Worked briefly this morning then swam and laid out by the pool with a galpal today. Previously referred to as “Primadonna,” though I should seriously rethink thinking of her like that. She means well and has her heart in the right place. Doesn’t always act in ways I might expect, but hey, who does? I have a tendency to vent when upset, speaking as though I’m permanently dismissing the person from my life, but it rarely goes that way. Frustrations subside, communication cures what was ailing us, and we move on. I bitch the most in unfamiliar situations, like when befriending women because it is such a touchy subject. But whatever, just know I rarely mean it in full. Hence the purpose of this blog/journal – to vent out and thinking about whatever needs to be hashed and rehashed so as to gain a better understanding of others and myself and how and why we interact as we do.
It was a lovely afternoon and I got a little sun on my pasty, pale legs. We chatted about a bunch of different things, primarily having to do with where our lives are headed and how we’re each feeling currently, dealing with life in general and whatnot. It was pleasant.
The plan is to meet up later so she can view a documentary I watched last night titled “American Drug War: The Last White Hope.” Very good and I recommend it for those who haven’t seen it, though the producers have an obvious slant toward the use and decriminalization of marijuana (not that I begrudge them that). Beyond that, the film discusses our prison complex and the disproportionate targeting of blacks and Hispanics, along with plenty of food for thought as to why our society is gravitating toward using and abusing synthetic drugs (like meth and pharmaceuticals) while harshly criminalizing cocaine (brought to this country thanks in part to the efforts of the CIA during the Iran Contra affair of the early ’80s), marijuana, and ritualistic hallucinogens that were widely used in ceremonies all throughout human history, spanning virtually every culture. Sad state of affairs we have here, that’s for certain. Our drug war absolutely chafes my craw – always has and likely always will as I don’t expect much improvements to come about since so many people buy into the propaganda we’ve been peddled the last several decades.
Kinda hard to shrug off the realities of today. Why people insist on pretending it isn’t happening I will never understand, but obviously a sizable chunk of the population has no such luxury as to play oblivious. If we don’t defend our brothers and sisters who are unfairly targeted, who do we suppose will be there to defend us when it comes time? Right now we claim to not care, but wait…we will surely care someday, somehow, some way. What affects a “minority” affects us all. No man will ever truly be an island, no matter how far out of town he moves or how high his property’s gates are constructed. Run if you like, but you can never hide – not from reality. Not from the anguish of millions. Not when you stand to benefit from the corrupt institutions that beat down others, depriving them of life and liberty while depleting their modest incomes and locking up valuable members of their households. This cannot stand. Will not. Not forever anyway. We will wind up with a revolution of sorts, whether we want it or not, and there’s no telling which side will win, though we know there’s a very good chance it will be the wealthy corporate side since they’re tied in with government bigwigs who command our military.
*sigh* Not ever sure what to do about any of this. Not sure if there’s anything that I can do that would be helpful, aside from continuing to speak out at every opportunity. Perhaps with time a better approach will make itself known, but in the meantime, I read what I can and introduce my friends and family to information they’ll hopefully find relevant and interesting. What else can a person really do? You might say to join an organization or lobby Congress or stand outside with a protest sign, to which I’d say if those things were all it took, these problems would be solved by now. Apparently there’s much more to be done, and I firmly believe it begins with educating ourselves via synthesizing various resources and making our own critical judgments. A big part of our problem is we listen to so-called “experts” telling us what to believe and how to react, never learning to think for ourselves or to question their credentials and experience or to take inquiries into our hands to rival and dispute the propagandist, falsified “findings” they peddle as facts. We love to blame everyone else but ourselves, when really it all begins with us, individually.
