Sixteen Tons

A soggy Good Evening from the GreyNorWet to all of the Brethren out there.  The Reverend has just returned from a moto sojourn down to the equally soggy Northern coast of California.  There was communing to be done, motos to be ridden and matters of import to discuss.  

The esteemed Brothers and Sisters of the wheel had ridden many a mile, and from points far flung, to be at the annual gathering.  Amongst the laughter and jests there were serious discussions, compeers comparing ideas on all the things that oppress and poison our people.

Whilst discussing the insidious tentacles of the Down-Pressor corporations, and the many ploys and tricks that the demons use to ensnare our Brethren, one of our most thoughtful members commented that "We are all working for the company store."  I am here to tell you Sisters and Brothers, those words resonated with me, yes they did.

It is my belief, good Brethren, that we live in a society that is largely formed by the input, machinations, and connivances of the modern corporation.  We are not always aware of the many layers, veils, and stratagems of the Down-Pressor and the corporate minions, but they are always there, sometimes operating in the open, sometimes in the shadow.  When single, huge companies control manufacturing, transportation, marketing and retailing, there is, indeed, the spectre of the company store, a spectre which then controls our lives.  

One arm of the Down-Pressor controls the mass media of this contrived world, spewing their messages over the TV and radio, trying to convince our people they must have this thing or that thing for their lives to be complete.  Another arm of the Down-Pressor goes to developing nations to harvest the raw materials for cheap crap products.  Yet another tentacle produces and markets the useless garbage that we are lured to buy, which then quickly becomes actual garbage when it is discarded to make way for the next must-have, yet useless, piece of consumer junk.  

Back in the day, my Brethren, the Company Store in a mill town or mining town called all the shots.  There was no pretense of freedom, no subtlety.  The Company paid the workers in script and the script was only good at the Company Store where goods could be had at inflated prices or not at all.  There were no other options.

Today, a shining example of freedom is held up to us in the form of Free-Market Capitalism.  If we would simply allow this wonder of the world, and its keepers, free rein, all of the Brethren would be led to a land of prosperity and ample cargo, enough to satisfy our every need.  There is no Company Store, there is only free choice as far as the eye can see, aisle after of aisle of gleaming consumer goods at low, low prices. 

Lies, Sisters!  Snake-Oil, Brothers!  

Young people, if they have an opportunity for college education, are coming out of the system in hock up to their eyeballs before they even start a career.  The Down-Pressor absolutely loves the Government backed, and bankruptcy immune, system of student loans.  From that point on, the Corporations have their hooks into us, trying with every device at their disposal to bind us more and more tightly into the cycle of live, buy, consume and die.

Without awareness, Sisters and Brothers, we are all just shopping at the company store.  It is better hidden than it was in the past, but it is larger, more organized, and more insidious than anything the coal company or linen mill owners ever imagined.

Keep the faith, keep your eyes open, and strike a blow!

Channeling

Today, today Sisters and Brothers, I am down with Tyler Durden, the character created by Chuck Palaniuk in his seminal work "Fight Club."  Describing the IKEA culture we have descended to, he urges:

"F**k off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may." 

Today, my Brethren, is a radical day.  Today, I can clearly see the chains.  Today is a day for iconoclastic action.  It is a good day to throw off the shackles.

I know of one of the Brethren who has been suffering.  Like many of the Brethren, he is in a spot between hardness and the rock wall.  Trapped by a house he cannot afford, beset by health issues, he finds himself confined in a cage of consumerism.  This is a cage that he willingly built, having bought the line, drunk the Kool-Aid, whatever you want to call it.  He heard the siren call of stuff, had the means to answer, and did so.  And now, now our Brother suffers, yet at the same time he is now awake!  He knows he built the cage.  His eyes are open.  

Now is the time.  There is surely pain and hardship to come for our Brother, and for many of the Brethren.  We are, Brothers and Sisters, faced with hard choices.  Yet the difficulty of choices made with awareness are far preferable to those "choices" made caged and blinded.   

Please, Sisters and Brothers, remember that a population addicted to the next consumer purchase is a population that is easy to hoodwink, easy to control.  Let us, each of us, help ourselves and help the Brethren by starting our own little Project Mayhem.  Take a little piece out of the system.  Do it today.  Every small act of barter, of conscious spending or not spending, every choice to support local or sustainable business models, each of these actions makes us stronger.  

On a day like today, a radical day, maybe we can even pull off something larger than a small act.  The Down-Pressor likes to rain the hammer blows on our heads, the heads of those whom they believe are sleeping.  The Reverend says, let the hammer fall on the chains instead!  

It is a good day to be strong, Sisters and Brothers, a good day to strike a blow!

Mojo

Hello Brethren!

This weekend, The Genetic Envelope is camped out at the Fortress of Solitude.  Our conversation turned to all things consumer and I mentioned that Mojo Nixon was right.  The GE was not familiar with Saint Mojo, so I hipped him to Mojo doing "Burn Down the Malls"

In the interest of nominating Mojo for official Sainthood status amongst our Brethren, I am offering up this link.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAoh_yteKkc

Remember, Sisters and Brothers, Saint Mojo (for I declare him to be such) wrote this song in the late 80's.  When are we going to wake up my Brethren, when????

Mythology

Greetings Friends and Neighbors.  The Reverend Squeaky-Eye is perplexed.  I have been searching for a thing and I cannot seem to find it.  It is a thing that gets talked about a great deal.  In fact, it is almost impossible for one of those politicos to open their oily mouths without mentioning it.  And yet, when I look around for some substance, it plumb eludes me.

What is this thing I am looking for?  What I am looking for, good Brethren, is any evidence that what we used to call the "Middle-Class" still exists in America.  I hear the talking heads blathering about the Middle Class, and about what is good for or not good for the Middle Class.  I hear the politicos making empty promises that pander to the Middle Class tax base.  But while all this noise is spewing from their lips, I see less and less evidence that the American Middle Class, the traditional buffer that rose up betwixt Labor and Capital, still exists.

So, my Brothers and Sisters, I am beginning to doubt the myth.  The traditional Middle Class dream, that of a family home of one's own, a car, and all electric kitchen and a secure job with a steady company, was oft held out as a thing to aspire to.   This mode of being, touted as the American ideal, could be had through hard work, education, and perseverance.  

I think its gone, this (now lower case) middle class.  I think that its existence has become a myth, something with which the DownPressor keeps us amused and distracted as he pushes down our wages, sends our manufacturing jobs overseas and eliminates worker's healthcare.  

I wish this is what we could call "Bush league psych-out shit, Man!" but I don't believe it is.  I believe that the middle class is the victim of a concerted effort by the Corporate powers-that-be, an effort aimed at reducing the freedom and political will of a group of people who were a problem.

This is just an opener, folks.  There are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, to consider.  We can't let our thinking get uptight about this.  So this evening, I am just raising the issue.  We will be back for a closer look at this missing class and what might have brought that eradication about.  

