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By blixco (Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 10:50:04 AM EST) (all tags)
I wanted to write a few words about my country.


The thing is, I'm not as adept at the nuance of every syllable like some guys I know, and I'm only a little worse than some of the worst out there at getting a point across without coming off like a bullhorn at a ballet.  I tend to think out loud where "out loud" is written here and "think" is a mess of ideas that don't necessarily lead to a conclusion of the sort that anyone wants to be involved in.

For instance, I am not a fan of the current administration, and the damage that they've done financially, morally, and materially is reprehensible at best, evil at worst, and bleeds all of us every day, leeches to fix cancer that we can't science away.  There's no end to the horizon that they managed to erect, and the path they put us on is a slippery slope slicked with the blood and oil of tyrants and innocents, of peasants and prime ministers.

What we are not, now, is complacent. We are divided and insecure, but everyone has a side now, faceted.

What I'd like to do is write about my country and not have that phrase be sullied by your anticipatory saliva. I want to write about my country as a place where lawyers and farmers forged law from words and created a revolution that rose to engulf the very roots of the way men think: that all men are created equal and even though it took 400 years for all of the all men to be equal to me, it still took. Even though someone handed out blankets filled with disease to kill races and snuff bloodlines that could save us today, we still managed to create a vast awareness of our own crimes. We created a means to express the hatred of those crimes in a way that binds us to never repeat them.  War has taken so many of us, but nothing like the numbers in Russia or the UK, or anywhere in Africa.  We manage to hold on to our spines and find the guiding chord that created the very brief periods of peace and prosperity that make me weep for a time long gone.

But not forgotten, and our world turns like always, time passing, inevitably we will find a path to exist on that isn't trenched with rot or rutted by fast running blood. The better of us have always had our hearts set on the notion that we're the only things standing between the worst of them and the best of you.  That what we can do, we will.  That our hands and our arms are only the first line of defense, that our spirit and our intellect and the creative impulse that brought fire to this sum of revolution will be what saves us from the evils of men.

We fall, sure.  We falter in ways human and profane and we should be blamed for the sorts of trouble we get into, but we learn by failing.  I want to write about my country and have it be a lesson learned from the harsh blows brought by the worst sorts of thinking from the enemies and the false friends, and from the president and his businessmen. The best lessons are learned from failure; success breeds complacent impotence and snuffs the desire to create anything not profitable. We have failed in every possible way some days, and the impact of those lessons is just now being felt. Surely by now there is no way to lose sight of the thing that our eyes are made from, this vast unshakable human spirit, this freedom that we make with our hands and our minds and one day, maybe, one day, I can write about my country and have it look like:

It was raining. The trees are blooming sweet perfume over the entire of the valley.  My spanish is getting better.  Our tomatoes are growing in. The world is turning. We're still free, but now we're happy.

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I wanted to write. | 31 comments (31 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback
And tomorrow by Breaker (4.00 / 1) #1 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:08:42 AM EST
Will you write a few words about your western?




Sure! by blixco (2.00 / 0) #2 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:18:24 AM EST
Maybe not tomorrow, though.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

Awesome. by Breaker (4.00 / 1) #3 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:28:21 AM EST
I think that the harsh lesson you allude to above is yet to be delivered.

What do you think of the USD dropping in value so much of late?  What about the new Iranian oil exchange that is strictly non-dollar?


[ Parent ]

I'm not worried. by blixco (4.00 / 1) #4 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:31:10 AM EST
Concerned, sure.  But I can't exactly effect that in any way. Never will be able to.  Best I can do is bee a good citizen, in ways that I know how to be that: vote, conserve, and save.

Hrm.  Maybe instead of a country, then western theme I should go for a country swing theme.  I'm sort of digging on this Lyle Lovett vibe.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

In the long run, a good thing by wiredog (4.00 / 1) #6 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 12:03:57 PM EST
For the US. For the people who export to us? Not so much.

Earth First!
(We can strip mine the rest later.)

[ Parent ]

china's currency is pegged to ours. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #20 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 02:27:29 AM EST
So are some middle eastern and south american countires. Sure, european goods are more expensive, but all they export is stinky cheeses, right?

[ Parent ]

LOL by Breaker (2.00 / 0) #24 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 05:38:20 AM EST
US: China, stop pegging your currency to ours as it's inflating the USD and making our exports  incompetitive.
China: OK.
US: What's it pegged to now?
China: Other currencies.
US: Bugger!

So, the only linkage now is through trade rather than fiat.  Which is a hell of a lot more tenuous a link, especially as now that the East is becoming more prosperous, new markets for Chinese goods are opening up.


[ Parent ]

Ahem. by yicky yacky (4.00 / 1) #5 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:52:10 AM EST

a place where lawyers and farmers forged law from words and created a revolution that rose to engulf the very roots of the way men think: that all men are created equal and even though it took 400 years for all of the all men to be equal to me, it still took.

