Banks, Tanks, and Washington, No Thanks - Part I

                                       

                                                      

     One day, years ago, when I was still taller than my son, our family took an outing to the San Francisco Zoo. We stopped at one of the outdoor cages that, according to its sign, contained an African Horn-bill. It's a very distinctive creature, shiny black feathers and a very large, yellow bill that looks like a prank from Mother Nature. The bird was perched at my eye level, perfectly still. Cody, my son, asked me what kind of animal it was. I told him it was a bird. He asked me, "Why does it have fur?" "Cody," I said, "birds have feathers, not fur". "No," he said, "grey fur." I looked down to him, almost ready to laugh, when I noticed that he was looking towards the floor of the cage, at the Hornbill's feeding bowl, where a large, grey rat was busily munching the birds lunch.
    It boils down to perception and clarity. We look in the same direction and think we're seeing the same thing. It seems so clear, yet the other person seems to be describing something entirely different. What is true?
    When I hear Republicans calling for the deregulation of banks and removal of restrictions on Wall Street and other financial institutions, in order to stimulate the economy and encourage growth, I wonder if they're seeing the bird or the rat.
     Wasn't it the greed of the financial institutions that produced the disastrous economic meltdown? Was the bubble burst the fault of the people receiving "sub prime" mortgages or the people who created scheme to begin with? The mortgages were sub prime, not the folks who got them. The only thing toxic about the situation was the atmosphere that allowed the financial institutions to feed their beast. But again, it's about perception, isn't it?
     The banks got bailed out. We all pay the bill for that. The bailout was supposed to bolster the economy and allow the banks to get on with business. Re-invigorate the housing market. But they've balked, buying time to figure how they'll be able to turn a profit out of the mess they got us all in. Banks are sitting on foreclosed houses, receiving no mortgage payments, yet making it ridiculously hard for qualified buyers to purchase these places. I wonder if the banks are loathing the idea, that since the mortgage interest rates are at historic lows, those rates will go up, and they will have lost out on the increased profit- so why lend now?
     I am not even going to mention the profits and bonuses paid to the titans of Wall Street during the downturn. Things turned down for everyone else, not them. True, a few bit the dust. But very few were prosecuted and convicted, and those who were got away with lenient sentences- token justice for the masses. Why didn't they do the proper thing, like during the Great Depression, and start jumping out windows of tall buildings?  Talk about the "good old days".
    You do not give more drinks to a drunk, or reload a murderers gun; not in good faith, anyway. You can't expect someone who has allowed greed to become an attribute to suddenly deal fairly and play within the rules. Do you, my Republican friends, really believe that by removing scrutiny and regulation, that these same people will foster an atmosphere of truth, fairness, and opportunity? It will likely look like the deathbed scene in "Zorba the Greek", when, after her last breath, the widows room is stripped of everything except the corpse.
    We have let the banks and Wall Street dictate a new morality in which the only end is wealth, where greed is an admirable quality and conniving a sign of savvy. Corporations are now people. We, the People, are expendable. Washington is a stalemate, Republican and Democrats uncompromising (third party , anyone?).
    I urge you all to look at the big picture, the entire thing. Don't miss the rat in the corner.
   

Saturday

                                      So far, no great perceptions.
                                      The birds need feeding and
                                       a Blue Moon last night.
                                       Now it hits me,...
                                       of course;
                                        the birds need feeding,
                                         the Blue Moon last night 


              I think that we can easily forget that there are so many simple pleasures we overlook because we're trying to stay busy, because busy has some magical pull on us; it's good to be doing things. When was the last time you sat down and let your mind flow, let the thoughts just drift through, for maybe 10 minutes? I'm mean, really let it go. Listen to a distant car go by, or hear someone , at a distance, laughing, or singing, or hear the sound of your own breath?
              There's always something.
                    So step 1 :,
                                    Listen to yourself breathe
 

                                                     Ew; is that Fall I feel?

 Good morning to those of you out west, and "how's lunch" for you Easterners. It's 8:49 and I've just consumed my morning collection of supplements, a potpourri of oils, herbs, and an aspirin, topped off by some tea. Is it delicious? Use your imagination.
  I'm feeling pretty good about leaving Face Book. I haven't had more than one or two moments of panic and certainly no withdrawal headaches. I also feel good about walking my walk, in regards to simplifying life in general and becoming more contemplative. Face Book is all about reaction. Too much reaction depletes your adrenal system.
  The air has turned just ever so slightly here. It's barely detectable, but I feel it. The hummingbirds seem more serious( alright, I guess hummingbirds always seem serious to a lot of you, but in the summer they have so much nectar available that it's the avian version of hitting the tapas bars in Barcelona, little bit here, little bit there). The hills are gold. School has started for many. The crush has started in the wine country.
   Two days ago I was having my evening walk up the dirt road towards our neighbors place, the Cow Track Ranch. It was later than we usually go, but the light was beautiful. Serenity . A whisper of clouds. No sign of the red shouldered hawk that flees from us at a quarter mile away . This is how it should be, I remembered thinking. A peaceful time with a loved one, in rhythm the natural world, towards the end of a perfect day.
    Try hard to place yourselves into real world; the fantasy that is frothing from the television is  churning up to be a colossal shit storm. Never have I been more disgusted by the pandering , lies, and hypocrisy by our politicians. Keep a clear mind. If inclined, say your prayers. Talk to people. Smile.
                                                         

                                 Unconnecting

 Since I'm getting tired of starting my blogs with my customary,"Well it seems I haven't posted in a while", I'll scrap that and greet you with a hearty "Aloha", and leave it at that.

   I've decided to leave Face Book for a while because it's becoming overwhelming and I'm starting to commit my cardinal sin-reacting before contemplating . It's becoming harder and harder to think clearly and I really have to get some space between me and all the "input" gathering on my FB homepage.

  All the ranting I've done to my friends regarding our information overload has not given me immunity from it. I'm diseased. I recognize all the symptoms; revulsion at Mitt Romney ads (well, who could blame me there?), watching MoveOn videos because of the cute females they seem to parade in front of you, and , of course, the all too numerous, "Like" if you agree with... furry , little puppies, compost using hemp growers, teachers united for erasers, and veterans for beer farts. I mean really, way too much info incoming (and generally, when you hear the word "incoming", you duck and cover...which is essentially what I'm doing by turning off FB).

  I will continue to follow current events, but on a more local, personal level, things like; is there water in the birdbath?, time to take out the garbage, have the frickin gophers consumed any more of the garden, and, my favorite, Oh shit! I just dribbled red wine on my white shirt.

 There will be a monitoring of various newspapers, personal e-mails, phone conversations, and an actual handwritten note from time to time. I sent one recently to Travis Friendly, who is, not only a free thinking adventurer, but a personal friend of mine (better write me back!). No more links or shares. You will have to find it on your own and digest it by yourselves.

  I have not stopped thinking about the political races, that would be like ignoring the manure smell that wafts in the air around Petaluma in the early fall, or, as some of you guys my age will know, the wet spot on your undies when you think the stream has ended-gone, but not forgotten.

  I plan on writing regularly from now until the election (at least -refer to the opening paragraph of this blog).

  Please feel free to comment or argue - that would be splendid and much more in the direction of where I want to go.

                                   Much Love,

                                         Buzz