WE EVEN TORTURE OURSELVES

TORTURE IS NOT KOSHER

Whether it is for some "good" reason or not, torture is a crime.

Whether we do it or our allies like Syria or Turkey or Israel do it with our encouragement, it is no better than if Saddam or Amin did it. Why isn't Idi Amin in jail? Why don't we stop Israel's use of the nastiest of terrorism? Why do we do it, and say we don't?

At least when a third-rate murderous dictator does it, he know he is a rat, and that his calling of despot allows him to be an honest criminal. When we do it or allow it, we despoil our own image and character by sinking to the lowest common denominator: thus making more enemies who will assume a moral superiority, inventing another unethical excuse to terrorize more innocents.

Governments are the most prevalent terrorists, and the source of most of the rest. I believe that western treatment of Palestine was a major factor in the Twin Towers, and it is a matter of fairness, even to ourselves, that we address the oppression and genocide we sponsor there and everywhere.

If we torture them, they will do it to us. Saying that the other was the first is not relevant. Only the one who stops first will lead in ethical and moral peace.

We are not the moral or ethical heroes right now, and it will get worse for us before we learn to stop torturing.

Stop it.

-30-bobby

NEO-DIXIE TURNCOATS

THE REASONS WE LOOK ASKANCE

The ole Dixicrat tradition is still here in the form of those who think the same, do the same, and in fact some of them are the same people.

They and their offspring and converts are under cover in respectable company where they don't need to care about common welfare or provide wise and future compatible leadership. They don't see the bother to associate with common people or those dirty minorities.

What they don't see is that the minority is themselves. Color and zeno-ethnics abound and biggots everywhere don't understand that everyone is in only one majority group: humans failing to revere life and peace for their own survival.

They all beleive we will fight to the top and command others--ain't so. The only way we will survive is to quit the bigot lie of domination and begin to trade fairely. Not to trade with phony Free Trade Treaties where the bully rules the weak.

People are the only economic resource there is, and the only reason we need the other, or secondary, resources is to enjoy life on earth together. Not separately, not one over another, but as co-habitants.

We are Earthlings and don't have any answers yet that really matter. We invent our own idiotic religions, politics, and economics.

OK, they seem real. But wait until another brainless genius decides he wants to rule the world. Boom! All gone. Gone.

So what good is it, if respectable reality is the destruction of civilization? Not much good if it commits universal genocide.

What do you want to bet that fat leaders don't survive in that world as well as common aboriginal types, and you know, them "minorities".

-30-bobby

OUTSOURCE THIS!

PRIVATIZING FOR DOLLARS

The other night I was listening to KPFT FM, 90.1. On this show they were discussing how the jails were the slave camps of today, how private jails use Black inmates as economic resources. They went on about several points-pretty good points, too-that were centered on the economic exploitation during the pre-Civil and post-WWII and how it had transformed into outsourcing and privatizing the jails, etc.

There were not many novel concepts between the guests, but it was pretty good. People called in, so did I.

I said that I would connect a few points, and proceded to explain my idea of how slaves were dependent on the master or institution for the food and shelter and support of the entire slave household, cradle to grave. After Emancipation, the former slaves became private contractors, or contract labor. I compared this shift to the outsourcing or privatizing.

This change relieved the institution of raising the capitol--the slave being considered an asset, it had to be maintained and the new issue babies were fed and raised for years before they could be exploited for capital benefit. Now, since the emancipated adult was paid a "minimum wage", he was the outsourced contractor who was also the venture capitalist rearing his own replacement. The employer was free of responsibility of the family, and in effect, was now leasing instead of owning.

They laughed because the idea had not occured to them in that way before-yet they had described the pain of being owned many times.

To me, it was a parallel to privatizing and outsourcing, where the institution is relieved of accountability for the welfare of its human resources, yet can claim great efficiencies on that same foundation of irresponsibility. We pay the price, but the corporation-the embodiment of diffused responsibility-collects the profit.

The moral is, don't expect the obvious except that the more it changes it gets more of the same.

And it is a mistake to blame slavery on Europe. That has been a long tradition which we look at with the wrong end of a microscope.

There is slavery today, and I hate it, and it is world wide and it is not all a black and white occurance. I hate every instance of it.

But I try to see it as what it is: economic prison and rape of humanity. Capital investment in class warfare, and dehumanizing exploitation by unaccountable accountants.

