Given the revelations of Fox News Culture, Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, Bill Crosby, Harvey Weinstein, and donald trump to name a few, I thought it appropriate to re-post one of my first entries into this blog back in June of 2012. Can we have a discussion now? This is an issue that men just do not deal with or if they do, they deal with it poorly by trying to be funny with it. In truth, Americans like to think we deal with it my making it Taboo but in actuality we are making the problem, which branches out into other parts of our life as noted in the news, far worse. Not talking about it to our children in schools and in church sets them up to fail in this area and leads to the situations we see in the news. Stop hiding and deal with it. Most of the problems America has now could be made better by facing the realities that so many want to close their eyes, ears, and minds to. Not dealing with a problem doesn’t make it go away.
As I said, when I posted “Amber Waves”, I planned to expand on the story with my reason for writing it. The truth of the matter is that I am very much against scientist/businesses/man playing with genetics. Why?
Politics, Greed, Hubris, Asbestos, Radioactive Paint for Illuminated Watch Dials, Wallstreet meltdown of 2008, S&L Bailout, financial bubbles, the great depression, World War II, World War I, Hitler, the Holocaust, Inquisitions, Salem Witch Hunts, Enron, Tyco, torture, radical religions, Catholic Priest molestation and cover up, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi, racism, poverty, gap between rich and poor, gun violence, mass murders, cults, nuclear waste, pollution, endangered species, kings and queens, fossil fuels, corporate theft, Thomas Edison (thief of movies), slavery, economic slavery, sweat shops, nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction, chemical weapons, napalm, agent orange, American Civil War, hunger, healthcare for profit, food recalls in time and not, corporate news, money equals speech, police arrest quotas, drug war, drug addiction, pedophiles, abusers, alcoholics, bribery, corruption, murder, saber rattling, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, 9/11/2001, terrorism, imperialism, colonialism, Apartheid, gulags, Communism, Stalin, Pol Pot, Flint Michigan, Love Canal, Tennessee Water Authority, insider trading, lobbyists, Cuban Missile Crisis, President Reagan, President G.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, President Trump, Newt Gingrich, Iran-Contra Affair, White Water, Watergate, McCarthyism, black listing, blackmail, hate crimes, oppression, company stores, trash, elitism, oligarchy, robber barons, rape, incest, over population, genocide, world domination, dictators, short term thinking, etc.
I could go on and on but the facts boil down to one undeniable truth, man is nowhere near wise enough to comprehend all the possible outcomes of manipulating the complex workings of DNA. When we discovered materials that were radioactive, we thought they were safe. Ask the women that painted watch dials with radioactive paint so they would glow in the dark if it was safe. We thought Asbestos was a wonder product, ask those that died from the cancer it produced if they think we are wise. If we know so much about our bodies that we feel messing with our DNA is wise, how come we have such a thing as an Opioid epidemic? Why don’t we truly understand cancer and aids? The truth is that we still do not understand the basics completely enough to play with DNA, let alone chaos theory and its wide reaching tendrils into the workings of our universe. Then add to all this our continued failings as moral beings. This is why I believe we should not mess with Genetics, Nuclear Fusion, or Artificial Intelligence. Not because any of these are inherently evil but that we have shown neither the capacity or the will to tackle these sciences with the care that is needed, just look at our history of repeating mistakes.
Okay, so tomorrow will be the first day in years that I have no need to be anywhere that has nothing to do with vacations, holidays, or health reasons. It has been somewhat of a challenging weekend working through the stress, anger, and bitterness of what my company has put me through the past several years, which has taken quite the toll on my physical and mental well being. The sad part is that I believe for a vast majority of the America middle class, what I endured is not the exception but the norm. I may post my thoughts about this soon once I have processed it all.
I will say that I have tried to keep myself busy physically to help run some of the steam out of me. By Saturday, I began to realize, that although this was a shitty thing to have done to me, it may have been for the best. I understood this as my heart was thumping wildly and my head was spinning. A few extra trips to the bathroom also highlighted the point. I was a tangled mess from trying to make unrealistic goals into reality, while the compensation for this tightrope juggling act was actually shrinking every time I looked.
