Public Infidelity

The slaying of New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, past President Bill Clinton, and past Senator John Edwards in the watchful eye of the media was an infringement of their civil liberties. While what should be private personal infidelities are not worthy of public applause, they should not have been used to slander the political careers of these men. Public servants are elected by the people to serve America. Should the term “role model” be applied to them? Is it required a public servant set an example for America with his personal behavior, or is a qualification needed? Is it not possible to make altruistic decisions for America without living the life of Jesus? Jesus was the Son of God. It would be difficult for any mortal man to model the behavior of Jesus, but that is the role of spirituality and religion. God recognizes the fallibility of man, and that was represented by Eve succumbing to the temptation of the snake in the Garden of Eden. Religion and spirituality are meant to be tools used to find moral and ethical strength in the midst of evil temptation. It is interesting the function of religion in America has been skewed in the media, and it almost is inescapable to not think evil plays a role in this erroneous depiction. God loves man and the world, and His intention always has been to care for man. He never has wanted to be enemies with man. Only Satan could set such an example that has crept into American consciousness through the media. Today more than ever it should be crystal clear that evil exists, and it always has. Being aware of evil is a majority of the fight against it. Disguising evil as good is a clever ploy being used in American politics, but the American people are becoming wise. It took the disintegration of our economy and our homes to drive the point home. God expects man to sin, but what He expects through spirituality is for man to be repentant. Man with the conscience God gave him is accountable for his own ethical and moral actions. The separation of church and state allows man to fail in his spiritual life but succeed in his professional life, although it may seem disparate. It could be likely spiritual judgment may effect logic, but it is not a postulate. Philosophy could provide the key to unlocking this complex concept. Human beings vary greatly in nature, and it easily can be recognized men function in differing ways. Some rely on emotion and instinct to make decisions. Other rely on cognitive knowledge or logic. Therefore it is possible a public servant could be effective serving America while being an infidel. Because America is so young, these distinctions have not been common in the history of public service. While America attempts to grow it would be wise to begin to recognize these patterns of behavior. They are well represented in European history and art. It could be said some art uses personal infidelity as its source material, because the well is so deep. Discovering these nuances of human behavior will serve America and make her more able to fend off retaliatory blows from other more forgiving cultures. A quick survey of foreign cultures would bring indispensable knowledge into American philosophy.

Republican Shenanigans

It must be ascertained that the timing of the FBI’s exposure of Rod Blagojevich’s purported conspiracy was intended to skew President-Elect Barack Obama’s transition effort. If the FBI had consulted United States attorneys, then they would have known the time frame necessary to indict Governor Blagojevich. Instead in traditional political wrangling the Republican National Party continued to soil Obama’s transition effort with a scandal. It is a common legal ploy, one for which attorney’s are known. Continuance and distraction often are used in a court of law when no other viable defense or offense exists. The Republicans once again have proven that they are the scourge of America. After Nightline’s synopsis of 2008 it cannot be denied Tom Delay and his merry band of thieves may suffer the same fate as Slobodan Milosevic. If Gingrich and Rove continue to challenge Democrats to a duel, America may step in and demand justice. Only twenty more days for a pardon.

Jumping to Conclusions

The FBI’s conviction of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in the media before he has had a chance to defend himself in court is the perfect example of the unconstitutionality of President George W. Bush’s illegal wiretapping scheme. Even after Congress wholeheartedly rejected Bush’s legislation, citing wartime executive privileges Bush directly went to the communications companies and solicited their cooperation. Blagojevich may be the most visual scapegoat yet, and he is right to defend his good name. In the extremely conservative and politically correct environment that has been created in America, overzealous Republicans tapped a late night phone conversation with Blagojevich. Like the overly reactive and paranoid responses of a population inundated with a campaign of fear and intimidation, FBI agents rushed to the conclusion that a drunken rant would be enough motive for Governor Blagojevich to impeach himself. Like past Durham Attorney General Mike Nifong, the FBI attempted to try Blagojevich’s case in the frenetic pace of television rather than allowing enough time for due process to occur. In a savvy political move Blagojevich appointed past state Attorney General Roland Burris to Obama’s vacated Senate seat despite cries for him to resign from the Illinois governorship. Now Senate Democrats are faced with the politically delicate task of blocking America’s only African-American Senator. Could it get any better?

Nuclear Fall Out

My contention always has been art leads. Without art what model will the world have from which to pattern itself? Does a Renaissance require a Dark Ages? Whence does this Renaissance come? Without enlightenment how will an uneducated society free themselves from oppression? As an artist it is paramount you must remain open to new life experiences. It cannot be denied in art history many discreet and intertwined style periods can be defined. European music also is a good example, but literature and fashion also represent man’s need to change. What determines these style periods, and how do they apply today? When living in our microcosm it could be difficult to understand the macrocosm. That is why history is important. It provides guiding principles from which the human race can learn. Similarly art from differing periods in history are metaphors for the human experiences of that time. How would an artist interpret what has occurred in America? It is important that artists try, because the soul of today rests in their hands. Without modern art our era will be forgotten. The recent history of America all ready is declining. Is it important for America to preserve her history? Yes, because it is these defining moments that give America her soul. 9/11 more clearly could be understood if examined from a historical perspective. That simply could be the rememberance that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in l941. A foreign initiated act of violent aggression has occurred on American soil. Because Hawaii is a conglomeration of islands in the Pacific Ocean its impact could have been considered less severe. America ended this aggression (and World War ll) with two acts of nuclear warfare. In the wake of Nagasaki and Hiroshima the world began a race for nuclear disarmament realizing irresponsible behavior could destroy our world. This experience is one that should be reinforced today, because 9/11 equally was as henious as the bombing of Pearl Harbor. America mistakenly, instead of locating and targeting the movement that planned the attacks on New York’s World Trade Towers, began a foreign war with clandestine motivation. If this decision had to be made again, could the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have chosen to use America’s nuclear capabilities? Was it because America was not ripe with imperialist intention in l941? The Middle East, unlike Japan, offered America a valuable commodity for which they lusted. Tainting that resource with radio active fallout for years to come was not an option. It cannot be refuted America’s history has been disguised. A new regime with covert intentions invaded our country, and only at the end of 2008 is that apparent. Let us hope America triggers her own Renaissance. Hopefully it will be with the influence of foreign cultures that can offer wisdom in the face of our irreverence.

