It's good to see you. Come on in, leave your shoes in the hallway, we've got fire on the stove preparing lunch for later. In the meantime, browse the bookshelves and plunk down on the sofa with one, or pick out some tunes from the music library or come in to the kitchen to help with the cooking. Our special blend of tea is steeping and will be right up.

Make yourself at home...

One of my jobs this past weekend found me at the Grounds for Sculpture, at the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts, which is between Trenton and Princeton University. It was the treat of the year for me so far.

It's a deeply enchanting art park, full of sculptures integrated into a architectural landscape throughout 40 acres of land. One walks, or rather meanders, down rustic trails, over wooden bridges, pebbled paths, tree-canopied alleys, stone walkways and arches, through nestled groves, by ponds, bamboo sheds, a miniature amphitheater, doors in the middle of thick, cultivated brush and stone walls. Some of the sculptures stand 3 or 4 stories high. (Took tons of shots but had some trouble loading photos, probably because my computer is almost out of memory; these were the only ones that made it.)

All the while peacocks roam freely, let out occasional arresting squawks, while red robins flit by, adding to the merry sound of chirping birds all around and providing a bucolic soundtrack throughout the enchanting forest art world.

It was amazing how one could, by walking through a park, be transported into a transcendent, dream-like experience. It was possible through a symbiotic relationship between real-life sculptures in unexpected places, many times depicting classically sensual 19th century scenes of people (references to French impressionists, such as Renoir, as well as modern scenes of couples drowsing under trees, and some modern spatial pieces too) amidst a beautifully tapered garden landscape. There was also a lovely water garden, crossed between an austere Japanese style and classic Roman. Who knows how much more there was there. I spent about an hour or so and probably didn't see half of it. I left feeling spiritually massaged.

As I was luxuriantly ambling through I was reminded of a handful of other parks we had been to over the years that this wonderful place conjured. Among them are The Shelburne Museum (just outside of Burlington, VT), Central Park, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island.

It was so delightful I found myself, as the sun began to set, like a child not wanting to leave. Departing was made tolerable only upon vowing to myself that I'd be back soon.

While out food shopping Sunday we encountered a young black woman wearing a Black Panthers t-shirt. After remarking that I loved it and asking where she got it, we had a nice conversation. Told her that as a white kid growing up in the 70’s I only knew them from the massive disinformation propaganda campaign launched by the FBI to smear them as anti-American, armed terrorists. But as an adult found out that the vast majority of citizens had knew nothing of the amazingly successful breakfast program the Oakland chapter had enacted. So revolutionary, in the best sense of the word, was the breakfast program, that it resulted in the famous quote from self-hating, racist, fascist J Edgar Hoover, who said it was “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States of America.").

(Link to the film "Black Power MixTape 1967-1975")

She went on to say that as a student at John Jay College in NYC one of her professors referred to the BP Party as “thugs.” Now, it’s bad enough that most folks get a whitewashed, American Exceptional nationalistic version of history, but a teacher... and then one who is employed at a university populated mostly by prospective law enforcement undergraduates! This, in a nutshell, is one of the many examples of how the levers of propaganda sow fealty, through fear-mongering and propaganda, to the triple pillars of fascism: the flag, the cross and law enforcement, in order “to protect” us and "our" way of living.

I was grateful to have had such a meaningful conversation during mundanity of shopping (although I do seriously enjoy food shopping), and believe she was too, right there in front of vegan sausages at Trader’s Joe’s on a busy, rainy Sunday afternoon.

Before moving on we called her attention to a film made during the ’68 DNC in Chicago, called "American Revolution 2" (which unfortunately is very difficult to find – we saw it a couple of years ago as a part of the film series offerings at the Brooklyn Public Library). Among other things the black and white film contained some really moving scenes exploring the nascent coalescing of black and white poor folks, in order to unite against the vicious class war they were experiencing. This was what Fred Hampton was talking about, when the FBI murdered the 22 year old leading activist in cold blood, in order to destroy the momentum of such a movement coming together.

Here's one scene showing an introduction to the Young Patriots, a white Appalachian civil rights group in Chicago, of a leader from the local Black Panthers Party. Watch the wheels start turning for everyone in the room, as they realize it's class war fueling their oppression and duping them into being enemies, while the cops bust their poor working class heads with equal promiscuity and immunity from consequences.

