Death for Adultery
The human rights community is up in arms over the recent stoning to death of an Iranian man in punishment for the crime of adultery. The woman involved in the crime is also scheduled to be stoned to death but activists are scrambling to head-off the execution.
Everybody Must Get Stoned
Stoning as a sentence is some old school punishment that dates back to the wonderfully harsh Old Testament. The actual procedure involves burying the victim to their waist in the sand and then pelting them with stones that are picked to be small enough that they will not immediately render the victim unconscious or dead but large enough to cause damage and death over time. An incredibly lingering and painful death is thus ensured. Stoning as a sentence is typically meted out for the charge of adultery. They take their extramarital nookie very seriously over their in parts of the Middle East.
Death for Accepting Bribes
Zheng Xiayu, the head of China’s food and drug watchdog group was executed last Tuesday for taking bribes to approve a series of bad antibiotics that resulted in the death of many Chinese citizens. China is in the midst of a very interesting period right now. They have become a viable world economic power almost overnight and as a result a society that was once very closed and a government that is still very top-heavy and not exactly democratic by Canadian standards is being forced to adjust on the fly. Personally I think Xiayu was more or less caught in the lurch. Ten years ago a government official taking bribes at the expense of the lives of Chinese citizens would probably not have raised an eyebrow. Today the people are demanding greater accountability from their government officials and Xiayu has become an example of this phenomenon.
Good News From the Middle East
What? No way. Yeah really. BBC reporter Alan Jonhston has been released after being held for 114 days in the Gaza strip.
Israeli cabinet agrees to Prisoner Release
In a move designed to bolster support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the Israeli government has agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners. This only makes sense. I mean, come on, governments can’t just grab people off the streets and inter them indefinitely without any charges being filed or granting the prisoners access to legal representation and a fair trial. Right? They can’t, can they? I mean, what civilized nation in the year 2007 would do such a thing?
Meanwhile Back in the U.K.
Metallica front-man/hellion James Hetfield was detained by airport security for wearing a “Taliban-esque” beard. Reminds me of a column Maxim once ran called “Bum or Rock-Star” in which photographs of famous rock musicians were juxtaposed with photographs of homeless people.
Meanwhile Back in America
Well if you didn’t already know it Alberto Gonzalez, the U.S. Attorney General and George W. Bush’s favorite bed-buddy, is a liar. In the latest blow to his already shaky (maybe non-existent is a better word) credibility it has been revealed that only days before testifying that there had been no verified civil rights violations Gonzales had indeed reviewed memos detailing abuses. The highest attorney in the land has again utilized the slippery double-speak of the Bush administration to try and worm out from under the charges. And these guys accused Clinton of being slippery. At least Bill was better at it.
The Law Comes to Chico
And right here in our own sleepy little berg it’s been decided that we need more law in order to regulate, of all things, mosh pits and parties. A new ordinance has already been passed giving police more authority to quell aggressive parties and an ordinance regulating slam-dancing is being considered by the council.
Death of an Anarchist
I used to fancy myself a bit of an anarchist but lately I have to admit I’ve changed my tune. Over the course of the past year I have been exposed to a portion of that minor percentage of the population for which the bulk of laws are created - assholes. I’ve simply run across too many assholes who, were there no laws, would wreck it for the rest of us. Thanks a lot jerks.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Sugar Highs and Artificial Lows
Pop Tart Melt-Down!
Sometimes I like to pretend I stay above the fray but honestly I’m just like everyone else – I can’t keep my eyes off a train wreck - and both Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have been heaping on extra helpings of guilty pleasure.
The wonderfully trashy Ms. Spears has decided it would be a good idea to fire her entire management and handle her own business affairs. Days after the management massacre she was seen leaving a restaurant followed by a couple of somewhat seedy looking business-men grinning from ear to ear and holding piles of signed documents. One can only speculate as to what genius financial dealings the “Toxic” superstar has signed onto. After the business lunch Britney and a friend decided it would be a fun time to strip down to their panties and bras – with the paparazzi in tow – and take an afternoon dip in the chilly Pacific Ocean on Malibu Bay. Once again Britney is blazing new trails of professionalism.
In slightly more troubling news just two weeks out of rehab, and making a big show out of her sobriety, Lindsay Lohan has been arrested for driving under the influence and possession and trafficking of narcotics. It seems that the hard-partying just turned twenty-one year old actress chased down the mother of her former personal assistant, who had quit only the day before, and proceeded to get into a heated argument with the terrified woman. Not initially understanding that it was Lohan behind her the woman called the police and the rest is history. Lohan failed the field sobriety test, blew a .13 blood alcohol count, and then police searched her Denali and founded a bag of cocaine. Note to Lindsay – if you’re going to get drunk and chase down your former staff’s parents make sure and leave your blow at home!
