Women and Men ~ Boys and Girls

As much complaining, grouching and bad mouthing our two genders waste on each other, one might get the impression that women and men often think they would be better off without the other. The only thing they tend to agree on some of the time is in bed, mutually hip slapping in order to keep the species chock full of participants. And since there are so many humans crammed onto this planet, one could also conclude, the two sexes get along much better than they like to let on.

Even with many exceptions of notable murderous and devious events, men and women have been putting up with each other forever. Their connections run deeper than procreation and survival in general.. In order to survive in the best possible way, they found grouping together was smarter than not. Each gender developed a role that contributed to the group; hunter or gatherer, fabricator or couch potato with a beer in their hand. Humans found that for every role, another role was needed to support or counter the stupidity the other role was using. 

And what happened then? The two of us began to take small pleasures in each other's company. Connections not based on survival found their way into our brain's societal DNA. Eventually, many of us found contentment sharing small agreeable gestures. Tolerance evolved into acceptance; or maybe call it, resignation with a smile, a smirk, a corner or two of our lips lifted.

In my mind, a world with only one sex would be one of the many Hells I often conjure up. Whether or not women think they can roll alone, I need women in my life and really, they need men in theirs.  After all, who else would they have to laugh at; themselves? That would surely be their own Hell.

And men who think their gender can exist solo. They just fool themselves. Besides the obvious biological hurdle, our gender is just not that smart. We wouldn't be around long enough to create our own Hell.

Free Will and the Ladies are what make my world go 'round. ..........................

________________

I had the song for this post picked out by the second paragraph. A song about tolerance mixed with love. Here is John Prine and Iris DeMent with "In Spite of Ourselves". Yeah, John was a great  lyricist for sure. 

Educational TV of the 1950s

Okay, okay. .... There is indeed a downside to cutting oneself off from the sensory overload charitably called news these days. I leave it all behind for a couple of months and what do I find when I decided to come back? I have missed out on some seriously funny bullshit coming from the genius leader of the Right. I am sure he is only warming up for the big show on the 20th. I feel confident there's more to come and most of it will not be so funny or pleasant. 

Fuck him and his ignorant following. There is more to Life than giving him much, if any, attention. I just wish the media was not so Hell bent on broadcasting his every drooling mistake, mishap, rude remark. If they would ignore him, the news would be so much easier to take. .... And while I am at it, I heard Morning Joe and his wifely sidekick Mika caved to poor ratings and traveled south to Mar Lago to kiss the asshole's ring. Not a good look Joe. For ratings Joe? Apparently you have no self respect. Your credibility and any respect I may have had for you just took a huge nose dive.

During my two month hiatus, I filled some of the time I use to waste following the news by streaming old TV shows from the world I existed in during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was like listening to old rock songs or flipping through boxes of old family Kodak moments. 

Two of my favorite shows at age 7 through 11 was "Leave it to Beaver" and "The Rifleman". Both half hour shows were aimed at my age group and almost every episode had a positive message to share with all the little tackers who populated the U.S. landscape. Both shows were very popular. The Rifleman was the cowboy I dreamed of being. The Beaver was the kid who lived the life I was sure I wanted.

I streamed one or the other instead of the news during my morning wake up routines. At first it was an act of defiance and a show of just how disgusted I was with the results of the November election.  I was done with this country and everyone in it could go to Hell. Retreating to memories softened by the passing of time seemed a good alternative.

Then I got hooked on the damn shows. The 30 minute Life lessons were often corny and sappy, but the underlying messages they contained for still hold true today; basic ideals and ideals we all should aspire to. 

I once read, heard or maybe, just thought I did, someone say "We learn all we really need to know to live a decent life by age ten." .... or words to that effect. 

And maybe it's just me, but I think many of us could benefit watching a few "Beaver" and "Rifleman" re-runs to refresh some of the Life lessons offered us back before we became jaded adults.

Later ............................

_______________________

Musical choice today has no connection to the post. I was thinking of Harry Nilsson yesterday. Not sure why, but there it was. For the life of me I could not think of one tune by him, yet I remembered I liked his music back in the day. Thanks to YouTube, I found "Everybody's Talkin", a song he wrote and recorded for the film, "Midnight Cowboy". The movie is one of the great films of my life.

Enjoy.

Cultural Shifts

I joined a 1970's Facebook memory page awhile back. The first thing I did was remind myself this was not going to be a page I vented my angry political crap. I had other places for ranting, raving, showing my displeasure with the world politic at this time. Some pages should be reserved for apolitical and non-religious fun and nonsense. Leave the hate and discontent at home.

Sadly, politics seems to stalk me wherever I go in Facebook. Anywhere people engage each other, ugliness, hate, and discontent is always waiting just below the surface for any chance to ruin an otherwise pleasant and funny conversation. I fucking hate it.

So, the image to the right posted on the 70's memory page. Of the many comments I read, most were just straight up reactions to the memory, not interpretative memories that may have drastically mutated in the ensuing years that brought us to how we remember those good ole days today.

Now that I have pondered the meme awhile now, I realize the meme asked for it to get political with the words "cultural shift". 

Nothing fires up a lot of us Boomers than words like "cultural shift". Most of us are sure it was better then than it is now. Seems we want to blame some group we are not part of for the perceived sad state of affairs our world is in now. It's the kids, the rich, the Democrats, the GOP, atheists, Bible Thumpers, the brown immigrants; it's always someone other than ourselves. 

No one seems to want to acknowledge that what we have today is a group grope. It took all of us to create what we are living through now. In my opinion, no group is as bad as my Baby Boomer generation at condemning the world we helped to create. When a Millennial, a G throught Z generation punk blames us and wished we were dead and gone, well, we deserve it I guess. Many of us felt the same about our parents from "the Greatest Generation" who busted our balls during those wonderful1960's and 1970s.

