What if?

When I was a kid I use to read a book called Know Your Presidents and their Wives. It was a children's history book that is exactly as the title describes it. On the left hand page would be the President's picture or photograph, his vital statistics (such as birth and death dates, inauguration date, party, religion, profession, etc.) and a short two column basic history of their Presidency. On the right hand page would be the same for the First Lady. The last President they had listed was (The still in office) Richard Nixon.

I LOVED this book. I would read it constantly. But it wasn't mine. It belonged to the Brooklyn Public Library on Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn. My mom would take it out for me every two weeks - or whatever the maximum amount of time was back then. I so thoroughly absorbed the information contained in that book that I can STILL recite the names of all the Presidents of the United States in order. I could probably tell you where they were born too.

I do not really know how many times my mom ACTUALLY borrowed it from the library because as you get older, memory - especially chronology - becomes harder to get right. As they get further away, dates and years blur together and are considered less important. I personally tend to think now more in larger "periods" in my life where time is couched around benchmark events that are either personal or national. For example, when attempting to remember a certain event in my life I could start my investigation by saying something like this to myself:

"Around the time when I was out of college and out of work - the late Bush Sr. years probably '91 or '92."

Believe me, as you age, time/event association becomes your best friend.

I always had the notion that this book borrowing cycle was a whole year but, in reality, I don't think she took it out as many times as I think. The reasons for this revisionist history are:

A) To a child time is endless. So an event that was actually a 2 day span (like a road trip or a hotel stay) 20 or 30 years ago is seen in your current remembrance as much longer - and you sincerely remember it that way. This is because AT THE TIME you were participating in that event, you felt like it was a lot longer. THAT feeling is what you are actually remembering - and is probably causing you to be remember it in the first place.

B) My mother was scrupulously honest. There is no way she would have kept a book for that long. Even if she was doing everything "legal" by renewing it…and she was…she still would of thought of it as stealing.

All I can say for sure is that it was multiple times and I probably read it and reread it every other day.

So on Christmas day, 1973, this six-year-old boy was given an innocuous looking gift. It wasn't the most valuable in dollars and cents I have ever received although I would consider it priceless. It wasn't the most useful either, if you use the way things are considered "useful" in this day and age as your guide but it did serve my imagination throughout my childhood. It wasn't even the most exciting nestled between the Rock'em Sock'em Robots and the slot-car race track.

But it is the most cherished.

As you guessed, it was my favorite book, purchased for me because my mom was probably so guilt-ridden for having had held the public copy for so long. On the inside cover she inscribed:

For our dear Lawrence
Merry Christmas
With love from Mommy & Daddy
December 25, 1973

And, today, after all those expensive electronic devices, utilitarian wonder gadgets and exciting pieces of plastic have long been broken down, lost and forgotten, that book still sits on my bookshelf. The spine is worn and cracked and the pages are yellowed - but it's there: An object of material substance with weight and mass that most definitely carries a living memory. It has stayed with me through five moves and if I have to again, it will be on the truck packed in a cardboard box marked "heirlooms."

But that story was really one long sentimental digression to my main point. Over the years, starting with that book, I had a true love of history. I would read many more books, watch many films and shows and visit many sites that pertained to my beloved subject. Needless to say, in college I took many courses ranging from Medieval Europe to Modern America. I couldn't get enough of the stuff.

One class in particular was extremely interesting. Titled "The Turbulent 60s" it focused on…well the 1960s of course. It was taught by a very charismatic professor who truly looked inspired when lecturing. He would tell us stories of his own involvement as a mediator in the negotiations with radical students when they took over the campus. He would come alive when discussing the impact of the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Demonstrations and the rise of counter-culturalism. It was just a cool class and he was just a cool teacher. I think his name was Dr. MacDonald.

One day, he proposed a provocative exercise. He wanted us to consider an alternative timeline based on one question:

What if Bobby Kennedy wasn't killed?"

