The Reverend Squeaky-Eye will be taking a holiday sabbatical for the next week. and will be travelling with the Genetic Envelope.
Meanwhile, the stickers have arrived!!!! I will be getting those stickers out to the faithful as soon as I return from holiday travels.
Courtesy of the Vashon Island 99% Chorus, I would like to offer up this revamped classic holiday carol:
Deck the Jails
"Deck the Jails with Wall Street Bankers...
Fa la la la la, La la la la....
We know they're all crooks and wankers..
Fa la la la la, La la la la."
"Don we now our pepper spray gear...
Fa la la la la, La la la la....
Hope the cops don't gas the reindeer..
Fa la la la la, La la la la."
"We charge you with reckless banking...
Fa la la la la, La la la la....
You deserve a great big spanking...
Fa la la la la, La la la la."
"You behave as if you own us...
Fa la la la la, La la la la....
You deserve jail and not a Bonus!!
Fa la la la la, La la la la."
Happy Holidays Sisters and Brothers!! Keep the Faith and Fight the Power!!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Shortest Days
Hello Friends and Neighbors!
The last of the shortest days are upon us, at least for this year. Regardless of which group of dogmatics tries to claim it as their own special day, we know, as our ancient Brethren knew, that each year the shortest day, and longest night, represent a significant passage. The winter solstice marks the return of the light, ever so slowly and surely, as the days lengthen and the night's darkness retreats. As the solstice passes, Sisters and Brothers, we are blessed with the promise of the return of light and warmth.
So it goes, my Brethren, with our struggle against the Down-Pressor. Even when the darkness envelopes us the longest, there is hope. Hope galvanizes our will to continue the struggle. So today, this day, what can we do to strike a blow? What are we going to do today to take back the power? How can we, each of us, take back a dollar from the Down-Pressor. I understand Brethren, it is only a dollar. But, like the light, change comes gradually and steadily, almost imperceptibly, yet it comes and the promise of hope remains.
Brothers and Sisters, let the return of the light for this season be a return to action! Rabble-rouse, my Brethren! Rake up some muck! Shine a light on the shenanigans of the Corporations. Hold up a mirror to their lackeys in government. Occupy, inspire and interact within your community, as the new season's light pushes back the darkness. And, and my Sisters and Brothers, take the individual actions that can and will strike a blow against the Down-Pressors. If you are able, pay down even the smallest fraction of your consumer debt. Think of the power of your pocketbook when you make a purchase. We send a message every time we buy, or choose not to buy.
As the light returns, we must, each of us, keep up the fight! As our most esteemed Brother Bob Marley sang to us, "Now you see the light, Stand up for your right!"
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Turn About
Good Day, Friends and Neighbors. My hope for today is that each of us finds a way to break at least one link in the chains that the Down-Pressors employs to bind us.
My Brethren, on this fine winter day, I find myself perplexed. Thousands of our good Sisters and Brothers are re-occupying Wall Street, as well as occupying banks, foreclosed homes and other locations across our great land, in an attempt to call attention to the greed of the Corporate Demons. At the same time, many of the powerful Down-Pressors gnash their teeth and, in an attempt to end the occupations, are sending in their hired guns to beat, pepper-spray and otherwise assault our Brethren. Those in power object to the actions of the Occupy Movement, yet the Down-Pressor has been attempting to occupy our workplaces, our communities and even the sanctity of our homes, for more than half a century. Why should we, the working populace, be assaulted and jailed for attempting to spread a message of reform, while the marketeers are allowed to spew poisonous messages at us in the form of a constant barrage of advertisements?
If those who control the police wish to make a valid contribution, they might consider employing the folks wielding the tasers, stun guns and pepper spray on the denizens of Madison Avenue and the rest of their advertising ilk. In this way, the riot police could still use the toys they are so fond of, and perhaps slow the steady flood of advertising that has become the constant backdrop to our culture.
For many years, the Corporate Demons, their government lackeys and their agents, the Down-Pressors, have attempted to inculcate the working populace with their warped ideas of over-consumption. In the late 1950's, as television sets became more widespread in American homes, the Ad-Man began to have direct access into the homes of our citizens. They have been making fine use of that, and other media, in the intervening half-century. Despite the social criticism of the time, and an ongoing drum-beat of warnings from a plethora of thinkers, writers and activists; consumerism, and the idea of conspicuous consumption, have become a huge presence in our culture. In fact, the juggernaut of consumerism has become the engine of the runaway train that our economy now resembles.
The Down-Pressor was not content to simply invade our homes with advertising messages. The Ad-Man uses billboards, pop-ups, newspapers, magazines, reader boards, radio, airplanes with banners and logos on sports figures. In an even stranger twist, some of these marketers have convinced our Brethren to actually pay for the "privilege" of becoming walking sandwich boards for Tommy Hilfiger or Nike! There are even advertisements above urinals in public bathrooms. Where is a nice tall stool when a Brother needs one?
Estimates of how many times a day we see advertisements vary, from 300 per day in the 1990's to 3000 per day at present. In any case, the number is far to high. The estimates of how much advertisers pay each year hover on the order of 620 Billion dollars!!
This, then, is the source of my perplexity, Sisters and Brothers. For longer than the Rev has been alive, the Down-Pressor has been engaged in an invasion of the lives, homes and the very psyches of our working Brethren. The continuing efforts of these charlatans to sell their snake oil has caused us to be beset on every side by their messages of deceit. And yet, and yet good Friends, when we as a people become angry, and express our displeasure as allowed by the Constitution, we are pepper sprayed and arrested. Why? The Down-Pressor has occupied us for long enough!
