For One of my Favorite Professors

First Fig by Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Happiness is a Warm Gun

Bang bang
shoot shoot

She's not a girl
who misses much

Do do do do do do do do

She's well acquainted
with the touch of the velvet hand
Like a lizard on a window pane.

The man in the crowd
with the multicoloured mirrors

On his hobnail boots
Lying with his eyes
while his hands are busy

Working overtime
A soap impression
of his wife which he ate

And donated to the National Trust.

I need a fix
'cause I'm going down

Down to the bits
that I left uptown

I need a fix cause
I'm going down

Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun.

Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
When I hold you in my arms
And I feel my finger on your trigger

I know no one can do me no harm
Because happiness is a warm gun
Yes it is.

And I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine

C Am
It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
C Am C
And I'm almost obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here
Am C
And I never knew the moon could be so big
Am C
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
Am C
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
F G A
And brought me here instead dressed in red
Bm F#m Bm F#m
And I'm wondering who could be writing this song

G D A D
I don't care if the sun don't shine
G D A D
And I don't care if nothing is mine
Fm A
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
Fm A
I'll do my loving in the Winter


G D A D (X4)

Coda: Am C

Am Am
And the sea isn't green
C Am
And I love the queen
C Am
And what exactly is a dream?
C A
And what exactly is a joke?

Post-Modernism in Action

Am I the only one out there who thinks that this ridiculously long Democratic primary season closely resembles a movie? This election cycle reminds me of a film about Democracy: some sort of bizarre combination of Bulworth, Network, Hoosiers, Primary Colors, and Wag the Dog. Those are just the first few examples that come to mind off-hand; I'm sure there are many others that would fit the bill.

When a Presidential candidate makes a reference to her own parody on Saturday Night Live, tries to corral it to win votes, then finds the very same program once so staunchly in her corner totally slamming her a few weeks later, it is clear-cut evidence of the way we have evolved in the twenty-first century.

Political candidates, according to the conventional wisdom, are not supposed to use their own satirical portrayal to aid them on the campaign trail. However, this election has slaughtered several sacred cows and may continue to do so.

_________________

II.

Some argue we have entered a period of late capitalism, whereby there truly is nothing new under the sun and our economic system is on its way out---on a path to a slow burn-out, like the destruction of a star.

In 2006 the British scholar Alan Kirby formulated an entirely pessimistic socio-cultural assessment of post-postmodernism that he calls "pseudo-modernism."[17] Kirby associates pseudo-modernism with the triteness and shallowness resulting from the instantaneous, direct, and superficial participation in culture made possible by the internet, mobile phones, interactive television and similar means: "In pseudo-modernism one phones, clicks, presses, surfs, chooses, moves, downloads."[10] Pseudo-modernism’s "typical intellectual states" are furthermore described as being "ignorance, fanaticism and anxiety" and it is said to produce a "trance-like state" in those participating in it. The net result of this media-induced shallowness and instantaneous participation in trivial events is a "silent autism" superseding "the neurosis of modernism and the narcissism of postmodernism." Kirby sees no aesthetically valuable works coming out of "pseudo-modernism." As examples of its triteness he cites reality TV, interactive news programs, "the drivel found [...] on some Wikipedia pages," docu-soaps, and the essayistic cinema of Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock.[11]

________________

III.

Obama's campaign appeals to the part of us who love to champion the underdog. How interesting it is that while we Americans love to champion the underdog, we almost always go home with the winner. But this time around, the underdog has become the winner.

It's absolutely thrilling to see a thing like this: the Cinderella story personified. It appeals to the romantic in all of us. Clinton tries to bill herself as Rocky, but if anyone should lay claim to that title, it's Obama.

Underpinning any rags-to-riches, Cinderella story is the societal assumption that although it would be nice to see it in action, this sort of thing never happens. Not so. These sorts of things do happen, but they happen quite rarely. Obama's rise to power is the classic feel-good story and Clintonian drama aside, when Barack declares victory in the Democratic race, I will allow myself the ability to bask in the optimistic glow of his ascent to power.

