Month: September 2012

Poem #1–1968

In case you are new to Opus Civis…it is a political and economic blog….but I have a bad taste in my mouth with this election….to call it a classic theater of the absurd would be disingenuous on my part…..it is a joke, the election that is, a pathetic and nauseating exercise in futility…..and for that reason I have decided to post some of the poems from my youth.  I gave up poetry years ago and have never looked back.

This one is the second poem that I ever wrote…..1968.  Poetry was my war time coping exercise….also about this time I thought that I could be a song writer, a lyricist….in the vain of Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen………so keep that in mind when reading it…….a young man and his fantasies, huh?

Listen

PEOPLE!  Listen and you will hear

a cry so small, but all to near,

a cry so weak, and full of fear,

a cry so bitter, yet sincere.

If you listen open and long

to the utterings thru the earth,

you will see the way to help,

so that humans will have rebirth.

A cry of a poor men, near and far,

cries so small, but all so near,

a cry in darkness, yet with hope,

a cry so small, but all to near.

If you listen open and long

to the utterings thru the earth,

you will see the way to help,

so that humans have rebirth.

A cry of strain, broken by war,

a cry so weak and full of fear,

a cry of lost, for dead loved ones,

a cry so weak and full of fear.

If you listen open and long

to these utterings thru the earth,

you will see the way to help,

so that humans have rebirth.

A cry of protest against man’s wrongs,

a cry so bitter, yet sincere,

a cry of hope, from very young,

a cry so bitter, yet sincere.

If you listen open and long

to these utterings thru the earth,

you will see the way to help,

so that humans will have rebirth.

PEOPLE!  Listen and you will hear

a cry so small, but all too near,

a cry so weak and full of fear,

a cry so bitter yet sincere.

PEOPLE JUST LISTEN!

10/10/68

How did I do….please be kind….I have a fragile psyche……LOL

Time To Go!

We have heard the crap being slung about the deaths in Libya…….All the posturing by both candidates (I would use their names but why/)…all the outrage, most of which is just campaign BS…..we have heard what the slag holes on talk radio thinks…most of them would not know a Libyan if one was stand next to them…….Egypt has been condemned and a lot of hot air about the Muslim Brotherhood winning the election…but the one thing they have overlooked is that they were ELECTED…..if the right wing blowholes want democracy then they need to support the will of the people….

But I digress…..these same dipsticks have tried to put a jinx on the Libyans because of the attacks……but Libya is doing something about the attacks and the ones that may have committed it…..

(Newser) – Libya is working to drive out more armed groups after protesters’ success against a militia blamed in the death of US ambassador Chris Stevens. Authorities have told “all illegitimate militias” they’ve got two days to “be removed from compounds and hand over their weapons to the national army,” says a defense ministry spokesman. Over the weekend, protesters took over three militia bases; 11 people were killed in the process, the Guardian reports. “What happened was a big mess,” says army commander General Hamad Belkhair. “But it has left the government clearly in control of the streets.”

Some militias are taking heed of the government’s warnings, announcing they’re calling it quits amid the backlash. Those groups include Ansar al-Sharia, blamed in Stevens’ death. But others haven’t given up; Belkhair was kidnapped for six hours on Saturday and finally released safely. Meanwhile, the attack on the US consulate earlier this month has created a roadblock for US intelligence efforts: Some dozen CIA agents and contractors were among those evacuated from Benghazi following the attack, the New York Times reports. “It’s a catastrophic intelligence loss,” says a US official, even as the region grows more volatile. “We got our eyes poked out.”

Of course nothing they, Arab leaders, can do will be enough to silence blowholes and morons….

Stereotyping Is Such BS!

It has been over a week since all the hoopla started in the ME…….I have been listening to all the pundits analyze what is happening in the Middle East as I type……..conservs like Morning Joe are saying flat out that Muslims hate us….libs are begging for understanding……

I will weigh in…..Arabs do NOT hate us, at least when I was in the ME I did not find this….yes, they do appreciate the government and some of their ideas for what is important in the region….but they do NOT hate just because you are an American.  We have all these people fanning the flames by making blanket statements…most of which are LIES!  Yes, there are those groups that preach hatred of the US….but only a small amount of people take them seriously……And yes, some average Arabs will throw rocks at the embassy….but most of that is out of frustration more than hatred.