The Reverend urges all of our Brethren to fight back! One of the easiest and most effective ways to strike a blow is to disregard, avoid or turn off the exhortations of the Ad-Man, one of the slipperiest of the Down-Pressors. If each of us do everything in our power to set aside the influence of advertising in our daily lives, we effectively remove one of the strongest weapons in the Down-Pressor's arsenal. Deflect the influence of the Ad-Man, Sisters and Brothers! In the words of our friends, Public Enemy: "Don't Believe the hype!!"
If we re-occupy our own homes and communities, without inviting the Ad-Man to join us, we are both becoming members of the Occupy movement, but we are also reclaiming what was, and is, rightfully ours in the first place. The only thing, Brethren, that is simultaneously New and Improved, Old Fashioned, and Stronger than Dirt, is our faith in ourselves, in our friends and families, and in our communities. Until next time, Keep that Faith!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Bona Fide
Good Evening to you, Brothers and Sisters. My wish for all of our Brethren this fine winter evening is increased autonomy from the Down-Pressors, and freedom from their financial snares.
I have been hearing from some of our Brethren, which is always a joyful event. In the spirit of transparency, I am compelled to answer a query posed by a solid Brother.
"Hey Rev, are you really a Reverend and why the name Squeaky-Eye?"
First off, let me say I admire the Brother for slipping in two good questions for the price of one, just as slick as you please. Secondly, well, I guess the Rev had better present his Bona Fides.
The answer to part one of our Brother's question is simple. Yes, the Reverend Squeaky-Eye is an ordained minister, sanctioned by the State to perform marriages, funerals and the other rituals of the whole durn human comedy. As an aside, should you wish to have the Rev marry you, he would be only too glad to do so, in exchange for a nominal donation to your local food bank. If the Rev has to travel more than a day's ride by moto, I would hope you would throw a plate of grub his way and provide a flat spot, out of the wind, where he could unroll his bindle for the night. It goes without saying, of course, that the Rev performs whatever ceremonies and rituals need performing, without regard for sex, creed, colour, or the gender orientation of our beloved Sisters and Brothers, Brothers and Brothers, Sisters and Sisters, or what-have-you.
Should any of our Brethren require a Bris, the Rev can recommend some very qualified Rabbinic Mohels, Compeers of course. Understandably, the Rev would have to decline any invitation to perform this particular rite.
The answer to the second part of our Brother's question is equally simple. The Rev has a squeaky eye, the right eye actually. Rubbing the eye in question produces a cleary audible squeaking, which gives some folks within hearing range the willies. There are several causes for squeaky eye syndrome. The most common is dry eyes or dry tear-ducts, but my right orb has squeaked for years. The real cause of a permanent squeaky eye is an air pocket behind the eyeball, caused by sinus issues. A far fetched possibility is that I am unknowingly a member of the Squeaky-Eye Tribe, the existence of which I did not know about until I did the research for this entry.
Personally, I am sticking with the "air-pocket" theory, but the tribe thing is the coolest.
Thanks for indulging me, my Brethren. I will have to leave the question of whether or not the prefix of "Reverend" is applicable. I would propose that actions speak louder than titles, so the Brethren will have to judge for themselves.
Tomorrow we will be back to the nuts an bolts of throwing off the shackles of the Down-Pressor. In the meantime, Keep the Faith and Strike a Blow!!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Traditions
Good Morning Friends and Neighbors! The Reverend Squeaky-Eye has completed the Saturday morning chores around the Fortress. The birds are fed and the walk is swept and laundry is a-churning.
A few evenings ago the Rev was hanging with some of his esteemed compeers, sipping on a bubbly water, whilst others enjoyed their oat sodas. The discussion, as at all of our gatherings, was boisterous, varied, and eclectic. The proprietor of this fine establishment and I were discussing consumer debt and consumption. I know this is a shock to you, my Brethren, but it is true.
In the course of our conversation, my most worthy Brother related a recent conversation he had had with some mutual friends. It seems that while holiday shopping for their three year old son, they had spent $300. Three hundred dollars on a three year old! I was, quite frankly, shocked. This discussion caused me to do a little snooping into our holiday spending habits. Statistics on consumer spending tend to vary wildly, but some of the figures I have found show holiday spending on the average of about $650 per adult person polled.
Before the Rev's genetic envelope became a 6'-4" teenager, he enjoyed toys as much as any kid I have met. Many were the days, however, when I would find him joyfully playing with, or inside, a big cardboard box, while the toy that had recently been packaged in the box sat idle nearby. Brothers and Sisters, this extravagance of consumption is a plague on us, and we have let it happen. The corporations are only able to sell us cheap, plastic crap because we buy cheap plastic crap, and lots of it. Kids are perfectly capable of being happy, joyous and free, without piles and piles of toys moldering beside them while they watch children's television whose only aim is to sell more piles of cheap junk.
The Rev would like to throw all of the blame for this onto the slippery shoulders of the Down-Pressor man, but alas, he cannot. It is we who are at fault, my Brethren, for giving the Corporations a window into our children's minds. Infomercials, thinly disguised as cartoons, stream into our homes, and into our children's consciousness, because we allow it to happen. If we give the Corporate Demons access to our children's minds, they are only too happy to oblige, planting the seeds of consumerism in the fertile soils of younger and younger brains. The Down-Pressor is not only happy, but eager, to make consumer zombies of our young people. Remember, "Start 'em Young" was always the moto of the tobacco companies!
Sisters and Brothers, we are the ones who choose our traditions and our values. We all, as individuals, parents, and members or our communities, choose what messages are beneficial. It is each of us, my Brethren, that can see the falseness of the Down-Pressor's unctuous and omnipresent stream of manipulative codswallop. We must not allow the Corporations to turn our children into a generation of consumer automatons. This is their constant desire, make no mistake Friends and Neighbors.
