Author: ness23456

J#$%# F*&@ING CH#$%^

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I waited patiently after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. Maybe we could get a week off from all the babble and bullshit of our modern politics. Even just a day of peace…

It is surprising. I was a counter-culture, anti-materialistic rebel in the late 60s and 70s and heard a lot of bad words for nothing more than the length of my hair. “Patriotic” Americans were the worst of all. Without talking to me it was “take your hippie shit out of here and leave the country of you don’t like it.” Once, the words were from the back end of shotgun, and if you want to end a conversation real quick, or get rid of annoying hippies, a 12 gauge was a good bet to get the job done in 1970.

Sadly, America still sounds like that but the AR-15 is the gun of choice, these days. An arms dealer/politician from somewhere in the Midwest is already sounding the alarm about AR-15s being taken away from citizens…if Biden is re-elected. Midwest guy wants you to buy yours now, and if you already have one, buy another. It is beyond ironic after Trump gets shot by an Ar-15, a Republican politician wastes no time in defending the weapon, and up-selling it.

So in 50 years we’ve made no progress. Why? Politicians have become Followers, that’s why. Donald, JD, and other Republicans know what their base wants to hear, and the Republicans give it to them. They’ve been that way for the many years after The Army-McCarthy Hearings. (Google it, young people.) The Grand Old Party has kept its ear to the ground for over 70 years and they learned how to shape political conversation. Most recently, the GOP (and Trump) tried to deligitimize Obama with false claims and lies, and conspiracies. None of which were true and have ever been substantiated, but the GOP base thinks otherwise.

Now, to make matters worse, the Democratic Party is trying to imitate the Republicans. Its a relativelt new concept since in the past The Blue Party did all their dirty work behind the scenes. (Young people google LBJ and enjoy.) Most of your successful Democratic politicians were sweet faced in the public forums and ruthless in the back rooms. But now that type of discourse and dirty tricks is out in the open for both parties.

Which leads me my favorite saying for the last 70 years: Why, why, why would any American become a cult member of any political figure? ANY POLITICAL FIGURE! Since about JFK, our presidential elections have been a choice between good and not so good, bad and not so bad, or really bad and okay. Do you see “Excellent” or “Very good” in any of those choices? (Both Carter and H.W. Bush were good, decent, honest men, and look what happened when they tried to get re-elected.)

Everyone, remember: each and every politician goes to great lengths to get you to like them, to vote for them. I can personally guarantee, without knowing any of you, that you’re making a choice for President based on the power of one (or maybe two) issues. One Concept. One Political view. And you’re doing this in a time when a multitude of complex and complicated issues facing us are not even on the front page. Donald’s lying is. Or Biden’s approaching senility.

If we want to elect good (or better) politicians, we have to expect more from them, not award the prize to the least objectionable candidate. If you see what I’m saying, bless you. We, as country, need to get better as people, as informed people before “The Followers” will ever do what is right and best for America.

From the 60’s but possibly pertinent: never trust anyone over 30. Sadly our presidential candidates are well passed that age, and even past their “Sell By” dates. Think about it and make us all better.

Still…

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It’s becoming depressing, meeting lots of people who know more than I do about anything and everything. Being exposed to education should show us (at least it did me) there is more out there in this world. In Fact, the more we learn, the more OBVIOUS it should be there is more to learn. Note I am using the lowercase “education”, not the upper case Education, meant to refer to “institutions of higher learning”.

A warning: the word “intellectual” is about to be used. Again, it will be the small “i” intellectual, not the currently denigrated capital “I” Intellectual uneducated people are so fond of making fun of, these days.

All of us have an intellect. (Look it up if you don’t believe me.) It’s a God-given trait, like red hair or a big nose. But how many of us think about our “intellect” and how to use it? We wash and brush our red hair to keep it clean and shiny. We blow (and pick) our nose to keep the airway clear of snot and debris. But what do we do about our intellect? Do we take it for walks? To the gym? Feed it the correct food?

After a very tumultuous 1960’s I was sure the world was going to be a better place because so much of the population was exposed to, and becoming involved in, the issues of the day. Learning about those issues, through education, would save us. Hitchhiking around the country in the early 70’s I found people who were excited, enraged, ecstatic, angry, threatening, and yet all were talking, arguing, listening, and asking questions. I thought the nation’s intellect was expanding and an educated populace would save the world. Really. And, no, I was not a regular drug user. Huh. Not that I remember.

