CHRISTMAS...THE VERY NEXT DAY

Had we the chance, we wold have rushed
       to Bethlehem
           to see this thing that had come to pass.

Had we been a day later,
       we would have found the manger empty
           and the family departed.

We would have learned that they fled to Egypt,
       warned that the baby was endangered,
       sought by the establishment of the day
            that understood how his very life
               threatened the way things are.

We would have paused at the empty stall
       and pondered how this baby
            from the very beginning was under threat.

The powers understood that his grace threatened all our
        coercions;
they understood that his truth challenged all our lies;
they understood that his power to heal
        nullified our many pathologies;
they understood that his power to forgive
        vetoed the power of guilt and
              the drama of debt among us.

From day one they pursued him,
        and schemed and conspired
        until finally...on a gray Friday...
            they got him!
        No wonder the family fled, in order to give him time
            for his life.

We could still pause at the empty barn---
       and ponder that all our babies are under treat, all the
             vulnerable who stand at risk
                   before predators,
       our babies who face the slow erosion of consumerism,
       our babies who face the reach of sexual exploitation,
       our babies who face the call to war,
           placed as we say, "in harm's way,"
       our babies, elsewhere in the world,
           who know of cold steel against soft arms
           and distended bellies from lack of food;
       our babies everywhere who are caught in the fearful display
           of ruthless adult power.

We ponder how peculiar this baby at Bethlehem is,
            summed to save the world,
                 and yet
we know, how like every child, this one also was at risk.
         The manger is empty a day later...
             the father warned in a dream.
Our world is so at risk, and yet we seek after and wait for
          this child named "Emmanuel."
        Come be with us, you who are called "God with us."

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

A CALL TO PROTEST

I DON'T THINK I HAVE MANY READERS IN HOT SPRINGS, BUT I AM PUTTING OUT A CALL TO PROTEST THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY ON A MONTHLY BASIS, STARTING WITH HIS INAUGURATION ON JAN. 20. IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY REPLYING TO THIS POST. PASS ON THE INFORMATION TO ANY GROUP OR PERSONS YOU THINK MAY BE INTERESTED. WE HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. BRUCE

Trump Advocates 'Greatly' Expanding Nuclear Arsenal

Trump Advocates 'Greatly' Expanding Nuclear Arsenal

I SMELL A MILITARY COUP IN THE MAKING.

Barefoot Truth Walk Softly (with lyrics)

WAVES OF WELL-BEING SUBVERTED

In our Holy Presence,
   we confess that something strange and ominous
                is happening among us,
     so strange that we cannot understand,
     so ominous that we cannot control.

We are like Dazzling David and Smooth Solomon
     who presided over social transformations
                that soon were out of hand.

We are like them as we watch wave after wave
     of new power and new money,
                while our infrastructure disintegrates,
                and the poor grow more desperate
                        amid our surpluses.

We are like them as we participate in social differentiation
      of class and mass---
      we the educated, the privileged, the entitled,
                 and we scarcely know or notice
                         the lesser ones who remain unnamed
                                  and nearly invisible.

We are like them as we sort out tasks and assignments;
     we sit in our air conditioning and move paper
                but sweat only a little---
                    except at leisure.
     And they sweat and work and sometimes seethe,
               fearing the paper we move that disenfranchises them.

We are like Dazzling David and Smooth Solomon
     on the way in this great economy and this great church.
We are like them, grateful, but unnoticing. Sometimes we wonder
     if we will learn anything soon enough.

Good, hard, demanding, generous God;
                we do not ask to be dazzled;
                we do not ask to be made smooth in success.
             We ask rather for courage to be faithful,
                 to submit our privilege and entitlement to you,
                         before it is too late.

It is your holiness that subverts our best convictions,
     and so we submit to your haunting as best we can,
     haunted as was Jesus by purposes beyond his own.

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

           

CONTENDING WITH THE DARK AGES

 

DEPRESSION IS GOING TO BE A BIG ISSUE AS WE ENTER THE ERA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY. SOME THINGS THAT WILL HELP:

1. STAY COMMITTED TO THE GOOD. IT IS WRONG TO HELP RICH PEOPLE GET RICHER. IT IS WRONG TO DEMONIZE THE POOR. IT IS WRONG TO TAKE AWAY A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CONTROL HER OWN BODY. IT IS WRONG TO TAKE HEALTHCARE FROM PEOPLE, OR NOT GIVE IT TO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT IS WRONG TO HAVE TO DECLARE BANKRUPTCY OVER HEALTHCARE DEBTS. IT IS WRONG TO DESTROY THE EARTH FOR PROFIT. IT IS WRONG TO CALL SCIENCE A LIBERAL PLOT. IT IS WRONG TO TEACH RELIGION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT IS WRONG TO INDISCRIMINATELY KILL PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF PEACE. IT IS WRONG TO SUPPORT ONLY ONE WAY TO SHOW YOUR BELIEF IN GOD. IT IS WRONG TO SUPPRESS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. IT IS WRONG TO CALL PROTESTORS UN-AMERICAN, OR TRAITORS. IT IS WRONG TO TAKE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO NEED IT AND HAVE BEEN PROMISED IT. DO NOT COWER IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE. STAND TALL AND GET RIGHT IN THEIR FACE.
2.  PREPARE TO TAKE TO THE STREETS IF NECESSARY. REMAIN NONVIOLENT. IN THE FACE OF A VIOLENT POLICE FORCE IT IS WRONG TO COUNTER WITH VIOLENCE. YOU THEN BECOME NO BETTER THAN THEM, AND THAT IS NOT WHAT WE WANT. OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, PEOPLE WILL LOSE THEIR LIVES FIGHTING THE BAD. OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THEIR LIVES ARE NOT GIVEN UP IN VAIN. 
3.  THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF DAYS YOU WON'T EVEN FEEL LIKE GETTING UP. IT IS GOING TO BE A DARK, DEPRESSING TIME. THE DARKER IT GETS, THE MORE LIGHT WE HAVE TO GENERATE. WE WILL NEED TO FOCUS ON HELPING ONE ANOTHER. TO SET UP NETWORKS OF PEOPLE WATCHING OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER. NEIGHBORHOODS NEED TO ORGANIZE. CHURCHES NEED TO STEP UP THEIR EFFORTS TO HELP THE NEEDY. NONPROFITS WILL NEED TO GIVE UP THEIR PROFITS. ANYONE WITH THE GOOD FORTUNE OF HAVING EXTRA WILL NEED TO GIVE TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT GOING TO HELP US. WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER.
4.  SOME ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO FRONT A TAXPAYER REVOLT. EVERY TIME I THINK OF PAYING TAXES TO SUPPORT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, I GET SICK. WITH THE BRAIN POWER OF SOME ACCOUNTANTS AND ATTORNEYS, WE CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING. 
5. STAY POSITIVE IN THIS HOUR OF DARKNESS. IT WON'T BE EASY. I AM ALREADY FEELING THE DESPAIR AND TRUMP AND HIS APPOINTED ENTOURAGE OF MISFITS HAVEN'T EVEN TAKEN OFFICE. THIS WILL BE A BATTLE OF SURVIVAL FOR MANY. MY CHRISTMAS WISH THIS YEAR IS THAT WE SOMEHOW GET THROUGH THIS INTACT. AS JESUS FACED AN OPPRESSIVE AND UNJUST GOVERNMENT, SO WE MUST DO THE SAME.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature made them.”
Bertrand Russell, New Hopes for a Changing World

The Bullshit Era

The Bullshit Era

GET READY FOR 4 YEARS OF STINK. TIME TO MOBILIZE.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

DEMOCRACY IS NOT JUST THE RIGHT TO VOTE, IT IS THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN DIGNITY.

Naomi Klein

QUOTE OF THE DAY

DEMOCRACY IS LIKE A TAMBOURINE--NOT EVERYONE CAN BE TRUSTED WITH IT.

John Oliver

THE FACTS OR THE STORY?

