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!

Back to the Money....

Good Evening Friends and Neighbors.  My hope is that you are all prospering in your efforts to throw off the Down-Pressor Man!

I have heard from you Sisters and Brothers, I have heard the agreement, seen the nodding of heads, felt the affirmation, yes I have.  We know what we need to do, don't we?  Yes, we need to pay down or pay off the debt with which the Corporate Demons saddle us.  We also need to spend less of our capital, the capital created with our labor.  We need to spend less of our capital and what we do spend we need to spend more wisely so that we aid our Brothers and Sisters and at the same time deny the Down-Pressor the fruits of our labor.  

But how?  How do we keep that which is ours, ours?  This is the lament I hear my Brethren.  We have talked about lots of different ideas for reducing the amount of cash flowing out of our households and into the hands of the corporations.  Here are more ideas and small strategies that may help us, all of us, in the struggle.

1)  Restaurant Coupons.  

Brothers and Sisters, if there is one sure-fire way to cut down on expenses, reducing the number of times we eat out is probably the surest.  The Reverend would not be speaking the truth if he told you that he always eats at home.  No Ma'am, I like a good meal in a nice joint more than most folks, and treat it as one of the joys in life.  So what, then, are we to do?  One of my favorite things is using Group-On or Living Social or one of the Entertainment books to get coupons for my favorite restaurants.  As most of the Brethren know, Living Social and Group-On are like getting free cash.  You can spend $ 15 for a coupon that is good for $ 30 at a local eatery.  This is a smart deal if it meets a few conditions.  The first condition is that we aren't using credit for these purchases, but paying off the balance when the bill comes due.  The second helpful hint is that its only free cash if we were planning on going to eat out anyway.  Then we are saving money off of what we already had in our budget and of course we are all keeping a budget now, right Sisters and Brothers?  The Entertainment books are a way to throw a little fund raising money at a local organization and getting a whole bunch of coupons for about $ 40.  Used even sparingly, the Entertainment books will more than pay for themselves in short order.

2)  Turn off the TV

That's right Brethren, switch the Bozone producer off.  Turn it off!  Watching less TV mean watching less advertisements for crap that we don't need, won't use, and will end up throwing in the landfill.  Turn the blue light off!!  Brethren, pick a few nights a week and declare them family TV-Free evenings.  We can spend that time without advertisements and with the ones we love!  

3)  Used books, free books

With those TV-Free nights giving us more time for productive pursuits sans pitchmen, what better way to fill the quiet time than a good book?  Brethren, one thing almost every neighborhood has is a used book store or paperback exchange.  Get to know the proprietor of the store in your neighborhood.  Book mongers are inevitably interesting folk.  The original book exchange is your local library.  Sisters and Brothers, library cards are free!!  If you haven't been to your local library recently, you will be amazed at all of the things you can check out for free:  DVDs, Audio Books, even artwork!!  That robber baron Carnegie built a lot of our libraries and I urge us to take advantage of his ill-gotten gains!  Lastly, for our more techno-geek Brethren, there are free books on the Kindle ap and even an ap that is called "Free Books".  I love the free electronic books and keep several on my devices so I always have reading material when I am traveling about our fair, green globe.

4)  Make Extra when cooking and...

When we are cooking at home, Brothers and Sisters, the trick is to make a double batch or lasagne, a double casserole, a bigger pot of stew or chili.  Lots of dishes lend themselves to left-overs that are actually better the next day.  No one loves morning pizza like the Rev and the Genetic Envelope.  The trick, good Brethren, is that it often costs only a small amount of cash for a second batch of grub, thus leading us to the next item.

5)  Brown bag that lunch

Sisters and Brothers, as we set off for our working day, we can save a bundle of cash, and eat in a more healthy fashion, if we pack some of those lovely left-overs in a nice, recycled brown paper bag.  Or a Yogi Bear lunch box, or one of those cool tupper-ware bento things, whatever floats your left-over boat.  No matter which carrying device we choose, the outcome will be more jingle in our pockets as we save that fin that lunch as going to set us back. 

There are lots more cost cutting tricks out there.  If our Brethren have more ideas, please, send them in and the Rev will toss them out for the benefit of all.

In the meantime, remember who has the power and who produces the capital.  It is each of us, Sisters and Brothers.  We create the means, and we can take it back.  And that is the call Good Brethren:  Take It Back!!  Take back our capital, take back the fruits of our labor, take back our government from the greedy Corporate Demons and take back our financial independence!!

Be well, live large and out loud, and Strike a Blow!!

Small Lessons

Good Evening Friends and Neighbors.  I want to apologize for slacking off in bringing the good word to the Brethren.  The New Year has started off with a vengeance, keeping the Rev on his toes.