The problem is that too many Americans will let someone form their opinions for them……not one media pundit is held responsible for the lies they spread….okay someone will fact check them but that is about as far as it goes……and then they allow a war hawk like Dan Senor to spout his crap and NO one challenges him on his “mis-statements”….I would use lies but I want to be kind…

There is the problem….Americans like categorizing people….it is easier than learning the truth…….so because few people know anything about Muslims then they must be the bad guy…..Stereotyping in any form is just plain wrong and LAZY!

(Newser) – When the first Mideast protests started this week, the storyline went something like this: “Crude anti-Islam film made by Israeli-American and funded by Jews leads to Muslim protests that boil over, causing four American deaths in Libya,” writes Robert Wright at the Atlantic. Already, we’ve learned that the “Israeli-American” identified as Sam Bacile is probably a Coptic Christian named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. His Innocence of Muslimsfilm wasn’t funded by Jews and it may have had nothing to do with the American deaths: Libya looks more and more like a well-planned terrorist attack, “not spontaneous mob violence.”

The early narrative was embraced because it “fit so nicely into some common stereotypes—about crazy Muslims who get whipped into a death frenzy at the drop of a hat, about the backstage machinations of Jews, and about the natural tension between Muslims and Jews,” says Wright. Expect more misconceptions to fall by the wayside—don’t judge Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi too quickly, for example, until you remember the minefield of domestic politics he has to navigate. And be wary of “letting simplistic mental templates continue to shape the story.” Read Wright’s full essay here.

Conservs are the worse……since it fits nicely into the bogus narrative they have on the Middle East…..stereotyping is the easiest way to make their case against any group of people…in this case……….The Arabs.  Just keep in mind Europe in the 1930’s when another ethnic group was being stereotyping and demonization.

Why The Hub-Bub About Boobs?

By now and especially if you are one of those that lives an breathes the gossipy crap on the internet, you know that the royal was caught with her boobs on display…all the law suit crap and all the indignation over having her boobs photographed…….me?  I do not give two shakes in Hell about her boobs, but the rest of the world is fascinated.

I have a bit of advice for the lady…….her hubby’s momma was killed trying to get away from the parasites….and the world is fascinated by her two boys……what did they think would happen?  Second, this would NOT happen if she had kept her clothes on……it is all that simple…but it looks like since they are the royals that the world should stop for them and give them all the latitude they desire…..bollocks!

With all the said I then ask….why the Hell all the taboo over breasts?

Brain Palmer of Slate.com has answered that question for me….saves a bbunch of Googling on my part….thanx Brian……

Probably around 3,000 years ago. Women are displayed with exposed breasts in Minoan artwork from 1500 B.C. Some historians believe that these ancient women went topless only during religious rituals—bare-breasted, buxom goddesses have been worshipped since the dawn of civilization—but some of the artworks depict everyday activities, suggesting that bare breasts may have been commonplace. Just across the Mediterranean, ancient Egyptian women sported elaborate dresses that could either cover the breasts or leave them exposed, depending on the whim of the designer. Over the next few centuries, however, breasts become strictly private parts. Ancient Athenian women were wearing flowing, multilayered robes that concealed the shape of the bosom by the middle of the first millennium B.C. Spartan attire was more risqué, exposing the female thigh, but breasts were always covered.

A series of sculptures suggests that even Greek goddesses became more bashful about their breasts during this period. Aphrodite of Cnidus, sculpted by Praxiteles of Athens in the fourth century B.C., depicts the nude goddess covering her genitals but leaving her bosom exposed. In copycat statues sculpted over the next several centuries, however, the goddess uses her other hand to cover a breast as well. The evolution of these Venus pudica sculptures strongly suggests that the ancients had come to feel that modesty required covering the breasts.

It’s not entirely clear why bare breasts became verboten in ancient Greece, but some historians think it had to do with the changing roles of women. As the centuries progressed, ancient Athens became an increasingly patriarchal society. Women retreated into the home, rarely emerging in public, and lived under the dominion of their fathers or husbands. Because the breast had long been a symbol of feminine fertility, it had to be kept from view.

Under the influence of the Bible and ancient Greek and Roman traditions, Western women kept their breasts concealed beneath loose-fitting garb for more than a millennium. The French aristocracy was the first to challenge the taboo. During the 1300s, necklines began to plunge and clothing became tighter, exposing the shape of the breast. Agnès Soler, the mistress to French King Charles VII, shocked the court by appearing in a painting with one breast fully exposed in the late 1400s. The most provocative ladies of Venice and England are said to have walked the streets bare-breasted in the following century. There are even hints that Queen Elizabeth I herself exposed all or nearly all of her breasts to guests, which, if true, might provide some comfort to the young Duchess of Cambridge. But the trend was temporary, and the general prohibition on bare breasts in European society was firmly entrenched again by the 1600s.

