Conserveral

Thank goodness this web log is run by a pro-life Catholic with strong conservative slants in many areas. If the author passionately pursued left wing ideals and accepted purely liberal values, then the political action motivation writing could significantly weaken many core values on the periphery of our society. Those areas need a strong platform of moral stability more than anywhere else. Liberal humanism has little to do with politics and everything to do with day to day interaction and work. People who have seen the most grueling and difficult conditions in our nation can accept human behavior at levels that did not exist when bastions of political conservatism were young, and yet still cling solidly to their own old fashioned backgrounds. No conflict exists between those schools of thought, merely expanded levels of tolerance among younger people, and note that younger does not mean young.

Citizens who have reached rock bottom would find little comfort in changing governmental regulations and representation, even if they are the object of the endeavors. For example, someone who has contracted HIV through heterosexual sex or drug use may not even have known they were at risk and will be reeling from the diagnosis. They will need well established guidelines for finding care beyond diagnosis. They could very well need substance abuse treatment or shelter from domestic abuse, in the case of prostitutes will eventually find nothing but anger when they can no longer return to their "partner" with money. Liberal thinkers show great strength of character and tenacity in the face of adversity when confronting the realities of those nightmare situations alongside the people trapped in them Social workers and institutional intermediaries by category of their education demonstrate liberal understanding and knowledge, and that has nothing to do with their core values. Those living through the hardship must regain acceptance in their community, at least in their own minds, even if on the surface private matters never revealed the ostracism. In those matters they turn to churches, they turn to the solid foundations, they go back to the standards they know will not be abandoned and where they will not find themselves facing their problems alone. That's just an example. There are a myriad of ways in which liberal thought and conservative values must be inseparable to be effective.

The man who owns these written words never abandoned the old fashioned beliefs and sentiments. Yarns and stories about our nation the way it was before the cities grew and swallowed the countryside in state after state, handed down by our elders, always carry with them a special appeal and allure. That country has not been forgotten, nor have our traditions and doctrines been altered by the passage of time. The images and music of the past have a place, but nothing brings the antique back to life and makes it new again besides the power of our language. Therein true magic resides.

Make no mistake, though much fun can be had ruffling the feathers of those unaccustomed to the depths to which our society has plunged in places their faith and their ideals is never a genuine target of criticism or demands. Those depths of modern human behavior make myopic puns humorous through their intentional ignorance of context and insert the mirth into drawn conclusions that are feigned and incorrect, because by comparison the trickery of ruse gaffes and crude jabs is totally harmless and entertaining. In the end faith based works win out every time, and sincerity will always be victorious over falsehood. The commentary here can be viewed as a diversion for a lazy afternoon or held up with deadly seriousness. There's nothing that can be done about that once the words have been written and presented, but again and again clarification rescues intentions and revealed circumstances lighten heavy moral burdens. Sometimes it is difficult to reign in the zealous feeling of comaraderie with idealists of the past, but respecting the feelings and the honor of the people of the present means more than all the ideology in a stack of textbooks. And the teachings of the Jesus Christ and the words handed down through the ages in Christianity, and other wise religious paths, mean more than all this gobbledygook ever will; those ways save lives.

It is time to give this a rest. The typographical errors and more serious mistakes likely here bring a shudder to the nerves. If only the words were visible without so much effort... I claim ownership of them for the pleasure of giving them to you.

[Is there nobody to shut me up late at night? Oh, this one. Too sappy. Too explanatory. Too nice. Yuck. Wonder what I should do with it...[edits never happened, and may never]]

I'll Just Put Some Words Here

Further notes:
=::+ openSuSE- is nearly perfect, but some knuckleheads at KDE tampered with Configure Desktop. KDE's normally quick, easy and centrally located tweak zone for all things desktop appearance related got busted into two locations and over-simplified. Icons now can't be substituted individually (sometimes they could before, sometimes not, no biggie). There was a rendering conflict bleeding into the visible range in the window decorations, but downplaying all the desktop effects, which came ENABLED out of the box (yuck) fixed the mess. Still, there was no reason for them to change anything, except somebody needed a paycheck. I have to respect their tenacity in holding onto their positions no matter what they had to do during these rough financial times. They made some improvements- They stayed on the team when in the past the developers would have been cut - an improvement over losing them.

=::+ Happy as can be with new OS version, and finally made it sleek and stable. Akregator is loaded and everything is in there without a bottleneck during feed fetches. System is optimized for dynamic educational and political writing at a frenetic pace. It's cherry as can be. :)

=::+ bTW- Mitt Romnrey is not a member of a cult, per se, or at all really. He's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormon Church. It's way too big to be a cult, sort of like OWS. It's a denomination! [I know big words] The nastiest things I write I do so with dry humor in my heart and mind. Folks may think it's all serious. It's all comedy from where I'm sitting.

