Saturday, July 20, 2019                                            1:08 PM

They Hate Trump’s Country   (2019Jul20)

The funniest thing about Trump is when he forgets what a nightmare, bull in a china shop, foul-mouthed bully he’s been, and starts talking about someone else being a ‘disgrace’. This is where the limits of Trumpism start to show through.

Trump is so clearly unconcerned with anyone other than Trump, so quick to condemn others and excuse or deny his own wrongs, that he really should stay away from the more ethics-oriented insults and stick with straight belligerence.

This is a symptom of narcissism—Trump slams anyone who doesn’t observe ‘decorum’, while insisting that decorum doesn’t apply to him. That’s how he can curse, then call others foul-mouthed; he can lie and call others liars; he can joke at will (especially ‘after the fact’) but no one else gets any poetic license, nor any other escape from their exact syntax. It’s fair, ‘cause it’s unfair—get it?

Don’t confuse State & Religion, or Facts & Faith. Don’t confuse teachers with salespeople. A teacher teaches what they know—a salesperson tells you want they want you to think.

That is why someone such as Senator E. Warren can seem so earnest in her public speaking—and Trump equally so. They are both working very hard—at two different jobs.

Trump recently said of four Congresswomen, “they hate our country”. The use of the possessive ‘our’ is mad/genius. Trump lives in his own sick fantasy-world—and in that world, perhaps these ladies truly are enemies of his country.

Out here, in reality, they are vital components of our democracy—as indicated by the fact that all four were elected by the people in their districts. If Trump is under the delusion that those in Congress never criticize the Administration, he should crack a book.

If, however, his point is that women of color should never find the temerity to raise their voices in the direction of his fat white ass—that then, is a bigot of an orange color—as the saying goes. And that is clearly what that demented old cracker meant by his tweets and ‘comments’ at his nazi-rallies.

The Republicans stand behind this nightmare-of-an-ethics-quiz, because they share a delusion that ethics is embarrassing in their field—a sign of naiveté. They take their cue from Wall Street, where laughing at Justice is chapter and verse of their hierarchical tribalism.

The Democrats boldly commit hari-kari in the name of ethics, just to remind people that there is such a thing—look at Al Franken. But career suicide is a limited and unwieldly weapon—I don’t think the Dems get the credit they deserve.

Al Gore didn’t tear us apart for two years over his lost election—and HRC certainly had ammunition to go to court with, were she so self-involved—but she didn’t, either. By their acts ye shall know them.

Compare that to Republicans: the president, the cabinet, and the speaker of the senate (and his wife, in the cabinet)—a bunch of bald-faced scofflaws and scum, of which there never was such a collection of skin-crawling depravity and corruption. They are appalling—nothing else can be said of them.

Except that, for them (if not their country) those four Congresswomen should certainly be seen as their enemies—he’s got that much right.

Recent music:

Recent Poem & Illustration:

Saturday, July 06, 2019                                            7:46 AM

The True Nature of Art   (2019Jul06)

I’ve had a life-long struggle to understand the true nature of Art. In one way, I see art as an intuitive action being spurred by a sense of passion or grandeur. I’ve practiced ‘outsider’ or ‘neo-folk’ art all my life, with a few exceptions.

I see my quandary more clearly nowadays—native art and ‘artifice’ are as different as night and day. To grow beyond native impulse requires artifice—the grand painters and great composers of old were all accomplished in their craft. Their emotional manipulations were so effective that art, today, is an important investment—whether talking Disney copyrights, Prince’s catalog, or original Van Goghs.

I use the terms ‘artifice’ and ‘emotional manipulation’ because folk art is far more the candid expression of the maker’s feelings, through use of wood, paint, sound, etc.—whereas, serious artists recollect such impulses, whilst considering how to evince feeling from the audience, resonant with that experience or impulse.

Put simply, a folk artist is all heart, flailing at his opponent, while a pro is dancing about, considering where to place the next jab. One obsesses, the other succeeds.

Which calls to mind the category of ‘craft’—in craft, the maker’s love is for the process—the carver’s chair or the potter’s vase, while beautiful, are not works of pure art. Thus craftworks do not shout of love—they proclaim only the personality of the lover.

And I felt this limitation often—while drawing a picture or attempting a poem—that certain labors of love show the love—and some only show the labor.

Wednesday, July 03, 2019                                                12:10 AM

Conservative Talk   (2019Jul03)

This Fourth, Trump is having a Commie-style Phallus Parade down the middle of DC—and nothing would be sweeter than that it should include “Impeach!” signs and chants, all through the crowd. Maybe we could get some of that “Good people on both sides” action going? I kid—but seriously, Trump is a traitor to his Oath of Office.

Trump, like an abusive father, is nauseatingly cloying when he puts on his good-person mask and pretends to true, human feelings. In a way, Trump’s ‘celebratory’ speeches are his own personal ‘shit-eating grin’.

He’ll talk about ‘great things’ in a way that makes obvious he’s focusing on himself, as he expounds on said ‘greatness’—and on his comfort, knowing that reality continues to conform to his bratty little whims—at least, on FOXNews, and in the Senate.

The RNC just proclaimed it collected more Trump re-election campaign donation money, from more people, than any Democrat candidate. The Mad Media, still eager to parrot Trump’s tweets and lies, couldn’t wait to break the story.

But I take a longer view. I’m content to wait until it’s exposed as bullshit ‘accounting’, possibly even an illegal conspiracy to launder foreign cash through domestic citizens (you know, like they’ve done in several elections, including 2016).

And who can blame them?—in a world this wired, a Conservative has little purchase on reality. To some extent, a modern Conservative supports Armageddon as their endgame—it’s the only result that won’t exclude them, making them obsolete; won’t blame them for a climate disaster; and won’t ask them to modify their ideas of who deserves respect.

But let’s be honest—once desperation reaches such extremes, only extremists hang on. And extremists make an extremely loyal voter-base, especially if they’re kept just as poor and miserable as possible. Catch-22 doesn’t confine itself to the military.