Just wanted to let you know about a great website that features travellin' tales from my fellow CTA commuters here in Chicago. There are some really funny, frightening, and poignant observations about trains, buses, and the variety of life-forms found within. The December 20 post is a poem from some guy named Dave - hmmm....wonder who he is.....
Click, read, and enjoy .....http://www.thisisgrand.org
Monday, December 20, 2004
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Mr. Secretary - Your Freudian Slip Is Showing
I just saw a video clip on TV and caught a phonetic detail of Rumsfeld's response to that soldier's question about lack of armored vehicles in Iraq. To wit:
(Rumsfeld) "As you know, you go to war with the army you have - Not the harmy you want".....
"Harmy" ?
Did he say "harmy" ? - Was our Secretary of Defense sub-consciously talking straight for a change? This indeed is a situation full of "harmy" for all the troops. And you heard it from Rummy himself. Consciously, or not.
(Rumsfeld) "As you know, you go to war with the army you have - Not the harmy you want".....
"Harmy" ?
Did he say "harmy" ? - Was our Secretary of Defense sub-consciously talking straight for a change? This indeed is a situation full of "harmy" for all the troops. And you heard it from Rummy himself. Consciously, or not.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
"Target" Your Shopping Elsewhere
I recently heard that Target Stores, here in the U.S., are barring The Salvation Army from soliciting donations outside their stores this Christmas season. For those not familiar - The Salvation Army is a Christian-based volunteer organization that provides shelter/food/clothing/job-training to the homeless. They also offer shelter/counseling for domestic violence victims, and pitch in with The Red Cross during natural disasters. In short - they are "THE GOOD GUYS".
But, with very little warning,(approx. mid-late November), Target Stores has decided that The S.A. is a hinderence to it's customers, and shouldn't be allowed to solicit funds in front of it's stores.
They claim that, legally, they would have to allow ANY group to solicit funds on it's property, if they allow The S.A. to do so.
The Salvation Army estimates that the drop in donations will be 9 million dollars nationwide.
BAH-HUMBUG!!!
I suspect this has less to do with non-legit charities horning in on donations, than Target's fear of their customers opening their wallets BEFORE they enter the store itself.
As for me, I don't think there is anything available at a Target Store that I can't get elsewhere. And those other stores will also have a red S.A. collection kettle that I will be glad to contribute to !
But, with very little warning,(approx. mid-late November), Target Stores has decided that The S.A. is a hinderence to it's customers, and shouldn't be allowed to solicit funds in front of it's stores.
They claim that, legally, they would have to allow ANY group to solicit funds on it's property, if they allow The S.A. to do so.
The Salvation Army estimates that the drop in donations will be 9 million dollars nationwide.
BAH-HUMBUG!!!
I suspect this has less to do with non-legit charities horning in on donations, than Target's fear of their customers opening their wallets BEFORE they enter the store itself.
As for me, I don't think there is anything available at a Target Store that I can't get elsewhere. And those other stores will also have a red S.A. collection kettle that I will be glad to contribute to !
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Memory and Transposition
Today I was reminded of how powerful the human mind is.
When it needs to be.
When it has to be.
When it has to reconcile the past to a fixed point in the present. When a memory bank searches all of it's files to try and make sense of the current input. In times of crisis - times of doubt. With the wind whipping your ears and your eyes shut tight - back when -....
September 1974 -
You're the new kid in school/7th grade/nobody approaches you/and you're too damn shy to reach out/but here comes Matt/same as you/a rebel in denim/an honor roll dropout/isn't this all bullshit/i love bowie and aerosmith don't you/fuck those jocks/you're pretty cool/i wish i could play guitar too/my brother plays bass/isn't susie the cutest/no way - margo/i'd take mary over margo/are you crazy/shhh - here comes sister mary beth - /ok/did you bring any cigs/i could use one after lunch/this school is the worst/...when i have kids........etc..etc......
And today that fixed point in the present came around.
I heard that Matt had died.
In Arizona.
On a point on a map that neither of us had ever imagined back in 1974.
My memory reels and staggers because 42 years old is just too early. That is the only way to put it. Whoever reads this - please make sure to thank the people who reached out and made life a little easier and friendlier for you - 1974 or otherwise.
Because someday, you will shut your eyes tight.
And the sound in your ears will be the roar of 7th grade.
When it needs to be.
When it has to be.
When it has to reconcile the past to a fixed point in the present. When a memory bank searches all of it's files to try and make sense of the current input. In times of crisis - times of doubt. With the wind whipping your ears and your eyes shut tight - back when -....
September 1974 -
You're the new kid in school/7th grade/nobody approaches you/and you're too damn shy to reach out/but here comes Matt/same as you/a rebel in denim/an honor roll dropout/isn't this all bullshit/i love bowie and aerosmith don't you/fuck those jocks/you're pretty cool/i wish i could play guitar too/my brother plays bass/isn't susie the cutest/no way - margo/i'd take mary over margo/are you crazy/shhh - here comes sister mary beth - /ok/did you bring any cigs/i could use one after lunch/this school is the worst/...when i have kids........etc..etc......
And today that fixed point in the present came around.
I heard that Matt had died.
In Arizona.
On a point on a map that neither of us had ever imagined back in 1974.
My memory reels and staggers because 42 years old is just too early. That is the only way to put it. Whoever reads this - please make sure to thank the people who reached out and made life a little easier and friendlier for you - 1974 or otherwise.
Because someday, you will shut your eyes tight.
And the sound in your ears will be the roar of 7th grade.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Heroic Lies
First, Jessica Lynch, and now, Pat Tillman. Is there any other sure-fire sign that the Pentagon doesn't want to "lose the audience" for it's mega-blockbuster dud in Iraq? They're reacting like film-makers do when their picture gets a lukewarm test-screening.
"Re-Write"!!!, they scream, when public support lags. "Punch up the characters! - Emphasize personal drama! - Make everybody want to enlist!!!"
Let me clarify one thing : Though I disagree with the Iraq War, I have no doubts about the sacrifice that all of the coalition forces are making over there. Lynch was severely wounded, and Tillman paid the ultimate price. Those realities are nothing to laugh at and neither are the countless other casualties occurring thanks to poor planning on the part of the Chickenhawks in Dubya's administration. The troops are no more to blame for this quagmire than the young men and women of the 1960's were for Vietnam.
Same shit. Different generation.
CNN's Anderson Cooper says pretty much the same thing, only less sarcastically. Go to http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ and check out his comments at the end of the 12/7/04 broadcast.
"Re-Write"!!!, they scream, when public support lags. "Punch up the characters! - Emphasize personal drama! - Make everybody want to enlist!!!"
Let me clarify one thing : Though I disagree with the Iraq War, I have no doubts about the sacrifice that all of the coalition forces are making over there. Lynch was severely wounded, and Tillman paid the ultimate price. Those realities are nothing to laugh at and neither are the countless other casualties occurring thanks to poor planning on the part of the Chickenhawks in Dubya's administration. The troops are no more to blame for this quagmire than the young men and women of the 1960's were for Vietnam.
Same shit. Different generation.
CNN's Anderson Cooper says pretty much the same thing, only less sarcastically. Go to http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ and check out his comments at the end of the 12/7/04 broadcast.
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