But we lost our way, Disco. Damn disco. And cocaine. And ABBA. And heavy metal rock, shares some blame, too. Sadly, lots of things combined to tragically lower the national intellect and we elected an actor as our president. Reagan did an okay job, but somewhere during that decade we lost the need to know more, to learn more, to understand. It was noticeable when George H.W.Bush did the right thing in his first term (raising taxes), and the people voted him out of office. Bet a lot of politicians learned a lesson from that: do NOT do the right thing if you want to get elected.

But back to the point: there is a clear lack of intellectual curiosity in America these days. At both the personal and national level. Personally, when we meet someone wearing a Trump hat or Biden pin we assume we know all about the person wearing either. So we don’t bother to ask questions or take the time to find out how wrong or how right we might be. Even worse, if they are not wearing either, we don’t care to find out why. I meet people and want to know who they are, what they do, where did they start life. And people are happy to tell me, but they never ask back. There is no intellectual curiosity about others. None. We see ourselves, and that’s all we need to know about the world.

I’ll stop wasting your time and summarize: be curious and ask questions. Of everyone. At least some of the answers you get might be right. And you will probably NOT be the best judge about the truth until you educate yourself, but you’ll have more data to feed your intellect. Its hungry.

Problems, if anyone cares

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My new favorite spot is The Turning Stone Resort and Casino, ten miles down the road. It has a beautiful fitness center with a pool on the third floor of the resort’s Tower Hotel. Since moving back to New York, I swim three times a week and then stumble down to the casino floor to sacrifice $5 each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For “fun”.

The Problem is I’m not losing. It’s hard to lose big on penny slot machines at 50 cents a play, but for years in the past, when an infrequent out-of-state visitor, as soon as the $5 was gone, my casino day was done. But now, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the inscrutable Asian/Japanese slot machine closest to my walk to my car, who’s directions I can’t read, with the big, comfortable seat, has decided to do something different. It has paid about $15 a day, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, after two or three 50 cent bets. And I cash out. Am I being set-up? On candid Camera? Being Punk’d? Should I stay longer? Play more? Bet more?

There’s an elevator in my beautiful apartment building where I live in my beautiful apartment on the second floor. My Problem is every time I take the elevator, either up or down, some one always tries to get on before they see I am trying to get off. Like the elevator is their personal conveyance. I’ve ridden elevators all over the world and never saw this type of behavior anywhere else. At least I don’t remember. And why hasn’t this happened with the beautiful, too-young-for-me blond from the third floor?

I park my car away from other cars-if possible-when visiting hospitals, etc. Three times in the short 3 months I’ve been back in NY, someone else has parked so close to my driver side door my entry was impossible. Again, I’ve parked all over the world and never seen it as bad as here, in upstate NY. (I have pictures.) So, my Problem is not really how to get into my car, but how much damage to inflict on the stupid vehicle next to me. Last time, last week, I emptied a water bottle in the front seat through a cracked open window. Banging into the new plastic doors of some of these new cars doesn’t do anything, these days. Hm. Bet the seat dried before the stupid driver got back.

One last Problem, promise: Buffalo Chicken Pizza. $4 for a one large slice, or $28 for an 18 inch pizza with 6 large slices? The Real Problem? There is nothing like hot, fresh pizza of any flavor. But an 18 inch would take a few days to eat, leaving the last few slices to be cold, reheated, refrigerated pizza. But it’s there, ready, anytime. Not ordering, driving…um…this might take some time.

Does it really need to be said?

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The LR (locker Room) boys were at it again, this past week. (Side note: if anybody reading this is from one of the two locker rooms I frequent, think before you get upset.) The arguments for and against whatever was being discussed (and the offered solutions) all percolated around a central theme: NIMBY, with a touch of GMGA.

NIMBY is “Not In My Back Yard”, and from past essays, GMGA is “Got Mine Go Away”, the process where once someone escapes poverty, or homelessness, or drug addiction, or has an abortion, the same person does little to help anyone else do the same, and even (See: Mark Robinson, 2024 candidate for NC Governor and Justice Thomas) wants to prevent anyone in the same position from getting the same help. Also known as “Ladder Pullers.

Every solution by our group was centered on removing the topical issue from our neighbor hoods, or from our minds. For example, homeless were collected and “removed” to some other locale. Criminals were put in jail for long stretches of time, assuming the time was long enough to rehabilitate them. There was another more vigilantistic (sic) solution, but it was offered more with frustration than actual intent.