I don’t know what to think of these young starlets. Honestly I can’t imagine how I would’ve acted if I’d been rich and famous and had photographers following my every move before I was even of legal drinking age. Thank god I don’t have to. I suppose that may be attractive to younger people but honestly I don’t think celebrity is all its cracked up to be – especially when the celebrity comes so young and, at least in the case of Ms.Spears, with so little actual substance behind it. My juries still undecided on Lohan – she might be a relatively talented actress. Hopefully someday she’ll get her head screwed on straight and allow us to find out.
The Dumb of Now and a Fluff-Based Economy
The gasoline companies did it. I distinctly recall having the conversation a couple of years ago when gas prices went up to $2.25 per gallon. Then everyone was relieved when the prices dropped back down to $1.99. A friend of mine and I decided it was only a matter of time before they’d pull the same stunt with $3.00/gallon prices and well, that time came pretty darn quick if you ask me. It isn’t even subtle. They raise the prices up to nearly three and a half dollars a gallon and then drop it down to $2.99 and people on the local news are going “oh it’s so great that gas prices are dropping.” They aren’t dropping people. They are going through the fucking roof and the oil industry is once again making record profits. Come on – I’m all for living in the moment but lets not turn our brains off in the process or our asses will really start getting sore.
I have to tell you that the time is coming to start getting our spending under control. Put money in the bank, or maybe even under your mattress. Get those credit cards paid down. Forsake the $5 cups of coffee and the $60 phone bills. This fluff-based, debt-driven, consumption-fueled economy is just a few interest points away from crumbling and a few more away from collapsing entirely. Everything is tied to gasoline prices and right now the Feds are pulling out rabbits from their hats to keep inflation from igniting. The rabbit population is starting to wane.
Ah Manton
A world away from all this artificial Hollywood consumption is only an hour and a half from Chico in the sprawling foothill community that is Manton, California. 2 Drink and I were privileged enough to share a bill with the Liz Merry Aaron Standish comedy troupe and it was a refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable experience. We played in a hundred-plus year old building called the Manton Corners that reminded me of photos I’ve seen of the Grand Ol Opry back in the 1940’s. The crowd was boisterous and welcoming and it was a show I’ll never forget. Can’t wait to get back up there, maybe someday for good.
Sometimes I like to pretend I stay above the fray but honestly I’m just like everyone else – I can’t keep my eyes off a train wreck - and both Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have been heaping on extra helpings of guilty pleasure.
The wonderfully trashy Ms. Spears has decided it would be a good idea to fire her entire management and handle her own business affairs. Days after the management massacre she was seen leaving a restaurant followed by a couple of somewhat seedy looking business-men grinning from ear to ear and holding piles of signed documents. One can only speculate as to what genius financial dealings the “Toxic” superstar has signed onto. After the business lunch Britney and a friend decided it would be a fun time to strip down to their panties and bras – with the paparazzi in tow – and take an afternoon dip in the chilly Pacific Ocean on Malibu Bay. Once again Britney is blazing new trails of professionalism.
In slightly more troubling news just two weeks out of rehab, and making a big show out of her sobriety, Lindsay Lohan has been arrested for driving under the influence and possession and trafficking of narcotics. It seems that the hard-partying just turned twenty-one year old actress chased down the mother of her former personal assistant, who had quit only the day before, and proceeded to get into a heated argument with the terrified woman. Not initially understanding that it was Lohan behind her the woman called the police and the rest is history. Lohan failed the field sobriety test, blew a .13 blood alcohol count, and then police searched her Denali and founded a bag of cocaine. Note to Lindsay – if you’re going to get drunk and chase down your former staff’s parents make sure and leave your blow at home!
I don’t know what to think of these young starlets. Honestly I can’t imagine how I would’ve acted if I’d been rich and famous and had photographers following my every move before I was even of legal drinking age. Thank god I don’t have to. I suppose that may be attractive to younger people but honestly I don’t think celebrity is all its cracked up to be – especially when the celebrity comes so young and, at least in the case of Ms.Spears, with so little actual substance behind it. My juries still undecided on Lohan – she might be a relatively talented actress. Hopefully someday she’ll get her head screwed on straight and allow us to find out.
The Dumb of Now and a Fluff-Based Economy
The gasoline companies did it. I distinctly recall having the conversation a couple of years ago when gas prices went up to $2.25 per gallon. Then everyone was relieved when the prices dropped back down to $1.99. A friend of mine and I decided it was only a matter of time before they’d pull the same stunt with $3.00/gallon prices and well, that time came pretty darn quick if you ask me. It isn’t even subtle. They raise the prices up to nearly three and a half dollars a gallon and then drop it down to $2.99 and people on the local news are going “oh it’s so great that gas prices are dropping.” They aren’t dropping people. They are going through the fucking roof and the oil industry is once again making record profits. Come on – I’m all for living in the moment but lets not turn our brains off in the process or our asses will really start getting sore.
