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Say What?

The comments

of AOC


that early

Woke-ism

“was crazy”

may be

honest

reflection

or shrewd

correction

or a suggestion

that 

it failed.

Before

folks were

Woke,

if  others

spoke

in ways

that offended,

the Language

Police

condescended

and tended

to shame

and blame

in the name

of dignity

and identity.

This did not

happen

suddenly.

It’s really

how language

moves ideas

and ideas

move language

and how

cultures evolve.

To solve

one problem

for feminists,

the emphasis

on marital 

status

(or not)

begot

the term,

Ms.

Perhaps

ambivalent,

but it is

equivalent

to Mr.;

not Miss

or Mrs.,

as it 

dismisses

marriage

as relevant

to maturity

or identity,

as Mr.

does for

males.

The idea

of equality

needed

to be

addressed

in the way

in which 

we address

each other

politely.

It took

a while

for some

to

get used

to using

Ms.,

especially

without

thinking

about why.

And so

the outcry

and ridicule

became,

if not 

the rule,

then commonplace,

but many 

more

began to embrace

the concept

and the title

as vital.

Enlightenment.

Awareness.

Woke.

Progress

then backlash

when politics

and linguistics

create

whiplash.

Who knew

that young

people

knew

what

pronouns

are?

And did 

#Me Too

go too far

or cut off

the conversation?

Excesses

and mistakes

should be

undertaken

not 

at the 

expense

of  good intentions

forsaken.

DEI 

is poison

now,

because

implementation

was absurd.

Diversity,

equity,

and inclusion

should

not be 

an intrusion

upon

merit

and excellence.

Will artificial

intelligence

neutralize

what

has become

ever more

politicized?

If language

serves

to emphasize

concepts

or dis or re-

enfranchise,

we must

share this

enterprise,

and exercise

free speech

judiciously.

Flight of Fancy

Like

A “Hard Day’s Night”,

the president’s 

flight

had him

on the run,

escaping through

Air Force One

to hide

inside

a catering 

truck.

What luck!

The image 

though,

is the stuff

of late night

or a cartoon

with a buffoon

hiding

under

a sliding

cart 

with a white

cloth

and a metal

cloche.

The ever-gauche

president

had to

not be

evident

for fear

of an attempt

on his life.

Imagine his

face 

in his hiding

place,

surrounded

by Diet Coke

and snacks.

Attacks

potential

and real

are part

of the deal

of the presidency,

and hastily

finding

safety

must

always

be available.

This

episode

showed

the unassailable

Trump

catering 

to himself

differently

than he usually

does

because 

this flight

was someone

else’s fancy.

Homer

I want 

to see

“The Odyssey”,

the latest

Nolan

dark knight

movie,

as I’m 

intrigued

by the

“Oppenheimer”

theory

that this is

relatively

similar

to the 

familiar

journeys

of Batman

and Oppie,

contemplating

devastating

a city,

whether

Gotham,

or Nagasaki,

or Troy.

Our coy

hero,

will go

far

to destroy

the enemy

and then

get lost

in his

head

after 

he lead

a successful

mission.

Racked

with guilt

over what

he built,

the damage

that followed

hollowed

him 

out.

And then

there’s

Joyce’s

choices

for 

Ulysses,

who does 

not sail

the high

seas,

but whose

sojourn

within

Dublin

is a modern

interpretation

of Homer’s

epic poem

of going

home.

Relationships,

wandering,

battles,

and pondering,

Odysseus,

the original

Homeric

heroic

individual,

is the prime

example

of what

Joseph Campbell

called,

“The Hero

With 

A Thousand

Faces”.

With Batman-

“The Dark Knight”,

“Oppenheimer”,

and now

“The Odyssey”,

Christopher Nolan

has provided

a sort of 

trilogy;

well, 3

movies

including

one biopic

that seems

to stick

to the script

about

a man who

makes us

ask,

“Who is

a hero?”

In the 

modern 

sensibility,

the one 

who questions

and takes

responsibility,

no matter

how many

homes

he’s got.