Immigration is a perfect example of small, local conversations lacking the power to reach anything but a small, local solution. In a “Tales of Wells Fargo” western starring Dale Robertson, Wells Fargo Agent, he was dispatched to El Paso, Texas, to investigate gun-running by Mexican Bandits illegally crossing the Texas-Mexican border. Crates supposed to be full of shovels for Mexican farmers were really full of standard issue US Army carbines. That’s a TV show from 1957, dealing with southern border problems in 1870’s. THE 1870’s, capitalized for emphasis.

Crime in NY City? Especially post-Giuliani? Watch the 2002 Oscar Winning Movie, “The Gangs of New York” and wonder how much safer or unsafer (sic) NY City is today, compared to 1860. And in the 1960s when the FBI cracked down on NYC organized Crime families, the families moved upstate where the FBI captured many Family Members running through hay fields in Appalachin, NY.

Homelessness, and the poor, are not new to the American Problem Pile, either. But can you solve a national problem by busing the homeless from one state to another?

Health care. There are people who move from state to state to find affordable, decent health care. As a Financial Planner, I saw several foreign born clients leave America entirely, and move back to their original European countries for the free Long Term Care help, something NOT offered in America’s capitalistic Healthcare system. Boy, wait until the United State’s Long Term Care Crisis hits…

These issues need strong, central, deliberative and fair government to reach comprehensive, effective, and lasting solutions. The problems can only be solved from the top down, with the unicornish (sic) “everyone” participating. Even then…

As recently as 2013, The Gang Of Eight (a bi-partisan group of four Republican and 4 Democrat senators) designed a comprehensive bill to fix immigration. It passed the Senate with vote of 68-32 (54 D’s and 14 Rs voted yes) and was killed in a Republican House Committee, never even coming up for vote. Why?

No current politician, or Political Party, NONE, have the will to solve America’s problems. And if the politicians don’t care, why should we?

And what about world-wide problems like pollution and climate change? Can me and my locker room buddies solve those, too?

Yes, but the first step? STOP being Democrat or Republican. Now.

Why me?

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I recently (about an hour ago) left the comfort of The Chair and drove to my favorite Italian restaurant for my daily dose of Buffalo Chicken Pizza. There’s probably a really good reason why Grande’s Pizza’s Buffalo Chicken Pizza has me hooked, but please don’t explicate it. It’s been my lunch for five straight days since I discovered it last week. Grande’s has a drive through, too, and the pizza slice comes right to the car window so I can drive it, carefully, back to my apartment, turn on The Young and The Restless, push back The Chair, and enjoy. Five straight days of spicy, greasy, doughy, crispy-edged, heavenly, cheesy goodness. And the chicken part makes it a healthy meal, right? Protein.

But not today: Grande’s was sold out. Could I wait 45 minutes for a new pizza to be cooked?

My first thought was “Why me? If only I’d gotten here sooner.” I sat, dazed and confused, staring at my steering wheel, upset, forlorn, distraught, near tears…maybe…this can’t be true.

“Cheeseburger with Cheddar Cheese. Broccoli and pickle. Hawaiian with pineapple, Ham, bacon, and salami. Rabbit with salmon roe. Dunning-Kruger with extra provolone. Taco shell with hummus.”

What? What were these words? What?

“And we’ve got plain cheese. Pepperoni.”

Ah. Possible substitutes for my beloved Buffalo Chicken. The gall of the clerk, the chutzpah, the expressionless lack of empathy. Couldn’t he see, couldn’t he feel my suffering? He assumed anything else could make me happy? Could take the place of my new found love? Oh, the humanity…

Long story short, I took a pepperoni home and it was damn good.

As much as I missed my Buffalo Chicken, I consoled myself with the knowledge Pepperoni was a decent substitute, if it was ever needed, again.

When one door closes, another blah blah blah…

The World Is Ending…again

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In the 1960s I spent a lot of time chasing girls and learned it was beneficial to volunteer for social causes. Fresh off the farm, finding girls was never the problem but getting them to notice, well, thank God for social causes. In those days Viet Nam was the key issue, but the climate, and Earth Day, were major issues as well. Race relations were at an all time low, too, and many inner cities burned out in protest of unequal opportunity and freedoms.

The adults in my circle of life, those days, were mostly epochal, and convinced American Institutions were falling and the world was near The End. My mates and comrades on the other hand, saw signs of new life, signs of repair, signs of rebirth in the possible, hopeful complete demise of The Military Industrial Complex (MIC), Big Business (BB), and Climate Polluters (CP). My father’s father was one of the former barons of commerce who felt the world was spinning out of control, young people did not respect, their elders, and Western Civilization is headed for doom.

While my general intent for partaking in raucous and often illegal demonstrations was unapologetically romantic I did learn to see the merit in Grandpa’s warning’s, back then.

