October 2010 archive

Random Japan

WHACK JOBS

Tokyo’s former chief medical examiner claimed that there are approximately 200 cases of people masturbating themselves to death in Japan each year, with 20 to 30 in Tokyo’s 23 central wards alone.

In other matters of the heart and hands, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology organized a tennis date for singles looking for a love match. Apparently it’s all “part of a project… to improve the nation through sports.”

A 33-year-old therapist from Kyoto was crowned champion of the Z-1 Grand Prix floor-wiping competition in Ehime Prefecture. Koichi Fujiwara set a new record of 18.23 seconds pushing a wet rag through a 109-meter-long hallway at the Uwa Rice Museum.

A computer armed with the “Akara 2010” system beat the top women’s shogi player, Ichiyo Shimizu, in 86 moves in a match staged at the University of Tokyo.

Barack Obama, let my people go.

Don’t whine about a Republican election.

Rejoice that you do not have 9 plagues.

Barack Obama, Let My People Go.

You will go down with this ship

I will go down with this ship

I won’t put my hands up, and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be

(But, what do you love?  Do you love compromise, pragmatism, working with Republicans, and election results where you fearmonger about “personhood amendments” which will never pass, while advocating for the Bennetts of the world who can’t give people health care because corporations won’t let them?)

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

And when we meet, which I’m sure we will,

all that was there, will be there still,

I’ll let it pass, and hold my tongue,

while you will think, that I’ve moved on!

But, I will NEVER MOVE ON, from my human rights, from the life and death of GLBT youth.  NEVER.  I will not put my hands up, and surrender.  There will no white flag above my door.

NOT EVEN FOR YOU.

You worship kabuki.  Nothing you say has any effect on the real world.  And that, is the problem, for your fearmongering.  

You worship fear, while saying they worship fear.  Your fear of fascists, while using their terrorist color list. Fear of Republicans, while failing to prosecute them.  Fear that they are going to make life a living hell.  FOR YOU.

But the GLBT community has lived with this for 100 years.  We have lived with lies.  We have lived with fear.  We have lived, with the very self same people we must vote out of office, according to you, lest the world turn into a fascist dictatorship.

WE HAVE LIVED WITH FASCISTS, THIS ENTIRE TIME.

You weren’t very concerned THEN, were you?  You couldn’t help us to turn back the tide, but now you want to scare us with the consequences.

But we have lived this entire time, with those very self same people, in power, the power, the kabuki, that you engender the vote out of fear.

And every election cycle you do the same thing.

I’ve got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind,

Just 22 and I don’t mind dyin’,

Snakeskin shoes baby put’em on my feet,

Got the good music and the bo-billy beat,

Yeah WHO DO YOU LOVE,

YEAH WHO DO YOU LOVE?

You hear songs of GLBT teen suicide,

and you evince sympathy

without action

without caring

with only political fear

of the other

with whom we’ve lived, but worse

you try to scare us with

what we’ve lived with

for a hundred generations.

Each and every heart it seems

Is bounded by a world of dreams

Each and every rising sun

Is greeted by a lonely one,

YOU’RE ALREADY FALLING, IT’S CALLING YOU

BACK TO FACE THE MUSIC

AND THE SONG THAT IS COMING THROUGH

YOU’RE ALREADY FALLING

THE ONE THAT IS CALLING IS YOU


Understand

the voice within

And feel a change, already beginning

I know I left too much mess and destruction,

to come back again,

I cause nothing, but trouble,

I understand if you can’t talk to me again

And if you live by the rules of IT’S OVER,

I’m sure that that makes sense

(Something tells me you will be back again, talking to me about how ancient Ralph Nader’s ideological heirs sabotaged you, and how purity trolls cost you.  And how you were wonderful and leading and fearmongering and passing, and how your Republican policies were just shit on, and how because of that, Republicans got elected).

And when we meet,

which I’m sure we will,

All that was there,

WILL BE THERE STILL,

I’ll let it pass,

and hold my tongue,

And you will think,

THAT I’VE MOVED ON

(But, I won’t have).

I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP

I WON’T PUT MY HANDS UP, AND SURRENDER

THERE WILL BE NO WHITE FLAG ABOVE MY DOOR

I’M IN LOVE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE

Will you?

But, a deeper question

Do you think you can talk about fascism,

And fear falsely for the gay man who has lived with it his whole life?

To use him, as a political knife?

Do you think you can talk about fascism,

And counter with pragmatism?

Do you think you can fearmonger about fascism,

And deny the people their rights who have lived with it,

out of fear for your own skin?

Do you hear the voice within?

Do you think unity is a game?  A cloak?  A deception?

Make a promise, take a vow, and trust your feelings, it’s easy now

Understand, the voice within

And feel a change, already beginning.