My Brethren, the Rev encourages each of you to lavish love and affection on all of the members of your families and communities, both during the holidays, and throughout the year. The Rev loves giving and receiving presents, and encourages this wonderful tradition. What I am urging all of us to do, including myself, is to look to our own traditions and values for what is reasonable and appropriate during the holidays. Why should we settle for the corporate view of the holiday tradition? The Corporations would offer us a soiled parody of a tradition, whose only aim is to enrich the Down-Pressor. Our own traditions of family and friends and community have served us well for generations. I implore all of us to enrich ourselves, and our fellows, by tapping into the wealth that our own traditions offer us.
Sisters, know the Down-Pressor's deceit for what it is, for there the truth is not in it! Brothers, shield and nurture our children, teaching them about that which has real value, according to our esteemed traditions! Whether your holiday season tradition is Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or naked Wiccan dancing, the Rev encourages all of our Brethren to wrap each other in the tradition of love.
Once again folks, Keep The Faith and Fight The Power!!!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Link at a Time
The holiday season is upon us, Sisters and Brothers. I am reminded of the Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol", in which Jacob Marley, in death, wore the chains he forged in life. Marley's ghost comes back to warn Ebeneezer Scrooge that he, too, will bear a heavy chain if he doesn't change his way of life.
The burden of consumer debts, Brothers and Sisters, are the chains that we wear in life. We forged these chains, link by link, over time. We can break these chains, but it will take time and effort. The breaking of the chains, and the throwing off the shackles of the Down-Pressor, is not the work of a moment, but rather a change in the way we live our lives. It is a hard labor, my Brethren, make no mistake. The benefits, however, are great, and the freedom that comes of our efforts is sweet reward indeed.
Today I want to lay it down about actually paying off our debt. I know that we are looking hard at the ways to stop increasing our debt. We are not digging the holes any deeper because we are putting down the shovel.
People ask me, "Hey Rev, its fine to talk about paying off my consumer debt, but how do I go about doing do that?"
Good question, Brethren! How exactly do we start paying off our debt? The first step in the process is knowing how much we owe and to whom. The Rev has been urging all of our Sisters and Brothers to build a budget so we all know where our money is going. In addition, we need to know who our money is going to. One good starting place for debt reduction is to make a list of any and all of the people, or firms, that we owe money to, or make payments to. The list should include the outstanding balance, the monthly payment, the due dates and, most importantly, the interest rates for the different cards or accounts.
Once we have out debt list completed, we will have a clearer idea of where our money is going, and to whom. As we are compiling our list of debts, it is also a good time to spend some time reviewing the actual credit card statements. Are there charges on our credit card statements that are not in our budgets? A critical review of our credit card bills can illuminate our spending habits for us, and can show us where we might be trimming some costs. Impulse purchases show up on the tally, or eating lunch out when we could have brown-bagged it, or paid cash. The Rev likes to take a high-lighter to that old bill, smearing a big blob of yellow across the items that might not have been the wisest purchases.
After we have our list of debts, we need to apportion the money to pay these debts off. Here is where the pain starts, my Brethren. It is time to bite the proverbial bullet and pony up. Credit cards can have interest rates as high as 20% or higher, and minimum payments as low as 2-3%. If we pay off only the minimum balance, it can take up to 25 years to pay off debt of $10,000. This is exactly what the Down-Pressors wants us to do, my Brethren. The Down=Pressor loves the minimum payment because it makes him rich!! We have to strike a blow by paying more than the minimum payment listed on the billing statement. The ability to do this will vary greatly amongst our people, but we have to try. If the best we can do is to double the minimum payment, that is what we should do, knowing that we are making progress.
While we are apportioning money to pay off our debts, we need to decide which debts to prioritize. Many financial experts advise paying off the highest interest rates first. The Rev agrees with this approach, however there are other ideas as well. Some wise folks advise to pay off whatever debt concerns us the most, or to pay off some of the smaller debts first as this often affords a sense of accomplishment. All of these methods are valid and our Brethren need to decide which to employ. The Rev advises whatever method yields the best sense of personal satisfaction for our Sisters and Brothers. If paying off one of the smaller cards encourages us to work harder on some of the bigger debts, the Rev shouts "Hallelujah!!"
Once we begin paying down our debts, we can try to persuade the banks and credit card companies to give us a better interest rate or fee structure on the existing debt that we have. The worst thing the Down-Pressor can say is "No," and they may do exactly that, but they certainly will not lower our interest rates if we do not ask. Now, Sisters and Brothers, dealing with the Down-Pressor is a tricky business. He is slippery and he is sly. The Demons do not want to give you a lower interest rate. They do not want to relieve you of any of the fees or burdens that they lay upon you. When we deal with the Down-Pressor, we have to use a language that they understand, a language the temporarily lulls their greed to sleep. I have attached a link, below, that lays down an actual script for asking a bank or card company for a lower rate. I hope this will be of aid to our Brethren.
Brethren, it is time to take action! Every journey begins with a starting point, and the journey out from under our oppressive debt is no different. Take that first step, Sisters and Brothers, take that first step towards a life that is free of the Down-Pressor's chains of debt.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Reason and Results
Good Evening, Sisters and Brothers.
I find that contemplation is a funny thing, best accomplished when the opportunity arises. I have also found that revelation comes at the oddest moments, at least for the Rev.
Saturday morning found me tackling non-Rev chores around the Fortress of Solitude. There were many piles of leaves to load into the wheel-barrow, and mole hills to shovel away. As I was finishing the work, a friend arrived to putter in the big shop. My work completed and the day ahead of me, I retired to the back deck to be contemplative, watching my feathered friends and smoking a cigar.