Jesus or Wall Street?

As I sit in my parent’s home listening to the sounds of UGO’s (unidentified gliding objects), I can’t help but be confused. Our local cable channel three’s coverage of the music of Christmas Eve was epic. With precision and forethought their producers orchestrated a broad symphony of music from different corners of America. There was no scripture reading. There were no commercial interruptions. There just was joyous music celebrating the birth of Christ. In these difficult economic times it seemed anachronistic. Churches, in their traditions, resurrected the birth of Jesus effortlessly. They have had many years of rehearsal. The religious calendar is a monumental framework for those who choose to attend church. It provides a logical spiritual framework for life. Historically the mass in Western Civilization was a foundation upon which music was composed. Composers in other centuries dedicated their entire lives to the study and composition of music glorifying God. Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the world’s most famous composers, was a church organist. Composers of his era usually were commissioned by nobility. Mozart, in spite of his musical genius, died a pauper unappreciated and in search of able employment. Church, like opera, could be considered the pinnacle of music composition. Oratorio reaches similar proportions to opera, but it exists in church. It takes its drama from the life of God. In commercial America it seems there is only room for popular music. Karaoke, American Idol, and Guitar Hero like ancient Musica Reservata glorify the experiences of making music. It is folk music easily defined as, “Music for the folks.” The rest of America who relish higher forms of music are forced to exist in a vacuum. That is Capitalism. Capitalism necessitates America rises daily from bed and sells soap. Jazz music is not soap, nor are other European chamber musics. I tried for many years to compete in this commercial arena, but I was defeated for the money. Conservative Southern dough boy opinion decided there was not enough money to go around. I was forced to leave the South and pursue music in a different geographic location. I found success in the Midwest but not without soul searching. Ultimately I had to change my learned compositional perspective. I stopped trying to achieve something more than what was everyday life. It took many years for me to discover the decade of the l980’s was replete with epic Romanticism. While incredibly passionate, artistic, and driven were the themes of the 80’s farfetched? It took many years for me to realize the dream of love was not realistic, or at least in the epic proportions of the 80’s. Southern tradition was a metaphor for this grand scaled Romanticism. Did you get your trophy wife? I gave up trying, because I discovered it is easier not to expect it. Jesus did not look for a trophy wife. He was not married at all. Suddenly it made sense. Traveling light. All of the pretense and disappointment of trying to live your life like a music video was dispelled. With that realization came happiness. The dilemma I face now is whether to dispense with my search of higher music.
Similarly dispensing with my pursuit and creation of artistic music has made life easier. All of the toes upon which you step in the process are shielded. All of the minds you can influence are left unchanged. Is this what God wants? While “Traveling Light,” healing the sick, and remaining prudent may suit Jesus, humans serve a different function. We have to live here on earth, not in heaven. We do not have angels. We do not have peace and serenity. We are left scrambling to put the pieces of life together for ourselves. Christianity always only has been a guide to the prudent interpretation of religion in our modern context. You have to pick and choose what tenants of organized religion best suit you. That means you have to know something about life, and that comes from education and schooling. The less of either you have the more difficult it is to make these decisions. As a result religion has gotten a bad rap in America. Bill Maher may be religion’s number one adversary, because he himself does not understand. Organized religion in America like Wall Street has been misappropriated. It has been exploited for selfish personal greed, and its traditional democratic function has been subverted. These ideals that have made America great over the years have been diluted by evil. The most difficult part of battling evil is to discern it from good. Wall Street’s example to the world is undeniable as was the presidency of George W. Bush. When traditional American ideals resurface it will be easier to put the pieces back together. Redefining America’s history is not an option. When media stops playing devil’s advocate and once again begins to take stock in America, evil will subside. It is possible to survive a failed relationship, and Jesus was born on Christmas day to show humanity we have something Else upon which to rely. What would you choose? Wall Street or Jesus? American Idol or church?

Freedom Through Christianity

God’s lessons in the Bible attempt to educate man to his potential failings. Any self-conscious human being would embrace this schooling. Only the minute minds of atheists could be as bold to attempt to put man’s failings above God’s wisdom. This human condition about what God attempts to teach in the Bible is an examination of the possibilities of human interaction. Humans were not meant to live in isolation, and attempting to live in peace and harmony with God is the mission of Christianity. It is a set of principles that attempt to allow us to live happy fulfilled lives, but with the presence of God our creator. To eliminate Him from human existence is blasphemy. What God offers mankind through Christianity is substantial, and there are ten broad rules to which we must attempt to adhere. History is the next best education, and it would seem the oldest civilizations could offer the most wisdom. America is a young country and although pioneering in many areas of human freedoms, she gravely fell short in others. Slavery was one, and as a result is the existing soul of America. This examination of American human oppression, while maybe seeming anachronistic now, clarifies the philosophy of America. The roots to which Americans aspire clearly are defined by her own slavery experience. We as a country have not strayed far from these human oppressions, and without constant and vigilant pursuit of civil liberties America will become subject to the same atrocities as Mussolini’s Italy, Stalin’s Russia, and Hiter’s Nazi Germany.

