May 1, 2012

NINE DANGEROUS THINGS YOU MAY BE LEARNING IN SCHOOL 1. The people in charge have all the answers. Never question authority. Do not comprehend the main message of The Wizard of Oz. 2. The government knows what is best for you. Just watch TV and buy anything advertised there. The product placement items are especially important. Credit card debt is good. 3. The best and brightest follow the rules. You will be rewarded for your subordination. Your superiors will receive greater rewards, but they have their own rules. 4. What the books say is always true. There is no such thing as propaganda or brain washing. Believe everything you are told. 5. There is a very clear, single path to success. The 1% are on it. Everyone else is prohibited from traveling it. 6. Behaving yourself is as important as getting good marks. Whistle-blowing and thinking your own thoughts are not allowed. 7. Standardized tests measure your value. Your value is your obedience. 8. Days off are always more fun than sitting in the classroom. You are trained from a young age to base your life around dribbles of allocated vacation. Be grateful for them. 9. The purpose of your education is your future career. You are merely a tool to be exploited and victimized by the plutocracy. Bonus lesson: Do not read anything by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Franz Kafka, ... Do not listen to any music by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, ...

The United States of America

It has been my privilege to visit our nation's capital on two occasions. One was in 1976, at the end of a bicycle ride from Oregon to DC. The other was in 2009 to visit my son who was serving as an intern for a federal agency. Each time, I have been awed by the monuments and the tributes to the virtues on which this country was founded. Now, I am more convinced than ever that our elected officials have been bought and paid for by special interests -- corporate or union. It is my intention today never again to vote for a Democratic or a Republican candidate.

some philosophical / theological musing

Pre-Figuration

that from which all proceeds

Trans-Figuration

that in which all is brought together

Con-Figuration

that by which all is brought together

succulent

flower

rose

glass artist