The more things that change, the more they remain the same. My mom always contended there was nothing new under the Sun, just reiterations with subtle twists. And now that I have lived for over 70 years, I realize that she was right.

The story remains the same; it's the set that changes. 

Later ..............................

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A perfect song to match my mood at the moment is, "The Way It Is", by Bruce Hornsby. It is a beautiful song with a serious message. I try to resist, but every time I hear it, my eyes go moist.

Made My Day

A few nights ago, I mixed it up with some Anal Retentive Right Wingers, Clueless Trump Pingers, and Bible Thumping Condemnation Swingers on a political group page on Facebook. Waged war with them till past midnight. Felt good to purge and direct my anger and frustration towards the folks I find the most fault with. It gets tiring always preaching to the choir.

Woke up the next morning with over 25 nasty comments waiting patiently for me to address them. I replied to some, skipped some and laughed at some.

Put a smile on my face first thing. Been awhile since I really slugged it out.

My learning curve for doing battle with internet personalities began back in the Newsgroup days of the 128 kbps Internet in the1990s. It could take many minutes just to to trade a couple of insults.

From there, it was forums; political, bicycle, and regional. I had some of my most memorable times poking fun at the insanity of a "The South Shall Rise Again" forum. From there I found "Free Republic", a forum in which many future Tea Baggers and later MAGA-lites were created.

My time mixing it up with Freepers was too short. "Free Republic" did not tolerate opposing views. I think I lasted a week before I was kicked out and don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. I was in pig heaven duking it out daily with brain dead Freepers. Being kicked out put my worst inclinations on hold: gave me reason to pause and take stock.

I had fallen in love with the battle, not the victory. There was no victory, no loss, just the confrontation.

I cooled it some when I started this blog in 2004. Instead of wasting time arguing just to argue, I began to write down my thoughts, beliefs, and observations. Over the next decade I feel I finally discovered who I really was by finding what I truly believed.

I began to bait less and listen more. Call it one of my renaissance periods which I had hoped would last longer than it did. Trump came along and suddenly I was back in the ditches slinging mud with the worst of them.

Nine years later, I am now of an age that I have accepted and no longer deny the existence of that chip I have carried on my shoulder since childhood. I no longer analyze it or try to contain it. Though it has aged and is beat up some, I carry it openly and use it when I see fit.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ..................

_________________

I am on a roll. The songs I have been picking lately have come easy. And again my choice is a song I have never heard of by an artist I never knew of either.

I am not much of a Hip Hop / Rap fan. It seems though I have had to expand my music list to include some. This tune rocks. and the woman singing reminds me of an early and brief relationship I had with a girl named Paula. She was a skinny white girl with an attitude twice her size. She laid me out once because she did not like a comment I made. I deserved it, but damn, it really hurt. The boys were sore for several days.

Anyway without any further ado, here is Delilah Bon performing "Bad Attitude". Best listened to at WOW on the volume dial.

Stupor Bowl Sunday & Skinny White Chicks

Other than hoping the 49ers kick KC's ass at this year's Stupor Bowl, I have no real interest in the game this year. I haven't had any interest in the Stupor Bowl for some time now since the Pats have fallen on tough times. Their GOAT quarterback left some years back and their GOAT coach just couldn't seem to get the team's level of play back up to the standards the team set in the previous 17 years. He's gone now also. Whole new team next year. .... We'll see.

It's a good thing I don't care about watching or not watching the Stupor Bowl; especially since I can't count on the normal run of snacks and alcohol I would most likely want as I watched the game. I am looking forward to on a pre-colonoscopy all liquid diet today. ...... Yeah, I can't wait. 

I had a colonoscopy 12 -13 years ago. It went fine. I was fine. The biggest thrill was watching the screen as Dr. Abraham fired his laser and turned the few polyps that were there into vaporous clouds. Very cool. 

The prep the day before was Hell though. I expect Stupor Bowl Sunday this time to be in the same ballpark. At least now, I know what to expect.

However, my upcoming trials and tribulations on Sunday pale in comparison to the epic saga of whether Taylor will make it to the Stupor Bowl in time to root for her Manly Man and his team. 

The drama built up over this life or death question has been well, Taylor Swift Gigantic. Just what we would expect given Taylor has more of a fan base than, ...... than anyone. If she farts, its news. If she yawns at an interview, her devoted admirers wonder if she might have a terminal disease. 

Some days it seems the World does indeed revolve around skinny white chicks.

Go Niners! ......................

_________________________

Music today is from an artist you will never see center stage at Halftime in the Stupor Bowl. Who that person is at this very moment is unpicked, unfound, not located yet. 

After exhaustive avoidance and looking for something else to do, David Bromberg came to mind. His version of "Kansas City Blues" is as good as anyone's version. Seems appropriate for Stupor Sunday.

For all those NFL fans who hate the Chiefs .............  Enjoy.........

Stay Tuned

I guess I did not know what to expect. What I found at the outset was a far cry from anything I had envisioned.

I joined Tik Tok this morning and after only 20 minutes or so of complete cluelessness, I am thinking that my participation on Tik Tok is a no go. I can find nothing but selfie style videos, most of which I have decided are not worth even mentioning them here.

I do not make videos. I write words. Words are my favored form of reaching out and touching folks. Written words don't fail me like my spoken words can. I am able to think about how I want to relay my thoughts more clearly by putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. I can edit as I go. Fuck up a video and it most likely means a re-take.

No, I don't do videos. ......................................... 

Back in the day I joined Twitter before I joined Facebook. Took me a New York minute to decide Twitter was where small minded mean people coagulated. Facebook was better at the get-go, but not much better. That was 13, 14 years ago and even though I gave Twitter a second chance, I haven't changed my mind. Assholes way outnumber regular folk on Twitter. I hear it is even worse now that Elon got his grubby little fingers on it.

So, I won't bail on Tik Tok, at least not right away. 

Stay Tuned ....................................