Immediately I began to think of all the turmoil of 1969 and the 1970s. The scandals, the unraveling of the social fabric, the despair, the recession…the failures. I asked myself, could all of those terrible things of that decade be main-lined straight back to that assassination and the election of the politically and socially divisive Richard Nixon? In 1968, what if the inclusive nature, the progressive ideas and the problem solving intellect of Bobby Kennedy was put into the White House? I imagined that our history would have been very different if he wasn't murdered. After imagining and pondering for awhile, sitting in that lecture hall, I came to the conclusion that this country would have by no means been a paradise but much of the turmoil, the upheaval…the despair…that was to come could and would have been prevented or dealt with in a much more satisfactory way.

I don't have to imagine it anymore.

Larry B

The Solution

I think I know what the problem is with our political situation.

But since I just finished a book called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig I feel to expound on it would be a complete waste of time. In the past, I stood up on my soapbox and passionately delivered what I thought were simple self-evident truths involving the terrible direction the administration and the Republican Party has taken this country. These truths ARE self-evident still so if you are still considering voting for John McCain in the upcoming election you will not get any argument from me. Go with God. But if you do I have just one request, please do not bring up the subject of politics with me because, if you do, I will tell you how I feel on the subject and by doing that, I am sure, you will feel angry, insulted and offended and, quite frankly, maybe that is their true goal - to feel that rage, to feel slighted, to create "the other." But I will tell you these things because I believe them - NOT because I want YOU to. I truly understand the fact that no matter how many people I convince of the righteousness of my ideas or how much external validation I receive for my theories it does not make the ideas necessarily right.

Do you?

Besides, just pointing out what’s wrong is not terribly constructive. It is not terribly creative either because although I can certainly cite specific incidences of the sadism, the moral bankruptcy and the general backwardness of THE PHILOSOPHY that the current administration and the Republican party embrace as a whole, the truth of the matter is that all I would really have to do is say "open your eyes and look around" and it would be as convincing as any kind of long-winded, beautifully constructed, point by point essay I could compose. The important thing is the "eyes open" part. So, I will just accept that the current depressing horror show of ignorant repression that has been unspooling before my pupils for the last eight years is just that: A depressing horror show of ignorant repression. Sort of like a postulate in the Euclidean geometry proofs I used to do in high school over twenty years ago.

As far as political reality, there is good and bad news. The good news is there is, at least in theory, a system of representative government in place. It is barely holding on by a thread but is still there. I believe it can be saved. I believe the tools the middle and lower classes of this country need to become relevant again – as far as domestic and foreign policies are concerned – are available. They might be a little worn but they can still work if used correctly. Now I know more radical opinions would suggest that this "system" could never let us truly be free. Maybe they’re right, but I have to live within these walls so I might as well put up some John Lennon posters.

Which brings me to the bad news which is postulate two: These same tools are owned lock, stock and barrel by people, corporations and people who own corporations, who have no interest in seeing anyone beyond their own immediate family be rewarded with the material splendor that industrialization has provided. The only interest they have in you is to know if you could park their car, take their bags or clean their toilet. They never see you in any other capacity. You are not a life with inherent worth. To them you are a nuisance to be put up with, to be treated with all the dignity of a panhandler asking for some change.

Of course, that is the interesting part. A panhandler does deserve to be treated with dignity. No matter how down on his luck, no matter how many bad decisions he has made, he is still a person. So, the next time you walk by a homeless person and look down upon him in disgust, remember how you feel at that moment. And be honest with yourself...do not inhibit. If you feel contempt let it flow. If you feel anger, rage. If you feel hatred, despise.

Now you know how the people who run this country feel about you.

OK, we know we have tough odds but that’s all right. The tougher the rind the sweeter the juice.