Wall Street Agnostics

Wall Street should be considered the self-deluded wunderkind. It was a noble attempt, the pilgrimage to New York in the Mayflower that ended inside the tip of Cape Cod on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. English separatists in search of religious freedom had found crude and rural hospices in the Historical Triangle of Colonial Virginia. Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg, with the exception of the growing of tobacco, proved to be formidable adversaries to survival. Mosquitoes, tidal rains, hostility from native-Americans, and starvation all challenged these pilgrims. Their quest for freedom in Calvinist theology persevered. Their sentiment today is not being championed, and on the anniversary of Christ’s birth American television continues to be filled with blasphemous images. A holy war is raging, but it is being fought within the confines of American media. In a different age of enlightened Americans no doubt could be created about the historical foundations of our country. It was taught in school. With a “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation” Hitler’s Nazi tactics covertly have been thrust upon the American people. With sugarcoated candy caned smiles businesses and government have fed the American people hemlock disguising an attempted coup de tat. Ironically that coup was not an uprising against the American government. It was against her people. Every guiding principal of America’s founding fathers and her Constitution have been skewed toward a wealthy elite leaving mainstream America writhing in disbelief. “Has this ever happened? The American people have been duped into an extreme and inexplicable agenda of oil barons?” So it seems the fat lady has sung, and while long in the coming America’s system of “Check and Balances” has ruled. That is because it had to. Capitalism is a tenuous and fragile economic system and unlike battalions of soldiers cannot survive without nurturing. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, Wall Street took fruit from the forbidden tree and offered it to no one but themselves. In America’s formative years the truly maverick and genius minds of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln ensured the longevity of the United States. Today because of the disintegration of our public educational system America's philosophy is not being maintained. Our schooling has been usurped, and our media has become possessed by extreme fascist ideals. It would be only time before America became subject to the same tests of Western Civilization. Astute scholars and countrymen would embrace the lessons of history as wisdom to solve America’s problems. Fascist Nazi culture would attempt to eradicate it.

Nazi America

“We only allow nationalistic art in our museum.” “We do not embrace the music of the devil.” What is next? “Only Aryans are worthy of million dollar bonuses and corporate jets?” 9/11 was an act of mass genocide. Has Islam Extremism been as methodical as the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz? The unequivocal answer is yes. While America has been immunized against the truth, the war in Iraq has been every bit as deadly as the war in Viet Nam. We in America intravenously have been fed opiates in attempt to disguise this truth. We have been fed propagandist pop music. We have been fed fictional video games. We have been fed inane tabloid television. The truth has been festering, and only a truth of this magnitude has the power to subvert the global influence of petroleum. This truth is so mammoth it is difficult to swallow. Sometimes one must bow his head and pray. Bowing the head attempts to deflect the evil. We have been living in a Nazi regime. Jazz music has lost it soul. America has lost the breeding ground of its only art form, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their homes. America’s soul has been excised, dissected, and scattered in the wind by Hurricane Katrina. Our rights have been abolished. Our money has been stolen. Our resources have been squandered. Our land has been commandeered. We have been fighting the Nazis, and we don’t even know it.

Dr. Christian Szell- the White Angel

The dying era of Politically Correct changed American terminology. “How do you fuck up a hot dog?” Where have all our icons gone? Where did Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, AIDS, Herpes, SARS, and Bird Flu go? How could diseases that were so prevalent and so chronic lose their way down the path of American life? Is it because the diseases have waned, or is it because media has made a conscious decision no longer to report on them. Why is it no one has decided to call Islam Extremism Fascism? Was it because we were trying to be Politically Correct? Political Correctness was an easy out. It was a term coined to paint a façade over the failings of the American government. When a historical perspective is ignored, it only can be because current politicians do not have the integrity to study what has come before their own lives. It is like living in a child’s world where real events that severely effect human life do not exist. Like the tepid landscape of a Japanese-made video game, humans are baited and then shielded from reality. The American economy has been shielded from reality for almost a decade, and as government leaders are discovering there is no ammo dump from which to refuel. You can only reap what you sew, and the United States has not been sewing anything. A young, naïve, and childish presidency primed this pump. While Ralphie was looking for his Red Ryder BB gun, a fascist has been pulling the strings of the American government. Calling Islam Extremism anything other than fascism is merely a way to builds its ego. This movement and the outgoing White House are a selfish and self-deluded vacuum of evil attempting to bring attention to themselves. How appropriate Bush explained it in no uncertain terms. “By throwing shoes he was bringing attention to himself.” By creating and furthering fascism under the Politically Correct pseudonym of Islam Extremism, a virgin playing field was created in an attempt to win the big game. Wiping out your opponent and its history is the lowest Republican ploy defined by George Orwell himself. It is the lowest of the low, and that is what America has had for eight long years. It is hitting below the belt. It is shouting religious vulgarities from behind the thin veil of the World Wide Web. It is weak. It is insipid. It is cowardly, and it is gay. The traditions of humanity have sustained for a reason. It is because certain things about the human race will never change. The Olympics are an institution. Religion is an institution, and no matter how much the gay agenda wants to change it they cannot. The theatre of the absurd in which America has been living was the true test of our existence. If we as Americans did not see through this ploy, we would have lost this country. Still no one has been bold enough to say we have had a Nazi as a vice-president for eight years, and he has been leading the fascist onslaught from beneath a well-armored turret. They are small men attempting to win on a self-created miniature playing field, and now the world is watching.

Is Television to Die in the Bottom of a Whiskey Bottle?