___________________________

For no reason at all, I picked "Moondance", by Van Morrison as the musical finish to this post. This song has definitely stood the test of time. I think I like more than I ever did when I was 18. 

My Non-Apology Apology to Taylor Swift

Right out of the gate and before I get started on this post, I would like to extend a pre-apology for anything I end up writing that might disturb, bother, or somehow insult anyone who happens to read what I write here today. ............ Of course I don't mean it, but maybe someone somewhere will think more kindly of me because I made a gratuitous attempt to garner their favor. Call it a non-apology apology.

I am an old fart who actually has some Internet game, having been active here in the byte filled internet ether for coming up on 30 years. 

( Question- is it "on the Internet" or 'in the Internet"? For some reason today, I don't like either version, ...Uh, well never mind; in the scheme of what is important, nothing I post or questions I may ask amount to anything more than adding to the infinite amount of wasted bandwidth that is Humanity circle-jerking each other on the Internet. )

Newsgroups of the 1990's got me involved in the emerging world of Social Media. It was the barrage of insults that were traded back and forth that hooked me. I just loved swapping "Yo Momma" barbs with strangers I did not know. 

As the World Wide Web expanded its influence, social media pressures from outside our protected little bubbles began to seep in and disturb our lives. Before we could say "What the Fuck", some clown, or group of clowns on the other side of the planet were forcing their ideas and thoughts into our own. 

Some folks claim it is good to have our world views challenged. That is probably true. But today, many of the interactions end up being just some asshole or group of assholes venting their bitter, hateful judgments of folks they don't know and will never ever care to know. It's much easier to be mean to a stranger.

Now 25 years later, I am supposed to worry about what people outside my own circle jerk think about how I conduct my life. I am supposed to be concerned about the feelings I hurt, the criticisms I make, and the lack of respect of the Human Race my time on the Internet has taught me. I tried to care, show some concern or at least some empathy. When there was no reciprocation in kind, I shrugged it off and stopped trying to always be civil.  

Individually, almost every person I have met face to face has shown me they are most days, decent and caring human beings. But give someone a smart phone, a PC, or "gasp", an iPad and the game of interacting can become ugly in a heartbeat. The ability to hide behind the anonymity of a computer keyboard allows even nice folks from down the street to become ugly, hateful personas who never have to face the repercussions of their previously buried acrimonious hostile feelings.

Allow people to hide their identities and the result can and often is an Internet cauldron of ugly, nasty, and false accusations that are always simmering and not so occasionally, will boil over and fire up large numbers of idiots for no good reason other than their feelings were hurt or their dignity was compromised, their manhood questioned, or maybe worst of all, they perceive someone has disrespected their favorite celebrity. 

Nothing brings down a barrage of vitriolic condemnation faster than when someone writes something like,"Taylor Swift music is nothing special Pop Music dribble." ( stay tuned to see if I get shit about this joke, not joke I just made)

Out here in the real world I used to just laugh at the over the top activities of people who cannot go with the flow when interacting with others. But now, with the Internet, the sad, the  angry, and the insane have found a louder voice and formed larger groups of like minded losers who preach their venal hatred or condemnations to each other so much, it becomes an orgy of judgmental hate and discontent; the result being about hating and condemning without rhyme or reason. 

I refuse to be anonymous on the 'Net. Being open about who I am creates a check to my occasional desire to be an asshole to a stranger. I was taught better. I was taught to assume the best in people until they opened their mouths and threw "best" right out the window.

For me, being honest as I can about who I am and how I feel wipes out any guilt I may have if I hide behind a false identity. I wish more of us did that.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ............................

___________________________

Music, Music, Music,............. This part of my posts sometimes is the hardest part of the post; finding a tune that fits the words, or at least has something in common like a vowel or color.

Well,, fuckin wow, wow, WOW!

I figured since I had voiced an uninformed opinion regarding Taylor Swift's music in the post, I owed her  at least a shot at redeeming herself and proving me wrong.

I googled "Taylor Swift song about how the Internet sucks." What popped up immediately in milli seconds was "You Need to Calm Down".  

I don't know enough about Taylor Swift to make any judgement regarding her music, yet that is exactly what I have done. This song tells me I will have to actually check her music out before I open my pie hole again. 

How's that for a non-apology apology?

The Noise of Mass Insanity

I haven't posted much lately because well, I have had more to say than I could sort out and make sense enough of  to not come across as an over the edge wacka-doodle who is sure we are all fucked with no help in sight. 

Imagine a dirty, scruffy old man with a long beard, whose out of control mullet hairdo gives the impression he might just be a retired Tweaker who survived many years in a Meth Lab. He is clothed in what once may have been a nice bathrobe and is standing on a wooden soap box in Central Park. 

Through missing and rotted teeth, he verbally accosts anyone who happens by with doomsday predictions about where their souls will end up if they don't bring Jesus into their hearts. The man's eyes will take on a glow as he beseeches the Lord with upraised arms to use his mighty wrath and smite these sinful heathens down so that only the blessed and faithful will be around for the Rapture. ....................

Yeah, that is how I see myself when I want to write lately about anything remotely political or religious. 

There is so much rabid stupidity floating around everywhere in this country, the sane among us have turned off, or at least turned down the moronic rhetoric that is poisoning our interactions with each other. And though the media knows that most of us are tired of the nonsense, they continue to pile the useless and destructive bullshit on us 24/7, day in, day out. 

Yeah, I could turn off the noise, and frankly I have turned it off to the best of my ability. But it is hard to not at least peek at the million car pile up that is our country at the moment. I sure hope some sanity returns before I leave this rock full of assholes. ........ I won't hold my breath.

Ferchrisakes people;

 What about "Keepin it 'tween the Ditches" do you not understand?

____________________________

So what music might go with the mass insanity that is playing out coast to coast here in the USA? ....Hmm...........