=::+ Fate/Stay Night - Saber was a woman, and Shirou fell in love with her. But then she won the Holy Grail War and became King Arthur, and he was dreaming of his love with Shirou. Also, Ep. 23 -"Fiend! You got him with your gay bulge!" Srsly? It happened. That was a twist. Personally I prefer Shyamalan's twists over "the gay bulge," but I didn't ask for the twist, I didn't see the twist coming, that's why it's a twist, etc. So, Guinevere goes to throw Caliburn in the lake and Arthur(ia) reclines and thinks fondly of the Holy Grail War, and then fuckin' dies. Sigh. I lost a night of sleep to finish watching that...

In all fairness, the entire lengthy series Arturia's voiceover is a tenor soprano woman and she's Shirou's servant. She calls him master. He occasionally walks in on her in the shower bath, finds her very sexually appealing and falls in love with her. I get the sense that there's an uncut Fate/Stay Night out there, the director's secret stash under the floorboards maybe, that shows her buxom nude body in one of the many scenes where it would be possible. It's not like there's anything even remotely ambisexual about their attraction. As far as abnormality goes there is only the master-servant relationship, which wasn't abnormal or far out there for thousands of years from place to place.

The weird gender bending scene, if I inte5rpreted it correctly and if it was translated properly, seemed to be an afterthought. In fact, it may very well be an error in the subs. Regardless, it's minor as hell. The series wasn't fantastic, but it also didn't feature abnormal sexuality at all.

The following wraps up my thoughts on this series. Look up "Fate/Stay Night gay bulge" on YouTube if you want to check that out. It's a weird thing to say in the middle of a battle.

Germany Laments Russia Failure

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Dmitri Medvedev during his last visit before Vladimir Putin returns to the helm of Russia as their President. Medvedev will step down and assume a role as Russia's Prime Minister. The widespread hope that modernization of the Russian economy would lead to democratization and improved human rights has been all but extinguished. Germany lent massive support to a Russian capitalism conversion only to see little real change in the area of government.

European nations, and Germany in particular, bestowed limited aid and political favors with an eye on trade rather than real reforms. Western nations failed to approach the issues of judiciary independence and free speech. At the same time Russia looked at the resource and trade needs of Europe as a check against the bargaining power of those nations toward bringing the superpower in line with modern human values.

The past saw Germany and greater Europe forgo the use of soft power in trade as a means to urge that Russia work on legal improvements, that they reign in organized crime and separate the court systems from administrative micromanagement, among other things. Besides human rights violations Russia often ignores international accords on the environment in practice. The ruling structure remains solidly intact and notably remiss in spending money on the nation's physical needs. Roads, buildings, schools and hospitals crumble while money continues to flow into national coffers, but, more so, corruptly into private bank accounts and the pockets of politicians. The needs of the people are only slightly less ignored than the country's ecosystems.

Medvedev did nothing that would have diminished the role of senior government officials, in any sector, nor anything that would have impacted the earnings of the aristocracy. He functioned with minimal autonomy from former President Putin, who stepped aside from running Russia in title only. In the strictest sense Putin relinquished governance while Medvedev served, but very shortly Putin will take on full leadership in every way once more, not just as the man with all the strings.

The Russian military never suffered any lack of attention in Putin's absence, and the issue of nuclear weapons regulation also gave Europe nothing to find positive. Nuclear weapons wrangling will return to familiar patterns with Putin once again bearing the title of President. Those negotiations mostly take place with the United States, with Europe sitting idly and nervously on the sidelines. The U.S. and NATO's anti-ballistic missile defense system, planned with illegal nuclear weapons programs in the Arab world in mind, drew firm opposition from Russia. The Europeans divided on the issue depending on their interpretation of Russia's response and their trade status with the neighboring superpower.

Another situation that Europe hoped would gain steps to resolution was the Transnitria desire for independence from Moldova, a 20 year old affair. Europe hoped to establish a European Union-Russian Political and Security Committee to address civil and military matters with crises in mind, and believed membership in such an organization would be attractive enough to use as leverage on Transnitria. Mrs. Merkel proposed the initiative, but it accomplished nothing.

Even though nothing firmly progressive ever transpired during Medvedev's term he had, at least, a somewhat more open mind. Vlad is coming back, and all the hopes for change have vanished. Instead of Westernization analysts expect agitation over NATO and the small struggles for autonomy in the tiny former states of the USSR. Putin desires the exact opposite of what Germany and Europe wanted. He wants to expand his style of government further west, and develop the Eurasian Union from the European model. To the east of Europe leaders do not see the bright illumined faces accompanying a Russian Renaissance. Times are murky and gray as clouds roll back in, accompanying Vladimir Putin back to the peak of the Kremlin and Moscow.