FACTS ARE SEEMINGLY FACTS. THERE SHOULD BE SOME WAY TO BACK THEM UP. BE IT SCIENTIFIC, OR HISTORICAL, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE THERE THAT CAN BE RELIED ON. THE STORY OF JESUS' LIFE WOULD NOT QUALIFY BY MOST ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS AS FACTUAL. IT IS A NARRATIVE STORY USING AVAILABLE HISTORICAL REPORTING. THERE IS NO EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF JESUS OR HIS MINISTRY. EVERYTHING COLLECTED ARE STORIES ABOUT JESUS FROM OTHERS. THIS INCLUDES THE GOSPEL WRITERS. THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT JESUS AND HIS LIFE, WITH LITTLE MENTION TO THE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE OF THE TIME. THEY WERE WRITING FOR A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS THAT THEY WERE HOPING TO GATHER. LITTLE ATTENTION IS PLACED ON THE GROWING TENSION BETWEEN JESUS, THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, AND THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT, IN A SETTING MUCH MORE CONDUCIVE TO JESUS' APOCALYPTIC CHALLENGE OF ACCEPTING A GOD OF COMPASSION AND CARING, WHILE NOT DISMISSING THE CHALLENGE OF BEING AN ACTIVE SEEKER OF JUSTICE.
FACTS CAN BE DISCUSSED IN AN ENDLESS PROCLAMATION OF WHO'S RIGHT AND WHO'S WRONG. THE FINAL LINE WOULD NEVER BE SETTLED. BUT THE NARRATIVE STORY PUTS US IN TOUCH WITH EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE OURSELVES. IT ASKS US HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED; HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR CHILDREN BE ABLE TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES; THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED FAIRLY BY THE GOVERNMENT AND OUR NEIGHBORS; THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE HEALED BOTH PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY; THAT EACH OF US SHOULD BE TREATED WITH JUSTICE, COMPASSION, AND EQUALITY. PERHAPS DETAILING JESUS' LIFE IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY. IN THESE TIMES, WHERE RELIGION IS BEING USED TO PROMOTE FURTHER DIVIDE BETWEEN THE HAVE'S AND THE HAVE NOT'S, PERHAPS IT IS THE POLITICAL JESUS THAT SHOULD GIVE US THE MOST HOPE. PERHAPS FOR EACH OF US, AND THE CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITY, WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IS HOW JESUS MAKES US FEEL INSIDE ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE WANT GOD AND JESUS TO INFLUENCE OUR LIVES ON A DAILY BASIS. MAYBE IT IS NOT THE DETAILS WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH, BUT THE HOPE THAT THE STORY GIVES US.

When Extraordinary Circumstances Call For Extraordinary Measures

When Extraordinary Circumstances Call For Extraordinary Measures

CHRISTMAS-1953

Christmas was an exciting time of the year, especially for an only child. There were always plenty of presents. There wasn’t any competition. We always exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. I’m not entirely sure how that tradition got started, but I would imagine I had something to do with it, not wanting to wait for Christmas morning.  And the fact that we always spent Christmas day at my grandmothers.

Christmas dinner. That I can remember. It was always a surprise as to what we might have. My grandparents were first generation German immigrants. One of the dishes I remember best was sauerbraten, which I later learned is a German technique to sour anything. Usually, for our Christmas dinner, it was sour rabbit, which my grandfather had recently shot. A squirrel or two may have occasionally been thrown in, but when things are soured, it all pretty much tastes the same. Always served with noodles. I did learn the art of souring things, and do practice it from time to time. I prefer soured, tame rabbit. I don’t do any hunting.

Iced sugar cookies were another treat at Christmas and Easter. My grandmother could make the best iced cookies I’ve ever had, and believe me, I’ve had a few. The secret was another German baking trick, sour cream. I did inherit her recipe when my mother died and will be have made one batch already this holiday season. They are not for dieters.

Postage stamps on the Christmas cards would have been 3 cents in 1953. A gallon of gas to get to grandma’s would have been around 22 cents. A brand new Ford to ride in would have been $1600-$2400. The average price of a new home was $17,400. Sugar for the sugar cookies, 89 cents for ten lbs. But to put it all into perspective, the average salary per year was $4000. The rabbit and squirrel were free.

Dwight Eisenhower was President, the Yankees won the World Series, and Dark Star won the Kentucky Derby. One of my favorite all-time writers, Ernest Hemingway, won the Pulitzer Prize for his fiction novel, “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Waiting for dinner to be served, we might have listened to songs on the radio sung by Fats Domino, Hank Williams, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, Doris Day, and Bing Crosby. Two of the most popular Christmas songs in 1953 were Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song-Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire,” and “The Hippopotamus Song,” song by a ten year old girl from Oklahoma, Gayla Peevey. She sang it to raise money for the first hippopotamus at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Things were much simpler then.

Those watching television in the living room might have seen such classics as “I Love Lucy,” “What’s My Line,” “Truth or Consequences,” “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “The Life of Riley,” “The Jack Benny Show,” or “Dragnet.” You remember Joe Friday? “Just the facts, Ma’am.” One of my personal favorites was “You Bet Your Life.,” a game show hosted by Groucho Marx. I always liked the Marx Brothers. This was definitely a classic, featuring a cigar smoking Groucho asking such difficult questions as, “What color is the White House?” or “When did the War of 1812 start?” or “What color is an orange?” The most remembered question was, “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?” Ends up it was a trick question. Both Grand and his wife are buried there. The highlight of the program was if the contestant mentioned the secret word. A duck, looking like Groucho, with cigar, glasses, and mustache, would swing down from the rafters. You talk about excitement. TV hasn’t been the same without Groucho. Or the duck.

So that gives you some idea of Christmas in 1953. I left out the part where the guys usually drank too much, and the women played bunco, a dice game, for money. That wouldn’t be very Christmas like.

Have a Merry Christmas.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

THE GOSPEL NARRATIVES CAN BE INTERPRETED IN MANY WAYS. THE GOSPELS ARE GENERATIONS OF PASSED ON ORAL AND WRITTEN STORIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED FOR THEIR ACCURACY. THERE ARE NO FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF JESUS' LIFE. THE GOSPELS WERE WRITTEN, PERHAPS UP TO A 100 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. MOST OF US CHOOSE ONE WAY TO BELIEVE, ONE WAY TO LOOK AT JESUS' LIFE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS. WHEN YOU EXPAND YOUR REQUISITE VARIETY, IT ALLOWS YOU MORE ROOM TO VIEW JESUS, HIS MINISTRY, AND THE GOSPELS THEMSELVES. ENTER THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE.

JESUS: PEACE LOVING OR REVOLUTIONARY? OR BOTH.

CLEARLY THERE IS A TENSION BETWEEN THE GOSPEL WRITERS AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, DEPICTING JESUS AS PEACE-LOVING AND NONVIOLENT, AND SOME OF THE REALITIES OF THE TIME. APOCALYPTIC, REVOLUTIONARY FERVOR WAS LIKELY ON EVERY JEWS MIND IN JUDEA AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. AS JESUS CONTINUED PROCLAIMING THAT A NEW TIME WAS NEAR, IT BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR THE ROMANS TO SEPARATE OUT HIS APOCALYPTIC VISION FROM IS PERCEIVED REVOLUTIONARY ZEAL. IN THE END, THE REVOLUTIONARY JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED FOR TREASON. CHRISTIANS DOWNPLAY JESUS THE REVOLUTIONARY, PROBABLY FOR THE SAME REASONS THE GOSPEL WRITERS DID. WE WANT TO STIR THINGS UP, BUT DON'T WANT THE KETTLE TO OVERFLOW INTO TERRITORY THAT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS WITH.

We can beat back the Reign of Trump--if we unite in a movement for Populist Justice • Hightower Lowdown

We can beat back the Reign of Trump--if we unite in a movement for Populist Justice • Hightower Lowdown: Buckle up, friends. Most Americans are about to be detoured onto a rough and rocky back road called “Trump Way.” …

WAS JESUS A REVOLUTIONARY?

"THE NOTION THAT THE LEADER OF A POPULAR MESSIANIC MOVEMENT CALLING FOR THE IMPOSITION OF THE "KINGDOM OF GOD"---A TERM THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDERSTOOD BY JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE AS IMPLYING REVOLT AGAINST ROME---COULD HAVE REMAINED UNINVOLVED IN THE REVOLUTIONARY FERVOR THAT HAD GRIPPED NEARLY EVERY JEW IN JUDEA IS SIMPLY RIDICULOUS."

Reza Aslan, scholar of religions

BULLSHIT DETECTOR

GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: BULLSHIT DECODER RINGS. WILL HELP YOU GET THRU THE COMING 4 YEARS. STRONG, STURDY, RELIABLE, ABLE TO HANDLE HUGE AMOUNTS OF BULLSHIT. SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO HANDLE BULLSHIT COMING FROM JACKASSES ON THE GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL. HURRY, THEY ARE GOING FAST. 

Dakota Access Pipeline Permit Denied

Dakota Access Pipeline Permit Denied

THE DAYS AHEAD ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH. IT WILL BE A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. IT HOPEFULLY WILL STAY NONVIOLENT, BUT I WOULDN'T COUNT ON IT.

PEEVER LAW #69

IF YOU ARE ALREADY RICH AND WANT TO GET RICHER, YOU ARE THE WORST KIND OF HUMAN BEING.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"IF I WERE TO REMAIN SILENT, I'D BE GUILTY OF COMPLICITY,"

Albert Einstein

JESUS OF NAZARETH

THERE ARE TWO FACTS WE CAN SAY FOR SURE ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH. ONE, HE LED A POPULAR JEWISH MOVEMENT IN PALESTINE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST CENTURY. TWO, THAT ROME CRUCIFIED HIM FOR DOING SO.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"OUR PROBLEMS STEM FROM OUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS FILTHY, ROTTEN SYSTEM."

