The Amazing 7-Minute Painting

how found at: http://www.houseoffourcats.blogspot.com


Have we all been keeping up with the high drama surrounding Star Jones and the post-menopausal female smackdown, lovingly called The View? I sure hope so...the future of the republic demands that you know exactly how Ms. Jones feels about Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Walters. Granted, there are issues of great importance facing this nation on a regular basis, like the Flag Burning and Gay Marriage Amendments. Or are they the Marriage Burning and Gay Flagging Amendments? Eh. Either way, you have a responsibility to stay informed.

The more you know...

Take a minute to allow my painting, The 7-Minute Painting, to soak in and change your life, almost unavoidably for the better. This opus took seven minutes to paint, thus the name. If you're interested in purchasing it, get in touch with the Stomp Toot Artists' Collective in Pepperell, Massachusetts. Give it time, and it will speak to you. In addition to acrylic paint, newspaper clippings and a condom (unused) were stuck on the canvas. J'accuse!

Mrs. Freshley Is A Tortured Nihilist.

Many thanks to A. Kyrie for her fantastic quote from our late night/early morning conversation. I'm not sure why, but she veered from whatever we were talking about to observe, "When you flush the toilet, shit flies around the bathroom and lands on your toothbrush." That gets my coveted "Quote of the Day" award for Thursday, June 29, 2006.

On a very different note, this be my response to a letter from a perfect stranger who stated that globalization does not necessarily help the spread of democracy.

Dear Sir,

Any reasonable person would agree with you. I would go a big step further and say that capitalism acts as a cancer on democratic government. The inequalities that travel naturally with capitalism get extended to political democracy. As the markets of the world become less regulated, this becomes more of a problem. Globalization creates a toxic environment for the organic growth of republican government. Struggling nations are quaintly referred to as, "emerging markets" and elected leaders in those countries are forced to de-regulate and often ignore the wishes of the people they represent in hopes of attracting capital investment.

If an elected leader does stand up to foreign pressure and chooses to represent the best interests of his or her people, then he or she runs the risk of being branded as an enemy of freedom, even in the free media of western nations. I'm thinking of Hugo Chavez, who is funneling hundreds of billions of dollars back into the Venezuelan economy after decades of theft by those who profited by vast oil fields under that nation's western frontier. Even though Chavez has been elected repeatedly and with growing support in elections that are monitored by the OAS and Carter Center, he is labeled a "left-wing dictator" by many in the so-called "mainstream" media.

This is so ironic for those who are familiar with the history of capitalism. If you go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and look at how France, Britain, and the US thrived via capitalism, you'll see that they certainly did not do so via a laissez-faire system. On the contrary, they embraced restrictions, tariffs and regulations on imports. When a young nation does that today, they do so at their own peril. Simply put, they must roll over for international capitalism or rot within their borders.

Once again, ignorance rules the day. The romantic notion that an elegantly-functioning free market made America wealthy simply isn't based in reality. I have a hard time seeing that as a debatable point. I would go a lot farther, of course, given that I'm a socialist. I'd start by pointing out that this little experiment called, "America" probably wouldn't be around if it wasn't saved from capitalism by, ironically, a wealthy capitalist named "Roosevelt" in the 1930's. Anyone remember him? He was hardly a radical socialist. But if it weren't for his government "intrusions" on the market, we'd probably be calling each other "comrade" right now. Heck, I would argue that the FDIC alone saved the banks by guaranteeing deposits, and that led to the restoration of an environment necessary for simple money investment that fuels entrepreneurship.

Unregulated (or perhaps "under-regulated") capitalism almost killed itself, but the republic saved it. Now we have money-soaked pseudo-intellectuals with no knowledge of history telling us that capitalism spreads democracy, and that regulation needs to be cut back to allow the market to flourish.

You can't buy irony like that.

In Solidarity,
D

The Pitter-Pander of Little Republicans

You heard correctly. The Senate came within one vote of passing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution aimed at putting a stop to the epidemic of flag-burning in this country. The L.A. Times had a great article about this stupid thing, which you can read here. I won't beat it to death, but this debate is the most overwhelmingly stupid thing I recall seeing, hearing, reading about or imagining. If the Republicans were a TV show (and they pretty much are, on all the time on Fox News), then they just "jumped the shark." Oh, yes, that is a picture of Bush desecrating a flag.

Just A Little Note Today

For the past two weeks or so I've been engaged in a sort of courtship with a young lady. She has brought a bit of magic back to my life, and for that alone I hold her dear. The physical, emotional and intellectual exploration of another human being that makes up a significant part of the early stages of an romantic relationship is intoxicating. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I'll always be thankful to this young lady for making me feel desired and allowing me to pursue.

The Passing Of Susan Ross

You never know what sad news the next day will bring. This morning I learned via email from several sources that Comrade Susan Ross has passed away. Her husband, Gabe, said that it was "very peaceful and dignified," and there is comfort in knowing that.

I didn't know Susan, and in my whole life I've only spoken to Gabe a half dozen times. I met him in 1990, if memory serves, and I know both he and Susan worked very hard for the cause of socialism. The passing of a comrade is always very sad. The world always needs people like Susan, moreso now it seems. Gabe and Susan were always seen as kindred spirits. Very much alike in what they felt as comrades, one often spoke of Gabe if talking about Susan, and Susan if talking about Gabe. They went together so perfectly.

David A. Hacker sent a lovely letter about Susan this morning where he wrote, "I found Susan to be a very sensitive soul. She was sensitive to in-justice, hatred, and in-difference." He went on to say, "The fact that her pre-mature death was caused as a result of a blow to the head by a student in the high school class she was teaching, who was a neo-Nazi, over a decade ago, should inspire us to work ever harder to end the racism and bigotry that still stains our land."

It's also worth mentioning that she was upset at the schisms that have split the party, and the movement, over the years, and that she called for more civility in the discorse.

Goodbye comrade, you are well-remembered.