Joy and Angst

No, I'm not bi-polar, but I think that as you mature, you've absorbed so much over time - both good and bad - that your peaks become higher and your lows can get pretty low.

I mean, think about it…with practice we (should) become better at most anything, right?  Fill in the blank with whatever you like________(photography, cooking, angling, playing an instrument, making love).  Our perception in any particular area becomes more discerning.  We can more easily judge if something tastes better (or worse), if something sounds better (or worse) or if something makes sense or is just f*g ridiculous.

In other words, on one hand, we have opinion and on the other a more informed opinion.

All the things we've absorbed over the years (can) give us more points on the graph of Life and help us more clearly define pictures and issues.

They say with age comes wisdom.  Perhaps not all the time, but mostly, yes.  And of course, the way we think about things, the way we process Life's input can be distorted by a variety of prejudices.

But back to joy and angst.  Over 50 years of musical experience has given me the ability to find great joy and beauty in creating, performing, and recording sounds.  It's why artists are artists.  Creativity is a very pleasurable thing, but we also enjoy sharing it with others.  Like cooking.  And I try to spend as much time as I can in that state of mind, not just because it's fun and gratifying, but because it's also a counteragent to the dark side.

There's just so much dark out there; the stupidity, the selfishness, the greed, the hatred, the lack of empathy, the extremism.  At times, it almost seems as though the dark will steamroll or consume all that is good in the world.  It makes one wonder how - with all the love and wonderful things there are - that some people are apparently helpless or even intent upon their negative agendas.

As I've said many times, there may or may not be such a thing as ultimate evil, but there sure as hell are some evil MFs out there.

And with that said, I think I'll go play my guitar for a while...

Wingnuts and Self-control

(partly borrowed from an article at Crooks and Liars )

My thesaurus is wearing thin on adjectives to describe hate-filled pseudo-Christians like Bryan Fischer.

American Family Association spokesman Fischer is outraged that the U.S. is intervening in Iraq to stop ISIS.  Fischer believes that President Obama only intervened to stop the extermination of the Yazidis, who practice an ancient religion yet are considered by ISIS fighters and others to be "devil worshipers."

Wait.  Wha…?  WTF?

This guy's problem - other than the fact that he's let go of the last blade of grass that connected him with planet Earth - is that he just can't resist opening his mouth to announce his latest insane conspiracy theory.

Let's look at this from a different perspective.  You're a guy out in public somewhere, maybe picking up a few items at Walmart, and you're standing in line at the checkout.  In front of you is this rather attractive woman in her 30s, wearing a short summer skirt.  She bends over her shopping cart to retrieve something, and you get a momentary glimpse of her taste in undergarments.

Now, in your mind, you might be thinking,"Ooo, baby!  Nice knickers," but you don't SAY it out loud, obviously because you don't want other shoppers to think that you're a total perv with no self-control.  That, and there's the chance that the babe might smack you upside the head with a box of laundry detergent.*

But guys like Fischer…hey…whatever pops into their tiny little heads…it's gotta come out the mouth.  Same with Palin, Bachmann, Nugent and other assorted wingnuts.

You see, wingnuttery comes in all sizes, shapes and colors, and they all share the inability to keep their tinfoil hat nonsense to themselves.  They just can't pass up a live microphone…

*Didn't wanna seem sexist with the laundry detergent, but you'd better hope she wasn't in the Automotive Dept. because she works on her own Jeep.  Then, you might risk getting hit with a breaker bar or a large channel-lock.

Blowing Up the Lies about Poverty

Republicans - especially guys like Paul Ryan - are totally full of crap regarding poverty, the poor and homeless in America.  Please allow me to blow-up some of the more common disinformation:

• Poor people are lazy:  over half of all SNAP recipients are working adults. More than 80% of recipients worked during the year prior or after receiving SNAP. That figure is 90% for families with children.
• Single moms are to blame: only 9% of low-income, urban moms have been single throughout their child's first five years.  35% were married to the child's father.
• Minimum wage jobs are for teens:  almost 88% of those affected by increasing the minimum wage are age 20 or older.  Almost 36% are married and 28% are parents.
• Go back to school and get a better job:  In 2012, just over a million people held a bachelor's degree, worked full time, and made less than $25,000 a year.
• The homeless want to be homeless:  1 in 45 children experience homelessness each year.  That's over 1.6 million kids.  Among families who are homeless with children, the majority cited loss of a job as the cause, followed by the lack of affordable housing, and low paying jobs.
• The poor are ripping us off:  fraud in the SNAP program is one penny on the dollar.  Fact.  And, the average food stamp benefit in WI and MN is only $116/mo.  That's not even $4/day!  Who the f*k would choose to try to live on that??

A "cheap" one bedroom apartment in Minneapolis starts at about $550.

An average Walmart employee makes $8.81/hr.  You do the cost of living math.

I realize that a lot of voters have the short-term memory of a gerbil.  That's probably why they continue to vote for lying SOBs like Ryan and his ilk.

Next time you hear someone whining about "the poor and unemployed," remember some of the facts listed above.