In my efforts, I was joined by my friends two French Bulldogs, Ike and Bea, who were not at all entranced with sitting in the shop when they could be having their ears skritched by an idle Reverend. So it went, alternating dogs, until Ike climbed into my lap to allow me a better vantage point for lavishing affection on his doggie self. The Rev highly recommends the company of critters for contemplation. The cigar, of course, is optional.
Eventually, my pal wandered over to retrieve the mutts and to chew some fat. In the midst of our confab, he announced that the Reverend's message was getting through to him, and he was using his tax return to pay off 20% of his consumer debt. Hallelujah!!
Revelation followed contemplation in the following manner. The Reverend Squeaky-Eye's message is clear: "If 20% Pay Down 20%, We Strike a Blow!" I want everyone to know, my Brethren, that I understand how difficult this is for many of our people. My friend has a good job and is in a position to shake off some of the shackles of debt, and that is a joyful thing to hear!! It is a joyful noise, indeed, to hear those chains and shackles fall away from our Brothers and Sisters. The Reverend understands, however, that this is no easy task, and for many of our Brethren it is down-right near impossible.
My Revelation is clear, Brethren, and that revelation is that I need to be clear in the message. We our aim, our goal, is that the hard-working people of our nation, and our world, will be freed from the debt and corrupt financial influence of the Corporate Demons and their Down-Pressors. Part of the method that I am advocating for achieving that freedom is for 20% of our Brethren to pay down 20% of their consumer debt. I know how hard this is, and I know that not everyone can even make ends meet these days. What I am urging, Brothers and Sisters, is that those of us who are able to take action, do take action. If some of our folks can pay off all of their debt, we raise a great shout to them. If some of our folks can't pay off any of their debt, they can still take heart that others of their Brethren are trying to strike that blow against the Down-Pressor!
It is my belief, Sisters and Brothers, that we do not need to pay off all of the consumer debt in our nation to get the Corporate Demons to sit up on their haunches and take notice. No! It is my belief we only need to break enough of the shackles and chains that the Down-Pressor feels the sting in the one place he is vulnerable, his pocket! I am urging my Brethren to back up the words with deeds, to take action and then spread the news of that action to others so that they may take action as well.
Make no mistake, what I am advocating is taking back the money, the money that we gave the Corporate Demons. Take it back! Hurt these Down-Pressors in the only way that they can be hurt, make them change in the only way they will ever change, by threatening their profits. Take the money away from them, and they become empty and harmless.
Brothers and Sisters, if you can only pay off 1% of your debt in the next year, then do that, and know that you have struck a blow. Brethren, if all that you are able to do is simply stop sliding further into debt, then accomplish that, and know that you have struck a blow. It is not the single effort of any of us that will be the undoing of the Down-Pressor, but rather the collective action of all of us.
I have to remind myself, and this is my revelation, that a slogan, even a good one, is just a slogan. It is a means to an end. In the meantime, be well, live large, and in whatever way you can, strike that blow!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Contributions
The Reverend Squeaky-Eye is involved in community activities today, but he wishes all of the Sisters and Brothers out there and happy and Down-Pressor free Sunday.
The Rev will be back tomorrow with more ideas on how we can work to free ourselves from the Corporate Devils.
The Rev will be back tomorrow with more ideas on how we can work to free ourselves from the Corporate Devils.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Treasures and Trinkets
Good Day Brothers and Sisters!
I was very pleased to receive a comment from my esteemed colleague, the Reverend Tim, who currently hails from the Twin Cities. The Rev. Tim is doing good work out there. Regarding our discussion on stuff, he writes:
"But I like my stuff! :-P "
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Squeaky-Eye Tech
Good Day Brothers and Sisters!
I am pleased to say that the Rev. Squeaky-Eye is entering the digital age in a big way, complete with QR Code stickers. Use your electronic stuff (which you own, not the other way round) to scan the QR code which takes you straight to the Rev's blog page. Cool, Aye? The stickers are about 4.25" x 1.4" and stick tighter than a Down-Pressor to a working-person's hard earned dollar. Thanks to the Genetic Envelope for his hard work and help.
Look to see these stickers popping up in a record store near you, in the bathroom at Smarty Pants and probably on the back of STOP signs in Tucson. Where else should they go? Anywhere you want to stick them up, my good friends! Stickers are free of charge, and shipping is free. That's right folks, the stickers are FREE, FREE, FREE, devoid of small print.
Send the Rev your snail mail addy at the.reverend.squeaky.eye@gmail.com
When the stickers arrive, I will post them out right away. Need more than one sticker? Not a problem, The Rev aims to provide.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Ownership
Good Evening Brothers and Sisters. I come to you today to talk about a two-headed demon that is stalking our lands, preying upon our Brethren. This peril, this tool of the Down-Pressor, walks amongst us on a daily basis. It is spreading its lies over the airwaves, the internet, it is emblazoned on our sports heroes and even on giant televisions standing alongside our highways and byways. This demon wields a terrible power, and uses that power to reduce us to slaves, slaves of the desire for stuff.
You may ask me, "What is this thing Rev? What the hell is it that threatens us like this? What the hell are you blathering about?" Well, I'll tell you, Brethren, what I am blathering about. I am throwing down on the Two-Headed Stuff Monster. That's right, Sisters and Brothers. This two-headed, two-faced, and false thing tries, with all of its evil wiles, to spread a pernicious plague upon our fair planet.
