Muse and Whirled Retort 2017
The Muse and Whirled Retort February 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
T.H.E. .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.
February, 2017
San Jose, CA
You may have noticed...
I have not written about the last (general) election
At first I did not want to add to the noise out there...
(and there is alot of NOISE out there!)
then I didn't want to go off half cocked...
then I wasn't sure which direction to fire
because bullets ricochet
in funny directions when you live in a bubble.
One that is floating like the ghosts of Joe Hill, Eugene Debbs and Caesar Chavez...
...and this got me to thinking...
If a ghost can walk through walls -
why doesn't he fall through the floor?
At that point I realized
I was on the edge of something really big... standing upon a great precipice.
And that is probably not a good time to put your best foot forward...
I mean.
I like the metaphor of hell being beneath us...
Because
...Sometimes, ya gotta go through hell...
..Sometimes, ya gotta get down there and wrestle 'dem demons
Hell,...
..Sometimes, ya gotta get down there and jello wrestle 'dem demons.
Just remember... when ya go through hell,
ya gotta keep going -
you'll come out on the other side -
wondering why every one is speaking in Australian accent.
Clearly... in The Trump era... Down is the New Up...
I listened to his speech - His Inaugural address...
(and everything that has transpired since.)
But sticking with the anugural for a moment...
He had these two themes that made me realize...
"America First" and "Make America Great again"
are contradictory statements.
America will be great again, when she sees herself
IN the world
not AS the world.
America will be great again when she treats her neighbors like she would herself.
She will be great again when she realizes that
"first"
implies there is a race in the first place.
an order to the universe...
... in which one could be or become
"First"
Not America First...
Earth First...
America will be great again
when she takes a global view that does not seek to take advantage of the rest of the world...
Labor standards in Bangladesh,
environmental laws in Mexico,
and end to off shore bank accounts...
America will be great again
when she begins to lift up the rest of the world...
export our job safety standards...
export our living wage concepts...
export our Unions...
export our solidarity...
Not so America will be first
so that the people of the world are first.
Instead of joining third world nations on a spiral to the bottom.
In a world where Down is the New Up...
What he is proposing is Nationalism... Pure and simple... and the infrastructure spending... the wall building...
that is being proposed is well... socialism...
it is (in fact)
National Socialism... yes... that is Nazi.
Down is the New Up...
DON'T GET ME WRONG here...
I have never been to bandy about such words
like "Nazi" and Fascist"...
and in many ways don't even think the metaphor is apt.
but in other ways it is spot on...
so if WE are looking for a way forward...
Down is the New Up...
let us grab every crow bar,
every monkey wrench,
every guitar,
every paintbrush
and use them as a tool
to to pry the socialism away from National Socialism
and smother the nationalism with a new global perspective.
America will be great when she sheds her concept of Corporate Oligarchy.
WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL ISSUES:
Please hear this, the handful of southerners I grew up with that actually read my missives
... this Cabinet of Billionaires
could really care less about any of this whako conservative agenda...
Oh sure, they will give money to the church to show they "Care" about social issues.
But, we all know giving money to the church doesn't make you a good person any more than buying tickets to the game makes you a third-baseman.
What the church offers to the rich is - people.
The only thing in the world the 1% does not have
is people -
99% of us to be exact.
But wait a second... within the 99% a whole lotta working class folks voted for Trump!
Poor people. MY people!
What did we do SO wrong
that makes your average red neck
think a guy descending from the Heavens
on a gold plated escalator
in a manhattan skyscraper
has their interests at heart?
Why did they work so hard building a scaffold from which they can can hang a noose and then fight each other over who gets to hang them selves first?
Is that the America First he is talking about?
NO!
To make the world GREAT again, we
WE have to burst our own bubbles!
We have to go out there and yes,
befriend a red neck.
DO NOT INSULT THEM!
befriend them.
Do not drop them from your social media.
Convert them!
If each and every one of us goes out and befriends,
and turns around!
one Trump Supporter
we could make America Great again...
and THAT America
maybe (just maybe)
COULD make the world great again.
