Greeceyness and heinous Cheney

So the heat wave has subsided for now. Cool. No, really, it is rather cool - temps in the 70s and 80s.

Have I mentioned how lovely Greece is? Because, you know, it's possibly one of the prettiest damn countries on the planet. The beautiful blend of azure Aegean Sea and shimmering skies is incomparable. And the architecture, when it's striking, is staggeringly so. I say "when" because sometimes the architecture can be downright dour. In fact, I would say the least appealing aspects of Greece are as unsavory as the appealing aspects are savory. Greece seems to be a country of polarities.

But no matter some of the aesthetic blights - the point is, when Greece is gorgeous, it's breathtaking and heartbreaking.

But this blog is not really meant to be a travel blog, or a general discussion blog; this blog is tailored toward political discourse, in case you haven't noticed.

And yet, I haven't really much to say regarding socio-political topics, perhaps because I haven't been keeping up with the news in the past week. This is probably a good thing, since I'm inclined toward deep depression when I'm submerged in the latest headlines.

I did, however, catch vague wind of some Dick Cheney evil-doings. Of course, Dick Cheney is the embodiment of evil, so are we really surprised about this?

Seriously, Dick Cheney looks and acts like a zombified corporate robot. His face is frozen in a snide sneer, and he talks like he's been programmed by vampires from Planet Halliburton.

Perhaps that because Dick Cheney IS a zombified corporate robot programmed by vampires from Planet Halliburton.

I'd rather bathe in the furnace of Hades while gulping a glass of freshly poured sun

I've lived in central Texas, Sevilla, and Atlanta, and have traveled to the deserts of Phoenix, and even to the Yucatan, and I DO believe Greece is the hottest place I have EVER been! Of course, I say that whenever the weather anywhere seems especially sweltering, but DAMN if I am not a veritable swimming pool of sweat by the end of the day here in the birthplace of beloved canvas-splatterer, Domenicos Theotokopoulos.

They say there is a heat wave undulating its way across Greece, which would explain the occasional power outages here at the hotel.

No sign of Greek Democracy, by the way; I haven't really been looking, truth be told, as the sizzling sun has fried my eyeballs off. But you know, Greek Democracy is probably just hiding somewhere within a salty slab of feta cheese. After I've sampled all the sumptuous slabs, I'll let you know if my tastebuds should happen upon it.*

Last I heard, American Democracy was stuffed like a crumpled-up People magazine in between the cushions of the White House couch, alongside the sticky pennies and crusty food crumbs.

Of course, were I in one of my more mercurial moods, I would say Democracy has been crudely masticated by the jutting jaws of tryants - but I'm not really in that kind of mood.

My mood is, shall we say, rather SUNNY today. Blame the horrid humidity; it has dizzified my senses, inverted my otherwise irascible demeanor onto its flippant flipside, girlish giddiness.

*Not to suggest Democracy is CHEESY, cuz it ain't

Greece is the word, is the time, is the place, is the motion

Anyone ever been to Greece? I haven't been since I was 17. Should be a fun trip. It's the birthplace of Democracy, or so they say. Remember Democracy?

I'll let you know if Democracy is still thriving there, or if it's a dying art form like it is here.

PS When someone in Greece asks me a question, should I merely shrug my shoulders, decorate my face with a comically quizzical look, and say, "It's all Greek to me?" Should I exclaim as I expire in the sun, "Oh my GODS, Greece is hot as Hades' ass!"

More fun Greek geekiness to come.

Comment, MOFOS!

Okay, there seems to be an echo in here. An echo of my OWN VOICE bouncing off of the cyber-walls.

So comment, why doncha, to let me know you're listening.

So much for merriment

The last post illustrates not only the dangerous duality of my personality, but also how impossible it is for thinking humans to ever take too much giddy delight in life, given how horrific it can be. Indeed, yesterday I was speaking with my fellow homeless activist compatriots about this very topic. I was musing about the fact that sometimes when I meditate deeply on the tragic problems facing the world, I feel suicidal.* And one of my pals mentioned that the Existentialists grappled with this very concern. In other words, in the face of all that's darkly tragic about life, why NOT commit suicide? What's holding us back, exactly?

Existentialism is a philosophy that offers up many answers - and yet these answers are not explicit, but rather they lie embedded in the many questions that arise throughout our lives. Also, it's crucial to consider that there are many misperceptions about Existentialism - it's not as dark and dour as some make it out to be. Rather, it's a complex construct of very pragmatic ideas about a life well lived.

So how 'bout them clowns?

*Now don't go worryin' that I'm gonna go off myself any day now - I'm speaking philosophically about suicide.

