...and the first few days of a year are 'bout the best time to lay things out on the table... With My Good Fortunes Measured... I Step Off Again
This is the season where a fella can sit back and measure where he's been, where he's at... and where he's goin'. It's the time he often has to screw up his courage to step out and battle the wind once again.
2013 is going to be a good year. But for that to happen a drifter needs to make sure he's got his situational awareness fine tuned. Yup... he's got to pay close attention to what he's doin'... as well as what the predators layin' about are doin'.
The winter is the time us yondering gypsies make our plans for another seasons' "journey". But if he's not careful, an old pussgut biker cowboy could find hisself ambushed and trussed up tight by another slick talkin' master wannabe.
We're being led down the path... one more time... with language twisted up until it's un-recognizable. Wearisome ain't it? I hear the straight of it though, so I ain't goin'.
I was drivin' a herd of horses one time up in Yellowstone. 'bout two dozen head. I had to push 'em five miles to a corral. They had different ideas and weren't 'bout to co-operate. Here and there a bunch quitter would dive off into the trees.
I had two choices. I could chase the truant... or work to hang on to the horses I still had in the herd. When the opportunity was there I'd give chase, but mostly I had my hands full keeping the whole bunch from vanishing into the trees.
By the time I reached the corral... I had six horses left out of the two dozen I'd left out with. Was an embarrassing day.
My hope is, there's sufficient Freedom Lovin' folks walkin' around, that are bunch quitters in their soul; with enough guts to dive off into the trees... so that the next couple of years prove embarrassing to those parasitic, lying dogs back east.
Them horses weren't so bullied by my herding that they abandoned their own self interest... and I was left holding the storied "empty sack".
I suppose it's a certain sort of mindset where a lifetime of training and conditioning leads you to ignore your own wishes and dreams, sacrificed in the interest of serving someone else. Make no mistake, caring about other than just yourself is a good thing. Might could be considered the best part of you. I honor those who have sacrificed themselves for others ...BUT...
...and this is a powerful and commanding BUT...
If the roof is the best part of your house... that part which keeps the rain off... it's the Foundation that supports the roof. Without the foundation... there is no roof.
It's that Best of you that gets manipulated, captured and used. That Best part of you is what Soh-sigh-uh-tee locks onto and consumes in its endless parasitic quest to chain up your body and soul in its service.
But listen close here girls... Self... though maybe not your best... it is your Foundation. Selflessness is an admirable trait. But it has it's warts. Without taking care of, nurturing and protecting SELF... your foundation is lost and with it everything it supported. Your best is lost in the bargain. There is nothing left for the caring for others.
When you finally break loose into your freedom... there's always going to be a tentacle or two locked into your hide trying to drag you back...
Those suckers can take on surprising form. They work at stirring up guilt for simply being who you are. They work at making you self conscious for finding joy in an often brutal world. It's an insidious lie. Every time you look in the mirror you are confronted with that sorry, selfish dog that they've painted for your eyes to see. They twist your perceptions in ways that turn your Dreams dark and black.
But, if you listen carefully you can find the truth... hiding in the accusations. "all you think about is YOU... What about US?" do you hear that in the social intercourse you are bludgeoned with on a daily basis?
What about US... What about ME? It's the basis of almost every political discussion. The hypocrisy dripping off of it makes it nearly impossible for a man to walk past it, or argue against it. You are demonized for saying in a minority of your life... what consumes the totality of theirs!
They've so co-opted the language that if you try to defend the right of SELF to secure some pleasure in this life you are demonized as selfish because you are NOT, thinking every waking moment of them.
If you succeed in finding a bit of Joy... you are made to feel dirty... because so many have none. Well, guess what? This world is not, has never been, and will never be... Fair. Get over it. Cowboy Up... and get your freight on down the road.
They best you can hope to achieve is to be Honest. You have the Right to build yourself a place of Joy and Self fulfillment. They have zero right or moral authority to denigrate that.
Listen to me. There are two things in this world which cannot be given. They crumble to dust in the hand off. Those two things are Freedom and Joy.
If you want either... you must reach out and take them Your self. They can not be given or bought. They must be TAKEN.
Ha! You say; "You are Taking Just like those you accuse!!!"...
Uh Uh. It don't work that way. Joy and Freedom are like wild horses belonging to nobody. They are treasures roaming free on the land; Waiting to be harvested by those who prove their worthiness by working hard to achieve them. You are Taking from Life itself.
While you cannot give Joy and you cannot give Freedom... you CAN work to create the world where the opportunity to build those things for your SELF exists. You can speak out to defend the world where the Right of Joy and Freedom exists for others.
If you wish to give to others... the only gift greater than protecting the possibility for a person to build their own Freedom and Joy; is to lay down your life in defense of a friend.
I shall live simply; like the wolf and the coyote; The Eagle and the Beaver. I shall Take only what is my Right; and slide out of sight when those who believe they own me and what is mine come drooling around looking for a feast.
I cannot impose my beliefs, other than my Freedom, on anyone as they strive to impose theirs on me and those like me. I can only follow the trail I see. I can only be who I am... Those that admire such a way of going can choose to follow a similar path for themselves... or choose something different. That is their Right.
A closing thought about the current club we are all being beaten with...
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
-Martin Niemöller,
Take the basis of that thought... and apply it to parts of your own life... and mine.
First they took from the Billionaires...
But I had no billions so I let them defend themselves.
Then they came for the Millionaires wealth...
But I had no millions so I stayed silent...
Then they came for the wages of the common man...
... but all those with enough power to stop them... were gone.
