rope! They’ve
already delegitimized themselves, defending the indefensible… from hard core
Misogyny to the Pseudohistory of their “Christian
Nationalism”, to the Failed Experiment with Reaganomics. You could hand them a
Cause around which they would most certainly Rally, and, in the process, Lose.
2.
More importantly than mere Political Calculus,
is that such an action would end…finally…the rationale for the inordinate
growth of Prisons(especially the Unamerican “private” kind), the shameful
incarceration of so many otherwise law-abiding People, and the wholesale
destruction of most of the Bill of Rights. The Drug War(which is largely the
War on Weed) is a Crusade, and an Inquisition…that sets neighbor against
neighbor, friend against friend, and that has turned our Police into a gang of
thugs, snooping into everyone’s Privacy. It has enriched the “prison industry”(sic),
and enabled the worst among us to engage in Inquisitorial Repression….especially
, to be frank, of that segment of the population who compose at least a
sizeable portion of your own Base.
3. It costs a whole lot of Money to prosecute this war on People. I read, several years ago, that Texas spends millions of dollars, annually, attempting to eradicate “ditch weed”…which is wild Hemp, that not only will Not get anyone High, but is there, in the first place, due to Federal Encouragement, way back when, of Farmers to grow Hemp for the war effort.
In addition to the enormous sums spent tracking, surveilling, chasing and snooping…and then prosecuting and incarcerating, then paroling…otherwise law abiding Citizens, who happen to like Pot….in addition to all that Money, is the, largely uncounted, untold Billions in Lost Wages, Lost Careers, Lost Lives(wrong address) and broken families that result from this misguided endeavor.
4. the current “Low Intensity Conflict”, on, and near, the Border with Mexico, could be, if not ended, outright…at least considerably Curtailed. Legalisation would remove a large chunk of change from the coffers of the Cartels, and their American Analogs, “Street Gangs” and “Prison Gangs”.
3. It costs a whole lot of Money to prosecute this war on People. I read, several years ago, that Texas spends millions of dollars, annually, attempting to eradicate “ditch weed”…which is wild Hemp, that not only will Not get anyone High, but is there, in the first place, due to Federal Encouragement, way back when, of Farmers to grow Hemp for the war effort.
In addition to the enormous sums spent tracking, surveilling, chasing and snooping…and then prosecuting and incarcerating, then paroling…otherwise law abiding Citizens, who happen to like Pot….in addition to all that Money, is the, largely uncounted, untold Billions in Lost Wages, Lost Careers, Lost Lives(wrong address) and broken families that result from this misguided endeavor.
4. the current “Low Intensity Conflict”, on, and near, the Border with Mexico, could be, if not ended, outright…at least considerably Curtailed. Legalisation would remove a large chunk of change from the coffers of the Cartels, and their American Analogs, “Street Gangs” and “Prison Gangs”.
5. At the same time, our own
Farmers could benefit by growing , not just Marijuana, but it’s even more
useful(and non-psychoactive!) Cousin, Hemp…for food, fiber, pulp and fuel. Hemp
doesn’t require fertilizers or pesticides, rebuilds soils that are depleted(remember,
Cotton Kills Soils)), and, when grown to replace Wood Pulp, saves Forests. Roughly
the same amount of useable biomass can be derived from an acre of Hemp, as from
an acre of Forest…but, where the Forest takes
decades to regrow, the Hemp takes one year.
6. Put all of
this, and more, together, and it amounts to a welcome stick in the eye of Big Pharma,
Big Ag, Big Booze, Big Law Enforcement, Big Addiction, and Big Paper and Forest
Products(Koch!!). None of these sectors are all that friendly to Democratic
Ideals. Let them Holler.
7. Finally, such
an action would go a long way in mitigating the seemingly perpetual soup of
surreality we find ourselves swimming in, year after year. The Facts….
Objective, Clinical and Anecdotal…have always been on the side of Legalisation;
yet, for decades, in order to win Public Office, one was required to Lie.
Whereas alcohol is the drug of Old Boy’s Clubs, Rednecks, NASCAR, and other, sundry, Right Leaning Constituencies…and is well known to be detrimental to Civil Society(yet cannot even be found in the DEA’s Classification Schema, which says Volumes!)…
On the contrary, Weed lends itself to Philosophical Speculation, Camaraderie and Non Violence.
It is the Relaxant of Choice for Thoughtful Introspection, and Compassionate Sharing(“Don’t Bogart that Joint, my friend…”).
Whereas alcohol is the drug of Old Boy’s Clubs, Rednecks, NASCAR, and other, sundry, Right Leaning Constituencies…and is well known to be detrimental to Civil Society(yet cannot even be found in the DEA’s Classification Schema, which says Volumes!)…
On the contrary, Weed lends itself to Philosophical Speculation, Camaraderie and Non Violence.
It is the Relaxant of Choice for Thoughtful Introspection, and Compassionate Sharing(“Don’t Bogart that Joint, my friend…”).
I’ll stop, there.