The first step applying, but not limited to, politics is the clearing of your mind. Take a step back and breathe. Once you have done that pick up the remote and turn off the set because clarity is not offered through that medium. The moderators, pundits, spin-doctors and the politicians themselves have no interest in telling you any kind of hard physical reality while appearing on television. The spin doctors spin, the pundits bloviate, the politicians lie and the moderators – well this is where it gets tragic because this is the one guy in the room who is suppose to represent YOU – berate or kiss anus depending on who their benefactor is. The contents of their targeted soliloquy’s, either way, is usually inanely cliché or irrelevantly personal. There is no consideration of achieving moral, physical…basic…truth. Their only goal is ratings (and sometimes more sinister) which they convert into money which they convert into apartments at The Watergate which comes with the Lincoln, the power lunches the…well you get the point. You have to just shut them out.

Get all of your political news off the net. Some sites are more dubious than others but that’s OK because the dubious ones are easy to spot and simple to toss. Besides, all of the bastions of journalism – whatever that means in a post 9-11 America – have their own sites so, if you are really just stone cold hooked on what passes for "professionalism" these days - go for it. The most important part of this act is to not be passive. When you watch the CNN’s, the MSNBC’s or…please don’t say it…the Foxes of this country you are inoculated against giving a damn. These shows have very little informative value. Their purpose is to entertain you. If you go on the net, the choice is yours. You can find information without the pander…the infantile attitude…the insult. You will no longer have to sit there while some joker who, when you really think about it, is doing the ham-bones to keep his job when he is telling you how some speech is "playing in Ohio" or determining "strengths " and "weaknesses" of a candidate. Cut that layer of mucous out of your political thought. Don’t have some glorified night club singer, who treats serious decisions that will affect millions of people like a game show or a tennis match, fill your head up with his or her scripted bullshit. Their words are not worth anything till YOU give them value. And their words certainly aren’t reality.

And of course, there is YouTube. Like I said in my last post, I was interested in the speeches at the convention this week. But I don’t want all the absurd bells and whistles. C-span is a possible alternative but I’m in no rush. I’ll watch them later on the net.

Now that you cleared your head, removed all the negativity, fear and downright cynicism about the nature of man, which we have come to accept, sit back and ponder. If having to convince a whole bunch of riled-up hoople-heads with a whole lot of pent-up frustration and personal axes to grind due to deep feelings of inadequacy were NOT an issue, what would you like to see come out of this election?

Here are my thoughts.

ADOPT UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

Period.

We are, for the most part anyway, a capitalist society. We, as a philosophy, firmly embrace the idea of the "free market." We, almost fanatically, believe in the law of supply and demand that only if the government encouraged the most competition, then everyone would get what they need…at the lowest price…etc., etc.

But even the most hardcore laissez-faire economists would agree that there are certain "businesses" that MUST be provided by the commonwealth. Only the most outlandish Randian social superiorist would suggest services such as the Police, Fire and Sanitation Depts. should be left to the magical make-believe invisible hand of Adam Smith.

We should make the leap and create a program/legislation that acknowledges that the health and maintenance of the individual human being is just as vital to the survival of our "way of life" as the aforementioned services.

In the 1950s and 1960s, as European colonial rule of sub-Saharan Africa drew to a close, the newly formed, independent nations, which emerged, made a fatal mistake. Instead of redrawing the map to take into consideration the traditional territory and historical rivalries of the various tribes in the area, they kept the completely arbitrary political boundaries that the white Europeans had imposed upon them. The endless coups and massacres that have plagued that continent for the last 40 plus years can be contributed to this decision as men and women who have hated each other for millennia butcher one and other to hold together abstract political notions that should never have existed in the first place.

In that vein, why do insurance and pharmaceutical companies control the direction of any healthcare reform plan? Why do these "for profit" organizations have final approval of any legislation trying to fix our system? Why are they at the table at all?

These bean counter operations, totally married to the "bottom line," should have no right to decide the when, where and how a United States citizen receives treatment for a MEDICAL problem. Once they are removed, the path to finally joining the 21st century will be clear.

ADOPT UNIVERSAL HIGHER EDUCATION

The state and city university system, currently in place, should be financially funded by the Federal and State governments and completely FREE to any attending student for AT LEAST the completion of his or her M.S. or M.A. in whatever accredited subject they chose to pursue. This does not mean anyone gets a "free ride." To continue in the education system past the 12th grade, the student must have had at least a C average AND THEN maintain at least a C average during his undergraduate existence.