Sixty years later most of the same issues are still out there, still threatening the future of Western Civilization. Except for Viet Nam. Nam is now our 15th largest trading partner, right after Ireland and Switzerland. The size and nature of that trading says a lot about US Government Policy over the last 60 years, a history confusing older American GIs and Viet Nam vets, both.

The Viet Nam story reveals, however, the larger truth of what our nation is about, really: Money. Wealth. And the power they have over legally elected governments and regulatory institutions.

The sad fact about The End of the World in this current generation is how really close it is, but not for the reason you might think. We now have a Supreme Court loaded with justices who care not for the common sense approach to judicial thought, but to the laissez-faire attitude of the French Physiocrats who reigned over France’s governmental policies from 1775 to 1786. I don’t really know a lot about them but it is important note the French populace revolted in 1789 and overthrew the existing French government. Completely. And executed some former government officials.

It is fair to say someone benefited from the trouble young people caused in the 60s and it wasn’t the young people. The MIC and BB and CP have worked tirelessly over the past 60 years to reaffirm their control over the day to day life of Americans and their money. Some people, even some politicians have been fighting them over those 60 years but you can see who’s winning in the simple fact climate and inequality are still issues today.

Now there is a Supreme Court made up of laissez-faire minded individuals, intent on eliminating as much regulation, oversight, and legal obstacles as they can.

It is not for an old, cranky man to say the world is coming to an end, but let’s see how the next 10 years play out as power gains power, and looks for more…without restraint. Or responsibility.

Pay Attention. Please.

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Years ago, I played tennis at a park surrounded by walking trails, swimming pools, and soccer fields. It was a beautiful place. One noticeable figure was an elderly, rail thin man in shorts and a backpack walking hurriedly around the trails with his two walking sticks swinging by his side. Why didn’t he swim or play tennis or disc golf, like the rest of us?

Socrates is given the credit for saying “the unexamined life is not worth living”. He said that, what, 2,000 years ago? Or more? But who does examine life?

I do. I’ve always paid attention to the world and where I fit or if I fit at all. My memory, is not eidetic, but details are noticed and often stick in my mind for no reason.

I watched The Price is Right the other morning. They have a game where a stick figure hiker climbs a stick mountain with every wrong answer by a contestant, until the stick figure falls off the top of the mountain and the player loses. That stick figure looked just like the old man walking from the past.

So what? As age has imposed its will, I’ve made adjustments: from singles tennis at a young age, to an aggressive doubles game, covering the entire court. Then to a doubles game covering only my half, and–at age 72–simply hoping to hit back any ball hit to me. At each stage the slow progression was apparent and the requisite adjustments made by design, with the knowledge someday…well…

When The Calamities hit last year, the requisite adjustment was to plan–and hope–for a life of walking. I’d always have my mobility, at least.

It was then The Price Is Right man from the past came back into focus and his reason for walking. I understood. And I am, now, at the stage of life he was, then.

One of the best things about being old and out of service is the extra time you have to examine life, to notice things. To pay attention. To learn. There is no longer any reason not to, except fear. But when I ask others if they examine their life the usual answer is “What?”, with the occasional “Why?”

None of it makes any difference, anyway. Whenever a weighty, important, monumental thought tries to invade my brain it also helps to remember this: in 150 years, everyone now alive on this planet will be dead and gone.

How’s that for examining life?

No. No more.

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I was sitting around the locker room with some old men after working out. We really don’t know each other well, but we shared gripes and complaints galore. You could have powered several Lewis Black rants with the negativity. Age, youth, women, politics, weather…even God.

My first thought was to get home and write about it, share the sharp insights and general wittiness with the rest of the unenlightened world. At my desk, fingers poised above the keyboard, however, a quote from a favorite television show came to mind: “What all old people need is a positive attitude and someone to share it with.”

Hm. One of the main reasons Old People (OP) complain is it is one of the few activities we can do, anymore. It used to be OP were wise, too, from all the years of learning. But generations of non-OP folks ignoring and disrespecting us OP has left us jaded, ignored, and unheard. So we complain,…for attention.

But complaining doesn’t work, makes us even more un-noticed, and fosters an intended disrespect instead of just plain, old disinterest.

Thank God, my television show was on this morning when I began to write and the quote was repeated, a sign, I understood, from God: no more complaining.

I am by nature a contented person, liking all life offers except for fools, selfish people, and inconsiderate dolts (FSPID)*, so I was forced to explain to myself why complain, at all. Granted, a majority of the American population falls into one or more of the FSPIDs, but that’s always been the case, even when I was young. Did I complain, then? Or middle age?

