It is Election Day in the good 'ole USA. Get out there and take a stand.

A Capitol Idea

Addressing a session of Congress.
Sometimes, I find myself wondering "if only.."

Orwell v. Huxley Redux

Having visited this notion quite often of late (this being the "Silly Season" and all, a pithy analysis was in order. Since Mr. Postman was rather concise in his analysis here, I thought I would share it.

Orwell v. Huxley

 

 

In the grand scheme of things, who was "more" correct - Aldous Huxley, or George Orwell? Now, I'll admit openly that I have a dark vision. I believe, in principle, in the writings of Thomas Hobbes, Malthus, Orwell and Huxley. This is true for many different reasons, as well as one unifying one - we create our own dystopia. And, we are doing so right now.

What got me started on this train of thought? I read "Lord of the Flies" a long time ago. Plato even wrote of the dictatorship of the artists. Our DNA always seems to get in the way of "peaceful" co-existence.

Freedom to Fail

Rhetorical flourish? Perhaps.
I truly believe that free societies cannot be completely safe. But non-free societies instill even more fear into me..
Democracy is grand, yet scary as hell. I fear majority rule more than anything. That is not freedom either. I cannot see mandatory rules for behavior and thought as being "free." I have the liberty to do as "they say so?" Bullshit!
Freedom is messy. People get hurt. That is the cost of freedom. Many cannot handle true freedom. It scares them too damned much.
I want the freedom to think, regardless of those who may be offended by my thoughts. I want the freedom to worship as I wish. Or not to worship at all.
Freedom is about the ability to choose.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles...

I believe in the Power of One.

I believe that one person can, and has, made all of the difference. One person will initiate the call for innovation. One person begats a new faith. One person creates the template for innovation. One person is all that it takes to cry out for change.
The majority subordinates. The majority seeks to hammer down change. The majority seeks for others to submit. Nay. They damand submission.

The individual says "Bullshit!"

The power of one rises up. The power of one screams "Enough!"

It begins with one.

The Boogie Man

Iran sure can pick winners.
But, you must admit, this bat-shit crazy bastard sure can grab some headlines.
But, his manners do leave something to be desired.
If only his head was filled with oil. Or, sanity.

Don't Keep Score (and a few days)

Some things write themselves (or do they?).

Don't Keep Score and Four Years Ago...

THIS bit of leadership by disincentive has left me out of sorts.
Now I disagree with the POTUS on a lot of core issues. I dislike the direction he has taken the country, but THIS infuriates me. When I think about all of the things about the US that are ingrained in me, self-sufficiency is key to being an American. What we have here is self-aggrandisement.
Whatever happened to "the chief business of the American people is business?"

All Life is Suffering

Such is life.
We miss what we once had.
We want what we don't have.
We never seem to have enough.
Such is life.

BALLS!!!

All I'm sayin.

For Armchair Generals Everywhere

Enjoy the GAP.

Just thinkin

Pompey and the Optimates would be a great name for a band.

A Context-Free Open Letter

Dear Snerd Murphy (or whatever the hell your name is),
Your public behavior is a beauty to behold. You are a
testament to the wonders of nature and to the notion of natural selection. You
have truly made me question the veracity of Darwin’s theory.
I applaud you.
I mean that in the most sincerely ironic sense.
Now, please stop. No, really. Stop it. Right now.
Yours truly,
An individual concerned for humanity’s future.

Just a Suggestion

Given all the rhetoric surrounding climate change, genetically modified food and over-population...

Appropriate vs. Inappropriate

And the Heat Goes On

Well, to be perfectly frank, the Foreign Registration Office (FRO) have made it much easier
than it had been in previous times. It was a multiple-day colonoscopy with gardening tools. Now
it is just a lot of waiting in a multitude of different lines and dumping a
shitload of documentation in front of people who wonder what the fuck you’re
doing in their country. It has been 9 different lines, plus getting a bank
draft (out in the mid-day sun to get there).
I'm neither a mad dog, nor English.
Don’t let me forget the documents you need that are not on
the document checklist THEY provide you with. They look at you like “What is
wrong with you,” when you do not miraculously have them at your disposal. Then
returning at 5 p.m. if you’ve accomplished “the needful.”
This is a lot of bitching and griping, but the truth of the
matter is, they have every right and I begrudge them nothing. I’m their guest.
Their house. Their rules. Well, the arbitrary part pisses me off royally, but
the rules, per se, do not.
I lead an interesting life over here, so what the fuck.
There are plusses. Don’t make any mistakes about it. For
instance 1. Gorgeous girl from Uganda in stilettos and a grey pencil skirt -
thumbs up! 2. Korean girls. Full stop. 3. NRI shenanigans. Love that word – shenanigans. 4. Girl who looked Italian and smelled like jasmine. 5. Nice lunch. Always a plus. 6. Last but not least is
that I did not have to think a whole lot today. That, in and of itself, is rare
and joyous. Now I just need to go back, pick up the paperwork, take a richshaw
home (after arguing about the fare, of course) and take a cool shower and
relax.

Nothing Upstairs

Sweating With the Stars

It is now close to the heat index tipping point for me – 37
Celsius is about as hot as I can stand without melting. I remember being in
Delhi when it was 47 C. You read that right – 47. I thought it was hell on Earth.
And that was without factoring in the auto-rickshaw vermin.
Well, that is why Dog invented air conditioning.
Well, isn’t it?
Having to do business outside is something to dread like
going to a dentist with an undiagnosed issue to resolve. Having to stand in the
sun for one hour while waiting to go into the Foreign Registration Office is
like having a root canal. Except, I might prefer the root canal.
You saw that one coming, am I right?

As Stated

Moot or Moat?

Only time will tell if this process takes.

The world will deliver a sigh of relief if a non-violent change actually comes to fruition in this lady's lifetime.

Grace matters.

How can you tell if a politician is lying?

The're speaking.

Lies. They're everywhere. We are inundated by them. We read them. We hear them. We even speak them. Like death and taxes, lies are some of life's few constants.
So why are we surprised when politicos are taking graft and selling a truckload of shit to us?
I used to believe that there were plenty of people who "cared" about what my quality of life could be.
Now I know better.
Outside of our little circles, few could give a rat's ass about our well-being. Even fewer are affected by it.
But that is just fine. It just is. Work with it. Embrace it. Take ownership of it. Then do something about it.

Valentine's Day

Capturing ardor from a distance is quite the trick.
Gotta be in the right Frema mind.

2012