A song written over 50 years ago for a different set of problems is still pertinent to the insanity we put ourselves through today. My whole life has been filled with people pissing on each other's shoes, blaming each other for the sadness and hurt that was mostly self inflicted.

It is not me, it is them. ...........When it's really all of us group groping our way to planet wide suicide if we don't watch out.

Here is "For What Its Worth", Buffalo Springfield, released in 1966 I think.

Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly

A day or two ago Space X fired off the "Starship" from a launch pad on the Texas Gulf coast. At just shy of 400 feet long, it is the largest rocket ever built by Man. In what many considered a failure, the rocket blew up about four minutes in. At least that is what most folks I know thought of it. Some intermittent snickering and jokes aimed at Elon Musk were the result.

Apparently though, the company line is the launch was a success and they used optimistic terminology to describe the explosion, calling it a "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly". That made me laugh, chuckle, chortle and I am still smiling whenever I think of that term.

Which brings up the language used by organizations, governmental, religious, charitable and private. No matter how awful or wrong the situation might be, these groups always try to put a positive spin on that negative situation by the way they manipulate our mother tongue.

Bureaucracies, no matter whether they are public or private, never want to use plain English when disorienting and confusing "Doublespeak" can take its place. "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly" ranks right up there with some of the newer terms like "Alternative Facts", "Negative Patient Outcome",  "Enhanced Interrogation"; the list is endless. 

The word "Doublespeak" is a combining of ideas taken from the famous novel by George Orwell, "1984".  They are "Doublethink" and "Newspeak":

•  Doublethink describes the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in your mind at the same time and accept the result. 
• Newspeak is language designed to limit a range of thought.
• Doublespeak is a hybrid of the two that seems to describe the overall goals of Doublethink and Newspeak.

 The main thrust of all of them is never speak the truth, always speak around it. Truth and facts are the enemy. Dimming the inner light folks are blessed with is the goal and makes them easier to control.

Changing the descriptors from plain English to the hybrid English does nothing to change the situation or event, and almost never changes the perception by anyone with half a brain. Yet the bureaucrats, cubicle clowns of industry, and the purveyors of the Politically Correct all seem to think it is okay to take out or ignore the words they feel are too harsh for our sensibilities or too factual for their own comfort. It is as if they feel creating new verbiage can somehow slip their sleazier efforts right by us. Sadly, oftentimes they are correct.

Most of the time their makeovers of the Lexicon to satisfy their specific group needs is nothing but comedy. Lately though, this messing with our language is getting out of hand. I can't seem to keep up, what with the need now to learn how to use pronouns in a specific way so as to not hurt someone’s feelings. Or maybe now I am expected to accept "Alternative Facts" as a viable option to "Real Facts". 

We are not just fucking our country up worse than ever with culture wars, religious wars and who can be the dumbest wars, we are also dragging the language we cherish down with it.   (537)

Life does not need to be this complicated ........................................

______________________

Again Rage Against the Machine comes up with the tune that satisfies. It is called "Testify" . It is a tad dated, but very relevant and on point sorta. These lyrics point to what The Machine, The Deep Pockets, the Thought Police and The Over Faithful want. 

They tug us this way, that way in an effort for us to live life their way.

Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now controls the past
Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now?

Language Equity

In those haze filled moments between sleep and wakefulness this morning, I thought of a subject to write about followed by my first sentence. The brilliance of that sentence has faded some since my feet hit the floor; but let me tell you, it was Pulitzer worthy. .......... Okay, okay, it wasn't. But it did make me laugh out loud at how ridiculous it was. I guess it actually was more of something one might read in an Alice in Wonderland novel. Might make sense on the second run through. And then again. it might not.

It bothers me that I cannot retrieve that sentence from the many mutters that clutter my mind. I have heard that with a high enough IQ properly focused, a person can remember every moment, word, every thought they ever had. Given that I barely have a high enough IQ to know which side of the bread to butter, remembering what I did an hour ago when I was waking up can be a challenge.

Later this morning I opened my latest edition of the "Atlantic Monthly". In a section they call "Dispatches", was the op/ed, "The moral case against Euphemism", by George Packer.

Anyone who knows me, knows I pack my politics to the Left. And anyone who knows me better than just kinda knows me, knows I will call out the stupidity of either side when it raises its head enough to catch my attention. 

I have taken notice that there are forces on both sides of the aisle who would rid us of notions, concepts, and odious freedoms they feel insult them and thus must insult all of us here in America. Both sides do it. But at the moment, the Right is the elephant in the china shop with their new "anti-woke" policies. Because the Wingers have the loudest voices now, the Liberal fringes have been able to work their own kind of evil magic under the radar of public awareness. Much of their focus has been to edit the language we use everyday.

 According to George, there is a countrywide effort to rid our language of any word that might be perceived as hateful, mean, demeaning, or even hint that someone somewhere might take offense once that word has entered their brain. It is called Language Equity.

This arbitrary adjustment of the status quo in our language apparently was spawned in the back rooms of academia over at least the last 50 years or so. It has spread throughout the nation and into the fabric of organizations and governments, public and private. PR manuals have been written with a new harsher emphasis on kinder and gentler language to use when attempting to win converts to their cause, their product, their beliefs. 

I agree there are words that are no doubt hurtful, incendiary and should be stricken from our national lexicon. Like many good ideas that are over zealously put into play, it now appears that between Language Equity and the Pronoun Fad, every word we speak is under suspicion of harboring hidden slurs, denigrating codes that are used by Evil people to communicate with each other in a sort of wink, wink, dash dash manner. I'm sorry, but I am of the opinion most words mean what Webster decided they meant hundreds of years ago.

These well meaning people are now deep into some kind of witch hunt where every word is suspect. Left unchecked, they might turn our beautiful language into a bland and empty reminder of what it once was. Words are being cleansed and banished at an astonishing rate. It is as if we now are to assume our fellow humans are not intelligent enough to understand context at the same time they are reading. If that is the case, then we have deeper problems than offending someone with words on paper or screen.