So. As noted, I have someone to share my thoughts with: the locker room. Now all I need is to reignite the positivity somehow lost in the last decade. But I wonder if I’ll have to find a new locker room with a new group of OP…

* Pronounced “Fizzpids”

Aged versus Aging: A Gas Tank Analogy

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If you are young or youngish, don’t read any more of this crap. This is a lament, not a rant, and its subtleties can only be understood by someone well over the legal drinking/ranting age.

This place is called The Aging Man for a reason. It’s not titled The Old Man. Or The Soon to be Dead Man. Its about aging and coming to grips with a force of nature bigger and larger than life and the universe and all of existence. It’s a great place for hyperbole, too.

See, when you’re old, you are done aging. Aging is the process of growing old. When you’re old, you’re old, and the process is over. Done. Kaput. Finite, the French kind.

At birth we are given a symbolic, mythical gas tank. It isn’t tangible, but its real. From birth to about age 30, the gas tank is full. It is loaded at birth with hope, promise, happiness, invincibility, and similar crap. This full tank of crap fuels our life as we mature and learn what life is really about, and what our futures will be like. We have enough gas to make several detours and be able to backtrack to where we started, and start again.

At age 30, the gas starts to run out. We sense it as we struggle with careers, family, fitness, all the important things we care about. Since we have no gas gauge, we don’t care, yet.

By age 60, it takes a little finagling, choking to start us every morning and we sometimes sputter at high speeds. This is when we begin to wonder what the heck is going on, and the gas gauge becomes visible. This is when we start to really feel the process.

We still have plenty of time and gas before we get old, but with each year the vision of the gas gauge gets clearer and clearer, and with each year that vision gets bleaker and bleaker.

And then we get old. Finally. The tank is nearly empty, just vapors left. Fumes. It’s hard to start in the morning, we can’t go fast, and we can’t go long distances. Things like grand-kids and our favorite team winning the Superbowl give us a half gallon or so of refill, but we see it, we know, it, and we learn to cherish it. We learn, too, no matter what we did the tank is empty with no gas station in site. Or in existence. The only comfort? We are not alone in the process. It happens to everyone.

It’s 2am in the morning and this is what I write? It might be time to change the title of this place.

Reverend Barber of North Carolina on TDS

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It is not often a serious discussion gets a lengthy exposure without a gaggle of jokes on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show (TDS) on Comedy Central, streamed the next day on Paramount Plus. It is a comedy show.

But Reverend William Barber of North Carolina was a guest Monday night, June 17, 2024, and the weight of the discussion kept Jon from the usual antics during guest appearances. It is a Comedy show.

The subject of poverty is a heavy weight to bear. Watch the show or get the Reverend’s new Book titled “White Poverty” to see exactly how heavy.

Much was discussed but the one thing never mentioned, at least not heard by me, is what the real problem with poverty is: it is a historically classic example of Got Mine Go Away (GMGA). The numbers of people in poverty is staggering, even with the lowest estimates. The affect of said poverty on millions of people is a national disgrace rivaling the fentanyl and firearms catastrophes. And the border, too.

Dr. Barber’s point is the people suffering from poverty are not who you think they are. And they don’t act the way you think they act. Racism is a part of poverty, but it is more a class/caste war. Not a black-white issue but a true Us against Them in a capitalist battle nearing a tipping point. The downtrodden can only suffer so much for so long.

When you hear someone has “escaped from poverty”, who do you picture? And who did they take with them? It is a class of people and a way of life, and when you escape it there’s no going back. No returning to break the cycle for others. I’ve no facts to know this statement is true except to note poverty still exists and the Poverty Class is growing. There will be dire consequences for civilization if the Poverty Class reaches a point where there is no nope and no chance, and nothing to regret.

Musk, Bezos, Allen, Crowe, Buffet, Soros, others might be trying to help. But how hard? After all, the Capitalist System NEEDS a loser class, a Poverty Class, to ensure the unending flow of riches to those that do not need any more. Musk, alone could give nearly $1billion to every state in our union and see if helps make sure people have enough to eat, have water which won’t kill them, and healthcare when they need it.

It isn’t as simple as money because anytime money is flowing, aspiring Capitalists will be there to swallow it up. But it seems we could do something. Or at least talk about it. Anyone? Look how fast the rich respond when higher taxes are proposed. Can they solve poverty as fast? As least for one generation?

Watch the interview and check out the Reverend’s book.

Anyone.