tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-320956002024-03-13T04:25:12.774-06:00Rev Ron's RantsThe frequently inane ramblings of one who isn't always right, but is never actually wrong, either. Topics included might be political, theological, gastronomical, sexual, or even motorcycle-related. All I can guarantee is that ... on second thought, if you want a guarantee, go buy a bloody toaster, and leave me alone!RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-53253809152144824322020-05-08T12:22:00.000-06:002020-05-08T17:02:13.046-06:00Meanderings of a Bad Buddhist<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><b>A work of Kintsugi, a Japanese process of</b></i><br />
<i><b>repairing a broken piece with gold.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>The beauty of anything is in its flaws.</b></i></div>
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<br />
This is the beginning of what I intend to be a series of
posts that accurately represent events that threaten to turn us all into “Bad Buddhists”
like me. Whether I will fulfill my intentions, and the schedule and frequency
of my attempts, I won’t project at this point. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s
got to know his own limitations.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Over the last few years, I have frequently been challenged
for the apparent disconnect between the anger in many of my writings and the
Buddhist teachings by which I strive to guide my life. The most frequent
assumption by readers most critical of that disconnect is that I’m simply not a
very good Buddhist, a claim with which I must in all honesty concur. I fail, on
a daily (hourly?) basis to live up to the aspirations of a practicing Buddhist,
and to a great extent, those failures are borne of my responding angrily to
events that shall admittedly pass in time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I do trust that even the most destructive of those events
will indeed pass, regardless of my responses or behaviors. It could even be
said with some authority that angry responses such as mine only serve to
prolong and exacerbate the very destructive circumstances, events, and
behaviors that “good” Buddhists work diligently to nullify. I cannot honestly
refute such an accusation. I don’t judge myself as a “bad” Buddhist, but as I
stated above, I’m not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> a </span>very good one, either.
That said, a study of history hints that I am apparently in reasonably good
company.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Back in 14<sup>th</sup> Century China, during the Tang
Dynasty, the Shaolin Temple – the birthplace of Kung Fu martial arts – housed
within its walls a group of over 1,000 monks whose primary responsibilities
involved the protection of the temple and the Tang government from assaults by
warlords. Known at the time as the Dragon of Retribution, these monks were
arguably the first “gathering of warrior monks,” or Tong. Member monks were as
brutal in their defense of their charges as their host monks were pacifists in
their devotion to the Eight-fold Path to enlightenment. In modern days, many of
the Tong's actions would fall under the definition of terrorism. Brutal assassinations
were not uncommon, and the Tong members were viewed by the public as either
mystical super-beings on a righteous quest, or as incarnate demons. The reality
lingered somewhere between the two extremes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In later years, arguably beginning in the 17<sup>th</sup>
Century under the Ming Dynasty, many of the Tongs were corrupted, opened themselves to lay members of questionable agendas, and
ultimately formed the beginnings of organized crime syndicates that continue to
function and prosper to this day. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Lest anyone assert that I view myself as a warrior monk, I
can assure you that I am no such thing. I am, at best, a devoted but flawed student
of the Path, and I make no claim to exceptional powers of any kind. What I am
is a lifelong student who sees a burgeoning rise of a profound danger to the
way of life I cherish, as well as to the principles which I try but
frequently fail to demonstrate in my own life. Seeing that danger, I am driven
to combat the threats in a manner for which I am most qualified: sharing a
vision of the truth of those dangers, reminding others of the potential harm we
all face should the threats go unchallenged, and hoping to encourage others to join
in that fight without adding to the inevitable repercussions of a potentially
devastating descent into violence. To remind us all – myself included – that we’re
all in this together, for better or worse.</div>
</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-45771307795678639082020-03-22T12:29:00.000-06:002020-03-22T12:29:03.713-06:00The Shitgibbon’s Lies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Many thanks - and apologies - to the the great John Prine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
for his tune <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2okOuZ8T_o" target="_blank">“The Great Compromise”</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2okOuZ8T_o" width="560"></iframe> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew a man who was still just a baby</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Earned billions by just bein’ born</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After turning those billions to millions</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Led a country that’s so horribly torn.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well he lived in a gilded casino</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Owned hotels all over the world</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Never learned that his constantly bragging</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still couldn’t polish a turd.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, we could’ve not had Pres Shitgibbon</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Destroying all we held dear</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But some thought he’d get rid of them others</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Muslims, Messkins, and queers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now he told us to beat up those traitors</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who refused to accept all his lies</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like newsmen and good politicians</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyone who weren’t HIS guys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now some folks will call me a traitor</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cos I voted to see him sent home</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I’d rather be one of them traitors</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Than one of the Shitgibbon’s own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can still get rid of Shitgibbon</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And end his attempts to be king</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To send him packing to Moscow</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To fulfill his long desired fling</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-80176124042492815802020-03-21T13:31:00.001-06:002020-03-21T13:31:21.266-06:00Fear and Loathing In The Mind Of A Narcissist<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWi-kIljR30/XnZqX-sxgiI/AAAAAAAAAxk/zpItMr-R_qEhPpkqMlOsRaPs30uY02n5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/angry-trump2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWi-kIljR30/XnZqX-sxgiI/AAAAAAAAAxk/zpItMr-R_qEhPpkqMlOsRaPs30uY02n5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/angry-trump2.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We've
been hearing a lot of accusations directed at the media, most notably
from the Trump administration, but from the public as well. According to
the narrative, the media is acting irresponsibly, fomenting fear and
hysteria regarding convid-19 in the populace. While some media outlets
are genetically predisposed to hyperbole, I find such accusations to be
ill-advised for the most part.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
IMO, the greatest source of panic
is the administration itself. Trump is clearly obsessed with painting a
rosy picture of all aspects of his presidency, evidenced by his constant
efforts to downplay the seriousness of the threat while simultaneously
making false claims about the level of response and control over the
growing pandemic and deriding scientists and particularly the media for
issuing statements that are in marked contrast to his own. It is only
natural for the populace to be confused by such diverging reports and
the associated recommendations regarding the public's behavior in
response to the outbreak.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many if not most Americans look to the
country's leadership for rational information and advice, but such
advice has only begun to appear - and in small instances rather than a
cohesive dialog - in the last week or so, as the administration's
previous conclusions advice, and admonitions could no longer be
reasonably accepted in the face of reports describing the actual
progression of the disease.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In keeping with Trump's preferred
narrative, the spiraling increase in infections and deaths in Italy, the
bad news had been downplayed by the Trump administration, while the
president's finger-pointing has continued unabated. Perhaps <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/world/europe/italy-coronavirus-center-lessons.html?emc=edit_na_20200321&ref=cta&nl=breaking-news&campaign_id=60&instance_id=0&segment_id=22518&user_id=37f0d1881f1058f71af6281d7f2ec84f&regi_id=76937283&fbclid=IwAR2AyBohJuRRXh3xWX5mJ1rT5SaKzOhT50Z5cQ9H8xbB_0VuK1CfGZuaDls" target="_blank">this New York Times article</a>
can give people a better picture of what has happened in Italy and why.
If we're smart, we might even find ourselves less inclined to dismiss
the potential for similar tragic developments to occur here in the US due to our
clinging to the notion of American exceptionalism. We can only hope...</div>
</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-68382393541211863102019-11-05T17:15:00.000-06:002019-11-05T17:15:15.148-06:00Planting Seeds<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I have to admit, I've been perplexed and flummoxed at the insistent loyalty of Trump's "base," and by their unwavering eagerness to support his increasingly unhinged and blatantly false responses to reasonable interpretations of his most egregious (to date) actions. It seems that they are literally addicted to the most far-fetched rationalizations he can come up with, and he shows signs of getting even more unhinged and far-fetched as pressure from the impeachment investigation uncovers example after example of corroboration with the charges he will likely face in an impeachment trial - even one that shows signs of being nothing more than a partisan political sham (or a Barr for short). I have little in the way of expectations for the GOP-majority Senate to do anything other than rubber-stamp his acquittal, given their almost unanimous acceptance of Trump's "defense" such as it is, so we are left hoping that his "base" is not as afflicted with echolalia as are our elected Republican "representatives" (and I use that term very loosely).<br /><br />If we have any hope of convincing what are, for all intents and purposes, a cult, that lies are NOT the truth, we need to present their candidate in a framework that will be more comprehensible to average <br />Americans who are not political junkies. T<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span>o put things in a perspective Trump's "base" can more readily understand. Here's a first draft. See if it rings true to you.</span><br /><span>Say you hired me to manage a gas station you owned.</span><br /><span>Over the course of 3 years:</span></span><span><span><br /><span>I lied to you virtually every single day.</span><br /><span>I pocketed thousands of dollars people had paid for gas.</span><br /><span>I told you that employees who "had it out for me" had been the ones ripping you off.</span><br /><span>When
you pointed out that some important tasks were being done shoddily or
not done at all, I blamed my fellow workers and convinced you to fire
them and give them bad references.</span><br /><span>When you criticized
me for acting unprofessionally toward customers, I spread false rumors
about you and damaged your business and your reputation in the
community.</span><br /><span>When you finally started doing a background
check on me, you found that every former employer had the same problems
with me that you are having.</span><br /><span>And when you confronted me with your list of complaints, I threatened to burn your gas station to the ground if you fired me.</span><br /><br /><span>Would you hire me?</span><br /><span>Would you commit to keeping me as an employee for years?</span><br /><span>Is
the world your children will inherit one day soon less important to you than a single gas station? Your vote next November will be your answer.</span></span></span></span></span>RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-3825484245830480982018-05-15T09:12:00.000-06:002018-05-15T09:13:28.927-06:00Trump voters stay loyal because they feel disrespected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zBmVMyZBJg/Wvr3AwJ3VWI/AAAAAAAAAW0/d06CHfuc-hsS-HBjuy3lB0H7--mLFNp3ACLcBGAs/s1600/angry-trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="696" height="167" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zBmVMyZBJg/Wvr3AwJ3VWI/AAAAAAAAAW0/d06CHfuc-hsS-HBjuy3lB0H7--mLFNp3ACLcBGAs/s320/angry-trump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Photo courtesy <a href="https://leftopia.org/" target="_blank">Leftopia </a></div>
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<br /></div>
According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2018/05/14/daily-202-trump-voters-stay-loyal-because-they-feel-disrespected/5af8aac530fb0425887994cc/?utm_term=.95cf8b218d3c" target="_blank">an article in <i>The Washington Post</i></a>, liberals' disrespect of Trump's supporters is making those supporters back his presidency even more, despite the fact that they are, as a group, more likely to suffer as a result of his policies, his incompetence, and his lack of fitness for the office he holds.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="UFICommentActorAndBody"> <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span id="goog_480157927"></span><span id="goog_480157928"></span> </span></span></span></div>
<span class="UFICommentActorAndBody"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">I
have a difficult time respecting people whom I perceive as abandoning
everything this country is supposed to stand for, who refuse to
acknowledge blatant lies that the people they support feed them on a
daily basis. tRump has a near-flawless record of appointing people who
are either wholly ignorant and unsuited for their jobs, or are committed
to destroying the departments they are supposed to lead. He clearly
admires fascist dictators, yet spits in the faces of our once-devoted
allies, and his supporters accept this.</span></span></span><span class="UFICommentActorAndBody"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">I want very
much to respect my fellow citizens of every political stripe, but
respect has to be earned. tRump's supporters don't earn respect by being
complicit in the destruction of our society; they demand it and get
their feelings hurt when we cannot justify giving it to them. It seems
to me that they are willing to hurt their own interests and those of
their children and grandchildren, rather than acknowledge the reality of
what they are supporting and the very real damage that is being done. And beyond that, it is absurd for tRump's supporters to expect liberals to show them the respect they typically refuse to show their more progressive co9unterparts. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="UFICommentActorAndBody"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><br />This
is the quandary that progressives face; if we don't give tRump and his
supporters the respect they demand, their collective will is hardened
and their allegiance to tRump is strengthened. But in order to give them
the respect they demand, progressive voters must abandon their own
sense of right and wrong, and give legitimacy to a president who
repeatedly demonstrates a willingness to ignore the law and commit acts
of treason for his and his genuinely wealthy supposed peers' enrichment
and benefit. We are expected to lie, and to give legitimacy to lies, and
if we fail to do so, tRump's base will push even harder for a party
that is bent upon the destruction of our democracy. I cannot help but
wonder; how do THEY define "enemies, both foreign and domestic?"</span></span></span>RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-83307651435136670582017-08-17T09:22:00.001-06:002017-12-31T09:37:31.015-06:00Sorrow In The Land Of Cotton<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_9">
As
a man raised in the South, and who attended Robert E Lee and Mirabeau
Bonaparte Lamar High Schools, I can relate to the almost visceral
admiration for General Lee. At the same time, however, I learned, long
after graduation, how "the South" I was taught to revere was not the
idyllic milieu that was presented in my classes.<br />
<br />
I remember our
third-grade Texas History textbook actually using the phrase "nigger
slaves," and how, in the '50s, the use of the phrase didn't seem
inappropriate. i remember not being shocked at the existence of "white
only" drinking fountains, the sign announcing "colored entrance" to the
cafe adjoining the bus station in Lufkin, Texas, and even one forbidding
"colored people" from using the x-ray machine in the shoe store that
showed how a pair of shoes fit. And I remember my high school graduating
class of nearly a thousand people, all but a handful of which were
white.<br />
<br />
My time at college changed my perspective dramatically. I
was shocked to learn of the atrocities that "colored" people endured
under slavery, and that they still endured in East Texas in the late
'60s. A good friend in college - who happened to be black - had to leave
Nacogdoches with his white girlfriend out of fear for their lives. And
Leon Russell had to flee his native Oklahoma, just because his wife,
Mary, was black.<br />
Fast forward to today, and I can see how the
hate that drives the white supremacist movement is still as virulent as
ever, and how the efforts to stem that hate are actually exacerbating
it. I don't think the answer is to attempt to redact anything that was
borne of an earlier period of our history. Destroying the symbols of
hate won't eliminate the hate, any more than the pre-penicillin
treatment of syphilis - cauterizing chancres - cured the disease. All we
are doing is hiding the symptoms, while allowing the disease to fester.<br />
<br />
I agree with the removal of monuments to the worst of our past, but
think it more effective and less inflammatory to move them to museums
than to just tear them down and destroy them. At the same time, we need
to ensure that we are more honest in our reporting of history in our
classrooms. As it turns out, my high school has been renamed and
stripped of any association to General Lee. But my nostalgia for that
mythical South is outweighed by my awareness that we need to not idolize
our darkest times, for while there were countless acts of heroism on
both sides during the Civil War, it was, in and of itself, certainly not
a heroic effort. It was an ugly, horrific war, fought, as are most
wars, for the least noble of reasons.<br />
<br />
We won't eradicate racism,
Nazism, and all the other ugly ism's in our lifetime. What we CAN and
MUST do is put a halt to the violence, and commit to teaching our
children (and their parents) that the nobility of war is an illusion.