-30-bobby

'OUR ADOPTED CHINESE BABY HAS A JOB AT NIKE'

THE USES OF TYRANNY WE IGNORE

We ignore the human rights abuses we support abroad because we get cheap auto parts or a DVD player for 29.99 plus 37.50 for 24 months parts and labor.

We let our country embarrass us with assassinations and violent mass larceny and insane personal atrocities that we never see on the news because the sponsor of the news is selling the arms and pumping the well.

Guantanamo torturees finally succeed in suicide after four years of hopeless hell, then our overpaid administration spin artists and generals call it a Public Relations Stunt.

The drive time crowd listens to pardoned felons and fat pill snorters to get the latest stock market and bigot report, while the Marine with one lung is billed for his damaged body armor.

A Quarter of a Million iraQis have perished defending their country from poor dropout Guardsmen under orders from Viet Nam deferment-wonder boys who spent the last decade berating Bill Clinton.

We all should fly our flags at half-staff or inverted for distress.

We are spoiled infantile citizens who don't even vote at a third rate rate. And we don't care, cause we got gas.

War has only one enemy: people. One enemy and one victim.

-30-bobby

ART GIANT

LUIS JIMENEZ

Yesterday Luis Jimenez died doing what he loved to do. He was working on art in his studio.

He taught and helped everyone who asked. He worked and created art and artists with zeal.

He helped me and I will miss his help and his presence at UH in the spring.
No person who finished his premier life drawing class will ever be the same because they were taught to work outside their comfort zone-or else. He showed up from New Mexico at 11 on Wednesdays and taught six hours of intense life drawing to beginners and graduates alike.

He trusted me for years to arrange for models and to be his model. He was modest about his stature and talked directly and frankly to everyone. He did not slack off or allow slackers off. He was a great person and a powerful teacher.

Mr Luis Jimenez. Thank you.

-30-bobby

w Torture

THE PROBLEM WITH HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are a huge inconvienence to governments. It gets in the way of abuse, rape and pillage.

Not that it impeded gov'ts much up to now. It makes it hard to fleece for taxes and lock up and exploit and murder, so the less of HR we get, the more secure gvts feel. They don't really feel, you understand, but they feel that they do.

Palistine is a major reason for twin towers. Sudan is genocide. China recruits yahoo or google. g bush reads your library card and your SIM card. They feel secure that way. I or you do not.

They trust no one, and therefore no one can trust them, except to excede their authority. Any nonrespect of any individual is exceding their authority.

In this country we are happy. We have cable and a cell phone. It only makes it easier for them to read your mail and mind.

We are lazy. Write your congressman and vote against proto-Stalinism before proto-facism gets any more the norm. The Senate is sometimes more sensible; write there, too.

If you can think, you threaten despots and politicians.

So think.

-30-bobby

BALL JOINT, OIL SLICK

THIS TIME I ONLY MEANT TO CHANGE THE BALL JOINT AND ADJUST THE TRANSMISSION, BUT I HAD TO GET CURIOUS....

Up on the lift and take out the ball joint on the driver's side. A ball joint is like the femur or shoulder ball and socket joint, made so the limb can swivel about: in this case the A-frame only up and down at the chassis, but the outboard ball joint does that and allows the wheel to steer side to side. I used a tool that looks like a C-clamp with some hollow spacers which can be arranged to force out the ball joint, then, in another arrangement, can press a new one in. I painted the parts that were rusty and put the spindle and disc brake and tie rod end, another form of ball joint, all back in a very sanitary looking package.

Now, to adjust an automatic transmission there are a couple of threaded rods like screws that are each locked in place by a nut on the side of the transmission. The idea is to loosen the nut on the 3-4 gear band adjuster and tighten the adjuster rod with a torque wrench to 10 foot-pounds, then turn it back exactly 2 turns and retighten the locknut. Repeat the steps for the overdrive band.

But I had the idea that I would remove the adjuster to see what the other end looked like. As it backed out I hear a klunk! inside the tranmission. There are eighteen bolts holding on the bottom pan, and about a gallon and a half of oil to remove in order to see what I had dropped inside. There are no drain plugs on most automatic transmissions, so the oil just pours around the loosened pan bolts. That wastes oil and makes a big mess. I drilled a small hole in the front corner of the pan and drained it into a clean pan. Then the 18 pan screws came out and I carefully removed the pan and gasket and cleaned them.