And how many words, have I got to say?

And HOW MANY TIMES WILL IT BE THIS WAY

WITH YOUR ARMS AROUND THE FUTURE

AND YOUR BACK UP AGAINST THE PAST?

Do you hate the right wing?

Do you want to live in sin?

Do you think you’re realistic,

when you cannot win elections?

Can you truly counter fascism

with do-nothing aristocracy?

Are you afraid that Ken Buck is going to succeed at outlawing birth control?

I’m not, but even if I were, I wouldn’t give a shit.

Because you are very sad that hundreds of LGBT youth die every year,

but not enough to be mad at people like Obama.

Maybe when he succeeds, I’ll be there for you, as you weren’t, even a liberal, for me?

Original v. Cover — #49 in a Series

Highwaytohell Pictures, Images and Photos

This week’s selection was written by Clarence (Sonny) Henry and recorded by jazz percussionist Willie Bobo in 1968 on his album “Soul Jazz.”  In 1969, a cover version of the song was recorded by a San Francisco-based group who pioneered a new sound and embarked upon a four-decade-long run which continues to the present day.  

Released as a single in late 1969, this song would mark this band’s first taste of commercial success, rising to a #9 ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.  In addition to playing a memorable solo on the Hammond B-3 in the middle of the song, the organist was also the lead vocalist.  The group leader’s guitar solo would introduce his flamboyant, iconic style to a much broader audience.  

The guitarist and group’s namesake, born in Mexico in 1947, was the son of an accomplished Mariachi violinist, and was a young violin prodigy himself, performing with his father’s band in the streets of Tijuana until he heard blues and rock and roll on the radio.  He switched to the guitar, and as they say, the rest is history.  

Popular Culture 20101029: King Crimson Part I

One of the more influential bands to form in the late 1960s in the United Kingdom was King Crimson.  Unlike The Who, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, all of which formed in the early 1960s, King Crimson did not really form until 1968, about the same time that Deep Purple Mark I formed.

Also unlike the bands just mentioned, King Crimson pretty much was “owned” by Robert Fripp, contrary to disclaimers made by him from time to time, especially after their first record.  As a matter of fact, except for Deep Purple, the other bands mentioned had a remarkably stable lineup for years, only death or dissolution of the bands changing things very much.

Rap News vs News World Order: The war on journalism & WikiLeaks

Happy Elvis bin Laden Day!

Yeehaww  Happy Friday!

Incident at 3:15, major speech at 4:15.  Oh, yeah, sure I “buy” that it’s not a “roll out” of something coming out of some marketing think tank days before and erection/election.

In other good news I got a job.  To make that even better the company actually does some defense work.  Now add to that the story I want to scope out about the gross Orwellianisms of working for a temp agency, the exploitive infrastructure being built, no institutionalized into the Gattica non-future of unemployment in the soon to be fully de-industrialized former United States.

Stay Tuned.

Halloween Hash, Take 2



Halloween on Sunday.  Halloween again.  Almost like clockwork, it keeps showing up.

Ick.

As a child I loved Halloween.  We’d go to Mrs. Silver’s house across the street and she would invite us inside and make us fresh caramel apples or popcorn balls.  Lord knows, one can’t do that anymore.

And we would go door to door around the neighborhood and get a real haul of treats.  And somewhere, later, older kids would toilet paper someone’s house or yard, which we would discover on the way to school in the morning.  I never liked the “trick” part.

Razor blades and pins and poison and just plain bad people put a stop to most of the good stuff I remember.  

As I got older, the tricks became worse and the treats were few and far between.

Three Green candidates that could seriously shake the boat in their states

Just a note before I begin.  These are just the candidates that I know of from my work in the Green Party and what I can glean online.  There are plenty of other strong Green candidates for state offices all over the country.  Not to mention, there are tons of strong local Green candidates.  You can find Green candidates near you at NewMenu.org.

With these three candidates representing just one part of a group of strong state legislative candidates the Green Party has running across the country this year, the party has a chance to make history.  Since its founding, the party has had four state legislators in office, with one of them being the result of a party switch.  There’s now a good chance that they could elect that many state legislators in a single election.

1.  Ben Manski. Manski is an environmental and democracy advocate running one of the strongest Green campaigns in the nation.  He’s widely regarded as a fierce competitor against the Democrat in the race, while Constitution and Republican candidates are also running.  He is running for the Wisconsin Assembly in the 77th District, which is in Madison.  Manski has racked up an impressive list of endorsements, ranging from local firefighters’ and teachers’ unions to over a dozen current elected officials to statewide figures in the Wisconsin Democratic Party.  With a platform that includes support for ending the war on drugs, the creation of a state bank, and only sending the National Guard into combat when a war is authorized by Congress, Manski is impressive not only because of the likelihood of his election, but because of his bold politics.