I think you'll find that was mostly our lot (by which I mean Western Europe). The fantastic thing about the early Americans is that they were open-minded enough to run with the ideas and build something grand upon them. America's done a great deal, simply by being and persisting. There are several nominal monarchies in Western Europe which I suspect are much more liberal now than they would otherwise have been because they had America and France acting as powerful counterweights / attractants and did not want to get left behind (or steamrolled by their proles) in the march of progress. So thanks for that.


----
26 days left ...


The spark of our revolution by blixco (4.00 / 1) #7 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 12:16:52 PM EST
came from the best of western Europe. Thankfully, many people had pondered the problems and worked the solutions. 

America back there at the beginning had hubris and tenacity and isolation and tons of resources.  Mainly isolation and tons of resources, though, goddamn, those guys were tenacious.

This is a country of imperfect men and imperfect ideas that were stubbornly acted out.  Even the current administration fits that mold.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

it be nice by garlic (4.00 / 1) #21 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 02:29:44 AM EST
to ditch some of the founder worship as a country, so that we can straighten up the constitution. If what it says doesn't make sense (WTF is the second amendment saying?!?), let's fix it, not pretend it's the bible to be interpretted over and over.

[ Parent ]

Our country by nightflameblue (4.00 / 1) #8 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:18:47 PM EST
Previously: Interesting. Neat ideas, some worked.

Currently: Sucks ass. And working at finding ways to suck it even harder.

Future: Who knows? All I know is the current administration is making sure I'll never get to see the prosperous and happy America again in my lifetime. You know, the one other countries pointed to with anything other than derision in mind?

As a place to live, it's alright. As a character on the stage of the planet? We as a country fail it hard. And then proclaim ourselves the great protective force of good in all things.



Do "we"? by blixco (2.00 / 0) #9 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:31:24 PM EST
I don't think  "we" do.  The administration does, selectively. But I don't think "we" can be said to be calling ourselves anything other than forceful.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

"We" as a country? by nightflameblue (4.00 / 1) #10 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:55:37 PM EST
That is the administration. I mean, sure, there's a large chunk of the world that hates each and every one of us because of what our administration does. Because of the way our administration advertises itself, "Of the people, for the people, by the people" some folks believe the common every day man has some say in what goes on. But the bottom line is, to the rest of the world "we" call ourselves whatever the administration calls us. Therefore, to the rest of the world, "We" call ourselves the world police and the upholders of justice and democracy, even though we haven't quite figured out how democracy works at home.

Sorry. I know we have as much say in what goes on amongst the administration as we do in what goes on in Japan, but we're still seen as being responsible for their actions. In most cases, we're seen as being behind their actions.

I still chat with people from time to time from other countries who truly believe each and every American is reprehensible for not overthrowing the pieces of shit we have in power. I can't reconcile that image, being upheld firmly by those in power in every way possible (see Bush and his translation of 51% being a firm mandate from the people) and the idea that "we" aren't responsible for their actions. We may have no say in them, but it's still our problem to deal with.

Even if the dealing is as feeble as saying, "fuck you, I'll write somebody else's name on that piece of paper!"

Then the process can continue for another four years.

[ Parent ]

did reagan ruin it? by garlic (2.00 / 0) #22 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 02:31:13 AM EST
did clinton? no. 8 years can be undone. We just have to have the will to undo it.

[ Parent ]

Did Reagan or Clinton. . . by nightflameblue (2.00 / 0) #25 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 07:22:49 AM EST
turn a sea of good-will toward our nation into a sea of hatred and loathing in a matter of months?  Nope.

Sure, it can be undone.  But there's shit all any of us individually can do about it.

[ Parent ]

sure there is. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #27 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 10:04:44 AM EST
for instance, blixco, sasquatchan, and I are helping make instruments of overseas goodwill.

[ Parent ]

If you really, really loved your country . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #11 Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:21:27 PM EST
.. . you should probably be doing something more effectual than writing or voting.



Like what? by blixco (2.00 / 0) #12 Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:23:20 PM EST
And where up there do I say that I love my country?

Keep in mind, I work for a company that does, effectively, help my country.
---------------------------------
"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

I'm not suggesting anything . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #13 Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 04:23:47 PM EST
. . . other than that writing and voting are not effective for changing the status quo, that's all.

I never assumed anything; I said "if".

[ Parent ]

Ah, empty comments. by blixco (4.00 / 1) #14 Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 06:03:19 PM EST

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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

Right, my comments are empty . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #15 Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 01:58:57 PM EST
. . . then keep on doing what you're doing if it's working so fabulously for you.

[ Parent ]

It really is, by blixco (4.00 / 1) #16 Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 02:50:21 PM EST
since all what I do is not contained in these texts.  That much should be plainly obvious, to even the least intelligent observer.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

So your life is really fabulous . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #17 Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 03:40:33 PM EST
. . . then great! It wasn't inherently obvious to me, no; I must be an idiot. Stupidly, I read into your rambling commentary on the state of things and deduced that you were angst-ridden, feeling like an ineffectual cog in the wheel of positive change. How utterly fascile and hair-brained of me! I was taking from your writing a strong sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo; what an utter fool I was. How blind can I be?!?

