caucus99percent

free-range politics, organic community

The Disunited Empire of America

A couple of weeks ago PR added a comment saying 250 years is the average life span of empire. I guess we've arrived. The nation is locked in perpetual war against other countries and our own citizens. The constitution is ignored especially the bill of rights. The nation seems to be under the control of Israel as a bill works its way through congress to unite the US military with Israel's. The petrodollar is on its last leg as nations around the world divest of US dollars and bonds. We're not just a nation divided, we're an empire divided. Much more below the fold...

Afternoon folks!

Let's start this weekend off with a King-size bang... first up, an album from Albert King from his Stax period, then one from B.B. King accompanied by a bunch of rock musicians and studio folks in 1971. After that we have a live album recorded in the early sixties featuring a whole bunch of Chess records blues superstars. Following that is a disc of demos, outtakes and alternates from Little Feat's Last Record Album sessions. Finishing up we move into some prog rock with a live album from the band Curved Air.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great holiday weekend!

Good morning, good people! Hope you are enjoying your holiday!

Well, I am writing this OT on my least favorite holiday, 4th of July. What saves it from being sort of disdainful to me is that it is our wedding anniversary with all accompanying antics, such as fun and frolic.

You may recall that I never, ever, identified myself as an American in any country I visited. When asked where I was from, I answered, "Texas." The US has done so much harm all over the world, so I was uncomfortable with how any foreigner might react. Certainly, I do not consider being American a bragging right. Discussing The Battle of the Alamo is much easier no matter where you are in the world.

By the age of 4, I was reading quite well, and soon became enthralled with our history. How our colonists helped Britain steal from the natives, then we rebelled, stole the stolen lands and treasure from the Brits, so when we hear Trump say the oil in Venezuela, Syria, Iran, etc..., is ours, it isn't really anything new. I was 4 years old the last time I waved a flag. We are enabling a genocide, and preventing food, water, medicine, and energy from Cuba, because those unarmed civilians are dangerous...or something. They aren't proper capitalists.

My hope for the future:

Well, it was nice while we had it...
A big majority of Gen Z apparently don't know what it is
that 'Independence Day' is supposed to be commemorating.
Which doesn't exactly bode well for the prospects of *Re-Independence*.

Although if we ever do manage that, maybe it would be a good idea to forgo the empire business and try something like something novel like a democratic constitutional republic.

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

Two weeks ago myself along with three other members of the camera club I'm in along with members of ten other clubs were at the county fairs photo contest/exhibition representing our clubs. The contest is one of the largest in the country. This year over 4700 photos were submitted across 34 different categories of which about 1400 were selected . You can submit up to twenty photos. There is a $20 entree fee for every photo you submit. There are cash prizes for 1st-4th place for every category plus best in show. The contest is multi tiered. For tier 1 you submit a jpeg file that is judged by three judges. If your image or images are excepted you have two weeks to print, mount and mat your photos for tier 2 judging. Those that pass tier 2 muster are then hung in the exhibition hall for the length of the fair. This year the fair opened on June 10th and runs through July 5th. I'd love to show some of the outstanding photos in the contest, but photography is not allowed in the photo exhibit.
So tonight and the next few Fridays I will be posting scenes from the fair.
Tonight's focus is on animals at the fair. Some are there to entertain and some are there to be judged.

"And they're off" By far the most popular attraction are the pig races.

I spent 10 months, this past year, undergoing chemo and radiation therapy in my battle against cancer. It was the lowest point of my life. But I didn't let it break my spirit.

I made the decision early on that I would concentrate on the task at hand and avoid the depression that can so very easily set in under those conditions. The struggle ahead was as much of a battle with the disease that was attacking my body as it was a battle with the gloom and doom that could attack my mind if I allowed it. I couldn't control the disease but I could control my spirit. And it was that spirit that drove my will to not lose hope in that fight for my life.

To beat the depression within, I had to beat the depression without. I did this mostly by limiting my time on that great instrument of despair, the internet. I'd wake up in the morning, take a quick look at the news headlines and then find other ways to occupy my time. I diligently researched everything I could find about the malady I was facing. I talked with old friends and family on the phone. I forced myself to eat as much as I could. I spent a lot of time watching the birds at the birdfeeder. I did a lot of looking out the window in general, and contemplating. I practiced my dobro to keep my fingers nimble, stiffness being a side affect from the chemo. I slept, oh boy, did I sleep. But most of all I would stretch out on the recliner and watch my rather large collection of old documentaries, TV shows and old movies, mostly old westerns, one after another. It was cathartic watching the good guys beat the bad guys, and emblematic of my struggle to beat the cancer within.

Some American Songs

Coming up on 4th of July! I have been listening to some 'old' songs (we all know them, and were young when they were released) which really speak to me about America, and have all my life. This first one, The River, by Bruce Springsteen... well, it basically speaks about the life I was lucky enough to escape. And, boy, did I learn what he was singing about when I made my first trip across the USA from Santa Clara, CA to Philadelphia, PA in the 1980s. I was listening to this song, and others from Bruce's album, The River, as I did that long drive. And as I got closer and closer to the East Coast, to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Philly, New Jersey, and as I lived in Philly for years, everything Bruce wrote about became clear and understandable to me - a West Coast descendant of working class truckers and electricians, who has had a different life because of the early and continued support of her mother and father, and the brilliance and luck of her father.

The River:

Link to video on Youtube.