First, the Two-Headed Stuff Monster creates the lie, the deceit, the myth, of spiritual contentment through consumption. This creature first will tell you, Brothers and Sisters, that your life sucks, that you are ugly and slow and old and without value. This hell-spawn will try to convince our good friends and neighbors that their life is without meaning. Life without meaning and without hope of ever achieving happiness, that is what this slime portrays. And just as we give up hope, just as we see our last chance for contentment slip away, the monster offers a solution: Stuff. If we can have it, Sisters, if we can just buy it, Brothers, we will be happy. That new car will make us sexier, those clothes will make us prettier, those stupid long-toed, pointy, elf-shoes will make us younger; these are the lies of the stuff monster. These lies are illusory siren calls my friends, and the truth is not in them.
My good friends, stuff will not make any of us loved, happy or contented. We all of us, each of us, know the source of our contentment. Our peace, our happiness, is held in the hearts and hands of our friends and families, our children; our loved ones, that special someone that makes our heart race when he or she walks in the room. Here lies our happiness, not in our possessions, not in our stuff. We know this, my Brethren, yet we heed the false call of the monster and rush to buy the newest piece of junk, rife with planned obsolescence, junk which will quickly fail to satisfy us and then end in our landfills. Our happiness is there for all of us, in our communities and in our leisure time to enjoy our connections with those around us. If we listen to the monster, we would hear that only stuff will fill the void in our lives. My good Brethren, no thing can fill our hearts, only those whom we gather around us can fill our hearts. Tell the monster this truth, tell the Stuff Monster, that real value, real worth, comes from our connection to our fellow beings in this world. Tell the monster this and watch it run, watch it shrink and run!
Perhaps no greater prophet has ever captured the dilemma of stuff, and whether we own our stuff or the other way around, like the very funny and very wise George Carlin. It is my fondest wish that you take the time to watch this video and that George is cracking them up in the next life, wherever that may be.
The second thing the monster will tell us, after we realize how badly our lives suck, is how great everything can be with new stuff. Perfectly packaged stuff is awaiting each of us, carefully placed on long gleaming shelves. This stuff is better than the stuff we have. This new stuff will make us stronger, lighter, faster and, of course, far more attractive to the folks we are trying to attract. Not only does the monster tell us, each of us, that stuff will fill the yawning chasm that is the hollowness of our lives, but that the stuff we already have is actually contributing to that chasm and needs to be chucked. That's right!! The Monster wants us to chuck our stuff to buy news stuff.
Why is this? Why would we throw away perfectly good stuff to buy more stuff? So we can work harder and have less leisure time, work so hard that we are unaware of the machinations of the Corporate Demon behind the curtains? Yes, my Brothers and Sisters. That is exactly what the Down-Pressor wants. The Down-Pressor wants each of to work more, consume more, throw away more, and to be so exhausted by the entire process that we do not notice the planet being poisoned and the pockets of the Fat Cats being lined.
The Rev wants to give a whoop, a hallelujah and a big ole' shout-out to a most righteous Sister, Annie Leonard, who brings us the amazing short movie, The Story of Stuff. Please, Sisters and Brothers, take the few minute required to view this little movie. Know the real cost of our stuff, the real cost to ourselves, to our neighbors, and to our planet.
We have been deceived by these Corporate Demons. They have grown so large they fear almost nothing, fear no government, fear no organization. Yet there is one thing, one thing my Brethren, that strikes the fear into their wizened, grasping and tiny hearts: they fear the loss of their money. We gave them the money, we can take it back! Don't listen to their lies! Stuff will not set us free, stuff will only enslave us. Remember the words of our esteemed and departed Brother, Malcolm X "We've been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray!"
See the Stuff Monster for what it is and what it does! Fight the Power!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Model
Good Morning Friends and Neighbors! The Reverend wishes all of you peace and financial freedom on this rain-soaked GreyNorWet morning.
I come to you today, My Brethren, in the brief pause between the sham of Black Friday and pernicious touting for excess spending on Cyber Monday. I come to you to lay it down on the creeping malaise of consumer over-spending and the consumer debt that follows on the heels of spending like an egg-sucking dog.
On this fine morning, the Rev is setting aside the issue of consumer debt to focus on the single biggest cause of that debt: over-spending by consumers. And, my Brothers and Sisters, we are those consumers. Just as we are, truly, the 99% who can take back the power from the Down-Pressor, we are also the 99% of consumers who provide the capital for the 1%.
The Corporate Devils, using their lackeys the Down-Pressors, wail and moan that the only way to get our fractured economy "back-on-track" is a return of consumer confidence, and an increase in consumer spending. Brethren, the "track" that the Devils want to return to is the track of unbridled profits with which to line their pockets. Sisters and Brothers, the Down-Pressors do not care anything about the fractured economy, except with how it directly relates to the corporate bottom line. The Down-Pressors will tell our Brethren that it is almost a patriotic duty to spend money on consumer goods. The Devils, through their talking-head mouthpieces, spread the lie of a sustainable economy based on continually increasing consumer spending. The Reverend is here to tell you, it is mathematically impossible to have any system that is based on continuous and exponential growth. The lie of an economy based on consumer spending growth flies in the face of logic, common-sense, and Newtonian physics.
In future blogs entries, we are going to talk about the fundamental flaws of an economy modeled on continually growing consumer spending. For now, the Rev would like to bring it back from the theoretical to the get-down of the day-to-day.
I know that all of us, including the Reverend, have to consume goods to survive. We, all of us, need to eat healthy food, clothe ourselves, and provide our families with shelter. The Rev is not preaching the gospel of non-consumption. The power that we have, my Brethren, is the power of using our hard-earned dollars to consume carefully, in ways that are the most beneficial to our family, friends, and community. So let's get down to it and talk about how we can become wiser consumers, consumers more in control of the impact of our spending habits, both as how our spending effects our own financial freedom, and how our spending effects our community.
"Hey Rev, how can I keep the hard-earned dollars that I spend in my community?"