According to George, this new "Language Equity" is the offspring of just a few sources, two of which are "A Progressive's Style Guide" and the "Racial Equity Tools" glossary. The number of edits and deleted words seems almost infinite. As an example; Don't use the word "battle". It might incite a PTSD incident or drive someone to violent outbursts. For some reason the word "Blind" is frowned upon. The list is long enough in the "Progressive's Style Guide", it would give some dictionaries a run for their money. Their efforts are gutting the English language of its soul, its many hues, all in an effort keep folks from having the Blues.

The Ultra Right are doing their best to erase history and criminalize previously enjoyed rights. The Uber Left are doing their best to sanitize our language and strip it of its passion, intensity; its essence. Between the two of them, the results may not be what any of us foresaw or wanted. 

We need to take back control from the fringes of the Left and the Right. Allowing the minorities of both sides to dictate the conversations and messaging regarding our future goals and commitments quite often rely on poorly conceived knee jerk policies that force change rather than let it evolve organically; in its own time. Change will happen. We should not be so quick and thoughtless about the pace at which we allow it to happen.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ............................

____________________

Hateful words, sadful words and gladful words are part and parcel of our collective souls. All of them have a place in our English lexicon. The many words available that evoke and vent the emotions of a moment, an interaction or disappointment, can be cathartic and soul cleansing. To that end, here are the Avert Brothers with their song 10,000 words.

Times of Degeneration

Back in the early 1970s, college campuses were a melting pot of the possibilities of the Future mixed in with the traditions of the Past.  

The Hippies represented what was the Present and what was coming. The Pat Boone kids, with their clean cut hair-doos and their Ah shucks, the Lord is my Shepard attitudes were doing their best to resist the tidal wave of the rampant hedonism of the  Anti-American Pinko Commies who many perceived to be overrunning college campuses coast to coast. Free Love had been invented, but getting laid was still a crap shoot on any given night down to the Rathskeller.

New ideas and concepts clashed with the old tried and true Leave it to Beaver ideals Americans had been convinced were what had made America the greatest country on the planet.  Blacks were flexing their muscles. Future draftees were burning their draft cards while women began burning their bras and gays were slowly leaving their closets.  The stodgy what used to be was being replaced by the hip new what is coming.

The only common thread tying all the college kids together was they were all horny and looking to occasionally step away from reality or hedge their bets for an overnight lay by ingesting copious amounts of the Demon Rum or Satan's Weed; oftentimes both.

Flash forward to today. 

I cannot say the populations of college campuses break down now in similar demographics as they did back in the early 1970's. I can certainly attest to the notion that similar mindsets have bridged the five decades since I wasted time in college getting wasted. The issues of then are still not settled business among many citizens now and continue to be thorns in the side of the American experience.

The dates have changed. The mentalities have not. The Left still pushes us to tomorrow, the Right wants to hold us back. The Left likes Capitalism to a point. Most see it as a necessary evil. The Right seems to love Capitalism and its captains more than they love the country. These truths are a constant that have been with us since our beginnings over 200 years ago. 

A noticeable difference between the conversations of then and now are the levels of intractability our opposing views have attained. We used to have heated discussions and when people tired of arguing, they often found consensus or they walked away. Today, we don't have conversations, we shout at each other and seldom find common ground. Instead, we dig our heels in even when the facts tell us we are wrong.

Yes, the biggest difference I notice today is the lack of respect we give facts. We have begun favoring our own interpretations of facts or ignoring them completely. It seems our political realities are being framed by our political faith that all too often leaves little room for the facts we should be using to frame our plans or views in the first place. This leaves us with fewer workable bipartisan actions and more built up partisan acrimony.  The one reality almost all of us used to live in has now had to make room for other realities that only exist in the minds of the beholders. 

The words my high school English teacher wrote in my junior year yearbook seem so, so more prophetic now than they did when he wrote them in 1969:

" These are critical times. Degeneration is around the corner.  ....... WATCH! "

I think it is safe to say we have entered the times of Degeneration, yet many of us fail or refuse to see it.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ..............................................

_______________________

I had narrowed my musical choice down to four songs, three by Buffalo Springfield and one by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. One group provided members for the later group, so the musicality is very similar. It was a tough choice. I listened to all four several times each. 

What I did was, post all four. "Ohio" and "For what it's Worth" may be be the most famous of the four.  All four are great and always take me back to those days of upheaval in the 1960s and 70s that sadly seem to have reared their ugly little heads once again.

• "Ohio" - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  
• "Four Days Gone" - Buffalo Springfield  
• "Special Care" - Buffalo Springfield
• "For What it's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield

Post created from a very rough draft from February, 2009

Unfacts

                

Unfacts are defined in the online dictionary of Merriam-Webster as;

: a deliberate falsehood made to pass as fact (as for partisan or propagandistic purpose)

Why the use of this word has not caught on, especially now, is beyond me. It is a more accurate description of the kind of lies masquerading as truth being pushed by, well, almost everyone it seems. It beats "Alternate Facts" hands down. There is no equivocation that might lend the term even the smallest amount of dishonest interpretation. The word "unfact" is clear, concise and accurate when trying to be polite while calling out a liar. It has been in existence since at least 1895.

Calling someone out as a liar often leads to heated verbal exchanges becoming exchanges of blows, bullets, and/or rocks. Liar is a trigger word that liars particularly take offense at. Much chest thumping and other buffoonish behavior can result when a liar actually is called a liar. To avoid the violent responses as much as possible, we have come up with many different words that mean liar. They all are less likely to create the fury that being called a liar does. I do not know why. A liar is a liar and they should be no more offended than when hearing themselves called fibbers, prevaricators, or perjurers. To call someone a liar to their face seems to be the worst only surpassed by adding my favorite adjective and calling them a Fucking Liar.  