While I had just been given a raise last year, the first in ten years and small at that, my medical package had increased sharply and I had just lost a significant part of my auto allowance. I have been eating peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and buttered noodles for most of my meals along with having no entertainment packages other than netflix streaming for the past two years and I even dropped that. I now only watch youtube videos and the occasional $5 dvd I allow myself to buy. Eating out was a 4 for $4 Wendy’s meal that I got medium sized for $5, that didn’t happen that much. I have been giving my company good hard work just so I could be poor.
I don’t totally blame them for that because I stayed out of comfort. I have no desire to be a manager, which is the only way to make any more money in a company like mine. As far as I can see, the small amount of money I would have gotten would not have compensated me for the BS I would have had to deal with and shovel. In addition, I would not have lasted long. I am not the type to quietly accept stupid ideas or out and out lying. I tend to tell you how I see things whether you like it or not. The only reason I lasted as long as I did through the last two years of idiotic changes was that my immediate boss did not pass along my questioning of the effectiveness, accuracy, and practicality of the information given to the sales force. It needed to be said but the truth is, as in most cases, no one upstairs wanted to hear it. Think of Wells Fargo. Anyway, I just wanted to do a good job and get a non-poverty wage, but for a lot of the middle class, this is asking too much these days. Sad!
So, in the end, I was fighting to keep a job that was making me poor; ruining my mental, moral, and physical health; and trying to point out glaring rose colored issues to people wearing thick rose colored glasses had no worth. I think this needed to happen for me, piss on them. I gave them good work for most of my 16 years with them. Not always but more often than not, even when they screwed me over royally. The funny thing is, I used to wonder how sales reps. in my line of work could sit in their cars and pretend to actually do the job, wonder how they could fudge the work they were doing. Now I know. The system breaks them down. Rocking the boat is rewarded with a quick slap of the paddle. Bad ideas are bullied through by people that don’t have to do the work and can avoid the consequences.
So, how am I doing? Scared, but okay so far. I have some plans running in my head, some you may be able to help with others not. I am taking some time to pick up the pieces that this ridiculous situation has scattered throughout my life. I am looking at my options and hoping to find some time to do art because I deserve it. Hopefully I will have something for you soon. Peace.
“I was talking to a co-worker the other about healthcare in the US. He understands the issues but he took exception to a statement some on the left used. They said that “healthcare is a right”. His point is that no one is borne with a God given medical team at their service, which is true. No doctor was born specifically to take care if me. Hell, Adam and Eve were supposedly the only humans alive, where was their HMO.
At the time, I had no argument for this because he was right. Too often loud mouths on the left and right spout things off as being God given rights without understanding that what they call a right is a product of civilization and governmental abilities to enforce them.
So my answer now would be, no, healthcare is not a right, but it should be. That is what civilization and government is about. Too bad the greedy one percent has subverted the roles of both to mean supporting only them.”
When I finish this post, it will also be posted to my facebook page where I wrote and posted the above quote originally. So is it a repeat? Well, yes and no, because the intention of this post is to expand on the ideas in a similar yet different way. Now looking at the content of the above quote, you would be led to believe this post is a political one. Well, again, the answer is yes and no. Yes, this is something I believe and feel that America should really think about. No, I am not including the quote in this post mainly for that reason. The correct answer is actually other.
I am including this quote because I want the followers of my artwork and writing to see what makes it up. The above quote gives them a view of how I think and reason, as well as, what I value. I admit that I have been thinking of starting a separate blog for my thoughts on politics, religion, and science; however, a part of me thinks that would be lying or hiding to or from my followers. The truth is what you see in my art and writing is derived from my 51+ years of being on this earth. All the views that were forced upon me before I was old enough to build my own, all the views I have since developed, and all the views I have gained from forces beyond my control are all a part of my creations.
My works are an amalgamation of the history I learned and the history I experienced. They reflect the views I created from my formal education in history as an American and the views that grew from learning the truth behind the public histories that was swept away or covered up because the picture was unflattering. My works contain derivations from daily life experiences that show the reality I see as opposed to the fiction displayed and worshiped by the masses. They also contain things that fascinate me, catch my eye, or make me laugh. My creations are full of the absurd, the beautiful, and the evil. They are criticisms, warnings, and hopes all wrapped up in one.