The theory behind putting this program in place is simple: An educated citizen benefits the ENTIRE society and we should encourage anyone who is interested and willing to keep up with their studies. Yes, a "C" average is the definition of mediocre, but it does show that an attempt is being made to better oneself and the work, even if marginally, is getting done.

Of course private and parochial schools will continue to exist and anyone who has the resources are more then welcome to attend.

Keep in mind, the plan being suggested does not actually address the QUALITY of the education being offered today for that should be left to academics in the fields of Science, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Literature, etc.

This plan tries to correct the utterly ridiculous current situation of a student graduating college, starting his young adult life, saddled with over $100,000 in debt. And, much more importantly, it is totally unacceptable that a large swath of our population can not grow, expand…learn…for the sole reason that their family "does not have the money."

And, again, free education for the willing is not just for the students themselves, for it is impossible for a society to grow when more and more of it's citizens stay stagnant.

BRING THE BOYS & GIRLS BACK HOME

Now!

REJOIN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Just because the United States will withdraw the OVERWHELMING bulk of our military forces from Iraq, that does not mean we should return to the isolationist 1920s and 1930s.

The United States should initiate a conference, preferably while there is still the veneer of "control," between the nations directly affected by the civil war in Iraq that will surly escalate as soon as the Army leaves. Iran, Turkey and Syria immediately come to mind but should also include Britain, France, Russia and Germany. Between these countries (and others) we should try real hard to get to some middleground, some understanding, on what to do to keep the region stabilized. As Joe Biden said, it is in these nations best interest not to have chaos and the basis for the peace should start with the partition of Iraq into at least three parts. This gambit is worth a try

First of all, Intelligence, with a capital I, will return to the executive branch of the United States government, the branch that is traditionally responsible for foreign policy. We should not rely on the United States armed forces to solve problems that should be dealt with diplomacy and vice versa.

Secondly, we have to start building a bridge to the other Islamic countries in the area. Let us abandon the DISASTEROUS policies of "bombs away" and "you're wit' us or agent' us" that have dominated the past five plus years.

Simply put, Unilateralism has failed miserably. Let's try it the other way before the damage that has been done is irreversible.

CLOSE GUANTANAMO

In conjunction with rejoining the world community, we must reaffirm our commitment to the Geneva Convention and close the secret prison system we are operating because, simply put, we are not a nation who believes in concentration camps.

RATIFY A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT GUARANTEEING A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE

Michael Dukakis, in the 1988 Presidential Debate with, then, Vice-President Bush (Sr.) made the most reasonable statement about abortion rights I have ever heard in the political arena:

"…isn't the real question that we have to answer is 'Not how many exceptions we make,' because the Vice-President himself is prepared to make exceptions but 'WHO makes the decision?' WHO makes this very difficult, very wrenching decision? And I think it has to be THE WOMAN, in the exercise of her own conscience and religious beliefs that makes that decision. Who are we to say, well, under certain circumstances, it's all right, but under other circumstances it isn't? That's a decision that only a woman can make, after consulting her conscience and consulting her religious principles. And I would hope that we would give to women in this country the right to make that decision, and to make it in the exercise of their conscience and religious beliefs."

Amen.

SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

I believe we should favor science and reason over superstition and voodoo.

The Federal Government should fully fund every kind of scientific research available. We should have scientists…SCIENTISTS…working around the clock in the areas of health, environment and energy…to name a few. Politicians are not scientists so they really do not know all the areas needed to be explored.

And that's the point. The government should give the money to the people who do know and let them work. It is appalling that men running for the Presidency of the United States…FOR PRESIDENT…would proudly raise their hands when asked if they DO NOT believe in Evolution.

