Change

This cartoon seems to sum up what change really means to people. The last panel is of the little cat saying "That's a change I can believe in!" It is not change for the greater good, it is not change for change sake, it is change that makes the world look more like them. Certainly the presidential election was astounding, and the conditions were right where change for change's sake took hold. But long term change, no. It is not that I am a pessimist or think that tolerance of the other is flighty. It is more that people a lot of people have trouble with the outsider, the "that which is not me". They (and I include myself in this category for some situations) cannot begin to think that the world would work, or think, or act in a manner that was not theirs. It is alien, it is weird. This cartoon also gives a bit of room, because while the little dog is a bit incredulous and surprised at the idea of a cat in the white house, in the last panel he is not angry. He is listening. That is a change I can believe in.

Media, Death

Just a quick post to say: WTF media!?!??!

Guinea may or may not be going through a coup. The media made this statement about the death of dictator/President Conte:

"The cause of his death is unknown, but Mr Conte, 74, was a chain-smoker and diabetic who is also believed to have suffered from leukemia."

He was 74! He was a chain-smoker! He was diabetic! He might have had leukemia. Gee, I wonder what he died from? WTF?!?!?!??!

Stupid media.

Christmas Cards

I have never been much on christmas cards. My family never did them, they lamented and felt awful as if they were personally responsible for a holiday ruined, but still never really bought or sent out cards. Last year I decided that I would send New Years cards. Not super traditional but still having some merriment of the season. I still have them, unopened in their original package. Tough to make an "8" look like a "9" without having color match white out.

I am more inclined to get Kwanzaa or Hannakah cards I think then traditional christmas cards. Or maybe I should make my own cards, been known to do that, and solve all my worries. Something like, "I hope you don't have another Donner Party experience this year. Enjoy your holiday travels." Something like that. Or, "Hey, have a good one." Simple but with feeling. And this card could be sent out any time - January, February, May!

But what this all really gets back to is my skewed sense of time. I am one of those time flies people and cannot remember if something happened 1-month or 4-months ago unless I know a specific date and have a calendar handy. It was not until yesterday that I realized how close christmas is. I was thinking it was like, 2 or 3 weeks away. Not true, like a week away. So me remembering that christmas is coming or that I need to send out cards, now that would be a miracle.

Cats and Bruce Campbell

Life is full of extremes and nothing highlights those extremes more than the two things I have been doing this morning - oooing and ahing over my cat as she plays in a sunbeam and looking up Bruce Campbell on the internet. The first highlights the the awe you feel when you see something (or one) in a truly peaceful moment. My cat is on her back right now with her head turned towards the window, a portion of her face lit by a streak of light. By seeing her that way I share her peace.

The second highlights how ludicrous life can be, so why take it so seriously. Bruce Campbell epitomizes the purposeful outsider, rejecting the rules because there are rules that are stupid and only stupid people follow those rules. Bruce Campbell is a serious thoughtful actor and author who has embraced his life and accomplishments. He has made a career that by the rules would be mediocre, but for him is a legacy. By reading about his life and work I think about how I can find my own legacy.

This goes back to something I have been thinking about - people may not like you for who you are, but they will respect you when you are. That out ways being liked. So in making my point about extremes it looks like kitty and Bruce Campbell are actually highlighting the same lesson.

The Big Three

The car companies have a case of schizophrenia when it comes to market forces. They talk about needing federal funding because without it thousands of people would become unemployed and the ripple effect would destroy the economy. This is a case of market forces working against them. They also talk about needing to diminish workers wages and cut jobs in order to be competitive and that government regulations impede their ability to compete in a global economy. This is the market working for them.

Maybe I am old fashioned, or new fashioned depending on how you look at it, but I do not see how the same argument (free market economics) can be used to support both sides. Yes, this is a somewhat simplistic analysis, but the crux is asking for interference in one instance and distaining it in the other should not result in a big payoff. I will say it, in this case the Republicans are right.

Propaganda - Then and Now

I am listening to The Big Broadcast on NPR. Wonderful 3 hours of a time that never existed. The particular hour block is broadcasting contemporary news accounts of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a dramatized account of your FBI at work protecting US (USA and you and me) against foreign spy's and those other types who hate America. They use words like "Jap" and go after the enemies of America. These patriots go on about how these foreign agents of alien aggressors are so devotional to their supreme leaders they cannot think for themselves. They talk about "Axis aliens", "spy rings", "internal security", "constant vigil". This happened over 60 years ago and all I can think about is how this same demagoguery was used after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. We look at these messages of extreme "us against them" as short-sighted, racist, and without much basis. But when we are faced with a foreign entity our overt xenophobia exudes from our well-fed, pampered bodies. We shrink from any critical thought and immediately say, "how could they? What did we do? Bomb them. Kill them! Make them suffer."

The first thing I said after hearing about the attacks was, "how was this going to be used to justify an attack against someone else?" I was called calloused, but really I was prescient. I do not align myself with a particular protest group or ethic. I do not support war, I did not like Bush's policies. But I tried not to talk down to someone who did support it. I tried to see their point and make my own where I was comfortable. Because I am not comfortable shoving my views down someone else's throat. That by their not agreeing with me, they were uninformed idiots who were living in a fantasy world and deluding themselves. Why such figurative language? Because that is how these same people, these people I ACTUALLY AGREE with, make me feel when I do not agree with them all the time, or to the extent that they want. There are a lot of people who are so fragile and egomaniacal that they cannot stand if someone does not prop them, and stroke them, and justify them. Ignore those people. Laugh at those people. They are not funny, or special, or smart. They are weak, controlling, and they are not your friends. Do not buy the crap they are selling. If you can avoid those people, your life will be a lot smoother. And if you can avoid being that person, you will like yourself.

Economic Crisis

I am not being hit by it. I have a good savings, am looking to buy a house next year, and will have plenty of presents to give at the holidays. Why? Because I am terribly cautious. Money (not have it) actually terrifies me. Sure, I waste a bit here and there. But I automatically put savings away, am very cautious of large ticket item purchases, and try to save where I can. Am I perfect? Of course not. Have I ever overdrafted my account? Sure. Have I put myself into a financial situation without weighing the risks and thoroughly educated myself on those risks and whether I was financially, emotionally, and physically ready to incur those risks without horrible repercussions down the road? Oh no.

People are hurting. Many people are hurting because someone gave them very wrong, very bad information. I do not believe that is the majority of people. The majority of people got all bright eyed at the prospect of quick money. Saw a lifestyle they could not afford and went after it with zeal and no thought to the potential downturn. They made a gamble and they lost. Why am I suppose to feel bad for them? Why should they be helped out of their hole? Because they want it? Because they do not deserve it? Because they should have better?

The times they call for serious reconsideration of not just financial responsibilities, but personal ethics. Why was that second house so important? Why was having each of the tykes in 5 different activities that each cost $500-$1500 year so necessary? Why could they not do simple math? Income in < finances out=BAD Times. Honestly, I do not know what people spend their money on. I rent movies, go out to eat, buy shoes and books, and pay my bills.