I hope I’ve given you (or whatever staffer ends up reading this) some food for
thought. I’d also like to extend the perpetual Invitation to sneak in to Mason,
and have some Bar-B-Que…I am famous for Pork Ribs…and , to boot, I’m likely in
a rather severe Minority of supplicants to your Office, who will Not use such a
hypothetical, informal visit, for any personal or political gain. (My 2 boys
would probably have difficulty keeping it secret, however,lol)
In the outside chance that such an invitation is considered(one can hope), just let me know how many(Spooks, Snipers and other Secret Service Types, included) that I will be cooking for.
Say hello to Michelle and the Girls, and know that there’s at least a few sane supporters of your Endeavors in Mason, Texas.
Keep up the Good Work,
In the outside chance that such an invitation is considered(one can hope), just let me know how many(Spooks, Snipers and other Secret Service Types, included) that I will be cooking for.
Say hello to Michelle and the Girls, and know that there’s at least a few sane supporters of your Endeavors in Mason, Texas.
Keep up the Good Work,
Josef
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Drain
I'm a little worn out...election,season's change(Pain),etc...and cannot keep a train of thought.
So I'm off reading,both real books, and online...
I'm deciding where my focus should be.
On the one hand, I've given in to temptation, and started lurking in Right Wing Land(Jane Goodall)...to try and determine which way that lot will go...in rhetoric, and philosophy, and possibly action. Very interesting things bubbling away in Crazyland.lol.
On the other hand, there's Doom.
Ha!
We Humans always....always...make the mistake of thinking that The Way We Do Things Now(tm) will continue on, indefinitely...that we are somehow exempt from History(or at it's Logical End).
This is a silly, and counterproductive, way of running a Civilisation, or it's various parts and pieces.
But we keep on doing it, anyway.
The first hand is given flesh by something the Odious Clown, Glenn Beck said, just after the election:beck, on the election
No need to lurk on Free Republic...unless, like me, you enjoy that sort of perverse Anthropological exercise.
The second hand....or at least the Thinking that goes with it...is summed up , comprehensively, by one John Michael Greer (http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/)
The upshot is that the two could be connected....the Gun Nuts and Apocalypse Seekers, Tea in all it's forms, are already re-entering the Survivalist Mode that we saw in the 90's. The problem is their Approach...and the Belief Systems (Foundational, Unexamined Assumptions), that they use to arrive at that Approach.
Gearing Up for the "inevitable" arrival of Federal Troops(or Chinese, or UN,lol) in Mason...or Hunkering Down, so's the Forces of the Antichrist won't notice you....leads to certain forms of Preparation. Most of these Forms will be inapplicable to Real World Conditions.
That's where Common Ground can be found, I reckon.
They're right, about the fact that nothing lasts forever, change is inevitable, and we should expect large change in the near future...
They just have the Causes wrong.
Ergo, they're spending more resources on Bullets, than on Beans and Bandaids.
I think it would be in our interest to mitigate that trend...
Sustainability, for one, should be a focus of every little town and neighborhood...Got Garden?!
Got Seed Saving?
The Trucks won't always run, I'm afraid(Hurricane Rita)...the Grid won't always work(it's in a horrible state of disrepair)...and no one wants to Think about stuff like Triple Redundancy for Food, Water and Heat.
Doing nothing, despite the Logic of the Situation, will ensure Hell World....starvation, Warlordism, and all of that fun stuff.
I reckon it would also be a good idea to make some informal alliances with the 4 towns within 40 miles...in the event of a Catastrophe, a Collapse, a Sudden Systems Failure, it won't be the damned UN, let alone the Fedgov, coming to get us,lol...no matter the Fantasies of the Right....it'll be hungry folks from Menard.
Such tentative alliances must likely be Informal.....the current systems of governance Assume a continuation of what has gone before.
The City, or the County, will never even contemplate such things, until it's too late.
In a Perfect World, Decentralisation...Democratisation of Everything....should be a Liberal Thing...
With the Gun Nuts, et alia, relegated to the necessary tasks of Defense, and well under the control of non-Gun Nuts, et alia.
This is impossible with our current penchant, as Dems...Liberals...whatever...to leave such thoughts to the Right.
The phrase "Conspiracy Theory" should be stricken from the Lexicon...and a sober look should be taken at Possibilities....at What Ifs...
Doomers call our current Paradigm, "Cornucopian".
Those don't really exist, I'm sorry to report...and Civilisations who, for a time, pretend to such nonsense, are doomed to Failure.
So I'm off reading,both real books, and online...
I'm deciding where my focus should be.
On the one hand, I've given in to temptation, and started lurking in Right Wing Land(Jane Goodall)...to try and determine which way that lot will go...in rhetoric, and philosophy, and possibly action. Very interesting things bubbling away in Crazyland.lol.
On the other hand, there's Doom.
Ha!
We Humans always....always...make the mistake of thinking that The Way We Do Things Now(tm) will continue on, indefinitely...that we are somehow exempt from History(or at it's Logical End).