It is difficult to stop railing on American media, but it is impossible. I should make a distinction between radio and television and the internet. Maybe I should make a distinction television, the internet, and video games but producers haven’t. A game programmer in California when interviewed a few years ago said the mission statement of their company was to blur the boundaries between reality and video entertainment. Anyone who has read George Orwell knows “Newspeak” is a bad idea. His novel “l984” was a satire of ultimate destiny of world politics and government. The blurring continues, and it has evolved into a full-scale assault on the human senses. No human being can attempt to decipher the deluge of computer graphics juxtaposed onto traditional television programming. Concept has been abandoned in television programming except in one case. Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy performance on Late Night with David Letterman recently, like Jennifer Anniston’s appearance, was a breath of fresh air. It was refreshing to see a comedy routine that embodied “concept.” Concept, like form in classical music, is a structure upon which improvisation can occur. Concept insures the performance will possess integrity and therefore meaning to the viewer. It means simply the routine is not an extemporaneous potpourri of extraneous thoughts with little historical organization. All good art has concept. The majority of media in America has lost its concept. A simple concept would be the presentation of the national nightly news. This is a half hour form, not unlike the situation comedy, but addresses much different needs. It is approaching a national audience, so colloquial issues are inappropriate. Colloquial issues are addressed on local news programs. With the advent of cable television many concepts have been diluted or abandoned completely. Music television, once a ground-breaking national icon, has been demoted to tabloid television. Surfing through the channels one realizes that there is very little delineation between programming. CNN is expanding its programming including the comedy of D.L. Hughley. Not long ago there was a simple, concise, and viable pallet of viable cable programming. I observed it at a Comfort Inn in Black Mountain, North Carolina. They had satellite television service and in addition to the above average audio quality, everything a viewer needed to become informed or entertained was included in 23 basic channels. Then programming was still conceptual, and one would not feel the inherent schizophrenia involved with today’s television viewing. How can viewers not feel this blurring of fantasy and reality and loss of concept cannot be purposeful? Simply it seems the “Stream of Consciousness” style of web-surfing has been applied to traditional television programming concept. No moment seems to be immune from the interruption of future advertising or simple distraction from the intent of the programming. There is a virtual war transpiring between the programming itself and the purveyors of the programming. The producers seem to have no understanding of what their programming is trying to accomplish. It truly is schizophrenic and posses many of the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. American Jazz music often it is said died in the bottom of a bottle of a whiskey. Is it time for American television to die in the bottom of a P.C.?

Marilyn Anniston

Jennifer Anniston’s presence on Late Night with David Letterman recently resurrected Marilyn Monroe. If it didn’t, it should have. In the declining world of film and television there are fewer and fewer presences that offer the viewer a glimpse of glamour. Glamour is all but dead in America, pulled into the grave by Islam Extremists. Most of the arts in America are dead, and all it has taken is a boatload of terrorists wearing towels on their heads and sporting RPG’s. While the ramifications of 9/11 cannot and should not be disputed, the disruption of American culture should be. Many of the traditions that have made America great have come to untimely deaths as a result of 9/11. The terrorists not only were successful tearing a hole in American national security, but they tore an even larger hole in our culture. They planted their own seeds of doubt about the credibility of America. America is a duality that traditionally has been defined by the disparity between Democrats and Republicans. Suddenly with the emergence of Extreme Islam and holy war, our own political philosophies shifted. How did this happen? It is probable that current American media hungry for fodder pursued a course of revenue without pondering its longterm effects. They easily were duped by a band of militant, violent, and angry malcontents shooting arrows at freedom and democracy. So far we have yet to recover. In the last decade the term “Free Market” has come to mean “Free Range” with “no holds barred.” Television has sunk to its lowest level of moral and ethical programming attempting to appeal to what they see as mainstream America. Tabloid media always has underestimated mainstream America, but is there a reason? If our state and federal governments sorely neglect public education in America, whence are our children to learn? Tabloid television is not a viable substitute. Television was an easy prostitute for fast money, and now as a nation we are reaping its ill consequences. Reality shows, tabloid soap operas, and talents contest have blurred the boundaries of reality skewing a much lower perception of American life than traditional life in America. Any brief survey will show America is below the world’s bar in almost every achievement. If the intent of this de-education was to coerce an ignorant America into buying products out of their reach, they succeeded. Millions of Americans bought homes with sub-prime mortgages paying more than their homes were worth. This trend began in the early l990’s as a “Housing Bubble,” and it would be only time before the smoke screen cleared and realistic values once again were ascribed. Isn’t it tragic a collapse of the credit and banking industries is what necessitated the balancing of values? It seems America’s “Fight Club” has occurred and without Tyler Durden. Instead we got Hank Paulson, a traitor ensconced squarely in the Tory tradition. His and George W. Bush’s smoke screen still is fully engaged, and the country has nary an idea what has happened to three hundred billion of their tax dollars. With only forty more days until a formal changing of the guard in the United States federal government, it has been proven things can get worse. Paulson wants the rest of the money now. John Adams has confessed to sanctioning war crimes at the Guantanamo Detention Camp, and the U.S.S.R has sailed three of their navy vessels into Havana Bay for the first time since the end of the “Soviet Era” in l991. Needless to say Anniston’s presence of late night TV was a breath of fresh air.