I have to tell you that the time is coming to start getting our spending under control. Put money in the bank, or maybe even under your mattress. Get those credit cards paid down. Forsake the $5 cups of coffee and the $60 phone bills. This fluff-based, debt-driven, consumption-fueled economy is just a few interest points away from crumbling and a few more away from collapsing entirely. Everything is tied to gasoline prices and right now the Feds are pulling out rabbits from their hats to keep inflation from igniting. The rabbit population is starting to wane.
Ah Manton
A world away from all this artificial Hollywood consumption is only an hour and a half from Chico in the sprawling foothill community that is Manton, California. 2 Drink and I were privileged enough to share a bill with the Liz Merry Aaron Standish comedy troupe and it was a refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable experience. We played in a hundred-plus year old building called the Manton Corners that reminded me of photos I’ve seen of the Grand Ol Opry back in the 1940’s. The crowd was boisterous and welcoming and it was a show I’ll never forget. Can’t wait to get back up there, maybe someday for good.
Some Cultures are Wrong
I stopped eating meat about a year and a half ago. It was Barbaro, that magnificent Kentucky Derby winning racehorse who broke his mind leg in the Preakness, that triggered the decision. It’s a personal decision and one that works for me at this point in my life.
I try to avoid the politics of it all but with Michael Vick and professional dog-fighting making daily headlines I guess the time has come to write about my decision and about this schism in our society.
It has been said that a society is only as good as it treats its poorest, most helpless citizens and I would argue that how a society treats animals is also an indication of the culture. On both these fronts I am afraid that the good old U.S. of A is not doing so hot.
It isn’t eating meat that I have a problem with – in fact I’ve eaten duck a friend of mine shot. I figure that the duck was living free and had a good life before it was killed. I would eat an animal if I knew it had been treated humanely, lived a good life, and been slaughtered in a conscientious manner. Instead most of the meat we eat comes from factory farms. The animals spend their lives in cages pumped full of antibiotics so they don’t die from infections that spread like wild-fire, scared and living in squalor. The separation between American consumers and what we eat bothers me. I think if most of us saw the inside of a slaughterhouse we would probably never eat meat again – and we know this. So what do we do? We generally do our best to avoid understanding where our food comes from. We are willfully ignorant about the fuel we put into our bodies everyday.
You know in my mind there is no doubt that animals feel. My wife and I are admittedly dog nuts. Our two dogs Billy and Pooh Pooh are a part of our family. To the extreme. They sleep in bed with us, they sit on the furniture. They have transcended the title of “dogs” and become little four-legged people who can’t speak properly and wear fur coats year round. But I know they feel. They get scared during thunderstorms, they get happy when we are happy. The can sometimes be anxious, lonely, or depressed.
I can’t imagine how these dogs who are forced to participate in dog-fights feel when the fight is over. Brutalized, torn apart, injured, dying – forsaken by the masters that they loved, trained, fought, and died for. And then these beautiful animals are just cast aside like trash. I just can’t understand it. I do understand the argument that dog-fights are part of a culture – but to me that just calls into question the character and validity of an entire culture. Saying it is part of a culture doesn’t make it right. Racism, sexism, and child molestation are all part of cultures –sickening and disgusting cultures that should be abolished. Some cultures are just dead wrong and a culture that brutalizes animals for entertainment is one of these.
I try to avoid the politics of it all but with Michael Vick and professional dog-fighting making daily headlines I guess the time has come to write about my decision and about this schism in our society.
It has been said that a society is only as good as it treats its poorest, most helpless citizens and I would argue that how a society treats animals is also an indication of the culture. On both these fronts I am afraid that the good old U.S. of A is not doing so hot.
It isn’t eating meat that I have a problem with – in fact I’ve eaten duck a friend of mine shot. I figure that the duck was living free and had a good life before it was killed. I would eat an animal if I knew it had been treated humanely, lived a good life, and been slaughtered in a conscientious manner. Instead most of the meat we eat comes from factory farms. The animals spend their lives in cages pumped full of antibiotics so they don’t die from infections that spread like wild-fire, scared and living in squalor. The separation between American consumers and what we eat bothers me. I think if most of us saw the inside of a slaughterhouse we would probably never eat meat again – and we know this. So what do we do? We generally do our best to avoid understanding where our food comes from. We are willfully ignorant about the fuel we put into our bodies everyday.
You know in my mind there is no doubt that animals feel. My wife and I are admittedly dog nuts. Our two dogs Billy and Pooh Pooh are a part of our family. To the extreme. They sleep in bed with us, they sit on the furniture. They have transcended the title of “dogs” and become little four-legged people who can’t speak properly and wear fur coats year round. But I know they feel. They get scared during thunderstorms, they get happy when we are happy. The can sometimes be anxious, lonely, or depressed.
