Election night hangover

 I’m going to kvetch and get it out of my system.

 The ballots aren’t all counted. Trump is declaring victory and insisting the count is stopped, but anyone who’s surprised by that hasn’t been paying attention the last four years. Biden has a slight lead in the electoral count, but as of right now, 71 votes are still up in the air. Pennsylvania seems to be the keystone and there have been shenanigans going on there all day. Some hinky shit has been going on in Georgia, which is also up in the air.

 Voting is stopped for the evening and will continue in the morning. Trump is going to try to stop it and Biden says he’s going to fight it. The impression I’m getting through Twitter is that a lot of folks in conservative media are of the opinion Trump went too far with this. I’m not sanguine, but the week will be one.

 Now, the reason I said that was to get it out of the way. If you've read this blog or my stuff over at The News at the WordPress site - or even the stuff at the Tumblr site - it'll come as no revelation that I don't have much for Trump, his cabinet, the GOP in general, and the entire conservative infrastructure, from the talking heads and media bloviators to the bagmen and movers behind the scene. I don't pretend to be unbiased or bipartisan in my loathing for them. I sincerely believe that the ills and evils in American society derive directly from the blackened heart of American Conservativism.

 I rarely discuss the Democratic Party because, frankly, they're rarely all that interesting. Whether it's old-timers or even the firebrand young guns in the Squad, most of their legislation is what they've been doing for as long as I've been paying attention to politics, just shit to keep the ship of state afloat without the plebes going after them with ropes and sharpened farm implements. You rarely see them doing things like taking away affordable health insurance or constitutionally define marriage to exclude gay people.

 It may take them forever to actually recognize the validity of gay marriage, but they'll get around to it when we make enough noise. LBJ didn't pass the Civil Rights Acts out of the goodness of his cholesterol-sodden heart, he did it because shit had gotten so fierce that there would be blood in the streets had he not. We're near that with the issue of police brutality and that's going to turn real ugly real soon unless something is done.

 But I'm getting off-topic. My problem right now is soi-disant leftists, socialists, communists, and basically anyone on the left side of the political spectrum who're taking tonight to point how ineffective the mainstream party is and how much better the leftists, socialists, communists, yadda yadda would do if they were given the reigns. And that's the problem.

 I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. I wasn't crazy about Al Gore or Bill Clinton, for that matter, and living in Georgia, I figured the state would go for George W. Bush. I figured, hey, let's try to make things where a third party could get a little play. It came close and despite it all, I figured either Nader or the Green Party would do something with that passion and support.

 But they didn't. If drifted away like a fart in the wind and Bush readjusted the precedent. Kerry was a lightweight and Obama really, really didn't shake the tree that much. So when Bernie Sanders came along in 2016 and re-lit a bunch of fires, the soi-disant left had another chance to do something with that passion and energy even though they didn't get the nomination of the party they claimed were as bad as the Republicans.

 And we got Joe Biden, who's fairly pedestrian and dull at best. Why? Because the Sanders people didn't even bother to try to expand their base beyond what they already had in hand when they actively didn't try to push away anyone who didn't give a knee. And even after Biden won the nomination and Sanders came into work with him, they really didn't do anything with the passion and energy but piss and moan they're not getting the wheel.

 Okay, I'm tired, so let's wrap this up. "Matt," I hear you say, "you criticize conservatives of all stripes and the soi-disant left. Where do you stand?" I don't know if I can give you a name, per se, but one of the reasons I appreciate anarchism as a political philosophy is I really don't have to align myself with one political ideology or another. Don't get it twisted, I am far, far to the left. Whatever the question or stance, I take the left of it.

 Defund and rebuild the police. Decriminalize all drugs. Deform and rebuild the prison system, making private prisons illegal. Tax the living shit out of anyone who pulls down more than six figures a year for whatever reason they make it, especially unearned income. Slash military funding and use that money for infrastructure, nationalized health care, universal basic income, and housing for everyone that wants it.

 Hierarchy of any kind is suspect and there is no reason to believe that communism would be any better (or worse) for human happiness than capitalism. Authority demands respect and respect must be earned. There is no viable argument that a person must submit to someone in authority, be they a cop or your boss, just because that's "how it's done." Life shouldn't be too expensive for anyone to enjoy.

 One of the biggest failures of COVID-19 is we're a culture that allows people who are multi-billionaires to get richer doing absolutely nothing and they give absolutely nothing back than the crumbs they were giving in the first place. The richest 10 people in America made over $10 trillion off investments and the stock market during the first six months of the pandemic while 30-plus million lost their jobs.

 This is different from politics. Politics, the man said, is the art of controlling your environment. It's also been compared to sausage in that you really don't want to see how it's put together. Whatever the Trump and Biden people do throughout the week, however the Democrats and Republicans react to how the Senate and House shake out, all that's politics. Just like they need to give up waiting on a Savior, people need to wrap their heads around the simple fact that even in the state the size of Mississippi - a little over two million people - you're not to satisfy everyone much less get everyone in lockstep.