All in all, there is really no nice way to call someone a liar. And as a rule it is always safer to call someone a liar from the safety of a computer screen based miles away from the targeted liar. It has been my personal experience that liars seem to be the most indignant when called out and the most likely to behave unpredictably.

A lie is the verbal equivalent of stealing. Both are dishonest and despicable actions that can cause much pain and anguish long after the initial offense. The effects can last for years, yet, our human culture does not seem able to live without lying, cheating and stealing. Dishonesty has a place in our culture whether we want to admit it or not. We will often get huffy when the lie affects us personally; yet often we will ignore the same effect in others over our lies. 

Nowhere is the use of the Unfact more prevalent or obvious than inside America's Politics. Both the Right and the Left are experienced and often overly enthusiastic users of the unfact. And sadly, the Right seems to have given up on facts altogether and are now relying on the unfact to fit their needs in filling the heads of their minions with exactly the kind of fear that will drive their agenda the best. They are the masters.

While it appears the Right has more bald faced lies floating around than the Left does, the Left is still more than capable and eager to push unfacts when they feel the urge. And I seriously think that many on the Left are jealous of just how good the Right has become at spreading false information and accusations. An example of the Left's effort to match the Right when it comes to lying is this image Meme that passed through my Facebook page a few days ago.

It pretends to be a bullet list of GOP goals for the future. It is a fake, but a much slicker lie than what the GOP usually comes up with. The usual lies from the Right are on the surface bald face lies. They don't even try to hide them anymore. Regardless it is wrong no matter who came up with the lie and was doubly wrong to be allowed any oxygen at all. 

I have no right to call out people who spread meme's containing false information, uh, lies on social media platforms. I have missed a few. I am more careful now about what I do share online in the way of facts. This meme to the right for instance; I caught before I posted. It offers up talking points that have been bounced around on the Right for years. But in this configuration pretending to be official GOP policy, it is a lie no matter that some would consider it only misleading. In my opinion, misleading is lying and sometimes even worse than a straight out lie. It should not have been allowed to be posted.

I think all of us who spend time on Facebook or any other social media site need to be more concerned and cautious about spreading fiction versus being used to spread lies that in the end do none of us any good.

A world based on lies seems like it already has one foot in the grave.

Later ......................................

__________________________

Musical choice today is "Lies" by JJ Cale, an artist whose life was music. Much of his time was spent in the production booth, not in front of a mic. But he still managed to publish over 30 albums in his lifetime, all the while doing everything he could do to limit his exposure in the limelight.

Universe of Black Holes

The Internet is a universe of Black Holes, each of which is comprised of an infinite number of Rabbit Holes. No matter where I turn, there is another door waiting for me. Posted on the doors of these Rabbit Holes are come hither messages meant to seduce me by promising idyllic experiences up to and including sexual climaxes. I could live to be 300 years old and I bet I would have only tasted a small fraction of the choices floating out there in the Internet Ether. I have wasted much time and money falling down one Rabbit Hole or another. 

It has been a wonderful, illuminating and educational ride. Often though, it turns ugly and becomes filled with mindless moments akin to what we used to call Day Dreaming back in the day; only now we let the Internet create the Day Dreams for us. The epitome of laziness and sloth.

Nothing represents the good, the bad, the useless and the useful on the Internet better than the countless social media sites. There are sites which cover everything under this Sun. There are other sites that cover the doings and interests of Puckerville, Maine with its 3000 full time residents right up to covering the cities of millions like New York City. There are sites dedicated to chainsaws. weird maps, how to make the best clam chowder, and what makes the best whiskey sour.  Political sites, Conspiracy sites, Bible Thumping sites, and liposuction review sites all help pollute the inter web with enough meaningless blather to support the sites worth visiting, though no one ever does. But if you need them,, they are there waiting.

Upon reflection and honest review, I have to admit that at least 90% of my time on the Internet is wasted, being mostly idle interactions with others around the globe of the same mind set. We really don't have any sensible reason to be online, yet here we are trading "Yo Momma" insults and other salutations. The conversations are nothing but jibber jabber, but occasionally, once in awhile, and sometimes, I exchange niceties with someone who is on or close to the same page as I. 

My latest Rabbit Hole is one I fell down the first time back around 2006. Since then I have tripped back into YouTube countless times. In the last couple of years though I have incrementally ventured deeper into the YouTube jungle. Watching the occasional music video has turned into punching up five hour playlists and letting them sooth my mind and allow me some time away from the often self inflicted pain of catching up on the current madness swirling around me outside the woods of Acton, Maine. At this moment I am listening to one playlist of the YouTube series, "Whiskey Blues". It claims to be almost 12 hours of the Blues. I am just shy of two hours in and I guess I will have to believe them. In addition to this list , there are many more "Whiskey Blues" lists to pick from. 

Yeah, I am deeply embedded, lost, and floundering around in a musical version of Heaven. 

Blues music for me is wonderful music to write by. And its odd, or maybe not. My words often are put down to that basic 4 / 4 beat the blues relies on most days. 

    Yeah its weird

    Yeah its odd.

    But that's what the Blues does for me.

    What will be the next, 

    the next Rabbit Hole to find me? 

Keep it 'tween the ditches  .................................

___________________________

I won't punish you with the list. I already linked the list of the lists above. But I will leave you with this fine rendition of "Chocolate Jesus" by Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa. And it is a rule. You must turn it up to wow. If not, then go back to your polka music or Guy Lombardo.

Gay Romance

I found a blog written by a writer who appears to carry some weight in the E-publishing world.  Her sidebar highlights her previous accomplishments, and her blog was just awarded some prestigious award as one of the best five resources for wannabe writers like me.

Her blog is full of suggestions, hints and generally upbeat rah rah rah propaganda about how anyone can write and write well.

She re-printed an article by an author who teaches creative writing at the college level. He is known for his romance novels and Hallmark Channel type mysteries.  His favorite style is the novella.