its deep flaws hidden behind grand statues, its anguished cries silenced
by songs that praise death. We need to learn that our real enemies are
our own ignorance and fears, and that the only way those enemies can be
vanquished is by a commitment to a compassionate resolve that stops
violence in its tracks, and builds upon a sense of brotherhood and
sisterhood. We can do it. It will be slow, and will involve compromise,
not of our deepest values, but in the way we share and impose those
values. It is not a time for ideological purity, which is itself the
breeding ground for intolerance. It is a time for honesty, for real
strength, and for patience with each other. Because lacking any of these
qualities, we condemn ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to
a world where fear and hate reign. We can and MUST do better.</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-80937722218116310322016-12-09T11:46:00.001-06:002016-12-09T11:46:45.191-06:00A Turning Point to Tyranny?One need not be a die-hard liberal to notice an alarming trend as we move closer and closer to a Trump presidency. Neither does that trend rely upon hyperbole in order to be genuinely alarming. The president-elect apparently sees no value in the daily security briefings that every modern president has received, detailing the most imminent threats facing the country. He is more concerned with using his Twitter account to strike back at perceived slights, no matter how slight they might be, from union leaders, comedians, journalists, and anyone else who dares to call him on his fondness for conspiracies, his misstatements and misrepresentations, and especially his outright lies.<br /><br />His further efforts to do away with the freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment are well-documented: Unilateral actions against all followers of specific religions, his desire to establish and maintain a registry of Muslim Americans, his stated desire to revise libel laws so that journalists and regular citizens who speak out against him can be subjected to litigation - perhaps even criminal prosecution. The list goes on.<br /><br />
Mr. Trump's transition team has circulated a questionnaire to Department of Energy personnel in an effort to <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/bloomberg-energy-document-leak" target="_blank">obtain the identities </a>of anyone who has worked in support of President Obama's climate change initiatives or attended the U.N. Climate Change Summit. It is not a stretch to assume that the purpose of such a database would be to punish or at least marginalize those whose findings might challenge his industry-centric narrative <br />
In addition, for the first time in memory, the Lincoln Memorial, a preferred site of gatherings and protests, has been <a href="http://time.com/4595399/women-march-washington-barred-lincoln-memorial/" target="_blank">designated off-limits</a> to the Million Women's March scheduled for the day after the inauguration, with the only possible explanation being his desire to squelch dissent. And lest one think he is singling out the ladies, the Lincoln Memorial and numerous other public sites are being closed to virtually all demonstrators ahead of the inauguration and for weeks afterward.<br /><br />
I believe that we will see, in the very near future, the tipping point, at which the nation will either remain free or step finally into the brand of tyranny that Mr. Trump seems to be seeking. The Army Corps of Engineers has announced that it will not issue permits to allow the pipeline to be installed in the protested area, citing both the treaty agreement outlining valid Native American tribal claims and the very real potential for devastating ecological impact. It's an impact that could, among other things, poison the drinking water for millions of people, should a rupture occur such as has happened with alarming frequency in recent months and years. In response, the company building the pipeline has stated that it intends to proceed according to plan, ignoring the Corps' denial of permits and paying whatever fines are levied, since doing so wold be more economical than compliance.<br /><br />
It is the government's response to this action that I believe will be the "canary in the coal mine," as my wife describes it, after which we will remain a relatively free state or descend fully into a tyranny. Simply put, will the law enforcement agencies that have been aggressively going after the water protectors/protesters thus far change their focus to the pipeline company employees, whose defiance of the Corps of Engineers and resumption of construction is a clear breach of the law?<br /><br />If law enforcement enforces the Corps' ruling as one would hope, it would be a very good sign, However, if law enforcement agencies continue to go after the peaceful protesters who are engaging in legal protest, and actually protect the construction workers who are breaking the law, it must be assumed that the march to tyranny has become the official policy of the land. At that point, each citizen must decide whether they are willing to allow the country to undergo a fundamental shift that literally brings to an end this remarkable exercise in democracy that the founders envisioned. If this is unacceptable, the only alternative is to resist in any manner we can.<br /><br />Our first effort must be to convince our elected officials that allowing such a shift in our political structure is a clear breach of the oaths that all elected officials and military personnel have taken, and to pressure these oath-takers to fulfill those oaths. I'm still hopeful that there is enough love of country to outweigh the partisan pressure and outright manipulation that has become the norm over the last few decades. If that hope proves false, however, each of us must decide whether we are willing to end this experiment.<br /><br />The choices facing us at that point will be hard, indeed. But democracy, by its very nature, is difficult and messy. I, for one, think it is worth it, and intend to fulfill my oath. I would hope that every other citizen would take that decision into prayer, however they might be inclined, and to seek whatever guidance rings most true to them and choose the path that will best provide their children and their children's children with the same freedoms we cherish, rather than sitting silent and allowing it to slip away forever.RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-60964569214251620742016-09-29T13:17:00.000-06:002016-10-09T07:40:25.523-06:00How Did We Come To This?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
In a little over a month, we, the citizens of the United States, will
be electing a person to the most powerful job in the world, one that has the
capacity to improve lives across the face of the planet, or to set in motion
events that could very easily lead to human extinction, all at the stroke of a
pen or the utterance of a few words. We will be electing the 45<sup>th</sup>
President of our young country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
What is both sad and truly frightening is that it has
become abundantly clear that far too many who have the power of their vote are
not taking the heavy responsibility that comes with that power seriously. Too
many pay heed only to things that reinforce their heavily biased likes and
dislikes, and they ignore even what should be the most worrisome aspects of
their chosen candidate’s actions, words, history, and character. No matter how
well-proved a concept, or how well-documented an event or statement, the
decision is too often made to rationalize, twist, and spin an event sufficiently
to reinforce a chosen narrative, rather than consider it on its own merits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I frequently find myself referring to a brilliant
passage, written by Kurt Vonnegut in what is, for me, his seminal work, “Breakfast
of Champions.” In the passage, the book’s protagonist, Kilgore Trout, describes
the absurdity, the dangers, and in the final analysis, the futility of ideas in
our modern culture. I offer the passage here, for your review.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And here, according to Trout, was the reason
human beings could not reject ideas because they were bad: “Ideas on Earth were
badges on friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed
with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with enemies,
in order to express enmity.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The ideas Earthlings held didn’t matter for
hundreds of thousands of years, since they couldn’t do much about them anyway.
Ideas might as well be badges as anything.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They even had a saying about the futility of
ideas: ‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.’</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And then Earthlings discovered tools.
Suddenly agreeing with friends could be a form of suicide or worse. But
agreements went on, not for the sake of common decency or self-preservation,
but for friendliness.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.2in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Earthlings went on being friendly, when they
should have been thinking instead. And when they built computers to do some
thinking for them, they designed them not so much for wisdom as for friendliness.
So they were doomed. Homicidal beggars could ride.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Over the course of the last decade or so, we have not only
programmed our machines so as to reinforce our “badges,” we have taken to
structuring our approach to governance and even our closest relationships in
like manner. We have no qualms about berating friends and loved ones for not
wearing our chosen badge, and have shown an escalating willingness to abandon
even those ideals we claim to hold dear if those ideals are actually
demonstrated by someone with a different badge. Too many people bellow their
patriotism at the top of their lungs, even as they demand that the core
principles upon which that patriotism is supposedly based are discarded and
damned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A twice democratically-elected president is reviled,
disrespected, and sabotaged, even in the House and Senate, by those who have
taken oaths to fulfill the responsibilities of their offices, to work in tandem
with fellow officials who may or may not share their political or religious
ideologies. They demand that the will of the majority be ignored, and the laws
they have sworn to uphold be broken, rather than work with a man they didn’t
vote for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
They do everything in their power to discredit,
delegitimize, and even destroy a politician they do not like, even threatening
to imprison or kill her, should the voters decide that she is their preferred
candidate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
They bloviate about their commitment to a Constitution
most have never read, yet pick and choose which aspects of that Constitution
they are willing to acknowledge. They demand the right of mentally unstable citizens
to purchase weapons of destruction, but demand the silencing – or the heads – of
journalists who seek the truth. They scream about what they perceive to be government
overreach and tyranny, yet clamor to the side of candidates who profess their
desire to be unencumbered by any laws or Constitutional limits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
As we near the day of the election, I cannot help but
wonder what lies beyond. I sense that a cataclysmic sequence of events is all
too possible, no matter which way the election goes. If a tyrant is elected, we
will almost certainly lose most of our allies around the world, and will
definitely lose their trust. At the same time, our enemies will be emboldened,
knowing that they no longer face a united front consisting of all rational
nations and their leaders. Actions once considered unthinkable are now very
much a part of the debate. Torture, genocide, and nuclear holocaust are
considered by the worst among us to be viable tools for achieving our goals,
and the kind of rhetoric we as a country and a world rejected over 80 years ago
has become mainstream and deemed worthy of consideration. And if the tyrant loses, a significant number of his supporters - self-described as "patriots" - threaten to overthrow the government to which they so loudly and proudly proclaim their allegiance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I think we all need to listen to our own words, and
ask ourselves, Is this the kind of country and world we want to leave our
children and their children? Are the lessons we are teaching them really
consistent with our proclaimed values as Americans? Or do we want to leave our
children a world in which they can feel valued and safe from rage, both within
and beyond our borders? If nothing else, do we really believe our children will
look upon us with pride if we leave for them a world – or a country – always on
the brink of war, over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">badges</i>? And
what if you learn that your children choose not to don the badges you prefer?
What then?</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-76173232459394520142016-08-26T11:50:00.001-06:002016-08-26T11:50:20.072-06:00Womens’ Equality Day August 26, 2016 is the 96th Anniversary of the
19th Amendment, granting women the long-overdue right to vote. This date
was officially designated as <i>Women’s Equality Day</i> in 1971. It is, I
think, only fitting on this day that we commit ourselves to making
women’s equality a reality, rather than just the reason for yet another
designated “special” day. That reality will naturally mean different
things to different people, but there are a few core precepts that
deserve a place on anyone’s list.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> – For the abrogation of both
“<i>men’s rights</i>” and “<i>women’s rights</i>,” replacing both with “<i>human rights</i>”
that are acknowledged irrespective of gender. Rights exclusive to one
group or gender cannot exist without denying those rights to the other.</li>
<li>
– For ideas to have value on the basis of their logic, benevolence, and
integrity, rather than being accepted in spite of or because of their
having been put forward by a woman or a man. The first step toward the
realization of such a goal is for both men and women to set aside
defensiveness when considering a perspective that appears different on
the surface that our own, and to recognize that using dismissive terms
like “womansplaining” and “mansplaining” fail to further the dialog,
much less the understanding or changing of others’ perspectives.</li>
<li> –
To recognize and address sexism when it taints a discussion or behavior,
but to not strive to brush aside every point of disagreement or every
personal dislike by deeming it an example of sexism. Men and women are
genetically and culturally-inclined to perceive some things differently,
and while the cultural imperatives can be revised over time, genetic
conditioning is the product of many millennia, and therefore slower to
be revised. Both are better discussed and understood than attacked, if
one’s commitment is to achieving gender cooperation and consensus.</li>
<li> –
And ultimately, to strive to be respectful and fair in one’s dealings
with others, including those with whom we disagree. Just as a true
friendship cannot be based in absolute agreement, neither must enmity be
based in different points of view. By granting to others the benefit of
the doubt until such time as it proves unwarranted to do so, we enhance
the likelihood that other people’s understanding will grow more
sophisticated and accepting of us. It is only through such mutual
understanding and respect that we can hope to transcend the ugly
realities of sexism, misogyny, and misandry and enjoy living in a state
of genuine rather than forced or feigned equality.</li>
</ul>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-4723207624272072962016-07-18T11:08:00.001-06:002016-07-18T11:08:11.511-06:00News In A Post-TMZ WorldI watched a couple of on-air interviews yesterday, with George
Stephanopolous interviewing Donald Trump and his campaign manager, and
Leslie Stahl, interviewing Trump with his running mate, Pence. When
Trump's campaign manager told George that "Hillary created ISIS," George
started to challenge the accusation, to which the surrogate said, "I'm
not going to go down that road with you." And the subject was dropped.