 Anyhow. I'm wandering again and my head's starting to hurt. Might have to break into that Klonopin before the week's out. I'll say it again, this is no longer my world. I'm 45, unmarried with no kids. I doubt I'll ever change that and really, really don't want to. I've got maybe 30 years on this planet before my body gives out. I have land and guns, own my house and unless something drastic happens, I'm debt-free. I leave nothing behind me but this land. So I'm just going to keep enjoying myself and trying to make people's days a little more pleasant than it might have been.

 If this culture is what y'all want for your future and the future of your offspring, go nuts. I'm out in the boonies and medical marijuana has passed in Mississippi. Otherwise, I'm just here taking notes.

It's a rough and rocky road, and it's hard, hard, hard.

  I've got some Actual Paying Work to get done tonight and, frankly, I'm not particularly in the mood for this. The world is a mess and it's wearing me out. How y'all who are actually engaged and have some skin in the game get through the day without throwing a screaming na-na, I don't know.

 The second debate, a town hall format, was supposed to go down tonight, but that ain't happening. As we all know, Trump got sick and Joe Biden wasn't down with the idea of being in the same room as that guy, yadda yadda yadda. So the end result is each of them is doing their own town hall on different networks. The upshot is, of course, I'm not watching either.

 Not to put too fine a point on things, I really doubt there's much movement left in the needle. People may not admit who they'll vote for once they get in the booth, but they already know. Rudy Giuliani's attempt to smear Hunter Biden yesterday seems to have evaporated like a fart in a hurricane. Wingnuts won't let it go, of course, even if it contradicts itself. I imagine we'll be hearing about this for at least the next year if Biden wins.

 Speaking of wingnuts, Trump made a comment at one of his rallies about the execution of that anti-fascist activist in Portland who shot and killed someone connected to the Patriot Prayer bunch. The President of the United States of America said, in essence, the U.S. Marshalls didn't want to do anything but kill the guy right off, so they did. That of course isn't the issue at hand. We all know Trump's a violent, mean-spirited slug.

 But I guess I really shouldn't be shocked that his rally crowd applauded and wingnuts on Twitter were almost universally cool with it. It's just another example of how the Right is down with the idea of an authoritative government stomping down on the proper people, be they from the federal government or local police. If it happens to them or one of their loved ones, well, they probably deserved it and still have no issue with the state of things.

 I've come to the point where fears of the country slipping into fascism really don't move me anymore. The more I study history - and the older, more cynical I get - the more I'm convinced we've been dancing on the edge of fascism from the get-go. We were fine with wiping out the Native tribes and cheating them every chance we got. We were fine with enslaving Black people and then keep our foot on their necks once they were freed. We had to force corporations and bosses to treat their employees like human beings rather than replaceable, expendable cuts into their profits.

 In the early 20th century, when the Great Depression was kicking into gear, we came very close to socialism before Franklin Roosevelt "saved capitalism" with the New Deal. We also came damn close to outright fascism to deal with problems, particularly the Silver Shirts. Amusingly enough, they fell to pieces after police began to arrest anyone connected with them after Pearl Harbor.

 We've never really evolved, not really. Northerners had to see Bull Connor turn a firehose on children before they decided the South was out of line. Up until the '70s Native children were taken from their parents and tribes, and forced to assimilate sometimes at danger to their own health. We see nothing at all with a society where not only cops can kill people with impunity but also one that encourages people to spend a life in debt, working a job they hate and no guarantee they'll be taken care of if they get sick.

 Whatever fascism is in the 21st century, we've never been that far from it. What we're experiencing now is part of Trump's presidency encouraging others to rip off their mask but it's mainly using the internet allowing people to be awful without consequence. And that's what they are: awful.

 Well, that's not fair. We're awful. We really are. We try to pretend it's some other aspect of us, but it's us. We let it happen. We could stop it if we wanted to, really, but we don't. Not really.

 I guess that's enough. Like I said, I've got Actual Paying Work to do and need a nap before I get into it. We'll see how it goes but I imagine tomorrow's News will be a wrap-up of an incredibly silly week.

As I walk this land of broken dreams, I see visions of many things.

  I've been avoiding the world today and trying to ignore everything because I'm not sure I can handle it anymore. We're still coming down from learning just how awful a damn fool the President is and Gov. Tate Reeves has rescinded the mask order for Mississippi. The Proud Boys have a fire under their ass, thanks to the guy who's supposed to represent the whole country, and they're harder than they've ever been in their lives, probably.

 Don't get it twisted. I am not a patriot by nature, at least not how it's usually defined. I don't think this is the "greatest country ever" nor do I see the Constitution as some sort of sacred thing or Democracy as some sort of precious jewel. And I definitely don't feel the Founding Fathers are worth too much attention outside of history class. I mean, I like Tom Paine, personally, but that's been a long time, and a well-built house moves from its foundations.