So, the true reason of this post is to share what makes me, me and what makes my creations what they are. I want to share all that goes into my works, even the whining you see on occasion. Yes, I am aware that my pleas for patrons to My Patreon Page at times are very whiny in nature but there are reasons. First, I am desperately unhappy in the job I am doing now. Not that the work is that difficult other than the shear volume of it, but more for the fact that it wears on my moral fiber and is so mismanaged that I am often frustrated. In addition, financially, I am sliding backwards. That is why I am trying so hard to bring my creativity to the fore in a way that I can feel good about and hopefully become my livelihood. Second, when you see my whinier posts understand that I am at my lowest ebb. Either work issues, physical pain, financial woes, and/or frustration have combined to cause me to despair for my future and you are getting the overflow, sorry about that. Finally, all of the above also becomes part of my creations. Contrary to what some fans would like their favorite creators to do, we do not live in vacuums, separated from the rest of the world. If we did, our collective output would be garbage.
To conclude, I will be posting as much of everything that I think and do on this site as I can. I suggest that those who are really interested in what I make take a look at the entirety of this blog to see where I have come from and how I look at problems. That way you will have a richer understanding of my works. Bones.
It has been a while since I made a political post and I hope it will be some time again before I write another, but I feel it is important to have my say before things happen that people will want to quickly forget about. Shame on America, shame on all Republicans and shame on all Democrats for what you have done to this country. Because of your greed, hatred, and apathy has brought to this country the plague that is the Donald Trump Presidency, including the oozing, pustular sores that are the Senate and Congress.
Shame on the Republican Party for letting their greed become the root for the tree of Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists. A greed so all consuming that you forsook your obligation to protect America from all threats, external and internal. Shame on all decent Republican Americans who allowed their better Angels to be suffocated in their sleep by the devils of their darker nature. Shame on you for forgetting histories lessons from the World and the United States, which would have told you exactly what would happen when you put Trump into power.
Shame on the Democratic Party for choosing to support the greedy donors over the suffering people at home and abroad. Shame on you for the same greed that allowed the Republicans to overlook every glaring fault of their candidate. You are not blameless when it comes to Hillary Clinton, the only candidate on a par with Donald Trump for sleazy, corrupt leadership. Shame on all Democrats for voting for either worthless candidate for fear that the other would get in. The damage to this country is as much your fault as it is the Republicans.
Shame on all Americans who have carried a swelled sense of Pride from our victories in WWI and WWII. Your pride allowed you to blind yourself to the horrible things our government has done in the name of American Interests (commonly known as corporate greed). We have backed dictators, murderers, drug dealers, thieves, monarchs, and torturers in the name of profit and cheap oil. We have turned a blind eye on the use of chemical weapons and torture for the sake of convenience. The greed of our banking industry and financial markets have brought ruin upon this earth many times and still we drink the poisoned kool-aid.
Shame on Republicans and Democrats alike for turning away from the historic opportunity the 2016 election offered us. An opportunity even more historic than the election of the first Black President. The opportunity to soundly reject the miserable candidates selected for us by the greedy banks and corporate wealthy. To choose, as Richard Pryor’s Brewster campaigned, None of the Above. The chance to say no, we will not be forced to choose between the evils you have picked for us. Imagine the shock on the Koch bothers faces if the election had come out with no winner. That could have happened if you would have written in a candidate instead of choosing either Donald J. Trump or Hillary R. Clinton. The foundations of Hell would have quaked at the sight.
Very soon we will have another historic chance. We will be faced with the demise of the most disgusting President to have power over the fate of this country. We can chose to let the Republican and Democratic parties slink away to hide in a corner until we forget the mess they made, giving them a chance to begin the dog and pony show all over again or, we can rise up as one nation and hold their collective noses in their own filth so they remember, never do it again.
One final thought for tonight, remember it daily. We all bare the blame for this mess. We were greedy for money, cheap garbage, and short term-hate satisfaction. We have allowed the lobbyists, bank CEOs, WallStreet financiers, Corporate Leaders, haters, and Politicians to bring this Country to the brink of destruction and the World to the edge of Armageddon.