And when Stahl tried to press on one of Trump's many accusations of
Hillary, he merely talked over her, and she allowed the subject to be
changed.<br />
<br />
I worry as much about the decline of real journalism as I
do about the rise of bullies who would lie, threaten, bully, and
frighten their way into public office, because journalists who are brave
enough to demand truth are our single best weapon against tyrants.<br />
<br />
I
worry that younger generations have never seen the likes of a Walter
Cronkite, or seen a reminder of what freedom of the press
is supposed to stand for. I wish we had someone like Edward R. Murrow,
who dared stand up to Joseph McCarthy - my generation's Trump - and
expose him for what he truly was. As Murrow said:<br />
<br />
“<i>It is
necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between
investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator
from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement
has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the
external threats of Communism. <b>We must not confuse dissent with
disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and
that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will
not walk in fear, one of another.</b> We will not be driven by fear into an
age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and
remember that we are not descended from fearful men — not from men who
feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were,
for the moment, unpopular.</i>”<br />
<br />
Next time you're asked to sign a
petition, consider instead starting or signing one that will *not* fall
on deaf ears, directed to those media owners and executives who control what will be covered, said, and accepted as truth. Because the harsh truth is that your viewership means infinitely more to media
bigwigs than your vote means to elected officials. And that desperately needs to be reversed.RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-6215037329838913642016-03-20T13:28:00.000-06:002016-03-20T13:28:27.961-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wp-veK58wpo/Vu73YBbxhXI/AAAAAAAAAMc/YlVvYgi61q4qdftveLYSgo03hY9fQjGFw/s1600/teabag-whines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wp-veK58wpo/Vu73YBbxhXI/AAAAAAAAAMc/YlVvYgi61q4qdftveLYSgo03hY9fQjGFw/s320/teabag-whines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1981788012"></span><span id="goog_1981788013"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1981788012">I've seen this collection of whines on Facebook a number of times, and decided it was about time to offer what I believe to be a reasoned, more educated response, regardless of the flames it might elicit among the members of the fringe right who can see my timeline. <y as="" follows:="" font="" is="" response=""></y></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Deriding everything a mixed-race president says, does, or tries to do
might not make someone a <b>racist</b>, but it sure acts like one.</li>
<li>
Threatening bodily harm against someone who doesn't share your ideology -
particularly threatening "2nd Amendment solutions" - <i>does </i>constitute <b>
terrorism</b>.</li>
<li> Understanding the Constitution rather than bending it to
match one's politics is an essential element in <b>defending </b>it. Teabaggers
don't even know or acknowledge the agendas of those who fund and
orchestrate the movement.</li>
<li> When "<i>speaking your mind</i>" becomes an
attempt to silence others and abandon basic American values such as
"innocent until proven guilty," it constitutes a <b>national security
threat</b> greater than that which jihadists present.</li>
<li> One who rejects
clear and well-proven answers to questions, simply because they don't
conform to their own preconceptions is a <b>troublemaker</b>, operating from a
place of cognitive dissonance at best, and willful ignorance at worst.</li>
<li> One is a <b>birther </b>when... well, just read the item immediately preceding this one.</li>
<li>
Nobody has claimed that exposing corruption on "the other side's" part
while condoning, denying, characterizing, or ignoring corruption on
"your side" constitutes <b>treason</b>. Lying (or blindly accepting lies)
accusing political enemies of corruption in an effort to undermine the
orderly, legal fulfillment of governance can rise to the level of <b>
treason </b>(or <b>sedition </b>under Logan Act definitions). Ignoring corruption
on one's own side at the same time isn't <b>treason</b>; merely <b>hypocrisy</b>.</li>
<li>
<b>Conspiracy theorists</b> rely solely upon "facts" that support their
preconceptions. See cognitive dissonance / willful ignorance, above.</li>
<li> The <i>Teabaggers </i>are the primary group that claims a failure to toe the (TEA) party line constitutes <b>un-American behavior</b>.</li>
<li>
Those who support rushing into wars for economic reasons, yet fail to
support measures to support and provide care for troops who are damaged
or killed in those endeavors are worse than <b>war-mongers</b>. One who lies to
justify a war is clearly a <b>war-monger</b>.</li>
<li> Anyone who demands the
benefit of all the perks of a developed society, but refuses
responsibility for contributing to the development and maintenance of
those perks <i>IS</i> a <b>greedy capitalist.</b> Or a <b>spoiled child</b>.</li>
</ul>
Take
pride in working to improve the country, rather than trying to blame
others for things the country does <i>in your name and with your at least
implicit support</i>.<br />
<br />RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-57903483000812085322015-06-24T08:22:00.001-06:002015-06-24T08:22:28.724-06:00Conversations With Mama Squirrel…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So, I’m outside smoking a cigarette this morning, and
chatting with Mama Squirrel as she partakes of the buffet I set out for her
every day. I tell her how glad I am that she is enjoying her breakfast of
sunflower seeds, and every now and again, she looks up at me and says “Thanks”
in her silent squirrel tongue. I respond with a “You’re welcome” in my own
crude attempt to mimic her clarity.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As I watch her eat, it occurs to me that I wish the whole of
my life could be defined by little acts such as providing her with a meal every
day. Not by the hurtful things I’ve done and said; not by the illusion I try to
maintain about and even to myself. Not about the sadness that sometimes fills
me, but which I cannot bear to express. And not about the many times I’ve
failed those who should have been able to rely upon me. Unfortunately, that
wish is beyond my reach, as I have been and still am too often unkind. Still
cling to and share silly self-illusions. Still feel the need to be – or at least
appear – centered, grounded, and filled with only joy. And still sulking at the
things I should have done, should have achieved, and the trusts I should have
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Sometimes, I wonder (only in my most private thoughts, and
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universe and everyone in it for my own benefit. It is within that wondering
that I perceive my greatest failure.</div>
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But as I continue to watch Mama Squirrel enjoying her meal,
the only feelings that I can sustain are those of gratitude that she trusts me
enough to continue eating, altogether unconcerned by my presence. She doesn’t
know that I’ve killed and eaten many of her kind through the course of my life,
and enjoyed the acts. She doesn’t see my failures, my unkind moments, my
illusion, or my betrayals. She sees only that large being who provides the
food, and poses no threat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And in this brief moment, my wish is fulfilled, for she
doesn’t see the selfishness, the deceit, and the rage by which I sometimes
define myself. She sees only love, kindness, clarity, and all those other
things that are easier to behold when one’s belly is being filled. And in this
moment, the love, kindness, and clarity are all there is to me. Not the product
of any enlightenment on my part, but rather the gift, given by a trusting
creature, as thanks for a simple act. I came out here to feed her, but it is I
who have been most nourished. Perhaps the ugliness inside me is only a part of
the illusion I paint of myself, borne of and perpetuated by the illusion that
the ugliness is what defines me.</div>
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I’ve come to realize that if I were truly a sociopath, I
wouldn’t be worried about it or feel regret. I wouldn’t care whether I had been
unkind, unjust, deceitful, or even cruel. I would simply continue being those
things, giving thought only to whether they were serving my needs. Those things
are still within me, and rear their heads more often than I’d like. But so long
as I can win the trust of one who is not inclined to trusting, and yearn to be
ever more worthy of that trust, I’m not really a lost cause after all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Mama Squirrel is finished with her breakfast now, and rushes
to return to the sanctuary of her nest in that single oak in the north pasture.
She scurries along the ground, stops, and turns to look at me. I like to tell
myself that this is her way of leaving a tip, of acknowledging the kindness of
her meal. But in truth, her wordless trust is all the thanks I could possibly
need, and falls far short of the debt I owe her for simply allowing me into her
little circle. For telling me that the shadows and demons are not the whole of
who I am. And, in these brief moments, for granting me my single greatest wish.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thank you, Mama Squirrel. I'll see you tomorrow. Same time, okay? </div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-81772161666858597512015-05-04T12:56:00.000-06:002015-05-04T16:30:06.098-06:00Old Farts and Their Insistence Upon Giving Advice...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was young, I usually resented it when some old fart
insisted upon offering me their sage advice. It seemed that very little of the
advice actually applied to my life in any way, and looking back, I can still
say that some – but certainly not all – of that advice was really an attempt to
get me to agree with their own mindset. Therefore, it is with no small measure
of hesitation that I offer my own “sage advice” to younger folks in general,
and to one young friend of whom I am particularly fond. So here goes…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First of all, I make no claim to being “wise.” To be honest,
during the course of my life, I’ve screwed up and failed at far more than I’ve
gotten right, and I don’t kid myself into believing that I’m finished screwing
up. Any “wisdom” I might have achieved has occurred out of attrition, rather
than mindful discovery, and reflects my attempt to be honest about my many
failures. So take anything I say with a grain (no, a pound) of salt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Regrets</b></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve done some pretty ugly things in my life, and have
to acknowledge that if Karma is absolute, I’ve got at least a couple more really
virtuous lives to live before I can work it off. That being said, my deepest
regrets as I move closer to my departure from this life than to my emergence
into it are not for the things I’ve done, but rather for the things I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">haven’t</i> done because I was afraid or felt
I was unworthy. I need to say that again, because it’s emerged as a really important
truth for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I regret the things I
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">haven’t</i> done, much more than any of
the things I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> done.</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am unworthy</i>.</b> The
first girl I ever really loved was a neighbor girl down the street. She was a
beautiful girl, and a genuinely good person, and therein lies the reason why I
never even told her I cared about her. See, I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i>. Far too bad a kid to be deserving of a good girl. Most of the
grownups knew how bad I was (I somehow offered them proof on a regular basis),
and didn’t really hesitate in reminding me of that fact. They were adults, and
I took their judgment very much to heart. Ironically, the little girl’s mother –
Joy – was one of the few who didn’t despise me. But then again, I wasn’t going
after her daughter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am afraid</i>.</b> While
I was in college, there was a girl I used to hang out with – let’s call her Susie
Homemaker –whose friendship I really enjoyed. We didn’t always agree about
everything, but enjoyed our disagreements as much as our agreements and our
shared experiences. We’d hang out all the time, and frequently tell each other
how fortunate that we were to stay friends, and not screw up the friendship by
being romantically involved with each other. We’d each date other people, and
tell ourselves and each other that those relationships didn’t have any bearing on
what we shared.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything was cool for a few years. That changed one night,
when I was about to go into the Navy, and she was moving to Alaska with her then
boyfriend. We were partying really hard that night, and I was incredibly high when
it hit me: we were saying goodbye to each other, probably for keeps. And that
scared me far more than I could have expected. Through the haze of my
drug-addled brain, I realized something I’d hidden from for years: I’d been in
love with her for a very long time, but had been afraid that revealing my true
feelings would scare her away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We eventually got away from our fellow partiers, and the
truth burst out of me in a way I never allowed anyone to see. I broke down in
tears and told her how I really felt, and she responded in kind. Seems that she
had long felt that way about me, but figured those feelings weren’t returned. Turns
out that she was afraid, just like me. But now, we’d cast our respective fates
to different winds, and it was too late to change course. We hugged, cried
together, kissed for the first and last time, and said our goodbyes. And we
never saw or heard from each other again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t regret that she isn’t in my life now. Not really. I’m
with a woman I love with all my heart, and have no desire to replace. In all
honesty, even if Susie and I had followed our hearts, we’d have almost
certainly ended our relationship after awhile, and it probably wouldn’t have
been a particularly gentle parting. I ultimately learned the hard way that I
wasn’t ready for a real relationship back then. She didn’t know the demons that
dwelt in me, hidden away from everyone. Demons that would grow more virulent
before being (hopefully) vanquished. But I do regret that we denied ourselves
the opportunity to share something that could have been beautiful, even if only
for awhile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is left from both these experiences is a hard lesson. I’ve
never been afraid to confront others, but sacrificed things I cherished, simply
because I was afraid of being hurt, of being discovered for the unworthy person
I felt myself to be. The advice I would offer, to you, my young friend, and to
those who, like me, are no longer young, but still have that frightened child
living inside, is that love is the one thing that you should never turn away
from, because you will regret doing so for the rest of your life. Better to “get
the shit kicked out of you by love*” than to someday find yourself shadowed by “what
if” and haunted by “if only.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My next bit of hard-earned “wisdom” is one that most of us
learn too late, and that applies to every aspect of our lives – our religion,
our politics, our profession, and most certainly, our relationships.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If any aspect of your
life doesn’t make you feel like a better person, and inspire you to want to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">become</i> a better person, it is a waste of
your time.</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>We’ve all had jobs, relationships, and life circumstances
that we figured were good enough, for now at least. I’ve learned, through
repeated and often harsh examples, that “good enough” is the most insidious
drug we can ever take. It is the active acknowledgment that we’ve given up, at
least for the time being. We get comfortable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jobs</b>. </i>The job you
have might be mind-numbing and frustrating, or even a lot of fun, but not be
getting you any closer to where you dream of being. But hey, that regular
paycheck sure takes the worries away, and your job title might make you feel
important. Comfortably numb and effectively head-patted. Until you start
getting accustomed to that paycheck and job title, and figure you can spend
more, buy more, do more, and further burnish your badge of honor <i><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">résumé</span></i>. And
like a drug, it eventually takes more for you to feel comfortably numb, even as
that sense of yearning for what you really want keeps rearing its head. It’s a
vicious cycle. This isn’t implying that you should blare the song, “Take This
Job and Shove It” and walk immediately away. But look clearly at what your job,
career, and even profession really provides for you, and if it isn’t serving to
make you more like the person you dream of being, be open to clues that lead
you to the job, career, or profession that does, and follow them as if your
life depends upon it. And always know that you are far more than just your job
title.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Relationships</b>. </i>To
settle for a relationship that is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">good
enough for now</i> is to state that you don’t deserve or won’t find anything
better. It is a surrender to the notion that you are less than what you really
are, and acceptance of the notion that you’ll never have the love you dream of
having. Unfortunately, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If your eyes are
tightly closed, you will never see the sunshine, never revel at the wonder of a
rainbow. And if you accept the comfort of a relationship that doesn’t serve to spark
your passions (and not just sexual), dispel your fears, and help you realize your
goodness as a person, while making you hunger to be an even better one, you won’t
be able to see such an enriching relationship when it does come your way. And
it will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Get a better mirror; one that reflects more than your
imperfections. One that also reflects the real beauty that others see, but that
you don’t let yourself observe and acknowledge. Don’t rely so much on other
people’s opinion of you, because they will often have their own agendas .For
all your perceived flaws and shortcomings, there is a beauty in you that shines
clearly for those who are capable of looking and seeing, and that far outshines
any of those flaws. But you cannot show that beauty to those who don’t yet know
you unless you begin to recognize its presence. Listen to those of us who truly
love you, even though we seek nothing from you. We are there, all around you. Not
looking to judge your fashion sense, but being touched by your heart. Open your
eyes enough to consider that what we see must actually exist. We aren’t stupid,
we aren’t blind, and we’re not trying to trick you or use you. We only want you
to feel the joy that we know you deserve.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Life in general</b>.</i> Everyone’s
life is a collection of countless details, some the products of our decisions,
others existing by default. These include our geographical location, the
hobbies and interests we pursue, and the many things we acquire as the years
pass. Far too frequently, we simply accept without question or even much
thought the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Just as frequently, we choose
our circumstances based not upon what will make us better people, but rather
upon what is simple, or worse, what helps us avoid things we find uncomfortable.
Things that we fear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve learned – as always, the hard way – that personal
security notwithstanding, fear is quite often a signpost that lets us know we’re
going someplace new and unfamiliar. My own hard lessons have been the result of
turning away from something new, only to later embrace the same experience and
wish I hadn’t passed it up the first time around. On the other hand, I’ve found
that the most wondrous times in my life came to pass when I faced my fears and
followed a new path anyway. I stubbed some toes along the way, but learned that
the bruises – even the worst of them – always heal, while the memories and
lessons stay with me. And in retrospect, even situations that I found upsetting
– even frightening – have more often than not turned out just fine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, the things we gather around us begin to define us.