This is a most righteous question and touches on one of the Rev's favorite things to do. Keep it local, Baby! That's right! I'm not talking about just spending your money on things that are "Made in the USA" which, anymore, are probably just assembled in the USA. Yes Brethren, that car that you think is made here? Look at the components! Digression aside, as the my giant genetic envelope will tell you, "If you shop at the big box stores, eventually all you will have is big box stores." Wal-Mart is the scourge of communities everywhere, offering the seduction of cheap prices in exchange for oppressive wages to its employees and limited or no health-care coverage for its workers, the workers who are our friends and neighbors. Wal-Mart, and the other big box stores, directly contribute to the decline of main-street businesses in our fair communities.
Keeping it local means doing business with the people behind the counter in your neighborhood. These are the faces of the people that you see everyday, whose children go to school with your children, the folks at the farmer's market who are there every week, selling their healthy goods out of a truck on a cold wet day. Now, my Brethren, we have a choice to buy local produce instead of pre-packaged and GMO infused junk on a corporate shelf. That is the key, Brothers and Sisters! We have a choice! We need to think of who benefits from the dollars that we spend. Are we padding the pockets of some parasitical corporation or are we supporting a local business person in our community. Each purchase has power, people! The Rev is imploring all of us to make that power count!
"Hey Rev, How can I make my dollars go further in my neighborhood?"
Now we are talking, Brethren. One great way to make our dollars go further is to buy from a local used book store, used CD store or thrift store in our neighborhoods. The benefits of this type of shopping are three-fold. When our good Sisters need some new ensembles, they are saving money by shopping at the local thrift or consignment shops. When our enlightened Brothers haunt the local used book stores, they are re-using resources and ideas, neither of which should go to the landfill. When our Brethren need some new tunes, buying used CD's, or vinyl for our audiophile Brethren, they are re-cycling old grooves and turning them into new moves.
There are many, many, more ways that your consumer choices can have a beneficial effect for both our families, my Brethren, and our communities. The Rev will do his best to lay them down for you as well as relaying the many great ideas that are coming in from our powerful community. Meanwhile, I urge all of us to spend wisely when we spend and to conserve where we can. The power, my Brothers and Sisters, is in our pocket books, purses and wallets. We have only to wield that power to effect change!!
The Rev would like to leave you with some great links for tunes and tidings. Keep the Faith My Sisters and Brothers!!
Here is the great prophet, Peter Tosh, laying it down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oD63-EJW5Y
Here is a link to a very informative article in Democracy Now:
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/11/25/occupy_everywhere_michael_moore_naomi_klein
Friday, November 25, 2011
Compeers
Good day to you, my Brothers and Sisters. The Reverend has faith that you are enjoying the day and keeping your hard-earned dollars in your pockets. Say "No" to the Down-Pressor and the heinous plot of Black Friday.
It is with gratitude that I relate to you the wisdom of the young. My giant genetic envelope called my attention to an esteemed compeer of ours in the struggle, The Reverend Billy. Now I am here to tell you, Sisters and Brothers, the Reverend Billy is doing good work out there. The Reverend Squeaky-Eye gives a tip of the Rev Lid to the Rev. Billy and, in the immortal words of our Man, Joe Bob Briggs, urges our Brethren to "Check It Out!"
Now, the Rev has his own struggle to deal with, mostly raking leaves at the Fortress of Solitude, in this brief gap in the torrential GreyNorWet's interminable rain. Preachin' is fine, but the chores have to be done first, don't you know.
Keep the Faith, My Brethren!!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wishes and Technology
Good Evening friends and neighbors. The Reverend would like to send out the fondest holiday wishes to all of our Brothers and Sisters on the eve of this holiday. I am hoping that each of you has the opportunity to be with friends and family during this time. For those of your that have to work over the holiday, or who are alone or struggling, I send out the message of strength to keep the faith. I know that all of our Brethren are feeling the same thing for the less fortunate among us.
The Reverend is hanging in fellowship with the family tonight, and will be welcoming the best of friends on the morrow. Fellowship, food and family, my Sisters and Brothers! What more do we need in life?
I would like to publicly give a tip of the Rev Lid to The Kid, my enormous genetic envelope, who has been aiding the Reverend's efforts to spread the word. The Kid created a QR Code for the Squeaky-Eye Blog URL, which will be proudly displayed on the new stickers, which he also created. Here is some of his handiwork:
These stickers will be available free of charge to any of our Sisters and Brothers who wish to display them for the cause. In the meantime, I urge all of you to enjoy this holiday time, be kind to our fellow Brethren, and keep the faith. Remember, we gave them the power, and we are the ones who can take it back.
The Reverend is hanging in fellowship with the family tonight, and will be welcoming the best of friends on the morrow. Fellowship, food and family, my Sisters and Brothers! What more do we need in life?
I would like to publicly give a tip of the Rev Lid to The Kid, my enormous genetic envelope, who has been aiding the Reverend's efforts to spread the word. The Kid created a QR Code for the Squeaky-Eye Blog URL, which will be proudly displayed on the new stickers, which he also created. Here is some of his handiwork:
These stickers will be available free of charge to any of our Sisters and Brothers who wish to display them for the cause. In the meantime, I urge all of you to enjoy this holiday time, be kind to our fellow Brethren, and keep the faith. Remember, we gave them the power, and we are the ones who can take it back.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A Gallon at a Time, Sisters and Brothers, a Gallon at a Time!
In the spirit of keeping our eyes on the prize, The Reverend is going to restate that which has been laid down already, the simple message of reducing debt and reducing consumption. If our hard-working Brothers and Sisters reduce consumption, they will reduce their costs. Reduced costs equates to more cash left over at the end of the week and with it the ability to keep paying down the pernicious evil of consumer debt hanging over our households.
