Monday, October 31, 2005

Suspect

Another update on my attempt to not actively seek out news.

I now hold all news sources suspect. I have a feeling that they have always had less than the pure "journalistic integrity" people seem to go on and on about. In the little bit of news that has filtered it's way to me I have seen;

- Stories about the horrors of New Orleans after Katrina hit.

- Stories claiming the news 'sensationalized' the storm and it wasn't all that bad.

- Stories saying the news 'glossed over' the real horrors of the storm and that things are really much worse.


All of these came from 'credible' news sources. What should I believe? Well, there's only one way to set all of this straight. I must invent a time machine so I can go back and experience it for myself and draw my own conclusions. All other news stories useless babble when there is that much contradiction in them.

Speaking of useless babble, what about the undermining of journalism by intelligence agencies? The CIA will admit to planting stories in foreign news sources but swears up and down that they would never and have never done such a thing inside the U.S. Let's assume they aren't feeding us a cover line. That still leads to some major problems. A lot of people get their news from foreign news sources. A lot of news stories get researched using foreign news sources. Reuters and AP pick up foreign news stories for circulation domestically. Foreign intelligence agencies might plant stories in our news media. That's not to mention any possible miscommunications due to translation.

Everyone seems to accept that the weather forecast consists of probabilities. So does the rest of the 'news'.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Oh Holy Night

Halloween is hands down my favorite of the widely celebrated holidays. It's one of the few that isn't part of the dominant religion's or dominant government's list of holidays that we must celebrate. And it has managed to retain a huge pagan feel.

It also acts as a great warm-up holiday. The harvest themes of Halloween flow well into Thanksgiving, needing no change in colors, just a little in iconography. By the time X-Mass roles around, you surrender to the garish decorations having recently partaken in two holidays with decorations that didn't bug the shit out of you.

And it's the only day of the year that a legal adult can wander the streets while wearing a mask and not get an immediate Dept. of Homeland Panic smack down.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Hard to Explain

While visitng with several people from my past I had to answer the obligatory inquiry into, "What are you doing?"

I explained how I worked in a factory fixing machines and how much fun I had doing it. Some people said they were amazed how happy and healthy I looked and they were glad I had found something I enjoyed so much. Others seemed horrified that I had given up on my computer graphics past and had a real hard time comprehending how I could possibly enjoy working in a factory.

I have a hard time putting it in words. Let your preconceptions go. Look me in the eye. Watch the expressions on my face as I talk about it. I might have a hard time explaining it, but you should find my sincerity written plainly in the sparkle in my eyes.

Blue Collar Priest

As I told a coworker today, I may be the first ordained minister to perform a wedding ceremony in Red Wing boots, Carharts pants, and a Dickies shirt.

AWPC

Ray: When I visit Florida I've got family I can stay with no matter what I feel like doing. One of my uncles is an ordained minister and another is an alcoholic.

Me: I'm an ordained minister AND an alcoholic!

Monday, October 17, 2005

Sweet Land of Liberty

I don't hate everything about this country, I just prefer to rant about my dislikes. No happy happy joy joy boring ass blog.

So what's one of the things I really like about this country? I don't have to devise strange euphemisms to tell people that I spent my birthday naked on the couch watching 1970's porn. At least not yet.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Fluffers Union!

I found myself lamenting the fact that I haven't heard any really decent music in quite some time. I kept listening to all the suggestions people made of all these really great up and coming underground rockers. They all suck. Seriously. It seems all serious scenesters want to hear music about the banality of growing up sub-urban. Emo- Alterna- Souless- Sack-of-shit rock. I didn't grow up in some bland, colorless suburb. I grew up on a family farm during the Reagan years. I grew up around a grandfather who had been in the meat packer's union and a father in the steel worker's union. Life was dirty and hard and despite everyone's attempts to rose color it, you could always smell the pig shit in town and out. It ain't pretty.

And that's when I remembered that I met a talented young man in Austin, Texas who had a hell of a good band. Fluffers Union will never make it big. Sorry guys, you're just too good to ever be popular. But thanks for taking away my "modern music blues".

Spam, Spam, Baked Beans, and Spam!

I was going to erase the comment some spammer managed to leave for my FEAR lyrics, but found the irony to sweet for destruction.

I Don't Care About You

Down on South Street Philadelphia,
Out from Avenue C,
I seen it in the eyes
it was ready to freeze
from the valley hotel!

I don't care about you!
Fuck you!
I don't care about you!
Fuck you!

I see Hollywood boulevard,
welfare hotel,
I spent the night in jail,
near the Wicox hotel!

I don't care about you!
Fuck you!
I don't care about you!

I've seen an old man have a heart attack in Manhattan.
Well he just died while we just stood there lookin' at him.
Ain't he cute?

I don't care about you!
Ohhhhhhhhh!
I don't care about you!

I see man rollin' drunks,
bodies the streets.
Some man was sleepin' in puke
and a man with no legs crawling down 5th street trying to get something to eat!

I don't care about you!
Oh noooooo!!
I don't care about you!
Fuck you!
I don't care about you!
Hey! Hey!
I don't care about you!

Thursday, October 06, 2005

AWPC

ME: I'm one of those rare weirdos who actually LIKED running the grinders.

MAINTENANCE LEAD: That's why you're in maintenance now.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Kill Your Television!

I really hate television. If I go into a bar that has a screen on, it sucks me in. Sports, news, game show, doesn't matter. I always end up raging against the feed.

Last night on lunch break two guys were talking about television channels. Not shows, but channels. I can never join in on such a conversation. I don't even watch The Simpsons anymore. I'll occasionally rent some flix, but otherwise the TV stays off, draped with a piece of dark red linen. I think the advertising did me in. It started with political ads. They made me feel mentally ill. Then the ordinary commercialization started to hammer me and the physical pain hit me.

I don't care how few clothes the chick is wearing in the commercial, I've tasted Pepsi and know that it is crap. I don't care how tasty they make that burger look, I've eaten at McDonalds and know that it is crap. I don't care how highly ranked the Ford Ranger is, I've driven one and seen the resale values on it and I know that it is crap. And don't you dare try to sell me anti-depressants! Every one of the symptoms of depression I exhibit can be traced directly to living in a consumer culture where I look around and see a logo on everyone I see (Harley shirt in the mirror included). Depression is a natural reaction to that.

And thus I overhear a guy at work saying, "I'm totally a TNT guy."