This is a silly, and counterproductive, way of running a Civilisation, or it's various parts and pieces.
But we keep on doing it, anyway.
The first hand is given flesh by something the Odious Clown, Glenn Beck said, just after the election:beck, on the election
No need to lurk on Free Republic...unless, like me, you enjoy that sort of perverse Anthropological exercise.
The second hand....or at least the Thinking that goes with it...is summed up , comprehensively, by one John Michael Greer (http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/)
The upshot is that the two could be connected....the Gun Nuts and Apocalypse Seekers, Tea in all it's forms, are already re-entering the Survivalist Mode that we saw in the 90's. The problem is their Approach...and the Belief Systems (Foundational, Unexamined Assumptions), that they use to arrive at that Approach.
Gearing Up for the "inevitable" arrival of Federal Troops(or Chinese, or UN,lol) in Mason...or Hunkering Down, so's the Forces of the Antichrist won't notice you....leads to certain forms of Preparation. Most of these Forms will be inapplicable to Real World Conditions.
That's where Common Ground can be found, I reckon.
They're right, about the fact that nothing lasts forever, change is inevitable, and we should expect large change in the near future...
They just have the Causes wrong.
Ergo, they're spending more resources on Bullets, than on Beans and Bandaids.
I think it would be in our interest to mitigate that trend...
Sustainability, for one, should be a focus of every little town and neighborhood...Got Garden?!
Got Seed Saving?
The Trucks won't always run, I'm afraid(Hurricane Rita)...the Grid won't always work(it's in a horrible state of disrepair)...and no one wants to Think about stuff like Triple Redundancy for Food, Water and Heat.
Doing nothing, despite the Logic of the Situation, will ensure Hell World....starvation, Warlordism, and all of that fun stuff.
I reckon it would also be a good idea to make some informal alliances with the 4 towns within 40 miles...in the event of a Catastrophe, a Collapse, a Sudden Systems Failure, it won't be the damned UN, let alone the Fedgov, coming to get us,lol...no matter the Fantasies of the Right....it'll be hungry folks from Menard.
Such tentative alliances must likely be Informal.....the current systems of governance Assume a continuation of what has gone before.
The City, or the County, will never even contemplate such things, until it's too late.
In a Perfect World, Decentralisation...Democratisation of Everything....should be a Liberal Thing...
With the Gun Nuts, et alia, relegated to the necessary tasks of Defense, and well under the control of non-Gun Nuts, et alia.
This is impossible with our current penchant, as Dems...Liberals...whatever...to leave such thoughts to the Right.
The phrase "Conspiracy Theory" should be stricken from the Lexicon...and a sober look should be taken at Possibilities....at What Ifs...
Doomers call our current Paradigm, "Cornucopian".
Those don't really exist, I'm sorry to report...and Civilisations who, for a time, pretend to such nonsense, are doomed to Failure.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
whew
Well…
Sure is quiet in Mason,
Texas, this chilly AM.
Folks at the convenience store, quietly huddled….
whispered, yet still feverish.
whispered, yet still feverish.
Almost No cars on the road.
Looks more like a Sunday, during the xmas break, than a
Wednesday, in the first week of Hunting Season.
We stayed out at Mom’s(Mom-Sitting), and I honked the horn
on the truck, around 11;30…
A momentary triumphalism, ere digging into the numbers.
A momentary triumphalism, ere digging into the numbers.
Good day, all around, for us.
Found out the Lunatic Neighbor who’s been Prowling around Mom’s since at least 04, is being shuffled off to a home for Alzheimer’s Patients.
And, while it’s early days, yet…Dems may have their Reagan.
Found out the Lunatic Neighbor who’s been Prowling around Mom’s since at least 04, is being shuffled off to a home for Alzheimer’s Patients.
And, while it’s early days, yet…Dems may have their Reagan.
Tea will Dry Up.
Obama’s Policies are vindicated.
And Marijuana, Gay Marriage, and Healthcare for All are well on their way to mainstream success.
And Marijuana, Gay Marriage, and Healthcare for All are well on their way to mainstream success.
I’ll lay around, today.
Perhaps stay sober for more than 2 1/5 months.
The Global Problems(Peak Resources,Climate Change,Peak Economics), are still there….
But there is, at least, a little bit of Hope to put under our hats.
Perhaps stay sober for more than 2 1/5 months.
The Global Problems(Peak Resources,Climate Change,Peak Economics), are still there….
But there is, at least, a little bit of Hope to put under our hats.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
revisiting Keynes
http://www.aeonmagazine.com/living-together/john-quiggin-keynesian-utopiav1/
We've been toiling under one version of Dogmatic Utopianism, for my whole life.
I think it's safe to say that it has, Objectively,....Failed....at least for the Majority.
Perhaps it's time to Think, about Heresy, and well Outside the Box.
We've been toiling under one version of Dogmatic Utopianism, for my whole life.
I think it's safe to say that it has, Objectively,....Failed....at least for the Majority.
Perhaps it's time to Think, about Heresy, and well Outside the Box.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)