Hammer Blows

A good morning to all of the Brethren today.  The Reverend's heart is heavy, Sisters and Brothers.  It seems that the hammer blows continue to fall amongst those that are nearest and dearest.  I know that life can be hard, can be full of challenges, and I know that each of us must sometimes rise to those challenges.  And yet, and yet my friends, I would feel a little lighter if just a few of these blows would fall on the Down-Pressor, instead of on the heads and hearts of the hard-working folks around us.  But the Universal Tool Shed's choice of targets is not within my range of influence.  I suppose that the Down-Pressor should rejoice in that lack, for if it were in my power, the blows that would rain down...  well, you get the picture.

I know a hard-working Brother, one of the Brethren, who is clearly demonstrating to me the nature of courage in the face of adversity.  I am so proud of this man, and with good reason.  Now the Brother we are talking about, he has been watching his employer lay off folks in waves.  For months now, this Brother has known that his turn would come.  Despite sending out a flood of resumes and going to myriad job interviews, no other source of employment has been forthcoming.  The sword of unemployment hung over his head, and now it has fallen.  Does he moan and complain?  No, my Brethren, he does not.  

To add to this, the same Brother has troubles on the home front.  He had purchased a condominium after being forced to move out of five apartments in two years, as each successive apartment converted to condos.  This was at the height of the last real estate bubble, when the speculative Down-Pressor ran amuck with greed.  Our Brother finally purchased a modest condo so that he could avoid moving again.  That condo is now worth just over a third of what the Brother owes on it.  After some careful thought, he decided that he had no choice and, with the loss of his employment, he stopped making his mortgage payments.  Eventually the bank may foreclose, but the condo is actually worth less than the cost of a foreclosure.  Again, in these tough times, does he moan and complain?  No, he does not.

I will let his attitude speak for itself.  I only hope that if the blows rain down on me, as they have on him, that I am able to maintain the positive attitude this Brother displays every time we see each other.  I give him a huge tip of the Rev Lid, and I want him to know that he is an inspiration to me, and hopefully to the rest of the Brethren out there who are struggling through these times.

Gradual

A good day to all of the Brethren out there on this fine Sunday afternoon.  

On Friday, I had an opportunity to take care of an overdue errand, namely, having new tires installed on the Rev-mobile.  It seems that tires fall into that category of things that get bad so gradually, we almost don't notice the process.  I have to admit, the ride in the Rev-mobile was getting louder, and, as the tires wore out, the balance was off.  The balance issue got to the point that the front end had a little shimmy.  The whole process, however, was so gradual that I almost took the sorry state of the Rev-ride for granted.  

Driving away from our hard-working Brothers at the tire shop, I was amazed at the difference.  Night and Day, Sisters and Brothers, Night and Day!  

This brings to mind that story of the boiling frog.  The anecdote is that a frog, placed in a pot of water on a stove, won't notice the increased heat of the water if it the water is heated gradually.   Never mind that modern biologists have refuted the notion, citing experiments that show the frog will simply jump out rather than turn into a nasty frog soup.  The story has become the poster child description for anyone of us who stay in a bad situation too long.

You might ask "Rev, what in Dog's holy name are you blathering about?" and you would be justified in doing so.  Well, Brethren, I will tell you what I am blathering about.  Some processes are so gradual that we cannot see the deleterious effects of the process until it is almost too late to recover.  Such, good Brethren, can be the nature of consumer debt.  

A hard working Sister or Brother is doing the best they can to make ends meet.  The economy slows down  or maybe the hours get cut at work.  Gas prices go up and the budget gets strained.  Whatever the reason, the credit card comes out to bridge the gap, but at the end of the month, the bill can't be paid off.  Well, we made it through this month, we will just have to knock that bad boy down at the end of next month.  Meanwhile, a few more of life's little irony sticks come to rest up against the head of our Brethren and the credit card gets used again.  We make the minimum payment, the household is secure for the month, but in the background, that water is getting warmer and warmer as the balance grows on the debt while we are only paying off the interest, if that.   Without too much time passing, we could find ourselves hitting the $11,000 national average for consumer debt.  Now, dear Brethren, we have a long, hard row to hoe to pay that monster down.  

What we are talking about today, as we have been for a while, is the awareness of debt.  I believe that is is fundamental to our purposes for all of the Brethren to have a full awareness of the nature of debt, and of the slippery paths for falling into debt.  Without an understanding of how we got into the mire of consumer debt, it is going to be difficult to start the process of getting out of the mire.

We are back around to it:  we have to see the chains, and know what the chains are, before we can break the damn things and lives of freedom.  When we strike the blow, Bothers and Sisters, we have to know what we are striking, we have to know where to aim.  I believe that raising our awareness of debt, and the process of indebtedness, is one of the most important tools we can develop in out struggle for personal financial freedom.

Enjoy you Sunday Sisters and Brothers.  Live large, live strong, be well, and strike a blow!

That Which Doesn't Kill Us...

All of the Brethren know what it is like to get whopped up side the head with a big branch of the old Irony Tree.  It is like the time that a Brother, after scrimping and saving, manages to get a new set of tires on the family car.  Two days later, someone totals the car.  The Brother walks away unscathed, and is thankful for it, don't you know, but the rig goes away and with it, the new rubber.  You know that the Insurance Downpressor, he doesn't give a hoot about those new tires when he writes out that skimpy settlement check.  That rubber could have lasted two more days and that $ 600 might still be in a pocketbook closer to hand.

Once upon a time, a truly remarkable friend and I were mulling over the existence of the working person's irony, and the occasional poundings that were dished out as a result.  Like many a wiser feller and feller-ette  before us, across the sands of time, we decided that we would invent a cosmology to explain the origin of the regular ass-kicking that people take when they get too comfortable.  I am sure, My Brethren, that you have experienced the ass-kick that I am referring too.  It starts in hundred dollar increments, and goes up based on the seriousness of the wake-up call that an individual Sister or Brother has been courting.

What came of these mullings was the concept of the Universal Tool Shed, also know as the UTS.  Now, when you picture the UTS, it can look like whatever one of the Brethren envision it to be.  For our purposes, the UTS was a smallish wooden shed, a little dilapidated but in a trendy, Sunset magazine sort of way.  Country Chic on the outside, pure Universal capriciousness on the inside.  Vines were growing up the side of of it and it had a door that had to be lifted slightly to get it to open.  Inside the UTS, however, were big, heavy, blunt instruments waiting to be wielded by the ever watchful Universe. 