Personally, I think it is a shame to cover such a magnificent thing as the breast….OK, that may sound sexist and chauvinistic, but I like breasts, big natural breast…..

I must end it here….I need to put on some soothing music and take advantage of myself……TTFN!

The Republic Of West Florida

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Early American History

Today is the 202th anniversary of the Free & Independent Republic Of West Florida

We have all heard of the “Lone Star” state, aka Texas, a point that will be disputed later……..we hear about the pride that Texans have about their independence and their spirit of  history……all that is good but there is another group that needs to been given these characteristics…unfortunately the area I refer to has done little to embrace their history….other than some damn silly notion about the Confederacy.  There is more that they need to know and more that they need to teach about their history……..

The history of West Florida is a tale of deception and intrigue. The territory changed hands frequently, passing from France to Great Britain and then to Spain. Spain hoped to encourage settlement in West Florida and offered huge grants of land to immigrants. West Florida soon became home to an eclectic mix of settlers and scoundrels. Colonists who had opposed the American Revolution found sanctuary in West Florida. So did American land speculators, criminals and army deserters.

Although the population was largely Anglo-American, West Florida remained loyal to Spain. In 1804, the inhabitants of West Florida had helped to quell an uprising instigated by three American brothers.

From America’s Historical Newspapers (Click image to read full article)

In 1808, however, Napoleon Bonaparte deposed King Ferdinand VII of Spain and placed his brother Joseph on the throne. Colonists had no loyalty to Bonaparte.

On July 25, 1810, a group of West Florida settlers organized a convention to discuss their grievances with the Spanish government and work for reform.

Although the governor of Florida had sanctioned the convention, he refused to implement any of the suggested reforms.

From America’s Historical Newspapers (Click image to read full article)

In the early morning hours of September 23, 1810, a group of armed settlers led by Philemon Thomas attacked the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge. After a brief skirmish, the attackers took control of the fort. Three days later, the Republic of West Florida declared its independence.

The declaration perfectly suited President James Madison. Madison, like his predecessor Thomas Jefferson, had long hoped to acquire West Florida for the United States. Madison believed that West Florida, as a former French possession, belonged to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

The following is a short historical perspective written by Ann Gilbert for Inside Northside Magazine………….

Spain vigorously denied this claim, and attempts by the United States to purchase West Florida failed. On October 27, 1810, Madison issued a proclamation annexing West Florida.  He ordered troops into West Florida, ostensibly to keep it from falling into the hands of Great Britain. The United States military fully occupied the territory on December 10.  Spain and its ally Great Britain were too occupied with war in Europe to contest the American action.

For seven long years, social chaos, crime and political unrest continued in West Florida. Then on June 23, 1810, some 500 inhabitants of Feliciana, all Spanish subjects, gathered at Egypt Plantation. Newspaper reporter Stanley C. Arthur wrote in his 1935 book, “The Story of the West Florida Rebellion,” that there were only 11 dissenting votes on the decision to assume self-government.

The group elected representatives, and, with the rest of West Florida, they determined that “Spanish officers then governing the territory would be empowered to continue in office, provided they would submit to the new authority of the people.”

The rebels knew they faced the hangman’s noose or incarceration at Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba, if accused of treason, suggests Arthur. President James Madison’s papers reveal that several planters wrote to plead with him to take West Florida – or else the French or the British would return.

One figure of importance at that time was Judge Fulwar Skipwith, an American who served in France as consul general under Jefferson. He and his wife, a Flemish countess, settled in Spanish West Florida. He was named president of the new nation. Arthur says Skipwith supported the West Florida declaration of independence because “this was the best way to turn the captured province over to the United States.”

Philemon Thomas was appointed brigadier general of the West Florida troops. Governor William Claiborne would call him the “ajax of the revolution.” When the representatives gathered in July, a proposed constitution written by Skipwith was accepted. The delegates pledged loyalty to Spain’s king and governor, but also drew up a list of grievances. When they learned that the local Spanish governor had called in troops, they authorized Thomas to attack Fort San Carlos as the first step in declaring the independent Republic of West Florida.

