clarity is so exciting... dandy may be taking me to task without knowing it (and that might make sense as time goes by, but for now I shall leave it at that cuz it's more fun this way, for me at least), but I add this (and the above) to this entry simply to celebrate the connection, whatever it may become...

I'll be back to add a couple of links to the above to enhance whatever it means, maybe... that is, maybe the meaning will be enhanced or maybe I'll be back to add a couple of links or maybe both, or maybe one... that is, maybe one link or maybe one the two options... permutations make the possibilities are endless, or even infinite...

and now, the entry that was not uploaded yesterday because I wanted to give you all more time to find your way back from your Happy New Year to read my Happy New Year entry... if you didn't, well, you know the drill...

for reasons deep and wonderful, I wanted to start the first entry of the new year off with a mention, a tribute, a few fine words about one of my favoritest favorite diaries... I so love the way Clarity has given us herself in words and images for almost two years now and if you have not read a diary from cover to cover yet and are looking for one worth that much time, her archives are where I'd recommend you start... for me, she epitomizes what a personal diary is about... her photos are gone now, but the words are still very much there and the best reason for reading...

but before you get the idea that this may be another glowing report of my browsing through some of your wonderful diaries (various aspects of me will have to fall in love with you, you, or you at some future date, alas) for I wish to challenge your brains today...

oh maybe I'll ramble on about more amusing concepts later on, but right now it is time to ponder even more vast possibilities and connections than the fantasies you inspire...

yes, religion and politics...

most seriously...

I want to share a couple of articles I think everyone should read... they crossed the path of my vision recently and both might be considered controversial, but both contain what I think are vitally important thoughts that every human being on this planet should think about with an open mind... the first borders on what most people would probably call science fiction... I'll remind you that traveling into space, video cell phones, even computers were science fiction not long ago...

ok, let's start with religion, or more accurately, spirituality and science... specifically, I refer you to Harry Stottle's Conversation with God...

go read...

I dare you, no matter what your theological beliefs, to open your mind and just consider the possibilities... consider the science, the logic, the possibility that some of the conversation might have actually occured or at the very least and most important, that some of the concepts discussed in the conversation might be true...

ask yourself this - why would a good, loving, all-powerful, omnipresent, all knowing God let so much pain and suffering go on in this world if it was not to teach us something that we need to know in order to survive as a species, in order for our children�s children's children to survive?...

what is it we are to learn in this life?...

and why?...

and dance!...

and then, after you've danced, and spent a while, at least an hour or more if you can spare it, contemplating your role in the master plan for this universe, I offer you the following thoughts about U.S. politics and world affairs for $100 (ok, cheap Jeopardy reference to lighten the mood cuz I'm gonna get all left wing hippie on you soon) from the 2005 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature (ironically, another Harold, wait, you want to know who he is, right?... well before I quote him, here is the Nobel Prize committee's introduction to him):

Harold Pinter has written twenty-nine plays including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming, and Betrayal, twenty-one screenplays including The Servant, The Go-Between and The French Lieutenant's Woman, and directed twenty-seven theatre productions, including James Joyce's Exiles, David Mamet's Oleanna, seven plays by Simon Gray and many of his own plays including his latest, Celebration, paired with his first, The Room at The Almeida Theatre, London in the spring of 2000.

He has been awarded the Shakespeare Prize (Hamburg), the European Prize for Literature (Vienna), the Pirandello Prize (Palermo), the David Cohen British Literature Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award and the Moliere D'Honneur for lifetime achievement. In 1999 he was made a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature. He has received honorary degrees from fourteen universities.

seriously, think about what the man is saying...

first off, my opinion (you don't shoot radicals, do you?)...

I firmly believe that his entire Nobel Prize acceptance speech should be required reading for any history, political science, or economics student anywhere and in fact, I feel it should be required reading for anyone earning a high school diploma anywhere in the world... it discusses the manipulation of recorded history by the powers that be in the world at any given time in history and most especially looks at the actions of the United states in the 20th century and how history has already recorded, or not recorded, these actions...