Now, I know our Brethren out there are already trying to find ways to keep more of their wages in their pockets, while at the same time keeping as much money away from the greedy Down-Pressor Man as possible. Every time one of our number finds a way to live more simply, stepping out, more and more, from under shadow of debt, all of us become lighter and more self-empowered.
I know that the people struggle! I see it, see it every day. I see the Brethren opposing the Down-Pressor Man, and one of the greatest of these struggles is trying to stay out ahead of Big Oil.
How can we do it? Most of us have the need to get to work, to drive the family to their activities, to bring home those expensive bags of groceries to feed our flocks. Our mobility is important to us and leaves us at the mercy of the greediest cartel of all, the cartel of Exxon-Mobile, Conoco-Phillips, Chevron and Shell.
I don't need to tell my Sisters and Brothers that the cost for all fuels has sky-rocketed, and with it have sky-rocketed the profits of these mega-corporations. Even British Petroleum, whose recent disastrous oil rig explosion killed working men and polluting the Gulf of Mexico, raked in huge profits on the backs of the world's working consumers.
Here are some pertinent links to the rise in oil prices and the rise in oil profits.
Here is another link to an article that is, interestingly enough, written from a fairly conservative, investor standpoint. Even written with the outlook of an investor, some of the points and counterpoints made regarding Exxon's explanations of its profits are illuminating.
I can hear people asking, "OK Rev, we all know that oil prices are putting the hurt on the people. Tell us something we don't know! What can we do about it? We all need to get around and you know that fuel prices effect the price of all the things we buy, everyday."
The Reverend hears you and you are right. So let's get down to it. There are methods that I believe our Brethren can use to fight back against the oil companies. We are, all of us, dependent on the fossil fuel. But we can do whatever we can to lessen that dependence and with it, lessen the amount of money we are laying out to the Oil Devils.
The Reverend Says: "Hit the Sidewalk." Walking is a great way to get around and its free. Try walking to the local market, instead of driving the car. Not only will we get a chance to say hello to our friends and neighbors, but we will get in a bit of exercise as well. Walking is a way to see and experience things that we never see when we are zooming around in an automobile. Taking the shoe leather express will change our perspective, help us stay in shape, and most importantly, walking does not require dropping a wad of cash into Big Oil's greedy hand.
The Reverend Says: "Double Down." Ride with a buddy, neighbor or co-worker. Even if we can only car pool a few days a week, we use less fuel and keep more green, in our pockets and in our world. If we share one shopping trip or errand with a friend or neighbor, that could be a gallon of fuel saved. That's four hard-earned dollars my Brethren! We can plan trips so that we are doing multiple errands in one excursion, choosing our routes so that we avoid unnecessary mileage. Try starting a community ride pool with your neighbors. Ride sharing is a great way to save fuel, save money, meet the neighbors and thumb our noses at the Down-Pressor. We can take a page from our Mexicano Brethren, who will fill a taxi with a spontaneous chant of "Collectivo, collectivo!" until enough folks are gathered to fill a mini-bus or taxi, thus saving all of the members hard coin! "Viva! Collectivo!"
The Reverend Says: "Bus it my Brothers!" That's right, Sisters too, of course. Riding the bus, the train, the water taxi, the collectivo, all of these public transport options will save our righteous Brethren some serious money and vehicle wear and tear, while at the same time using the means of transport most loathed by the Oil Man.
The Reverend Says: "Bike it my Sisters!" Nothing slams it to the Man and trims off those extra pounds like bicycling to work. Look online in your local community to hook up with other get-down Brethren who are using the power of the pedal.
The Reverend Says: "Maintain it, Man!" That's right, if we are going to drive, make sure that the old rig is tip-top. Clean air filters, proper tune-ups and properly inflated tires are all little things that can add up to big savings. There are a veritable plethora of websites and online information about gas-savings tips for your automobile. I urge my Brethren to check it out!.
How are we going to lessen Big Oil's stranglehold on our lives? The answer, my Brethren, is one gallon at a time. We can reduce consumption and in the process reduce our outlay of cash to the oil barons. One Gallon at a time my Brothers! One Gallon at a time my Sisters! We can, each of us, make a difference. There are more than 200 million drivers in the United States alone. If each of our Brothers and Sisters driving automobiles reduced their fuel consumption by one gallon a day, that reduction would equal about 76 Billion gallons of fuel. Yes indeed my Brethren, that is a LOT of zeros: 76,000,000,000. And if we convert that to dollars, it comes out to roughly 280 Billion Dollars.
Remember My Brothers and Sisters, revolutions are not won at a stroke, by magic, or by sitting in front of the television. Revolutions are won by persistent, incremental shifts in behavior, belief and practice, over a period of time. The belief is ours and the time is NOW! I have faith in all of you and I believe that we can, each of us together, throw off the shackles of the Down-Pressor!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Why Do You Suppose They Call it Black Friday?
Good Day to all of my Sisters and Brothers out there, each of you fighting the good fight!
I come to you today to warn you of something that I am sure each of you has already seen and heard. This insidious thing, this creeping serpent of which I speak, will come to you on your television, on your radio, through your computer, urging you, cajoling you to submit to its wily message. What is this thing that slips it unctuous message into your home? It is the call of Black Friday, the shameless celebration of consumption that marks the beginning of the Down-Pressor's seasonal efforts to ensnare our Brethren in a cycle of consumption and debt.
The Reverend loves the holiday season and hopes, with all his heart, that all of our Brothers and Sisters enjoy a wondrous time, full of the joys that fellowship and family can bring, regardless of whatever beliefs and customs our Brethren chose to engage in. The one thing, the one thing I would urge all of you is this: Do not forsake your family and friends, safe and warm with the blessings of a Thanksgiving celebration, to venture out into a late-night frenzy of stress filled consumption at big-box stores. Why would any of us want to leave the comfort and fellowship of our homes for the darkness and cold of early morning lines to enrich the Down-Pressors?