 At the very best, I see Democracy/Republic/Whatever as a pattern to follow like making a dress and the Constitution a set of rules for what the government can't do. Just because, for example, nationalized health care isn't in the Constitution doesn't mean it's out of bounds. I don't think Trump is "destroying democracy" because, to be quite honest, that was on shaky ground long before he came around. Hell, it's arguable it was all that healthy when Nixon came to town, but again, it's a journey and not a destination.

 So my problem isn't that some high ideals are being tarnished, it's that the players aren't playing by the rules of the game. Pure and simple. Trump's deal with Ukraine? That's against the rules. Same thing with cops being used as judge, jury, and executions, the country's leaders should be held to higher standards. Great power, great responsibility, that whole thing.

 I won't indulge in my darker thoughts about the health of the American Dream. I've referred to what I'm doing with all of this as "post-mortem" of it, riffing on Hunter Thompson's shtick from Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. That should say something, though. Furthermore, my interest in and empathy with anarchism is very much influenced by my feelings on the health of the country and government. If I thought anything else would work with what we got now, I'd call myself something else, but here we are.

  I don't know if anything can be "saved" or if indeed anything is worth "saving." I do, however, see no reason to be an asshole about things and would rather spend my time doing stuff that leaves the world a little better place. I recognize my luck and privilege in life, and if I want to go through my days like that, I will. As far as the anarchism bit goes, what attracts me is the disdain for unearned hierarchy and authority in general. It's not so much "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" so much as "who gave you the right and what have you done to earn it?" Again, riffing on the Good Doctor, the law changes but I don't see why I should because of it.

 Okay, so the Proud Boys. I know it's dangerous - and another example of that luck and privilege - but I have the hardest time taking these guys seriously. First I heard of them, they were an outgrowth of the GamerGate/"Star Wars is ruined" crowd and they're just a bunch of sad bastards. I remember seeing something that said one of the initiation rituals was naming five cereal brands while the other Boys punch the initiate in the arm. That may not be so, but it's funny as hell so I'm going to ride with it.

 Here in the last couple of years, though, they've become Trump's self-declared brownshirts and his "stand by" shout out gave them all blue-vein throbbers. It's nothing new, of course. They've been saying all they're waiting on was the green light from Trump to do whatever it is they think they're going to do. I for one won't be putting my faith in either the cops or the military to protect the citizenry from them, but I do wonder just what they think they've got going for them. They're not exactly a well-trained militia, so much as a bunch of cosplayers with small dicks.

 Yeah, I have nothing really interesting to say tonight. Been playing a lot of Darkest Dungeon as of late, and if I haven't recommended that already, let me do it now. It's a fun ride and since part of it is keeping your crew sane while fighting Lovecraftian horrors, it's got a little something extra. I don't know if I've got anything else but that, so that's enough for now, I suppose.

Shake and Pop

 We've all sort of gotten used to the President's Twitter game, haven't we? By that I mean we've all accepted that "The Most Powerful Man In The World" who has access to the nuclear trigger is a not-so-bright petulant bore given to throwing temper tantrums and has barely any concept of wit, diplomacy, or even what his job actually is. Every time he gives even a hint of not being a complete buffoon, the big-time media wets itself that he's got a "new tone" or "turning a corner." Within a few days, he lays a tweet on us so awful that I honestly think he loses a few votes. Not the Base, no. They are ride or die.

 So, today he laid this beauty on us:

 By the time he got to his afternoon tongue wag, he's amended it to mean he's still worried about mail-in voting because the results won't be immediately ready on Election Night. Hell, I don't know what he's talking about, either. I really believe he never paid attention to elections until 2016 and only then because he had to.

 So, all day long people have been trying to calm us down - and this is rightly worrying news - by saying only Congress would have that authority. Maybe so. During Congressional testimony, smirk pig hybrid and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision would ultimately land with the Department of Justice and Attorney General William "The Pope" Barr, which should fill everyone with confidence.

 And then there's the stroke that if he does manage to delay the election and if it goes on past January 20, by Constitutional fiat the Speaker of the House becomes president. That would be Nancy Pelosi and it would almost be worth it to see wingnut heads across the country pop like zits.

Again, maybe so, but here's what's bugging me, the nagging little thought I can't shake. Not only is Trump dealing with a mafia-loyal Senate and GOP, but he's also got a fairly pliable Supreme Court, one I wouldn't be on. Sure, he doesn't have the House, but let's be honest here. The Democratic party can charitably be described as "feckless" when it comes to dealing with Republican power grabs for at least the past 30 years.

 But that's not what worries me the most, honestly. What worries me is he's got at least 50 million drooling lunatics who are as loyal to him as maybe we've ever seen, to the point where anything that makes him look bad instantly becomes "fake news". Furthermore, they've already said they're willing to go to war with anyone who's against Trump, bragging about their guns and steadfastness. All they're waiting on, they say, is "the word". Whether they will or this is just a lot of talk from people who watch too much television, I don't know, but I'm not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 I really don't get the American obsession with "strong leadership". Today it was announced that Mississippi led the nation in per capita COVID-19 cases. We also learned that former presidential candidate and Republican "black friend" Herman McCain died due to complications from the virus. He had dealt with Stage 4 colon cancer and, thus, had a weakened immune system. It's very likely, though not completely certain he came down with the virus while attending Trump's return to volksgemeinschaft back at the end of June.