Now this is where one can fill in any sort of deity one wishes because, after all, its just a cosmology.  Go crazy.  For our version of the UTS, my friend and I posited, well, a Universe.  The Universe, actually.  The Universe has a very quirky sense of humour, delighting in meting out the proper reward for smugness, complacency or, even better, a lack of mindfulness.  When, in its omnipotence, the Universe notes a particularly cocky individual needing a little wake-up smack, it saunters (the U never hurries) over to the shed, lifts the door open, and calmly peruses the options.  Will it be a shovel, a spade, an ax handle?  Perhaps a pickaroon or a pulaski?  Small dalliances with lack of awareness might only require a bash with a broom, but Dog help the Brother or Sister who deserves the post-hole diggers.

Having been a somewhat regular recipient of lessons via the UTS, I now have a modicum of understanding  about the workings of the U.  If, for example, a lazy Brother, such as myself works hard to find a calm place in life, mercifully devoid of the opportunities for growth, well, the U has to intervene, does it not.  If there is one thing the UTS cannot abide, its coasting.  So, with an almost smirky little grin, just bordering on reluctance but not really, the UTS is utilized to dispense a fine whacking to said Brother, knocking him back into the stream of growth.  

In our cosmology, The Universe is, indeed capricious, but only because it knows better than we.  It sees us when were sleeping, it knows when we're awake.  There is an air of benevolence, a strong sense of righteous "this-is-for-your-own-good" type aura that surrounds The U just as it is wielding its blunt weapon of choice down upon our heads.  

I have yet to evolve to the point of appreciating the smack of something heavy out of the UTS.  But, these days, as I rub my noggin, I can recognize the sign of a master at work.  It is only through awareness that I can hope to evade the Downpressor and his snares of consumerism.  And it is only through a heightened group awareness that we can work together to defeat the Downpressor, rather than just eluding him.  It is nice to know that, anymore,  I won't be asleep at the wheel too long before I will feel the loving touch of the UTS, banging me back to consciousness.

Meanwhile Sisters and Brothers, Be Awake, Be Strong, and Strike a Blow!  

Listening

The Rev is currently struggling with the Downpressor and his ilk and will return to the blog as soon as the battle permits.  In the meantime, the Rev invites you to listen to a fine group of activist musicians who are striking a tuneful blow, our Sisters and Brothers at Jazzanova.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZZ3Ig_Ovpw

Davids and Slings

The Reverend is soaking up the first real sunshine of spring.  In this interlude, I give this small offering of a singing David whacking a corporate Goliath.

Sometimes you just have to smite them good.  Many of you have probably seen this, but check out the follow-up songs number Two and Three.  Fun stuff and a tip of the Rev Lid to Dave Carroll

http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/music/ubg/song1/

The Rev will be back shortly, fear not.

The Hunger

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters!  The Reverend hopes that this day finds each of us stronger and freer, and living large amongst our Brethren.  Tonight, I would like to talk about the fundamental path that leads us to the pitfall of consumerism.  That path is the path of desire.

Before we go further, let us reiterate our goal.  We are not seeking to renounce the world and worldly good, nor are we urging folks to run out into the desert to subsist on honey and locusts.  There are enough conservation issues in desert ecosystems without a bunch of us running around in the sun, acting like dogmatic nincompoops.  Our goal is to bring about a greater level of personal freedom amongst our Brethren.  We seek to do this by reducing our consumer debt, and by doing so reduce our dependence on the very corporate culture that seeks to blind us and enslave us.  

I am here to spread the word, Sisters and Brother!  There is good cargo, the stuff that makes our lives comfortable, that good that keep our loved ones clothed and fed and warm.  There is nothing wrong with the things that provide ourselves and our communities with a level of existence that allows us to become better human beings and more evolved citizens of the world.  

When we acquire goods for the benefit that the goods themselves can render, we strike a balance between desire and need, consumption and benefit.  When, however, we stray from that balance and acquire the cargo for its own sake, for the prestige of ownership, or to try to fill a void in our lives, we lose our balance.  In our consumer-oriented society, where we are constantly bombarded with messages encouraging the pursuit of cargo, the balance that we seek is often put to the test.  

I can testify to the travails a human can suffer when placed between the anvil of desire, and the hammer of unchecked spending.  It is all too easy to consume beyond ones means in an effort to placate that desire.  The result is debt, something that, unfortunately, many of our Sisters and Brothers are passing familiar with.  

This is not a new problem.  Many a wiser feller than myself has tackled the human trait of desire.  These wise teachings come from around our wide world and across the sands of time.  Here are just a few of them. 

From the Buddhist tradition, we can read this pearl, which has become one of my personal favorites.  I value the idea of the object, and the person that desires the object, disappearing.

Grasping at things can only yield one of two results:
Either the thing you are grasping at disappears, or you yourself disappear.
It is only a matter of which occurs first.
Goenka

From the wisdom of Islam, we may read and learn from this:

Have you seen him who makes his desire his god, and God sends him astray purposely, and seals up his hearing and his heart, and sets on his sight a covering? Who, then, will lead him after God [has condemned him]? Will you not then heed?

Qua'ran 45.23

Perhaps the folks at Haliburton should take a gander at a verse from the Bible:

What causes wars, and what causes fighting among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 4, 1-3

Then there is this pithy pearl from Judaism:

Envy and desire and ambition drive a man out of the world.

Mishnah, Abot 4.28

Sisters and Brothers, it is not the cargo that is the cause of our despair.  We do not renounce the goods of the world which ease our lives and bring us comfort.  And yet, and yet Brethren, if we lose our balance, if we consume beyond our means, if we become ruled by desire for the stuff, comfort is not our reward.  The wages of desire are debt and discomfort, insecurity for our families, and even the unraveling of our communities.  Debt brings not the security and freedom that we seek, but insecurity and fear of the future, the opposite of contentment.  

It is awareness that will set us free, Brothers and Sisters.  We must see the chains before we can break them!  Until we meet again, be well, be strong, and strike a blow!

To Die For

Good evening Sisters and Brothers!  Life's lovely ironies never cease to amaze the Reverend.  Take, for example, the word Amortization.  Amortization is the process of describing or calculating an owed amount of principal and interest over time, typically a debt such as a mortgage.  This would be a mortgage not unlike that which many of our Brethren carry on a family home.  

The word Amortization comes from Latin by way of a few twists and turns of the French over the centuries.  Amorteser comes from the Vulgar Latin, Admortire, "to kill", which has, as its Classic Latin root, Morte, or "death."  Well then, Brethren.  It seems that the very root of the word that accountants use to describe paying down debt exhorts us to bring about the death of our debt.  

Amortization is a way to mathematically plot the progress of debt payment over time, showing the relationship between principal owed and interest owed at a given point in the debt, or loan's, term.  For example, at the beginning of a 30-year mortgage, a home "owner" will be paying almost all interest, the so-called "servicing" of the debt.  As time goes on over the life of the loan, more and more of the money paid will go to paying down the principal, the actual purchase price.  This is standard amortization.

As we all know, Brothers and Sisters, housing debt, the typical mortgage, is not the consumer debt that concerns the Rev.  The real demon is unsecured consumer debt, mostly in the form of credit cards, but also in lines of credit and second mortgages on houses.  The other big player in running up our debt are auto loans.  With very few exceptions, autos, motos, boats, big-screen TVs and family vacations are not investments.  These are not purchases that maintain value over time.  These types of purchases may retain a semblance of resale value, but they are in no way investments that will yield a return of capital.  Thus, when these items are purchased on credit, they become a double drain, one that can do us to death if we don't amortire our debts before they amortire us.

Here are a few examples of how a credit amortization schedule can bring home the cold, hard facts about the cost of consumer debt.  Let us assume that there is a hard-working Sister or Brother, living in a regular town, with a regular job, doing the best they can.  Our Brethren had some unexpected health issues and, with sub-standard insurance, ended up owing $10,000 which they put on the credit card.  This is a real-life scenario that is all too common.  Let's assume an annual percentage rate (APR) of 15% on that ole' credit card, a bit below the average rate one sees on the street.  If our Brother or Sister is still strapped for cash, working hard to keep their head above the water, maybe they can only make the minimum payment.  So it goes.

Here are the brutal facts about that situation:  A $ 10,000 debt, paid out over time by making only the minimum payments, will take approximately 27 years to pay off.  Yes, folks, 27 years.  Over the course of that 27 years, our unfortunate Sister or Brother will pay about $ 11,700 in interest, in addition to the $ 10,000 originally charged.  Yes, Brethren, that's right, a grand total of $ 21,700.

Now, I can hear the cries as I describe this space between the hard place and the rock:  "Rev! What is the Brethren supposed to do when faced with a choice like that?  Do they go without healthcare, or go into debt?"  I agree with you, Sisters and Brothers, its a bargain with the Devil. What I am asking is that all of us, each of our Brethren, be aware of the consequences of our actions as consumers.  For every scenario such as we have described above, there are thousands of purchases where credit is used without dire need, without thought of the repercussions and without awareness.  There is a reason we are a people awash in our own debt.

Yesterday, one of the Brethren reminded me of the quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains..."  With the ease and cunning of a snare, purchases of consumer goods can trap us in debt.  These are chains that, often as not, we forge ourselves.  It is a hard truth, Brethren, a hard truth indeed.  I have personally held the hammer and tongs and fashioned my own chains of debt.  I have been blinded by the lure of the cargo and have indebted myself in pursuit of it.  But no more, Brothers, not again Sisters!

Everyday, we have to strive to raise our awareness of the many chains, traps and pitfalls that are thrown before us by the Down-Pressor.  The corporations want us to be in debt.  The more indebted we are, the more we support and further the system of linear consumption that the corporations thrive on.  We have to see the chains before we can break them asunder.  I urge you Brethren, see the chains for what they are and strike a blow! 

Remember our mission:  Freedom through Reduction of Personal Debt! 

More Lightening

 Good Evening Friends and Neighbors.  The Rev apologizes for what might seem like slacking on the message, but, even in the midst of the struggle, the duties of life call.     


A few days back, one of our Brethren, who chose to remain anonymous, posted the following comment in response to the blog entry titled Lightening:


 "I imagine it could be difficult to "re-enter" esp. when you've identified with your East Asian Brethren. What you've shared with the individuals you met on your journey you share with folks here. Rev. SE is passionate about his Brothers and Sisters. No matter how much stuff you get rid of that won't change."

Sisters and Brothers, The Rev will straight up admit that he is missing our Southeast Asian Brethren in the worst way.  S'Truth, I'm here to tell you.  The Brother or Sister who posted the comment quoted above has obviously been reading one of my other blogs, the SE Asia Re-Dux.  In the interest of full disclosure, I will post up the link:

http://se-asia-redux.blogspot.com/

What is also true is that what I share with those I meet on my journey, I share with each and every Brother and Sister on the planet.  Today, via the wonders of the internet, I was discussing this very thing with a most Righteous Sister who is presently in Bangkok.  We were talking about the "Heart Voice," that quiet, inner voice that guides us at a deeper level, gives us empathy for our fellow travelers, and informs us when the "Mind Voice" is chattering away, distracting and confusing things.  

We have discussed the concept of Indra's Net in past blog entries, but it seems particularly apt at this moment.  If we think of all of the beings in the world as glowing jewels cast across the night sky, and then imagine a net of beautiful strands that link all of the jewels to all of the other jewels, we have an image of Indra's Net.  Pluck at one jewel, and the entire net vibrates, affecting all of the other jewels.  We are, each of us, connected to all of our Brethren all across the globe.  Our actions cause reactions that reverberate outwards across the Net, for good or ill.  Whether we call it the Collective Subconscious, as Jung did, or Indra's Net, or any of the many differing descriptions, the concept runs through mystical teachings in many cultures, lands and peoples.  

Yes, The Reverend is passionate about his SE Asian Brothers and Sisters, just as he is passionate about each and every one of our Brethren across this amazing planet.  And what the Rev is most passionate about, is that each of our Brethren has the opportunity to live a freer and more fulfilled life.  There are many ways to strive for these goals.  My purpose, my sole reason for coming to you, is to lay out a message.  The message, the message Brethren, is that one powerful way to lead a freer life is to cast off the chains of consumerism and its foul counterpart, consumer debt.  

To break the chains, Sisters and Brothers, we have to see the chains.  The gossamer net that links us all together is a wondrous thing.  The chains of debt that bind us to the corporations are foul.  One connection is empowering, the other is enslaving.  

Fight the Power!  Strike a blow by paying down the debt!  Remember, "If 20% Pay Down 20% We Strike A Blow!!"

Re-entry Re-Dux

Commenting on the post "Re-Entry", one of the Brethren said:


"I imagine it would be difficult to come from a land of "Big Humanity Little Resources and Consumption" back to a familiar "Maybe Less Than Big Humanity Molto Resources & Obscene Consumption" esp. when you identify with the little guys and call the obscene guys home. Do you feel ashamed? Do you feel you are here by chance and it's not right that so many take the material for granted? It's not really the Rev's agenda but it's worthy of a conversation"


The Reverend does love dialogue, especially when it comes from one of the Brethren, so let's dive on in...

There is, of course, a significant disparity between the resources of the First World and that of the Third World.  (I know that some folks object to the "first-third" terminology but I don't have a better alternative at hand, so bear with and excuse me)  The Rev has made this re-entry before, as many other good folks have.  This is not a new struggle, and better writers and more agile thinkers than myself have tackled this very same issue.  Nonetheless, for me, the return from this latest journey has been the hardest yet.  The transition between the two worlds casts the varying degrees of consumption into a glaring light.  There is, in fact, a sharp contrast to the level of consumption between a villager in Northern Lao, and a city dweller in Seattle, Washington.  No matter how much a First World citizen tries to live in a small-impact way, the very fact of being a member of the most consumer oriented group on the planet virtually guarantees that his or her impact on the planet's resources will be greater than that of a Lao villager.  