I have learned several small but illustrative financial lessons in the past few days.  Now, when the durn human comedy throws the Rev a lesson, whether at his own expense or not, I try to have a good look at the subtlety, the ins and outs and what-have-you, on the off chance that I might retain a bit of the lesson. Maybe I will make a few less mistakes the next time around.  If nothing else, I like to make new and different mistakes, so that I can experience new and different lessons.  

Sisters and Brothers, the Reverend Squeaky-Eye is not one given over to New Year's resolutions.  As a matter of fact, there is no denying that I am dead set against the things.  The way I see it, we all do about exactly what we are going to do anyway. Resolving to change something in the New Year, that we could have been changing in the old year, is a lot like swimming in denial.

Still, as the New Year became a reality, there was no denying that the Rev's closet was full of clothing that was, well, becoming a bit of a cliche'.  The post-punk hiker chic that was the predominant fashion statement needed a bit of a revamping.  Setting out to freshen the wardrobe, I decided that a new suit was in order.  I had been avoiding buying a new suit both from a common-sense standpoint, and also from a loathing of the upward trend in lapels.  Nonetheless, a new suit of clothes seemed like just the thing to add some snap to the Rev's step and shake off some of the drabness of a wardrobe almost entirely composed of black.

And where does a shopper in the know go for some natty, almost new ensembles?  Well, in the Rev's case, it is the local Goodwill.  Other folks would tell you Value Village, or the local consignment emporium, and they would also be steering the Brethren right.  Whether its the local charity thrift store, the Goodwill, or the upscale consignment shop, each of these fine establishments is going to have some solid fashion choices at a fraction of the cost of the stores down at the mall.  And a Reverend who spends his money wisely has more money left over for that rainy day of life's financial lessons.  

Folks, excuse me if I sound like I am tooting my own bugle here, but after some careful shopping, I laid my hands on a lovely gray woolen suit, handcrafted in Hong Kong by one of our tailor Brethren.  I was out the door of the Goodwill for twenty-eight dollars flat, which included rounding up the purchase price to help out with job creation efforts.  A quick trip to the local cleaners, and for the price of a few buttons sown back and a spic-and-span, the Rev is cutting a much sharper figure and still sporting some folding money with which to grace the new pockets.  Hallelujah!!  Good Brothers and Sisters, how we spend our money determines, in great measure, whether we have any money left to spend, share, or save.  Keep that capital, Brethren!  We earned it, not the Down-Pressor!  How we spend our money matters, both for ourselves and out community.  

My second lesson of the week was not so cheery, but some of our Brethren may benefit so I will share my own foolishness.  Some time ago, I was taking a few college classes in an effort to keep the old brain pan working.  As a necessity for college work, I had to purchase two text books.  Now Brethren, text books can be costly items as anyone who is in school, or supporting a student, knows.  I thought I was being as thrifty as possible in purchasing used textbooks online.  While the Rev did save money over the price of a new text book, I have to admit to not doing my financial homework and to paying the price for it.  Today, I ventured to sell my textbooks back to the place that I purchased them from to recoup some of the costs.  When I did so, I found the books were worth virtually nothing, even though I had paid substantially more than nothing for them.  This time, I did my research and found out why:  eBay.  

Brethren, now that I know, I am here to tell you that as long as you have the correct ISBN number for your required text book, you can find that book on eBay and save yourself a bundle of money, folding or otherwise.  Do not make the mistake I made, wasting my hard earned capital when I could have shopped more wisely.  

So Sisters and Brothers, win some, lose some, but each of the lessons are grist for the mill as we try to Fight the Power.  Whether is large and sweeping or small and tight, remember to Strike a Blow today.  

Nuts and Bolts (and PET bottles)

Good Evening Friends and Neighbors.  First off, the Rev would like to give a most enthusiastic tip and wave of the Rev lid for all of the responses I have received regarding yesterdays entry here on our blog.  That's right Sisters and Brothers, this is OUR blog, not mine.  I am blessed to receive all sorts of great tips and guidance from our Brethren, and all I can say is "Thank you Brothers!!  Thank you Sisters!!"  

It would seem that we, all of us, including myself, need a little reminder that the fruits of our labor belong to us, not to the Down-Pressor.  The Down-Pressor does not, and cannot, produce anything.  He merely siphons off, steals, loots and pillages the product of our labor.  Well, I say we take it back!!

Rather than letting my theoretical run away with me, I want to take this opportunity to hit back at the Down-Pressor with some simple nuts and bolts know-how.  That, and a few re-used PET bottles, and a couple of hoses.  What, you may ask, am I blathering about?  Well, I'll tell you what I'm blathering about.  I blathering about growing our own food.

The Rev has said it before and, as we all know, he will say it again for good measure; grow your own my Brethren.  Now many of us don't have a bit of soil to call are own, or even to borrow for good purpose.  If you are fortunate to have access to some growin' land, a backyard or backlot or pea-patch or a roof top, go for it Sisters!  Till the land, Brothers!  Every bite of veg that we can grow is a mouthful towards freedom.  And, as an added bonus, the Down-Pressor HATES IT when we grow our own, because he can't figure out how to profit from it.  He tries, in the guise of the Demon Monsanto, to drive the seed suppliers out of business, and that, that my Brethren, is reason enough to grow your own.  