I can’t imagine how these dogs who are forced to participate in dog-fights feel when the fight is over. Brutalized, torn apart, injured, dying – forsaken by the masters that they loved, trained, fought, and died for. And then these beautiful animals are just cast aside like trash. I just can’t understand it. I do understand the argument that dog-fights are part of a culture – but to me that just calls into question the character and validity of an entire culture. Saying it is part of a culture doesn’t make it right. Racism, sexism, and child molestation are all part of cultures –sickening and disgusting cultures that should be abolished. Some cultures are just dead wrong and a culture that brutalizes animals for entertainment is one of these.
Lilian's Tea
This time of the year – with the leaves turning and the light quality changing – it calls for a little break from reality. Sometimes that might come in the form of a good binge on alcohol; other times maybe some transcendental meditation. Then there’s the afternoon tea party. This year was the year of the afternoon tea party and so I took a little trip over the weekend. A few score of miles down the dusty back roads past the old shot out refrigerator, through the oaks and park the car and then it’s a scramble through the poison oak and coyote brush and then your almost there. It was early in the afternoon when Trish and I stumbled across a make-shift bridge over a dry creek bed and down a slight crease in the hill where Lilian’s trailer is parked. Planted is more like it. The old fiberglass shell hasn’t been moved for years and the grasses and thistle grow through it and around it. Little purple and yellow wildflowers are spotted here and there as well.
Lilian is dressed in her usual – a white flowing dress to match her long flowing light brown hair with flowers behind her ears. I have no idea how old she might be. I know she’s lived in that trailer for more than twenty years – longer than my wife has been in Chico – but her age is impossible to gauge. She could be thirty as easily as fifty – though simple math suggests she’s closer to the later. Her teeth are white and straight and she almost always smiles. I saw her frown and shed a tear once after a cat friend of hers died but then five minutes later she was smiling again. She understands the efficiency of positive thinking but I’ve never been able to convince myself of the notion.
Back in town they’re fighting over a disorderly events ordinance – by the time you read this it will either have been approved or not. Overseas they’re fighting and dying in the streets for reasons nobody clearly understands. But today, here an hour away from Chico we are drinking tea.
There is nothing like Lilian’s tea. It is sweet and thick with honey and slightly blue. I don’t know what she puts in it – I don’t ask and if I did I know her answer would be vague. “A little of this and a little of that.” You know the story. I drink a glass of that tea and I am smiling before it’s even half gone. My eyes can see. The world looks bright and shiny new again. This must have been how it looked to Adam and Eve – maybe the snake too.
Eventually we end up back in that garden. The clothing disappears somewhere. Who knows where? The nudists tell you not to look at the naughty bits but we look and they are not naughty anymore. We laugh because there is no reason not to. My wife and I disappear to spend some time alone together. Time has become strange and shifty. It doesn’t matter. In an oak grove we stumble across a minstrel in a dark suit drinking from a bottle of gin and taking a wiz. His teeth are bad and his hair is shockingly red. He smiles through mangled teeth and his laugh is a prolonged wheeze. Then he sings us a tune as sweet as any we’d ever heard. He is like a bird and then he disappears but joins us all later at the trailer for a cup of Lilian’s tea.
Eventually night falls and the bugs come out but they don’t bite. We laugh with them as they flit about us in the twilight.
Lilian starts a small fire and over time it grows larger until we are warmed and illuminated by it and then we begin to see the old gods, and the ancient gods swarming around us like the mosquitoes earlier. We don’t pray to them – we don’t have to. They are here with us. We only smile and cry and laugh and sing and wonder at this incredible world and the why of it all. Then those thoughts are gone too and we just are – one with everything and nothing, one with everything we can see and one with everything we cannot, everything that is there and the things that are not. My skin tingles and burns and disappears. Trish is a smiling pool of luminosity. I cannot keep a straight face. I cannot consciously do anything anymore except to love and to be loved and to be.
Lilian’s Tea.
Lilian is dressed in her usual – a white flowing dress to match her long flowing light brown hair with flowers behind her ears. I have no idea how old she might be. I know she’s lived in that trailer for more than twenty years – longer than my wife has been in Chico – but her age is impossible to gauge. She could be thirty as easily as fifty – though simple math suggests she’s closer to the later. Her teeth are white and straight and she almost always smiles. I saw her frown and shed a tear once after a cat friend of hers died but then five minutes later she was smiling again. She understands the efficiency of positive thinking but I’ve never been able to convince myself of the notion.
Back in town they’re fighting over a disorderly events ordinance – by the time you read this it will either have been approved or not. Overseas they’re fighting and dying in the streets for reasons nobody clearly understands. But today, here an hour away from Chico we are drinking tea.
There is nothing like Lilian’s tea. It is sweet and thick with honey and slightly blue. I don’t know what she puts in it – I don’t ask and if I did I know her answer would be vague. “A little of this and a little of that.” You know the story. I drink a glass of that tea and I am smiling before it’s even half gone. My eyes can see. The world looks bright and shiny new again. This must have been how it looked to Adam and Eve – maybe the snake too.