The Brethren refers to the difference of the "Big Humanity -vs- Maybe Less Than Big Humanity"  It is true that  there is a fundamental difference in the way folks interact as villagers, and how folks interact as members of the First World.  Lao and Thailand are primarily Buddhist countries, and that explains part of what our Brethren may be referring to as "Big Humanity."  There is, however, more to it than that.  I believe that a rural lifestyle, based on a village society, requires intense cooperation.  Khmer or Hmong people in Lao simply don't have the capital to buy their way out of problems.  They have to barter, ask for help, or work together as a family or extended community to solve a dilemma.  In modern urban societies, citizens are often able to simply call someone, pay them, and the problem is fixed.  We are not as dependent on our friends and neighbors as we once were in the past, when our western society was also primarily agrarian.  

Yes, I identify with "the little guys" as mentioned in the comment.  I strive to identify with all of our Brothers and Sisters in the world, but the Rev has a special place in his heart for the small villages of Northern Thailand and Lao, mostly as a direct result of how the folks there have received and treated me.  I do not know that I "call the obscene guys home." but I think I know what the comment refers to.   I was born in the First World, and no matter where I travel, that is my background.  My country of birth, the United States, is certainly home to a great many of the corporations that are an integral part of the obscenity of over-consumption.  It is important to remember the multi-national nature of the modern corporation, but many of these huge entities started out in the States.

Our Brethren ask me if I am ashamed.  The answer, simply, is no.  Where I was born, and when, are details of my life that were out of my control.  Hence, there is nothing to feel shame about. 

It is the Reverend's belief that guilt and shame are not the most useful tools for accomplishing change.  My goal is to call attention to the pitfalls of over-consumption and consumer debt amongst our brethren.  With over-consumption and consumer debt comes the intrusion into our lives, and control over our lives, by corporate interests.  My belief is that increased corporate control over society and government has a negative impact on all of us.  Being shameful over being born in the United States, rather than a Lao village, does not further the accomplishment of my goal, nor does it make me a better person, nor does it even make sense.  Feeling guilt over whatever position I hold in the world does not make me a better citizen of that world.  How I choose to act determines whether I am worthy to be a citizen of the world.

The Rev does indeed believe, as mentioned in the comment, that he is "here by chance."  I have no more right to the resources of the world than any other of our Sisters and Brothers.  Much of what I possess comes to me by the very chance that caused me to be born a citizen of the First World.  I know that people will say that they worked hard to earn what they have, and I applaud them for that.  The simple truth is, starting out in the First World is a whole lot easier than starting out with the same set of talents and abilities in the Third World.

Lastly, yes, The Rev is appalled by the level of consumption in our society and by the amount of cargo that society takes for granted.  This does not mean that I am advocating all of our Brethren to renounce worldly goods and wear sackcloth in the desert.  The Rev is not against our Brothers and Sisters having the stuff that makes life pleasurable and good and safe.  What we are talking about is raising our level of awareness about the nature and impacts of consumerism.  Acquiring the goods that help make our lives comfortable and safe for ourselves and our families is one thing.  Acquiring more than we need, without any regard for the impact that we are having on the rest of the planet, is another thing entirely.  

Thanks for the comments.  Please keep them coming!

In the meantime, be strong, be aware, be well, and Fight the Power!!

Lightened

Hello Friends and Neighbors.  The Reverend is forced to admit to nursing a heavy heart.  The process of re-integrating into the First World is proving more daunting than previous experiences.  Life goes on, however, and whether I wish it or not, so do I.

Sisters and Brothers, we have had discussions on the nature of stuff.  I find myself, once again, dealing with the lure and bondage of possessions, and woe it is.  As Hamlet cleverly opines, 

"For 'tis the sport to have the engineer

 Hoist with his own petard, an shall go hard..."

Once back in the First World, amongst my cargo, I am confronted by the futility of my utility in amassing.  While the moves of the last year have seen my goods sorted and boxed, and some junk returned to the gyre of worthless circulation, there is still simply too much stuff.  Forgive me Saint George, for I have sinned.  

In truth, I have parted with the easy things, trinkets and bits in boxes and bins that were unknown or forgotten, until disturbed by the need to tote them.  This box of moto pieces, and that bin of tarnished treasures, once discovered, were dealt with.  Trifles that caused not a backward glance, Brethren.  It was shallow work.

No more.  The Rev, more than anyone, has to walk the talk.  Here in the Fortress, I have even more room in which to store acquired goods, so I must be even more vigilant against the temptation of The Stuff.  So I am selling the Ducati.  Not the work-a-day modern moto, but the real treasure, the 1977 900 SS.  Its true, and the deal is done.  Regardless of our mutual past glories, it has become a treasure that I do not cherish. It is time to pass the treasure on to someone else who will.  This parting is not without price, and as such has a more solid value than another dusty box of forgotten kit.  

I am not advocating that all of our Brethren run out and divest themselves of all of their swag.  The goods that bring us joy, that make out lives sweeter, these things are, indeed treasures.  We can, and should, revel in them.  When the time comes to lighten the load, I only wish for the wisdom to see it, and take action with a lightened heart and no sense of regret.  

I cannot hope to free myself from all of the chains of desire, the pull of the Stuff.  But I do want to strive, Brothers and Sisters, to be able to recognize the chains for what they are.  When I see the things as they really are, it makes it that much easier to spit in the Down-Pressor's eye, when snake-oil he does try to sell. 

Be strong Brethren, Be real, and Strike a Blow !! 

The Kudzu of Retail Commerce

Good day Brothers and Sisters!

Any of our Good Brethren lucky enough to have traveled across our Southeastern United States will have seen kudzu, even if they didn't know what they were looking at.  This invasive vine, ubiquitous across whole states, will grow over and cover anything that doesn't move out of its way, including trees, buildings, vehicles and Burma Shave signs.  Regretfully, about the only thing that kudzu won't grow over and obliterate is Walmart.  I guess its a case of professional courtesy shown between one creeping blight and another.

http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/

Having just returned from traveling the back-country of Thailand and Lao, I am dealing with the jolting re-entry into the First World.  For me, one of the most notable differences between Thailand and Lao, on the one hand, and the US on the other, is the way retail commerce is carried out.  What we in the West call "stores" are not the norm in SE Asia as I know it.  Where there are actual stores, they are most often small, open fronted affairs that are family owned and operated.  At night the shutters are rolled down tight and the day is done.  In many cases, however, purchases of food, clothes and durable goods are made from stalls in one of the many markets, either the official markets operating in a designated area, or the myriad of foods stalls and hawkers of goods that spring up on almost any street, at any time of day.