Dorothy Day

NEW GROCERY STORE

THERE IS APPARENTLY A PROSPECT TO PUT IN A GROCERY STORE WHERE THE OLD CRANFORD'S WAS LOCATED. REALLY BAD WHEN THE MOST EXCITING THING GOING ON IS A NEW GROCERY STORE COMING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. NO ONE WILL CONFIRM WHO IT IS, BUT I HEARD CASH SAVER. THAT WOULDN'T BE THE WORST. WOULD REALLY HELP. MAYBE IT WILL BE A NEW YEAR MIRACLE. THAT, AND DONALD TRUMP DISAPPEARS. THEY WILL NEED A GOOD STOCK BOY, ALTHOUGH I DOUBT HE HAS THE BRAINS FOR IT.

THE PEEVER PUTS HIS MARK ON WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY

• NUMBER ONE: IT'S INHABITED BY HUMANS.
• NUMBER TWO: MOST OF THOSE HUMANS ARE RIGHT-WING, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICANS. ONE OR TWO WOULDN'T BE BAD. EVOLUTION WOULD EVENTUALLY TAKE CARE OF THEM.
• NUMBER THREE: WE NOW HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS NUTTIER THAN A FRUIT CAKE. HAVE YOU EVER TASTED A FRUIT CAKE? LEAVES A BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH.
• NUMBER FOUR: WITH EVERYONE CARRYING A GUN, WHAT WE ARE GOING TO END UP WITH IS NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF SORROW. THAT, AND A BUNCH OF ITCHY TRIGGER FINGERS EAGER TO KILL SOMETHING. MOST GENERALLY, THAT WILL BE AN INNOCENT PERSON.
• NUMBER FIVE: JUST HOW IGNORANT DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO DENY EVOLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE? I'M GOING WITH AN IQ OF LESS THAN 50.
• NUMBER SIX: CAPITALISM AS IT HAS DEVELOPED WILL NOT WORK. IT HAS NO PLACE IN A DEMOCRACY. THE RICH ARE TOO GREEDY. WALTON FAMILY: $100 BILLION. KOCK BROTHERS: $79 BILLION. BILL GATES: $75 BILLION. WARREN BUFFETT: $60 BILLION. JEFF BOZOS: $45 BILLION. MARK ZUCKERBERG: $44 BILLION. THIS AMOUNT OF PERSONAL WEALTH IS DESTROYING THE ECONOMY AND DANGEROUSLY DISTANCING THE RICH FROM THE POOR. VIOLENT REVOLUTION WILL BE THE RESULT. UNDER TRUMP, THIS WILL GET MUCH WORSE.
• NUMBER SEVEN: WE HAVE A RIGHT-WING SUPREME COURT THAT IS GOING TO GET WORSE. THE COURT WILL PLACE IDEOLOGY ABOVE JUSTICE. ABORTIONS WILL SOON BE MOVED BACK TO ALLEYS. RELIGION WILL BE PLACED IN THE SCHOOLS AND CHRISTIANITY WILL BE DECLARED THE LAW OF THE LAND. WE WILL RAPIDLY BECOME A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. PUBLIC ANYTHING WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST. FUTURE TEXTBOOKS WILL RECORD THIS AS THE RETURN OF THE DARK AGES.
• NUMBER EIGHT: HEALTH CARE HAS BECOME A COMMODITY FOR SALE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT SICKNESS WOULD LEAVE PEOPLE BANKRUPT? IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. ONLY IN CAPITALIST AMERICA.
• NUMBER NINE: PERPETUAL WAR. BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE RICH. SEEMS IT HELPS THEM GET RICHER. THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WHO DIES OR WHO IS INJURED. NOW WE TAKE UP COLLECTIONS TO HELP THEM. OUR TAX DOLLARS USED FOR MORE WAR WEAPONS. COLLATERAL DAMAGE IS NOW AN ACCEPTABLE TERM. EVERY HOLIDAY, EVERY SPORTING EVENT, NOW HAS A MILITARY COMPONENT TO IT. WELCOME TO THE BRAVE NEW WORLD.
• NUMBER TEN: BIG BUSINESS AND BIG MONEY NOW RUN AMERICA. ELECTIONS ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, RIGGED AND SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. THE FLAME OF DEMOCRACY IS ABOUT OUT. 
• I COULD GO ON, BUT IT'S TOO DEPRESSING. WHY CLUTTER YOUR MIND WITH REALITY. THE FANTASY IS SO MUCH BETTER.

PEEVER LAW #14

WHEN IN DOUBT, TEE IT UP.

The Last Days of Democracy?

The Last Days of Democracy?

PRAYER OF PROTEST-(LORD HELP US OVERTHROW TRUMP)

SINCE OUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS CRIED OUT,
SINCE YOU HEARD THEIR CRIES AND NOTICED,
SINCE WE LEFT THE BRICK PRODUCTION OF EGYPT,
SINCE YOU FOILED THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULES OF PHARAOH,
     WE HAVE KNOWN YOUR NAME,
     WE HAVE SENSED YOUR PASSION,
     WE HAVE TREASURED YOUR VISION OF JUSTICE.

AND NOW WE TURN TO YOU AGAIN,
     WHOSE PRECIOUS NAME WE KNOW.
WE TURN TO YOU BECAUSE THERE ARE
     STILL IMPOSSIBLE PRODUCTION SCHEDULES,
     STILL EXPLOITATIVE SYSTEMS,
     STILL CRIES OF PAIN AT INJUSTICE,
     STILL CHEAP LABOR THAT YIELDS MISERY.

WE TURN TO YOU IN IMPATIENCE AND EXASPERATION,
     WONDERING, "HOW LONG?" BEFORE YOU ANSWER
          OUR PLEADING QUESTION.
     HEAR OUR PETITION,
          SINCE YOU ARE NOT A LABOR BOSS AND DO NOT SET WAGES.

WE BID YOU, STIR UP THOSE WHO CAN CHANGE THINGS;
     DO YOU STIRRING IN THE JADED HALLS OF GOVERNMENT;
     DO YOUR STIRRING IN THE CYNICAL OFFICES OF THE CORPORATIONS;
     DO YOUR STIRRING AMID THE VOTING PUBLIC TOO ANXIOUS AND (FEARFUL) TO       CARE;
     DO YOU STIRRING IN THE CHURCHES THAT THINKS TOO MUCH ABOUT PURITY AND NOT ENOUGH ABOUT WAGES (AND THE POOR).   

MOVE THE WATERS AND THE FLOCKS AND THE HERDS
      TOWARD NEW STATUTES AND REGULATIONS,
               NEW EQUITY AND GOOD HEALTH CARE,
               NEW DIGNITY THAT CANNOT BE GIVEN ON THE CHEAP.

WE HAVE KNOWN NOW LONG SINCE,
        THAT YOU REJECT CHEAP GRACE;
        EVEN AS WE NOW KNOW THAT YOU REJECT CHEAP LABOR (AND UNJUST GOVERNMENTS).

YOU, GOD OF JUSTICE, AND DIGNITY AND EQUITY,
KEEP THE PROMISES YOU BODIED IN JESUS,
      THAT THE POOR MAY BE FIRST-CLASS MEMBERS OF SOCIETY,
      THAT THE NEEDY MAY HAVE GOOD CARE AND RESPECT,
      THAT THE POOR EARTH MAY REJOICE IN WELL-BEING,
      THAT WE MAY ALL COME TO SABBATH REST TOGETHER,
            THE OWNER AND THE WORKER,
            THE LEISURE CLASS AND THE LABOR CLASS,
ALL AT PEACE IN DIGNITY AND JUSTICE,
            NOT ON THE CHEAP, BUT GOOD MEASURE,
            PRESSED DOWN,
            RUNNING OVER....FORGIVEN. 