My Christmas List

Dear Santa,

I would like America to become “skater friendly” like it was in the late l970’s. Skateboarder Magazine sold more magazines from the 7/11 shelves during that era than all other magazines combined. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from skating.
I would like America to become “dirt bike rider friendly.” In my hometown there are more “open pipe” Harley-Davidson motorcycles than there are on/off the road bikes. They make more noise than a diesel dump truck, and they seem not to be regulated by the E.P.A. Meanwhile I have to sweat bullets to even think about riding my harmless pleasure machine. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from motorcycle riding.
I would like jazz music and other individual forms of artistic human expression to flourish. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from The Arts.
I would like tuition to go down at both private and public institutions of higher learning. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from Harvard, Yale, or Brown’s Endowments.
I would like teacher’s salaries to go up. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from our children’s educations.
I would like the cost of health care to go down to reasonably payable levels. Pharmaceutical companies are going to make lots of investment capital off of inflated and overwritten prescriptions.
I would like America’s natural resources once again to be preserved. Wouldn’t it be nice to see dirt track racing on the beaches of Daytona again? Wall Street all ready has squandered most of their money made from bad real estate investments including our American waterfront.
I would like the concept of Political Correctness to vanish from the face of the earth forever. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from millions of screaming rock music fans, but the record companies did. Oh forgot, Apple, iTunes and the mp3 have put the record companies out of business.
I would like the P.C. to vanish from the face of this earth forever along with Bill Gates. He can leave Word 4 behind. (for the Macintosh)
I would like to see the “Big Three” American automakers transplant their entire businesses to other countries. Wall Street is not going to make investment capital from their bankruptcies. Oil companies can make investment capital from them, as long as it doesn’t go to George W. Bush.
I would like America’s interstate highways once again to become motorist friendly. Wall Street is not going to lose investment capital from regulating diesel trucking.
I would like large retail stores to shrivel into thousands of viable “Mom and Pop” stores. Wall Street may lose some investment capital from the disappearance of Target, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart, but “So What?”
I would like AC Traction to vanish from the face of the earth forever. Maybe the CSX-T Corporation will lose investment capital, but “So What?” Millions of Americans instantly will be relieved from their Attention Deficit Disorder, Panic/Anxiety Disorder, and Bi-Polar Disease. (Well, maybe not everyone)
I would like the gay agenda to become stealth. Wall Street will not lose investment capital if America becomes straight, again.
I would like television and radio to have a Renaissance. Wall Street will earn venture capital for a resurgence of quality media.
I would like for the war in Iraq to end. Halliburton will lose millions in investment capital, but Cheney can try to retrieve the diamonds from Thomas Levy. “Is it safe?”
I can’t think of anything else at the moment.


Love,

Bobby

Was James Dean Really Jesus?

Democracy in our American Republic is misunderstood. So is the Free Market. Ever since I graduated from high school, instinctively I knew I had no faith in American Capitalism. It was too difficult to understand. How could Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and other torch singers find such success? They always would thank the Creator. Who made those decisions who was afforded that magical Disney-like success? The decade of the l980’s was unlike no other in American history. It was laced with artistry, passion, and excess. Couldn’t it figuratively be represented by the notion of Romanticism? The 80’s were an organic time where fashion, art, and love were paramount to American existence. The 80’s possessed the moxy of the l950’s, the love-in sentiment of the l960’s, and the acidity and urgency of Viet Nam in the l970’s. America was ripe to live and live in a way that was pleasant to her. Enough war. It was not until much later a value judgment was made, and Times Square, once a pinnacle of human freedom and expression, became Disney. Disney? Who decided what once was a Mecca of adult freedom now deserved cartooning? We were supposed to begin to believe life in America was a fairy tale, and the test of life magically would work itself out? We were duped to believe America had security with which to relax our Socratic ideals. No longer were we supposed to doubt our government, our media, and our society. We were expected to believe. “Believe in Yourself,” while the infrastructure of America came tumbling down. America always has possessed attitude. Attitude was seen in our iron horse, our Rock ‘n’ Roll, and our muscle cars. Fonzy showed us how to be tough and soft at the same time, a formula for success in America. Proposition 8 teaches us how to be soft, and now is not the time to be soft. With the foundations of America crumbling, what we don’t need is uncertainty in our religion. As Time and Newsweek continue to shoot arrows through the concept of God, hedonistic Americans continue to pitch an agenda of self-absorption and narcissism. To this day America still does not get God’s sacrifice of His only Son. It would seem we need new Christian Crusades through America to spread the good word. The word is humans don’t get for themselves. What is more important is you realize that getting for yourself is fruitless. Only then are you free to live like Jesus. Jesus could be the Easy Rider. Jesus could be James Dean. Jesus could be John Wayne. Jesus was not soft. Jesus was not a push-over. Jesus knew the drill, and that was that life was hard. Hiding in selfish sentimentality is not the Christian way.

Is Our Republic Raveling from Misunderstanding?