One Minute Up, One Minute Down

What goes on
in your mind?

I think that
I am falling down.

What goes on
in your mind?

I think that I am
upside down.

Lady, be good,
and do what you should,

you know
it'll work alright.

Lady, be good,
do what you should,

you know it'll be alright.

I'm goin' up,
and I'm goin' down.

I'm gonna fly
from side to side.

See the bells,
up in the sky,

Somebody's cut
the string in two.

Lady, be good,
and do what you should,

you know it'll
work alright.

Lady, be good,
do what you should,

you know it'll be alright.

One minute one,
one minute two.

One minute up
and one minute down.

What goes on
here in your mind?

I think that I am
falling down.

Lady, be good,
and do what you should,

you know it'll work alright.

Lady, be good,
do what you should,

you know it'll be alright.

The Auld Original Favourite Grande

It's American Street day, my friends.

The Passing of the Torch

Today's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting will show how much clout Team Hillary really has. Conversely, it will also show to what degree Team Obama will concede to her demands under the pretense of party unity. This is merely a power-play designed to show the influence of the Clintons within the Democratic party and a way to force her way onto the ticket as Obama's Vice President.

You can't really blame Team Clinton for going to this extreme; they don't have any other choice.

Much of what will transpire today will be largely ceremonial and heavily scripted, as are many of these sorts of affairs. In an average year, this would be a matter only for party insiders, media, and extreme policy wonks. It's a unique way for newbies to the political scene like yours truly to observe the pomp and circumstance and the inner workings of the system.

If there were any such thing as true fairness in life, then both Michigan and Florida would re-vote. Yes, it really is that simple. Yet, at this point in time doing so would clearly benefit Hillary Clinton, at least in Florida, so this won't come to pass.

You can analyze this situation from every perspective imaginable and still be no farther towards understanding what a fair resolution should be. This is also meant to be a corrective measure, to prevent state legislatures from moving primaries up farther and farther up in the calendar. Team Clinton set the parameters and front-loaded a super Tuesday, a near-national primary that was meant to establish her nomination as soon as possible. As we all know now, that did not come to pass and instead created the delicate, confusing situation we are dealing with right now.

Democratic weariness with the current Bush administration created this situation. This is a way for the national Democratic party to re-assert its control over rebelling state Democratic parties. It is also a bit of a pep rally to reinforce major Democratic talking points.

Saturday Video

In which I am getting extremely obscure.



Jale were comprised of four Canadian art students from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Part of a burgeoning Halifax scene that was hyped up in the music press to be Canada's answer to Seattle, the movement didn't quite get off the ground.

But that didn't stop a few melodic grunge bands like this one from releasing quality music. This song, "Not Happy", was released in 1993.

Notice, if you will, the Kids in the Hall influence in this video.

The Rise of Obama, in a Neat Package

As much as I, in true Big Lebowski fashion, hate the fuckin' Eagles, man,

Dear Hillary and Barack, take this as advice.



There's talk on the street;
it sounds so familiar

Great expectations,
everybody's watching you

People you meet,
they all seem to know you

Even your old friends treat you
like you're something new

Johnny come lately,
the new kid in town

Everybody loves you,
so don't let them down

You look in her eyes;
the music begins to play

Hopeless romantics,
here we go again

But after awhile,
you're lookin' the other way

It's those restless hearts
that never mend

Johnny come lately,
the new kid in town

Will she still love you
when you're not around?

There's so many things
you should have told her,

but night after night
you're willing to hold her,

Just hold her,
tears on your shoulder

There's talk on the street,
it's there to

Remind you, that it
doesn't really matter

which side you're on.

You're walking away and
they're talking behind you

They will never forget you 'til
somebody new comes along

Where you been lately?
There's a new kid in town

Everybody loves him, don't they?