 Both of these were, in some form or fashion, credited to a "lack of leadership," either from Gov. Tate Reeves or Trump. We've heard a lot about leadership in the last few years, especially when pointing out how badly it's being done. Maybe this should be a lesson to us: stop looking for leaders. Maybe stop giving unearned authority its power by already being willing to bend a knee to whoever is "in charge" just because that's how it's always been done.

 This is probably my appreciation for anarchism as a political theory kicking in, but I think a lot of this is because we as a people - and definitely as a culture - are so given to a Narrative that champions a Strong Leader or a Savior. The flip side is we think we're all so easily manipulated that we don't need to put the effort in to be any better. That's where a lot of the opprobrium for the mainstream media comes. They're lazy and profit-over-proof oriented because we let them be. Maybe if we demanded more from the big-time press, they'd deliver. In the meantime, give your support to indie publications, alt-weeklies, and bloggers you trust.

 Okay. That's plenty for today, I think. We'll try to get tomorrow's News out on time. It may be a wrap-up, but to be fair, it has been a busy week.

I feel a storm, all wet and warm, not ten miles away approaching my Mexican home.

 Getting a late start on this tonight. Or a normal one, depending on how you look at it. In any event, it's 9 p.m. and I need to get something in the can for today. Before we get on with the business, links to this week's News.

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

 I'm particularly pleased with Friday's effort. As a part of the general thing the country finds itself, in re: dealing with systematic racism, there's a serious movement in the Mississippi Legislature to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. I went into a little detail of why this is a big deal and why we're waiting until 2020 to make anything happen. A little history and a little background, that's what I'm here for.

 Wednesday was pretty good, too, as a look at the mess that was the Georgia primary vote and what it bodes for November. In short: nothing good as the GOP will use all at its means to decide the election. Monday was a fairly bog-standard wrap up of the weekend's events concerning the protests across the country in reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the growing discontent among some higher ranking Republicans with Trump's chances come November, and a little bit about Tropical Storm Cristobel, which thankfully turned out to be not much of nothing. A good piece for what it was, though.

 I've been keeping my eye on what's going on in Seattle, the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" or "CHAZ". In all things, I recommend eschewing the national press and paying attention to the folks who actually live in a place that's in the news. I've long been a fan of indie magazines, having written for several, and The Stranger is considered one of the very best. Plus, they're keeping a solid look on what's going on without the bias and ignorance of some of the national publications.

 It seems folks in Nashville are trying to kick up a similar "autonomous zone" type thing, as well, despite dire warnings from Gov. Bill Lee. I don't know what he thinks he's going to do. I do believe that apart from the hard-core authoritarian types, any sort of government heavy handedness, from state or federal forces, doesn't go down as well as they think. It's interesting that a lot of the voices that have been screaming about government tyranny or Second Amendment rights - from the Bundy-types to the NRA - have been pretty quiet when the rubber is hitting the road. Undoubtedly, since this is happening mostly to black folks and left-leaning types, they're all of the sudden down to the ground with an authoritarian government ignoring basic civil rights.

 Anyhow, The Nashville Scene is a pretty good magazine, as well. Full disclosure, they paid me less than $50 for a story about someone, I think either Slobberbone or The Drive-By Truckers, nearly 20 years ago. As I said, I've always preferred those sort of magazines and have worked for a couple in the past. They never pay well or, indeed, enough to live on - this is indie journalism, after all - but it's always much more fun.

 Me and Momma had a fairly heavy conversation about all this and what it implies the other night. My mother is a very intelligent woman, but she is - by her own admittance - happily provincial and a bit naive about how the world outside Itawamba County actually is. She's also old fashioned and conservative. What I'm saying is she will listen but you have to take a hammer to her if you ever want to get anything through.

 Plus, while she understands what I mean when I tell her about being an atheist who leans towards far-left anarchism, she really doesn't like those stances. I think I got it through to her why this autonomous zone business wasn't the popular perception of anarchy but rather the political connotation of anarchism. That is, a rejection of unearned authoritarian groups as someone automatically obeyed. If your "leadership" fails to the extent that it did the folks in Capitol Hill, or so they consider, feel they're justified in telling them to piss off and taking it over on their own.

 If I get Sarah Thompson to understand that anarchism is a viable political ideology, I'll consider this a life well lived. Anyhow, that's plenty. I intend to keep the weekly stuff done in the morning (or as close to morning as I get) but anything goes for the weekend. In the meantime, keep safe, wash your hands, maintain social distancing, and don't let the bastards grind you down.

Please don't tell me how the story ends.

 I don't know, man. I just don't know. It's going to be a long summer, I think.