That’s not inherently bad, but we are best served if we recognize when that is
happening, and consciously decide what to hold onto and what to set aside. My
wife is admittedly obsessive about her huge collection of books. Where she has
thousands of books, many of which she’s never read, she has a tough time
bringing herself to get rid of any. I, on the other hand, have only a few that
I keep, despite having bought many more throughout my life. Those that I
particularly enjoyed, I passed along to others. Yet it is not my place to pass
judgment on her decision to keep so many books. They are important to her, and
besides, I have my own collectible fetishes, like the drawer full of knives I
own, most of which I never carry, but enjoy nonetheless. In addition, I act on
my own personal nature, which, while different than hers, is not necessarily
better.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My core attitude toward things and circumstances in general
is that everything in my life either serves me or is served by me. If something
doesn’t really make me a better person or genuinely enrich my life in some way,
I ask myself how much energy I use storing, protecting, and caring for it. If
serving something in my life takes more energy than the pleasure it brings can
justify, I set it aside or send it on its way to someone whom it will serve.
This has definitely not been a wise investment strategy, but as anyone who
knows me will attest, my preferred investments have always been in experiences,
rather than things. I’d no doubt be better off financially now that I’m semi-retired,
had I followed a more conventional strategy, but the experiences I’ve had are
far more rewarding to me than a fat portfolio could ever be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not suggesting that anyone adopt my overly casual
approach to circumstances and material things. Doing so would drive even some
of my dearest friends crazy. That’s what happens when you try to do something
that is contrary to your true nature. But once in awhile, it might be good to
ask yourself whether the minutiae of your life is serving you, or if you’re
serving it. Then give some thought to whom you’re in this life to serve. You
might be surprised at the changes in your priorities..</div>
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The one way to break the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">good
enough for now</i> cycle is to realize that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i>
is all you’ve got, and to stop wasting it. Repeat that phrase:</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now is all you’ve got</i>.</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Your past is nothing but memories, and your future is a crap
shoot. Learn from one, and consider (but don’t obsess upon) the other. Don’t
let your future be defined and limited by your past. You are so much more than
the sum of your mistakes or your victories. Stick enough of your <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now</i> into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Enough</i> jar, and your future will be filled with so many regrets
that there won’t be room for those most cherished memories. Better to devour
and be nourished and thrilled by that Now, and add it to that store of moments
you cherish. You’ll enjoy it more, especially when you grow so old that your
memories are your most reliable companions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next time you find yourself saying the phrase “good
enough” in describing some aspect of your life, realize that you may actually be
prefacing it with the belief, if not the words, “I’m not.” Learn to accept that
the people who truly know you and love you know better. You don’t have them
fooled. So quit fooling yourself, especially with self-doubt and recrimination.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that’s about all the advice I feel qualified to give.
I don’t delude myself into believing that my advice is infallible, much less a
guaranteed key to unlocking the joy that life has to offer you. Nobody has such
a key, and besides, the door doesn’t even have a lock. All I can state with any
conviction is that while I certainly haven’t found the path to enlightenment, I
have spent enough time and energy on the path to sadness to ensure that I know
it very well. My “advice,” then, is offered to help you avoid a path I followed
for too many years, which brought me far more regret than happiness. To be
better than I’ve been, with far fewer regrets. You deserve nothing less.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
* – Tip of the hat to the delightful film, “Love, Actually.”</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-53028895584217613222014-05-30T10:34:00.000-06:002014-05-31T10:16:55.531-06:00I am the problem....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HanQuZcmYPI/U4izgGN1i3I/AAAAAAAAAKk/iv940smBkIQ/s1600/rapist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HanQuZcmYPI/U4izgGN1i3I/AAAAAAAAAKk/iv940smBkIQ/s1600/rapist.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div>
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The horrific events at Isla Vista hit me particularly hard,
albeit probably not for the reasons they should have. My brief visits to that
college community left me with an idyllic sense of peacefulness and joy. The
time, on my first visit, spent with my best, lifelong friend and his lady. The
relaxed pace of the town (at least in the early ‘70s). The sense of freedom on
another visit as I scrambled down the paths to the water, pulling my clothes
off as I ran, only to be joined by joyously friendly college students, who were
thankfully unaware that I was a member of the reviled military. These were
sweet memories, a detailed picture in my mind. But now, the images are
bloodied. Isla Vista has, in my mind, become part of a brutal world, tainted by
something that my nostalgic memories cannot abide. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking at my initial reaction, I have to recognize and
admit how profoundly shallow it is, particularly in the face of the lives
ended. But what of the collateral damage, the lives permanently scarred, in
Isla Vista and beyond? Sadly, the scars aren’t merely the result of one brutal
attack, an attack that is but a footnote on a tome beyond measure. The greater
story is one that is lived out by every woman, yet denied, dismissed, or
distracted by most males. It is the legacy of misogyny that pervades every
culture, and that has done so for time beyond measure or memory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking just a bit below the surface, I observe my own lifelong
behavior and attitudes, and have to be honest with myself and admit that I have
been and to an extent continue to be part of the problem. Through the course of
my life, when I looked at a female, my immediate internal reaction has been to
view her according to her value in my own life, not as an equal, but as an
accessory, a possession. My initial evaluation had little to do with whether
she might provide intellectual stimulation or challenge my emotional
limitations. I’d look at her and immediately size her up as a potential sexual
partner, as something to elevate my esteem in others’ eyes, or even as a
vehicle to assist me in reaching some goal I had set for myself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There have been women in my life who have transcended that
evaluation, but even they had to pass a certain set of criteria in order to be
considered worthy of the time it would take to discover their more esoteric
qualities. And I am ashamed to say that there have been any number of remarkable
women whom I’ve encountered and walked away from, simply because they weren’t
pretty enough, were too fat, didn’t find me charming, or in some other way, didn’t
“fit the part.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does that make me a misogynist? An abuser of women? I think
it goes deeper than that. It makes me an abuser of not only women, but of my
own humanity. In the course of my “disqualification process,” I have hurt some
women, and left them feeling less interesting, less intelligent, less
attractive, and ultimately, less worthy. That I felt – in varying degrees – a
sense of guilt, of shame, and of unworthiness myself as a result of my behavior
is ultimately my one saving grace. Had I not felt that guilt and shame, I would
have been a sociopath, rather than just an asshole. Asshole, I can live with
(under the right circumstances, anyway). Sociopath, I cannot. I have to believe
that there is kindness in me, beyond any selfish motive. Missing that kindness,
I would be less than human, the very thing I so despise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure, I became incensed when I worked on a book that described
firsthand the horrors that women in Muslim countries routinely experience –
having acid thrown in their face by their own fathers for merely looking at a
man, being set afire simply for speaking their mind, being killed for the crime
of not accepting a marriage proposal. But these were a world away, and nothing
like we have here in our “civilized” country. At least, not until we look at attractive
women being shot because a man – to stretch the term – hadn’t been able to
convince any <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">other</i> women to have sex
with him. Or at the many comments posted in sympathy for his pain. It is here.
Everywhere. And it always has been.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dialog that has arisen from this latest tragedy has
forced me to look honestly – perhaps for the first time – at how insidious the
objectification of women really is. Perhaps the most powerful information I’ve
gotten was from a blog post that told us men to just shut up and listen,
something I’ve rarely been known to do. But when I did finally listen, I was
literally pummeled by a truth that I had never heard, much less, considered. It
was both the truth of what women – all women – experience, and the illusion
with which we men respond to that truth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">#YesAllWomen versus #NotAllMen</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every woman, no matter where she lives, has felt objectified
by men. And while I had known this intellectually for a long time, it never
really sunk in until recently. Women, because of their own personal experiences,
have to view men in the same way most people view snakes. Until they’ve seen
enough to identify a specific one, they have to assume it is venomous. Why?
Because they or someone they know has had an encounter with a guy who seems
nice, interesting, and normal, but ultimately ends up being abusive,
controlling, condescending, and possibly even violent. Statistics say that one
in four women will be the victim of a sexual assault in their lives. One in
four. How many men would rush to pick up a snake they didn’t recognize if they
knew that one in four of them would get bitten?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another analogy that’s been going around the last couple of
days (probably much longer, but I’m new at looking at this, remember?)
describes a bowl of M&Ms™, where ten percent of the candies are poisonous.
How eager would you be, knowing this, to grab a handful and partake? The most
frequent male response to the analogy has been to deny that the percentage of
abusive men is much lower than ten percent, and that they (the responders) aren’t
abusive in any way. Okay, let’s drop the percentage of poisoned M&Ms /
abusive males to .1 percent – one in a thousand. Only one candy contains deadly
poison, and one guy in a very crowded club is potentially abusive (and that is
giving us guys a bigger benefit of the doubt than our behavior would warrant). Would
it make sense to go ahead and grab a handful of M&Ms and chow down, or for
a woman to take the guy who approaches her at face value? Think about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To make it as simple as possible, imagine as a man, walking
alone at night, and seeing a group of women approaching. Our normal first
response is to check the women out, see which of them we find most attractive,
and perhaps consider what our chances are of having a relationship – even a
brief sexual relationship – with the hottest one. Our very first reaction is to
assess an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">opportunity</i>. If it feels
right, or if one of them acknowledges or smiles at us, we might make small talk
– any overture to enhance that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">opportunity</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, imagine being a woman, also walking alone at night, and
seeing a group of men approaching. The first response is to assess the group,
but for a wholly different reason than opportunity. Do any of them look threatening, angry, or,
for that matter, too interested? Will I be whistled and cat-called at? Will I be
grabbed as I try to pass, raped and left for dead, or worse, murdered? Each
reaction is very real, and each is justified by our own previous experience.
There is very little chance that a group of women will attack – much less, rape
and kill – a man, but in the women’s experience, there is a very real likelihood
of her fears being realized. Women are aware of the reality, and we men need to
be aware, as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the last couple of days, I’ve heard guys try to argue
the statistics of misogynistic behavior, as if those statistics could somehow
disprove what every woman on earth has experienced and continues to experience.
They try to reassure women that they’re “different,” and that there is no
reason to lump them in with “a few bad apples.” What they fail to realize is
that by attempting to dismiss women’s experiences, they actually promote and
protect those “bad apples,” and by extension, join forces with them. Perhaps
the guys would do well to understand that a misogynist would not be likely to
identify himself as one. He’d do his best to appear charming, endearing, and
entertaining, at least until he had the woman in the position he desired, or
realized she wasn’t going to go along with his idea of a “relationship.” And we
saw, all to graphically, how the latter scenario can – and too often does – play
out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s not who we men are, it’s what we do.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The one, we can’t change. The other, we can and must.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And no excuses are acceptable.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was raised primarily by my mother, who was by any measure
a strong and independent woman. She demanded my respect, as well as that of
everyone she encountered, and God help the person who failed to show her that
respect. Looking back, however, I have to acknowledge that she was born into –
and on some levels, accepted and unknowingly perpetuated – the age-old notion
that a woman’s “place” was supposed to be subservient to a man’s, and I suspect
that on some level, she resented the fact that she was required to be the
dominant partner in her own marriage. Her (perhaps unconscious) acceptance of
“a woman’s place” was manifest in many ways, some so subtle as to be easily
overlooked, at least by myself, and I suspect by society at large.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For example, I lived under a very different set of rules than
did my older sister. My mother accepted my smoking cigarettes for years before my
sister was allowed to smoke. I cannot remember ever washing dishes after a
meal, while my sister did so quite frequently. Neither can I remember my sister
ever being expected to do yard work. It was a “man’s job.” Even in our
schooling, my sister was pressured by expectations that I never really felt. As
a result, she strove to do well, while I coasted all the way through high
school, completely apathetic about my education.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can remember going out to dinner with Mom, and her
discretely passing money under the table, so I could be the one to pay. Her
gesture meant a lot to me when I was young and poor, but I grew uncomfortable
with it as I matured (if indeed I have ever done so). Looking back, I can’t
help but wonder whether the gesture was as important to her as she felt it was
to me; that she would have preferred to be in a more traditional “woman’s” position.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just to be clear, I in no way blame my mother or any other
woman for the misogyny that is so pervasive in this and so many other cultures.
Only to acknowledge how, even with the best of intentions, she may have
perpetuated a mindset that was fertile ground, and in which insecure and
frightened little boys learn to embrace and twist “traditional” roles into
justification for dismissal, objectification, and abuse of women.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But in the final analysis, I don’t give a damn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> we men got to where we are, because
that is not the issue. The issue is not what we are, what kind of environment
we lived in, or any other factor that we might cling to in our attempt to
explain, justify, or defend what we do or explain how “we’re different.” All
that matters is what we are doing now, and what we choose to do in the future.
And the best – no, the only – way we can make a good choice is to begin by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shutting</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">up and listening</i>. Really listening to what women have known for
thousands of years, but have been too frightened to discuss. If we’re trying to
explain or defend our own behavior, or to insist that we be judged by who we
are, independent of and vastly different from “those other guys,” we are
missing the point altogether. We are denying a pervasive reality, simply
because we haven’t experienced it ourselves. By doing that, we allow that ugly reality
a safe place to continue. We are the problem, until we make and follow through
on the decision, not to make some grand gesture, but simply to change how we
look at women and how we behave toward them. And just as importantly, to
clearly express our disapproval when we see others behaving badly, because a
person who is weak enough to need to dominate women will always look to other
males for support. Only when that support is denied, and the behavior clearly
rejected, will there be any possibility that the abuser will look at and
possibly try to change his behavior.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are the problem, and always have been. Not the only
problem, and not every problem, but we are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i>
problem. And now, we have two very clear choices: we can either choose to continue
to be part of the problem, or choose to be part of the solution. To shut up and
listen. To empathize without trying to defend. To recognize the women we
encounter as humans every bit as intelligent, complex, and worthy as we would
like to think we are ourselves. And to recognize and acknowledge that what they
have experienced is every bit as real and valid as our own experiences. If we
can manage to do these simple things, we will discover a richness in our
relationships that soars beyond our wildest imaginings. If we don’t, “the
bitches” will just keep on “playing with our heads” and rejecting us. We get to
choose. And we will make that choice, every day, every hour, and every moment
of our lives. We’ll choose badly at times, but we will have the opportunity to
choose well the next time. We have to try, for the women’s sake and for our
own.</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-87980771288427232232014-03-04T08:42:00.001-06:002014-03-04T11:28:53.986-06:00As Spring approaches, an Autumn retrospective…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vhAlH6UsYFg/UxXlGAmnf-I/AAAAAAAAAKU/1aq0-AWjHTA/s1600/Sunsets+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vhAlH6UsYFg/UxXlGAmnf-I/AAAAAAAAAKU/1aq0-AWjHTA/s1600/Sunsets+015.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I settle somewhat comfortably into my sixties, I find
myself looking back at the course my life has taken, as we all do when
approaching that “certain age,” when it occurs to us that our yesterdays far
outnumber our tomorrows. Wondering at the choices we made during those decades
that went by so quickly. Wondering whether ours has been a life worth living,
and whether we left anything of value behind. And weighing the value of regret.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to recognize that I won’t be leaving much of
intrinsic material value for my loved ones, and I suppose I do feel some pangs
of remorse over that. But the people I love will do just fine without any
windfall from me. My children are grown and, I hope, happy. They carry the
weight of the same worries we’ve all had; will I earn enough to support the
lifestyle I choose? Will the people I love stay with me, even when I make doing
so difficult for them? Will my having lived really matter to anyone? Will
anyone care about me after I’m gone?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first question notwithstanding, I know that nothing I
have done or could do is capable of providing answers to their questions, any
more than anyone else could have provided the same answers to me. Truth is, we
cannot really know the answers to any of those questions. Perhaps we aren’t
supposed to know the answers after all. Perhaps the old monk who once taught me
– saved me, actually – was right when he told me that knowing the answers wasn’t
nearly as important as loving the questions. Because by loving the questions
themselves, we move ourselves a bit closer to living the kind of life that
brings about the answers for which we hope.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I look back at some of the decisions I’ve made, and realize
that many of them were borne of a decision to “screw it,” and follow a course
whose destination was a mystery to me, but which I truly believed would be the
best for which I could hope.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Working to heal others until I realized that true
healing is an inside job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Donning the mantel of corporate uprightness and
drive, then casting it aside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trying to give my kids the sense of acceptance I
never had in my own childhood. And not always being successful (or even particularly intelligent) in my efforts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Choosing, on several different occasions, to
give away, sell, or discard the “things” I had accumulated, just to provide me
with the opportunity to do something different.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allowing myself a time or two to
plunge so deeply into love that I ignored everything but that love, and
ultimately finding myself more alone in another’s company than I had ever been
in my times of solitude, I learned that the only thing that really mattered was
the love itself. And that my biggest challenge was to hold to the sweetness of
that love, while letting go of the creeping bitterness I felt at realizing that the other
person might not have held the same dream as I. Or to recognize that love was
there all along, and I was just too blind to see it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve succeeded in some ways, and failed miserably at others.