Err Quality

With salad days

no longer

upon us

as fears

intensify

not just

from lettuce,

let us

consider

how to act

our age

of one 

disaster

after another,

ever threatening

food,

air,

and water.

Skies of orange

and smoke

are no joke

and occurring

more often

now.

How can

cuts 

in government

effectively

prevent

these crises?

Fire fighting,

ever frightening,

is becoming

more than

seasonal.

It’s reasonable

to link

constant

crises

to larger 

opportunities.

Do we 

now live in

the Pyrocene?

And what

does that

mean?

Is this all

a warning

about global

warming?

Are we reassuring

ourselves

without insuring

ourselves

financially

or substantially

reckoning

with what

the series

of crises

is beckoning?

Rethinking

forest maintenance

certainly

makes sense

in order

to achieve

better balance.

How much

damage

is too much

for such

a planet

as ours?

The powers

that be

want to see

as much money

from each 

oil and tech

company

as possible

which results

in possibly

the stupidest

policy

gutting

thinkable.

There’s been

so much

progress 

in the private

sector

in green

technology,

but without

government

enforcement

of environmental

policy,

the intentional

destruction,

hardly

an error,

means

life is scarier

as a result.

The cost

of putting

out fires,

political

and literal,

is becoming

too great.

This 

climate

crisis

is 

upon us,

exacerbating

conditions

for deadly

lettuce,

much less,

endless

fire season

and other

disasters

that are

unnatural.

Please 

hold the powerful

to account

for this mounting

crisis.

Are you 

contacting

your legislator?

Are you giving

to a climate

nonprofit?

We can 

remedy

some,

and become

more 

adaptable,

but the less

we do

the more

intractable

it will be.

A Brief Illness

Wilson’s stroke,

FDR’s legs,

Kennedy’s back,

Reagan’s gunshots

and then

his dementia,

Bader-GInsberg’s cancer,

Trump’s COVID,

Feinstein’s capacity,

Biden’s capacity,

Fetterman’s stroke,

Kean’s depression,

McConnell’s…..?

Would it 

kill us

to know

about 

each illness

that no

one

wants to

admit?

Bit by bit

details will

flow

until we know

what was.

Because

health

equals stealth

with maximum

security,

privacy

will always

be first.

But the thirst

to know

if those 

elected

will show

up 

for work

tomorrow

or in 

a week

or so,

is so elemental

and the work

consequential,

that the obfuscation

and/or lies

flies

in the face

of acceptability.

Of course,

the probability

of opposition

is why such

a position

of denial

or just silence

is the preference

for the powerful.

Just 

status quo,

even though

we all know

something

is very wrong.

And then

the news

of a senator’s

passing

unexpectedly,

at least

it seemed

to be

when I read

that Lindsey

Graham

died suddenly

from “a brief

illness”.

The less

revealed,

the more

concealed,

the greater

the concern.

We always

learn

that

transparency

is best,

but continue

to test

the wisdom

when power

is at stake.

Maybe we

make 

the mistake

of wanting

politicians’

admissions,

when decisions

are made

to evade

which arouse

suspicions

about what

omissions

are kept

from the public.

When an official

gets sick

or dies

suddenly,

more than

curiosity

seems

to be

appropriate.

A brief illness

is less

than 

an unknown;

it indicates

knowledge

of cause.

And if the pause

in information

is because 

of national

security,

it seems 

to me,

that’s understandable.

Investigating

cause of death

indicates 

a question,

while 

“a sudden, brief

illness”

is an intentional

non-mention;

yet another

suspension

of truth.

We have a

nondisclosure 

disagreement

in government,

when 

an appointment,

however

temporary,

should be

federal protocol.

We may not

know all,

but some

would be 

welcome

before 

more damage

is done.

We claim

to be

an open

and free

society.

That is the 

country

that Lindsey

Graham

served

and that 

served

him.

We can’t let

that die

with him.

The New Colossus

I just returned

from

the land

of the Golem,

(a sort of 

Frankenstein,

that predates

the Shelley

tale),

where 

the Soviet

and Nazi

lost to

democracy,

and memory

is preserved

not erased.

