Scott Brown posed in Cosmopolitan magazine and offered his daughters up as "available". Martha Coakley either didn't care about getting elected or simple assumed the Democratic machine would do all the footwork for her and wring every vote out of their powerful base. Two worthy candidates equally committed to doing their best for the good citizens of the State, the Nation?
Guess not. And in the midst of incredulous Dems circling around, hand-wringing, and professing confusion, we find Massachusetts voters who succumbed to Scott Brown's excellent media campaign that made him a "star" on the level of George Clooney. Modest, confident, pro-active.
Apparently the people of Massachusetts have had it with doing the right thing for the greater good and decided to go with someone who seemed to "get" their micro level concerns and desires.
Martha Coakley had a weak media campaign. Old school. Negative. Harping. Uninspiring. Sad. She never seemed to be much of a candidate. More like someone along for the ride. So the Dems in Mass and the Democrats in DC as well as free-range political operatives cannot blame anyone but their mopey faced reflections. They picked a weak candidate and thought having one at all was enough.
The assumption seemed to be that Democrats who have been the representatives of the working class historically would be seen as the likely saviors for them again. Cutting bankers down to size. Turning around the mortgage fiasco. Summoning the "power to the people" (case is not a mistake) slogan to ignite a trail of compliant Mass voters.
Not so much. Time to rethink why people there did not see the Democrats as capable of doing the right thing. Too little too late? Or just just too little period.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
AVATAR & DEPRESSION
Let's take a moment to imagine why some viewers are reporting disorientation, sadness & depression after viewing the film.
Haven't we lost the innocence that comes with hoping for an idealistic or even Utopian society/culture? Especially folks after the horror that was 2009. We were ALREADY depressed from the ugliness, the greed, the breech of the cultural code(s) about ethics and altruism.
People seem beyond hope, yes? At the end of their ropes. Plagued with self-doubt. Battered by a loss of civility. Crushed by financial burden.
So after the Avatar experience what might one be expected to feel that is socially acceptable? How can something so subjective as a response to a film have a paradigm, a limit, a correctness?
Through any number of complex social failures, we have nothing but the shit in our laps to contemplate and a vague (perhaps embarrassing), tiny flame of desire and determination that things will get better.
If a movie can do something beyond that and nothing else can, how can we shut down that option? Why should we? And if people are depressed post-viewing, perhaps that is because there is probably a seed of awareness brewing that the way we have been living in this culture is without merit and has killed off the better nature of our angels. And that awareness will help us to move in a very different, wiser direction ultimately. Which is a very good thing.
Haven't we lost the innocence that comes with hoping for an idealistic or even Utopian society/culture? Especially folks after the horror that was 2009. We were ALREADY depressed from the ugliness, the greed, the breech of the cultural code(s) about ethics and altruism.
People seem beyond hope, yes? At the end of their ropes. Plagued with self-doubt. Battered by a loss of civility. Crushed by financial burden.
So after the Avatar experience what might one be expected to feel that is socially acceptable? How can something so subjective as a response to a film have a paradigm, a limit, a correctness?
Through any number of complex social failures, we have nothing but the shit in our laps to contemplate and a vague (perhaps embarrassing), tiny flame of desire and determination that things will get better.
If a movie can do something beyond that and nothing else can, how can we shut down that option? Why should we? And if people are depressed post-viewing, perhaps that is because there is probably a seed of awareness brewing that the way we have been living in this culture is without merit and has killed off the better nature of our angels. And that awareness will help us to move in a very different, wiser direction ultimately. Which is a very good thing.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Afghanistan: BRING THE TROOPS HOME
I don't pretend to know how difficult it is to be the President of the United States. The man is looking tired and gray so I can safely assume a lot of the job is a pain in the butt.
And speaking of buts...... Sending in more troops whether for 18 months of 3 years will do NOTHING to destroy/weaken/demoralize or shame the Taliban.
How could anyone with access to supposedly sophisticated "intelligence" think that military might will lead to any productive end.
Oh wait, extending and increasing the deployments WILL be good for defense contractors, private soldiers of fortune, private special-ops units, all the manufacturers of special equipment as well as all the basics.
The military can't properly support and supply the troops there now. And where are they going to recruit 30,000 more people who are just as excited as punch to head off to one of the most challenging and scary operations that they could ever imagine?
There will always be terrorists. It's a matter of perspective. To some people, the United States is a terrorist regime. There will always be threats from some countries, from some groups, because we have not evolved into a wiser species by the year 2009, just a more technologically advanced consumer culture. There is still plenty of racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, gender bias, xenophobia and hate to monger.
Might in and of itself cannot make everything right. Because "right" is not universally defined the same by all.
Bring the troops home. Spend those billions on sorely needed domestic needs. A more enlightened foreign policy will do more to subdue radical threats than any military operation.
And speaking of buts...... Sending in more troops whether for 18 months of 3 years will do NOTHING to destroy/weaken/demoralize or shame the Taliban.
How could anyone with access to supposedly sophisticated "intelligence" think that military might will lead to any productive end.
Oh wait, extending and increasing the deployments WILL be good for defense contractors, private soldiers of fortune, private special-ops units, all the manufacturers of special equipment as well as all the basics.
The military can't properly support and supply the troops there now. And where are they going to recruit 30,000 more people who are just as excited as punch to head off to one of the most challenging and scary operations that they could ever imagine?
There will always be terrorists. It's a matter of perspective. To some people, the United States is a terrorist regime. There will always be threats from some countries, from some groups, because we have not evolved into a wiser species by the year 2009, just a more technologically advanced consumer culture. There is still plenty of racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, gender bias, xenophobia and hate to monger.
Might in and of itself cannot make everything right. Because "right" is not universally defined the same by all.