Get the red necks on our side...
Make them lose there base...
Because in short,
as long as there is something
resembling a government,
the rich need large numbers of people to support them.
So they will say or do anything to stay in office.
(make them hear this!)
they don't actually care of these social issues.
They don't NEED to care.
They don't LIVE in society.
They have their own police force.
They have their own schools, their own hospitals.
Soon they will have their own military.
I am not afraid of Iran getting the bomb.
I am afraid of Exxon getting the bomb.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
because like I've always said - if you think there is a cutting edge - than you ain't on it.
Which is why I don't think this is that "edgy" of a thought...
...if the rich can cross the lines between right and wrong like ghosts walk through walls - maybe it is time they also fell through the floor. Maybe the will go straight to hell -
and maybe
(just maybe)
We will all come out on the other side.
H.E.R.E.'.S. .DA. .D.A.T.E.S.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 7:30 PM
Opening for the one and Only Obo Martin (Don't Miss this!)
The Monkey House
1638 University ave
Berkeley, CA
website: http://www.monkeyhousetheater.com
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017 7:00 PM
Paul Corman-Roberts Presents "Passages"
Terrace Room of the Lake Merritt Hotel
1800 Madison Ave
Oakland, CA
Friday, March 10th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Saturday, March 11th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, March 12th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Saturday, March 18th, 2017 ALL Day
St Patrick's Day with Celtic Art Studio
Downtown Dublin, CA
Dublin, CA
website: http://www.dublinca.gov/293/St-Patricks-Day-Celebration
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, March 19th, 2017 ALL Day
St Patrick's Day with Celtic Art Studio
Downtown Dublin, CA
Dublin, CA
website: http://www.dublinca.gov/293/St-Patricks-Day-Celebration
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 8 PM
with David Rovics
The Back Room
1984 bonita avenue
Berkeley, CA
website: http://backroommusic.com
February, 2017
San Jose, CA
You may have noticed...
I have not written about the last (general) election
At first I did not want to add to the noise out there...
(and there is alot of NOISE out there!)
then I didn't want to go off half cocked...
then I wasn't sure which direction to fire
because bullets ricochet
in funny directions when you live in a bubble.
One that is floating like the ghosts of Joe Hill, Eugene Debbs and Caesar Chavez...
...and this got me to thinking...
If a ghost can walk through walls -
why doesn't he fall through the floor?
At that point I realized
I was on the edge of something really big... standing upon a great precipice.
And that is probably not a good time to put your best foot forward...
I mean.
I like the metaphor of hell being beneath us...
Because
...Sometimes, ya gotta go through hell...
..Sometimes, ya gotta get down there and wrestle 'dem demons
Hell,...
..Sometimes, ya gotta get down there and jello wrestle 'dem demons.
Just remember... when ya go through hell,
ya gotta keep going -
you'll come out on the other side -
wondering why every one is speaking in Australian accent.
Clearly... in The Trump era... Down is the New Up...
I listened to his speech - His Inaugural address...
(and everything that has transpired since.)
But sticking with the anugural for a moment...
He had these two themes that made me realize...
"America First" and "Make America Great again"
are contradictory statements.
America will be great again, when she sees herself
IN the world
not AS the world.
America will be great again when she treats her neighbors like she would herself.
She will be great again when she realizes that
"first"
implies there is a race in the first place.
an order to the universe...
... in which one could be or become
"First"
Not America First...
Earth First...
America will be great again
when she takes a global view that does not seek to take advantage of the rest of the world...
Labor standards in Bangladesh,
environmental laws in Mexico,
and end to off shore bank accounts...
America will be great again
when she begins to lift up the rest of the world...
export our job safety standards...
export our living wage concepts...
export our Unions...
export our solidarity...
Not so America will be first
so that the people of the world are first.
Instead of joining third world nations on a spiral to the bottom.
In a world where Down is the New Up...