[worst error score in ages]

Deaf, Blind and Soulless


No matter how many times we change our representation and exercise our rights as voters the ruling elite in Washington DC ignore voter demands and stifle all change. No matter how clear we state our grievance, that the system as it stands dooms the people to economic hardship, Congress and the White House refuse to seriously address the problem, and business continues as though nothing at all has transpired. When will our so-called leaders get the message, from all of us, that change is not about rhetoric, it's about action? This year? Right after the next election? That sounds so familiar. One must wonder about the holdup, and not just the holdup in which the wealthiest portion of our country took money from the rest of us to stay at the top.

When will elections stop being contests to see who can most magnificently deceive the voters into believing action will be taken and start being milestones of reform? The answer could be revealed to be never and it would surprise so few. What percentage of struggling voters does it take for the struggle to become the number one issue and not a statistic at the end of a pointer? 50 percent? 65%? Does the term "all of us" mean anything to politicians, or have they become so blinded by power that words have lost all meaning? All equates to "in totality," but that would be technically incorrect, as there is that little percentage that owns almost everything.

Most politicians aren't even part of the 1%. Some are like pets of the obscenely rich. When it gets cold outside the fat cats can yawn at the windows, at us, as we clamor to be let into the system that is now based on exclusion and predation rather than inclusion and benefaction. If they start to become self aware, corporate headquarters can always dispense tasty treats and scratch their backs. Meanwhile, we might as well fall for the trick where the door is held open briefly but is only a trap. Sometimes we get hit on top of the head with an anvil, other times a skillet hidden in the snow brains the hasty.

Wait! There's a telegram! It's from Acme! It says, "You're too late to duck." Boof! A sledgehammer to the solar plexus just knocked the wind out of somebody. When will we ever learn? If only it was as easy to recover in real life as it is in the cartoons. In real life we freeze to death in the cold. The safe bet is those protests will end soon. It gets cold outside, without homes, without jobs. without real hope. Actually, it gets cold anyway, but you get my drift.

99.9% Horrific

Not many people in that single percent at the top who own almost everything have had to bite the bullet, literally, and pull out a jaw tooth with a pair of pliers because they didn't have the money to go to a dentist. Maybe none of them have ever had to consider doing such a thing. The back tooth at the top on the right side was intact enough for the pliers to clamp down, although it had broken twice in a month and the exposed surface had rapidly dwindled during that time. Every time it was jarred for any reason a mind altering, sharp explosion of pain caused me to gasp and clench my eyes and fists shut. During the worst part of the initial economic crisis of 2009 I lost my job and had no income whatsoever. On top of that I was in a part of the United States where the concept of a charity hospital was alien and unexplored, and even in Baton Rouge, where there is a charity hospital, getting a spot of dental work has been described to me as nearly impossible.

So there I was with a broken tooth in the back of my mouth, at the top, that made eating akin to torture. Drinking water a slightly different temperature than my mouth could set off shock inducing waves of agony. I forgot and drank something cold and screamed for a couple of minutes, but I only did that once. I made the decision to take the matter into my own hands for fear of losing my mind.

I gripped my only pair of pliers and attempted to squeeze the engagement jaws on the tooth. That firm pressure caused waves of light to radiate in my eyes themselves, with or without my eyes closed, and dragged a low moan from my throat. I took a large mouthful of whiskey and held it, which burned and had it's own pain signature, but which was unquestionably necessary. The second and third attempts fared no better. I did not have the cold blooded tenacity to move the tooth, until I decided the whiskey was my savior and finished off a pint as though it were a shot. One minute and a half later I grabbed the tooth between the jaws of the pliers and wrestled with it, though I squealed, my features contorted and my awareness was consumed entirely by consideration of the tooth and the tool.

I managed to tear that tooth out of my mouth before my motor functions degenerated beyond functionality. The bleeding was significant but nothing like I thought it would be. I immediately felt relief from the nerve that had taken control of my life for over ten days. Fearing a dry socket I jabbed an Exacto knife a short way into the gums surrounding the prior location of the tooth, but as soon as I struck the devil nerve that still sent out signals from that location I desisted. I packed it with a couple of cotton balls soaked in whiskey, thankful to God there had been money enough to purchase the alcohol.

The ordeal ended that night. The next day I was able to eat cautiously and within a couple of days the socket had healed. There's still nothing in that spot far in the back of my mouth. I never forgot about that. I had never wished for the money to see a dentist so hard in my life. In the end, thanks to economic realities, I was forced to handle it myself, with what I had at my disposal.

I wonder how Meg Whitman would fare in such a situation. The top executives at Morgan Stanley might pay to see someone stuck in such a predicament. The nation's most successful investment bankers make it no secret that they have the killer instinct when it comes to human interaction. Many of them would toss a young man or woman to the wolves in a heartbeat, literally, to be torn to shreds by teeth and claws, and in the past would have had no qualms about standing up for that ideology. Many have spoken of being ruthless with pride, although at this stage in American history even the most dilettante veteran of hostile takeovers and obscene derivative profit taking might defer such pronouncements, and the savvy would definitely demure for the time being. Such discussion could prolong the little commotion called Occupy Wall Street.