The lure of the consumption sirens will pull at our Sisters and Brothers, touting fantastic savings to be had for those lucky few, those who arrive early enough to partake of the bargains. These big box stores are opening their doors at 4 AM, 3 AM, even at midnight on Thanksgiving Day, in an attempt to lure our good people out of their homes, in the hope of illusory savings. That's right, illusory!! Most of the big-box stores advertise amazing bargains on hard-sought holiday gift items, but remember the words of our esteemed Brother, Mister Tom Waits, "The Large Print Giveth, and the Small Print Taketh Away". And such is the case with these "Bargains". Most of the items that are advertised at unbelievable discounts are just that my Brethren, unbelievable. The quantities of these items are usually so limited as to be non-existent. Read the fine print in the ads! Always read the fine print!! As one of our groups of prophets, Public Enemy said, "Don't Believe the Hype!!". They are luring you out of your warm beds to sell you a bill of goods.
Here are several websites that will help you get the low-down on Black Friday. And while we are at it, just think about the name itself. Who would want to be associated with a day that carries such a distinction? Even if one ignores the bait-and-switch tactics that the Down-Pressors resort to in an effort to fleece my Brothers and Sisters, most shopping experts agree that this day of celebrating consumption is not even a good day for real bargains.
As we enter this joyous holiday season, the Reverend will be passing on tips and tricks for enjoying all that this precious time has to offer, while not going broke in the process. For today, I am urging each and everyone of us to buy nothing on Black Friday. That is correct my Brethren, Buy Nothing! Our friends at Ad-Busters have been preaching this gospel for 20 years! They are most Righteous!
In conclusion my friends, if possible, celebrate this Thanksgiving Week with your family and friends. If the urge to buy something is overwhelming, I would offer a constructive solution. Take a few dollars and buy some bagels or hot chocolate or whatever sustaining treats strike your fancy, and take them down to your Sisters and Brothers at the local Occupy Protests. Trust the Rev on this one, by supporting the protests, you will not only be striking a blow for all of us, but you will also be having a better day than any you have ever had at the mall.
Keep the Faith!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Power of the Purse
Hello My Brothers and Sisters! The Reverend Squeaky-Eye is here to tell you that it is, indeed, a wonderful life. What I want to talk to you about today is the power that each of us possess, the power of our purses, our wallets, and even our man-bags if my Brothers are so inclined. The Rev has said it before, and I will say it again: The greatest power that consumer's have is the power to chose where they spend their money, where they save and bank their money, and where they invest their money.
Sisters and Brothers, if a big bank does not listen to you, does not treat you fairly, take your hard-earned dollars out of that bank and move those dollars to a local bank or credit union, one that does business in your town, a credit union or bank that loans money to your friends and neighbors. Find and support a local institution that didn't take tax-payer bail-out money and then use that money in a lobbying attempt to stop financial regulation legislation. Move that money, my Brethren!!! Move that money!!
When the "too-big-to-fail" banks fail, once again, to listen to the people, Move That Money!!. The big, fat cat bankers send out their Down-Pressors to spread the lie that what is good for the big banks is good for the country. They are charlatans and false, and the truth is not in them. The big banks will tell you, in their oily voices, that moving your money will hurt the economy. I am here to tell you that these are lies and deceits!! The Reverend is here to testify to you that it is the greed, the unabashed and flagrant greed of the big banks that has all but ruined our economy, put our Brethren out of work, forced our Brethren out of their houses, into the streets and shelters, onto the unemployment rolls and into the food bank lines. The parasites that are the bankers, these shysters, these Potters, they are the agents who are hurting our country, without any regard for the damage that their grasping ways bring about.
My friends, the tradition of the holiday season approaches. I have a homework assignment for all of my Sisters and Brothers. During this holiday season, I want each of you to watch the Frank Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life". I know we have all seen this story, but I want you to watch it again. I want each of us to watch this story and pay attention to the greedy Potter and how George Bailey, and his friends and neighbors, resist Potter and his greedy attempts to shut down the "Good old Savings and Loan".
After we all sing "Auld Lang Syne" and the credits role, I want all of us to look at the way we, as consumers, are treated by the large banks, insurance and trading companies. Then, think about how the people came to the aid of the Savings and Loan, propping up the little bank until it could once more prosper. In our modern story, it is the other way around!! We have had our hard-earned money, tax-payer money, used to bail out the Potters of Wall Street! Our money has been used to promote and reward the avarice and mis-management of these huge, uncaring financial behemoths.
The Reverend Squeaky-Eye is here to tell you that nothing and no one is "too-big-to-fail". This arrogance is spread across our land by the fat cats, and their Down-Pressors, in an attempt to hide the truth that they have, in fact, already failed us!! The bail out of theses monsters, which was accomplished with our money, has not only aided the Potters, but it has made the banking segment even more top-heavy while weakening the viability of small and local banks.
Please take the time to read this excellent story in the Huffington Post regarding this very issue:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/move-your-money-a-new-yea_b_406022.html
Here is a link to the Move Your Money Project that has a wealth of information for our Brethren.
http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/
As we near that holiday season, the Reverend will have a great deal to say about consuming and spending and how, for many of us, the holiday season, with its frenzy of shopping, can be ruinous rather than joyous. But tempering the caution with joy, I want to wish all of my Brothers and Sisters a wonderful, rewarding and responsible holiday season.
Remember!! We have the power to promote lasting financial freedom for ourselves!!
If 20% pay down 20% We Strike a Blow!!
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