Eventually we end up back in that garden. The clothing disappears somewhere. Who knows where? The nudists tell you not to look at the naughty bits but we look and they are not naughty anymore. We laugh because there is no reason not to. My wife and I disappear to spend some time alone together. Time has become strange and shifty. It doesn’t matter. In an oak grove we stumble across a minstrel in a dark suit drinking from a bottle of gin and taking a wiz. His teeth are bad and his hair is shockingly red. He smiles through mangled teeth and his laugh is a prolonged wheeze. Then he sings us a tune as sweet as any we’d ever heard. He is like a bird and then he disappears but joins us all later at the trailer for a cup of Lilian’s tea.
Eventually night falls and the bugs come out but they don’t bite. We laugh with them as they flit about us in the twilight.
Lilian starts a small fire and over time it grows larger until we are warmed and illuminated by it and then we begin to see the old gods, and the ancient gods swarming around us like the mosquitoes earlier. We don’t pray to them – we don’t have to. They are here with us. We only smile and cry and laugh and sing and wonder at this incredible world and the why of it all. Then those thoughts are gone too and we just are – one with everything and nothing, one with everything we can see and one with everything we cannot, everything that is there and the things that are not. My skin tingles and burns and disappears. Trish is a smiling pool of luminosity. I cannot keep a straight face. I cannot consciously do anything anymore except to love and to be loved and to be.
Lilian’s Tea.
Jesus Camp
Indoctrination and Isolation
We watched a truly scary documentary film this weekend called “Jesus Camp.” The film follows a handul of Evangelical Christian children as they attend church and then a summer camp in Devil’s Lake, Idaho. The children put on Christian-themed plays and musicals and listen to a series of different speakers talking about issues like abortion and, well, mostly abortion really. The children get up and testify – they talk about how they have been “saved.” Mind you these kids are all of ten years old and they are up on stage talking about how their lives were empty before they found Christ. The kids are encouraged by the counselors to address their sinfulness and to beg for their forgiveness. Many of the kids spontaneously break down and cry – some are huddled in heaps on the ground, rocking and weeping because of their alleged wickedness. One particularly horrifying counselor condemns Harry Potter and rails against Americans inability to fast. This I found confusing as this counselor had to be pushing three hundred pounds. Interestingly this same counselor seemed to have a great deal of respect for the Islamic suicide bombers because of their zealotry and their willingness to die for their religion. She seems to be perplexed by the fact that American Christians don’t have the same devotion to their faith and she speaks of creating “children soldiers” to fight in the name of Christ. Another obvious ex-drug addict attacks the concept of evolution and takes the children on a field trip to Washington D.C. where they tape their mouths shut with red tape and write the word “Life” across it.
At first the film just pissed me off. The words “child abuse” and “ignorant” came up frequently during and after the viewing. I felt an urge to punch people. Initially I felt like the film was a waste of time because ultimately it pointed out a problem I am powerless to change. If people want to believe something I think is preposterous and if they want to home-school their children and indoctrinate them with those same beliefs there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it.
But I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of days and I realize that there are things we can do about it on an institutional level. First off we need to be aware of the phenomenon. 25% of the American population is Evangelical Christian. That is a huge voting block. As a group they want more Christianity in government. They do not believe in a separation of church and state, they are not tolerant, and they are angry that religion has been ejected from the public school system.
Second we need to realize the code-language they employ. School vouchers sounds like a good idea – people should be able to choose where their children go to school. But the school voucher issue is being pushed mostly by Evangelicals who are fearful of the public school system and want to be able to use public monies to send their children to religious schools. This is an end-run on the separation of church and state.
Ultimately I have to believe that the tactics of indoctrination and isolation used by Evangelicals will render them powerless. Ours is a nation of tolerance and if our children aren’t raised to understand that there are different systems of belief then they will flounder when they eventually enter into main-stream society. I think a lot of those kids may eventually reject what they’ve been taught at such a young age. How can a ten year old kid feel empty and that he or she is in need of salvation? These feelings only exist because their parents and mentors are encouraging them to feel that way. But what happens when these kids hit their teens and the hormones start kicking in? What happens when they think they have been saved and then they feel empty? And what happens to these kids emotions when their role models who are so judgmental eventually reveal themselves to be imperfect moral arbiters?
The televangelist Ted Haggard appears in the film and the kids are thrilled to meet him. There is no mention of his subsequent fall from grace – it was revealed that he had taken crystal meth purchased from a male prostitute.
Kids are kids – they shouldn’t have to think about abortion and sin and sexuality. These are adult issues and kids will grow up and have to deal with them soon enough. In the mean-time let them indulge in a bit of innocence while they still can because once innocence is gone it does not come back.