The Golem

of medieval

fantasy

was initially

created

as a magical

protector.

It (he)

was large

and clumsy,

slow-witted,

and soulless;

immune

to conventional

weapons

or pain.

(Sound familiar?)

It would become

eventual

that this 

folk hero

would grow

fearsome

and violent,

which meant

its destruction;

a lesson

we keep

needing

to learn.

We tend

to yearn

for 

a protector

and champion:

strong-

even masculine-

forgetting

that subletting

power

weakens

us.

“The New Colossus”,

by Emma Lazarus,

was the poem

befitting

Lady Liberty.

The Mother

of Exiles

whose torch

is a beacon

of light

for the weary-

quite

a contrast

to the dreary

giant man.

Trump is a

hulking,

clumsy,

dimwitted,

soulless

(faux)

protector,

whose power’s

run

amok

with endless

luck;

a new colossus

for us

in the worst

way.

But for America’s

semi-

quincentennial

birthday,

I say,

remember

anew

“The New

Colossus”:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

as us.

Our strengths

are not

artificial intelligence

(though with regulation,

such sensation

could be transformational).

By 250,

we

need to

grow up!

The New Colossus

is not this monstrous

idiot.

It’s the generous,

creative spirit

that is 

inspired by

and of 

liberty;

not irresponsibility,

but human

dignity,

integrity,

and decency,

with liberty,

and justice

for all.

Your Friends and Neighbors

Watching

the show

of 

the title

above,

is frustrating

for me.

It should be

entertaining,

but it seems

like it’s

claiming

to be

more

than it is.

Another series 

streaming

about seemingly

endless

wealth

and beauty

in a particular

community

of exclusivity

where 

under

the surface

lurks

insecurity

and too many

jerks.

Did I mention

that it’s mostly

white,

but for

a few tokens:

a wealthy

Korean

family,

a black retired 

basketball player,

and a 

latina

maid?

The conceit

is the deceit

not only

of the “friends”

but of 

Jon Hamm’s

Andy Cooper-

“Coop”

who chooses

to stoop

to becoming

a thief

for relief

after being 

fired

from his

hedge fund.

While the rest

are mired

in superficiality

he knows

the reality-

that with such

abundance

their material

redundance

means

he can steal

Hermes

and Cartier

for a big

pay day,

while the friends’

and neighbors’

lives 

remain

extravagant.

The cast 

is good,

and Hamm

is great,

but the show

lacks

greatly.

Beyond

the obvious

obliviousness

of the wealthiest,

the least

pretentious

or contentious

one,

a loving father

and a loving

son,

(and ex-husband),

is still

a thief.

The implicit

social 

commentary

is as 

conspicuous

as the anxiety

and consumer

spending

consuming

our society,

but more

subtly,

is the sad

state

of our social

ties

and how

we’re all

being robbed

before 

our eyes.

He’s no

Mad Man,

or Landman,

and I’ll still 

watch

because…

Jon Hamm!

But the show

has to go

deeper

than its

gorgeous

face.

Not unlike

our politics,

a mix

of expensive,

incomprehensive,

and meh,

we’re uninspired

by the tired

grind,

while 

being 

robbed

blind

from behind

the scenes

of what seems

to be 

less and less

the land

of opportunity,

and less

and less

a community

of friends

and neighbors,

much less,

united

states.

Good Looking

Looking 

for the good

should

be obviously

easy,

but seeing 

clearly

comes

with difficulty.

Looking good

could

be

a secondary

priority

in this society,

if only

we

were true

to

individuality

without

ego.

I know

it’s ridiculous,

but our

conspicuous

show

of identity,

like a human

theory

of relativity

except

compulsively,

aggressively,

competitively

being showy

of one’s

type

through

affinity

is definitely

not a good

look.

Take a good 

look

at how we’ve

devolved

from a society

prizing

individuality,

(Did we

really?