Businesses in Thailand and Lao, whether stalls, markets, or actual stores, usually open directly onto the street or sidewalk.  In many places, the sidewalk is not for walking at all, but is used as additional space for more marketing by folks selling spring rolls, fruit, shoes, or underwear.  To walk on a sidewalk in Bangkok is to thread a gauntlet of tightly packed entrepreneurial enterprise in action.

When one shops in a small town in Lao, there is no avoiding being directly in contact with the people who run the establishment.  Very often, the things you are purchasing are being manufactured, or cooked, right in front of you.  That evenings chicken curry may well feature the chicken who dodged around your feet earlier in the day.  Free-range takes on a whole new meaning in these countries.

There are, however, changes taking place.  Although Lao, for the most part, remains more resistant to large stores and supermarkets, the Rev has seen the creeping vine of the big box store with my own saddened eyes.  Tesco, the English version of Walmart, is making inroads in the larger provincial cities in Thailand.  I drove past one example in the new town of Lopburi.  I can only hope that the monkeys who make the old city their home will engage in raiding the big box store, wreaking similar havoc on the tall shelves there as they do in the small shops around the temple.

Maybe that's the answer to the blight of big-box consumerism:  The Flying Monkeys

Of course the real answer to being aware of the hidden cost of Tesco, Walmart and others of their ilk, is to know the devil when the devil shows his face.  The Rev would be lying to you if I said the impacts of big box retailing are simple.  They are not, nor are the solutions to those impacts.  However, what is a simple truth is that Tesco and Walmart hide the cost of their goods  by under-paying their workers, denying their workers healthcare, and then allowing those healthcare costs to be passed on to the local governments.  This means that while the taxpayers at a local Walmart may think they are getting a better deal on an item, the real cost of that item is being taken out of their community and their own taxes.

In countries like Thailand and Lao, the cultural effects are far-reaching.  And, as in the US, no one is forcing the Thai people to shop at Tesco.  But just as small town main street businesses in America are driven to economic despair by a Walmart on the edge of town, so will Tesco impact the local marketing culture in SE Asia.

Thailand and Lao already have an "eat local" movement as it is now so often, and rightly so, touted in the West.  And just as surely as the emerging local food movement is a threat to corporations in the West, subverting the existing ancient local food culture in Asia is a goal big box corporations in the East.  The Down-Pressor just calls it a "market opportunity."

For more perspectives on Tesco and Walmart, here are just a few of many, many websites exploring these issues.  The site dealing with Walmart does a good job of exploring some of the complexities of the big box phenomena.

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/marketing_material/tesco_takeover_leaflet.pdf

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogaug06/walmart2.html

In the meantime, all of us need to remember, how we spend our money is how we distribute our power.  The economists call this a consumer based society for a reason.  We simply need to remember who has the power.  Without our capital, the corporate demons starve.

Brethren, be well, be strong, and Fight the Power!!

Re-Entry

Hello Friends and Neighbors.  While the Rev is currently struggling with re-entering the first world, I suppose that it is important to get back to work, and back to the message.

During my recent travels, I was reading, amongst other things, a two-volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt.  "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by  Edmund Morris, and "Theodore Rex" by the same author, chart the amazing early life of Roosevelt and, in the companion volume, the contentious years of the Roosevelt presidency.  

Theodore Roosevelt was a contradictory and fascinating character, intensely interesting.  Many of Roosevelt's actions and beliefs are so at odds with each other that they are difficult to reconcile.  His blood lust as a hunter, juxtaposed with his force as one of the founders of the policy of resource conservation, is just one example of the seemingly polar opposition of his beliefs.  

There are many things that "Teddy" did and said which are consistent with his background as a person of privilege.  And yet, at the same time, Roosevelt began to challenge the nascent corporations and the new phenomena of trusts in American business.  Some of the issues that he raised seem prophetic today.  

"It is no limitation upon property rights of freedom of contract to require that when men receive from government the privilege of doing business under corporate form... they shall do so upon absolutely truthful representations...  Great corporations exist only because they are created and safeguarded by our institutions; and it is therefor our right and duty to see that they work in harmony with these institutions."  Theodore Roosevelt's Message to Congress, 1903.

One of the reasons that corporations have become the enormous entities that they are, is because they do business with the governments of the world.  The governments provide a huge market for the goods and services that the corporations offer.  No private customer can possess the buying power of a government that requires military armaments, transportation infrastructure, or energy production.  Selling guns, bridges and power grids to the government, to use the same three examples, is good business.

Mega-markets, on the order of defense contracts, are created solely by government sized consumers.  Since corporations like General Electric have reaped huge benefits from the award of defense contracts, why should they not be held to the standard of being trustworthy participants, bound to the same compact and conduct, with the government that is making them rich?

Of more specific complaint would be companies such as Halliburton, Brown-Root, or a smaller company now know as Academi, once Xe Services and prior to that the by apt moniker Blackwater.  These corporations, from the enormous to the merely deadly, exist primarily as parasites on the US government, as well as other hosts.  Halliburton and Brown-Root, both connected with the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal, benefited from the "no-bid" contracts to supply services to US troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Blackwater was a private army, with whom the US contracted for security services in Iraq.

Halliburton and Brown-Root, as previously mentioned, had "No-bid" contracts with US military to supply housing, food services, and other support for US troops.  Think about that My Brethren, a "No-Bid" contract.  That means, in essence, that a company provides goods or services without a prior agreement as to price.  Once the goods or services are rendered, a billing is sent to the US Government, who pays it.  I ask you, Sisters and Brothers, who among us can afford to do our shopping this way?  Anyone?  Of course not.  And yet, when called to account, the corporate officers of Halliburton and Brown-Root, who have counted among their numbers Cheney and Rumsfeld, became testy that government officials were questioning some of the corporate billing practices.  

Blackwater, of course, is an even more heinous example.  The US, in its infinite wisdom, hired these mercenary cowboys to provide "security" for officials travelling around Iraq.  In the course of these duties, the Blackwater folks killed more than a few innocent Iraqi civilians.  Changing their name two times does not absolve these trigger-happy maniacs,  hired by tragically short-sighted US officials, of murder.

Brethren, I will grant you that these are disparate examples of the government-corporate interrelationship.  There are so many more, it is difficult to know where to begin.  Whether it is the interstate highway system, the Manhattan Project, of the mind-boggling land giveaways of the early railroad projects in America, the benefits that huge corporations have harvested are, in large part, as a direct result of tax-payers dollars.  

Brothers and Sisters, without us, there is no them.  The mega-corporations, the huge multi-nationals, grew out of the early trusts that Roosevelt fought against.  The fight continues, unabated, and is now more desperate.  The corporate trusts of the early 1900's are as child's toys compared to the schemes and financial slight-of-hand practiced by the Corporate Demons of our present day.  We, each of us, must see the Down-Pressor for who he is or forever remain under his thrall.