And shame on me for being so frustrated that I could not express this so well before.
The biggest lie mankind has told itself and continually bases decisions on is that humans, for the most part, are rational beings. I dare you to sit and think of one thing mankind has done that has not been perverted, abused, or taken for granted. If mankind were rational, would we still have wars, murder, or rape? Would we have arguments over silly things because we no longer see what is really bothering us? Would there be greed, corruption, or lust? Our very irrational nature, do to the multitude of variables in our physical make-up, will eventually be our undoing. Not because we have them, but because we failed to learn to account for them. If we do not account for greed, corruption, hate, lust, violence, etc. in our governing processes, they will grow unchecked. To put it bluntly, humans are ruled by their emotions, which are in turn greatly affected by nature. Changes in our environment will change our own reactions because, like it or not, we will always be a part of it. Even more important, we are all connected in this world. There is nothing that you do that will not have an effect on everyone else in the world. Welcome to chaos theory 101. Thus, the irrational/emotional actions of someone in China will affect you and vice versa.
From time to time I will still post thoughts on events or topics in America, and the world, that I have formed an opinion on. In this case it is on the subject of free education.
While I am for it, this post is not about the pros and cons or even the moral reasons about making education accessible to all, but rather that the moniker of “free education” is incorrect and hurts progressive democrats’ abilities to sell a larger portion of America on the subject. Progressive democrats would not in truth be giving Americans free education. What they are really doing is spreading what has become an outrageous burden of obtaining higher education for a better lifestyle over the life of the person getting the education. In effect, they are amortizing the cost of the education.
Whaaaaa …! What the hell am I talking about. They tell us that we will not have to pay for an education. Well, the truth is that they aren’t lying to you technically. Whaaaaa …! It can’t be both. Ah, it isn’t. You have to read closely what I stated. Technically, you would not be paying for your education upfront. Right now, higher education has become so expensive that to pay the upfront costs demanded by schools, we have to take out hefty loans, which not only leave us with the burden of the cost of the education but also the profit margin desired by the loan companies.
The progressive method would change that dynamic by shifting the cost from upfront to over the lifetime of the person being educated. Again, what the hell am I talking about? Just this, in the progressive scenario, how are the educations paid for? Taxes. That’s right, through increased taxes on all of us. This is the huge sticking point in most people’s minds. Why should I have to pay for someone else’s education? Yes, it seems that way by the how it has been presented by the right, the media, and even the progressives. The fact is that the person getting the education will still be paying for it. Whaaaaa … t?
What happens after a person finishes college? Hopefully, they get a job, right. Then what happens? Boom. You guessed it, they pay TAXES. They will now be paying back into the system that helped them get their education so that the next person can be educated. They don’t get a “get out of jail free” card. They will be paying into the system like you did and are to give future citizens a chance at a better life. Finally, for those that will say “What if I don’t want or can’t get into college? Why should I be taxed?” there are several answers. One, I think the definition of higher education needs to be broadened to include non-traditional forms that help people better their situation, trade schools for example. Two, improving the success of our people improves the condition of our people and improves the lives of us all. Last, the person educated this way may be the person that saves your life, or wins your court case, or takes us to the stars. The progressive plan for what is mistakenly called a free education is really nothing more than a nationalized system of paying it forward, which is what the new testament is allllllllll about.
Our illustrious leader has sent a budget to congress with the idea that we can no longer fund a program without concrete evidence of its effectiveness. Putting aside the reality that many of the programs he plans to cut impact large segments of our population, while requiring less money per person than if the resources were not pulled together by the government, there is the fact that the results of these programs can not easily be distilled down to profit/loss statements. Also, put aside that the so-called savings will be offset by increased military spending and tax cuts for the wealthy. Well one of the programs to be cut is the Endowment for the Arts.
I find it laughable that the President and the people he has surrounded himself with are so clueless as to the amount the arts affect the world around them and us. Do you have an Iphone, twitter account, or television? Well all of these are influenced by the arts. The screens on your Iphone and the layout of Twitter were all designed by graphic artists who may have gotten support or been influenced by someone whom got support from the Endowment for the Arts. Graphic Artists design how our cars, computers, and appliances look. They give your favorite websites the style that catches your eyes.