I believe Harold Pinter is a patriot of his country and he loves his country as I love mine, not blindly at the expense of humanity, but holding to the ideals that the country was founded on truths we call liberty, equality, and justice (which I hope is about fairness)... I believe he is one more person who will be labeled subversive or worse by those in power who have very specific agendas that rule out an open airing of the facts... I believe he is one more person, as am I, who is not merely a patriot of humanity, but genuinely wishes to be proud of what his government and his country stands for and in this world...

here are some excerpts that I would like to remember:

"Everyone knows what happened in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe during the post-war period: the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought. All this has been fully documented and verified.

But my contention here is that the US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognized as crimes at all. I believe this must be addressed and that the truth has considerable bearing on where the world stands now."

"The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.

Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn't know it."

"The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading � as a last resort � all other justifications having failed to justify themselves � as liberation."

"How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice. But Bush has been clever. He has not ratified the International Criminal Court of Justice. Therefore if any American soldier or for that matter politician finds himself in the dock Bush has warned that he will send in the marines. But Tony Blair has ratified the Court and is therefore available for prosecution. We can let the Court have his address if they're interested. It is Number 10, Downing Street, London."

Harold Pinter

excerpts from his acceptance speech for the
2005 Noble Prize for Literature
� THE NOBEL FOUNDATION 2005

now go read about how our government manages history and opposed democracy in Haiti...

in other news, I give you a few thoughts on a few thoughts inspired by the thoughts above and other thoughts I found in other writings (that I will, of course, link, because linking with sincere praise does generate positive karmic points, after all, and a bit of teasing pomp and circumstance couldn't hurt either) and scattered corners of my mind...

speaking of karmic points (what a coincidence, eh?), his-holiness says I'm a ponzi scheme for karmic points... I love that sort of insight and humor (cuz I'm really not a fraudulent investment operation, I mean, unless you want to send me money and then I'll be happy to look into it... ponzi schemes, I mean... after all, it does work for the government {it's called the Social Security system} and many retirement plans, after all, but then again, the government has always been able to get away with breaking the law where the individual citizen often can not get away with the same behavior... have I lost you yet?), cuz I am most sincere in my attempt to send you more karmic points than you send me, or at least reach a balance if you send an amazing amount, so I ponder the possibilities and ramifications as I encourage you to go visit the pope, or at least his-holiness...

of course it could be that he teased me with a pay site (and I've never paid for a pay site but this one is so tempting and I wish I had the idea myself) that has me exclaiming (in camp 60's cartoony crime-fighting style) holy orgasm, batman!...

now that's what I call an rpg (laughter abouds)...

and speaking of war and peace and and the joys of masturbation (not to mention great people caught up in the madness of power hungry politicians), I send you (and love) to bluemeany (and would even without the Beatle's reference)... I mean, in spite of her continued ability to not notice that I so belong among the holy order of the unfukd, I love the way she's reported on the Iraq mess from the inside and will hoot and cheer her when she gets back to the states in a few days...

while I agree largely with Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter's perspective on the whole U.S. involvement in Iraq and other countries throughout the second half of the 20th century, I wish every person sent over there a safe and quick return home and thank them for their willingness to put their life on the line when and if we need to defend our homes and way of life from anyone invading our land...

I so deeply wish bluemeany smooth transitions through the challenges and changes 2006 may bring and the start of the best chapter of her life so far (and that's not just brown nosing the master of ceremonies of the priori of the unfukd cuz as you all know, I would never stoop to such superficial pretense merely to stretch a tease out a bit further)... all teasing aside - go tell her you love her on January 4th... and 5th... and 6th... and a few more times in the next few weeks cuz she deserves it as much as anyone on the planet...

and now, in closing (I think, maybe we all need to read some of Eric Anthony's tortured wisdoms...

. o O ( NOTES ARE THE NEW HAPPY PILL ) O o .
(just let me know you were here)