It's the Moderation, Stupid (my response to atheists on religion)

It is estimated that 65% of women and 80% of men have sexual fantasies.  According to U. of Vermont psychologist Harold Leitenberg, Ph.D. and South Carolina's Kris Henning, Ph. D., data shows that where sexual fantasy is concerned, frequent fantasizers are having more than their share of fun in bed. They have sex more often and engage in a wider variety of erotic activities than infrequent fantasizers.  Peter Doskoch of Psychology Today says,"the association between fantasies and healthy sex life is so strong, in fact, that it's now considered pathological not to have sexual fantasies."  "…unusual and deviant fantasies give little reason for concern in healthy individuals.  Rape fantasies, for instance, are far more common than rapes themselves.  Only 22 percent of child molesters say they had sexual fantasies about kids before their first molestation."

Estimates vary, but according to ABC, the adult industry generates $10 billion a year in sales.  But if sexually explicit material had any potential for creating sex offenders, there would be a helluva lot more of them than there are.  Sex offenders account for only 1.4% (.014) of the population (747,408 registered offenders vs 53,078,525 males between the ages of 15 and 54).

Leitenberg and Henning say,"…fantasies are a concern only when they become compulsive or exclusive, or for individuals in whom the barrier between thought and behavior has been broken."

Now, if you want to consider religious belief in an afterlife as fantasy, Daniel Kruger, an evolutionary psychologist at the U. of Michigan, said,"Fairy story or not, a belief in heaven does seem to come with some benefits.  Humans didn't evolve in an environment where an understanding of black holes or the origin of the universe would be helpful.  What really matters to us is what happens at the human scale, relationships to other people, things we experience in a lifetime."  On a personal level, Kruger says the idea of an afterlife offers some hope in a world where, historically,"life has been pretty harsh."

Nathan Heflick - U. of South Florida - says,"The more people believe, the less death anxiety they tend to have."

Dr. Martin Luther King is a respected social activist, but his courage came through faith.  Jim Wallis, another respected Christian who works for social change, also finds courage in faith.  Wallis talks about the immigration problem, saying,"We need faith in a God who is larger than we can imagine, the God who cries as we humans build border walls to separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters on the other side, the God of justice who isn't persuaded by the political timetables of Washington, D.C."

I would suggest that one of the most common problems in the thinking process of Americans is the concept of "moderation."  Regarding money, most people want to earn enough to live on, provide for their family, and perhaps a little more.  At least, enough to where their basic needs are being met and they're not worried about making the next rent, mortgage or car payment.  But, in larger amounts, wealth can do weird shit to your head.  One need look no further than people like Bernie Madoff, Michael Jackson, or the Koch brothers.

We're fortunate to live in a time when medical science provides vaccines for lyme disease and Hepatitis B, and when we can use human skin cells to create embryonic stem cells.  But use of anti-depressants has increased almost 400% in the last 20 years.  Antibiotics are life-savers, but the CDC estimates that 20-50% of the doses prescribed are unnecessary.  Consequently, there are now some serious infectious diseases that have become immune to antibiotics.

Alcohol sales in 2011 was $162 billion.  Most people have the self-control to deal with alcohol use, but approx. 17 million have an alcohol use disorder.  10% of U.S. children live with a parent with an alcohol problem.

Although Democrats have been polled as decreasingly religious, between 1987 and the late 1990's, they polled equally with Republicans.  But the focal point of that spirituality differs greatly.  Democrats are more focused on social justice - the poor, the homeless, and the rights of women, minorities and gays - whereas Republicans are more focused on authority, control and punishment.

Politically, the problem with religion is that some people take things to the extreme - Jones, Applewhite, Koresh, Phelps - while most people just relate to religion as a guideline for daily living and their relationship with fellow human beings.  Democrats are generally more concerned with people having enough to eat, while Republicans are more concerned with who they can refuse to serve at their place of business.

So, it's not so much a problem of what you believe, but how extremely it affects your logic, your common sense, and your attitude toward other people. And obviously, politicians - especially Republicans - have tried to co-opt religion in an attempt to gain voters.

Things like sex, money, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and religion are not a problem for most people.  It's when you lose sight of moderation that things begin to get twisted.  It's when you attempt to use them for an extremely prejudicial personal agenda that shit gets weird.

Millennials Offer Political Hope

A survey just recently released reveals the political attitudes of 2,000 young adults between the ages of 18-29. What is significant about the results is that they echo many progressive ideas that the GOP has been consistently resisting.

74% said that government has a responsibility to guarantee every citizen a place to sleep and enough to eat.

69% said it's government's responsibility to guarantee everyone access to health care.

68% said everyone should make a living wage.

54% want government to guarantee everyone a college education.

62% describe themselves as socially liberal and only 27% as conservative.

67% favor legalizing same-sex marriage.

61% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.


Observing the ongoing GOP obstructionist policy and activity, it boggles the mind as to what the hell they're thinking when it comes to "winning" anything.  The current social tide is against them and it well appears that the next generation feels the same way.