We watched a truly scary documentary film this weekend called “Jesus Camp.” The film follows a handul of Evangelical Christian children as they attend church and then a summer camp in Devil’s Lake, Idaho. The children put on Christian-themed plays and musicals and listen to a series of different speakers talking about issues like abortion and, well, mostly abortion really. The children get up and testify – they talk about how they have been “saved.” Mind you these kids are all of ten years old and they are up on stage talking about how their lives were empty before they found Christ. The kids are encouraged by the counselors to address their sinfulness and to beg for their forgiveness. Many of the kids spontaneously break down and cry – some are huddled in heaps on the ground, rocking and weeping because of their alleged wickedness. One particularly horrifying counselor condemns Harry Potter and rails against Americans inability to fast. This I found confusing as this counselor had to be pushing three hundred pounds. Interestingly this same counselor seemed to have a great deal of respect for the Islamic suicide bombers because of their zealotry and their willingness to die for their religion. She seems to be perplexed by the fact that American Christians don’t have the same devotion to their faith and she speaks of creating “children soldiers” to fight in the name of Christ. Another obvious ex-drug addict attacks the concept of evolution and takes the children on a field trip to Washington D.C. where they tape their mouths shut with red tape and write the word “Life” across it.
At first the film just pissed me off. The words “child abuse” and “ignorant” came up frequently during and after the viewing. I felt an urge to punch people. Initially I felt like the film was a waste of time because ultimately it pointed out a problem I am powerless to change. If people want to believe something I think is preposterous and if they want to home-school their children and indoctrinate them with those same beliefs there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it.
But I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of days and I realize that there are things we can do about it on an institutional level. First off we need to be aware of the phenomenon. 25% of the American population is Evangelical Christian. That is a huge voting block. As a group they want more Christianity in government. They do not believe in a separation of church and state, they are not tolerant, and they are angry that religion has been ejected from the public school system.
Second we need to realize the code-language they employ. School vouchers sounds like a good idea – people should be able to choose where their children go to school. But the school voucher issue is being pushed mostly by Evangelicals who are fearful of the public school system and want to be able to use public monies to send their children to religious schools. This is an end-run on the separation of church and state.
Ultimately I have to believe that the tactics of indoctrination and isolation used by Evangelicals will render them powerless. Ours is a nation of tolerance and if our children aren’t raised to understand that there are different systems of belief then they will flounder when they eventually enter into main-stream society. I think a lot of those kids may eventually reject what they’ve been taught at such a young age. How can a ten year old kid feel empty and that he or she is in need of salvation? These feelings only exist because their parents and mentors are encouraging them to feel that way. But what happens when these kids hit their teens and the hormones start kicking in? What happens when they think they have been saved and then they feel empty? And what happens to these kids emotions when their role models who are so judgmental eventually reveal themselves to be imperfect moral arbiters?
The televangelist Ted Haggard appears in the film and the kids are thrilled to meet him. There is no mention of his subsequent fall from grace – it was revealed that he had taken crystal meth purchased from a male prostitute.
Kids are kids – they shouldn’t have to think about abortion and sin and sexuality. These are adult issues and kids will grow up and have to deal with them soon enough. In the mean-time let them indulge in a bit of innocence while they still can because once innocence is gone it does not come back.
Crumbling Bridges
Our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. Many of us are learning this for the first time because of a massive bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN, that made cost dozens of people their lives and made the national news. The governor of Minnesota defended the bridges “structurally deficient” status by pointing out that there are over 80,000 bridges sharing the same rating throughout the United States. Reassuring, isn’t it?
Country music legend Merle Haggard has been talking about our nation’s crumbling infrastructure for years. As a traveling troubadour Mr. Haggard is in a rare position to be able to criss-cross the nation’s highways and by-ways on a semi-annual basis. Unlike your typical businessman or tourist Haggard and his crew travel by bus and as such they see first-hand the status of bridges, tunnels and roads. Haggard has been outspoken about the need for money to be redirected into our own country’s maintenance and, unfortunately, the recent bridge collapse puts him in the position of being able to say “I told you so.”
Now politicians and journalists alike are scrambling to cover the story of our nation’s inferior infrastructure after the fact. At this point we are so far behind its not even funny. But people don’t want to hear about maintenance, politicians don’t want to address it, and journalists don’t want to cover it. Maintenance is dull. The news instead needs to grab headlines and sell advertising. In a debt-driven consumer based society no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on making sure their bridges are structurally sound – not when there are shiny new iPods to buy and shiny new bombs to drop.
Ebb and Flow
There is a common term in computer programming that goes like this: garbage in garbage out. It applies to everything, government, sex, road maintenance, music, economics. We get what we give and if we ain’t giving we aren’t gonna be doing much getting. So if you’re sitting around and thinking you don’t like what you’ve got then think about what you can contribute to life to make yours better. It doesn’t take much more than effort – but even effort can be hard to come by when things seem entirely futile.