Musicians make the music for your TV shows and Movies, making them more entertaining and life more enjoyable. They play the songs writers create or create them themselves. The commercials our economy depends upon feature music from all walks of life to connect with customers on an emotional level, including ads for political candidates. Writers come up with the stories that become the movies we can’t wait to see. They also write the commercials that help businesses survive, as well as the manuals that help their customers use their products. Writers even come up with the lines in political ads.
Wow, there sure seems to be a strong case here for the benefits of the arts. Without all the things creative people do for business, our economy would be much weaker than it is. Hell, the Iphone’s ability to stream live music and television is a major selling point and they seem to constantly be trying to improve those abilities. What would be the point of that without the arts? The days of the public being wowed by watching a train arrive at a station, one of the first examples of motion pictures, are long gone. Providing content solely by what we observe is in the past; now the public demands more and you can’t get that without art. So, does funding the arts have an impact? Hell yeah, if you aren’t stupid or greedy.
I want to make a case for funding the arts for obvious reasons and I don’t mean because I am an artist. Of course, I am an artist so I do lean toward an artistic point of view. Also, the arts are more than just images, they are music, they are writing, and they are theater. How many of these affect your life? Well, by how much money actors, singers, and writers can and do make, I would say a lot.
Where to begin? First, let us deal with the fact that Republicans once again want to scrape funding for the endowments to the arts and public television, which make up a small percentage of the governmental budget. Why do they target these programs? One, they are rich and can afford to get any art, entertainment, and learning for said they want so they feel they shouldn’t have to be taxed to help people who cannot afford access to same. Classic “if it does not benefit me directly, I don’t want to pay for it”. Unfortunately, it does benefit them greatly but they are too myopic and greedy to see that. I will explain later. In addition, they are not the only ones being taxed for these programs and the voters should have more say in what is cut. You know, that whole “taxation without representation” jazz the Republicans spew when it is not in their favor. Two, cutting such programs make them look like they are fiscally responsible without having to dig into programs that benefit their largest donors. Note, I do not say base because their base does not count, only their largest donors. Finally, the artistic community is in general one of their biggest oppositions, so it is logical to do all they can to undermine that sector.
Now, let us focus on why the arts need funded. The basic reason, and one that is directly in their favor, is that the arts take peoples minds off their woes. After dealing with all the pressure of work, what is one of the first things people reach for to relax, TV – entertainment. What makes entertainment possible? Art, music, and theater. The arts help soothe the frustrations we all feel. Music calms the savage beast. Next, the arts directly influence scientific discovery. How many times have you heard that Star Trek has influenced a scientist or astronaut to become who they are? How many ideas have been generated from artistic endeavors? Also, the arts help to relax the minds of people so that they can better focus on the work tasks that are given to them. Finally, by limiting art access to only those you are willing to pay for directly, you risk becoming frozen in a set of artistic values that will eventually erode their worth. You in effect create a stagnant pond that begins to have a negative affect on scientific and technological creation. How many great artistic and technological innovations have come from random citizens in our country? The bigger the pool of talent, the better the results.
So, are the arts important? Hell yes! Where do the Republicans think the ideas for their ad campaigns come from? Where do they think the ideas for wrist watches and cell phones came from? Star Trek and Dick Tracy! How do scientists and movie makers visualize for the public their ideas? Artwork! Where do scientists and engineers get a lot of their ideas about the future from? Science Fiction Writers! Life without the arts would be dull, meaningless, and dangerous. Hey, I can understand that cuts need to be made, but you don’t have to totally wipe out these important programs. Try dipping into all the items in the governmental budget evenly and quit lining your pockets with our tax dollars/future. Quit shifting the burden solely onto the middle class you claim to care for so much. Try trimming some of that corporate welfare fueling the 350 to 1 income differential between the top 1% and middle class incomes. Take your stinking paws off the arts you damn dirty apes!
Rob Garbin's Blog: Author and Artist 