Friday, September 28, 2012

Latter Days

On a break from play-writing the other day I wrote this. I guess it's a poem.



Latter Days

In these latter days, as we blithely sip cocktails beneath a boiling November sun;
Where the light is hot and low and lurid, sickly in a tangerine sky;
In these latter days, when it takes so many chemicals to make us feel remotely human;
And we’re so grateful for the table scraps they toss us;
In these latter days, when we casually burn our sole resource down to the ground;
When we’ve pretty much just given up with so much left undone;
In these latter days, which are inexplicable to children;
And all children are the offspring of fools;
In these latter days, where any brief voice of reason is quickly smothered in lucre;
Where the only sound the airwaves carry is the flutter of paper blown by plutocrats;
In these latter days, where parents whore out their children, not in black midnight alleys, but in the full mad glow of the national myth;
Where the dumb and venal rule, and the quavering smart are purchased like collectibles;
In these latter days, where we refuse to know for sure the things we all know for sure;
Where we hunker down alone each night in the blue screen glow;
Where ignorance is rewarded, and culture is a mockery of itself;
In these latter days, where the weight of a crumbling empire teeters on the overloaded shopping carts of the homeless;
In these latter days of death and circuses;
In these latter days, which no one dares call the last days;
Where love seems a long-ago memory, compassion a cruel joke;
In these latter days, there are no saints, only killers;
And every killer is a suicide.

kjb - 9.20.12

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Victimology, Christian-Style

Yes, we should definitely investigate Hollywood filmmakers, the creators of "South Park," and anyone else who "denigrates religious beliefs." Good idea, Values Voters Summit-guy. (Full article here, via crooks and liars.)



In a little one-minute clip, this guy snappily demonstrates a couple of the huge, glaring hypocrisies of the red-meat, nutbar wing of the GOP. The party of freedom, the party of "get your government hands off my Medicare," is also home to many, many people who believe there would be nothing wrong with having government intervene in the religious lives of its citizens--as long as that religion is Christianity.

Which of course illustrates the other hypocrisy, that these people are always the first to cry "persecution" anytime anyone says or does anything remotely in opposition to their beliefs. As if to have a set of beliefs means that everyone else in the world must believe them too. Or if not believe, at least not challenge or question them, because to question someone's beliefs is to "disrespect" them.

So it is that the religion of 76 to 80 percent of Americans--around 240 million people--is the victim here, being "denigrated," warranting investigation.

It must really suck to be a persecuted majority. Methinks perhaps you guys are doing something wrong here if you're being persecuted by the rest of us.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Truth

The truth about NFL teams. 
Goodell's example, indeed. And, yes, you should throw the ball, Ben.

Click to embiggen.
via

EDIT: Okay, click to embiggen doesn't seem to work, so here's a few examples. Go to the site to see them all though. 



 

I feel a little flat