I take real pride in having been “redirected” in my quest for the ministry
because I was “too laid back” (the official determination of those charged with
allowing me to proceed) for even the most laid back of religions. If ever there
was a clear indication that my heart was in Zen, that redirection must surely
have been it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m glad I got the opportunity to write a bunch of books, even if
they were for other people. It was a fun exercise, even if I did find myself
cursing at times. Some of the other things I did – things that mattered greatly
at the time – were probably most significant in having been done and gotten out
of the way, so I could get a little closer to the path I really wanted and think I was
supposed to follow. But perhaps that could be said about everything I’ve ever
done. As to whether the "path" I chose at any given time was what I was "supposed" to do, I have no clue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t get rich, but that was never my intent, anyway. An
occasional fantasy, perhaps, but if I had achieved it, I suspect I would have
screwed it up. Or gotten even further distracted from what was really
important to me. If it happened today, who knows what I’d do with it. Buy a motorcycle,
perhaps. Travel to the Greek Islands. If my pattern held true, I’d probably
give a lot of it away, to people (many with four legs) for whom it was more important than it is to
me. Either that, or blow it on the biggest “screw it” of my life. No way of
telling, really. I recognize that there were times when I needed something I couldn't provide, and that there were kind people who came forward to fill that need. I hope that I have repaid their kindness once in awhile, albeit to occasionally lend a hand to others at need.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As it is, I don’t have the cushion of a savings account or
investments that would allow me to simply coast through whatever years, months,
or moments I might have left on this journey. But I don’t feel particularly
concerned about that, because coasting would be, to me, a profound waste, a
surrender to cynicism, and a fate far worse than death.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Actually, many things seem to be a fate worse than death. It’s
just another step on my journey, after all. Nobody gets out alive. And it is
really no greater mystery than any of the other steps I’ve taken. Just another “screw
it” that gives rise to another part of the journey. No more significant than a single breath in the greater scheme of things (If there is, indeed, a greater scheme). And as I take that step, I
suspect it won’t really matter to me how all those great questions are
answered. Some folks will remember me with a smile, others with a scowl. Some
will feel anger in their hearts for my having somehow failed them. But I will
not feel that anger. Perhaps I’ll see it from wherever I go, and feel
compassion for them. Perhaps I’ll laugh at the folly of blaming another for
anything at all. Perhaps I’ll speak to them in their dreams, and attempt to
comfort them in a way I could not do in life. Or maybe, just maybe, when I no
longer drive this earthly vehicle, I simply won’t “be” any longer. If that’s
the case, the only thing that will have mattered was what I held in my heart as
I released my last breath. I think that if I’ve done things right, that last
breath will come on the tail end of a laugh, and perhaps be followed by one
last, resounding fart, so that the people around me will have reason to share
that laugh with me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I’ve done everything right (which I will most certainly
not have done), they will look at each other, say “screw it,” and go get a
pizza. They can talk about my quirks, my failures, my triumphs, or about everything
else in their lives <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but</i> me. I’m good
with any of these.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do hope to carry with me the tenderness that a few people
might have felt for me, despite my quirks. But even that won’t really matter
that much. I’ll be somewhere else, likely saying “screw it,” and heading of in
a wholly different direction than even I had considered. I have lots more
mistakes to make, and far too many questions to love. And however much time I
have left will not be spent preparing for something that is beyond my control,
anyway. I’m just not there yet.</div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-72300889953400170922013-07-07T09:50:00.001-06:002013-07-07T09:56:04.878-06:00Why Zen? Why not? Part 1: Early factors<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AYWCYvhDUgg/UdmOB0Rr5YI/AAAAAAAAAJw/tOwsfb5RTlQ/s1600/Buddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-AYWCYvhDUgg/UdmOB0Rr5YI/AAAAAAAAAJw/tOwsfb5RTlQ/s1600/Buddha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
been asked more than once how long I’ve been a Buddhist, and even more
frequently, what is means to follow Zen Buddhism. The answers are at once
simple and complex, much like Zen itself. So, for the benefit of anyone who
cares to know the answers (good luck on the latter!), keep reading.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking
back, I have to acknowledge that I was a follower of Zen long before I ever
heard the word; probably all my life. I grew up in the Baptist church, and was
regularly regaled with the story of a loving Creator’s promise of eternal
torment if I failed to recognize and publicly acknowledge the singular divinity
of the Father/Son/Holy Spirit trinity. This was enough of a paradox to raise
questions in my mind; questions that were amplified by the pronouncements of
people who implied that they had an intimate relationship with that Creator,
and were therefore qualified to pronounce “His” judgment via proxy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
the deacon who caught me smoking a cigarette behind the church and pronounced
that my descent into hell was inevitable. My expletive-enhanced response to him
elicited a “visitation” with me and my parents in our home that very afternoon.
Thankfully, my mother withheld the inevitable punishment long enough to ask me
why I had said such a terrible thing… to a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grownup</i>,
and a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">deacon</i>, no less. When I told
her, she not-so-politely challenged the deacon, and invited him and his fellow
elders to leave her home. I got punished for my response, of course, but the
greater lesson was learned from her defense of her child.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
really sealed the deal and convinced me that I did not belong in the church was
when a Sunday School teacher informed me that only humans had souls, and
therefore that my beloved dog would never be in heaven. Looking in my dog’s
eyes, I could clearly see the falsehood in the teacher’s words. And though I
was later to be baptized in the church, it was, to be honest, an attempt on my
part to be thought of as something other than a wayward child who was beyond
redemption, which was how most of the grownups saw me. But the baptism didn’t
take. I was still the wayward child, and my sinful acts were still dutifully
reported to my parents, most reports beginning with, “That Ronnie… Bless his
heart…”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
never could accept that a creature as loving as my dog was soul-less, and I
knew that no matter what he did, I could never intentionally inflict upon him
even a moment’s anguish, much less, an eternity of it. And if there was a God,
he would have to be nicer than I, or I (and a lot of other people) would have
been smote with that fire and brimstone a long time ago. In truth, even as a
small child, I couldn’t accept the assertion that a divine being was so emotionally
needy that “he” required absolute agreement, much less universal adulation. And
for a time, I guess I’d have called myself an atheist, had I been aware of the
word. I just didn’t believe anything… except, of course, my own unworthiness. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That</i> lesson had been driven home quite
effectively. Unfortunately, the belief that I did indeed deserve my forthcoming
descent into hell lingered, unspoken, but ever-present. And with that
knowledge, I figured that what I did no longer mattered. What was important was
that I not get caught. Hell would come later, so I’d best enjoy whatever I
could get away with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i>. The only
inhibiting factor was my own aversion to hurting others… unless I believed that
they deserved it. I became my own paradox – a sociopath in training, albeit
with a vestige of a moral compass. The perfect perspective upon which to build
a happy childhood.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
yet, there were moments when I felt a certainty – deep within me, and in spite
of outward appearances – that there was more to existence than the cynical
picture I could envision. Those moments, spent in solitude, listening to the
whisper of a breeze through the branches of the trees, or gazing silently into
the sky and turning the clouds into galleons or benevolent ghosts, were my transport
from the bleak world I had come to know. It would be many years before I would
learn that those moments, which I sought out with the ardor of a starving
animal, were called Meditation.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">~ To be
continued (eventually) ~</span></div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-13003608569001584192013-06-24T13:50:00.001-06:002013-06-24T13:53:55.648-06:00But does it ever get DARK here??<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
been nearly a week since I returned from my visit to Alaska, and my sleep patterns still
haven’t returned to normal. For someone who awakens at first light every day of
his life, an Alaskan summer can be a dramatic event, because it never gets even
as dark as “first light.” One cannot grasp the significance of being in the
Land of the Midnight Sun without actually having experienced it. I found myself,
on numerous occasions, almost yielding to the temptation to call home and relay the
experiences of my day, only to realize that while it looked like late afternoon
in Homer, it was 3 AM back home, and that my call would likely startle my lady
awake (There is <i>no such thing</i> as a good 3 AM call).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Circadian
challenges out of the way, here is a brief recall of my time in Alaska, and –
said challenges aside – it was a <i>wondrous </i>trip, only possible because of the
prodding and insistence of my precious daughter and son-in-law. When I said,
months ago, that I would come, she bought the airline tickets, thus racking up
some additional airline miles, while simultaneously ensuring that I would
indeed come (and reimburse her). She’s crafty that way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
flight from Austin to Houston to Anchorage was relatively unremarkable, aside
from the first hop, which found me seated next to a guy who weighed somewhere
in the vicinity of 300+ pounds, and whose girth left roughly 2/3 of a seat for
my comfort. No sweat… It was a short ride. The plane from Houston to Anchorage
was delayed, allowing me to soak up an extra hour and a half of Texas heat
while parked on the tarmac, and placing me in Anchorage with a mere 3 minutes
to get to my connecting flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5K2P6jXCLiw/UciaON25VCI/AAAAAAAAAIY/ILBKfWdR_gM/s1600/yukon-territory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5K2P6jXCLiw/UciaON25VCI/AAAAAAAAAIY/ILBKfWdR_gM/s640/yukon-territory.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
a shot of the Yukon Territory, taken from my plane. Phenomenally unspoilt and
majestic.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rapid
response on my daughter’s part got me switched to another flight, this one to
Kenai rather than Homer. She must have broken every speed limit en route,
because she arrived to pick me up only about 20 minutes after I landed. All I
could think of when I saw her was that I’d actually forgotten how beautiful she
is. And she looked genuinely thrilled to see me, which wasn’t always the case
when she was growing up under my Machiavellian thumb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I won't go into the return flight, except to state that it never reached a level requiring intervention by Air Marshals. I must give credit for the "incident" to a remarkably rude fellow traveler who had made it a priority to crush my snacks, if not my knees, though the situation was diffused by the somewhat late-in-coming good judgment of an equally rude male flight attendant. And that's all I'll say about that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V59Mj21k9K0/Uciaiqg2FKI/AAAAAAAAAIg/AMhhPBKXU_I/s1600/at-kenai-airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V59Mj21k9K0/Uciaiqg2FKI/AAAAAAAAAIg/AMhhPBKXU_I/s400/at-kenai-airport.jpg" width="386" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sharon
and me at the airport in Kenai</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had expected to be alone at their house for a few of the days during my visit,
as she and Corey both held positions of responsibility at their workplaces, and
I didn’t want or expect to compromise their professional well-being. As it
turned out, they took off the better part of the time I was there, and had
plans for the majority of our time together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Alaska
is very much a study in contrasts. You might see a multi-million dollar cabin
that looks like it came straight out of Architectural Digest, and an old school
bus turned into a ramshackle cabin, mere yards away. Some of the friendliest
and most attractive people you’d ever see, right next to someone who would look
wholly familiar alongside Jethro Tull’s <i>Aqualung</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
one day, we took a 2-1/2 hour boat ride across the Kachemak Bay to Seldovia,
which has the feel of an artists’ colony that has recently found favor among
the travel agents. The plan was for the 3 of us to take a hike on the wilderness
trails, but the few miles we walked through the village let me know that I wasn’t
up to it, so I suggested they go alone, and I would return to a delightful
coffee shop / bookstore we had visited. We parted ways, and I ended up spending
the next couple of hours chatting and making music with John, the owner (Well,
in truth, he made the music, and I introduced him to John Prine’s genius, albeit with my less-than-remarkable voice.). With
a clear stream flowing lazily below us, it was a perfect setting for coffee,
cookies, and new friends. I will go back there someday, but in the meantime, I’m
sending John a John Prine songbook. If you ever get to Seldovia, do yourself a favor and go visit John. You won't have to ask him twice to get his guitar out and play for you. And don't forget to sample his home-baked cookies. They're wonderful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wDAI1p90jh4/Ucia24WDITI/AAAAAAAAAIo/6rCBAjRA8_g/s1600/John-coffee+shop2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wDAI1p90jh4/Ucia24WDITI/AAAAAAAAAIo/6rCBAjRA8_g/s400/John-coffee+shop2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">View
of the Seldovia Slough and the deck of Warehouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Books & Coffee</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
another day, Sharon and I took a mellow raft trip down the Kenai River from
Cooper’s Landing, under the capable guidance of Alaska Wildland Adventures. Not
a whitewater trip, per se, but remarkably relaxing… except, perhaps, that one
moment when the oarsman asked us if we wanted to shoot a small rapid, and we
all chimed in with an enthusiastic “Yes!” They weren’t kidding about the water temp
being 40 degrees. So much for being lulled by the stream, but it was actually
pretty warm outside, and the minor splashing was actually quite refreshing!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vCGWxSQlGC0/UcidK4bbwJI/AAAAAAAAAJY/K6Dpxmv_SS4/s1600/Raft+Trip-Sharon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vCGWxSQlGC0/UcidK4bbwJI/AAAAAAAAAJY/K6Dpxmv_SS4/s400/Raft+Trip-Sharon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GAXBFLh4_w/UcicH9LoKdI/AAAAAAAAAI4/hQzRpEQjO7I/s1600/Raft+Trip-grin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GAXBFLh4_w/UcicH9LoKdI/AAAAAAAAAI4/hQzRpEQjO7I/s400/Raft+Trip-grin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XayGahMutCQ/UcicH0pppFI/AAAAAAAAAI8/MPXdoU7plIY/s1600/Raft+Trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XayGahMutCQ/UcicH0pppFI/AAAAAAAAAI8/MPXdoU7plIY/s400/Raft+Trip.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>On the Kenai River</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Interspersed
between these day-long adventures were visits to all the touristy shops in town
and on the Homer Spit ( A long peninsula that is home to myriad bars,
restaurants, charter businesses, and fishing companies. Again, contrasts.). Topped an afternoon on the Spit </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">with Corey </span>with
an essential requisite for all tourists, which entailed tossing down
beers at a famous local watering hole. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQfYrdNUoV8/Ucid5WH2w6I/AAAAAAAAAJg/KTsiWnrwVC0/s1600/Spit_Panorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQfYrdNUoV8/Ucid5WH2w6I/AAAAAAAAAJg/KTsiWnrwVC0/s640/Spit_Panorama.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PNdRHMqr3vg/UcicVHkY3tI/AAAAAAAAAJI/IYoO4DaFj1Y/s1600/Ron-at-Spit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PNdRHMqr3vg/UcicVHkY3tI/AAAAAAAAAJI/IYoO4DaFj1Y/s400/Ron-at-Spit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking
across the bay to the Homer Spit</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
scenery and atmosphere of the Kenai Peninsula is compelling, to say the least
(though I suspect it would lose a bit of its allure during winter). The most
remarkable parts of the trip, however, had little to do with topography or
Chamber of Commerce efforts. In my previous experiences, even when spending
time with the closest of friends or relatives, there comes a point at which you
begin to miss the relaxed comfort of being in your own space, and grow
increasingly aware that you are a “guest” in another’s space. In the 8 days I
was there, I never had such a feeling, and felt every bit as welcome on my last
