Born at sea, he gets nauseous on land….

Ffolkes,

    While I cannot fully agree with Oscar’s premise, as it is in opposition to a certain set of my strongest beliefs, I can certainly say he is accurate in his assessment of the nature of Man…. Whoever is responsible for human nature has a lot of explaining to do…. We are a sorry lot, to be sure, rife with neuroses, idiosyncrasies unique to each one of us, irrational fears, and superstitious delusions that continually give us fits we haven’t the wit to comprehend, or avoid… SIGH…. Sometimes, I feel as if it was a mistake for us to come down out of the trees….

Ah well, such is life, as they say…. I never was able to find out WHO says, or said it, but, supposedly, the DO say that, and I believe it, if for no other reason than to get that person to stop subjecting us to their mundane cliches… a feeling you are probably sharing at this very moment…. I can’t help it sometimes; the nonsense just starts flowing, as soon as I sit down & start typing…. I can’t seem to figure out if it is a gift, a curse, or both, but, I know this, it does help pad these intro sections, and with a bit of class, don’t you think? Well, okay, so it’s more like confusion, but, they both start with a “c”, right?

Well, I think so, anyway, so there…. As you might be able to tell, my mind is in a better place today, even if that place is not one we will ever understand, or hope to visit regularly…. As long as it gets me far enough down the page to call it a legal intro, what do I care about that, anyway? It empties no larder, nor picks any pocket, to paraphrase Tom Jefferson, so I have no quarrel with such…. I do have my opinion, but, no quarrel…. I find quarreling to be unproductive, for the most part, and refuse categorically to engage in it without some sort of guarantee of non-prosecution…. and, my lawyer says that is good….. We all know what THAT means….

I don’t, but, you do, so, hush now, and we will hunker down in these bushes right here, to await our chance to observe the local wildlife in its natural state, thus fulfilling, or attempting to fill, the promise made on the back of your tickets…. That promise, by the way, isn’t my fault…. The damn printer got my order mixed up with that of another business; their product line and certain promises by them were printed on the back of MY tickets, in spite of the most excellent disclaimer I wrote, which DIDN’T get put there…. Now I have to live up to those, while the other guy gets to use MY disclaimer…. it ain’t fair! Even if he did cut the price in half, making it impossible to refuse to use them… Not fair at all…

Nor is any of it true…. It was kind of fun, though, and got us to this point…. a perfect jumping-off point, as is patently obvious…. Hold on to your hats, gentlemen…. Ladies, if you would kindly hold on to your gentlemen/partner, firmly grasping hold of the most non-detachable, and handiest of his/her body parts… We’re going all in, and it’s a VERY sharp turn….

Shall we Pearl?

“As for courage and will – we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” — Andre Norton

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A bit of history…. This artist, whom many of you will not know, is, in my mind, the father of rap, hip-hop, dub reggae, and much of the current musical trends followed by some parts of our culture, most significantly Generation X, and the denizens of inner cities, with its origins in the poverty and societal disenchantment that is a characteristic of the genre….

I remember seeing him occasionally when living in Berkeley during the late 60’s, when he was what could be called a improvisational poet, voicing his angry, brilliantly insightful verse, with blues, jazz, or R&B sometimes playing as background, to amazed young audiences of students, jazz, blues, & R&B fans, and street people…. What he performed, and the tone, style, and attitude of his art, have played a huge part in the development of today’s music scene, as part of its historical roots…. He can be hard to listen to, because his words strike deep into the inner conflicts we all experience in our interactions with modern culture…. His words remain, however, no less true, or less compelling for that….

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Although I found this posted under the date you see below, I think it was actually written prior to that…. but, what date that might be, I haven’t a clue…. not that we need one. It’s a rather classic religirant…. enjoy…. Oh, why aren’t I ranting afresh?…. TMB syndrome, ffolkes, it’s that simple…. Any ranting today would cause my skull to explode all over the screen…. Messy business, to be sure; brain matter dries quickly, and is especially hard to clean up when dead….

From 1/29/2013:

Delusional material, very dangerous…. Believe at your peril…..

From the time we are small, our minds are programmed with the ideas and beliefs our parents and families held as truth, regardless of whether or not there is any actual truth to be found in them. We have little, or no, defense against these ideas, as we are naturally inclined to believe what our care givers tell us. While I can understand the way it works, it seems to me to be a shame, that we don’t come with a built in truth detector, to protect us before we are able to reason for ourselves. Until our minds have been trained, we tend to accept whatever someone in a position of authority tells us, which may keep us safe in a physical sense when we are small and vulnerable, but is a dangerous habit to develop when grown.

The above is an example of how churches and the priestly hierarchies attempt to befuddle people into obedience and acceptance of their credos, aimed at those adults who have carried over their trust in authority into their adult views. On the surface, the statements seem to imply a certain morality, one of patience, compassion, and beneficence; but, underneath, they are merely designed to reinforce the ideas they wish to espouse, of obedience, humility, and subservience to authority.

If one is to believe the priestly hierarchies, we humans don’t really stand a chance against the universe…. In their minds, God has it all worked out, and it isn’t our place to question any of His prerogatives; we are here only to do His (translates as: their….) will, and to sing His praises (keeps us busy NOT thinking….). We are weak, bumbling, foolish creatures whose only claim to fame is that God loves us… according to dogma. It occurs to me to ask, “So, which one of y’all is the one to whom God spoke, when he laid down all this specious crap? When y’all talked with God, how long had it been since you last took your medication?”