Or were we

always

just about

hyper individualism?)

to the ME

Generation,

and beyond

Gens XYZ-

all 

identity

driven.

We continue

to merge

church

and state,

and at this

rate,

the bible

will 

determine

which

tribal

affiliation

will drive

each state

of the republic.

Looking good

has been

the way 

society

created

bonds

and tensions,

but the extensions

have 

made a blame

game

of shaming

shame,

and fame

for anyone

who became

a name

in a video

frame

regardless

of content.

To a great

extent

we have

advanced

in this

enhanced

reality

of super

easy

access,

unless

you don’t

have success,

and therefore

are without

tools

sufficient

for the efficient

search

of artificial

intelligence;

hence,

your irrelevance

seems of great

importance

(which makes

no sense).

So we align

as a sign

of our

beliefs

and

commitments,

feigning

community.

Ideology

trumps

individuality

as currency

to looking

good.

Of course,

the eruption

of the disruption

era

is criteria

for progress;

that is,

unless

you’re

in Congress

in which 

case,

less is less.

But I digress….

You know

you’re

“good looking”—

I mean

looking

for the good,

not just

the sexy

novelty,

when

individuality

not tribal

affinity,

takes priority.

And individuality

is not

code

for disruptor

mode,

but for

that which

is unique-

even discreet-

our personhood

as a single,

capable

mammal

born

with inalienable

rights.

Be a good

looking

person

no matter

your 

physique 

or facial

structure.

Our vulture

culture

of devouring

is souring

and

narrowing.

America,

the beautiful,

good looking

one,

has run

from

facing

the truth.

Our destiny

should manifest

in our best

not the

easiest

or loudest,

as this test

has shown.

We have known

all along,

being good

looking—

should

be our priority,

even if it

isn’t sexy.

It’s About Time

All the time

Taking Time

Having Time

Bedtime

Dinnertime

Mealtime

What time is it?

What time do you have?

How much time do I have?

Do you have time?

Time of day

At times

Times like this

Doing time

Time out

First time

Last time

Against time

At a time

At one time

At the same time

In no time

Lose time

Out of time

Time flies

Time immemorial

Time of the month

Time out of mind

The time of one’s life

Time will tell

No time

Pass the time

Ahead of time

Time signature

The time being

Keep time.

Final Exam

This isn’t

the apocalypse

now.

From crisis

to crisis,

it’s obvious

that the matrix

of destructive

forces

forces

us

to confront

the unimaginable,

uninhabitable

once-impossible-

except 

in the bible-

series

of conditions

that some

claim

to be 

premonitions

in the name 

of “The Lord”.

If this

is the end,

it sure is 

slow moving,

and improving

is still

within reach.

It’s our 

judgement

and reckoning,

not super-natural

beckoning

that alters

reality,

really.

The broken

covenant

between

government

and constituent

has us

almost drowning

in the flood

of mud

slung

at the innocent,

guilty

of being

a participant

in

the American

experiment.

The fear

that the end

is near,

if not

already here,

is not

unreasonable.

It’s not 

infeasible

with the 

Artificial

Intelligence

emergence

and the

resurgence

of the popularity

of populism

and faux

democracy-

or democracy

practically

in name 

only.

And the changing

climate

for the worse

only adds

the worst

verse

to this

curse

of bad poetry

where

history

rhymes.

Crimes

are normal

for the dictatorial

and other

abusers

with greed.

But their

end days

are near,

despite

the fear

they impose

upon us. 

I suppose

any crisis

could be

a catastrophe

like you see

in a movie,

but the apocalypse

is a partial,

if not

total,

eclipse

of the good

that still

exists.

Horror

insists;

but good

persists

in spite

of it.

And there

are more

of us

than

there are

of them.

So,

sure,

condemn

the mayhem,

but be part

of a solution

to this pollution

that makes

it so hard

to breathe

freely.

This test

is really

challenging,

and managing

is arduous.

But I believe

the best

of us

is not

past,

but passed

generationally

intentionally,

representationally,

changing

from an ending

to finally

remembering

the right

questions.