The fort was located where the Pentagon Barracks are today, in the shadow of the state capitol building in Baton Rouge. Hyde says the insurrectionists learned there was a gap in the cypress palisades for the garrison’s dairy herd to go out to pasture. “Under cover of early morning darkness and fog, the 75 rebels caught 28 sleeping Spanish soldiers literally with their pants off and quickly forced their surrender after a fight that left two dead and five wounded,” according to a current exhibit on West Florida at SLU.

The rebels lowered the Spanish banner and raised the flag of the Republic of West Florida, a single white star on a blue background. It was Sept. 23, 1810. On Sept. 26, the convention met and declared West Florida a free and independent state.

From America’s Historical Newspapers (Click image to open)

Three days after West Florida completed the formation of its national government, the United States suddenly acted. On October 27, 1810, President James Madison issued a proclamation claiming the territory for the United States. This was done without the approval of Congress or through negotiation with either the Republic or Spain and its legality was the subject of serious question.

Madison’s actions were very controversial. He had sent military forces into the territory of a friendly nation without the consent of Congress. This was technically an act of war.

Many suspected that Madison had encouraged the revolution in West Florida. The fact that West Florida’s president Fulwar Skipwith had been American diplomat to France and political ally of both Jefferson and Madison seemed to indicate this was the case. In 1811, the western part of West Florida was attached to the Territory of Orleans, which became the State of Louisiana in 1812. The eastern sections became part of present day Mississippi and Alabama.

Short history above reprinted from Readex Blog……….written by Benjamin Hunt…….

The people of South Mississippi, Alabama counties of Baldwin and Mobile and the Florida Parishes of Louisiana should be proud of the fact that they were a separate nation apart from the US….and that they were the ORIGINAL “Lone Star” state….(sorry Texas….you were about 25 years too late)……….although the first Texas flag was called the Culpepper flag which was a blue field with a single yellow star….BTW Culpepper was part of the revolt in West Florida but moved West…….and it was the first flag flown in the Confederacy.

The area known as Republic of West Florida was illegally given to the Mississippi Territory by an illegal act of an American president that overstepped his authority!

Please make NO mistake…I am NOT some nationalistic secessionist….for the RWF did NOT secede!  It was born out of rebellion not over some issue that could not be resolved other than their freedom from foreign domination and that included the US….so to liken this to some lame secessionist movement is moronic, yes I said moronic!

The area will always be the Free & Independent Republic of West Florida.  And I live within its borders.

Redistribution?

OMG!  We have a new buzzword for the 2012 election!

Poor old Mitt has had a horrible couple of weeks since the GOP convention.  First he got overshadowed by Clint and his “easy chair” then he (Mitt) had to jump the gun on the deaths in Libya and then he made his unfortunate comment about us people who are in the 47%….those who try to exist below the poverty line………in an attempt to change the media’s conversation he made a speech using 100% so many times it became a drinking game….and now he is trying another tact by using the code word…..REDISTRIBUTION………..

But what does redistribution mean?

If you look up the word, redistribution, the definition will read “the act of redistributing”….then look up the word redistributing and you will get “redistribution”……does that clear it up for you?  Thought not!  We could use it to refer to some sort of socialism (which I believe was Mitt5’s intention)….then we would be speaking of reallocating the assets of government to help all society….in other words, redistributing wealth….this is what the code was intended by Mitt….and he uses it often in the last day or so…..and if he says it enough then maybe, just maybe, he can repair the damage of his statement about us low lifes that are moochers (sarcasm, in case you missed it)……..

But if we are honest we will realize that anytime government spends its revenue then it is a form of redistribution….but somehow I do not believe that Mitt intends it in that context.  But in Mitt’s thinking anyone that has to use public spending to keep from starvation is somehow a parasite on society……Mitt is trying hard to dispel that illusion, the statement that is more probably how he really thinks…that anyone who needs government help is lazy or a mooch or a parasite or……..on and on.

It is a bit humorous that all the benefits that the wealthy gets….all the help it gets from government some how is freedom and needed…you know like oil subsidies or bank bailouts or Olympic bailouts (something Mitt does not seem to want to mention) or…well a wealth of programs is also a redistribution….but I am sure that it will not be mentioned while bad mouthing “Those People”, a group that Mitt mentions often.

Side note:  Has anyone else noticed that Mitt, when waiting for applause to subside, gets a facial expression similar to the ones Mussolini use to get?  Just not as exaggerated as those of “Il Dulce”.  Check it out!