2.  Hugh Giordano. Before the election, I’ll be putting up another post about Giordano, because I’ve been volunteering for his campaign for several months, so I’ll keep it short for now.  Hugh is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met, and when he’s out knocking on doors he’s a union organizer for the United Food and Commercial Workers.  He has garnered endorsements from several local unions who have been helping with the campaign, as well as from a former Democratic candidate in the race and former US Senator Mike Gravel.  He has billboards up, he’s got signs throughout the districts, and he’s got tons of support, especially in the Roxborough neighborhood, where he’s lived for most of his life.  (If you donate to Hugh, which I highly encourage!, please use the mailing address and not paypal, as the campaign has been having troubles with paypal.  Thanks!)

3.  Jeremy Karpen.  Karpen is going against the heart of the Chicago machine, a Democratic incumbent whose father is also in government.  At one point he actually outraised the Democrat, although that ended once the machine’s corporate interests caught wind of it.  Just like Giordano and Manski, he’s been raising an impressive amount of money for a Green and he’s garnered some impressive endorsements, including the Chicago Progressive Democrats of America, a local teachers’ union, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Chicago Tribune.  When I interviewed Phil Huckelberry, a co-chair of the Green Party of Illinois, he insightfully pointed out that having even a single Green in the notorious Illinois legislature would give the body a clear conscience, and it would have the potential to create a movement in the state for clean government.

To me, that is what’s most significant about these campaigns.  They reject the corruption and compromises on principle (or lack of principle from the start) that are inherent in the Democratic Party.  Hugh Giordano’s opponent likes to say that she would remain independent even while being a Democrat in the legislature, but that’s ridiculous.  Without the support of the Democrats, she would be nowhere.  Yet Giordano, and all other Greens, can prove that better, more honest politics is possible by winning without the support of any machine.

when the veils grow thin….

Photobucket

(all pictures are of carved pumpkins & may be clicked on to see larger)

(a soundtrack while you read…)

Sunday is Hallowe’en, a night for children to dress up & go Trick-or-Treating.

But this holiday has its origins waaaay back, back before the written word, in pagan times.

The Republican War on Reality

Everett Dirksen is one of my heroes. The Senate Republican leader from 1959 to 1969, he pushed strongly for Vietnam escalation and took conservative stands that I’d have strongly disagreed with on economic issues. But he joined Lyndon Johnson in going to the mat to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights bills, and for that I admire him immensely.

Wild Wild Left Radio #85 Another Day in Insanity

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WWL Radio: Free Speech in Practice.

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Hear the Unreported & Under Reported Headline stories that are shunned by the mainstream, from Domestic Policy to International Politics by the WWL coalition of subversion: undermining the PTB by speaking Truth to Power!!!!

This weeks Topics:

Well, hell… by the Comedy Channel’s standards I am thoroughly insane. I think its time to open the windows and scream, “I’m mad as hell, and i’m NOT going to take it anymore.” I mean really? Lumping Anti-War Protesters in with TEABAGGERS?  Thats not Comedy, it is trying to subvert activism and turn it into slackerism.

Restore Sanity? My version of sanity includes raging against the Headlines this Week. No sane people would take this shit quietly.

BP & HALLIBURTON KNEW THE CEMENT WAS BAD PRIOR TO THE OIL SPILL IN THE GULF.

THE US IS TRYING A CANADIAN BOY THEY KEPT AT GITMO FOR 1/3 OF HIS LIFE, WHILE FUNDING OTHER CHILD SOLDIERS IN YEMEN.

A SMALL FEMALE PEACE PROTESTER GETS HELD DOWN AND STOMPED BY TWO HUGE MALE TEA BAGGERS AND THEY ARE DECIDING (!!?wtf?!!) WHETHER OR NOT TO PRESS CHARGES.

ARIZONA’S RACIST IMMIGRATION LAW WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF PRIVATE PROFITEERING PRISON COMPANIES.



WIKILEAKS IS BEING TARGETED AS AN ENEMY FOR BEING A WHISTLEBLOWER, AND NO ONE IS REPORTING/CONDEMNING THE ACTUAL ATROCITIES DONE IN OUR NAMES.(& we remain skeptical whether this is an “approved” leak or not)

Call me insane. I think louder yelling is EXACTLY what is called for here.

Please join us for the onlyout there where the buses don’t run” LEFT perspective with interviews, op/eds and straight talk without the hand-wringing PC that has crippled our movement!

Controversy? We face it. Cutting Edge? We step over it. Revolutions start with information, and The Wild Wild Left Radio brings you the best in information and op/eds from a position that others on the Left fear to tread…. all with a grain shaker of irreverent humor.

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