 So, the protests that started in Minneapolis over the murder by police of George Floyd for spending a possibly fake $20 bill in a grocery store have spread across the country. Atlanta, Los Angeles, Memphis, Seattle, Louisville, Houston, hell, even Tupelo. They've gone as far and wide as Toronto, London and Berlin. That's right, our embarrassment of a law enforcement system is a world-wide shame.

 Before we get too deep into it, links from the News of the week:

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

 Monday is basically catching up after a rough personal weekend, and Wednesday's talking about how Bill Barr's Department of Justice is letting insider trader and Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler off the hook. Turns out having your husband - CEO of the New York Stock Exchange - make a million dollar contribution to the President's Super PAC goes a long, long way in the interest of justice. Imagine that.

 Friday, well... I don't want to say I'm proud of it, but I do think it's a good piece. It's about the details of the Floyd murder and how the protests are becoming what they are. I didn't like having to write it, but here we are. Still, whatever it is I do, it's a primo example of it.

 That all being said, the protests have definitely changed. I don't know if it's a natural evolution or if they've been hijacked by people and groups (organized or otherwise) who're taking advantage of the confusion and anger of Black America at yet another murder of another black person by the police to advance different agendas.

 All of that sounds bad. Maybe it is, I don't know. Anti-rent groups, anti-government groups, anarchist black bloc folks, those "Boogaloo" goobers, Proud Boys, soi-disant socialists, radicals of every stripe, and people who just like to see the things burned have been accused - credibly in some cases, others not so much - of escalating the protests into riots by giving the cops a reason to turn violent. And then there are credible accusations of the police meeting peaceful protests with pepper spray and batons right out of the gate. There's been plenty of accusations of cops doing some "agent provocateur" business, and in some cases, the cops' attempts to deny it have come off... well, let's just say they're not due the benefit of the doubt and leave it at that.

 Me, I don't know. Here on my hill in Peaceful Valley, 15 miles from the nearest gas station, it's hard to tell. I am a little surprised Tupelo held a rally, but the Lee County police's reputation with the Lee County African American population is spotty to say the least. This is Mississippi, after all, and old times here are not forgotten at all. I don't really do protests anymore, mainly because my social anxiety doesn't want to be around a large group of people having a good time, much less one telling the Man to eat shit and daring him to do something about it.

 I'm not proud of it, but there you go. I do what I can, even if it's just acting as a chronicler of the times. Something is in the air, though. I mentioned the "Boogaloo" thing earlier. From what I understood, it was an outgrowth of the whole Pepe/groyper/kekistan balderdash of disaffected right-wing white kids from the suburbs who think not getting laid because they have a lot of guns is enough to wage another Civil War.

 However, according to this elucidating thread by J.J. MacNab of George Washington University, it isn't that black and white. McNab studies anti-government extremism and has shown herself to not only be a reliable source of information but also one of the more insightful chroniclers of the world of sovereign citizens, anti-tax protesters and other assorted pissed off white dudes. Some Boogaloos support the police, some detest them. Some support the military, some detest it. Some support Trump, some loathe him. Some are explicitly white supremacist, some are explicitly racist. Age, economic status, race, all of that is secondary to an anger and resentment that's looking for an outlet. It's as varied and lacking in coherent ideology as anarchism is. Some explicitly call for violence, while some merely warn that it's inevitable.

 Me, I don't know. I will never understand why we all can't just be nice to each other and have a good time. Corporate America doesn't have to be a soulless, empty hole of mendacity and greed, and the government doesn't have to be crooked, small and greedy. The masters of the internet don't have to be craven bootlickers to power who sell their soul for 30 pieces of silver and stock options. The cops don't have to be violent and thuggish, and the military doesn't have to bully the rest of the world at the behest of business interests. We don't have to screw each other over and horde all we can just to survive or, if not that, feel worthy of respect and admiration.

 I've said before that as much interest as I have in anarchism, I've never really felt welcome by any of the various strains of thought. Being a weird old writer on a hill suits me more, in that if no one wants me around, I'm fine by myself. Maybe it isn't that drastic, but I'm too tired to care and have too much fun doing what I do to risk screwing it up. Part of me wishes I could be in the thick of things, as I wonder if this is how the air smelled in the late '60s in places like Chicago and Berkeley. Only now, you don't have to actually be in those cities to be a part of the ride. The wonders of modern technology have put us all on the front lines if we want to be there.

 Again, I don't know, man. It's all too big for me. And on top of that, we're still seeing an unchecked, raging epidemic that's killed 100,000 people and shows no signs of slowing down. Be nice to each other. Have a good time but not if it comes at the expense of someone else's enjoyment of life. Don't trust the government, the cops or even the media. Trust yourself and be able to make decisions.

 Above all, get a helmet and buckle in, neighbors. It's going to be a bumpy ride in this long, hot summer.

I can't do what ten people tell me.

 Okay, well. It seems we've got the internet fixed up. Guy came by today and did some rewiring. Of course, the dad-blame internet stayed connected all day today. Typical.