How is it that the future of the United States got dumped on Barack Obama’s plate? The token black man, like a terrible Ivey League hazing gone awry, got stuck holding the hash. “Hurry up, man! Run! Here come the cops,” and Barack Obama is left with the refuse of an epic scale fallen Republican Party. Funk-O-Meter Reading: Republican Party, that neutron star in earth’s orbit. Barack Obama, gristle, fat, and bone. Was a “Dead Men Walking” sequel released? Suddenly all comprehension of our American Republic just flew south. Vamoosed. The term “free market” became “put your hand in the cookie jar.” There were no parents around to discipline the spoiled children. How could the federal government fail on a massive scale with no safety net? Dick Cheney continues to guffaw at the thought that the American people are smart enough to decipher Haliburton. “The only time it matters what the American people think is when they are voting,” Dick said when he set the example for Rod Blagojevich. With Italian mafia condescendence, impudence, and self-confidence Cheney laughs in the face of the people. Illinois has decided to pursue the impeachment process if Blagojevich doesn’t resign. Why has America not done the same to Bush and Cheney? Is it because we are afraid? Paul Revere and the Militiamen sealed the fate of the Revolutionary War. It was not our government. It was the common man who took up arms under the rights of the Constitution and defended his honor and country. Appalachians, after a two week march over the rugged mountains of North Carolina, defeated Cornwallis at King’s Mountain. Arrogant puff-chested Redcoats were defeated by Americans fighting in the style of Native-Americans. They learned from the people from whom we took this country. We will never win in Afghanistan or Iraq, just like we couldn’t win in Viet Nam. Men fighting on foreign soil never will win against men born on that soil. Our Constitution outlines that. “A well-armed militia made up of common citizens will be responsible for the preservation of the country.” That is Iraq. That is Afghanistan. America has adopted a double standard to believe otherwise. In the Bush White House there is grave misunderstanding of America’s principles. It is an unraveling of the Republic. There has been an unraveling of the “free market.” America’s hearty, bold, empowering, and liberal Constitution allows Americans the right to choose. We empower the human being, his brain, and his heart to function with respect. We do not put the burden of justice on the system. We put that responsibility where it should be placed, on the individual. The individual in America gets to choose. We get the respect of being respected. That is the freedom other countries seek. George W. Bush is an anomaly. While running up a 3 trillion dollar price tag for his failed presidency, Bush still touts the attributes of a “free society.” He was not angered when a newsman through shoes at him at a press conference. He embraced it almost as if to challenge someone to call his bluff of his American presidency, but no one has. No one has challenged his unconstitutional rule. In the lineage of America’s soiled political past, no one has raised a musket, a sword, or a rotten tomato to Mr. Bush. Why? It is because some discreet, unseen, impotent force has influenced America. Our Elvi, our muscle cars, and our cowboys have been castrated for something else. Is it Proposition 8? Is America to revel in failure, insecurity, and false sentiment? Are we no longer to revel in achievement, accomplishment, and success? It is a tenuous line to toe. Do we want security and acceptance, or are we still prepared to fight the enemy? It seems in Bush’s case we have chosen the former. We as Americans are too lazy, fat, and stupid to have seen the enemy burrow into our government. Have we been brainwashed to no longer care about our government? Is it now inconsequential? These eight years of abuse have proven that we as Americans are not afforded that luxury. We must understand our government. An unraveling of the Republic is not an option.

The Empowered Impoverished

It is confounding that irreverent and gluttonous lawmakers are demanding a cut in salary for autoworkers under the Big Three. The disparity that is being championed in Congress needs to clarified. The North American Free Trade Agreement enacted during Bill Clinton’s tenure as United States President was the beginning of the grift. Painfully as some lesson are learned, American businesses discovered attempting to transplant American work ideals to foreign cultures is not always successful. The idea of utilizing cheap foreign labor for traditional American jobs may have been tempting, but philosophically it proved a failure. Wall Street largely was responsible for the collapse of the Mexican peso by bloating these industrial futures. Mexico it seems was not ready to embrace the ideals of mainstream America. While NAFTA failed supporters of Globalization turned elsewhere. Further abandoning the American people businesses turned to Asia as a source of cheap labor. Only affluent business owner were to benefit from this move. What was to become of the rest of America and her middle class? It seems our Senate believes no one in the United States deserves a fair wage except our lawmakers. As Congress continues to approve the maximum tuition hike each year for colleges and universities allowed by federal law, sources of income to meet these inflationary measures disappear. Not long ago the landscape of America was overtaken by a string of retail stores. America’s emphasis on developing and producing quality goods waned and in its place emerged cheap retail jobs. “You can always be a greeter at WalMart,” the saying goes. Almost overnight the entity of the Soccer Mom was born. While she could be seen as an independent, mini-van driving, liberated woman the reality is she is a mother dependent upon two incomes to support the traditional American Dream. “Somewhere in Time” as the song pines, there was a time when the middle class lived a good life in America. Some political faction decided otherwise and the Walmart Greeter was born. Who decided this? Who decided America, like every other third world country, was contracted to the classism that created poverty in Africa? The disappearance of the middle class in America is the most unnerving of recent political ramifications. It can’t help but be discerned that Republicans want nothing more than the wealthy coffers from which the British monarchy have been feeding for the last two centuries. Is another American Revolution at hand? Americans are developing an understanding of this elitist dogma, and the ousting of federal Republicans can not come more quickly. As the retiring totalitarian regime is forced from office, they cannot help but pluck from the vine the ripe grapes of America’s former glory. Isn’t it time some hands were severed and some heads roll into the guillotine basket? If an 800 billion dollar bail out of Wall Street were not enough, incumbent Republicans still are looking at ways to soil America’s next president even before he takes office.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Rich

Defining a nation is a difficult task. America has become bloated. With bloating comes the responsibility of understanding the invading parasite and finding a remedy to prevent its future recurrence. Bloating often occurs at the onset of stress. When an entity becomes confused and threatened, it often begins to harbor basic elements to ensure its survival. Unlike a fit and well-trained machine that by sheer Pavlovian operant conditioning has been trained to accomplish a mission, Americans have been malnourished. Not only has our main educational opportunity been subverted, our traditional and cooperative entertainment mechanisms have deteriorated. In a plea for sanity and sustenance upon a bleak and barren playground, Americans without mentorship over-consumed. In a flighty and failed attempt to prepare for the future, Americans conversely have accumulated debt, weight, and immorality. One look at our traditional source of information explains it candidly. Nowhere it seems is there a clear and concise representation of clean healthy living. The mainstream, what once was the picture perfect depiction of American life, no longer exists. We have globalization. What once was a cemented torch of dignity to the rest of the world, American, now is a hazy and misrepresented psychotic episode. How did this happen? Was God’s overt system of “Checks and Balances” engaged to immunize America from globalization? Is it really such a good idea for each foreign and unique culture to abandon their own in exchange for American ideals? What the rest of the world has always wanted has been freedom, but as they quickly are learning that freedom does not come without a monetary price. Capitalism only has remained successful with its stringent boundaries, because just as the American people have become bloated so has our capitalist system. There is no such entity as a “land of plenty.” Freedom is granted with great sacrifice, and the millions of immigrant Americans that traversed the oceans to settle here have given. They have given with the sweat from their hands and the blood from their hearts, and it is to those individuals America owes her history. The working class was for whom America was made, and with the Senate’s rejection of a financial bailout for Detroit’s automakers they made their philosophy clear. “America is for the rich.”