I believe in the Theory of Evolution, if not in its totality, at least in the scientific PROCESS which it was derived…observation, experimentation, hypothesis. How could that PROCESS…the key to all human mental and social development…be fostered if our leadership does not believe in it?

Knowledge is our most precious commodity. We must do everything we can to expand WHAT we know because, if we don't, sometime in the near future, WE will be asking other countries to save us.

FCC Media Consolidation Regulations

REGULATION…that dirty word. BRING IT BACK. Do not let one individual/corporation/entity control all carriers of information that a citizen needs to be properly civic. Today that corporation is selling soap, tomorrow they are telling you to kill Arabs and the day after that it will be your thoughts. No matter how diligent the individual is, there is no way around the influence of the synergy that is going on. The government was never "on my back," as President Reagan use to say. The government was on the backs of men whose sole purpose was to accumulate more. Now, after 28 years of a deregulation mantra we are reaping the rewards - One Message.

Delivered to you every five minutes.

Pass Banking Usury Laws

BRING THEM BACK.

The government should pass legislation that will cap the amount of interest a bank, retail store or a credit card can charge to their customers. What we have seen over the last 8 years is millions of people in this country go into massive debt. These millions of people are now trapped in an endless cycle of payments because their interest rates have went through the roof while their REAL earnings have probably stayed the same over that same period of time. Charging 29% interest should be against the law.

Also banks need to be forced, BY LAW because they are not going to do it themselves, to stop charging all these ridiculous hidden fees. An individual goes to an ATM and takes out $20. The bank the machine belongs to charges a $2 user fee. Then the bank his account is in charges a $2 fee for what, I have no idea. This man has just paid a 20% charge to take out his own money.

"But then," you might say, "he should haven't taken out so little when he would of paid the same $2 (Plus $2) if he took out $100, $200 or even $500."

What if that was all he had left after paying his electric bill, rent bill, gas bill, phone bill and, of course, the 29% on his two credit cards that he used to buy his groceries?

These rates directly affect the quality of life of the overwhelming majority of our citizenry. IT SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW.

End the "War on Drugs"

Drug addiction is a medical/psychological problem and should be treated as such. Substance abuse treatment should be covered completely by a universal health care system. To treat a human being who is hooked on narcotics…FOR WHATEVER REASON…like a criminal is, in fact, a crime. Human beings have frailties, pains, frustrations and sorrows. To deny that is to deny your own humanity. To punish it is pure arrogance. To wash your hands of it is pure stupidity.

These things can be easily done because I am not suggesting anything that is radical. If these ideas sound radical to you then I suggest you read any works by Fourier, Saint-Simon, Owen, Bakunin or Marx and see just how tame my ideas actually are. "If we could put a man on the moon, then we should be able to…" as the saying goes. As Obama said in 2004, "All we need is a slight change of priorities," and a rejection of "a willful ignorance," to make a real change occur. The bottom line is that there is nothing "natural" about the situation our society is in. All of our problems, and I believe there are many of them, are all Man-Made and being such can be corrected, or at least addressed, by Man. Any delusion you have to the contrary is, in fact, a mental construct that has been drilled into your head from the time you could hear noise. These 10 points are what I would like to see put into place before I die. I think their implementation would make this country…and the world…a better place.

I wonder how this will sell in Ohio.

Larry B

The Problem

I have been away a long time. No, not in any geographic sense for my physical existence is still in New York. I have spent a year and a half murdering myself and, again, not physically for I am still breathing (for who knows how long) and even in my darkest bouts of self-loathing I am pretty sure that I would be able to complete that task if I wanted to. I mean a whole year and a half…please.

The murder I committed was against that old self I was. The one who watched television. The one who read silly newspaper articles. The one who, although reacted negatively to them, swallowed all the horse feces that, for lack of a better term, "the machine" rammed down my throat on a daily basis. The one who paid attention to the overwhelming distractions that fill our lives, label us, keep us divided, destroy in a very real way the quality of our lives. The one who gave meaning to the meaningless while ignoring true value. The one who was so distraught about the state of the world, because it was not the way he thought it should be, used any number of external stimuli to help him forget. The one who accepted degradation as the norm while allowing dignity to be lost. The one who searched for truth in a cesspool of lies.