 Anyhow, we're back in business, such as it is. Took Otis and Fuzzy to the vet today so Fuzzy could get his haircut and Otis his check-up. The result is quite satisfying. Fuzzy's half the dog he was and is probably much more comfortable without all that hair. As for Otis, he's got hookworms but otherwise is still healthy as a horse, if a horse was a Jack Russell Terrier. He is getting older, bless his little heart, turns out his hearing and eyesight is going. He's changed a lot over the past year. I still can't wrap my head around him completely ignoring the cats rather than trying to tear them to shreds.

 All right, then, what else is there? Yesterday's News didn't get posted until this morning. I need to re-write one of last week's Actual Paying Work. Little things, just getting into the groove of how it's done. Hell, I don't know what else. I finished The Dispossessed, and I don't think I'd read it before. Regardless, I do like how it presented an anarchistic society as possible but still flawed. Way too many writers would and do take the easy way out and present their utopias as flawless and perfect. This one actually feels more real, and sort of rung true to me with my own problems with the overall "anarchism cultural," whatever the hell that is.

 Like the cyberpunk thing, I really don't feel like I belong there despite my affection for and interest in it. Granted, the nice thing, the appealing thing, about anarchist thought and theory is that there's no real set rules apart from a general dislike of unearned authority and rules for the sake of having rules. Working within the system to change it or even just be able survive without betraying your conscience. Working with what works and discarding what doesn't, with the dual purpose of surviving with your values intact while maybe making the world a slightly less shitty place.

 Man, that book took a lot out of me. That hasn't happened in quite a while, so consider The Dispossessed highly recommended. I admit to being a man of habit and any deviation from my routine gets up my nose. So not being able to use the internet like I prefer - to write, to blog, to research, to listen to music, to work - made me a bit distracted. So I haven't done much the last couple of days besides read that book.

 Beyond that, I don't know. It's been a pretty active day and I'm a bit worn out. I'm half tempted to tie this off here and come back to it after a nap. I'm hitting bottom and can't even come up with a clever folksy colloquialism to describe how slow my brain is right now. I will say I don't care for the new Blogger writing layout, if that means anything.

 Been on a big Otis Redding kick lately. I still think it's one of American Pop Music's biggest tragedies that he didn't get to record more or build on what he started with "(Sittin' On The) Dock of the Bay". I would've liked to think he stuck with Booker T. & The MG's as his band for recording. His touring band was solid enough, but nothing compares. Also, in case it's ever asked, I think he'd have done a killer bee cover of "Highway To Hell".

 Okay, that's word count and my head's killing me. I am tying it off right here. Might come back after a little lie down or if anything clever comes up. Otherwise, we're back to normal business tomorrow. I do have some Actual Paying Work due Thursday, but things are a bit squirrelly there because a client's being a pain. And let me take this opportunity to offer my services to anyone who needs something written or edited. Cheaper than you'll find elsewhere, if nothing else.

All is not lost, it is only mistaken. That's small consolation, but I know just how you feel.

 The internet's dropping in and out again. Hasn't done this all week after Momma got the new modem from the telephone company. She thinks it's due to the heat, and hell, I don't know, it might be. It's in the high 80s outside and fairly humid.

 Anyhow, I got the screen open, so we can do what we do. I can always add links or look up stuff later. Since I'm remembering it this weekend, let's take a lot at what we saw with the News this week.

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

 I'm particularly proud of Friday's offering, a fairly deep dive into the Breeona Taylor execution. Another black person murdered because white shooters had to kill someone, another cover-up by local law, and another killing that went unknown for months until social media raised hell about it. This time, however, the killing was done by the local police in the most murderously Barney Fife way possible. They thought they were hitting a drug den which was actually 10 miles away, searching for a suspect who was already in custody.

 Check out the piece and keep your eye on this one. Wingnuts may raise Cain about how their First Amendment rights are being trampled because they can't post Nazi propaganda on Facebook or gun losers think it's perfectly natural and sane to go to Starbucks loaded for bear, but if the Fourth Amendment gets anymore tattered, none of that will matter. There is definitely a racist element, sure, and the American people as a whole are far too generous to cops who kill the wrong black person when killing anyone wasn't necessary. But if we as a culture keep giving authoritarians more and more leeway, we're going to wake one day wondering how that boot got on our neck.

 Governmental authoritarianism is nothing new. Once nations started actually becoming nations rather than kingdoms, their governments felt the need to keep a close eye on the populace, for good or ill. It is what it is. Read your Roman history. Read about John Dee. Read about the development of the Chinese Empire. I don't know how much we'd fight it, either, as we all carry locator beacons in our pockets as a part of the super computers and Hitchhiker's Guides. Hell, I'm using Google to look up some of this stuff, and they've long since given up on the whole "don't be evil" thing.

 As an aside, I don't fret too much about the "surveillance state", either from the government or Corporate America. I don't like it and know it can be abused, and it is, but I don't have to worry about it. I'm a straight white male, I'm good. I hope the System comes crashing down, but figure since it will do it to itself anyway, there's nothing I can really do to help. But the main reason is I don't think I should have to hide what I say or think from anyone. There's nothing I do that needs to be hidden, I feel. Not my love of mind-altering substances or flirtations with anarchism, I don't see any of that as anything to be ashamed of. The law changes, as the Good Doctor said, but I don't feel I have to.