Take back the power!  Take it back, Brethren.  Look and listen to the vapid excuses for leadership that are currently positioning themselves for another round of inaction in Washington.  I urge all of us to look behind the curtain at those who manipulate the levers of fear in an attempt to draw away attention from the real problems that beset our nation and the world.

Be strong, be real, be here, be aware and strike a blow!

Hello Freinds and Neighbors!!

The Rev is sending out a huge tip of the Rev Lid to all of our Thai and Lao
Sister and Brothers who have welcomed me, taught me, helped me and laughed with me.

I am humbled and blessed.

Solid Gone

Good Evening Friends and Neighbors!

The Reverend Squeaky-Eye is taking both himself, and the message, on sabbatical.  Every year I disappear for a month or so, and the time is upon me for departure.  I may get another post in over the next day or so, but then I will be heading out to commune with our Good Sisters and Brothers in Thailand and Laos.

I will be posting now and then about the journey.  Should any of the Brethren wish to check it out, those posts will be on the travel blog at the addy listed below.

http://se-asia-redux.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, be strong, be well, and spread the word!!

Bulk Up

A fine and frosty good evening to you, Sisters and Brothers.  Here in the GreyNorWet, we have suddenly become the Much-More-White-and-Icy, rather than our usual grey and gloomy.  The inclement weather required a stop at the local food emporium to stock up the fortress, in case of a continued siege of the ice from above.  Whilst loading my little cart amongst the bins of food, the subject of this blog came to me.

As all of our Brethren know, food is one of the biggest household expenses, and the cost of keeping the table laden is a heavy burden indeed.  It can be costly enough to feed ourselves and our special someone, but when we add children into the mix, why, the supplying of victuals can be a daunting task.  The Rev has seen the Genetic Envelope cut through grub like a Great White Shark annihilating a school of tuna high on Prozac.  It is just not a pretty sight.  I can only imagine how much food several teenagers, working in tandem, might be able to consume.  

One way to cope with with the high price of foodstuffs is to buy vittles in bulk. Up into the early 20th century, purchases of beans, dry grains, pasta products, flour, or most any other food items, were bought in bulk, wrapped in some sort of sack or paper, and carried home to be used.  Plastic bags did not exist, neither in the mercantile establishments of the time, nor blowing around the landscape.  

As the century reeled past the First World War, more and more pre-packaged food appeared on the shelves of local stores.  New technologies allowed food to be processed and packaged more easily and cheaply.  The packaged food items could be shipped over longer distance and still remain edible.  The modern food revolution had begun.  Oh, hallelujah!  How else could we have received the benefit of such wonders as aerosol propelled spray cheese?  As the modern supermarkets became ubiquitous, so did the food that was sold in them.  

Yes, Brothers and Sisters, I know, I am babbling again.  So, when we purchase packaged food, we are paying for the packaging and the labor or machine that put the food in the package.  Once we have used the item, we are paying for the disposal of that packaging, either through the cost of proper disposal or recycling, or the environmental damage caused by plastic packaging that ends up on the landscape or in our oceans.

What then shall we do?  Up until recently, bulk food bins belonged to the world of Co-ops and "Alternative" food stores, but no longer.  While the Rev supports his local Co-op, and urges all of us to do so, bulk food bins have found their way into mainstream supermarkets.  Brothers and Sisters, dig out those old yogurt containers, those plastic tubs and whatnot, even those plastic bags, and re-use them while you fill them up with lovely bulk food from a bin.  Many stores carry everything from pasta to dried peas, and the finer Co-ops will have bins full of things that may have you scratching your head, but hopefully have you eager to try as something new as well.  

Here is what we need to know, my Brethren:  bulk food is cheaper.  Even if you are buying breakfast cereal in the boxed cereal aisle, look down low, where the BIG BAGS of cereal are!  Oh yeah, now we're saving money.  Not only are the bulk items cheaper, there is the added benefit of reducing the waste cycle of unwanted plastic packaging.  Besides all of this, the Rev has to admit that its fun scooping raisins out of the bin.  Oatmeal at the Fortress wouldn't be the same without them.  Finally, many of the better food establishments sell organic items in the bulk foods.  Supporting our local organic producers helps us eat healthier while keeping the planet healthier as well.  So, Sisters and Brothers, wield those scoops and start bulking up.

Purchasing in bulk is not just the province of food purchases.  There are few things that sooth the heart of the Rev like a good hardware store.  One of my strongest criteria for what makes a hardware emporium "good," is whether or not they sell nuts and bolts in bulk.  I simply cannot abide pre-packaged screws hanging from hooks!  No Sir!  This sort of thing is contrary to the laws of nature, and of any good handy-man or handy-woman.  I urge all of our Brethren to find that old school hardware store in your neighborhood and support it.  If we are all buying those fasteners in bulk, we are saving money and the world.  

Oh, there is one more thing Sisters and Brothers, one more solid reason to buy items in bulk, rather than locked up in plastic.  The Down-Pressor HATES it when the people buy bulk items, doing it the old-fashioned way.  It makes him crazy, and if that is not an added bonus to a purchase, I ain't got a squeaky-eye.

Be well, buy well and eat well, Brothers and Sisters.  Be strong and strike that blow!

National Drug

A snowy good evening to you, Sisters and Brothers.

Sometimes its our artists who pave the way for us to come to understanding.  Sometimes, the message of prophets comes out of the mouths of seemingly unlikely sources.  Whether it is the straight up of Peter Tosh telling us of the Down-Pressor, or Rage Against the Machine giving voice to righteous anger, or Public Enemy reminding us, once again, to Fight the Power, the message is there.  I can hear some folks asking, "Rev, isn't this just music, something to dance to?"  Sure, we can all dance while we are grooving on the infinite possibilities of what we can bring about.  Even our most esteemed Brother, Mr. George Clinton, would impart the beauty of "The One", that unifying solid anchor of the funk beat.

But, my Brethren, the discussions of the last few days have brought me back around to the oily voice of the Down-Pressor and the tool of the Demon that we bring into our own home.  Yes, Brothers and Sisters, I am talking about television.  I can riff on the detrimental effects of television until I am as blue in the face as Papa Smurf with his head in a plastic bag, but the riff would fall short.  I do not believe that anyone has captured the true nature of television like The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.  

So here, my Brethren, is a the classic statement on the bozone machine.  The Rev would like to give a tip of the Rev Lid and a huge shout out to Brothers Michael Franti, Rono Tse and Charlie Hunter for laying this most tasty track down back in the day.  I know most of you have heard this gem, but give it another listen.  For any of our Brethren who have not feasted their ears on this tune, now is the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA5faeCGg-w

Now is also the time, most beloved Brethren, to remain strong, be kind to one another, and send the Down-Pressor packing!  Strike a Blow!

The Cost of Bozone

bo·zone  (bzn)

n.