Walter Brueggemann-with additions in pharenthesis
        

PEEVER LAW #106

I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT AMERICA SO DUMB AS TO ELECT A COMPLETE IDIOT AS OUR PRESIDENT. I'M STILL HOPING IT WAS A MISTAKE. CANADA IS WAY TOO COLD.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

DEAR LORD, FORGIVE US, FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO. WE HAVE ELECTED A MAN OF DISHONOR TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES. IT IS A DARK HOUR FOR US. WE HAVE ELECTED A MAN WHO IS A RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, DISHONEST, LYING, WOMANIZING, EGOMANIAC WHO IS ABOUT TO LEAD THE MOST POWERFUL NATION ON EARTH. THIS HAPPENED OUT OF FEAR AND A RACIST MENTALITY THAT IS PERVASIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE AFRAID OTHERS WILL TAKE WHAT WE HAVE. WE ARE AFRAID OF COLOR. WE ARE AFRAID OF OTHERS WHO WORSHIP DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO. WE ARE AFRAID OF HOW OTHERS LIVE, AND WHO THEY LOVE. FOR A MAN WHO WALKED AMONG THE POOR, HEALING THE SICK, RESPECTING WOMEN, ACCEPTING THOSE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES, AND PROTESTING A GOVERNMENT THAT WAS UNJUST, WE NEED NOW, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, STRENGTH TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS. HELP US TO CONFRONT WITH FAITH AND JUSTICE A GOVERNMENT THAT WILL LIKELY BE THE WORST IN OUR HISTORY. HELP US TO SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. HELP US TO BE BETTER PERSONS AS AN EXAMPLE TO OUR CHILDREN SO THAT THEY SEE HOW HOPE CAN BE MAINTAINED THRU THESE TROUBLED TIMES. FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO BE HURT BY WHAT HAS HAPPENED, GIVE THEM FAITH TO MOVE FORWARD, GIVE THEM COURAGE TO STAND TALL AND PROTEST WHAT IS UNJUST, DEMEANING, AND NON-INCLUSIVE. IT IS ALL SET BEFORE US, AND IT IS US WHO HAVE TO DREAM AN ALTERNATIVE DREAM OF JUSTICE, INCLUSIVENESS, LOVE, MUTUAL RESPECT, AND DIVERSITY. WE WILL MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR NAME AND WITH THE SAME DETERMINATION THAT YOU DEMONSTRATED TO US.   AMEN

In the Dumps? Ten Ways to Fight Trump

In the Dumps? Ten Ways to Fight Trump

OUTLINE FOR FUTURE ACTIVISM UNDER TRUMP

ON PONDERING LAMENTS

WE CELEBRATE YOUR STEADFAST LOVE.
WE PRAISE YOU FOR YOUR MERCY.
WE COUNT ON YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
   WE CELEBRATE AND
       PRAISE AND
       COUNT ON.

AND THEN THE WORLD DOES NOT WORK RIGHT.
    WE FIND OURSELVES UNSAFE AND ANXIOUS,
        CAUGHT UP IN GREED AND SELFISHNESS.,
        BESET BY A CULTURE OF VIOLENCE AND THREAT.

WE WONDER ABOUT THE MISMATCH
        BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR CREATION.

MOSTLY WE TRUST,
        DOWN DEEP, WE SOMETIMES DO NOT.
WE RISK TRUTH-TELLLING
        ABOUT YOUR ABSENCE AND SILENCE AND WITHDRAWL.

WE DO SUCH TRUTH-TELLING,
        TELLING IT TO YOU,
   YOU...ABSENT, SILENT, WITHDRAWN.
   YOU WE ADDRESS, YOU, OUR ONLY HOPE
      IN THIS WORLD AND IN THE WORLD TO COME.

WALTER BRUEGGEMANN
 

LAMENT

ANYONE WHO THINKS WE SHOULD GIVE DONALD TRUMP A CHANCE IS IN FACT NOT THINKING. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO VOTED FOR HIM, YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET WHAT YOU DESERVE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REST OF US WILL HAVE TO SUFFER ALONG WITH YOU. THANKS.

HELL ON EARTH-THE DARK AGES

THIS BLOG SITE IS GOING TO FOCUS ON THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY. THE CABINET HE IS BUILDING WILL BE THE WORST IN OUR HISTORY. IT IS FILLED WITH RACISTS, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. MINORITIES, IMMIGRANTS, THE POOR, ARE GOING TO GET STOMPED ON. WHAT IS LEFT OF THE MIDDLE CLASS WILL BE DESTROYED. WE ARE ABOUT TO RE-ENTER THE DARK AGES. GOD HAVE MERCY ON US.

PEEVER LAW #41

EVERYONE HAS A BREAKING POINT. MINE CAME ON NOVEMBER 8.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A little stupid is like a little forest fire. If you happen upon some stupid, please stomp it out before it spreads.”
― Quentin R. Bufogle

Ugly and Unprepared, 'Knife Fight' Breaks Out in Trump Transition

Ugly and Unprepared, 'Knife Fight' Breaks Out in Trump Transition

A PREVIEW OF THINGS TO COME. TOTAL CHAOS.

LICKITY-LUMP, WE GOT US A TRUMP

A WHITE HOUSE FILLED WITH CRAZIES. THE LINCOLN ROOM MAY BE MAKING US SOME MONEY. AND THE PROPOSED CABINET. OH, WHAT A NIGHTMARE. SARAH PALIN. NEWT GINGRICH. CRIS CHRISTY. BOZO THE CLOWN. THE WHOLE THING WILL BE ENTERTAINING, IF IT WERE HAPPENING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. WE WILL BE SEEN AS EVIL PERSONIFIED AROUND THE WORLD. THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE PLANET. NO WHERE IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE WILL THERE BE ANYTHING QUITE AS PATHETIC. WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST IS THE RACIST, WHITE, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED HIM IN. (ACTUALLY, HILLARY WON THE POPULAR VOTE). THESE SAME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET IT IN THE END. FIRST MEDICARE, THAN SOCIAL SECURITY. THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL BE DRAFTED INTO THE MILITARY. AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS THEY RELY ON WILL BE DONE. IT WILL BE A SLIGHT BIT ENJOYABLE TO SEE THEM GET WHAT THEY DESERVE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RICH WHITE'S WHO VOTED FOR HIM WILL ONLY GET RICHER. THE WHOLE THING IS JUST SHY OF PSYCHOTIC. THAT'S WHY I'M GOING TO START A NEW CHURCH: WEIK'S CHURCH FOR THOSE FOOLS WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP. MY HOPE WILL BE TO DEPROGRAM THESE RELIGIOUS FANATICS, AND MAKE THEM REALIZE THAT CHRIST STOOD FOR CHARITY, COMPASSION, HOPE, INCLUSIVENESS, WAS DEFIANT OF AN UNJUST GOVERNMENT, WAS PRO-FEMALE, AND WOULD MOST CERTAINLY BE AGAINST RIGHT-WING IDEOLOGY. IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING UNDERTAKING IN AN ATTEMPT TO TURN THE COUNTRY AWAY FROM EVIL AND TOWARD THE COMMON GOOD. ANY OF YOU CAN JOIN ME. WE ARE GOING TO OPEN UP OUR CHURCH HERE IN HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, THE HEART OF RICH, WHITE, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICAN RIGHT-WING IDEOLOGY. I NEED PEOPLE PROFICIENT IN ELECTRICITY, WATER BOARDING, AND MIND MANIPULATION. (THAT'S ASSUMING WE CAN FIND ANY. MINDS, THAT IS).

A TRUMP PRESIDENCY

• HE IS NOT GOING TO WANT ANYONE SNOOPING AROUND IN HIS BUSINESS. THE SECRET SERVICE WILL EVENTUALLY SAY: SCREW YOU. YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
• THE PRESS WILL BE MONITORED AND KEPT AT ARMS LENGTH.
• HE WILL WANT TO USE HIS PRIVATE PLANE, WHICH WILL BE VETOED BY THE SECURITY PEOPLE. THEY ARE AFRAID SOMEONE WILL STEAL HIM, WHICH I WOULDN'T BE WORRIED ABOUT.
• THE LOBBYISTS WILL BE MAKING PRIVATE DEALS WITH HIM. THE MONEY WILL GO IN HIS POCKET OR HIS KIDS. 
• IF TRUMP GETS CRAZY AND WANTS TO BLOW SOMEBODY UP, WE MAY HAVE OUR FIRST MILITARY COUP. 
• THEY WILL WANT TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY. THAT IS OUR MONEY AND IT WILL NOT GO OVER WELL WITH THE ELDERLY. BURNING AT THE STAKE COULD OCCUR.
• YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: THERE WILL BE COUNTRIES THAT DENY HIM ENTRY. THAT WILL ALSO INCLUDE SOME OF HIS CABINET PICKS.
• HE WILL PUT TOGETHER THE STUPIDEST AND MOST OBNOXIOUS CABINET EVER ASSEMBLED IN THE UNITED STATES. DUMB AND DUMBER WON'T HAVE A PRAYER.
• IN THE END, WE WILL BE AN UTTER FAILURE AND MIGHT VERY WELL NOT EVEN FINISH HIS 4 YEARS.  
• IT WILL BE SAID BY MANY THAT THIS WAS JUST A BAD DREAM, A NIGHTMARE, CAUSED BY A PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR WAY.  THEY'D BE RIGHT.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER

DEAR LORD, FORGIVE US, FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO. WE HAVE ELECTED A MAN OF DISHONOR TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES. IT IS A DARK HOUR FOR US. WE HAVE ELECTED A MAN WHO IS A RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, DISHONEST, LYING, WOMANIZING, EGOMANIAC WHO IS ABOUT TO LEAD THE MOST POWERFUL NATION ON EARTH INTO IRRELEVANCE. THIS HAPPENED OUT OF FEAR AND A RACIST MENTALITY THAT IS PERVASIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE AFRAID OTHERS WILL TAKE WHAT WE HAVE. WE ARE AFRAID OF COLOR. WE ARE AFRAID OF OTHERS WHO WORSHIP YOU DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO. WE ARE AFRAID OF HOW OTHERS LIVE, AND WHO THEY LOVE. FOR A MAN WHO WALKED AMONG THE POOR, HEALING THE SICK, RESPECTING WOMEN, ACCEPTING THOSE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES, AND PROTESTING A GOVERNMENT THAT WAS UNJUST, WE NEED NOW, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, STRENGTH TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS. HELP US TO CONFRONT WITH FAITH AND JUSTICE A GOVERNMENT THAT WILL LIKELY BE THE WORST IN OUR HISTORY. HELP US TO SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. HELP US TO BE BETTER PERSONS AS AN EXAMPLE TO OUR CHILDREN SO THAT THEY SEE HOW HOPE CAN BE MAINTAINED THRU THESE TROUBLED TIMES. FOR THOSE WHO ARE BEING HURT HURT BY WHAT IS HAPPENING, GIVE THEM FAITH TO MOVE FORWARD, GIVE THEM COURAGE TO STAND TALL AND PROTEST WHAT IS UNJUST, DEMEANING, AND NON-INCLUSIVE. IT IS ALL SET BEFORE US, AND IT IS US WHO HAVE TO DREAM AN ALTERNATIVE DREAM OF JUSTICE, INCLUSIVENESS, LOVE, MUTUAL RESPECT, AND DIVERSITY. WE WILL MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR NAME AND WITH THE SAME DETERMINATION THAT YOU DEMONSTRATED TO US.   AMEN

TAX BOYCOTT-PAY WHAT TRUMP PAYS. I UNDERSTAND THAT MAKES HIM SMART. LET'S SPREAD THE SMART

I THINK WE SHOULD ALL PAY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TAXES THAT TRUMP PAYS, WHICH IS APPARENTLY ZERO. SOMEONE NEEDS TO ORGANIZE A TAX BOYCOTT. IF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DO IT, THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE SCREWED. WE CAN LIST REASONS FOR NOT PAYING, INCLUDING OR PRESIDENT DOES OT PAY; WE ARE PROTESTING CABINET MEMBERS WITHOUT BRAINS WE DON'T WANT; DEMEANING AND UNJUST LEGISLATION AND PROGRAMS WE OPPOSE, ETC. LET THEM PUT US ALL IN PRISON.WE SHOULD NOT PAY FOR WHAT THIS IDIOT ELECT IS GOING TO DO.

HOME OF WHITE, RICH, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICANS

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE SIDES WITH TRUMP IN RICH, WHITE, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICANS LAST STAND AGAINST MINORITIES AND THE POOR. THERE'S A REAL SURPRISE.

WARNING

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU ELECT A NARCISSISTIC, SOCIOPATH FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? STICK AROUND, YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

POST ELECTION PRAYER-WALTER BRUEGGEMANN

You creator God
          who has ordered us
              in families and communities,
              in clans and tribes,
              in states and nations.

You creator God
          who enact your governance
               in ways overt and
               in ways hidden.
           You exercise your will for
               peace and for justice and for freedom.

We give you thanks for the peaceable order of
     our nation and for the chance of choosing---
          all the manipulative money notwithstanding.

We pray now for new governance
    that you will and purpose may prevail,
    that our leaders may have a sense
        of justice and goodness,
    that we as citizens may care about the
       public face of your purpose.

We pay in the name of Jesus who was executed
     by the authorities.

JUST SAY NO TO TRUMP AS PRESIDENT

HERE'S MY PLEDGE: AS LONG AS TRUMP IS IN OFFICE, I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO BRING HIM DOWN. I DO NOT ACCEPT THAT ARROGANT, RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, IDIOT AS MY PRESIDENT. THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN. AS OBSTRUCTIONIST AS THE REPUBLICANS WERE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, I WILL BE TWICE THAT AGAINST TRUMP. IT IS A SORRY DAY IN AMERICA TO ELECT SUCH A PERSON. LET'S FACE IT: THIS IS A RACIST, WHITE, CHRISTIAN BACKLASH AGAINST MINORITIES AND THE POOR. WE ARE PUTTING OURSELVES IN THE POSITION TO BECOME A THIRD WORLD NATION. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS NEGATIVE. NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. YOU ARE EITHER FOR THIS, COMPLACENT WITH IT, OR AGAINST IT. EVERYTHING YOU SAY, EVERY ACTION YOU TAKE, NEEDS TO DEMONSTRATE TO EVERYONE THAT YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS DIRECTION. IT IS WRONG AND HELLISH. THE GOOD WILL PREVAIL, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE A HARD BATTLE. LET THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS SICKENING NIGHTMARE BEGIN.

CANADA, OH CANADA

OH SHIT!

SOULS COLLISION

SOULS COLLIDE. IT'S PROOF THEY EXIST. THE COLLISION PRODUCES LOVE. JOY. SOMETIMES DESPAIR AND DARKNESS. UNPREDICTABLE, THOSE SOULS, BUMPING INTO ONE ANOTHER LIKE THAT.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality."
General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century, translated by John Beverly Robinson (London: Freedom Press, 1923), pp. 293-294.”
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

Amidst Law Enforcement Crackdown, DAPL Company Warns Water Protectors: Get Out, Or Else

Amidst Law Enforcement Crackdown, DAPL Company Warns Water Protectors: Get Out



INDEPENDENT MEDIA UNDER ATTACK. MAINLINE MEDIA ALREADY BOUGHT. KISS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS GOODBYE. 

COLD AS FROZEN ANARCHY

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. CANADA HAS INVITED US TO MOVE THERE SHOULD THAT HAPPEN. DECIDING BETWEEN ARROGANT STUPIDITY AND UNENDING WINTER. BONES WILL GET COLD AS FROZEN ANARCHY.

TERROR. TERROR. TERROR

EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, TERROR. IT'S HORRIBLE. IT GRABS HOLD OF YOUR HEART AND MAKES YOU ANXIOUS AND FEARFUL. I WOULDN'T WASTE MUCH MONEY BOMBING AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, SYRIA. IT'S MUCH CLOSER THAN THAT. IT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. EVEN INSIDE THE GATES. IN WASHINGTON, LITTLE ROCK, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH DAKOTA. RIGHT-WING, CHRISTIAN, WHITE, GUN TOOTING, BIBLE STOMPING, REPUBLICANS WHO WAVE THE FLAG AND SING THE SONG. MORE DANGEROUS THAN ANY OTHER TERRORIST YOU WILL EVER SEE. HERE'S A CHEAP ANTIDOTE TO KEEP THEM FROM STEALING YOUR SANITY. SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE. A PRAYER EVOKING DIVINE PROTECTION. CHANT IT OVER AND OVER WHEN YOU GET ANXIOUS OR UPSET:
     I KNOW WHO I AM.
     I KNOW WHERE I COME FROM.
     I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO MAKE ME FEEL ANXIOUS AND FEARFUL.
     I AM NOT AFRAID.

OLD TREE WITH CREEPY ROOTS

Capitalism Is Doomed — Without Alternatives, So Are We

Capitalism Is Doomed — Without Alternatives, So Are We



WELCOME TO THE OLIGARCHY. BYE, BYE, MISS AMERICAN PIE.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.”
Charles Bukowski

PEEVER LAW #30

Never turn down a free beer.