Detroit, America's Sacrifical Lamb?

Isn’t it interesting that the United States Congress voted to bail out a corrupt, selfish, and non-contrite Wall Street, yet when asked to bail out one of America’s foundations of industry, they refused. Republicans voted to give Republicans taxpayers money, but those same Republicans stymied a Detroit automakers bailout. Nancy Pelosi, in what has appears to have been a substantive overview of American automakers policies, scolded the CEO’s of the big three like they were spoiled children. She remarked that the big three have “battled Congress tooth and nail,” over government regulation. Behind the closed doors of the Bush White House America is not familiar with this battle. We were not aware the auto manufacturers themselves were being recalcitrant to Al Gore’s ideas about the internal combustion engine. We know that Republicans bought the vote in Florida to get George W. Bush elected, and with that victory Gore’s notions about automobiles and Global Warming were transplanted to Georgetown University away from the White House. It is extremely interesting to note that our American government has attempted to guide the big three in a conservative direction. Why do I find that hard to believe? Why would Republicans give Wall St. billions of dollars and yet use Detroit as a vulnerable scapegoat? Is it the irony and immediacy of the media? Is it a knee jerk reaction? There are many Americans that believe Detroit has not kept up with Japanese automakers. Like the political disparity between the Left and the Right, it seems you either like Toyotas or Fords, cats or dogs, or straight or gay. Detroit has continued to manufacture cars without necessarily duping the American people into sub-prime mortgages that necessitate foreclosure on their homes. Americans can choose which cars to buy, and apparently in the American housing market that isn’t quite true. There is a monopoly on home loans, and therefore it seems anti-trust laws should apply to Wall Street. Has Detroit bullied the American people into bundling Fords into their everyday operating systems? American have been free to choose which automobiles suit their needs and desires, and as budgeting adults we have been faced with the task of knowing which cars we can afford to operate. Credit fraud crept into Americans’ lives easing the pain from our realization that we can’t really afford what we want. We were baited and switched, and Wall Street’s conundrum equally is responsible for Detroit and our homes. Why should Congress discern differently? That is the question.

Crime Scene Extreme

The key to art and the key to being an influential talk show host is the ability to have your finger on the pulse of America. No one accomplishes such a task better than veteran weatherman David Letterman. Letterman brings with him to national TV a dry but poignant sarcasm about life in the Midwest. It is in stark contrast to the congenial hospitality of the American South. Most pundits of television realize “edge” is more interesting than “syrup,” but has modern American TV gone too far? Without a firm foundation in mainstreet America, sarcasm easily can become slanderous incitation to holy war. That is what Islam Extremism has taught America. Instead of fighting America on the battlefield with battalions of infantrymen, Extremism is attacking America in her breadbasket. Extremism, whether America knows it or not, has become firmly ensconced in our media lives. How does mainstreet America feel about it? Are we as a country even able to recognize the demise of traditional American values? It seems current television media is banking on the latter. If America’s youth is shielded from television history, modern media producers never will be responsible for developing programming that meets the same qualifications. It’s kind of like shoveling shit. If shit is all you have, then it don’t look so bad. Fortunately a majority of America are not youth, and with a little scrutiny can remember the difference between disposable and long-lasting media programming. Who was it that decided that there should be hundreds of cable channels? Did they stop to realize that to produce television there must be studios. A studio does not by definition spontaneously create its own programming. It only is a soundstage upon which programming can be broadcast and recorded. Without writers, actors, and technicians television can be nothing more than self-indulgent jealousy. The MIDI boom of the l980’s taught television and film producers one composer and musician sitting in such a music studio could provide music for a show. The depth of that music though lies in the soul of the experiences of that musician. Hiring someone without those experiences or at least an understanding of those experiences yields nothing but a less satisfying replication of real life. That is what we have on television today. In the reality tradition we watch the gamut of young, dumb, and full-of-cum adolescents struggle through life. Is this really what we want to take the place of traditional television from the Golden Age? Is America smart enough to be able to discern the difference between the longstanding tradition of television and what we have now? Television is extreme. Like 9/11 mainstreet has become tired of the constant reminder. Can we move on?