Baby Steps
Only within the past few years have I really gotten good at producing work. That comes in the form of writing, art, and music and I’m not saying I’m the world’s greatest at any of these endeavors but I have gotten myself into the habit of creating. That happened for me because of a couple of things. First I abolished any notions I had of perfection. I know I’m not perfect, I never will be perfect, and ultimately I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to do the best I can, or sometimes not even that. Sometimes I just try and do something just to get myself rolling and I don’t even try and do it all that well. Second I started learning how to break larger projects down into a series of steps. Trish and I have a Buddhist saying we picked up from somewhere: “Snails climb Mount Fuji.” By moving in a direction we get somewhere. It sounds simple enough but it is really easy to just stop moving.
In laboratory experiments rats that were subjected to a relatively moderate dose of cocaine acted as one might expect – they became agitated and anxious and moved faster. But when rats were subjected to massive doses of cocaine they stopped moving altogether. The theory is that the rat’s brains were so over-stimulated by the cocaine and their neurons were taking in so much information at once that they simply could not function. This happens to us when we are over-stimulated by all the worries and stressors that life can throw at us. If we aren’t able to quiet our brains and boil our path of action down to a series of tangible steps we can easily become overwhelmed to a point where we cease to function productively.
Slow down, reach out. Breathe and stretch. Maintain your bridges and keep your feet moving forward. The best time to start is now.
Country music legend Merle Haggard has been talking about our nation’s crumbling infrastructure for years. As a traveling troubadour Mr. Haggard is in a rare position to be able to criss-cross the nation’s highways and by-ways on a semi-annual basis. Unlike your typical businessman or tourist Haggard and his crew travel by bus and as such they see first-hand the status of bridges, tunnels and roads. Haggard has been outspoken about the need for money to be redirected into our own country’s maintenance and, unfortunately, the recent bridge collapse puts him in the position of being able to say “I told you so.”
Now politicians and journalists alike are scrambling to cover the story of our nation’s inferior infrastructure after the fact. At this point we are so far behind its not even funny. But people don’t want to hear about maintenance, politicians don’t want to address it, and journalists don’t want to cover it. Maintenance is dull. The news instead needs to grab headlines and sell advertising. In a debt-driven consumer based society no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on making sure their bridges are structurally sound – not when there are shiny new iPods to buy and shiny new bombs to drop.
Ebb and Flow
There is a common term in computer programming that goes like this: garbage in garbage out. It applies to everything, government, sex, road maintenance, music, economics. We get what we give and if we ain’t giving we aren’t gonna be doing much getting. So if you’re sitting around and thinking you don’t like what you’ve got then think about what you can contribute to life to make yours better. It doesn’t take much more than effort – but even effort can be hard to come by when things seem entirely futile.
Baby Steps
Only within the past few years have I really gotten good at producing work. That comes in the form of writing, art, and music and I’m not saying I’m the world’s greatest at any of these endeavors but I have gotten myself into the habit of creating. That happened for me because of a couple of things. First I abolished any notions I had of perfection. I know I’m not perfect, I never will be perfect, and ultimately I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to do the best I can, or sometimes not even that. Sometimes I just try and do something just to get myself rolling and I don’t even try and do it all that well. Second I started learning how to break larger projects down into a series of steps. Trish and I have a Buddhist saying we picked up from somewhere: “Snails climb Mount Fuji.” By moving in a direction we get somewhere. It sounds simple enough but it is really easy to just stop moving.
In laboratory experiments rats that were subjected to a relatively moderate dose of cocaine acted as one might expect – they became agitated and anxious and moved faster. But when rats were subjected to massive doses of cocaine they stopped moving altogether. The theory is that the rat’s brains were so over-stimulated by the cocaine and their neurons were taking in so much information at once that they simply could not function. This happens to us when we are over-stimulated by all the worries and stressors that life can throw at us. If we aren’t able to quiet our brains and boil our path of action down to a series of tangible steps we can easily become overwhelmed to a point where we cease to function productively.
Slow down, reach out. Breathe and stretch. Maintain your bridges and keep your feet moving forward. The best time to start is now.
College
I remember college being a time of concentrated learning – a lot of change can happen in a very short span of time. People discover who they really are or start charting a course for the future. It’s a time of experimentation and adventure. In college I discovered passions I didn’t know I had and those four plus years shaped my personality and put me on the road to who I am today and who I will become tomorrow. Good times, bad times, and some just plain weird times –I learned a ton and made some incredible memories and friendships.
Looking back there were things I would do again and a few other things I would not recommend.
Do
Change your major. If you get a few years into school and it turns out you’re not really enjoying what you’re studying, try something else! People end up in a certain major for a variety of reasons – earning potential being near the top of the list. But if you can find something you’re really passionate about you will give yourself the potential to have a truly fulfilling career.
Play in a band. If you even have the inclination to start a band do it! You don’t have to be good – in fact almost all great bands started out as not very good bands. Chico has a rich musical history and many of the successful bands from this town were spawned on the Chico State campus. And even if your band never tours the country or signs to a label you’ll still have a great time. Music is a tremendous release from the day to day stress of school, work, whatever. Be part of the river that is music.