Manic ravings

Okay, I realize I am absolutely MANIC about socio-political concerns, but that's because it's SO important that we CARE about what happens in our world. I am APPALLED by the goings on in Darfur, and Guantanomo, and Iraq, and Afghanistan, and everywhere, really. Human rights and animal rights and preserving the sanctity of the environment are SO crucial. And this crap about America being this great hub of freedom and justice, blah fucking blah - it's pure hogwash, pure unadulterated BULLSHIT. Bush and Co's litany of freakish violations of human rights here and elsewhere is sordid and sick. And hell, Bush isn't the first president to egregiously exploit human's innate rights - from Clinton backwards presidents have been doing this shit in OUR names. Bush is simply the WORST violator of said rights, indeed the most blatant and dictatorial American politician. He's like Mussolini meat wrapped inside a Franco pita seasoned with abundant sprinklings of Stalin and Hitler. Yes, I said HITLER. Deal with it - Bush and his puppeteers rip pages directly from the Nazi playbook.

If you disagree that Bush is a Christo-fascist zombie freak, you are living under a boulder inside a cave located on a remote planet in another universe within another dimension.

CLOWNING around

Check 'em out.

There are fun clowns, political clowns, and an evil clown.

Which is YOUR favorite? My fave is the evil clown.










































By the way, I HATE Clowns .

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh"

Good GOD my blog has become dour and depressing. We need to lighten it up with some lampooning levity! I tend to have a polarized personality anyway - light and dark in equal doses. I'm not clinically bi-polar, mind you (and I certainly don't denigrate those who are - mental illness is NOT something I cavalierly mock), but my natural disposition does tend toward encompassing elements of both comedy and tragedy. But I guess that would describe most of us; it's just in some of us this feature is more pronounced.

Anyway. One of the reasons I would like to infuse the blog with a more mirthful mood is because last night I was looking at some of the writing I have done for Democracy Means You. I had forgotten just how much satire I had composed for the site (look for articles by Alison Ross), and I had forgotten that some of it was not half bad. I'm no Voltaire, but I'm no George W. Dumbass either.

So following up on this, I decided my webzine, Clockwise Cat - you HAVE read my webzine, right? - needed to have a section for satire. In fact, DUH - of course it needs to contain satire. Satire is ONLY the most elevated form of art and political dissent. What I love about satire is how it melds serious purpose with outrageous comedy and wicked sarcasm. And satire is one of the best ways to navigate traumatic times such as ours.*

So, writers and artists, submit your salacious satire to the Cat! In the meantime, look for this space to explode with malicious mirth!

*One of my favorite modern-day satirists is Steven Colbert. I don't have cable TV, however, so I don't get to see him as often as I'd like. However, I recently learned his show is available on iTunes. Snap!

Crisis of conscience

Speaking of homeless people, in Darfur, 2.5 million people are displaced as a result of civil strife. An additional 400,000 have been brutally massacred.

And yet we sit here with our iPods and our laptops, sipping lattes and smoothies, while a harrowing genocide is taking place.

Put your laptop and conscience to good use:

Ten Things You Can Do to Stop Genocide

Atlanta's mayor hates the poor and homeless

Yes, you read that right: Shirley Franklin, Atlanta's mayor, hates the poor and homeless. Otherwise, why would she allow public housing to be mowed down in favor of building luxury condos and the misleading "mixed use" communities, which only profit the developers, while dumping the impoverished out into the streets?

Because she's as fascist as the "white male Christian"* zombie freaks who've hijacked our country, that's why.

You made her mayor**, but Shirley has NOT made us proud.

More about the poor, homeless, and affordable housing in the days to come. Stay tuned. In the meantime, feast on this:

Activists Mobilize to Save Atlanta Public Housing

*Bill O'Reilly being SUCH the epitome of this specious species

**I did not; I voted for Gloria Tinubu

Admonishing you to CARE

In my last post, I took a rather admonishing tone toward you, beloved reader.

It's your right to dissent from my implorings, of course.

So, if you choose to ignore the plight of hapless people (i.e., Guatanamo detainees), that's your petty prerogative.

Seriously, I wish more Americans truly cared about the atrocities going on in our names. The Gitmo detainees may be termed "enemy combatants," but they are people first, deserving of humane consideration.

(Besides, Bush's wacked "War on Terror" is fascist belligerence, and it's American soldiers who are unwittingly fulfilling the role of crass combatants. All others are simply fighting for freedom from the American government's bellicose grip.)

Anyway, ignore my admonishing tone and focus on my message: CARE ABOUT YOUR WORLD.

Torture shames us all

Amnesty International's Denounce Torture blog has recently caught my eye. The human rights organization, arguably THE saint of our times, aims to shut down the evil Guantanamo Bay.

I am ashamed to inhabit a country that so overtly promotes torture.

You should be, too.

Profanity's provincial past

Following up on my last post, I thought you'd be interested to know a little about the History of Profanity .

Profane pronouncements are not always pretty or proper

I admit it: I have a foul mouth.