I have complete awareness and understanding of the alpha male, warrior businessperson mentality, the outlook that deems climbing over the bodies of broken competitors the mark of a great person, a success story. Of course my "complete awareness and understanding" comes only from what I've read in books and is really laughable considering my background. I have a familiarity with the way some business philosophy has been described, would be a better way to put it. The entire myth was created to lead such people down a path littered with material reward, but mostly to make the authors of such philosophies a small heap of their own money. Nevertheless, the philosophy exists and the path is real. That path is not something I know about, nor would I want to.

I am thankful that compassion makes up a large share of my character. I would not wish the pains I have felt on the greediest, most corrupt men, and women, in this nation. They don't deserve the wisdom I have gleaned from my experiences. That tooth ache was nothing compared to the pain so many have felt when they lost everything because of the corrupt practices of those "warrior businesspeople." My pain was caused by nature, but every day during economic crises somebody loses everything they have worked for their entire lives. That pain builds from and on deep emptiness, from complete lack, from a vacuum of capital ability. That pain is deep and wide and the men and few women who value financial success and the accompanying power of it are responsible in a huge number of cases. Those responsible parties in such cases can be like participants in an economic genocide, and that philosophy is built on reasoning very closely akin to the war crimes of ethnic cleansing: The strong should thrive and eliminate the weak, the loathsome, who are merely objects on the path to the glory of the chosen few.

Philosophies touting social natural selection can be very serious, very dark and disturbing, just like all the indicators of our day and age that point to the chances the masses have of ever getting ahead. Many of us are the victims of class destruction. In the long run the reduction of oneself to just being a part of nearly everyone actually hinders empowerment, one might think.

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[The errors were particularly painful. Failed to proof first]
Almost permanently deleted this... have a blinding migraine.

On Plutocracy Panic

In his New York Times op/ed Paul Krugman detailed the whining and the screeching of the GOP political elite as they flail about knowing that Occupy Wall Street has got their number. He pointed out one of the funnier reactions:
My favorite, however, is Senator Rand Paul, who for some reason worries that the protesters will start seizing iPads, because they believe rich people don’t deserve to have them.
It's only funny if one suspends for a moment the knowledge that Senator Paul is serious. Rand Paul likely does believe that the protesters may commence physical assaults, or robbery, as he is describing, and humor does not mesh with that notion.

Pretending, for a moment, that Senator Paul made his remarks out of a sense of good sportsmanship, then let us by all means play along. It's time to seize iPads. For poor people those devices aren't as useful as knee pads, but since we wouldn't be getting elbow pads at the same time anyway, to greatly lessen the discomfort of taking it from the wealthy on all fours, we might as well settle for the Apple gadgets. Some of us have no use for knee pads alone, anyway. Those of us who don't lend our mouths to the whims of the 1% for the sake of lining our pockets won't be able to stop the reaming, but we sure as hell don't have to be on our knees. We are forced to bend to pick our lives up from the dirt every time the top tier reaps too many digits of capital from derivatives, but we aren't obliged to pay lip service to the lofty aristocrats who bought representatives of the people body and soul. We owe no obeisance.

Senator Rand Paul should probably guard against the watchful eye of real conscience instead of feigning concern for items he likely doesn't even use. Every moment Eric Cantor barks complaints about all the complaints, another moment that could have been spent drafting real compromise and real solutions has passed by and disappeared. His party's warfare against civil liberties, common sense and decency in government obligations has been far more like true combat than the last ditch effort of everyday folk to save the dying American dream.

There can be no class warfare against the 1% at the top. Not only aren't there enough of them to count as a class, but there is no way to wage such a struggle. The infinitely privileged have purchased all the seats to the event, and the chairs sit empty. They have written all the rules requisite for participation, and refuse to even let them be read. They put a fence around the battlefield, and unless you're THIS tall you can't even get in. The warfare was over before it became a concept.

Krugman has a keen way of stating the painfully obvious. It would be a great Christmas present to wake up one year and find a piece by Krugman that lights up the room and the reader's thoughts. What a present if Krugman focused on the unbearable surplus of jobs, the overflowing ranks of the middle class, the staggering optimism of the masses and the undying spirit of friendship between the wealthy and the wealthier in this nation, and the other three people about to be empowered enough to reach that state as well. I can dream. I have hope, and it's not something from a speech. Of course I'm not stupid either, I just like to believe we as a people can pull off the impossible, if we 100% set our minds to it.
 
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Related written works at Angelfire, Sex Symbols, Cymbals of Silence.Repent or Die