day as I did upon my arrival. There were no “issues” lingering beneath the
surface, awaiting resolution, and no longings for solitude or more familiar
environs. Sure, I missed my Connie, as well as our menagerie of animals. But
the longing was to have them all brought to me, rather than a desire to escape
to my more familiar world. And this comfortable feeling can only be attributed
to Sharon and Corey. Whether they were truly enjoying my presence the whole
time or are supremely gifted actors, the sense of being welcome was unshakable,
and means more to me than I could ever describe. All the conflicts that
inevitably arise between parent and child were long gone and all but forgotten
(except as fodder for laughter). I know of few people who have experienced such
true communion with kin. And aside from a slightly alcohol-infused (but
amazingly animus-free) political discussion after a night at the bar, there was
little in the way of “debate.” We were all just too busy having fun and
enjoying each other. And in the end, I found it awkward to call Corey my
son-in-law, which seemed to conjure the stereotypical “in-law” images. He’s my
son. And a dear friend. And Sharon, who will always be my little girl, is someone
I would definitely seek out as a friend in her own right, had we not already
achieved that kind of comfortable relationship. The “kids’” politics, we’ll
just have to work on. My adoration of them will remain intact.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj2PKmiDxME/UcicgHbeGDI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/9VfYeQmS_E0/s1600/Sharon-Corey-boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj2PKmiDxME/UcicgHbeGDI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/9VfYeQmS_E0/s400/Sharon-Corey-boat.jpg" width="364" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Corey
& Sharon on the trip to Seldovia</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coming
home was bittersweet, with the sadness blunted somewhat by the awareness that
Sharon will be here to visit in a few short months. I only hope Corey makes it
down soon, as well. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until they buy their house,
which will give me an excuse to come up and help with the remodeling they want
to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
been almost a week now since I got home. My sleep patterns are slowly returning
to normal. As are my eating habits, which were drastically modified by Sharon’s
incredible repast. From scrumptious, fried fresh-caught halibut to a breakfast
devoted to exquisite gluttony (What else would you call a pound of bacon, a
pound of sausage, biscuits, pancakes, and potato pancakes for only three
people?), to treats from the killer Three Sisters Bakery and the Alaska Wild
Berry store, I ate more rich and delicious food in a week than I normally
ingest in a couple of months. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but I did
notice that the planes had a bit more difficulty taking off on my return trip
than they did on my arrival. Just saying…</span></div>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-31857243825534972532013-05-24T08:59:00.004-06:002013-05-24T08:59:57.335-06:00Can't We All Just Get Along?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-webTUYpIoqw/UZ99KaUoV_I/AAAAAAAAAII/g0GgySxhyiw/s1600/trust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-webTUYpIoqw/UZ99KaUoV_I/AAAAAAAAAII/g0GgySxhyiw/s320/trust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think we all know and admire people who seem to be able to get along with <i>anybody</i>.
And I’m the first one to acknowledge how noble such an attitude can be. Sometimes,
I’m even envious of their ability to mesh so well with so many different kinds
of people. I mean, just look at how many friends these people have, and how
diverse those friendships are.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I,
on the other hand, am not one of those people. I enjoy being around a lot of
different people, and cherish my friends, especially those with whom I can have lively discussions, even disagreements. But there are some types – toxic,
petty, deceitful, shallow, self-absorbed, or exploitive people - whom I am more likely to confront
than to embrace, at least until I recognize the futility of the confrontation and
grow weary of it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I encounter someone (with the notable exception of sales people and other business types) whose very persona seems to drastically shift, chameleon-like,
to mesh with everyone they encounter, I find myself wondering who they really
are, and what they stand for. Since a degree of certainty as to how someone
will respond in a given circumstance is the core element of trust, and trust is
the core element in any close relationship, I tend to keep such people at arm’s
length, at least on an emotional level. I just don’t know who they are going to
be in any given situation. I can care deeply about them, but I temper that with the realization that I may
well be responding to their positive strokes, despite not knowing whether their
support is heart-felt or just another of their many changing colors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
know that my friends will have my back, no matter how grave the situation. They
will also challenge me if they disagree with me, and get right up in my face if
they think I’m being unfair or cruel or putting my or someone else’s well-being
at risk (all of which, I have been known to do). And they know the same about me. When all is said and done, I know
that my friends love me as deeply as I love them, and will alternately have my
back or hand me my ass as necessary, both from an attitude of love. And these are the essential
elements of a trust that can never exist in the company of a chameleon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That's why I don't like to step lightly into a relationship, even one that I envision as a casual acquaintance. I'd much rather that both of us learn what the other is about early on than spend a significant amount of whatever time we might have left changing colors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>(Note: The symbol at the top is the Chinese symbol for trust)</i></span></div>
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><br />RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-75679338712425584602012-11-08T09:21:00.000-06:002012-11-08T09:29:29.460-06:00Time to come in off the playground and get to work!<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"><div class="text_exposed_show">
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The election is over. It's time to set aside the
whining, gloating, and threatening, and get on with the business of actually
governing. And we need to do so in the real world, rather than within the dream
world of ideological purity. Realistically, there is little chance that a third
party will rise above the status of a political Wailing Wall anytime in the
foreseeable future. The only way we will ever get anything done in this country
is through genuine compromise between the two major political parties. And the
only way that can come about is if BOTH parties abandon their predilection for
making the other party a feared bogeyman. To recognize the FACT that liberals
don't want socialism and conservatives don't want fascism.<br />
<br />
As long as the parties base their platform upon the bloviation of extremist
"entertainers," the only ones who will prosper will be the
entertainers themselves, as well as the media outlets that provide them with
their platforms. The rest of us will continue to grow frustrated with the toxic
rhetoric and political stagnation, and both political parties will grow
increasingly marginalized. Faced with promises of draconian austerity measures,
heralded as the holy Grail of "true conservatism," the liberal
reaction will inevitably be to call for increased entitlement programs, to
which the "true conservatives" will respond with even more draconian
measures. The cycle will spiral eternally upward. Who will benefit? First of
all, the media that sees such discord as a golden cash cow. Secondly, the
wealthiest and most powerful, who will see their profits rise as the rules that
govern their businesses are eroded. And finally, the unions will see their
membership rolls swell, with fear of worker exploitation being their war cry.<br />
<br />
What both "sides" fail to recognize is that such tension is not
sustainable over the long term, and that a swing to the extreme on either side
can only crush consumer confidence, which will eventually result in diminished
profits for companies, dwindling dividends for stockholders, and the alienation
of the populace. This country desperately NEEDS a strong conservative element,
to ensure that our economy remains strong. It also NEEDS a strong liberal
element, to ensure that the dividends, the Dow, and the S&P aren't the ONLY
benchmarks of that economy, much less, of the overall well-being of the
country.<br />
<br />
It's time to quit acting like frightened children and neighborhood gangs. The
"other guys" aren't your enemies, they are - or could be - your
partners in making this country as great as our founders knew it could be. And
the first step toward that partnership must be the turning aside from the wailing
of entertainers whose sole motivation is to maintain their audience and the
revenue that a large audience provides.<br />
<br />
Steps down from soap box and wanders off, in search of breakfast...</span></div>
</div>
</span></span></span></span></h5>
RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-64247633622084277852012-03-11T11:26:00.000-06:002012-03-11T11:26:08.319-06:00We Live in a Nanny State… Deal With It!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">The title of this post must seem strange, coming from an admittedly left-leaning centrist like myself. But it is the truth. We might as well get used to it, because it is the nature of government – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> form of government – to protect, coddle, and ultimately, control the populace. The real question we need to ask ourselves is two-fold: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whom</i> do we want to coddle, protect, and control, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how much</i>?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the current political dialog, you have the right, which despite angrily decrying our ruinous descent into nanny-stateism, constantly strives to expand upon the very coddling and protectionism they so publicly revile. At the same time they scream to get the government out of our lives, they demand that women be denied the information required to make intelligent choices about their lives. They demand that women be subjected to physically invasive and emotionally wrenching procedures designed to convince them not to terminate a pregnancy, and at the same time, push to allow physicians to withhold pertinent information that might lead the women to choose abortion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And what about the whole Defense of Marriage brouhaha? Marriage is, at its core, a religious ceremony, deemed necessary by ideological dogma. That the state has also conferred legal ramifications is above and beyond the actual dictates of the ritual. Therefore, making a legislative decision about who may or may not be allowed to marry is as clear-cut an intrusion of church upon state – and vice versa – as anyone is likely to see. Perhaps the most logical answer would be to legislate guidelines for civil unions, completely separate from the dictates and dogma of the church, yet conferring the same legal benefits and constraints. Frankly, the church has no business establishing the framework of a legal contract, just as the state has no business establishing the framework of religious practice. This is certainly not a war on religion; it merely addresses, defines, and honors the rightful respective roles that religion and government play in our lives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In blurring the lines between relevant entities in our lives, those on the right side of the political equation aren’t trying to eliminate government coddling and control; they are merely attempting to shift it so that the religious element – which makes up a significant portion of what they consider their “base” – is the one being coddled, and the individual citizen is the element being controlled.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The same logic applies to large corporations. The right screams about efforts to regulate large industries, even to the point of attempting to criminalize efforts to expose potentially unsafe and inhumane practices in which those industries engage. By conferring all the rights of personhood upon corporations, while simultaneously providing privacy protection that is denied individuals, the shift in coddling becomes startlingly transparent. Of course, the same applies to the far left’s apparent efforts to virtually eliminate industries whose products they deem unacceptable, and to give unlimited power to control some industries, while looking the other way on others.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The bottom line, as I see it, is that both “sides” of the political equation have usurped their primary responsibilities in their insatiable quest for power, position, and wealth. Political platforms are now based upon the demands of the most powerful groups in any candidate’s constituencies, whose power lies not in votes, but in influence. And as loudly as we might demand that the officials we elect act in the best interests of the populace, our demands will continue to fall on deaf ears for a number of reasons. First of all, too many of us shape our perspectives (and our demands) based upon information provided by the very entities whose interests are most susceptible to being diminished by any change. Take influence away from the corporations, churches, unions, and lobbies, and their power is diminished, their profits reduced. None of these powerful entities can be expected to go gentle into that good night. Industries will scream at the top of their lungs (and with the full power of their very large budgets), claiming that reducing their profits will cost citizens their jobs, kill innovation, and bring financial ruin. Churches will chime in on the whole “decay of our society” claim, reserving – as always – the threat of eternal damnation as a not-so-last resort. And the union bosses will warn of the re-emergence of the abuses that occurred in the earliest days of the industrial revolution of the 20<sup>th</sup> century.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Setting aside all the dire, doom-and-gloom prognostications and looking more objectively at how a government works, how it should work, and how it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> work, if allowed, the most reasonable approach seems to be the elimination of all overblown sources of influence; anything that has a greater voice than does the individual voter. Of course, such a utopian revolution is unlikely to take place, since those who would foment such change are also the most deeply beholden to the very influences we would do well to eliminate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So where do we start? Perhaps a good place would be for more citizens to recognize that compromise is literally the lifeblood of a democracy, and that the failure to compromise can lead only to tyranny or anarchy. Then, we need to accept the fact that a different point of view does not make someone stupid, lazy, or evil. In short, we need to get over the juvenile assumption that victory is defined as the destruction of an opponent. True victory can only be achieved when all concerned feel victorious, because when any one party feels that they have been defeated, their overriding goal will inevitably be to reverse their defeat and wreak the same upon their opponent. That isn’t peace, it is merely a forerunner to further conflict, and a terrible foundation upon which to build governance, much less the well-being of a populace. We need to let our elected – and would-be elected – officials know that so long as they continue to posture and obfuscate rather than truly represent us, they will not have the votes to propel them into the gravy train of power and money. If we can clearly communicate these simple criteria for governance, we won’t need to legislate undue influence out of our government. It will wither and die on its own. And the nanny that was so feared will be recognized for what it truly can be – an assurance that we are all of us allowed to prosper and grow and live as we see fit, without the fear of being crushed by the wheels of a machine that is larger than the dream upon which our nation was built.</div>RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-13544532581566359112011-11-18T11:26:00.002-06:002011-11-19T09:06:23.049-06:00A Nation's Forgotten Shame, A Nation's Courage, Reborn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZL99bJ0z7P0/TsaQi5MrINI/AAAAAAAAAEs/_W4_S50-Qmw/s1600/bonusamry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZL99bJ0z7P0/TsaQi5MrINI/AAAAAAAAAEs/_W4_S50-Qmw/s1600/bonusamry.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">The summer of 1932 is remembered in most history books as just another summer when the nation – and the world at large – was mired in the throes of what was eventually to be called The Great Depression. The schoolchildren of my generation were shown images of decrepit old trucks, heavily laden with the meager possessions of destitute families, crossing from the desolation of Oklahoma and Texas in search of something far short of the affluence toward which subsequent generations would endeavor. The aspirations of those families were more basic; they were hungry, counting themselves fortunate on those sporadic days on which they could taste the exquisite generosity that manifest itself in a bowl of beans and a crust of bread.