CSI- Jay Leno

The legacy of the late Johnny Carson is an imposing one. Few figures in show business can measure up to the self-discipline imposed by Johnny Carson on his Tonight Show. Jay Leno walked into a success and made off with the goods, and since nothing about the Tonight Show has been interesting. Television in general, like governmentally imposed P.C., has taken to sucking up rather than being cutting edge. The great renegade maverick that was television now is but a cheap fix of crack that wears off within minutes. How is it crack became a model for television and movies? Is it that the newest drugs, free-based cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, have taken over the role of LSD, acid, heroin, and pot in the 70’s? We as a society have moved from psychotropic mind-numbing drugs to amphetamines, because the peaceful vibration of that era now is extinct. Man has proven he can save entities from the brink of extinction, and it is time to prove the feel good, carefree, love-in attitude of the Beatnic Era is not lost forever. Who wants to live with this continuous antagonistic Left vs. Right, Campaign of Fear and Intimidation, psychotic-laden world? The drugs of the 70’s were peaceful. While there was violence in Viet Nam, drug use was an anodyne that attempted to shield Americans from its effects. The Right has painted pop culture from that era as self-indulgent and addictive. Is disco dancing and having sex such a sin? Polluting the airwaves with the immoral decadence of war is more of a sin. Politicians are proving on a daily basis their façade of a moral America is nothing but Satan’s hot air. Now with Extremism, he is slinging mud attempting to bring America down to its lowest level. Passing the buck is the only resource for a shallow, untalented, Republican mandate. With the recent mergers of telecommunications media, the traditions that steadfastly have perservered through their sheer passion for the arts have been debased. Artistic content, the concept that has fueled quality television since its inception, has been abandoned for disposable product. In a clever guise to cover its decision television producers began masturbating so-called mainstream America by placing them in front of the camera. Magically America began entertaining herself, but with the demise of the public educational system mainstream America became lost. The heart and soul that produced television shows like “Leave It to Beaver,” “I Love Lucy,” and “Hazel,” was forced to retire and the model of American life was lost. It is a startling and strange juxtaposition to understand this era of television and turn on the TV now. What we once looked to for moral guidance and uplifting now is a treacherous pit of adultery. Elite Japanese businessmen thought by buying Hollywood they could become part of the movie industry. Their lesson was learned the hard way that the Arts are not pop culture. Video games are pop culture. Comic books are pop culture. Somehow music, film, and television in America remained immune to influences of Satan. Now with the collapse of federal government’s ability to lead and Wall Street’s ability to balance their budget, not much is left. Moving Jay Leno to prime time is not going to solve anything, other than NBC’s responsibility of developing and producing prime time programming.

Reality TV is Expended

The recent transgression in television media has come full circle. The creator of the popular modern television series Crime Scene Investigation was being interviewed for his response to Jay Leno’s hiring by NBC for prime time. Instead of trying to develop a new show involving the complex processes of the Fine Arts, NBC chose simply to harvest a tried and true formula founded by Jack Benny and Johnny Carson. “We’ll just move Jay to prime time instead of losing an iconic comic to Conan O’Brien.” The more prudent question is whether Conan really was the right choice for the Tonight Show host. With Johnny Carson’s recent death, like the rest of television programming, a huge non-conceptual black hole of self-gratification could be created. The commentator asked Anthony Zuiker why it was so expensive to produce a “scripted” television program. For anyone with a faint understanding of the Fine Arts could there be a more inane question? Watching a PBS special on the inception of television partially could provide answers. Television came AFTER motion pictures, therefore the concept of scripting a program came from the movies. Movies, as America knows, are not cheap. When television became a reality the notion of it being seen “live” was groundbreaking. While the crew had a script, rehearsal time, and experience from which to draw there was a visceral aspect of being seen live in millions of television viewer’s home that was drug-like. Television’s recent mutation to Reality TV could have satisfied two different requirements. First it brought back that element of live drama to America’s living rooms. Second and probably more important it circumvented the need for expensive production. With the disposable age of America fully engaged, why spend money on moot points? The answer is for advertisers to spend money on airtime there had better be a quality platform upon which to sell their soap. Does a Reality TV show have that integrity? With the recent propagation of web-based entertainment television has become desperate. To solve their problems, just as America needs, a convergence with their past is crucial. As any Fine Artist astutely understands, without a firm understanding of ones history no definable future is possible. Television is shooting in the dark, and anyone over the age of thirty can attest to that truism. Can CSI really be compared with iconic television shows such as Dallas, Miami Vice, Baywatch, and Seinfeld? CSI does not hold a candle to such productions, and it probably is all about the money. Slick artistic design goes a long way in holding an audiences’ visual attention, but any purveyor of the dramatic arts knows that human content is the key. While murders relating to human existence may be commanding on the surface, the human entity offers a much wider stage of exploration. I like to call them the holy trinity of the human being. It could be the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost had something to do with it. We as human beings have three discreet realms with which to deal. First to be explored by the newborn baby is the human body. There are sensory sensations created by the great human pleasure machine. Quickly as a baby finds out through exploration, pain is equally as accessible if one is not careful. Second to be discovered are the human emotions. As one begins to interact with society more, seeming undeniable “reactions” are created in the soul demanding attention by the third element, the brain. The brain is the cognitive processor in the human that is capable of controlling both of the previously mentioned aspect of the human trinity. Each day we get out of bed in modern society we are faced with the task of understanding and guiding each of these three roles. The ultimate set of “Checks and Balances” balances precariously within the human entity. When times were simpler it was not so difficult to govern the human mechanism. Because man has crossed spiritual boundaries formerly reserved for the human psyche, conflict has been created. Electronic energy now exists in the atmosphere confusing the electrical processes of the human brain and emotional system. The most youthful generation of America complains of the FINE syndrome, “Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.” Certainly with America’s financial system on the brink of melt down, the human being’s system is being overtaxed. In such a delicate environment it seems disposable living is not a prudent option. Stability is what American’s seek, and they are not going to reap that through Reality TV. Watching freak shows on daytime television does nothing to instill any sense of logic or accomplishment in Americans. When America was on the cusp of financial dominance, then the freak show could be merited as harmless diversion from the grind of life. With America’s infrastructure breaking down anything television can do to shore up our ailing self-worth will be a boon. “Fess it up TV. Show me the money, hire some real actors, composers, and technicians and put America back to work.” The age of “Free TV” is over.