Now he's holding her,
and you're still around
Oh, my, my

There's a new kid in town
just another new kid in town

Ooh, hoo
Everybody's talking
'bout the new kid in town,

Ooh, hoo
Everybody's walking' like
the new kid in town

There's a new kid in town
There's a new kid in town

I don't want to hear it

There's a new kid in town

I don't want to hear it

There's a new kid in town
There's a new kid in town
There's a new kid in town

I Love This!

Building the Perfect Analogy

As we well know by now, Barack Obama is a new kind of politician who defies immediate characterization and easy pigeon-holing. This is why a plethora of op-ed columnists, talking heads, political pundits, amateur policy wonks, and their ilk have been seeking desperately to stumble across the best and the most adequate means of comparison. The comparison they seek would tether him most effectively to past Presidential contenders, with the hopes that even those not actively involved in politics on a day-to-day basis could have an easily understandable point of reference.

This is a very human response, but it's also motivated by personal gain.

Since Obama is such an unknown commodity, the press is also diving into the historical record to find policy decisions made by Presidents and political figures past in the hopes that they'll stumble across some kind of blueprint that reveals his overall mindset in this contest, his campaign strategy, or other revealing personal traits which might give us all some kind of idea as to how he would govern if elected President.

I too have been involved in such pursuits. And in doing so, I have dived back into a study of the past.

History has a way of revealing inherent truths that paint Republicans and Democrats in the same light---the light of the truth, that is. So in contemplating the McClellan tell-all, the underlying theme I pick out is two-part:

a) the hubris of the Bush administration is beyond excessive

b) the President and his advisers entertain a deluded notion that Democracy is some sort of exportable commodity that can be outsourced to other nations, even nations with absolutely no prior history of American-style government.

If one contemplates idealism as policy, the name of Woodrow Wilson must be uttered. Elected because the Republican party effectively split itself into two wings: the Progressives led by Theodore Roosevelt and the GOP loyalists under William Howard Taft, Wilson was a figure elected essentially by default and then re-elected on the promise to keep us out of a war that we inevitably entered under the pretense of "keeping the world safe for Democracy."

A new round of historical research continues to demystify many sacred cows. Scholarship before had venerated Wilson, romanticizing his struggles to establish a League of Nation (the precursor to the United Nations) as some kind of valiant lost cause, while at the same time overlooking his blatantly racist attitudes and policy, as well as his prickly, often smugly patronizing attitude.

This is just one example of how hindsight and changing times will strip away the veneer and allow us to observe the true nature of our political superstars.

________________

When we contemplate Wilson's legacy, my question to you readers out there is exactly what public figure does this kind of hard-headed, uncompromising idealism best remind you?

Look beyond the obvious.

...Wilson favored a settlement [after World War I] that would promote international stability and economic expansion. He recognized that the Allies sought "to get everything out of Germany that they can." Indeed, after their human and economic sacrifices, Britain and France wanted tangible compensation, not pious principles.

Convinced of the righteousness of his cause, Wilson decided to attend the Peace Conference in Paris, although no President had ever gone to Europe when in office. But Wilson weakened his position before he even set sail.

First, he urged voters to support Democratic candidates in the November 1918 elections to indicate approval of his peace plan. But the electorate, responding primarily to domestic problems like inflation, gave the Republicans control of both houses of Congress.

This meant that any treaty would have to be approved by Senate Republicans angry that Wilson had tried to use war and peace for partisan purposes. Second, Wilson refused to consult with Senate Republicans on plans for the peace conference and failed to name important Republicans to the Paris delegation. It was going to be Wilson's treaty, and Republicans would feel no responsibility to approve it.

-The American Journey

A high level of secrecy and a lack of transparency has doomed the plans of many a President. Be it Wilson's utopian League of Nations in 1918 or Bill and Hillary Clinton's health care plan in 1993. Let this serve as a lesson to future leaders, if they are willing to listen to it and set their towering egos aside for a moment.

The Blessings of Companionship

I've been doing some thinking recently.

