Death Disguised - Jerome, Arizona
" The Warning" - PCH, Ragged Point, California
"Dead Can Dance" - Jerome, Arizona
"Not Pretty Enough" - Jerome, ArizonaWell, it's time. I welcome this Halloween as a possible end to the year long Meg Whitman attack ads, and hope to welcome another era of California strangeness vis a vis Gov. Jerry Brown. I have learned this year that money talks. It talks non stop about stupid and boring issues. It hires loudmouths and liars who could be entertaining, at least, if they focused on cooking or fashion instead of government and finance.
The money complains about a broken country, state, city (fill in the blank) that taxes moneymakers. It bellows about how bad things are for the big moneymakers and completely drowns out the very real complaints and needs of most of us who are scraping by. The talking money heads on Fox News push Bushrepublican corporate values as if more tax breaks for the wealthy and fewer breaks for the blue collar and poor are the only paths for saving civilization. Their evangelical zeal in condemning the unbelievers, liberals, Muslims, "others" for the sake of preserving Christian values is a smokescreen.
The money talkers conveniently overlook the fact that Christ was once poor. Christ was once a criminal and got the death penalty for crimes against the state. Christ never married and He hung out with men. Christ loved little children. Christ knew the meaning of persecution, slander, and betrayal. Christ turned the other cheek and demonstrated courageous love. He taught us how to manifest God's love through compassion and tolerance.
Money talkers preach fear, mistrust, intolerance, claiming that such weakness is patriotic and necessary to America's survival. If they only listened to themselves, they'd realize that they sound like the Stalin communists they abhor. They want to isolate the intellectuals, the Obama supporters, the activists, the gays, the protesters, the feminists, the environmentalists, the anti corporateestablismentarians, anyone that does not agree with their paranoia. The money talkers want to talk us to death.
The midterm elections are predicted to show America that money brays the loudest and gets the vote. I am sad that Americans may be so easily distracted by rude, loud talk and that we may elect incompetent charlatans instead of pragmatic problem solvers, but November 2, 2010 will be a watershed election regardless of the outcome. If democratic incumbents win instead of the big spending, loud talking republican challengers, citizens send a clear message that billions spent on idiotic attack ads won't cut it. If the big spenders win - we are doomed to nastier and longer political campaigns, not to mention more idiots on the Congressional payroll stripping away safety nets, safeguards, and quality of life for average Americans.
Over the past ten months, I've changed my political issues priority list. The economy was number one on that list, but now it is campaign finance reform and after the horrendous Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, reform may be derailed by Fox, Carl Rove, and their corporate sponsors for years to come.
God help and bless America.