Now, back to the nuts and bolts part.  What are our Brethren to do if they have no bit of soil with which to grow so much as a single head of lettuce?  The answer, Brothers and Sisters, is to look to our windows.  That is right, window gardening for the urban dweller.  There are many, many resources for window gardening and it works!  From simple DIY projects made from recycled PET bottles, to complex gardens that involve pumps and hoses, there are many ways to the same result:  growing food indoors in urban environments.

Here are just a few links to get you started.  

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125504307

http://thepuregardener.blogspot.com/2010/04/window-farms-project-vertical-gardening.html

http://www.windowfarms.org/

My Brethren, this is a way to grow some tasty veg, keep some of those plastic bottles out of our oceans and, at the same time, stick it to the Down-Pressor, Monsanto and all of the other Demons of the corporate food machine.  

Let us go forth and cultivate, Sisters and Brothers!  Keep the faith, till the soil (or hydroponics) and Strike a Blow!!!!!!

A New Year

Welcome to the New Year, Sisters and Brothers.  Allow me to wish all of our Brethren a free and fulfilling year, a year without the tread of the Down-Pressor's feet, or the rattle of the Corporate Demon's chains.  

The Rev spent the last days of the past year roaming the roads and trails of Northern Arizona with the Genetic Envelope, including spending some time hanging with our Navajo and Hopi Brethren.  It was a special time, a special time indeed.  But the New Year is upon us, the struggle remains, and we must take action to strike a blow.

Just before departing for the American Southwest, the new Reverend Squeaky-Eye stickers arrived in the mail, hot from the hands of the great folks at The Sticker Guy.  These are hard-working folks with an attitude, trying to help small indie bands and little companies.  If you can throw them some business, you will be helping to keep it in the family.  

http://www.stickerguy.com/

Reverend Squeaky-Eye stickers have gone out across the country, from Minneapolis to Arizona and from Santa Cruz and Oregon to Ken-tucky.  Remember, the stickers are absolutely free to any of the Brethren who have a need.  There is not even a charge for postage.  We are trying to get the message out.  Just email the Rev or leave a comment on how I can get aholt of your fine selves and the stickers will be sent out post haste.

As the New Year unfolds before us and as we roll up our sleeves to continue the fight, a most Righteous Sister sent me a quote from one of the finest US Presidents, Abraham Lincoln.  These words resonated within me, my Brethren.  I think they will do so with you as well.  

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”

President Abraham Lincoln

There it is, Brothers and Sisters, there it is.  Labor produces capital, not the other way 'round.  It is the parasitical Down-Pressor who tries to hold us back, to keep us down, while at the same time grasping for the rewards of our labor.  Yes!  Yes, Brethren!  Our labor, not theirs!  The Down-Pressors and the failed hedge-funders and derivative slicers, and all the those other cream skimmers, they produce nothing.  They do not labor.  They steal, manipulate, re-package and transform capital, capital which was created by labor.  The Frankenstein monster that they produce, with their tricks, their sleight of financial hand, may not resemble the fruits of labor, but it was labor that produced the capital.  It was only the Down-Pressor's greed that twisted the gain of that labor into some unrecognizable horror like a derivative hedge fund.

This year, this year Brothers and Sisters, I want each of us to keep an eagle-eye on where the fruits of our labor goeth.  That which we produce, which we earn, is ours to do with as we would.  I am urging all of us to take great care with how we dispose of that capital, that result of our labor.  It is my fervent wish, my strongest desire, that we bank, spend and enjoy the fruits of our labor in such a way as to maximize our positive power in the world.  Let us spend our capital in our neighborhoods, amongst those we know and live beside, so that the capital, and its benefits, remain with us, lest they fall into the hands of the parasites.

Let us avoid giving our hard created capital to companies, banks, or corporations that would use our capital while harming the very workers they employ, or the environment that they live in.  If a corporation preys on their workers, the same workers who, just like us, produce the capital that feeds the Down-Pressors, I say let that corporation go hungry Sisters and Brothers, let them starve.   Let the Walmarts and the Big Banks and unresponsive polluters and parasites become like Cassius, lean and hungry, instead of their customary sleek and fat.  

The power is in our hands, My Brethren.  We produce that power when our labor produces the capital.  We have only to not give it away so lightly, and we strike a blow.  They fear us, the corporations and the banks.  They fear us and woo us and seduce us.  I say starve them by denying them the one thing that they cannot live without:  capital.  We produce it, we can take it back!

We have, each of us, the power to strike a blow.  We only need to do so.  Keep the faith, we are far stronger than we know.