I was more interested in the information than checking out what he wrote.  It was not until I was ready to leave the blog that I noticed he wrote Gay romance novels.

"Hmmm", I thought ..... No really, that is what I thought,  "Hmmm."

Since I look at Life through the eyes of an avowed knuckle draggin male chauvinist pig, I rarely concern myself with the inner workings of the Gay culture.  I root for them and whenever possible vote for them to have the same rights as I do.  Other than that, I go my way, they go theirs.

The idea that there is actually a market for Gay romance novels never crossed my mind.  The notion did not disgust me.  It did not even cause me to titter, guffaw, or scowl.  What I realized is, there is so much under the Sun I am not aware of, I could live to be 200 years old and not be cognizant of everything worthy of knowing,  Or not knowing ....... whatever.

The various social groups, gender groups, racial groups, church groups, and political groups all have a public face that is all most of us outside that group ever see, or care to see. What goes on inside the group goes unnoticed for the most part. A glimpse inside often confuses or causes discomfort to someone peeking in. Most folks just blow it off. Some don't and become obsessed to the point of unhealthy fanaticism.

The fervent dedication many Evangelicals use to try to destroy the hard won normalcy of the LGTBQ communities boggles my mind. I guess they cannot or will not ever enjoy a moment when their panties are not in a bunch over something that is not their business. They cannot help themselves. Their futile silliness at trying to control the uncontrollable used to make me laugh. .................

Now it doesn't make me laugh. It makes me angry and reinforces why I hate organized religions.

 

Keep it 'tween the ditches................

___________________________

I sought Google's help in finding some music that might fit with this post. I typed in  "Anti Gay Music". What came up I could not, will not use.  

Instead, I typed in "Music About Acceptance".  The tune, "The Power of Two", by The Indigo Girls came up. I have always enjoyed their music. Their sexual identity was never an issue for me.This tune celebrates the power of a loving relationship without any gender baggage. If the Gay hating Christians didn't know beforehand, they would like this song. It is chock full of the good messages in Christianity with none of the hate. 

( First draft - 2/9/15 )

Why Are You Proud to be an American?

On the TV this morning, the news media back burner-ed the endless stories of hate, death, and destruction they so love to cram down our throats day in and day out. Instead, today is all about America, Independence Day and thumping our chests while shouting proud slogans and setting off fireworks.

Morning Joe said he knew he was inviting snarky and hate filled comments. But he asked the fans on Instagram anyway;

"Why are you proud to be an American?"

I hate questions such as this. ...... Umm, I guess I just flat out hate the word "Proud". It is a word of worthless meaning usually and is often carelessly used in inappropriate situations. It is a word that can incite and lie. "Pride goeth before the fall" is a tried and true passage from Proverbs that indicates we should all be careful when using it in any way. We puff up our chests too much, we are often setting ourselves up for a huge letdown.

No better example of the danger of pride exists than when we use it in a nationalistic and chauvinist way like we do on July 4th; especially the last so many July 4ths since 9-11. It seems to me  many of our country's citizens have decided that over the top exhibitions of pride in one's country determines how much one loves the USA. 

Personally I do my best to not feel pride in myself. What pride I exhibit is aimed at individuals, friends, and family who have done something I feel they deserve my feeling of pride for them. As to Joe's question about being proud to be an American, well, pride has nothing to do with my feelings about my country. I love my country and that is enough. Being proud only invites trouble.

Have a Happy Fourth and watch those fingers ..............................................

________________________________

Now what music choice? An obvious selection would be a rousing tune from John Phillips Sousa. And today I feel obvious. Please enjoy and turn it up to wow, "The Stars and Stripes Forever". A proud song if ever I heard one. ...... Stick with it at least until the piccolo solo. Those girls rock!

An Outdated Cultural Depiction

My weekday morning routine, if you can call it that, often finds me in the kitchen around 10:00 AM performing some of the domestic drudgery I walked around the previous three hours but now I have to do it if we want to keep clean plates in the cupboards. I often will turn on the TV for back ground noise as I fuss around the sink, stove and kitchen table. I took notice recently of an old re-run of Bonanza that had found its way to my TV. And now it sports a new warning before the opening credits:

Warning- This Show Contains Outdated Cultural Depictions

Ferchrisakes, this was G-rated, every family in America loved Bonanza; Hoss, Little Joe and the gang whupping bad guys while they dealt with all the intricacies and difficulties of the late 19th century West on or near the Nevada/California line. Now, almost sixty years after the original shows aired, we might be offended by one of the least offensive and squeaky clean shows to ever grace the air waves.

I was fascinated by what could be the "Outdated Cultural Depictions" someone somewhere in the offices of Get TV felt deserved mentioning. I watched most of that episode, you know the one with the two nuns in a stage coach along with Hoss. They get robbed of all the money they had scrimped and saved to build a hospital for the needy in Denver.

While I watched this Horse Opera unfold, I failed to see any depiction that might offend anyone. The story was a gag reflex inducing tale of sacrifice for Lord, our God in Heaven that left one nun dead while the other regains her hospital money and a bright light breaks through the Ponderosa pines as someone rides off into the sunset.

I mentioned this to my wife who claimed she did not watch Bonanza as a child. Yet she was able to point out the obvious 'Outdated Cultural Depiction". Two words passed her lips.

"Hop Sing"

Immediately it dawned on me. The reason I did not think of Hop Sing was he was not in that episode. And almost as immediate, I realized as insanely unforgiving as the Cancel Culture was over the Past not spoiling our Present or our Future; it almost equals the zeal with which the White Wing Peckerwoods use to try to return that Past and force it into our Present. Between the two of them, we just cannot catch a break.

Yes, Hop Sing played a servant in the series. But, Bonanza was known for their, at the time, groundbreaking sensitive character portrayals that attempted to not denigrate, but to integrate. Native Americans were always treated with the best intentions of that period. The only nasty people on the show were all the bad white guys the gang at the Ponderosa tangled with on a weekly basis.