Republicans must certainly have access to the same demographic information.  If they're just trying to woo old white men they're committing political suicide.

Free Your Mind

Life is not just a matter of a blue or a red pill.  It's not an either-or proposition.  There are more than 8 crayons to color with.  It's not a matter of gay or straight.  It's not a matter of belief or disbelief.

As a lifelong musician, I remember back in the day when we had so few commercially-defined genres.  Our musical thinking and appreciation operated in terms of the categories they gave us.  We really didn't think much outside the box.  And then, rock music hit us like a freight train.  Now, here we are 60 years later and just LOOK at this list:  Rock Genres

I think that's amazing.  I certainly don't listen to all of them or even appreciate all of them, but you can't deny their existence.  It's called creativity; at least on the part of the artists, if not the recording companies.

How did John Lennon put it?  "You tell me it's the institution.  Well you know, you'd better free your mind, instead."

We need to apply that kind of thinking, that kind of variety to the rest of our lives, in the broadest sense.  Not just in what we do, what we consume, but in how we think.  It's how we relate to the world we see, and the worlds we cannot see.  The world we can touch and the ones we can't.  The concepts and constructs we understand, and the ones we can't get our heads around.

Everything doesn't necessarily respond equally well to a microscope or a measuring instrument.  Unless you're a painter, it's not necessary to analyze the colors of a sunset.  Just enjoy it.  Take it in.  You can study a musicians timing, phrasing and attack, but I don't think that necessarily helps you appreciate the music as a whole.  Science and math are tools, but sometimes you don't need tools.  When you read a book, are you consciously studying the author's mechanics or character development?  I doubt it.  You're just letting it all happen; letting it draw you into the story.

As humans, we often have a need to compartmentalize.  There are times when that's necessary.  And times when it isn't.

Free your mind.

Wasting Time

You might consider this a topic worthy of conversation, and you may not.  It's a very relative and individual thing.  Wasting time, that is.

OK, let's begin with a few basic things.  A lot of people work full time. Many people work overtime, and still others may work a lot of overtime.  And they may be in a relationship.  They may be married with children.  In any case, they have a truckload of responsibilities - to their employer, to their spouse, to their children and friends.  They have tasks to attend to once they're home from working.  A lot of people will claim that they really don't have a lot of free time, and that may be a perfectly legitimate statement.

Let me pause at that point and state the obvious; we are all, for the most part, in charge and in control of our own lives.  Most of us make the conscious decision(s) about how much stuff we want on our plate, our agenda, our to do list.  Some folks enjoy being busy all the time, in fact, they're not happy if they're not busy.  The motives for their activity level aren't really important, it's just that they feel happiest when they feel they're being productive.  As long as they're getting something done, they feel good about themselves.

Productivity - per se - is a good thing. Managing our time is often essential, no matter what that time is used for.  We all get the same 24 hours in a day.

But…now…when we're at a point where we think we've accomplished enough in one day, when we say to ourselves,"OK…enough of that for a while…I'm going to take a break, that's where things get interesting.  That break might be a coffee break, a smoke break, a nap, reading a book, taking a short walk, or any of a million things.  What they all have in common, however, is that all of these activities are usually something other than work/labor.  They are a change of pace for both our minds and bodies, and in that sense, it really doesn't matter what they are.  We merely choose to do something else, something other than necessary tasks.  Usually - but not always - breaks are not what one would call productive.  They're not meant to be.  That is not their purpose.

So, with that in mind, whereby to we come up with the phrase wasting time?

Let me suggest what I would consider a waste of time:  trying to accomplish a task (any task) with the wrong tool.  Let's say you had to dig a trench in the back yard for an electrical or a garden project.  If the trench were of any length and depth, a trenching machine might be the best tool of choice as opposed to a military surplus folding shovel.  But maybe you can't afford to rent a trenching machine and don't know how to use one.  Then, perhaps you simply have to do the best you can with what you have.

Perhaps a better example might be clearing some land of a few small trees.  A chainsaw would be the tool of choice, as opposed to an axe.  It's simply more efficient, saving both time and labor.

But when it comes to non-labor tasks or activities, who is to say when (and if) time is wasted?

Unless one is guilty of shirking some work or responsibility and engaging in some recreational activity, instead, how can anyone make a judgement about another's choice of entertainment?

If you've got some time to kill, or basically just use any way you damn well please, who's to say what's wasted?

A couple of activities that seem to get criticized most are video games and internet activity.  I've logged countless hours on both activities and have no reservations or guilt about any of it.  Would it be somehow better if I just sat on the back porch and whittled on a stick with a pocket knife?  As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter if you're playing Candy Crush on Facebook, or you're down by the creek, dropping pebbles into the water.

It's simply a matter of choice and someone else's negative opinion of your activity doesn't mean squat.

As far as waste is concerned, we all waste a variety of things; food, water, fuel, materials, resources but we don't put any guilt on ourselves for that.

Your waking, breathing hours are yours to use, abuse or waste any way you choose.  As long as you're doing your job and being responsible, you don't have to take any crap from anyone as to how you use any non-labor time.