I found a bolt, 6mm, about 3/4 inch long, and a nut with a washer side on it, flat. I got a bolt to fit, then pulled the nut through the hole and a deep socket so that it deformed the pan into the hex nut shape. With the washer side out, then, I soldered it into the pan like a drain-hole. With a plastic washer and a bolt, I had a nice drain. All I had to do was put it back and fill the oil up. It worked just fine.

Only took about four hours.

-30-bobby

Elephant Safari

WE ARE GOOD

We are good people who interact at our own peril.

Staying good requires learning.

We hope we keep learning.

Sometimes we learn in reverse.

-30-bobby

Elephant Safari

GOT NEW OLD STEERING-BUT NO PARTY

In the last episode we were going to the Dem State Convention.

We fixed the van like we said, but we didn't get anyone to ride and share the cheap gas we are fighting for in Iraq.

No takers this trip. But in two years there will be a lot of people just chomping big cigars to even be a delegate. That is my main reason to go now, to be a regular for next time.

There has been written a book about who is really screwing America. The list is not long, but it is mostly persons, companys, and institutions associated with this administration. Democrats are in there and they are mostly guilty of not doing what any loyal opposition would do.

Waiting for the Republicans to commit suicide is not our job.

Our job is to give a little push, with a dash of cyanide.

We need progress. In the meantime, and I mean mean, we need to oppose the corruption.

Somebody must know where the bodies are buried. That might explain a lot of inaction.

Next time, if we make it that far.

-30-bobby

Elephant Safari

LIFE IS NOT ALL POLITICKS: i NEED SOME KICKS

If at the end of the week is the State Democratic Convention, I gotta git ready. Today I woke up at 0430 cause I went to sleep at 2200.

I saw two or three TCM movies while reading about Mr & Mrs A. Natomy at Body World 3. Wish I wuz Mr Natomy: dream job for me.

Iwent to the park, rode the Raliegh, went on the // bars for 35 mins (700 sit ups) while reading the Friday funnies. Did 33 chin-ups, stood on my head, went to weigh (159.7).

Next, I'll take a shower and go to Lambert's West Orem Auto Clinic. I'll stop at the car wash and clean up the parts: a complete rack & pinion steering unit for my van. At Lambert's I'll put the 192,000 mi, 1986 Aerostar on the lift, remove the rack and replace it with the new one from Pick a Part. I'll drain and replace the antifreeze, and check the AC hose. Yesterday I replaced and repaired some trailer light conontroller stuff, etc. Last week I re wired the whole trailer with LED tail litghts, in vinyl PVC tubing conduit.

Maybe I'll not go to the Dem Confab, but I'll be ready.

I have realized that some people are not directed, which has been pointed out by some of my friends, mostly indirectly. If I listen, it will be a redirection or focus. It seems that many good people eschew unfocused good people.

Next: shower...then...

-30-bobby

Elephant Safari

WE CONVENE IN FORT WORTH, THEN CAVE IN FORT WASHINGTON

Democrats will meet next week in Ft Worth to rubberize some resolutions and a State platform. I am a delegate.

The effort will replicate itself over at the state reptile headquarters, date unknown, in a more severe and anti-democratic vein.

Somewhere soon the Greens will meet to actually deal with issues in more direct language than is allowed at the major conventions. Greens are actually acting in ways Dems should be, but they are too timid.

We need the Greens to win a big share of offices so that Dems will be jolted into action. What if Greens won ten Senate seats and forced Republicans to face opposition? What if Democrats had to work with a coalition in order to BEAT STUPID BILLS DOWN AND WRITE SENSIBLE LEGISLATION FOR A CHANGE?

Well, that should happen, but it won't. The two party system has Microsofted its way into the monopolistic operating system which is too lazy to compete, so it just makes life impossible for other party-dot-coms to vie.

My idea of a democracy is where parties can come up and go down as their relevence fluctuates. As popular new parties gain a foothold, the Big Two have to pay attention to stay Big.

Making it impossible to get on the ballot is the bullies' way of not having to face real reform or accountability. It is lazy and unethical.

But what was I thinking? These are politicians in control, why would honest competition be an option?

Because it is the statesmanly thing to do, to let the Greens and others contribute to the process that we must rely on to exist in a sustainable concept of human society.

Devolution is the product of lack of effort. Evolution is to stay viable, accountable, adaptive.

Democrats cannot win by pretending that Reptiles are warm-blooded thinkers. We need the Greens to energize our brain cells, to call us, as well as the Red-Bait, into account.

-30-bobby