After finally realizing the folly of words like "important," "ground breaking" and "thoughtful" as they exist today. After completely understanding terms like "relevant," "subjective" and "transitory" for the truth that they contain. After coming to a full mental understanding of concepts such as "pain," "suffering," "loss"…even "death." Only then could the body of that self be destroyed, slain by books, openness, kindness…acceptance. The murder complete, the rotting corpse buried, end of story.

Now the rebirth can begin.

With that being said, I haven't been following all the details of this campaign because, as I stated time and time again both in my previous life and the current one, that voting for a bowl of turnips with bacon bits and a parsley garnish would be preferable to anything the Republicans have to offer, I have to admit that I came home today a little bit interested in the Democratic Convention. Biden was a great choice for VP. I think Obama's has a real movement going on here. He offers us the possibility, for the first time in a very long time, we could actually have leadership in the White House. So, I figured, watching some of the speeches wouldn't hurt even though it does violate one of my prime mandates - "KEEP THAT DAMN DEHUMANIZING SET OFF STUPID!" Against my better judgement, because I truly was curious, I turned the set on and searched for CNN.

Now, I never watch ANY of those 24-hour "news" channels - even when I filled my days with the endless prattle coming out of that idiot box. I actually didn't even know what number CNN was but after a few clicks of the remote I was there. The only reason why I surrendered to these purveyors of knowledge was because it was before eight o'clock and I figured the major networks weren't going to have coverage till later. A small sacrifice to make in an attempt to be an "informed" citizen. I sit down on my couch waiting in subdued anticipation.

The first thing I see are some gaudy graphics saying something like "CONVENTION SMACKDOWN '08" with a bevy of white men in suits sitting behind an elongated desk. The first thing I hear is some heavy-handed music that sounded like it was composed at a focus group called "Lowest common denominator." Between the camera lens and the men are a string of computer monitors which, presuming from the faces of these "experts," they are watching for updates from the convention floor. The shot starts to pan the ensemble because, as another focus group told them, there has to be dramatic camera movement for a news broadcast, and ends with a beautiful woman in a suit who I guess is the host (I refuse to use the word moderator.) I assume they hired her for the sake of journalistic integrity.

I get up from the couch and make a box of Kraft Premium Three-Cheese Shell Macaroni Dinner.

After I am done cooking I leave my kitchen which is directly adjacent to my living room. Bowl in hand I flip the light switch and head for the couch. Just as I get into earshot of the set I hear the voice of David Gergen. I remember Gergen from the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour on PBS back in the 1980s. He used to do a political spot with Mark Shields every Friday and I enjoyed watching them. That was the time when The McLaughlin Group was revolutionizing political talk - the genesis of the confrontational, uninformative, clownish horror show we call political debate that exists today. At the time, his show was considered "amusing," "novel" or, if you really didn't give a flying fuck about representative democracy, "exciting." During that time Gergen and Shields actually kept their cool and didn't pander and kept the discussion dignified. Maybe it was only because they were on PBS and not at the mercy of a profit driven parent company but I always respected them as men with integrity.

The first thing I hear Gergen say, evidently in a response to a question asked of him by the pin-up is, "I think Bill Clinton when he speaks is going to have to talk about the economy. His eight year economic record versus the last eight year record will really play well." (Paraphrase)

On that last word, I made it to the couch. I picked up the remote, turned the set off and went to my bedroom to eat my Kraft Premium Three-Cheese Shell Macaroni Dinner.

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO STOP LIVING IN INTELLECTUAL PIG SHIT!

Through the surround sound speakers I felt the bony claw of my old self-reaching from the grave, tugging at my ankle but I did not let it pull me down. I still accept the world for how it thinks, how it acts…how it is.

Just not in my house.

In silence, the Kraft Three-Cheese Shell Macaroni Dinner was delicious.

Larry