What he is proposing is Nationalism... Pure and simple... and the infrastructure spending... the wall building...
that is being proposed is well... socialism...
it is (in fact)
National Socialism... yes... that is Nazi.
Down is the New Up...
DON'T GET ME WRONG here...
I have never been to bandy about such words
like "Nazi" and Fascist"...
and in many ways don't even think the metaphor is apt.
but in other ways it is spot on...
so if WE are looking for a way forward...
Down is the New Up...
let us grab every crow bar,
every monkey wrench,
every guitar,
every paintbrush
and use them as a tool
to to pry the socialism away from National Socialism
and smother the nationalism with a new global perspective.
America will be great when she sheds her concept of Corporate Oligarchy.
WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL ISSUES:
Please hear this, the handful of southerners I grew up with that actually read my missives
... this Cabinet of Billionaires
could really care less about any of this whako conservative agenda...
Oh sure, they will give money to the church to show they "Care" about social issues.
But, we all know giving money to the church doesn't make you a good person any more than buying tickets to the game makes you a third-baseman.
What the church offers to the rich is - people.
The only thing in the world the 1% does not have
is people -
99% of us to be exact.
But wait a second... within the 99% a whole lotta working class folks voted for Trump!
Poor people. MY people!
What did we do SO wrong
that makes your average red neck
think a guy descending from the Heavens
on a gold plated escalator
in a manhattan skyscraper
has their interests at heart?
Why did they work so hard building a scaffold from which they can can hang a noose and then fight each other over who gets to hang them selves first?
Is that the America First he is talking about?
NO!
To make the world GREAT again, we
WE have to burst our own bubbles!
We have to go out there and yes,
befriend a red neck.
DO NOT INSULT THEM!
befriend them.
Do not drop them from your social media.
Convert them!
If each and every one of us goes out and befriends,
and turns around!
one Trump Supporter
we could make America Great again...
and THAT America
maybe (just maybe)
COULD make the world great again.
Get the red necks on our side...
Make them lose there base...
Because in short,
as long as there is something
resembling a government,
the rich need large numbers of people to support them.
So they will say or do anything to stay in office.
(make them hear this!)
they don't actually care of these social issues.
They don't NEED to care.
They don't LIVE in society.
They have their own police force.
They have their own schools, their own hospitals.
Soon they will have their own military.
I am not afraid of Iran getting the bomb.
I am afraid of Exxon getting the bomb.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
because like I've always said - if you think there is a cutting edge - than you ain't on it.
Which is why I don't think this is that "edgy" of a thought...
...if the rich can cross the lines between right and wrong like ghosts walk through walls - maybe it is time they also fell through the floor. Maybe the will go straight to hell -
and maybe
(just maybe)
We will all come out on the other side.
H.E.R.E.'.S. .DA. .D.A.T.E.S.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 7:30 PM
Opening for the one and Only Obo Martin (Don't Miss this!)
The Monkey House
1638 University ave
Berkeley, CA
website: http://www.monkeyhousetheater.com
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017 7:00 PM
Paul Corman-Roberts Presents "Passages"
Terrace Room of the Lake Merritt Hotel
1800 Madison Ave
Oakland, CA
Friday, March 10th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Saturday, March 11th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, March 12th, 2017 all Day
Sonora Celtic Faire with Celtic Art Studio
The Mother Lode Fair Grounds
Sonora, CA
website: http://sonoracelticfaire.com/index.html
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Saturday, March 18th, 2017 ALL Day
St Patrick's Day with Celtic Art Studio
Downtown Dublin, CA
Dublin, CA
website: http://www.dublinca.gov/293/St-Patricks-Day-Celebration
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, March 19th, 2017 ALL Day
St Patrick's Day with Celtic Art Studio
Downtown Dublin, CA
Dublin, CA
website: http://www.dublinca.gov/293/St-Patricks-Day-Celebration
I will be at this festival all weekend with Jen Delyth
Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 8 PM
with David Rovics
The Back Room
1984 bonita avenue
Berkeley, CA
website: http://backroommusic.com