HIGHWAY LANDFILL BLUES

HOW COULD YOU MISTAKE A CAR WINDOW FOR A TRASH RECEPTACLE? IN ARKANSAS, IT'S EASY. WHEN I PULLED ONTO ELCONO THIS A.M., WHICH IS IN THE VILLAGE, I THOUGHT IT MUST HAVE BEEN RECENTLY ANNEXED INTO THE SALINE CO. LANDFILL. CRAP EVERYWHERE. YOU WOULDN'T THINK THE VILLAGERS WOULD BE SO CALLOUS, BUT THEN AGAIN, THEY WILL ALL VOTE FOR TRUMP, WHICH IS CLEARLY A VOTE FOR LITTER. HIGHWAY 5 ON THE WAY IN TO HOT SPRINGS IS NO BETTER. THE GARLAND CO. SHERIFF HAS A CHAIN-GANG WORKING IT ABOUT ONCE PER MONTH, WHICH IS NOT NEAR ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE LITTER. THEY END UP WITH BAGS ALONG THE ROAD ABOUT EVERY 100 FT. THESE ONLY END UP BEING TARGETS FOR PASSING CARS PROTESTING HOW CLEAN THE HIGHWAY LOOKS. EVERY ROAD IN ARKANSAS HAS THIS PROBLEM. THE INTERSTATES ARE NO EXCEPTION. IT IS AN ARKANSAS GAME TO DODGE CHUNKS OF RUBBER FROM BLOWN RECAPS ON TRUCKS. THE WHOLE THING IS DISGUSTING, WHICH REMINDS ME OF PEEVER LAW #108: EVOLUTION GOT IT WRONG. SHOULD HAVE STOPPED WITH CHIMPANZEE'S.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum....”
Noam Chomsky, The Common Good

Final Presidential Debate Showed That the 2016 Election Is a Low Point for American Democracy

Final Presidential Debate Showed That the 2016 Election Is a Low Point for American Democracy



WHAT DEBATE?

THE GRAND CANYON

BACK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

BACK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

     More of the same from the village Board of Directors. More secrets. Guess what? You have a new general manager. The old one is scheduled to advise her on an on-going basis. Sweet! I attribute all these secrets to our military leadership. They are not used to operating in a democratic fashion. It’s “do as we say, we know what’s best for you.” Executive sessions continue to be abused. The board policy has seven reasons to go into executive session, the seventh a catch-all for just about any time they want. By comparison, the state of Arkansas has three reasons to go into executive session. And our Board does not vote in pubic on personnel matters, a blatant violation of the public trust. No vote affecting us should be taken behind closed doors. We elect them and we are entitled to know what they are doing. And how each of the members are voting. The five years we have been in the Village full-time, the Board of Directors has been the most disappointing thing about the Village. And the Village Voice has not encouraged them to change or do anything different regarding all the secrets. The media usually takes up these battles, but then again, this is the Village. (I’m going to have to check if the Chamber owns them). At any rate, one can only hope that things might get better. It’s a great place, but secrets have no place in our community. We are mostly all capable of discussing various proposed ideas and letting the Board know in a reasonable fashion how we feel, prior to the Board making a final decision. That’s how it should work, assuming we are using democratic principles, which I would hope is our intent.

BOTTLE OF JESUS

I'M THINKING OF CRAFTING A BEER CALLED "BOTTLE OF JESUS." DRINKING ONE WOULD GET YOU TO THINKING ABOUT JESUS AND THE MESSAGE THAT HE GAVE US. THE SECOND WOULD CONVINCE YOU THAT HIS MESSAGE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RIGHT-WING, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICAN IDEOLOGY. BY THE THIRD, YOU WOULD BEGIN TO FEEL LIKE ALL TELEVANGELISTS ARE FULL OF BULLSHIT, AS ARE MOST POLITICIANS, WHO MAY BE EX-TELEVANGELISTS. THE FOURTH WILL TAKE YOU INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION, WHICH HAS TO BE BETTER THAN THIS ONE. FIVE, YOU WILL HAVE A VISION OF GOD. AFTER SIX, YOU WILL WAKE UP IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL THINKING YOU ARE GOD. AND YOU'RE WELCOME.

In Their Own (Hateful) Words

In Their Own (Hateful) Words



SO MUCH FOR GOD'S PEOPLE

SHOCK AND AWE

I JUST REMAIN MESMERIZED BY ALL THE VILLAGE RIGHT-WING, WHITE, CHRISTIAN, REPUBLICANS WHO ARE SUPPORTING TRUMP AND PENCE. THESE ARE BY-AND-LARGE PEOPLE WHO ARE EDUCATED MORE THAN THE AVERAGE, AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF MAKING MONEY. (BOTH OBVIOUS MISNOMERS). THERE IS NO PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION, OTHER THAN COMPLETE LOYALTY TO A PARTY THAT IS TOTALLY IRRELEVANT IN THE 21ST CENTURY. ANYONE SUPPORTING TRUMP HAS IN MY OPINION LOST ANY LEVEL OF CREDIBILITY REGARDING BEING A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN AND OBSERVANT HUMAN BEING. THESE PEOPLE WOULD DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT WHITE PRIVILEGE. THEY ARE SURE THEY ARE BEING CHEATED BY THE POOR. (THOSE HORRIBLE ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS, NONE OF WHICH THEY CAN EXPLAIN ACCURATELY). I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT ALL OF THIS, BUT I DOUBT IT. NO ONE SHOULD BE SUPPORTING TRUMP, WHO HAS PROVEN TO BE THE MOST UNQUALIFIED CANDIDATE TO EVER RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY. FORTUNATELY, HILLARY IS GOING TO HAND HIM HIS BUTT ON A PLATTER. IT WILL BE A TEMPORARY RELIEF, BEFORE WE HAVE TO START DEALING WITH OBSTRUCTIONIST REPUBLICANS AND AND A FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT WHO WILL ACT MORE LIKE A MODERATE REPUBLICAN THAN A LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, DEMOCRAT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ELECTION WILL NOT BRING AN END TO ALL THIS STUPIDITY. IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. WHAT YOU SEE NOW IS A PRELUDE TO WHAT COULD BECOME TOTAL ANARCHY.

PEEVER LAW #106

THE SMELL OF SUPERIORITY: MY GOD IS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN YOURS.

HOW SCREWED UP ARE WE?

• A gun is easier to obtain than a drivers license.
• A majority of the public may be opposed to whatever, but it doesn't matter to the government. And all the while I thought the government was us.
• As the world becomes smaller, so does our brain. This seemingly helps explain the phrase "cool."
• When you demand that the poor be helped, you're called a socialist. When you demand that the rich be helped, you're called a Republican.
• We call bombs "smart," and it's possible to be killed by "friendly fire."
• We keep electing people who haven't got a clue what's going on.
• Looking for a better country? Try improving yourself. Don't worry about the other guy. Worry about you.
• We kill people who don't agree with us. Sounds to me like murder.
• Fear. Fear. Fear. Everyone is afraid. The terrorists have won. You don't think so? Check your gun cabinet.

BENEDICTION

AND SO IT IS. ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PLEA. ANOTHER ASKING. MOVE INTO OUR LIVES. KEEP US FROM SUCCUMBING TO GREED, THE CRAZINESS OF POLITICS, A WORLD WROUGHT IN DESPAIR. HELP US TO KEEP OUR HEADS ABOVE WATER. GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO SAY NO TO IT ALL. HELP US TO REMEMBER THAT THINGS CAN BE, AND WILL BE, BETTER. GOODNESS ALWAYS PREVAILS. YOUR GOODNESS, YOUR MERCY, OUR BELIEVING IN US. WE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. WE WILL STAND TALL AGAINST EVIL. WE WILL KEEP GETTING UP IF KNOCKED DOWN. WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED IN THE DARKNESS. YOUR SHINING LIGHT WILL BRIGHTEN OUR PATH. WE WILL GO ONE STEP AT A TIME, WITH OUR HEADS HELD HIGH AND OUR RESOLVE SECURE, DETERMINED TO MAKE EARTH A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER-WE ARE TAKERS

You are the giver of all good things.
All good things are sent from heaven above,
rain and sun,
day and night,
justice and righteousness,
bread to the eater and
seed to the sower,
peace to the old,
energy to the young,
joy to the babes.

We are takers, who take from you,
day by day, daily bread,
taking all we need as you supply,
taking in gratitude and wonder and joy.

And then taking more,
taking more than we need,
taking more than you give us,
taking from our sisters and brothers,
taking from the poor and the weak,
taking because we are frightened, and so greedy,
taking because we are anxious, and so fearful,
taking because we are driven, and so uncaring.

Give us peace beyond our fear, and so end our greed.
Give us well-being beyond our anxiety, and so end our fear.
Give us abundance beyond our drivenness,
and so end our uncaring.

Turn our taking into giving … since we are in your giving image:
Make us giving like you,
giving gladly and not taking,
giving in abundance, not taking,
giving in joy, not taking,
giving as he gave himself up for us all,
giving, never taking. Amen.

--Walter Brueggemann, from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann

ROCK & ROLL

Let’s rock and roll. One of the labels we boomers carry is “The Rock & Roll Generation”. Now that’s a label I don’t mind having.

I was born in 1948. As fate would have it, so was the 33 1/3 rpm vinyl record. Now, I don’t want to make too much of that coincidence, but it does make me an expert on music, particularly rock & roll.

With the advent of the 33 1/3 record, it wasn’t long after that Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler coined the term “rhythm and blues”. The saxophone and electric guitar took center stage. Some of the first rhythm and blues stars included T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, The Mills Brothers, Billie Holiday, and The Ink Spots. Most of the originals were before my time, but I have listened to them over the years. In fact, I once saw The Ink Spots  in a nightclub in Chicago, pretty much by accident. I think we just happened to stumble in.

The fifties ushered in a fusion of rhythm and blues and country. In 1951, disc jockey Alan Freed, in Cleveland, Ohio, coined the term “rock and roll” and held the first rock concert. It was called The Monday Coronation Ball. Now you know why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland.

The first true rock & roll song is debated, but Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” was the first to top the Billboard chart. Other early rock and roll artists included Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Eddie Fisher, Perry Como, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and James Brown. It’s speculated that Bill Haley was so popular because he was white and more sellable. Many white radio stations were more willing to play him than the black artists of the time. Remember, we weren’t so far along in our race relations in the 1950's.

At any rate, the 50's was a little early for me. I was a 60's and 70's rock fan. That period covered my teen years into early adulthood, with college and marriage in-between. I attended a lot of concerts over those years, many at the Mississippi River Festival, at SIU Edwardsville. Some of the bands I heard there and other places included The Band, with Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, The Everly Brothers, John Lee Hooker, Wille Nelson, John Prine, George Thorogood, Jackson Browne, Cheap Trick, Marshall Tucker, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Santana, Eric Clapton, The Steve Miller Band, Dr. John, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The Who. At least, those are some I can remember. It gets a little hazy.

I am a collector of primarily 60's and 70's music. The first album I ever bought was “Paul Anka Sings His Big 15". I think it cost $2.50. The year was probably 1957 or 58. I’ve purchased about 999 others since than. My top ten follows: 1. My favorite album ever: The Beatles, “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. 1967. 2. “Highway 61 Revisited”, by Bob Dylan. 1965. 3. “Exile On Main Street”, by The Rolling Stones. 1972. 4. “Astrol Weeks”, by Van Morrison. 1968. 5. “Are You Experienced”, by Jimi Hendrix. 1966. 6. “Tapestry”, by Carole King. 1971. 7. “Hotel California”, by The Eagels. 1976. 8. “Dark Side of the Moon”, by Pink Floyd. 1973. 9. “Legend”, by Bob Marley and The Wailers. 1984. 10. “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme,” by Simon & Garfunkel. 1966.

As you can see, rock and roll dominates my taste. I’m something of a one-dimensional music lover. But then, I’m a boomer.

MOST LIBERAL DOG IN ARKANSAS

IT SURE IS GOOD HAVING A DOG. AROUND WHERE I LIVE, MOST PEOPLE ARE RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS, SO I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO TALK POLITICS WITH. GIVEN THE SITUATION, I TURN TO MY DOG. HE IS A 100 LB GOLDEN DOODLE. HE KIND OF BACKS UP TO THE COUCH, PUTS HIS BUTT ON IT AND SITS THERE WITH ME. WE TALK POLITICS AND WATCH TV. SOMETIMES THE DOG CHANNEL, WHICH I SEEM TO LIKE MORE THAN HIM. HE DOESN'T SEEM TO MIND MY LEFT-WING LEANINGS. HE SEEMS TO LIKE OBAMA AND IS EAGER TO SEE HILLARY BECOME THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT. I'M PETTY SURE HE IS NOT RACIST, ALTHOUGH HE HASN'T SEEN ANY BLACKS HERE IN THE VILLAGE. HE LIKES FEMALES. EVERY TIME HE MEETS A FEMALE DOG, I CAN TELL. HE'S SORT OF TRUMP LIKE IN THAT REGARD. I DON'T THINK HE LIKES WAR, 'CAUSE HE DOES NOT LIKE TO FIGHT. HE RUNS FROM A 7LB RAT TERRIER THAT SCARES HIM HALF TO DEATH. HE DOES SEEM TO BE FURTHER LEFT ON ANIMAL RIGHT THAN I AM, BUT THAT'S TO BE EXPECTED. ALL IN ALL, HE'S A GOOD COMPANION AND I CAN USUALLY GET IN THE LAST WORD.

Tensions Escalate as Iran Sends Warships After US Bombs Yemen

Tensions Escalate as Iran Sends Warships After US Bombs Yemen



HER WE GO AGAIN. MORE KILLING IN THE NAME OF PEACE. IT WON'T WORK.

DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL-2016

ANN AND I ARE VOLUNTEERING AT THE FESTIVAL THIS YEAR. I AM AN USHER. I WAS ABLE TO WATCH A MOVIE: THE HEART OF THE NUBA. NUBA IS ACTUALLY A MOUNTAIN RANGE IN CENTRAL SUDAN. THE FILM WAS ABOUT A DOCTOR WHO RUNS A HOSPITAL THERE. HE IS THE ONLY DOCTOR.  HE HAS SOME NURSES FOR ASSISTANTS. AT TIMES HE TREATS 400 PEOPLE PER DAY. HE IS THE ONLY SURGEON. THE NUBA PEOPLE COME UNDER AIR ATTACK FROM THE GOVERNMENT. THE PRESIDENT, OR KING, OR WHATEVER THE HELL HE IS, BOMBS HIS OWN PEOPLE. THE KICKER IS, FOR NO GOOD REASON. HE IS REPORTED EVERY YEAR TO THE WORLD CRIME TRIBUNAL, AND THE U.N., FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. BUT NO ONE EVER DOES ANYTHING. THE NUBA PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE MUCH CLOUT. THEY SUFFER HORRIBLY, WHILE JUST TRYING TO EKE OUT AN EXISTENCE. THIS JUST GOES ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON.THE ENTIRE WORLD CANNOT GET ALL THE KINGS MEN TO STOP. A COLOSSAL FAILURE OF THE HEART.

YOU ARE PRO WHAT?

HERE IN THE VILLAGE, SOME OF THE CHURCHES HAVE THEIR LITTLE WHITE CROSSES OUT. THEY CLAIM TO BE PRO-LIFE.
HERE'S THE THING: IF YOU CLAIM TO BE PRO-LIFE, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE UP YOUR LOVE FOR WAR AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, AMONG OTHER THINGS. IF NOT, YOU ARE PRO-BIRTH. CALL IT BY THE RIGHT NAME.
NOT ONE TO LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE, I STOPPED IN AT ONE OF THE CHURCHES TO SEE THE MINISTER.  I ASKED HIM ABOUT HIS DISPLAY. HE SAYS GOD SUPPORTS LIFE, AND DOES NOT WANT US TO TAKE IT. I ASKED IF THAT INCLUDED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND WAR, TWO ENDEAVORS THAT PURPOSEFULLY TAKE LIFE. HE SEEMED STUNNED AND A BIT SPEECHLESS. YOU DON'T SEE A PREACHER SPEECHLESS TOO OFTEN. I LEFT.

A 50 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.

CRAP! THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. WE WERE 18. NOW WE ARE 68. I HADN'T SEEN MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE FOR 50 YEARS. SOME OF US CHANGED A LOT. SOME NOT SO MUCH. I COULD IDENTIFY ABOUT 2/3RDS, WE ONLY HAD 79 IN OUR CLASS. ABOUT A DOZEN HAVE DIED, AND ANOTHER DOZEN COULDN'T BE FOUND. I SUPPOSE THERE WERE ABOUT 35 OF US. FIFTY WITH SPOUSES. ANN AND I HAD A GOOD TIME. SHE IS A YEAR YOUNGER, BUT KNOWS MANY OF THE PEOPLE. THE 50 YEARS DID CAUSE A LITTLE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN ME, WHICH IS SORT OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL TERM FOR CONFUSION. MY MIND WAS REMEMBERING HOW WE LOOKED IN 1966 AND HAVING TO RECONCILE HOW WE ALL LOOK TODAY. (CAUSING COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN CLIENTS IS A FAMILY THERAPY TECHNIQUE). ASIDE FROM ME LOOKING SLIGHTLY DAZED, THE WHOLE THING WAS GREAT FUN. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WORKED ON IT, ESPECIALLY LINDA, WHO DIDN'T GET TO ENJOY IT. (HOPE SHE IS FEELING BETTER). SEEING EVERYONE REMINDS ME OF HOW IMPORTANT FRIENDS ARE, EVEN THOSE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN FOR 50 YEARS.

NEWS ALERT: YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

ELECTION RESULTS:
    ELECTORAL COLLEGE: CLINTON-330 OR SO
                                                 TRUMP-210 OR SO

    POPULAR VOTE: (GIVES A NEW MEANING TO THE WORD POPULAR)
                                                  CLINTON WILL WIN BY 500,000 PLUS

THIS WILL BE CONSIDERED A MODERN DAY SPANKING, WHICH TRUMP WOULD PROBABLY ENJOY. EVEN FROM HILLARY. HE WILL CLAIM HE WAS CHEATED, WHICH HE DOES CONSERNING ALL HIS FAILURES.

SENATE: DEMOCRATS BY 2
HOUSE: DEMOCRATS WILL COME UP JUST SHORT OF A MAJORITY.

PEEVER LAW #19

NEVER PISS OFF GRANDMA.

Outside RNC Headquarters, Millennials Declare: "It's Trump vs. All of Us"

Outside RNC Headquarters, Millennials Declare: "It's Trump vs. All of Us"



A TRUMP VOTE: A VOTE OF IGNORANCE

QUOTE OF THE DAY

NEVER PAY THE BILL UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BADLY YOU ARE BEING CHEATED.
The Peever

REMEMBERING WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

• OUTDOOR JOHNS.
• GOOD MUSIC.
• MOTORIZED BIKES (A baseball card and a clothes pin, Hopefully, not a rookie Joe DiMaggio).
• BACKYARD WIFFLE BALL, STICK BALL, BASEBALL GAMES. CORK BALL WAS PLAYED IN A CAGE. PITCHER, CATCHER, BATTER. 
• DRIVE-INS. (THEY DIDN'T NEED TO WASTE TIME SHOWING A FILM).
• ROTARY PHONES. PARTY LINES. OUR NUMBER WAS 118.
• POTLUCKS AT THE CHURCH.
• HOME-MADE GO CARTS.
• 1957 CHEVY. $800 IN 1965.
• PLAYING DOMINO'S AND CANASTA.
• MARBLES. JACKS. HOP SCOTCH. ALLEY, ALLEY OVER. HIDE AND SEEK. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME PLAYING ARMY, WHICH LATER WE TRIED TO AVOID.
• FIRST KISSES. HOLDING HANDS. PUTTING YOUR ARM AROUND YOUR SWEETHEART.

MONUMENT VALLEY, ARIZONA

                                                      THE ANCIENT ONES-ANASAZI

We Are On This Earth Together

We Are On This Earth Together

UN Condemns US Drone Strike in Afghanistan That Killed 15 Civilians

UN Condemns US Drone Strike in Afghanistan That Killed 15 Civilians



MORE U.S. MURDERS AT A DISTANCE. COWARDS.

THE HANDIWORK OF THE EARTH MOTHER

                                                                BRYCE CANYON

THE EARTH MOTHER

IT'S ALL REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE. GIVE UP THE RACISM, THE BIGOTRY, THE HATRED, THE GREED, THE FEELING THAT YOU AND YOUR KIND ARE ALL THAT MATTERS. GRASP INCLUSIVENESS, DIVERSITY, UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION. REMEMBER THAT WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE ALL SEEK HAPPINESS AND A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. ONCE YOU GET OVER YOU, YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO SEEK THE COMMON GOOD. THAT GOOD COMES FROM ALL OF US, ALL CREATED BY GOD. WE DON'T NEED POLITICIANS TO TELL US WHAT TO DO, OR IDEOLOGIES TO INFORM US. WE ARE EACH CAPABLE OF CONTRIBUTING TO CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE SHOULD ACCEPT NOTHING SHORT OF THAT.

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

ELECTION-2016

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. ELECTORAL VOTES: CLINTON-330 OR SO, TRUMP-220 OR SO. IN MODERN DAY TERMINOLOGY, HE GETS STOMPED. AND THE SENATE: DEMOCRATS UP TWO. THE MEDIA IS WANTING TO MAKE A  RACE OUT OF IT, BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK. WE WILL IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO START WORKING ON HILLARY. SHE IS NOT THE PROGRESSIVE I WAS HOPING FOR. SHE IS ONE OF THE "GOOD OLD BOYS," SO TO SPEAK.

MORE ABOUT OUR EATING VENUES IN AND AROUND THE VILLAGE

PREVIOUSLY, I TALKED ABOUT ELAN'S AT THE GRANADA CLUBHOUSE. THEY ARE MAKING A PLAY TO STAY ALIVE. TANNER'S IS KILLING THEM. THEY HAVE LOWERED THEIR PRICES SIGNIFICANTLY. QUALITY IS FINE, SERVICE IS GOOD. I THINK IT WILL BE A STRUGGLE FOR THEM. THEY WANT TO BE A FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT WHICH THE VILLAGE WILL NOT SUPPORT. FOLKS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY, PUT THEY INTEND ON KEEPING IT.

THE HOME PLATE ON HIGHWAY 7 IS VERY POPULAR. THEY GIVE YOU A LOT OF AVERAGE FOOD FOR A DECENT PRICE. THE SERVICE IS ALWAYS GOOD. WE DON'T GET THERE VERY OFTEN. IT'S A LONG DRIVE. ABOUT 30 MILES. NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE EFFORT VERY OFTEN.

THE ITALIAN HOUSE & GRILL IS GOOD. LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE WEST GATE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED. IT IS CONSISTENT, ALWAYS GOOD SERVICE. PRICES ARE MODERATE. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT WITHOUT RESERVATION.

THE LAST CHANCE HAS KIND OF RUN ITS COURSE. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED. MAYBE JUST BEEN THERE TOO OFTEN. CHICKEN IS USUALLY GOOD. THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT GROUPER SANDWICH ON JALAPENO BREAD. (I DOUBT IT'S GROUPER). SERVICE HAS BEEN SOMETHING OF A PROBLEM. A GOOD BAR AREA, ALTHOUGH BARTENDING NOT AT ITS BEST. THEY DO HAVE FREE POPCORN. AS IS EVIDENT, I AM THUMB'S DOWN AT THE MOMENT. THEY NEED A REVAMPING.

MOLLY O' BRIANS, JUST OUTSIDE THE BALBOA GATE, HAS ALSO LOST SOME OF ITS PUNCH. PIZZA HAS BEEN GREASY, WHICH IS HARD ON MY SYSTEM. THEY DO SEEM TO BE MAKING A BIT OF A COMEBACK, BUT TANNER'S WILL ALSO HURT THEM. WE STILL GO OCCASIONALLY. ACOUSTICS NOT GOOD. IN A PINCH, WE WILL ORDER A PIZZA TO GO. SERVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD.

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown: In their ongoing, all-out assault to crush labor unions, corporate forces have fabricated a cultural myth to undermine popular support …



NO UNION-NO FAIR PAY. NO RETIREMENT. NO VACATION TIME. NO OVER-TIME. NO SAFE WORK PLACE. NO MATERNITY LEAVE. NO NOTHING.

SHIPROCK

SHIPROCK. ONE OF THE MOST SACRED SITES OF THE NAVAJO NATION. OUR BUS WENT RIGHT BY WITHOUT ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. (I TOOK THIS PICTURE FROM THE BUS). THE NAVAJO NATION RECENT SHUT OFF THE PUBLIC FROM GETTING CLOSE BECAUSE OF CLIMBERS, LITTERING, AND GENERAL MISBEHAVIOR. IT IS NOW FENCED. ONLY THE NAVAJO CAN GO TO THE BASE.

THE GRAND CANYON

“The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.”  John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

THE NEW CAR BLUES

We had to buy a new car. I'd rather go to a funeral. I hate dealing with auto dealers. It's always a screw job. They cry more than a newborn baby orangutan. Found a fairly decent deal in a 2016 Murano with 11,400 miles. At least I didn't feel quite so violated. I never was much of a car person. If it gets me there and back, that's all I'm hoping for. Our other car is a 2009 Altima with 52,000 miles. Cars are unfortunately a necessary evil. Where we live, you have to be able to drive. And we still need two cars. I blame Henry Ford. As Henry said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That accounts for my feelings when I buy a car.

BACK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

     More of the same from the village Board of Directors. More secrets. Guess what? You have a new general manager. The old one is scheduled to advise her on an on-going basis. Sweet! I attribute all these secrets to our military leadership. They are not used to operating in a democratic fashion. It’s “do as we say, we know what’s best for you.” Executive sessions continue to be abused. The board policy has seven reasons to go into executive session, the seventh a catch-all for just about any time they want. By comparison, the state of Arkansas has three reasons to go into executive session. And our Board does not vote in pubic on personnel matters, a blatant violation of the public trust. No vote affecting us should be taken behind closed doors. We elect them and we are entitled to know what they are doing. And how each of the members are voting. The five years we have been in the Village full-time, the Board of Directors has been the most disappointing thing about the Village. And the Village Voice has not encouraged them to change or do anything different regarding all the secrets. The media usually takes up these battles, but then again, this is the Village. (I’m going to have to check if the Chamber owns them). At any rate, one can only hope that things might get better. It’s a great place, but secrets have no place in our community. We are mostly all capable of discussing various proposed ideas and letting the Board know in a reasonable fashion how we feel, prior to the Board making a final decision. That’s how it should work, assuming we are using democratic principles, which I would hope is our intent.