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In our nation’s capital however, there was a movement afoot that would mark an even more desperate panorama; a time of growing hope that was to be ultimately and systematically dashed, and of what should have marked the death of our collective innocence and the acknowledgment of a nation’s shame. Had it only been reported, rather than swept beneath the rug of a culture’s illusion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In early July of that year, the Depression was in full swing in our nation’s capital, though it was far less apparent in the halls and offices of government. Just beyond the grounds of the Capita<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"></span>l Building, a legion of some twenty five thousand of our country’s veterans, along with their wives and children, had set up an encampment – really more of a makeshift city – in the sweltering heat to seek an audience with President Hoover. They represented a cross section of the country’s citizens – farmers, merchants, laborers – what would eventually be labeled the Middle Class. Most had served in the first War to End All Wars, and bore the scars of their time spent in the bloody trenches of Europe. Eight years earlier, a grateful government had passed the Adjusted Compensation Act, which promised each veteran a “bonus” of $500 for having so bravely served their country and the world. According to the terms of the Act, the bonus was to be paid in 1945, but these people were beyond desperate, and wanted to entreat their president, to convince him to accelerate the “bonus” payment and thus prevent their families from starving. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force, but were to become known – to those willing to search for their story – as the Bonus Army.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">President Hoover, however, sent word that he was “too busy” to meet with them and hear their requests, despite the fact that in those days, he often concluded his day’s work by lunchtime. Instead, the president secluded himself in his office, and daily grew more impatient with what he saw as a throng of unwashed ne’er-do-wells and beggars who were impeding movement in the capital and offending the tourists. On July 26<sup>th</sup>, Vice President Charles Curtis dispatched two companies of armed marines to the scene, only to have them sent away by General Pelham Glassford, who was more sympathetic to the Bonus Army’s predicament, and who tersely reminded the vice president that he had no authority to command military forces. On the morning of July 28, 1932, however, President Hoover had had enough, and wanted this human eyesore removed. His Attorney General, William D. Mitchell, charged the Bonus Army with, in his words, “begging and other acts,” and Hoover ordered the Army’s highest ranking officer, General Douglas MacArthur, to clear the encampment, by force if necessary. At ten in the morning, a couple of Treasury agents were dispatched to a fringe area of the encampment (far removed from its makeshift “command post”), and these agents ordered the people they encountered to disperse.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As would be expected, the crowd took no notice of the two low-level bureaucrats’ command, and the agents left. And within hours, MacArthur took personal command from General Glassford and his aide, Major Dwight Eisenhower, and sent his heavily armed force to rout the troublesome rabble. Randomly flinging gas grenades into the crowd of men, women and children, the forces, along with city police, charged headlong into the crowd, swinging nightsticks, slashing with bayonets, and at some point, the police opened fire, killing two of the fleeing men. The women and children were not so quick to run, for they were cringing on the ground, blinded by the gas. And then came the tanks…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When all was said and done, the two men who had been shot by police – along with two infants asphyxiated by the teargas – had died. In his subsequent public statements, Hoover tried to assert that the assemblage was composed solely of communists, but the incident further tainted his already diminished image. The generals (and those who would later become generals and one, President) who led and executed the massacre, however, would go on to have long and storied careers. And the story of the Bonus Army would somehow be deleted from the history lessons taught to future children.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fast forward to present-day cities around the country, and the scene that is emerging is alarmingly similar to that which unfolded in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1932. The protesters that make up the Occupy movement are described by elected officials and some media sources as hippies, socialists… any dehumanizing label they can come up with in their attempts to cast the protesters as a collective, malevolent “them,” who are bent upon destroying everything that is important to a benevolent, more reasonable “us.” As happened so many years ago, the full strength of our country’s law enforcement agencies are just as bent upon silencing “them.” It’s all for their own safety, of course, just as they are keeping journalists from observing their actions for the journalists’ safety. And banning media helicopters from their observation points far above the melee… for the safety of the helicopters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I cannot help but wonder, will the country ultimately hear what so many are saying, screaming, and putting their own safety at risk in order to be heard? Or will streets tremble beneath the tread of the tanks, and the nation strive once again to sweep another moment of shame beneath the rug of its illusion? And I also wonder at the restraint shown by the Bonus Army. I know that, had I found myself among their number and seen children – especially my own – killed as a result of the government's actions, there would have been more blood spilt, even if it were ultimately my own.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Members of the Bonus Army were the forebears of many who are now involved in the Occupy Movement. How fitting it is that the members of one brave movement can look back upon the actions of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents and realize that even as injustice still thrives in our great nation, so does the spirit that would cast it out. There is worry, yes, but far greater, there is hope.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9cb9c; color: #660000; text-align: center;"><b>In tribute to the Occupy Movement, a video by Bill Gibson:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://youtu.be/M2Mc_iz6pEc">Some Guy Out On the Street</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-59481006753554474942011-06-19T07:01:00.001-06:002016-06-19T04:05:01.726-06:00Dad's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d62biacHBw0/Tf3spclZ3xI/AAAAAAAAAEI/z-JvYXjbYVc/s1600/Gordon_Penny1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d62biacHBw0/Tf3spclZ3xI/AAAAAAAAAEI/z-JvYXjbYVc/s320/Gordon_Penny1.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My "Dad," Gordon Penny</b></span></div>
<br />
It's Fathers' Day, but for me, it is and will always be Dad's Day, and there is a difference. A <i>BIG </i>difference. This is a day for the lucky dads to be cherished, and for the good times they've brought into our lives to be remembered and celebrated. And this is the first Dad's Day since my Dad passed in February. He was not my biological father (or anyone else's, for that matter), but he was my Dad, in ways my own father never managed. He and Mrs. Penny (who fit the bill of second mom quite well) worked 6 days a week, but on their Sundays off, I would sit looking out our front window, waiting for their garage door to open and declare that our day had begun. By the time he had his coffee cool enough to drink, I was there in my usual spot on the garage floor, leaning against the garage door frame. Until he had vinyl siding put on some years later, a spot remained where my Lucky Tiger Rose Oil-covered head would touch and dissolve the paint. He teased me about that (and tried painting over it, to no avail) for years, but I didn't care. I was his Buddy when I wasn't anyone else's (especially not grown-ups), and that was all that mattered.<br />
<br />
Discipline from him was gentle but effective; his mere suggestion that something I did (or might be thinking of doing) would be less than ideal was all it took, I wanted to please him so much. It would be years before I would perceive the irony in that. My own father resorted to the belt at the drop of the hat, and still, I paid no heed to what he said to me, and often did the exact opposite of anything he told me to do, just to spite him. With my father, my greatest sense of pride, of coming of age, was when he quit calling me a brat, replacing his favorite term of "endearment" with a new one, more consistent with my pubescent stature. I became a "thug," and the spankings ended, replaced by fistfights which I discovered I could win. But with my Dad, I would never have considered doing or saying anything even cross to him. I knew well what it was like not to have a parent's love, and didn't dare do anything that might push him away. In hindsight, I realize that I wouldn't have been able to push him away, even had I wanted to.<br />
<br />
I learned at an early age that a father does his duty, while a Dad cherishes it. While fatherhood can be the result of a fleeting moment's desire, and followed by a lifetime of regret and bitterness, being a Dad is an act of heart and spirit, far beyond the biological mechanism of procreation. What was it that my Dad did that my father did not? There are a thousand little things, seemingly inconsequential acts that, when taken in total, make the most important statements a little boy could hear: "You're a good kid, and your feelings matter to me." He told me that in so very many ways. He took me go-kart racing. Kite flying, with the biggest box kite in the known universe. Flying the model airplane that was designed especially for people like us, because it was held together with rubber bands so we could crash it without breaking anything. And we did. Often.<br />
<br />
He showed me my first "men's magazine," a pretty sleazy thing called Adam, which showed me my first pair of Caucasian breasts that didn't belong to Mom or Grandma. Sure, I'd seen the ones in National Geographic, but they weren't the same. He gave me my first beer that was all mine (which was so much better than just getting a sip of some grown-up's). And over the years, he gave me things, little and not so little, the significance of which I would only realize many years later. My first pocket knife, which was summarily taken away when I whittled something that would have been better left intact. My first wristwatch, with a magical "hypnotic" bezel, unlike anything I had ever seen. My first transistor radio, when none of my friends had one. My first television; I was the only kid I knew who had his own TV in his room. It was black and white (of course) about 19", with a round picture tube, and it weighed about 100 pounds. I could watch "Have Gun, Will Travel" all by myself. Later on, when I was a bit older and had discovered "underground" music, he gave me my first FM radio, which I hooked up to an old KLH hi-fi speaker to fill my dorm room with The Doors, Spirit, Hendrix, and the like.<br />
<br />
But these were all "things," and as much as I cherished them at the time, the greatest gift he ever gave me was calling me his buddy, and making me feel like he was glad to see me, every time. I wasn't anyone else's buddy back then, and there was nobody else whose welcome was so unerring and so complete. I had friends, sure, but even those friendships were punctuated by the fights, betrayals, and abandonment so typical of little boys' friendships. "Buddy" was unwavering, more certain than the sunrise. When I was with him, the disapproval of other adults just didn't matter, and wasn't even real. Like the woman down the street who would tattle on me for leading her son astray by showing him <i>Playboy </i>magazines, but who would always preface her judgments with, "That Ronnie... Bless his heart." Or the mother of another friend, who would so often "forget" to include me in plans she made for the neighborhood kids. I got their message, all right. I knew I was the "bad" kid. I even realized that the first girl I ever loved was beyond my reach, because she was a "good girl," too good for me. In all fairness, I can't fault the parents of the girls on our block for their disapproval. Let's leave it at that... although "Dad" always wanted progress reports. Nothing creepy or detailed, and not like the teasing I got from the other boys who hadn't yet found anything particularly interesting about the opposite sex; he just wanted to know that I was doing okay with the girls.<br />
<br />
He taught me also about what a real marriage can be. He and Mrs. Penny worked together six days a week, but you'd never see them bicker. Mr. Penny had been quite the ladies' man in his youth, and was still a charmer, even right to the end, but it was so very clear that he was, to his core, devoted to his beloved wife, Helen (she was - and still is - a beautiful woman... reminded me of Judy Garland). That devotion was returned in kind. And it was unlike anything I had ever seen, especially in my own home growing up, or even in my marriage. Some lessons take a long time to sink in, no matter how masterful the teacher.<br />
<br />
Despite the fact that his mind became somewhat clouded in the last couple of years, he always knew who I was, and always seemed glad to see his buddy again. There were a few times when he thought I was someone with whom he had grown up, but that didn't bother me at all. The bond was there, tested but unbroken, and its definitions mattered little to me. Perhaps we did grow up together, after all. And right up until the end, I pitied anyone who underestimated the sharpness of his mind. They would quickly learn the same lesson that the Cadillac salesmen had learned when Mr. Penny would wrangle unspeakable deals on his cars, while informing the salesmen that he didn't have any money!<br />
<br />
After he passed, Mrs. Penny gave to me several things that were important to him, and have now become cherished tokens to me; his prized shotgun (I do wish we had hunted together, but I was wandering in those years), his dress western hat, the professional butcher knife he had bought, but never really learned to sharpen (probably the one thing I could have taught him), and a few things that he held dear through his life, and which I too will hold dear for the rest of my own life.<br />
<br />
I don't know whether he regretted never having children of his own, but I can only feel grateful that he chose me to fill that hole somewhat. I only hope that I was up to the task, knowing full well that I was unaware of my role, and would likely have failed him even if I had known what was needed. I was a bad kid, after all. But for all that, I always knew I was loved, without restriction, without demands of perfection, and without the burden of shame. He never once told me my actions were unforgivable, and would chuckle at my misdeeds. I know that I have never been - and will likely never have the chance to be - the kind of Dad to my own children that Mr. Penny was to me. In one way, that is good, because I would hate to think that they would ever feel the pain of my absence the way I've felt since he passed away; a feeling which is growing ever more acute as Mrs. Penny prepares to return to her childhood home in Alabama.<br />
<br />
Godspeed, Mr. Penny. And as empty as the words might sound, and as badly as they fall short of expressing, much less repaying what you have always been to me, they need to be said. Thank you. And I think you knew - and know - that I love you.<br />
<br />
**********<br />
I think that perhaps experiencing the birth of a child is God's way of sharing His heart with us humans. For a fleeting moment, we step outside ourselves, and our greatest wish and hope is that the child before us knows only laughter and joy. Our only goal in those precious moments is to protect and nurture something we love more than we love ourselves, and thus to touch the very core of Divinity. I suspect that most people who never experience having children are denied this taste of unbridled benevolence, but have no doubt that for my Dad and Mrs. Penny, that greatest gift was never withheld. And to all the Dads out there - including those who fulfilled the spiritual but never the biological - Happy Dad's Day! And know that you may well be the one thing that saves a "bad" kid from turning out <i>really </i>bad.RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-10157419207181879662010-09-18T11:09:00.000-06:002010-09-18T11:09:43.377-06:00Real Economic Recovery Requires Common Sense and Knowledge of History, Not Ideological "Purity"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has proclaimed that the 2008 bank bailout, in which Congress voted to spend up to $700 billion to prop up the nation’s financial markets, was effective, and averted a significantly more devastating economic crisis. While most economists agree with the claim, for most citizens, the crisis that threatens them looms as ominous as ever, and the anger they feel is likely to have a big impact on the November elections.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There is no small irony in the fact that while the TARP bailout is frequently described as a Democrat program, it was actually initiated during the Bush administration, and finally passed with an atypically bipartisan final Senate vote tally of 74 in favor and 25 opposed. Only one senator, Edward Kennedy, did not vote due to his well-publicized health problems. Of those who voted to approve the bill, 40 were Democrats and 34 Republicans. Of those voting against it, 10 were Democrats and 15 were Republicans. Yet, as voters’ anger about the bill increases, most politicians are scrambling to desistance themselves from it in preparation for the November elections.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As part of the attempt to prove TARP’s effectiveness, Herbert Allison, Treasury’s assistant secretary for financial stability, stated that three-fourths of the money that was loaned to banks has been repaid (see <a href="http://www.recovery.gov/">http://www.recovery.gov</a> for actual figures by state). However, repayment of the loan was not its actual purpose. The intent was for banks to feel sufficient relief from pressure to begin lending again, and thus far, that hasn’t happened. What has happened is that financial institutions are reporting significant profits and positive cash on hand. Some, such as Morgan Stanley and Citigroup’s Smith Barney, which received a combined $60 billion in bailout funds, went so far as to award executives with multimillion-dollar “retention awards” – PR spin for bonuses – even as they were preparing to lay off workers. To those workers and millions like them throughout the country who have lost their jobs, the anger is both palpable and justified. And those angry people aren’t likely to be enthusiastic consumers, the most essential element in any real recovery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The manufacturing sector is another essential element that seems to have been left out of the recovery. Manufacturing companies rely upon consumers to purchase their goods, and banks to provide them with working capital to meet consumer demand and remain competitive. Unfortunately, at this point in the “recovery,” those manufacturing companies can rely upon neither, since both the consumer and the lender remain fearful for the future, and are hedging that fear by hoarding what resources they have, rather than spending or lending. Lacking orders for goods and confidence in the availability of capital, companies aren’t too enthusiastic about hiring, further fueling consumers’ uncertainty about improvement in the employment market.