I know, I know, not very friendly approach, but, sheesh, give me a break…. I mean, these people are responsible for a great deal of the suffering and trouble mankind has endured over the last 2000 years or so, and don’t even have the courtesy to take credit, or apologize. In their minds, all that stuff they do to maintain their status quo is justified by their holiness, or whatever it is they claim makes them special. And, all the time, in reality, everything they do is designed, ultimately, to bring coins to their purses, and food to their tables, at the expense of the ignorant mass of believers…..

I feel a nasty rant coming on…. Sometimes, when I write one of these rips at religion, I just get SO ANGRY…. I’m mad at the preachers and priests, and those who support them, for their willingness to prey on the public using the pretension of religious fervor and worship to justify their narcissism, and for the thousands of years of suffering that mankind has endured by their hand. I am also angry at those people who buy into their bullshit, for not having the courage to use their minds, to blithely accept anything told to them by an authority figure, and never even considering that there might be more to life than they are seeing….. It is all such a waste, and my anger knows no bounds….

“Civilization is fun!  Anyway, it keeps me busy!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well, it would keep me busy if I could find any….. I had to include this little side-trip from Zippy in order to bring my anger level down. I was feeling the urge to let out ALL of the vulgar curses I could think of, to express how I feel about all the assholes who perpetrate this entire fallacy on the rest of humanity, knowing how gullible they are, and how little effort it takes to fool them into believing the most incredible bullshit.

I mean, how hard can it be to fool someone who would believe that the recent spate of cold weather means that global warming is a myth? How hard is it to fool someone who will gladly trade their freedom in this life for the promised reward in the next life? It’s so damn easy that the fools actually come asking for it, to be made into puppets, just so they can believe they are beloved of God, and guaranteed a spot in Heaven…. I often wonder just how fit to survive our species really is, when we can’t even come to terms with our own sense of self, or learn to accept the responsibility for our own actions….

Most folks are so scared to think for themselves that they gladly surrender that chore to the priests and politicians, apparently not even caring how often they lie to them. Even when the lies are exposed, and even proved, people will hang on to their prejudices and belief in supernatural beings that control our every move; they are quite unwilling to let go of what they’ve bought into all their lives, even when it’s clear that none of it is true. Most of the time, they are unwilling to even look at any arguments against what they hold to be true, preferring the solid comfort of their ignorance. Makes me want to puke, it does….

Ah well, I’ve spilled enough bile and venom for one morning. It would probably be best to move on to another section, and let this one die a natural death. If nothing else, I got some angst and pressure relieved, for the time being. It is almost a comfort to know that the politicians and preachers will be providing more ammunition in the coming days, as they continue their campaign of oppression against the people of the Earth; that means I’ll always have plenty about which to rant…. Happy Days!….

“Those who won’t think will have it done for them.” —  Smart Bee

Note from 2014: Just in case it’s driving anyone crazy trying to figure it out with no overt clues, TMB, the acronym above, stands for Too Much Birthday….

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Today, you get one of mine, simply because they are handy…. Well, it’s usually best to not let anyone else share the blame for any of this mess, too… I do try to think of that sort of thing, when I remember to do so…. which is, obviously, a hit and miss proposition…. nonetheless… Here is one I wrote a few years back, on a rainy day in winter….

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TMB leaves me a bit foggy, so, I gave Smart Bee its head today, to see what came washing up on shore…. This is the result, which I shall make no attempt to classify, quantify, or explain…. You’re on your own today, ffolkes…. Don’t worry, they’re only words; they can hurt, but, not in this configuration…. Just handle them with your usual care, and you should be able to avoid any bloodshed……

“There is nothing so asinine that governments will not proclaim it as official doctrine.” — Nolan’s Observation

“In Response to the Heavy Mail Department: I did not say that Dan Quayle was so dumb he flunked his blood test. I know for a fact that his grade was D+, so I did not say that. Please do not accuse me of saying things I did not say.” — Smart Bee

HONESTY:  Honesty cannot be undervalued. And while I’m on the subject of honesty, have I told you about an exciting business opportunity that could make you thousands of dollars without hard work or expensive capital investment? Yes, bank robbery is an exciting new idea, and you could be one of the first to buy an exclusive franchise in your area. For just $30,000, we’ll provide a fully detailed instruction manual on how to do a bank robbery. Ring today and we’ll include two luxury pure wool dry-cleanable balaclavas, perfect for those anonymous jobs when you just don’t want to be identified on the News. — Daniel Bowen’s TOXIC CUSTARPEDIA

“And if I said a year ago that these [social] programs weren’t working, perhaps I have been vindicated.” — President George Bush, on how Lyndon Johnson was to blame for the LA riots

“1935 will go down in History! For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient and the world will follow our lead to the future!” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), prior to confiscating all civilian firearms

“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” — Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

“Isn’t this my STOP?”! — Zippy the Pinhead

Why, yes, Zippy, I believe it is! It seems SB had a few leftover hard feelings about the events of the last few decades, watching the ugly, ugly show that has been running on the public stage, for longer than anyone is willing to admit…. SIGH, I hate it when he’s right….

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It’s a Sunday, and I’m taking the rest of the day OFF…. In fact, I’m going to get an early start…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

À bientôt, mon cherí….