Last week randtntx commented that he hadn't heard of W.E.B. Du Bois. So I wanted to offer up an essay of his that is even more evidence of how prescient he really was, with respect to the stranglehold of the duopoly.

Dub Bois wrote "Why I Won't Vote" for the Nation magazine in October of 1956 just before the presidential election that year. It is a tour de force of why American elections are a charade, designed to not do the work of the people while covering for the monopolist profiteers and propping up the Military Industrial Complex (which Ike would warn about in his farewell address at the end of that term).

In 1956, I shall not go to the polls. I have not registered. I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no “two evils” exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say. There is no third party. On the Presidential ballot in a few states (seventeen in 1952), a “Socialist” Party will appear. Few will hear its appeal because it will have almost no opportunity to take part in the campaign and explain its platform. If a voter organizes or advocates a real third-party movement, he may be accused of seeking to overthrow this government by “force and violence.” Anything he advocates by way of significant reform will be called “Communist” and will of necessity be Communist in the sense that it must advocate such things as government ownership of the means of production; government in business; the limitation of private profit; social medicine, government housing and federal aid to education; the total abolition of race bias; and the welfare state. These things are on every Communist program; these things are the aim of socialism. Any American who advocates them today, no matter how sincerely, stands in danger of losing his job, surrendering his social status and perhaps landing in jail. The witnesses against him may be liars or insane or criminals. These witnesses need give no proof for their charges and may not even be known or appear in person. They may be in the pay of the United States Government. A.D.A.’s and “Liberals” are not third parties; they seek to act as tails to kites. But since the kites are self-propelled and radar-controlled, tails are quite superfluous and rather silly.

The present Administration is carrying on the greatest preparation for war in the history of mankind. Stevenson promises to maintain or increase this effort. The weight of our taxation is unbearable and rests mainly and deliberately on the poor. This Administration is dominated and directed by wealth and for the accumulation of wealth. It runs smoothly like a well-organized industry and should do so because industry runs it for the benefit of industry. Corporate wealth profits as never before in history. We turn over the national resources to private profit and have few funds left for education, health or housing. Our crime, especially juvenile crime, is increasing. Its increase is perfectly logical; for a generation we have been teaching our youth to kill, destroy, steal and rape in war; what can we expect in peace? We let men take wealth which is not theirs; if the seizure is “legal” we call it high profits and the profiteers help decide what is legal. If the theft is “illegal” the thief can fight it out in court, with excellent chances to win if he receives the accolade of the right newspapers. Gambling in home, church and on the stock market is increasing and all prices are rising. It costs three times his salary to elect a Senator and many millions to elect a President. This money comes from the very corporations which today are the government. This in a real democracy would be enough to turn the party responsible out of power. Yet this we cannot do.

Yet if we protest, off the nation goes to Russia and China. Fifty-five American ministers and philanthropists are asking the Soviet Union “to face manfully the doubts and promptings of their conscience.” Can not these do-gooders face their own consciences? Can they not see that American culture is rotting away: our honesty, our human sympathy; our literature, save what we import from abroad? Our only “review” of literature has wisely dropped “literature” from its name. Our manners are gone and the one thing we want is to be rich–to show off. Success is measured by income. University education is for income, not culture, and is partially supported by private industry. We are not training poets or musicians, but atomic engineers. Business is built on successful lying called advertising. We want money in vast amount, no matter how we get it. So we have it, and what then?

Is the answer the election of 1956? We can make a sick man President and set him to a job which would strain a man in robust health. So he dies, and what do we get to lead us? With Stevenson and Nixon, with Eisenhower and Eastland, we remain in the same mess. I will be no party to it and that will make little difference. You will take large part and bravely march to the polls, and that also will make no difference. Stop running Russia and giving Chinese advice when we cannot rule ourselves decently. Stop yelling about a democracy we do not have. Democracy is dead in the United States. Yet there is still nothing to replace real democracy. Drop the chains, then, that bind our brains. Drive the money-changers from the seats of the Cabinet and the halls of Congress. Call back some faint spirit of Jefferson and Lincoln,and when again we can hold a fair election on real issues, let’s vote, and not till then. Is this impossible? Then democracy in America is impossible.