 Well. I've reached word count. During my constitutional, I thought about writing about the corporate press, the mainstream media, and why most people who complain about it really don't know what they're talking about. I don't really feel like doing a deep dive now, but in a nutshell, the mainstream, big corporate press - CNN, the networks, The New York Times, even the big-time websites like Slate or Politico - are all owned by rich people or groups of rich people who incorporate themselves. Most of them are worth ridiculous amounts of money themselves. CNN is worth about five billion dollars, and Fox recently sold assets to Disney for $71 billion.

 These companies and people have a vested interest in keeping the Status Quo. That is, whatever societal changes (you think) they promote, the cold, hard economics of things aren't meant to change. That's how they got rich and how they get richer; they're not going to change that. If you honestly think CNN or the Times wants to destroy capitalism, you are a goddamn moron. Ted Turner might have wanted to change the world for (what he thinks is) the better, but he doesn't own CNN anymore.

 This is reality, but people don't want to acknowledge it and that's where the problem comes. Everything about it makes much more sense if you can recognize that little bit of wisdom and keep it in mind when using the media. It's easy to rage at Maggie Haberman and her limp approach to the Trump Administration, but her job and The New York Times' mission isn't shaking up the Status Quo. They are the Status Quo, just as Trump is, and both of them have a vested interest in keeping the gravy train going. The mainstream press is still useful, just keep that in mind.

 So, one of these days I'll get deeper into it. I keep saying that about a number of things but I haven't yet. That being said, I would totally do it if someone wants to pay me. I'm getting pretty good at deep dives to explain things, especially when I'm getting paid. Just something to think about. Just putting it out there.

Who's gonna work & let the economy grow if we all hang out in the street? Well, I don't know & I don't care, just as long as it ain't me.

 I'm in a fairly foul mood, so fair warning. The world is a mess, this country is filled with dingbats, this state is run by cheap grifters, and I'm still not getting enough decent sleep.

 I'm not linking to it, but Cenk Uygar tweeted out how if we get a Democratic president "with balls," they'd completely cut off the Red States and make them come begging for federal aid so as to punish them for electing Republicans as state leaders. You see this a lot, people wanting the South to secede again or arguing that they should've never been allowed back in the union. If they have any shame at all, they'll claim they're "just blowing off steam" over frustration at how denizens in those states always managed to screw it for the rest of us. They don't mean it, they claim.

 And that is, of course, complete bullshit. Mean it or not, just saying it - even to "blow off steam," deservedly or not - just shows you how much they don't care. And I'm not talking about white liberals/leftists being cast adrift. Nearly 40% of Mississippi's population is African American. Atlanta and New Orleans, along with having large black populations, are havens for LGBT folks. And it's not just the "undocumented workers" packing your food and picking your vegetables. The most red Midwest and West has an enormous Chicano population, most who can trace their families back before there was an America, much less a "progressive movement" much less a suburban middle class.

 And speaking of time spent compared to middle-class honkies, there are still plenty of Native tribes in red states who have been screwed, blued and tattooed by the federal government, sure, but the states don't have the best record, either. Probably what made for the final blow for Bernie Sanders' 2020 nomination run was giving up on the South just before Super Tuesday. The argument, not necessarily from him but definitely from his lieutenants, was that since the South was going red in November anyway, there was no reason to bother with them. And people wonder why Southern black folks went overwhelmingly for Biden.

 Bringing it all back around to Uyagr's nonsense, there is and has been a large strain bourgeoisie attitude towards anyone who didn't come up middle-class white and from the suburbs. You can deny this all you want, but I've seen it go all the way back to the implosion of the Greens after Ralph Nader (who's leftist bonafides are suspect to say the least). They put a few people in elected positions in a few cities, all of whom were out the door before Bush's first term was over. Then they sit on their thumbs before rolling out Dr. Jill Stein in 2016 to get stomped and then embezzled money that was supposed to go to a state recount, and that's the last we heard of it.

 Again, I'm in a bad mood and will probably regret this, but outside of work in certain cities and decent-sized towns, the "progressive movement" in America is horseshit geared more for yuppie spawn to pretend like they care until they knock each other up and start worrying about "safer neighborhoods". They don't really care about Southern or Western states, they don't care about rural areas, and concern for urban areas is more lip service than anything else while they pretend "medicare for all" and "American foreign policy".

And I hate to break it too y'all, but the money made off "American foreign policy" has way, way too much swing in this country to be too much damaged by one dude. Sanders would've fallen in line or wound up dead in a ditch. Neither he nor Elizabeth Warren were that big a danger to the groups of people who make money off blowing up brown people across the sea. I don't know how you goofballs think Jesse Ventura's the new Great White Hope of "progressive politics" when he's as much as anyone is involved with the worst horrors of the Bush Jr. Administration. Look up Paul Wellstone, Norm Coleman, how conservative media battered "The Body" into giving the GOP the edge in the Senate, and well... there you go.