Bring the troops home. Spend those billions on sorely needed domestic needs. A more enlightened foreign policy will do more to subdue radical threats than any military operation.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
US Rep. Patrick Kennedy
Patrick Kennedy is not my rep here in RI but our state is tiny and everything is more intimate. Patrick has been very forthcoming about his periodic battles with substances. And he has been very direct about the fact that he is bi-polar.
Patrick was devoted to his Dad, Senator Ted Kennedy, but did not always support the same causes or candidates. It would be very interesting to me to imagine was his Dad would have said about Patrick's public ideological skirmish with Catholic Bishop Tobin over abortion rights. The Bishop has refused to serve Patrick communion and is suggesting he may need to look elsehwere to find a religion more in line with his abortion rights beliefs.
Patrick also took on some House Republicans in DC last week accusing them of racism, bias and homophobia.
His controversial beliefs have caused plenty of chatter because his language has been so aggressive and fearless. I say his actions are not theatrical but rather based in strong convictions and impatience with bullshit.
Thanks Patrick, long may you bruise and confront those who are out-of -step, unaware, smug, self-serving, disingenuous, lacking in leadership and not representative of the better nature of our angels.
Patrick was devoted to his Dad, Senator Ted Kennedy, but did not always support the same causes or candidates. It would be very interesting to me to imagine was his Dad would have said about Patrick's public ideological skirmish with Catholic Bishop Tobin over abortion rights. The Bishop has refused to serve Patrick communion and is suggesting he may need to look elsehwere to find a religion more in line with his abortion rights beliefs.
Patrick also took on some House Republicans in DC last week accusing them of racism, bias and homophobia.
His controversial beliefs have caused plenty of chatter because his language has been so aggressive and fearless. I say his actions are not theatrical but rather based in strong convictions and impatience with bullshit.
Thanks Patrick, long may you bruise and confront those who are out-of -step, unaware, smug, self-serving, disingenuous, lacking in leadership and not representative of the better nature of our angels.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Americans In Love With Murder
How is it possible that as a "superpower" heavy hitter on planet Earth the United States has more people in prison than any other country AND, whenever possible, we get all excited about killing some of them.
Capital Punishment is nothing if not the most obvious manifestation of devolution. There can be no logical/ethical/rational argument for state-sponsored extermination as some call it.
A country that supports capital punishment and apparently is proud of the fact, is a country that has lost any genuine compassion. We've got technology up the ying yang but we behave like depraved, moronic, small-minded /losers filled with hate.
Whatever crap we dish out, we get back. Heard of karma?
Capital Punishment is nothing if not the most obvious manifestation of devolution. There can be no logical/ethical/rational argument for state-sponsored extermination as some call it.
A country that supports capital punishment and apparently is proud of the fact, is a country that has lost any genuine compassion. We've got technology up the ying yang but we behave like depraved, moronic, small-minded /losers filled with hate.
Whatever crap we dish out, we get back. Heard of karma?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Must Be The Season of The Witch
If you haven't heard this song for awhile, or if you've never heard it, I recommend a little trip to itunes. I find it satisfying to listen to YEAR ROUND.
And speaking of Halloween, it is my favorite time of the year. Which I think has more to do with the celebration of self-expression than it does with anything pagan but you can't go wrong with a few dedicated pagans. Perhaps it should be pagans with a BIG P.
Halloween gives us the opportunity to be creative at a high level. Think of the lighting possibilities alone! And we get to adopt a persona that may have primal roots or at least something Jung would appreciate. That Jung, quite the wild one, eh?
I not only like manifesting an environment that represents something about my issues or past lives. I LOVE experiencing what others have created as well. I love most haunted houses even if they charge admission. I love looking at the spectacle of hundreds of trick or treaters. Maybe this has something to do with the theory that our intrinsic chi (I don't know if there is another kind) always has been and always will be. We adopt this particular paradigm of human life when we choose to learn some lessons relevant to our evolution. And Halloween might be custom, or it might be cultural idiosyncrasy or it might be a mass halogram. Different from mass hallucination.
So we have Halloween as a perennial fave but now we are all about vampires and aliens judging by our cultural products. I love both. I am very curious about what we can deduce about their current popularity. Political commentary? District 9. Cutural AND political commentary? True Blood. Aliens but all the above? Flashforward. Attractive but potentially spooky alien? V.
Does this mean we are preparing for an opening in our unconscious or just tired of greed and forclosures? Or are aliens already among us infiltrating our cultural process? Likely?
And speaking of Halloween, it is my favorite time of the year. Which I think has more to do with the celebration of self-expression than it does with anything pagan but you can't go wrong with a few dedicated pagans. Perhaps it should be pagans with a BIG P.
Halloween gives us the opportunity to be creative at a high level. Think of the lighting possibilities alone! And we get to adopt a persona that may have primal roots or at least something Jung would appreciate. That Jung, quite the wild one, eh?
I not only like manifesting an environment that represents something about my issues or past lives. I LOVE experiencing what others have created as well. I love most haunted houses even if they charge admission. I love looking at the spectacle of hundreds of trick or treaters. Maybe this has something to do with the theory that our intrinsic chi (I don't know if there is another kind) always has been and always will be. We adopt this particular paradigm of human life when we choose to learn some lessons relevant to our evolution. And Halloween might be custom, or it might be cultural idiosyncrasy or it might be a mass halogram. Different from mass hallucination.
So we have Halloween as a perennial fave but now we are all about vampires and aliens judging by our cultural products. I love both. I am very curious about what we can deduce about their current popularity. Political commentary? District 9. Cutural AND political commentary? True Blood. Aliens but all the above? Flashforward. Attractive but potentially spooky alien? V.
Does this mean we are preparing for an opening in our unconscious or just tired of greed and forclosures? Or are aliens already among us infiltrating our cultural process? Likely?
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