If you do not defend the Right of Property, and the Right to hold the fruits of their labors... of those who have far more than you... your own Rights and property are indefensible.
If you fail to stand up and defend the Right of a person to hold beliefs contrary to your own... your own beliefs are indefensible.
To not stand on these two principles as you rail loudly for your own Rights... You join the ranks of Hypocrisy.
Governments are not different, not ANY of them... except in degree. They are primarily gangs of thieves. The best of them, left unrestrained, ALL eventually degenerate into the same thing; A disgusting cabal of vultures, caring not for the welfare of that upon which they feed... fighting only for THEIR SHARE OF THE CARCASS.
This is going to be a good year. I am aware of the vultures. I have little fear of them. They are cowards. I know how to avoid them. I know where my Joy and My Freedom live, and By God I'm gonna harvest my fair share again This Year.
I'm hopeful I won't be hunting laughter and the riches of Freedom alone
Ridin' Free with my Nose in the Wind
Brian
A broken down Ol' Cowboy goin' RV Boondocking ...
...and Yondering, to the beat of a different Biker Cowboy Drummer
9 comments:
Right on..... The politicians are the distributors of your/my wages. Those wishing free circuses and food now out number the workers. So guess which way the cookie will continue to crumble.
The middle class has been in decline since 1971. cc
"But all those with enough power to stop them were gone" ??
Fred; a little poetic license there. ;) The point was/is, since we didn't/don't defend the Rights of those who have achieved highly in financial terms; and since their success tends to grant them greater power inside the "system" than we get; It is highly unlikely that we will see any of them stand in our defense. They are "gone" to us. We have been divided and conquered. Now rather than Governed... We are ruled. Big differrence.
Well, I think I see your point, although I have a few questions.
Weren't we already divided from the billionaires, at least those like the Koch brothers. Maybe not the likes of Gates and Buffet.
And wasn't it *always* highly unlikely that the billionaires (the greedy ones) would ever stand in our defense, why would they?
Is this the best argument in favor of not raising taxes on the richest?
The old slippery slope argument is an unreliable one. Sometimes the slope is quite sticky! Even though I have no millions, and never will, I would not stay silent if taxes were to be raised for millionaires.
Is raising (the historically quite low ) taxes on billionaires a government plot to subjugate us all, or a way to make society a bit fairer and redress the balance that has swung too far in the direction of the super-rich who try to make their own rules and rig the system to keep the rest of us in our place.
BTW, I would support a simple flat tax, because I think it is simpler and fairer.
Divided, yep we sure are, the level of fear and hatred of liberal for conservative, and vice-versa is pretty high. So what else is new?
Martin; my point is mostly, unless you defend equally, you are wrong. Gov't should "provide" equally to all, irrespective of gender, race, income etc. We should all pay basically the same to be a member of the club. That is the fairness. I would also prefer a flat tax, but in the form of a general and very low, sales tax. No forms. Little ability to dodge it. If you don't want to pay, do without. The more you buy the more you pay. Far simpler than the corrupt, loophole riddled mess we have now. "Progressive" systems like we have now also simply punish productivity. The more you create, the less reward you earn. Is partly why the founding fathers explicitly prohibited a progressive tax.
Martin; I also don't release the rich from a moral requirement for ethical and honorable behavior. I only say when it comes to gov't it should be "equal protection" under the law.
And yes many rich are dogs... But honestly? I don't believe the poor or middle class are mysteriously imbued with a higher level of honor and integrity. They just tend to end up in jail more often when they steal!
Wow....Was starting to think i was the only one seeing the real deal again! This life is certainly changing fast and NOT good! Always looking for the silver lining. Full-timing
hhas changed to a costly way tto live in the east now from tthree or four years ago! But aa house...forget it!!! BiLL
I'm glad you inserted the "mostly", you can obviously see that strict equality is not always right. I agree its a good place to start from though.
Yes, sales tax rather than income tax, much fairer. And simpler, yes, much simpler, but plenty of scope for complexifying it, really slippery slopes once that starts...
I assume you mean "the more you create, the less *additional* reward you earn", in which case, I agree, and that is a disincentive for creating or producing. I didn't know that the founding fathers explicitly prohibited a progressive tax. BTW, I could launch off on a tangent about whether what the founding fathers did or didn't say is not necessarily a conclusive reason for anything well over 200 years later. But lets leave that can of worms lay!)
I think you and I and most sane, sensible, decent people agree on the concepts of fairness, and equality, etc. But then there are the special cases, and complexities, and finer details, and how to handle them, and that is where we all start to diverge.
For example, we should all pay basically the same to be a member of the club. OK, that's fair, but is that the same in dollar terms, or the same in percentage of income terms, or the same in the amount of effort we have to expend.
And then how do we decide on what membership of the club entitles us to? What sort of benefits and obligations are involved?
Ad so the lawyers and politicians and lobbyists, and others get involved and even if they were all well-meaning (they are mostly not) we end up with a huge complex, slow to react, system which doesn't achieve equality in the end.
It's all fascinating and important stuff, and I'm grateful for people like you who contribute to the dialogue (and take the time to reply to my comments!) My knee-jerk reaction is to disagree with a lot of what you say, but in fact, the more I think about it, the less I disagree fundamentally. I think that's the trouble I always found with sermons. they always seem to oversimplify issues, so as a skeptic I immediately start to pick holes, and them I probably miss the point...
Anyway, I've wittered on long enough, and its getting late here on the other side of the pond, cheers!
Nothing would do more to move toward curing most of the economic ills of this country than sending the illegal aliens home.
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