Money means nothing without our labor and consumption/purchases. It is a fiction, albeit a smart trade adaptation, and an agreement that only exists when we all say it does. Money doesn’t give anyone power unless we accept that money has value. This seems like such an elementary concept when really it’s very tough to wrap our minds around it since we come up believing what we’re told and accepting that money—in and of itself—is of utmost importance. It’s not. Never really was. What was and is important is the labor and exchange of goods and services, which predates cash currency by many, many moons. It’s not money that’s the root of all evil, it’s our lust for it, our greed, and the dehumanization of many in favor of a very small few that’s destroyed our way of life, our trade, and corrupted our institutions. Money now is printed with nothing backing it, as though it—in and of itself—were of value, which it is not. Credit created out of thin air, loaned by no one, charged back with interest, is only a way of depriving the vast majority of what wealth they’ve accumulated, to funnel it up to the very small few who control so disproportionately much. At OUR expense. Doesn’t matter if we live in a ghetto or a suburb, we’re all getting fucked. The treatment may differ, but the ultimate result remains the same: we’re being taken advantage of.
And we know it. No big secret. Yet people say things like “well, rules are rules.” WTF?? Heh? What does that even mean? It’s as if rules exist because god put them there and we’re incapable of doing anything about it. Just like that old saw: “The only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes.” Says who? Oh sure, I get the death part, just not the bit about taxes being a certainty. Sure, we should pay taxes if able to afford it; you’ll get no disagreement from me there. Just that there’s a lot of debate over how much and what it will be spent on. These things matter and are our responsibility to pay attention to. And yes, we do have the power to affect change where needed, if we’d ever wake up and realize the power we do have. It’s been there all along, through feudalism and slavery and now what’s fast becoming modern-day slavery. The power is always there for the taking, though yes, organization matters too. Our biggest problem is in creating and maintaining honest dialogues without being distracted by those wishing to keep the people from uniting. Not that people would likely be able to reach equitable compromises, not after centuries of lies and bullshit.
So what then? Well, I don’t know. Whatever does come to pass, you can bet your bottom dollar we common folks will be dealt the ugly brunt of it. And we’ll lash out against one another, casting blame back and forth while fatcats exploit the situation, as they’ve always done. We just cannot seem to look UP to where the money is flowing and the “rules” are handed down from. Fuck their rules! In fact, fuck their skewed idea of reality. Fuck their money – they can have it, it’s worthless. Fuck their sleazy, swindling corporations and their “free trade agreements.” Fuck their prison-military industrial complex and their bullshit takeover of our healthcare industry. Fuck their laws – those aren’t what guide a reasonable person. Fuck them for paying so-called “experts” to tell us that only (an elusive) 20% of the population is “normal” and that the rest are in need psychiatric “help.” And fuck us for believing it!
Fuck us for accepting anything unchallenged, whether that be a preformed perception of god or how properly to raise kids or what’s touted as true in our academic studies. Fuck us for getting caught up in the pursuit of money and losing sight of what really matters in this life. Fuck us for never being satisfied with what we have and forever coveting the green grass on the other side. Fuck us for abusing our minds and bodies, on one hand depriving ourselves and on the other going to extremes and overindulging, rarely understanding moderation.
Galpal is here. Gotta head out now.
Newsvine
William said
INCARCERATING PEOPLE “FOR PROFIT” IS IN A WORD….WRONG!
Even if one does not ask or pretends not to see the rope and the flashing red flag draped around the philosophical question standing solemnly at attention in the middle of the room, it remains apparent that the mere presence of a private “for profit” driven prison business in our country undermines the U.S Constitution and subsequently the credibility of the American criminal justice system. In fact, until all private prisons in America have been abolished and outlawed, “the promise” of fairness and justice at every level of this country’s judicial system will remain unattainable. We must restore the principles and the vacant promise of our judicial system. Our government cannot continue to “job-out” its obligation and neglect its duty to the individuals confined in the correctional and rehabilitation facilities throughout this nation, nor can it ignore the will of the people that it was designed to serve and protect. There is urgent need for the good people of this country to emerge from the shadows of indifference, apathy, cynicism, fear, and those other dark places that we migrate to when we are overwhelmed by frustration and the loss of hope.
My hope is that you will support the National Public Service Council to Abolish Private Prisons (NPSCTAPP) with a show of solidarity by signing “The Single Voice Petition”
http://www.petitiononline.com/gufree2/petition.html
Please visit our website for further information: http://www.npsctapp.blogspot.com
–Ahma Daeus
“Practicing Humanity Without A License”…
wakemenow said
Thanks for the petition and blog link, William! Fantastic that you’re getting the news out!