 The flip side of this is, of course, the right-wing dingbats who're losing their absolute shit at being asked to hunker down for a bit so the people they actually want to go back to work die from the COVID-19. They're screaming at cashiers, physically attacking game wardens, and some poor bastard was shot to death just for asking folks to wear a goddamn mask. Even when employees are offering the mask the goons are losing their shit. And why? So Karen and Andrew can get a haircut. They're saying it's a "Constitutional" thing, and you know? That's just too dumb to dig into.

 It's been said that this whole push by right-wing politicians and pundits who can stay inside all they want are pushing this and getting the hoi polloi worked up so they can get workers fired and cut their unemployment insurance. This sort of strike would allow them to go further, cutting health insurance and employee safety regulations. Far as I can tell, this scans fairly well. Part of the appeal of being the Upper Class is the chance to enact cruelty on the plebes. And that's one of the main legs of the Republican Party. Cruelty is the point.

 "Matt, you're letting liberals and centrists off the hook." No, because y'all got that covered. I've seen enough chants of "fake news" and "liberals suck" from red roses that I'm pretty confident that, like the MAGAts, they didn't start paying attention to politics until around 2013 or so. Furthermore, they haven't put any effort into learning the history of American politics, much less how it operates from day to day. How the sausage is made, in other words. None of us are innocent, and facing the truth of American politics reminds people of that. Everyone wants to be the hero and no one wants to admit they're just another person keeping their head down.

A lot of this is why I have an affection for anarchism. It's not perfect and there are flaws or places where reality is just flat-out ignored in favor of ideology. However, I don't have to pick a group to join with to pretend I'm not guilty as everyone else. In any event, everyone should read more Emma Goldman, I don't think anyone can argue that. And, lord-a-mighty, do not get me started on just how dumb and ignorant the whole "MSM sucks/fake news" thing people don't want to bother to understand because if they're not going to spoon fed, then they'll kick the bowl away. It's easier than having to use your brain.

 Okay, got that off my chest. Heading back to the world of XCOM and XCOM: Chimera Squad and ignore the rest of the world. If I can remember it, tomorrow's News will focus on just how badly screwed Tate Reeves is with regards to the welfare scandal that's popped up. Hey, we made The New York Times. Big time, baby.

Sunday, March 1, and Monday, March 2, 2020

 I don't know why, but I skipped posting last night's gibberish from WordPress, so I'll post it here with tonight's gibberish. Here's Sunday and here's Monday. Basically, we discuss the reassessment of the Democratic nomination process after Biden's commanding win in South Carolina Saturday, as well as Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropping out, which is great because now everyone's name is easy to spell. Also of note, no one currently in the running for president is under 70. Most people don't see that a problem and, indeed, it's considered ageism to bring it up. Me, speaking as a Gen Xer rapidly approaching 45, I do find it an issue, but what are you going to do.

 Also, here's a thing I wrote on the Tumlr site about Robin Hood, anarchism and the importance of remembering who you're fighting for if you're claiming to fight for anyone besides yourself. You'd be amazed how often most folks, once you scratch the surface, are perfectly willing to sacrifice others for their goals. Or maybe not, I don't know how cynical you are.

Monday, February 24, 2020

 I had an idea strike me this morning, and while I don't know how on the nose it is, it's given a sense of clarity to a lot of things. I'm just getting down and will do more with it, maybe, at a later date. All of this is outside my wheelhouse and has more in common with being an interested student, like if I were writing about epistemological philosophy, Taoist thought or the Many-Worlds Theory. So be patient and hang in.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

  Well, it's still raining, alternating between misting and pissing down, but always raining. It's cold and grey, and the world is getting increasingly weird. Not in the fun, cool "man, that sky is so blue, have you ever thought about hands" kind of weird. A disturbing weird, a weird that doesn't know if you're actually necessary anymore.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

 I'm going to go ahead and bang something short out. I got wired & inspired earlier in the day, and knocked out a piece at the Tumblr site. So go check it out.

Monday, December 30, 2019

 The rain's moved out and the cold's come back. I find myself in the grip still of whatever surly funk got a-hold of me Friday. Gloomy and tired as opposed to quarrelsome and irritated, really, but I don't know why the change. It is what it is, I guess. Perhaps it's a natural progression.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

 Well, I am not going to lie. I am a little disappointed.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

 It is a cold out there, boy. Seriously cold, that sharp, cutting cold you get when there's moisture in the air. It's currently 29 degrees and got as low as 24 this morning. Worse, it never got higher than 35 plus we got a dusting of snow, which is unusually early for this part of Mississippi.

Friday, November 8, 2019

 Well, I've been siting here staring at a screen for the better part of an hour trying to come up with a clever opening. There comes a time when you just have to admit it ain't happening and move on with your existence. For what it's worth, that little bit of wisdom works in oh, so many scenarios.