Here in the blogosphere, I can, if I so choose, get a Greek chorus at all times of everything wrong with the world. It doesn't matter what site I access or where I set down my words on the internet. If I want to be reminded of the awful side of human conduct, it will always be there for me.

As a member of Generation X, when I speak to my contemporaries, I can always find fear, distrust, and anger no matter where I go. I hate to think this is our legacy. I would rather be inclined more to borrow from my little sister's generation, which has embraced a new spirit of idealism and the ethos of live-and-let-live.

But I've lately begun to wonder, due to the proverbial existential crisis that we all have at some point in our lives, if this kind of doom and gloom laden perspective does much good at all. Not just selfishly for me but for everyone else in the world.

Indeed, would it hurt us to laugh more? Would it do us much harm at all to give ourselves credit for the good things and focus less upon the negative? The Bible tells us there will be wars and rumors of wars so long as there are people who walk the Earth.

So I've contemplated these words of Soloman today. These days, my belief in a Providential authority is strong and whatever passage the book falls open to seems more than just synchronicity personified.

Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he's in trouble.

Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone? And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish King who refuses all advice. Such a lad could come from prison and succeed. He might even become king, though born in poverty. Everyone is eager to help a youth like that, even to help him usurp the throne. He can become the leader of millions of people, and be very popular. But, then, the younger generation grows up around him and rejects him!

So again, it is all foolishness, chasing the wind!

These words could be described as empty, futile, and hollow but also truthful. We can choose to embrace this particular mind-frame if we so choose. I, however, would rather not. I would rather look for the silver lining than be content to dwell on the negative side of existence.

Life is too short. Our time here on Earth too time-limited. What is the point of living if we devote every waking moment towards pointing out every flaw in every place?

New Punk Name!

Enjoy!

I was feeling especially sardonic.

The Perlious Tight-Rope of Negotiating with Our Enemies

Yesterday, I reached a point which many of us come to during the course of our lives. In short, my idealism suffered a severe hit and I came to a kind of epiphany that there really is no fairness in life. It's a tough pill to swallow, friends, particularly because in this country we perpetuate an ideal of fairness and justice that often does not come to pass in reality.

I'm still an Obama supporter and will be from now until November, but I am no longer the starry-eyed true believer as I once was. In my opinion, support for a candidate must be tempered by constructive criticism of said candidate when justified.

And in that spirit...

At the prompting of Republican friends, I have recently been studying up on the history of JFK's presidency. If Obama will draw the JFK comparison to himself, I figure I ought to follow the connection and entertain a major GOP talking point. Obama's willingness to negotiate with terrorists is seen by the right as foolish and counter-productive. The obvious snafu they allude to parallels one of the major mistakes of the Kennedy Administration.

Kennedy followed the Bay of Pigs debacle with a hasty and ill-thought-out summit meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna in June of 1961. Poorly prepared and nearly incapacitated by agonizing back pain, Kennedy made little headway.

Khruschev saw no need to bargain and subjected him to intimidating tirades. "He just beat the hell out of me," Kennedy told a reporter. Coming after Kennedy's refusal to salvage the Bay of Pigs by military intervention, the meeting left the Soviets with the impression that the President was weak and dangerously erratic.

To exploit Kennedy's perceived vulnerability, the Soviet Union renewed tension over Berlin, deep within East Germany.

-The American Journey

This action led directly to the establishment of the Berlin Wall by the Soviets.

So yes, I have done my homework. I know the right is afraid Obama will lack the experience and the judgment to know how to properly deal with Ahmendinajad at the bargaining table. Yet, in saying this, I believe that Obama has the ability to handle a delicate situation like this one admirably. Throw out the Kennedy comparison all you wish--Kennedy had a variety of hidden health problems that, had they been brought to the public consciousness before his election, could have easily resulted in his defeat in 1960. Nor is Obama a Kennedy clone.

In conclusion, those two ancient variables are in play again: trust and fear.