I know that the shows of my youth would not stand the scrutiny and criticisms of 2022 television. But warning people they may be offended is bush league stupidity. If the Past offends someone in the future, they need to get a grip and move on.

And folks don't understand why I am almost as pissed off with the Left now as I am with the Right.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ...........................................

________________________________________

There is only one tune I can think of for this post.  Lorne Green singing the theme to Bonanza. Enjoy! 

How Despots Are Made

Today.com ran a very short news item about former Marine, Ben Beers, giving up his custom AR-15 because as he put it:

"I've never used them for self-defense and, to me, it's a token of pure evil and destruction."

I make no judgement on his actions one way or the other. The man obviously had finally had his fill of the outrageous number of mass shootings lately that have occurred at a rate of more than one per day in this country. 

What I found interesting was the predictable Gun Lover excuses that without a doubt justify their ownership of weapons of war. 

On Twitter, where I first came upon this news piece, John, a gun worshiping Twitter tweeter, did not try to use the "AR-15 are hunting rifles" excuse. His statement made it clear that in his hands, the AR-15 was a weapon of defense against a government already out of control:

"It's not about hunting its about defending ourselves against the government from overthrowing the people which is starting to happen people. Wake up people! George Washington forwarned us about this."

Which brings me to the point of the post.

Though, both the Right and the Left lay claim to knowing what our forefathers meant when they thought, said or wrote this or that. The truth is we will never know exactly what their honest feelings were in any given situation. So to me, the words they left lying around for us to pick up and interpret are just that, nothing but interpretations based on wishful thinking of the person invoking the words.

Once the American Revolution was over, our forefathers became what they started out as when they congregated in Philadelphia to write the Declaration of Independence. The became politicians again. And if there is one truth about politicians that has always been part of their makeup, it is always take anything they say with a grain of salt. And regarding what they write, well, their written words cannot be counted on as their true feelings when anything they publish has a political taint to it. 

So, when John claimed George Washington "forewarned us about this", I snorted and chuckled. I do not give a shit about what George Washington said or did not say. I worry about what our current George Washingtons, our current Adolf's, and our current Putin's are saying, writing, and most of all I am really interested in what they are doing right now here in the present.

But if John, my gun loving twit from Twitter wants to battle with the words or warnings of our forebears, I leave with this quote from Ben Franklin, one of the sharper arrows in the Revolution quiver:

"I agree to this Constitution ... and I believe, further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other."  ( From Here)

Keep it 'tween the ditches ...............................................

____________________________

I picked " Knockin On Heaven's Door", the original by Bob Dylan. Hated the movie, love the song.

White Bread Days

I found this image on one of my walks through the backwoods of Facebook yesterday. I would have forgotten about it and the comment I made except for the number of likes I received. I re-visited the post to try and discern why so many people found this painting interesting. 

It was found at  a yard sale somewhere I do not know. But I can understand why it was in a yard sale. There are a multitude of reasons why I would not have bought it on first sight. As I took the time to really look at it, I decided it was so bad , it was great. And I wished that I could own it. 

This painting spoke to me like a modern Norman Rockwell painting that reflects the change in America since the "Leave it to Beaver" days when Life was pleasantly lived in tree lined Caucasian cookie cutter neighborhoods and a guy in a white uniform delivered milk twice a week. Nothing ugly ever happened; any unpleasantness being confined to folks living on the other side of the tracks, river, or valley. 

Fast Food existed then, but it had not found its footing yet. American consumers had not become the monsters they would turn into over the ensuing thirty years. Hitting a burger joint in the 1950's was a once a week treat at best if we lived in the 'burbs, possibly once a lifetime if we lived in Puckerville, Maine. The majority of the meals the family ate were at home after a prayer and Dad carving the roast Mom had so lovingly devoted her afternoon to create.

Those were the days many of us Boomers look back on with rose colored glasses. It was a time when it was okay to deny the ugly parts of our past, our present, our legacy. The Civil War was a noble war, workhouses were an aberration, and the Rich were kindly folks who gave to the poor at least around Christmas. Yeah, those were the days alright. Those were the White Bread Days.

For the most part, this was the America I existed in as a child. Because my military family was so transient and the fact both of my parents could not settle anywhere for long, I did find much of the ugly that existed in the background of the American Apple Pie world found in Chevrolet ads on the Ed Sullivan Show. My eyes were opened earlier than many kids my age. My mind was not conditioned by years of local indoctrination from growing up in one locale. I sampled many. Not one area was completely bad, but none of them were as idyllic as the local chamber of commerce painted them out to be.

So, how did I get from remarks about a painting depicting Ronald, Wendy, the Colonel and Meghan of Popeyes engaged in pre-supper prayer thanking the Lord for the fast food bounty before them? 

Initially, when the painting spoke to me, it focused on wistful memories of times gone by and how our world has morphed into the rabid dog eat dog pace we live in now. It went on to point out the rise of our fast food culture reflects and supports our current mania. 

When I tried to consider what the prayer thing was , well, that's when the painting went over the edge and has now settled into a predictable commentary on how we white folk are wishing for something that will never exist again and we need to stifle the lies we told ourselves in the  past and not let them ruin our future. 

Accepting that sooner than later would be what we should do. But we never do what we should do unless it is shoved down our throats by necessity. And by then it is often too late.

The Male Dominated Caucasian America we live in now is going to fail. Sadly, too many Peckerwoods do not get it. Trying to preserve something that is circling the drain is an exercise in futility.

Sure is funny what a painting tells me when I look at it too long.

Keep it 'tween the ditches .......................................

________________________ 

Now we come to the musical choice of the scatter brained word salad above...............

Only one tune came to mind ....  "Changes", By David Bowie. It took me some time to embrace Bowie back in the 1970's. He was well entrenched as a Rock icon when I did get behind him. Anyway, "Changes" may be my favorite Bowie tune.