Taibbi just published this, "Republicans and Democrats Continue to Block Drug Reimportation - After Publicly Endorsing It.". Further evidencing the cheap, venal political kabuki that keeps us divided and conquered along team lines, while the political class gets richer and richer as a direct result of our being pillaged by them and their campaign benefactor lobbyists.

Drug reimportation would be a no-brainer policy move if actual human beings ran our government. Disgust with high prescription drug prices is nearly universal – 77 percent say drug prices are "unreasonable" – and 71 percent of respondents favor allowing the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada.

The entire pharmaceutical industry is floated by a protectionist racket. Drugs that are in fact very cheap to make are kept artificially expensive – we have drugs that cost $1,000 a pill here in America that sell for $4 in India, for instance.

The means of keeping prices high vary, but include lengthy patents to push production of generics into the future, the barring of foreign competition (usually on "safety" grounds), and the prohibition of negotiations to lower prices for bulk purchases by both the federal and state governments. Without government intervention, the pharmaceutical industry would be profitable, but it wouldn't be the massive cash factory it is now. In 2015, for instance, the 20 largest drug companies made a collective $124 billion in profits.

And herein is a nutshell explaining why there's chronic dysfunction in DC.

Majority leader Mitch McConnell could for instance prevent the amendment from being voted on through a process known as "filling the tree," whereby bills are larded down with so many amendments by leadership before they hit the floor that there's no room for other ideas.

"Filling the tree" is one of a whole range of tricks that exist in both the House and the Senate to save members from themselves – i.e., from having to vote on issues they know would be popular with people, but unpopular with their donors.

That's not to say it will happen in the case of this issue, but that it does frequently with "populist" ideas. People like McConnell stay in leadership thanks in large part to their demonstrated skill at saving members from having to vote down ideas they know their constituents want.

The history of what's happened with drug importation in the last year is a classic example of how American politics works. Politicians in both parties endorse ideas they know are popular, and often get themselves elected on the strength of them.

But once the ideas get into the weeds of Congress, there are a million tricks that can be employed to keep business flowing as usual while giving politicians political cover. A year ago, it looked like we had a good shot at ramping back this vicious predatory practice of overpricing life-saving drugs. Today, absent a major public uproar, it looks like the idea will have to wait quite a while longer. And people wonder why Congress is so unpopular.

Bernie heroically led the charge by carrying the whole country on his back about the most un-sexy of all issues, Money In Politics.

Folks, it seems obvious that without an election system that has as its #1 law, limiting campaign contributions to federal funding and perhaps small individual ones, we'll still have the most dysfunctional and corrupt system in the world.

Many times in the past 8 years I've wondered if there weren't serious enough grounds upon which the tinder is piled so high as to be unavoidable for a revolution to occur.

After we came back from shopping I looked out across the street into the park. Every Sunday it seems, bearded 20-something hipsters in ironic t-shirts and fancy sneakers gather themselves for an earnest game of kickball. Kickball? I thought one stopped playing that around the age of 9, when one could finally kick the ball way out and over the backyard fence. Now, dodgeball, that would different; I can see getting into that - if I had the time, energy and arm throwing strength. But I digress.

It's at times like these that I sometimes can't help myself from slipping a little bit into the pit of despair. It stems from a contempt that these young people can get a group of people together for some mindless, fun competition. But then try to get them together to oppose the soaring rents, decreased public services, etc...and, well, I just don't see that same kind of verve there.

Maybe I need to get away more. It sure is restorative to be in the woods, and even better with beautiful art, and to be at peace with the world. I want to live in a world with people who give a shit.

So, what's going on with you?

Back in the kitchen we're listening to:

Neil Young "Chrome Dreams" bootleg

Reading/Browsing List:
"Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files" Jon Wiener
"Nickeled And Dimed" Barbara Ehrenreich
"Throw Them All Out: How The Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Send The Rest Of Us To Prison

Chicken Shwarma from leftovers

caramelize two, thinly-sliced, onions in canola oil.
Take chicken meat from carcass of boiled chicken for soup and chop into small pieces.
Add to pan, along with some more oil.
Add spices in descending order from most to least: cumin, hot chili powder, paprika, turmeric, crushed black pepper and a dash of cinnamon.
Serve with hummus on a whole wheat pita.

Lemongrass Chai Blend

heaping scoop of dried Thai lemongrass
shards of cinnamon bark
a few cardamom pods
a few black peppercorns
A few cloves
fresh chopped ginger