Do you trust Obama or to do you fear Obama?

The choice is yours.

Vomit

Election 2008: Alabama Presidential Election

Alabama: McCain 60% Obama 32%

Thursday, May 29, 2008

There are no surprises in the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Presidential race in Alabama. John McCain leads Barack Obama by twenty-eight percentage points, 60% to 32%.

George W. Bush won the state by twenty-five points in Election 2004 and by fourteen points four years earlier. The state’s Senate Race is also looking good for the GOP.

More here.

Synchronicity or Providential? Choice is Yours

(click to embiggen)

The Great Twitch versus The Great Sleep

Robert Penn Warren talked about two major concepts in his novel All The King's Men. Through the character of Jack Burden, we the reader are introduced to both: The Great Twitch and The Great Sleep.

The Great Twitch is the opposite of The Great Sleep. Whereas the great sleep is used to avoid all responsibility or knowledge of the sinister side of politics and human nature, the great twitch is the knowledge of the fact that humans are no more responsible for anything then any of us are for a random twitch on a stranger's face. It just happens. And knowing this, we can say or rationalize away whatever we do, stating we aren't responsible for anything that may be caused by our actions. That's well and good, friends, but I'm not that cold, callous, and calculating. I have a conscience and lately people have been telling me I ought to rid myself of it from now until November.

You see, I've come to some conclusions in recent days that many of you may have realized years ago. Chalk it up to youthful idealism. Namely, I've come to understand the sad fact that one has to be borderline sociopathic to make it in politics. Even our candidate's campaign isn't immune from this sort of behavior. Obama runs on a ideal based upon hope, kindness, and simple decency, but his inner circle and his top-level political operatives have resorted to some Machiavellian tactics which will progressively strike McCain farther and farther below the belt.

Many of you out there no doubt are wondering how I could make such an obvious statement with a straight face--presenting it as though this is some truism I've stumbled across which is meant to be pithy and profound. It's just politics, you say. Don't tell me you're surprised. What did you expect?

Suffice it to say, I've seen some major nastiness in this Presidential campaign already, and now that the first round of the Obama/McCain bloodsport is underway, the gloves are fully off. This contest is going to get far uglier than I ever dreamed and I may not have the stomach for it. Testicular fortitude aside, one has to be able to sleep at night. I've seen a kind of nastiness already that I know will only grow and swell in stature.

This too is the ugly underbelly of politics. I realize now even more fully that there are people who would sell their own mother down the river for fifty cents if they thought it would pad their egos, their resume, and allow them to leap frog over other people to get a book deal, their name in lights, or the white hot spotlight of the camera eye.

You might say: shelve your ideals, kid, the world is what it is. That may be so, but I've seen this universe of dubious ethical standards, backstabbing, and tit-for-tat and it absolutely sickens me.

In Progress

IN PROGRESS

A Gentle Reminder

[The disciples] began to argue among themselves as to who would have the highest rank in the coming Kingdom.

Jesus told them, "in this world the kings and great men order their slaves around, and the slaves have no choice but to like it! But among you, the one who serves you best will be your leader. out in the world the master sits at the table and is served by his servants.

________________
remember that song?

serve the servants
oh yeah
______________

i think it was kurt cobain but at any rate and so on and so forth out in the world the master sits at the table and is served

oh wait I said that already
no matter

but not here! For I am your servant. Nevertheless, because you have stood true to me in these terrible days, and because my Father has granted me a Kingdom
for a horse
my kingdom

ohwellwhatevernevermind

The Idea of Celebrity

in this culture
is utterly insane.

insane that we would
lift up these people who
end up largely from wealth
and the luck of the draw
being incorporated into a cult
of celebrity

the likes of which most of us
and me certainly
could never tolerate
without either falling into
madness
or a callous disdain for the
human race
the intrusive nature of fame
I know I personally
could not take the intrusion
though I certainly am
privy to being a voyeur
to some degree

but not nearly as
much as most.