1. An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen, often produced by exposure to cathode tube rays.  It is a highly insulative oxidizing agent which prevents the penetration of new ideas or fresh thoughts to the brain encased in the bozone layer.

Television and Bozone:  they go together like advertising and being deeply in debt.

Yesterday, the Genetic Envelope gave me a great household cost savings tip that many of our Brethren could put to use towards the end of keeping our cash in our pockets, and out of the hands of the Down-Pressor.  The idea is so simple, and already so in use at the Fortress of Solitude, that it plumb evaded me.  

What the Genetic Envelope suggested is that the Brethren take advantage of the myriad forms of online TV, instead of shelling out big money to the cable company on a monthly basis.  Besides the cost advantages, there are is the added benefit of less advertising, overall, on most of the online, internet television outlets.  

Here at the Fortress of Solitude, for example, there is no broadcast or cable "television" whatsoever.  Now, let me be all upfront here and lay it out for the sake of the truth:  The Rev loves movies.  In fact, the term "Film Freak" would not only be applicable but warranted.  The television at the Fortress, however, is not hooked up to anything but the internet.  I pay the local cable internet provider for a WiFi connection and then use Netflix for watching movies.  I don't have an antennae for local television, nor do I need cable for keeping track of the jillions of fine reality shows that would surely create a bozone layer around my feeble brain.  While the Fortress still lays out the monthly bill for internet service, that is a necessity for me to keep this blog, work online and stay in touch with the Brethren world-wide.  

Once a household is already paying for internet, its a snap to have a Netflix account, or Hulu, or Vudu or whatever the next thing is going to be.  If we tally up the outlay for internet and one of these accounts, usually it will end up being a significant savings over a full cable hookup with any even the basic packages.

As the GE pointed out, the other benefit of online TV viewing is that we can lessen our exposure to the harmful, bozone creating effects of Faux News and advertising.  And a smaller dose of either of these things is going to add up to a benefit for our good Brethren.

So, Friends and Neighbors, if you can't just turn the bozone machine off, then try dumping the cable and saving a few bucks by using what is basically free once you are online.  Think of it as cost savings that also deflects the poison message at the same time.  No aluminum foil beanie required!

Be well Sisters and Brothers, be strong, and Fight the Power!!  

(Also, a big tip of the Rev Lid to the Genetic Envelope!  Way to go Dood!)

Basics

Here in our fellowship, Friends and Neighbors, we are trying to accomplish a few small goals, very small and very few.  All we are trying to do is change the world by wresting back control of our governments, and our financial systems, from the greedy claws of the Corporate Demons and their Down-Pressors.  Simple, no?  In conjunction with all of the other efforts by our brave Brethren to occupy, demonstrate, and act out, we are advocating the additional tactic of personal financial freedom.  Hit the Down-Pressor right where it hurts the most, in his pocket book.  The Reverend says to all of us:  "Take back the money, take back the power, and take back our lives!"

What are the simple tenets that we espouse, Sisters and Brothers, to accomplish these small goals?  We know what we have to do.  We have to pay down, or pay off, our debts.  To do that, we have to consume less, spending less of our hard-earned capital and, when we do spend it, spending it more wisely.

Simple, yes?  Well, actually, yes it is.  We are the engine of labor that powers the machinery of the economic system, which produces the capital.  That is the truth, Brethren.  It is ourselves who power the economy, not the parasites in the glass towers.  The Hedge-Funders, Banksters and Derivative-Deviates produce nothing but pain and grief for those that labor, and in return they attempt to take everything.  Remember that old, tired saw about the theory of "Trickle-Down?"  This laughable scam involved trying to convince the rest of us that if the rich just got richer, eventually they would become so rich that some of that richness would finally trickle down to the poor mortals struggling down here in reality.  Balderdash, deceit and trickery, none of which has the truth in any part of it.  They are still trying it Sisters!  Do not be hoodwinked Brothers!

The other day, a most Righteous Sister was pointing out the frequency of the use of a certain buzz-word.  I know that we have all heard it bandied about.  The word in question is "robust."  As the Sister made clear, whenever some Corporate Lap-Dog Politico is blathering on about the economy, it has to be "robust".  "We need to strive for a robust economy."  "These measures will bring about a robust economic recovery."  Who are these people and what planet do they inhabit?  Robust?  Brothers and Sisters, the only thing robust about the present economy is the robust efforts that the pirates on Wall Street, and in big bank offices, are putting into stealing us blind.  The very successful efforts of the Corporate Demons to own every aspect of the government, and its members, is pretty damn robust.  The hired lawyers for those pond scum, moral cripples at Monsanto are robust in their efforts to sue every family farmer they can sink their claws into.  Robust!  Ha!  It's laughable, Man!  Bush league psych-out stuff.  

What is a whole lot more than robust is the serious, day-to-day struggle that many of our Brethren engage in just to keep food on the family table, and some form of shelter over the family bed.  These corporate clowns, and their bought-and-paid-for political henchmen, are so far removed from the consequences their actions have had on working people, they have have become the Marie Antoinette's of this age.  I can hear them wondering, "Why the peasants are upset this time?"  The Reverend is here to lay down the reasons, Brothers and Sisters, why we are upset!  We are upset at being ripped off, lied to, and misrepresented.  We are upset at having our system of government bought out from underneath us without a fare-thee-well.  We are upset at having the highest (what ARE they smoking) court in the US tell us that corporations are just like people, and have the rights of individuals.  You damn Skippy we're a little upset.  

Speaking of the insane idea that corporations have the same rights as individuals, I suggest that the next time these rich parasites decide to have a war to protect their oil fields, we try something different.  Instead of sending the brave men and women of the armed forces to do their dirty work, I think the rest of us should firmly suggest that Corporations pick up a rifle and go get their own asses shot up or blown off.  Let's see how robust that makes them feel.  Unfortunately, they would, as they always do, hire someone else to do their insidious chores.

In closing this evening, The Rev wants to reiterate that here in the fellowship, we don't give a hoot for dogma.  Whether you find solace in the teachings of Allah, bless His name, the tenets of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism or even the traditional teachings of the Pastafarians and the Flying Spaghetti Monster, you are welcome here in the fellowship, my Brethren.  It don't matter to the Sisters and Brothers if you swirl with the Sufi's, or dance with the Rastas, striking a blow is striking a blow.  The same lack of dogma applies to where a Brother or Sister falls on the political spectrum.  Tea-Party or Communist Party, it makes no difference.  Just join the party, Brethren!

Please, my most Righteous Brothers and Sisters, remember one solid fact.  The Corporations, and all of their Down-Pressors, prey upon each and every one of our Brethren, without regard for race, creed, gender, age, political persuasion, or sexual orientation.  We have got to fight back in the same way.  Each of us, regardless of our differences, or the nuances of our beliefs, must do whatever we can to strike a blow!!

I have faith in each and all of our beautiful Brethren.  Be Strong!  Fight the Power!