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The end result is that some corporations that dramatically cut expenses – in great part by means of layoffs – during the recession are seeing soaring profits. According to the Federal Reserve, company cash reserves topped $1.84 trillion in the first quarter of this year, up $382 billion from last year. But they are sitting on those reserves as a hedge against potential future crises, rather than investing and re-hiring. They’re also cutting back on dividends paid to investors, further eroding investors’ imperative to further invest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It has been shown that historically, corporate profits and the stock market rebound earlier than employment figures following a recession. History is certainly repeating itself, only in a significantly more dramatic fashion this time around. According to Adrian Cronje, CIO and partner at Balentine, an Atlanta-based wealth management firm, “There is a record level of cash on balance sheets – something like 15% of the market cap.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With unemployment approaching 10% nationally, consumer demand remains weak. The job gains of the last quarter or so are encouraging, but not enough to offset the fact that the country has well over eight million fewer jobs than it had before the recession officially began in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Obviously, “consumer confidence” is something of a misnomer at this point. As long as consumers continue to hoard what they have, rather than save, invest, or spend, it is inevitable that businesses follow suit to some degree.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Citizens’ anger over the disparity between Wall Street bottom lines and their own financial hardships is certainly justified, made worse by the level of government spending in efforts to turn the recession around. Perhaps borne of a sense of helplessness, a number of very vocal groups – most notably, the Tea Party organizations – are calling for dramatic cutbacks in government activity and corresponding spending, and a significant percentage of citizens are taking up the cry, essentially blaming the attempted cure for the disease.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inaugural address in 1932, he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Ironically enough, when the nation began to emerge from the Great Depression, Roosevelt – like the current administration – came under tremendous pressure from a fearful electorate to cut back on the programs that had been implemented to turn the nation’s economy around, thereby reducing the tremendous debt which those programs had caused. Ultimately, he succumbed to that pressure, and a rigorous austerity campaign was instituted across the board. Rather than improve the situation, however, in 1937, the country fell into a deep recession; not as severe as the Depression itself, but still bad enough to threaten a return to the horrors of the early 1930s.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The question we must ask ourselves is whether history is likely to repeat itself this time around, and whether we are able (and willing) to learn from history’s lessons. Certainly, there are mechanisms in place nowadays that didn’t exist before the Great Depression, designed as fail-safes against a repeat of such a dramatic fall. However, the sheer scale of our modern economy, along with the complexity inherent in a now globally-interconnected economic structure, renders much of that machinery inadequate. For all our efforts to protect ourselves from economic meltdowns, we have come dangerously close, and aren’t out of danger yet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps it is time for us to put logic ahead of fear, and to assign our loyalties to the well-being of our country, rather than to an allegiance to a party or ideology. If our focus remains upon ideological purity and our efforts upon “winning” by making those with whom we disagree lose, we could well experience economic devastation that dwarfs that we experienced during the Great Depression. At no time since have Roosevelt’s words been truer. The only way to move beyond our fear is to set aside our efforts to assign blame for political advantage, to commit to rebuilding the world’s most affluent economy, and to see that the recovery isn’t limited to spreadsheets and stock tickers. The economy is founded upon a system of interdependence, and neither Wall Street nor Main Street can thrive while the other founders. And despite what the most partisan elements in both parties would have us believe, the same holds true in our system of governance. When proponents of one or the other ideology holds absolute sway, our nation suffers. It is only by working together in an atmosphere of compromise, with each side willing to give ground, that we can hope to realize the goal of effective governance so essential to a thriving society.</div>RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-18854957333880688032010-05-14T11:03:00.001-06:002010-05-14T11:05:33.083-06:00When "What if..." precedes "If only..."I was inspired this morning to submit a comment to Steve Salerno's excellent <a href="http://shambook.blogspot.com/2010/05/science-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-science.html">SHAMblog</a>, and thought it only fitting to post my thoughts here on my own blog, as well. The discussion began with Steve's assertion that much of the self help & actualization movement (SHAM) depends upon its followers ignoring not only proven science, but plain old common sense, as well.<br />
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Having administrated a psychophysiology of sleep research facility years ago, I found myself daydreaming and remembering what it was like to actually create research studies. I recalled the research team sitting around a conference table, formulating plans and structure of various studies. Inevitably, one or the other of us would begin a presentation with "What if...?" Recalling these meetings caused a light bulb to go on in my normally dim mind, as I recalled other places where the same phrase had recently found favor: the folks who inspired me to coin the word <i>hustledorks</i>. And I find myself thinking that perhaps one of the most insidious accomplishments of the SHAM industry is the widely successful effort to change public perception of the proper chronological placement of the phrase "what if."<br />
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In the scientific method, the phrase represents a starting point, an hypothesis upon which to structure research in order to establish (or discount) the viability of an idea or process. In SHAM nomenclature, however, "what if" is offered as a means to discount the value of actually determining that viability and encourage customers to purchase something that has no demonstrated evidence of efficacy.<br />
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If a prospective customer ("mark" is more accurate, IMO) finds a marketer's claim to be inconsistent with available evidence or even common sense, the marketer's typical rebuttal is something along the lines of "What if it works?"<br />
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Don't believe that a clipart doll that you buy for $40 and print out on your inkjet has the power to change your life for the better? Don't get all bogged down in all that common-sense-y stuff. Just wrap your mind around the really pertinent question: What if it works? Does it seem like a real stretch to believe that by merely wishing for and visualizing something, it will magically appear in your life, without you even having to do anything beyond dreaming? Again... what if it works?<br />
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With such a rebuttal, the marketer attempts - apparently, with an alarming frequency of success - to dissuade the prospective customer from using their brains. It's a technique that predates even the first sleazy used-car salesman's attempt to get a customer to focus on the pretty paint job, and ignore the funny noises emanating from the smoke-bellowing engine. It worked enough times to move a lot of clunkers, and it's moving a lot of clunkers now, it would seem. A lot of folks who bought the paint jobs ultimately found themselves saying things like, "If only I'd had the thing checked by my mechanic..." And an increasing number of people nowadays find themselves with a smaller balance in their bank accounts and nothing real to show for it beyond the need to salvage their pride by continuing their admiration of the emperor's new clothes. Some - such as the several attendees of the recent James Ray sweat lodge in Arizona - have even paid the ultimate price for buying into the spurious logic of, "What if it works?" And their families are the ones left saying, "if only..."<br />
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As I've frequently stated, humans are the only creatures in the animal kingdom who can hope to survive to maturity and be stupid. The stupid examples in all other species die off at a relatively early age. We humans are coddled and protected by various societal mechanisms and institutions, and can live well beyond our genetically-provided ability to survive... barring being sold on some expensive, death and common-sense-defying shortcut to "enlightenment."<br />
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BTW - Over the next few days, we'll be putting up the new and improved website for <a href="http://www.schmidtkaye.com/">Schmidt Kaye & Co</a> (our day jobs). Stop on by when you get a moment... just don't antagonize the webmistress. As she says on her Twitter page, "I won't be mean to you, but sometimes I like to play with my food before I eat it."RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32095600.post-79038685873860155562010-03-07T07:51:00.006-06:002010-03-07T10:33:21.413-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B9HXGP5YvVk/S5PAXRgSnZI/AAAAAAAAADs/FzynkVirWhg/s1600-h/james-ray.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B9HXGP5YvVk/S5PAXRgSnZI/AAAAAAAAADs/FzynkVirWhg/s400/james-ray.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445907880489426322" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wounded Warrior, Madman, or Psychopath...</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">or perhaps all three?</span><br /></div><br />In the months since the tragic events at the "Spiritual Warrior" retreat in Sedona, you can't swing a dead e-cat without reading something about James Arthur Ray. Many have condemned him as a dangerous psychopath, willing to spend followers' lives in pursuit of profits. Some describe him as merely inept, having given little or no forethought to the possible negative effects of his programs. And somehow, there remain those who look upon him as a highly-evolved sage, unencumbered by the "negativity" with which others ascribe to recent events. As we've observed on the political scene of late, there seems to be little room for compromise in our judgments, and I think we're serving ourselves poorly by adopting such myopic attitudes.<br /><br />I'll be the first to admit that my own judgments have leaned toward the "psychopath" definition. Like many others, I wanted not only justice; I wanted <span style="font-style: italic;">blood</span>. After all, how could anyone but a narcissistic psychopath proceed merrily upon his way while people are dying as a direct result of his programs? Late last night, however, in one of those just-awakened moments of clarity that can only occur when we're not coherent enough to construct our agenda around our feelings, another thought occurred to me: perhaps the man is a melding of all the above descriptions, with deeper dimension than can be packaged within one descriptor. What if...<br /><br />In recent days, Ray has been a frequent contributor to his Twitter page, offering mostly obscure ramblings that have, at best, been insensitive toward those who have suffered profound loss. Who but someone categorized as having an antisocial personality would be so brazenly callous as to rub salt into the fresh wounds of his victims and their families? I - along with many others - have derided him for his callousness, for offering obscure platitudes in an obvious effort to distract observers from the seriousness of the situation. If I wanted blood before, I <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>wanted it after reading some of the swill he was bandying about.<br /><br />My <span style="font-style: italic;">ah-ha</span> moment arose from remembering that a psychopath will first and foremost act in his own interests, oblivious or unconcerned as to how his actions will affect others. A true psychopath, therefore, would act in such a manner as to foster sympathy for himself. A textbook scenario would have him portraying himself as someone who struggled to rectify the situation in Sedona and ease the suffering of those who were injured, those who died, and those who were left to grieve. Someone who was suffering as deeply as anyone, and more than most. Surely, such a person would avoid doing anything that might make him appear unfeeling and unsympathetic. So what the heck is Ray doing, issuing his platitudes, while ignoring the cries for penance, regret, and even punishment? Is he an unfeeling monster, or is he just crazy as a peach orchard boar?<br /><br />I think that there may be a number of factors guiding his behavior. I'm certain that his attorneys have advised him to avoid saying or doing anything that might be considered an admission of personal responsibility for the tragedy. They might even be advising him to act in such a way as to support an assertion that he lacks the mental competence to act in his own defense. His recent public postings have certainly given evidence that he has dissociated himself from the pain that so many have suffered. The real question, as I see it, is whether that dissociative behavior is genuine, evidence that he has suffered a psychotic episode as a means of dealing with his own sense of guilt, or perhaps a calculated ploy to insulate him from civil and criminal repercussions.<br /><br />My own compassionate side would reach out and comfort a man who has broken under the weight of his own self-incrimination and feelings of guilt. Yet there remains a more cynical part of me that, having studied his actions over the past few years, thinks this is just another in a long pattern of manipulative games being played at immense cost - to others. Truth is, neither I nor anyone else outside a small circle of therapists can really be certain. And even within that small circle, there remains the realization that even the most astute professional can often be played by an intelligent psychopath. I think that only time will tell us who is the real James Arthur Ray.<br /><br />I also find it interesting to observe how the rest of the New Wage hustlers are reacting to Ray's situation. Some who once claimed him as friend and mentor have quietly removed any mention of him from their public offerings, counting upon their followers' short attention spans and memories. Still others have come forward and publicly disassociated themselves from their one-time colleague, attempting to show that they knew all along that he had "strayed from the path to enlightenment." In short, throwing him under the metaphysical bus, and defining their own integrity in the process.<br /><br />And what about those fellow hustledorks who have praised Ray in the past, and who brush aside as irrelevant the whole sequence of events, claiming that even discussing them is "negative thinking" to be avoided at any cost. These are the individuals who refuse to even acknowledge that something went horribly wrong, preferring to "wait until the facts are in" before admitting that there was any kind of a problem. I'll leave it to others to decide for themselves whether this kind of person is worthy of being listened to or followed.<br /><br />As I said before, I think that only time - if even that - will tell us who is the real James Arthur Ray. What I think is more important than our judgment of him (or the eventual ramifications he faces) is our willingness to look with open eyes and common sense at the practices that some would claim to be essential to our spiritual evolvement. No matter what happens to Ray, even if he is allowed to continue pursuing a livelihood that endangers others, a populace that is more informed and objecitve will be infinitely safer than one which ignores or rationalizes destructive behavior. If people began using good common sense, and looked beyond wishful thinking on their journey to greater awareness, even the most skillful sociopath would be unable to harm anyone.<br /><br />I don't propose establishing a system of strict regulation to oversee the self-help industry, mostly because it wouldn't work. Remember: You can't idiot-proof the system; they'll just come up with better idiots! The scammers would simply find ways to work around the rules, and their marks would just rationalize that some malevolent "they" are trying to deny humanity of its birthright. If you doubt the second statement, just go to your favoirite "guru's" website and compare the bold-headline promises with the fine-print (and frequently difficult to find) disclaimer statement. What you'll find is a deft volley, in response to the FTC's latest serve. And if you're willing to lend as much credence to the former as you are willing to put "faith" in the latter, there's little chance you'll be hoodwinked, wounded, or even killed.RevRon's Rantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07786080982796903930noreply@blogger.com5