Tag Archives: politics

THINK

freedumb


I haven’t cleared out my cell phone’s MemoryStickâ„¢ in weeks.

I emptied it out this morning and found the “other” shots I made while we were still in South Carolina… While I used the big camera for pretty ocean pics – I used the cell phone camera to document the small – but telling artifacts of what I’m calling pop-conservative (“Pop-Con”) culture.

In a much better time in our collective past, before culture, religion and politics got all mixed up into one big, sore, festering, polarizing force – you’d call these items: RED NECK.

But it’s not that simple anymore. Is it?

It’s not some pudgy, (albeit cute), stand-up comedian with a speech impediment standing on a stage yelling “Get UR done”…. anymore.

Nope… Our flag, (which has been hijacked and turned into a brand), has been thrown so freakily out of context in order to sell a products that… well… I guess if I wasn’t already so disappointed and morbidly amused by it all,… I’d be offended.

Look at it like this:

If you reduce concepts such as “Freedom” and/or take the flag which has always represented said “Freedom” and treat it as a brand identity – what are you saying about “Freedom” itself?

Brands are a means to and end… To sell products….

“Just Do It”â„¢ – Sells tennis shoes.

“I’m a Pepper, You’re a Pepper.â„¢” Sells brown sweet fizzy water.

“Freedomâ„¢” Is being used to sell everything from a destructive, dishonest administration to, in this case, specialty rubbers.

But what happens when a brand is no longer effective?

Look at advertising history…. They’re dismissed like a cheap hooker.

When “Freedomâ„¢” stops selling – it too will be discarded… The brand.. not the Idea…

But what does it say about the folks who chose to wrap their: political regime, contraceptives, truck-stop speed, soda-pop, roofing company, ETC in this big-concept turned short-shelf-life brand?

Ummmm – I’m doing a lousy job at making a point here.

I really just wanted to culture-jam through observation, sans-commentary… and document the things I saw while we were in arguably the buckle of the bible belt.

I really don’t want to blog about it.

THINK

kindly….


Dear MoveOn,

Kindly…. Piss-off and leave me alone.

After religiously signing your petitions, attending fundraisers, participating in “call your legislator emergency actions” and supporting you for years – I’ve simply lost faith.

I don’t really believe you’re making a difference.

I’ve witnessed the hyper conservative movement, (coups?), steamroll right through, (with little resistance or accountability): rigged elections, falsely started wars, the reduction of civil rights, the… (shall we go on?)…. All the while good intending organizations like yours have simply been written off and deftly portrayed as the whining, crying liberal minority in the corner.

The most profound statement I’ve read to date regarding our state-of-the-nation was pasted to the bumper of a car in rush hour:

“IF YOU’RE NOT APPALLED, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION”

And that’s where organizations like MoveOn.org and others are failing miserably. You’re preaching to the choir, – to those that “are” already paying attention.

Until you change your tactics to reach a new audience, and / or someone finds a way to shake Americans from their very unique flavor of mass-media pacified / Big Macâ„¢ fed malaise – you will be doomed to impotence.

All you’re doing now is merely aggravating the ulcers of your well-defined target audience; left-leaning folk like myself.

I have run out of antacids – and with the future prospects of healthcare in America I can’t afford an ulcer.

So…

Kindly… Piss off and leave me alone.

Jim Corbett 3.0
Saint Louis, MO

_______

P.S.: Urr.. That was a comment to MoveOn.org in their “unsubscribe from all lists” form, (and the first step in removing ourselves from “the game”….. not a blog.

THINK

apocalypse later


I’ve been bouncing around on news sites about what’s going on down in Naw’lins.

I can’t believe we actually may see the complete annihilation of an American city.

Our fearless leader has cut his vacation short by two days, (war is tiring you know), to come in and address the oil shortage by announcing we’ll be tapping into our national oil reserves since Katrina has shut-down off-gulf-shore drilling…. mmmmm.. Priorities.

Meanwhile,….
Factions are claiming that the disaster was God’s punishment because of the homosexuals in New Orleans…. while others are saying God’s pissed because of our role in kicking the jews out of Gaza…

They haven’t even finished fishing dead bodies out of the water and these nuts are assigning divine guilt and punishment.

W.T.F.? – What exactly does that prove? Well… Sobering statistics like from the recent TIME/CNN pole which says “59% of Americans believe the prophecies in the Book of Revelation will come true.” (more reading)

You’ve heard about self-fulfilling prophecies right?

I certainly believe in the power of will / thought and perception… (Hell… I quit smoking!)

Mix in a little unhealthy mixing of church and state and well………..

I don’t know what I’m getting at here…

I don’t believe in a prophecy-based apocalypse…

I do believe in psychos. (and their potential to start one).

We’re living history kids… And right when you think it couldn’t possibly get any more fucked up and surreal – the wrench tightens one more revolution.

I’m thinking we should sit tonight and make a contingency plan, just in-case the country completely loose it’s mind, riots break out and we’re thrown into civil war or, (or self induced apocalypse).

yeah.. I know – that sounds paranoid.

not as much as this sounds like a blog.

*it’s not!

LIVE, THINK

parade and small, cleansing rant


Ugh – I feel like I’m in a time-warp trying to post images from LAST holiday weekend and here it is Friday… FRIDAY?!?!?! ughhhhh! ARRRGH! I got an idea – I’ll address that in the next post.

Chad had to work on the 4th…. But Kevin and I drove over to Elise’s parents’ house, stashed the car and walked with them down to the Webster Groves Independence Day Parade.

It was like a small-town parade… complete with pageant queens in convertibles.

I found the political entries to the parade, from both wings, tiresome….

About as tiresome as I’m finding news of more bombs going off in major cities.

At what precise point…. How far must our collective psyche be stretched until the world cries out: “ALRIGHT – NOW JUST FUCKING STOP IT…. YOU! RADICAL ISLAM… YEAH.. YOU WITH THE TOWEL ON YOUR HEAD… WE’RE SORRY FOR DINKING IN YOUR COUNTRIES AND POLITICS FOR THE LAST FEW DECADES… WE’RE REALLY ONLY AFTER YOUR OIL… WE’RE SORRY… WE’LL DEVELOP THE ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOLUTIONS WE’VE BEEN SITTING ON FOR YEARS…. AND YOU… FUNDIE CHRISTIANS? JESUS IS NOT COMING… SO SETTLE DOWN – AND SHARE THE POLITISPHERE WOULD YOU? AND YOU NEO-CONS? – STOP BEING GREEDY AND MANIPULATING – WE’RE HIP TO IT NOW AND WRAPPING YOURSELF IN THE FLAG IS NOT AN GOOD CLOAK ANYMORE. AND YOU! OVER THERE.. YEAH YOU LIBERAL TWITS.. PUT DOWN THE MICHAEL MOORE BOOK, STOP CRYING AND EVOKE CHANGE.”

*FEH!*

alright – sorry -. I have no idea where that just channeled from.

The parade was nice – but the company was even better.

And the blog? – it doesn’t exist.