Start a Business. If you are the entrepreneur type Chico is a fantastic community to start up a business. Two businesses that started in a garage and eventually went on to national success are Sierra Nevada Brewery and Synthesis Magazine.
Take up an activity. I went to school in Southern California and ended up surfing because pretty much everyone in my dorm was a surfer and it became obvious that if I didn’t pick it up I’d end up spending a lot of time by myself. At home in the suburban east bay area I never imagined I would be a surfer but once I started I was hooked. I surfed everyday for years. I was part of a closely-knit group of friends who spent a lot of time in the water together and I took several memorable surfing trips capped by a three month expedition that took me and three friends up and down both coasts of Mexico in a white Dodge van.
Party. I’m not saying you should go out and get bombed every night, (though I’m not saying you shouldn’t) but you should go out and socialize. There is a space or a scene for everyone and the social skills you develop in college will help you in any field you eventually go into.
Go to shows. I went to a fair amount of music shows but honestly I wish I went to more. Nothing beats catching that quality band in a small venue and if you go to shows regularly here in town you will be treated to some great performances.
Don’t
Don’t fall in love with pot. I got into pot-smoking pretty heavily and ended up spending more time than I wish I had anchored to my couch. Lame. I know some people handle pot better than others but for me I probably wasted years of my life being stoned. I’m not saying don’t get stoned, but do get off the couch. You’ll never look back at your life and say “gee I wish I spent more time on the couch.”
Don’t have a steady girlfriend or boyfriend. This was my biggest college mistake. I had a college girl-friend for three years. Then two months after we graduated we broke up. Stupid stupid stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking and I wish someone had shook me and said “hey dumbass, look at all the girls around here!” Seriously. Stupid.
To Sum Up
Do stuff. That’s my overall point here. Be spontaneous, try new things. Soon enough life and all it’s responsibilities will come crashing down around you and you’ll be spending more time than you ever could have imagined sitting in traffic, talking on the telephone, or staring at a computer screen. Now is the time to get out there, go to an art-show, a demolition derby, a rock show or a rodeo. Find your scene while trying others. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open and experience everything college life has to offer.
Looking back there were things I would do again and a few other things I would not recommend.
Do
Change your major. If you get a few years into school and it turns out you’re not really enjoying what you’re studying, try something else! People end up in a certain major for a variety of reasons – earning potential being near the top of the list. But if you can find something you’re really passionate about you will give yourself the potential to have a truly fulfilling career.
Play in a band. If you even have the inclination to start a band do it! You don’t have to be good – in fact almost all great bands started out as not very good bands. Chico has a rich musical history and many of the successful bands from this town were spawned on the Chico State campus. And even if your band never tours the country or signs to a label you’ll still have a great time. Music is a tremendous release from the day to day stress of school, work, whatever. Be part of the river that is music.
Start a Business. If you are the entrepreneur type Chico is a fantastic community to start up a business. Two businesses that started in a garage and eventually went on to national success are Sierra Nevada Brewery and Synthesis Magazine.
Take up an activity. I went to school in Southern California and ended up surfing because pretty much everyone in my dorm was a surfer and it became obvious that if I didn’t pick it up I’d end up spending a lot of time by myself. At home in the suburban east bay area I never imagined I would be a surfer but once I started I was hooked. I surfed everyday for years. I was part of a closely-knit group of friends who spent a lot of time in the water together and I took several memorable surfing trips capped by a three month expedition that took me and three friends up and down both coasts of Mexico in a white Dodge van.
Party. I’m not saying you should go out and get bombed every night, (though I’m not saying you shouldn’t) but you should go out and socialize. There is a space or a scene for everyone and the social skills you develop in college will help you in any field you eventually go into.
Go to shows. I went to a fair amount of music shows but honestly I wish I went to more. Nothing beats catching that quality band in a small venue and if you go to shows regularly here in town you will be treated to some great performances.
Don’t
Don’t fall in love with pot. I got into pot-smoking pretty heavily and ended up spending more time than I wish I had anchored to my couch. Lame. I know some people handle pot better than others but for me I probably wasted years of my life being stoned. I’m not saying don’t get stoned, but do get off the couch. You’ll never look back at your life and say “gee I wish I spent more time on the couch.”
Don’t have a steady girlfriend or boyfriend. This was my biggest college mistake. I had a college girl-friend for three years. Then two months after we graduated we broke up. Stupid stupid stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking and I wish someone had shook me and said “hey dumbass, look at all the girls around here!” Seriously. Stupid.
To Sum Up
Do stuff. That’s my overall point here. Be spontaneous, try new things. Soon enough life and all it’s responsibilities will come crashing down around you and you’ll be spending more time than you ever could have imagined sitting in traffic, talking on the telephone, or staring at a computer screen. Now is the time to get out there, go to an art-show, a demolition derby, a rock show or a rodeo. Find your scene while trying others. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open and experience everything college life has to offer.
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