But instead of being chagrined by that fact, I revel in it. I love trashy talk. It gives me verbal purpose. When my boyfriend and I first began dating, he said, "You curse like a sailor, but I love it." And it's a good thing that he loves it, because I wasn't about to curb my cursing for him. Besides, he's not exactly saintly in his own speech.

That said, I do think cursing has its place. Of course it's not always "proper" to lace one's speech with profanity. Sometimes you have to formalize your speech, and forego the"fuck yous" and shelve the "shits" and banish the "bitches and bastards," and so on.

Furthermore, it's not always necessary to curse, and yet some people think it is. They think it gives them more "aggression credibility" if they pepper their pronouncements with profanity. Indeed, one of my least favorite columnists in our local weekly rag feels the need to toss in curse words every fifth sentence or so. It's annoying, and one of the reasons I dislike her column.*

And then I realized that I have used a lot of profanity in my blog so far. The thing is, I don't use profanity disingenuously. It comes from the gut; it's a visceral thing with me. I don't do it to be "cool." I do it because it flows naturally from my tongue, and anything that comes from my tongue comes first from my gut. There's no cerebral interference here; my gut does all my talking, while my brain often looks on in horror.

So the point of all this is to say that I am going to strive to be more cautious about cursing in my blog, because I realize that it can come across as disingenuous. It's not that I am worried about offending people with my potty mouth, it's that I don't want my profanity to be misconstrued. I don't want people thinking I feel that I MUST curse to get my point across. Very often profanity can UNDERMINE what we are trying to say, and I don't want that. Words and ideas are sacred, and can be tainted by profanity if it's misused.

On the other hand, cursing can enhance something being said, especially when the cursing in used in colorful or comic contexts.



*The other reason I dislike her column is that it sucks.

The Democrats are a bunch of pussies and pricks

The proof is in the pudding.

Fuck 'em.

I can die now

I have seen Roger Waters perform Dark Side of the Moon.

Feisty femmes rule

There is a music forum I frequent.

And on this music forum exist some specimens of the male persuasion who loathe me and my aggressively opinionated ways.

Some men are stuck in an evolutionary time-warp. They cannot abide women who are as assertive as men, if not moreso, because it threatens their gossamer egos.

Thank god (or should I say, thank Sappho) for men like my brother and boyfriend who not only like women who are feisty and forceful, but who actually seek them out.

Feisty femmes rule, and the males who hate them suck.

Thank Nietzsche it's Friday

Nietzsche said: God is dead.

God said: Nietzsche's dead.

Both are correct, of course, except that really, can something die which never existed in the first place?

But I think Nietszche was referring to the CONCEPT of god, rather than any sort of genuine divine presence . It's been a while since I read good ol' Nee-cha, but I'm pretty sure he was referring to the conceputal Holy Father, invented by humans to help assuage anxiety and navigate ineffable mysteries, and discarded by us when the utility of his existence expired. In other words, we didn't NEED god anymore, so we made him disappear.

In any event, I'd like to personally thank Nietzsche for illuminating the idea of a deceased deity.

Rock on Nietzsche. I hoist a sweating goblet of Pinot Grigio in your honor!

Electoral Follies, Part One

If I had $100 for every progressive person who said, "I agree with everything Dennis Kucinich says, but he's not electable, so I'm not voting for him," I could send that money to Kucinich and BAM! He'd be electable!

America's electoral system is a sick sorry sham, because it promotes ONLY those who have the massive moolah required to even be considered. And the conspiring media suppresses information about REAL Democratic and progressive leaders, like Kucinich, or makes mockeries of them, like Ralph Nader, which creates the pervasive misperception that only corporate charlatans like Obama or Hillary Clinton are viable candidates.

Thank Buddha It's Friday

If there were a Judeo-Christian god, he would be too much of an asshole to create Fridays - after all, if he did exist, then the fact that he would allow the human race to procreate is proof enough of his malevolence.

Buddha, on the other hand, was one cool cat. Granted, he likely didn't exist either, and is just an archetype for people to pattern their lives after. And, true, Buddha is not a deity in the traditional sense, so even if he did exist, it's not like he created the world or anything.

But anyway, none of that matters, because Buddha WOULD create Fridays if he were one of those cool creation-deities like the Judeo-Christian god, or allah .

Buddha would be ALL OVER Fridays. Because Friday is the end of the work week, and Buddha promoted the Middle Way, which could be interpreted as a balance between work and play. And Fridays, at least Friday nights, are all about PLAY.

Fuck Mondays. It's all about Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday.

Come to think of it, fuck Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday too.

I'm not sure the Buddha would approve of doing away with the work week altogether, but I do know he would have no problem reveling in leisurely frivolity, the likes of which one seeks on weekends.

Speaking of doing away with the five-day work week, there is a group, Five Day Weekend, which promotes just that.

It's movements like this that prompt me ask myself, What Would Buddha Do?