Depressions

Guy fires repeated shotgun blasts
into gas pump, crashes while fleeing,
ends up under guard in hospital.

Seventy-nine years ago, black Tuesday, the day I was born, the stock market crashed. Happy birthday to me! I do not believe my coming into the world had anything to do with bringing about the Great Depression, nor do I believe my presence here has anything to do with the current financial disaster. But I do know we have mainly Republicans to thank for both events. Thanks to their misguided philosophy of free market capitalism conditions are now pretty much as they were in the 1930’s and once again corporations reign and the filthy rich get even filthier rich. There are at least some hopeful signs for meaningful change.

Barack Obama’s half-hour infomercial I thought was reasonably successful. At least I cannot imagine it will hurt him in any way. It was certainly very professionally done, just as his campaign has been. Contrast Obama’s campaign with McCain’s and it is difficult not to just laugh out loud. A three day “Joe the Plumber” tour? How absurd. And now good ‘ol Joe is touring with Palin and offereing his advice on foreign policy (“Obama means the death of Israel”), even more absurd. Now Joe has hired a publicist and is trying to get books deals and a recording contract. Ah, fifteen minutes of fame. Palin seems to think that having rather disgracefully flunked VP 101 she is now ready for the Presidency itself. While the McCain/Palin campaign is falling apart right in front of our eyes, they keep insisting they are going to win, especially in Pennsylvania. Does McCain know something we don’t know? This reminds me of Bush in 2004 when he asserted very positively that he was going to win (he did know something apparently that we did not know). While I still believe Obama will win big I confess this makes me nervous. I also worry that Obama may not stay alive until next Tuesday, or there will be another terrorist attack of some kind, or Bush will declare martial law, or the sky will fall. The past eight years have done nothing to build my trust in the Brafia/Republicans. My prediction of an Obama landslide might not come true – but it certainly ought to.

I have no idea what Obama may be thinking and obviously I am in no position to speak for him. I do believe, however, there are many things that must be left unsaid in a campaign if you wish to be elected President of the United States. For example, the important question now arises as to how Obama will be able to find the funds to offer all the programs he would like to begin. I suggest there is one answer to this question that cannot be stated publicly at the moment because it would obviously raise such right-wing objections. Namely, cutting our obscene and bloated national defense budget. As probably half of our resources go into maintaining the largest military on earth, more than all other countries combined, and as most of this money is being used for nothing but maintaining the military/industrial/political complex that is only remotely connected to genuine national defense, it is a potential source of almost unlimited funds. Whether Obama believes in reducing this absolute waste of taxpayer money I do not know. The argument that it is necessary to keep our industry going, creating jobs and such, I find unconvincing as those monies could easily be funneled into useful domestic programs also creating jobs. This would seem to me to be eminently sensible but, of course, the national defense budget and the pentagon have become virtually sacred, however misguided. With the money that would be gained from doing away with the Bush tax cuts, plus the money that could be saved by giving up dreams of empire, it would not take too long to actually restore our country and economy to a position of power and influence once again. And we would actually be much stronger than we are at the moment. But what do I know, I’m just the 97 pound weakling in the room.

I have just re-read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby. I read it once very long ago, once again not so very long ago, and now once again. Some say it is the greatest American novel. I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I can’t think of a better one offhand. It is also supposed to be great because it is so representative of America, the American dream, of the constant striving upwards, ambition, dedication, and etc. But again, I don’t know. Gatsby strives upward it is true, but by using illegal means (although when it comes to prohibition one might argue that it really wasn’t, or should not have been, illegal or somehow bad or immoral). Then there were Tom and Daisy, wealthy racist snobs, adultery, drunkenness, dishonesty, conspicuous consumers, and, ultimately, the cause of much unhappiness. I guess one might accept that as the American way, but however representative it may be, it certainly is not a very flattering presentation of American life and values. You cannot, however, take away the fact that Fitzgerald was an absolute master of writing prose. I enjoy reading it for that reason, but it is a sad.story.

LKBIQ:
In a real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read. It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.
S. I. Hayakawa

TILT: A hinnie is a cross between a stallion and a female donkey.