Judging by how well you've reacted to my comments before, and how accurately you have pegged my character, you've clearly hit another bullseye here.

[ Parent ]

I'm not sure what it is about you, by blixco (4.00 / 2) #18 Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 05:51:32 PM EST
or more specifically, what it is about my reaction to your comments.  I'm normally okay with criticism, even oblique criticism, unless it is personal (ie "you suck, because you suck").

So, I'm really not sure.  You know?  I mean, what I wrote here was written from a very specific place: I am quite happy with my life, and I know that at some point in the future, the country will be OK.  This probably has the least amount of angst that I've ever written.

Maybe it's that your take on my voice is very, very different from what my voice actually is.  This writing doesn't come from a disaffected teen.  It's not without significant personal experience; everything I write comes from my past, my friends, my family. 

Or, maybe you read my writing strictly to point out where I am "wrong" with regards to what you believe is "right."  That's perfectly OK; the first paragraph of this particular entry mentions that I'm not very good at this.

"...inevitably we will find a path to exist on..." in that 5th paragraph means, we always land on our feet here.  This country, it has been worse, it will probably be worse, but it always gets better, ebbs and flows into the best and worst of what we are.  I do what I can to affect that, but I am also not blinded by my or any other ideology; I am firmly aware of the limitations that any action I have will be constrained by.

The world turns, man.  You and I and these stupid little arguments don't mean fuck all to any of it.
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"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

You see, this is what sucks me in . . . by slozo (4.00 / 1) #19 Sat Apr 12, 2008 at 11:52:03 PM EST
. . . your honesty. I truly apreciate an honest person who can truly reflect on themselves.

Funny thing is blixco, I avoided checking husi for like, well . . . about two days, I guess. Strange, eh? I sit here at the home 'office' laptop, on a Sat night, sipping my wine, relaxing, and I was still mentally cringing - knowing that there would be a response to my comment from you. I like reading your stuff. I didn't want to read something that changed my mind about that. Well, you are no cardboard cutout internet character, that's for sure - as I never assumed you were. As I would hope others assume I am not either.

I was not criticising you. It was a commentary on the uselessness of some of the initiatives for change you talked about like voting (my humble opinion); and I always thought of you as this very moral, patriotic sort of dude, someone who is a born leader kind of personality who wants to do something, leading to good. I thought you sounded like someone who wanted to do more; maybe I misread you. Or at least, I misread your state of mind.

Wasn't trying to point out any errors, my friend. Just trying to offer commentary, advice. I apologise if it was unclear, but that was owing to the fact that i don't have clear advice to give, 'specially to a ghostly apparation of the internet.

On your last two paragraphs:
Well, we'll see how it goes, as you intimate.

Yes, life will and would go on without pause despite our bleating and cussing. But in my world, they have a meaning. In other words, they mean fuck something . . . to me, at least.

The reason I communicate is to share and learn information, gain insight and knowledge, and amuse others and laugh myself. On occasion it is to react negatively or to admonish . . . but this was not one of those times.

We'll have to have a beer sometime, I guess.

(I drink dark beers, porters and stouts, but I'll settle for a good euro blend as well)

[ Parent ]

hey, by garlic (4.00 / 1) #23 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 02:32:23 AM EST
has anyone mentioned lately that you're a dick? yeah? I thought so.

[ Parent ]

Why do you have . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #26 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 09:34:30 AM EST
. . . such a hard on for me?

I find it hilarious that your life is so boring and mundane, that you have to stalk conversations from a week ago for posters who you supposedly hate. Don't you find that odd?

How filled with anger you must be, how gleeful you must get over getting others riled up . . . like a sadistic and miseducated child throwing stones at the pretty birds.

Do you realise how pathetic you must seem to others?

[ Parent ]

so hey. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #28 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 10:06:12 AM EST
see how easy it is for blixco to misunderstand you then?

[ Parent ]

Yes, he misunderstood me . . . by slozo (2.00 / 0) #29 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 10:31:51 AM EST
. . . so? Your point, if you have one?

Why do you care? My only assumption can be that you are again attempting to rile me up, troll me, etc . . . but really, I'd like to get it straight from horse's ass, if I could.


[ Parent ]

I was wondering where you were by debacle (4.00 / 1) #30 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 12:10:56 PM EST
And here I find you, on page five of the diary section, mumbling about America and we and us and this and that.

America will be fine. Worry about your tomatoes.


"I'm very responsive to certain stimuli, and pain is pretty much at the top of that list." - BadDoggie



My tomatoes by blixco (2.00 / 0) #31 Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 08:25:50 PM EST
are going to be fucking awesome tomatoes.
---------------------------------
"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

I wanted to write. | 31 comments (31 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback