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Intellectual disgrace
Stares from every human face,
And the seas of pity lie
Locked and frozen in each eye.
Follow, poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night,
With your unconstraining voice
Still persuade us to rejoice.
With the farming of a verse
Make a vineyard of the curse,
Sing of human unsuccess
In a rapture of distress.
In the deserts of the heart
Let the healing fountains start,
In the prison of his days
Teach the free man how to praise.
– – WH Auden
Sometimes it seems I had a dream, and, as a dreamer woke immersed in mineral baths closed within a cool, dark chamber fed by streams flowing in from the center of nowhere.
Hanging from the granite ceiling a kerosene lantern cast shards of light through the pale steam rising from the surface of the pools.
Ripples radiated outwards from the edges of my body and tapping faintly on the rock revealed the edges of the chamber.
Outside I could hear the wind slide across the spine of the mountains, speaking in a language that I remembered but could no longer understand.
Steam filled my nostrils and heat penetrated my bones until, after a time, I had no body, only a sense of silence and distance and calm.
As if I had just woken from all water into dream.
— Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, 1973
FSA/8d22000/8d224008d22491a.tif
The steel mill sky is alive.
The fire breaks white and zigzag
shot on a gun-metal gloaming.
Man is a long time coming.
Man will yet win.
Brother may yet line up with brother:
This old anvil laughs at many broken hammers.
There are men who can’t be bought.
The fireborn are at home in fire.
The stars make no noise,
You can’t hinder the wind from blowing.
Time is a great teacher.
Who can live without hope?
In the darkness with a great bundle of grief
the people march.
In the night, and overhead a shovel of stars for keeps, the people
march:
“Where to? what next?”
— Carl Sandberg
Down valley a smoke haze
Three days heat, after five days rain
Pitch glows on the fir-cones
Across rocks and meadows
Swarms of new flies.
I cannot remember things I once read
A few friends, but they are in cities.
Drinking cold snow-water from a tin cup
Looking down for miles
Through high still air.
BY GARY SNYDER
Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Van der Leun: The Normblog Bio of Your Host
That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
—Those dying generations—at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.
An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.
O sages standing in God’s holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.
Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
– – W. B. Yeats, 1865 – 1939
Stone-cutters fighting time with marble, you foredefeated
Challengers of oblivion
Eat cynical earnings, knowing rock splits, records fall down,
The square-limbed Roman letters
Scale in the thaws, wear in the rain. The poet as well
Builds his monument mockingly;
For man will be blotted out, the blithe earth die, the brave sun
Die blind and blacken to the heart:
Yet stones have stood for a thousand years, and pained
thoughts found
The honey of peace in old poems.
— Robinson Jeffers
Sometimes it seems I had a dream, and, as a dreamer woke immersed in mineral baths closed within a cool, dark chamber fed by streams flowing in from the center of nowhere.
Hanging from the granite ceiling a kerosene lantern cast shards of light through the pale steam rising from the surface of the pools.
Ripples radiated outwards from the edges of my body and tapping faintly on the rock revealed the edges of the chamber.
Outside I could hear the wind slide across the spine of the mountains, speaking in a language that I remembered but could no longer understand.
Steam filled my nostrils and heat penetrated my bones until, after a time, I had no body, only a sense of silence and distance and calm.
As if I had just woken from all water into dream.
— Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, 1973
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Under a black flag we sail and the sea shall be our empire.
Outlaw is the way to freedom and happiness.
I have been a student of American criminals for going on 40 years. I will say, most of them are colorful guys. Funny too, and known for cracking one-liners. Take Billy the Kid. When sentenced by a judge to death, he yelled at Billy, “And you will hang until you are dead, dead, dead!” Billy yelled back at the judge, “And you can go to Hell, Hell, Hell!” Wyatt Earp—yes, he crossed the line between law and crime more than once—was about to be arrested by Sheriff John Behan, who told Earp, “I’ll see you in my office!” Earp told the sheriff, “You’d better be careful Johnny, you just might see me once too often.”
From the Western frontier shootists to the outlaws of Depression-era times, almost all were admired by the American people, Even a vicious killer like Jesse James is still respected to this day. It is difficult to find a biography of James that is not also hagiography. Oklahoma outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd was shot to death by the FBI in 1934, and then had the largest funeral in Oklahoma’s history—20,000 people attended—a record that stands to this day. Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, the Barkers—all had their admirers when they lived and after they died.
It is true that there is something of the outlaw baked into Americans’ character. I look at those who easily bend the knee or always do what they’re told or always try to stay out of trouble as somehow “un-American”: a bit weak, a bit cowardly, a bit soft.
If you don’t want trouble, then what do you want?
Quote John Turnow: Leave me alone!
https://youtu.be/TImBYpm_RBg
Loner. Explorer. Fugitive. Every American male needs to feel these for at least part of his life. And what man has never demanded to be left alone? If more people simply left other people alone most of the world’s problems would disappear.
I have been known to say, “Leave me alone.” It is never a request.
I don’t give them the chance to argue about it.
I hate fucking arguing.
I just leave and place distance between me and them.
Last time I left, 15 years ago, it cost me 1/3 of a mill.
I’m preparing to do it again.
Buddy Brown. One Buddy Brown is worth more than a congress full of interloping, commie-loving politicians when it comes to defending and promoting freedom. I listen to him weekly and daily when he publishes.
I was dumbfounded to see friends throwing their support behind Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. I had to go refresh my knowledge of what these geriatric rock stars were standing for; it seems they don’t like misinformation on Spotify! Misinformation. In other words, you have 2 kinds of information, now. You have official information, and you have disinformation. Authorized by the State information, or walk your ass off a short pier information.
You thought there were two sides to every argument, didn’t you? Slap yourself upside the head! If it ain’t State, it don’t rate! Add to the great information personalities of Tokyo Rose, and Axis Sally, the new and comely sweetheart of the airwaves…Miss Information! Applause!! Huzzahhhsss. Miss Information is here to steer you clear of thinking your own thoughts. She wants you to take the Joe Rogan horse medicine to cure the Covidz. But noooo, dear friends. You must only hear the word from the State, or you’ll get everything wrong.
Neil Young wants you to just listen to the State. Keep that in mind from here forward. This is the State that over-reports Covid deaths by 2, 3 and 4-fold, and then sells you snake oil (but demands you buy it, so I guess it isn’t really a sale, is it?). Stay away from that evil Ivermectin and Chloroquine. That shitz for farm animals.
“Stay away from that evil Ivermectin and Chloroquine. That shitz for farm animals.”
=======
Mooooooooooooo……
Took me another quarter toob this morning, just like the beginning of every month.
Either the shits been workin’, or the assholes been lyin’, maybe both, or neither. shrug
___the Raging Patriot___Outlawville, USA
Forgive my one contradiction there. I sure wish there was an edit feature. Anyway, I though the Miss Information idea was pretty good. She’s the personification of your freedom of thought. You fukn Nazi, you.
Maybe Neal Young can get a cabinet position with Brandon. He’s such a crusader for official truth and all.
At his peak he was bare minimal.
Go read the lyrics to Southern Man.
Kneel’s been a punk all his life.
I have the distinct honor of never once in my 68 years on this earth listening to a Neil Young song.
Bullshit, Mike. Bullshit. You’ve never heard “Old Man” take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you were? Never heard four dead in “Ohio?” Never heard “Cowgirl in the Sand” is this place at your command? Never heard I’ve seen “The Needle and the Damage Done?” Bullshit. Is it something I said? Neil Young is a jack ass and has been for a long time. But he’s written and performed some fantastic music. You’re probably going to parse my words and say you “heard” it but you didn’t “listen”… or something like that. There’s no fucking way you’ve never heard Neil Young. How old are you? Tell us again.
I, and most other guitar players of the era, played Needle.
I don’t know a player that hasn’t.
It’s a good acoustic stretch for the fingers, but not hard at all to pick up.
I will say however that I never knew the words to Southern Man until recently, and I never really listened to in detail. Just something playing in the background and his voice is such that he’s not very distinctly heard. Kneel’s an asswipe.
I played guitar since I was 14. During my life I have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Godins, Cordobas, Martins and so on. My favorite electric guitar was the Fender Telecaster. I played the Blues upon that magnificent creation! I never bothered with American pop, but concentrated upon Latin American guitar—and upon the nylon stringed instruments built by Jose Yacopi in Argentina. Until I developed arthritis in my hand I played and performed constantly. Nowadays I do not miss it. But oh my God, do I still love listening to the Latin American guitar!
I’m mesmerized watching guitar playing and it doesn’t matter what style as long as it has some complexity and grace. My first guitar at age 13 was a classical, cheaply bought, that I eventually ruined by putting steel strings on it and trying to mimic Jimmy Page. I really enjoy the breadth and versatility of an electric but my heart will always reach for the acoustic. I’m down to just 3 guitars now ( 1 acoustic, 1 electric-acoustic, 1 electric), the least I’ve owned in 40 years. Gave a whole trailers worth of stuff to my son about 5 years ago, even a complete 14 piece set of Mapex drums, 3 large keyboards, 3 amps, etc. etc.
Close-up finger picking is demonstrated by Jorma Kaukonen on a weekly basis in his “Quarantine” sessions ongoing since the SHTF. Jorma and his wife love masks and compliance and… vaccines, I presume… so I always skip past her monotonous introductions that go on way too long. I’ve watched a bunch of these on youtube. Jorma is quite amazing, professionally. I’ve read his autobiography and spoiler alert: he’s a jack ass, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjJEAeYOdiY
I am personally mad at Neil Young. I was working at REI, on Capitol Hill (CHAZ) in the 90s. I left work and saw a quay at one of the Grunge Bars, and asked what it was. I was infomred that it was a small concert by Neil Young, but only for invited guests. Well, farkin’ A! I spent hours reading the liner notes, and playing that Harvest Gold album on the turntable until it melted down.
He can sit on a guitar neck up about 2 feet and spin, for all I care. bastard.
I don’t get it. You’re mad at Neil because he did a small gig for invited guests, only? A personal vendetta?
As a Junior High aged kid, I listened devotedly to his albums. But, this isn’t enough to rate a ticket?
These are the jokes, folks. I’ll be in the bar after the show.
I looked at the Quarantine concert. About 2 mins worth. What an offensive bitch she is, and a sub-intellect. And a grating tone to her voice. That’s all I could bear, never seen guitar 1.
I TOLD YOU… his wife is a grating scold! Click past the bitch to where Jorma and his Hot Tuna buddy Jack get into some serious blues. You have the patience of a child in a shit-filled diaper.
The irony of Neil Young’s censorship stand is growing enormous. Jimmy Dore has produced a 10 minute exposé connecting Neil’s dubious connections to parties that have paid him big time for his catalog. This censorship stunt of his is stupefying. Jimmy has traced ownership of Neil’s music all the way up to the Blackstone group which has been accused of raping the Amazon rain forest… accused by Elizabeth Warren, but hey… and they’ve raped millions of folks who have lost their homes, too. The link to Jimmy’s video: https://rumble.com/vtixze-neil-young-blamed-gay-people-for-aids-now-blames-joe-rogan-for-misinfo.html
The song from Harvest Moon titled “Natural Beauty” is Neil’s lament for the disappearing Amazon. This is all too strange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmCCpzW7AFU
This covid nonsense is done, stick a fork in it. Can’t wait for the next great catastrophe, govt made,,,,naturally.
Took my father in law to the hospital here in Bend this morning, at 0500. Guys 92 hasn’t been out in months. Tested yesterday, guess who tested positive today. I was amused with the speed the hospital hustled us out of the place.
Never tested, never will, I believe these test kit manufactures have a “pre disposition”, the testing is intentionally flawed! No one has covid, no need for test kits! Go figure.
Dirk
They created a new name for the seasonal flu, pumped it up to dirigible size then turned it loose on all the crybaby’s all over the world. I’m proof that covid 19 does not exist.
….but if I got tested it would probably show I have it. go figger
Ghost, you do,,,,, you don’t, your point is, deal with it. Admire your position. About every two years I get real sick. I pound vitamin C, D and E. Go to my hiding place, and deal with it. No fuse, no complaints. It is, what it is!
Actually knowing this fine crew, think most just deal with it with their secret solutions, bottom line we all deal with shit, in our own way.
I doubt anybody here requires govt overreach, bullying to get thru the common cold or the common flu.
At the hospital yesterday, I truly felt bad for the two employees whom had to inform us. I physically watched em cringe, awaiting a double barreled ass chewing from us citizens.
It’s not these folks fault. Mentioned hold your head high, do your job, be honorable. Thought both were going to cry, someone with common sense not fear and rage was reasonable towards them.
They shared that they both get their heads torn off for doing their jobs, a dozen times a day. I muttered I know, it takes its toll. Nobody wants or deserves getting ripped, especially in a hospital, where the health and welfare is the focus.
End of the day, it’s their job, to do their jobs, their not the shot callers. Any job done honorably,,,,, is an honorable job. That these fine folks stick it out, I appreciate.
This bullshit covid resets on its way out. Reading the tea leaves recently, I’m cautiously optimistic. About thre quarters of the way thru Red Handed, yesterday I thought it was treason.
Today, I recognize it’s greed. I plan on being at the trials and hangings of all these traitors.
The walls are closing in on,,,,,DC is reading We The Peoples mood, for stomping this BS. They can fix it, or we will fix it! Yea right.
VI
This is my best COVID protest parody. This, BTW, is the only parody of mine (from 350 submissions) that was ever rejected by the world’s largest Song Parody site .. AmIright.com .. The parodied song is “Another Brick in The Wall”
When we grew up in COVID times
There was a Deep State weasel who
Would scare the children every time he spoke
By forcing mask restrictions
On no transmission kids
Expounding every falsehood
However contradicted by the facts
But in the HOMES it was well known
When he got on the tube at night
That fat and solopsistic Bri
Would tongue bath him within
An inch of his life
We dont need blocked respiration
We dont need no Fauc co trol
No Deep State weasel in the classroom
Fauci leave them kids alone
HEY! .. FAUCI! … LEAVE those kids alone!
All in all its just a
Nother trick that apalls
All in all its just a
Nother sick protocol
We dont need no vaccination
We dont need no bug control
No Marx agenda in the classroom
Fauci, leave us kids alone
HEY! .. FAUCI! .. LEAVE us kids alone!
All in all its just a
Nother prick in the wall
All in all its just a
Nother sick protocol
Go on .. Mask the kids
Go on .. Jab the kids
If ye don’ mask yer face
You cant have any recess
How can ye have any recess
If ye don’ mask yer face
YOU! .. Hiding in the wash room!
Come get yer shot
Russell Brand has just submitted a lucid, fair and balanced review of the Joe Rogan controversy and the real big-time owners of health and industry that are pulling the levers to manipulate us all. Complicit weasels everywhere: https://rumble.com/vttcs8-the-truth.html
I’d like to share something great here.
A close friend of mine I just spoke with obtained a genuine (but blank) CDC vax card, filled in his name, etc., and laminated the card before attaching it to the stock of his AR-10 with clear epoxy. It looks professionally done.
He keeps a photo of it on his phone in case he might be required to show “proof of vax.” And in his words, “if some ***hole demands to see the card in person, I’ll tell them it’s permanently attached to the gun, and I’ll be more than happy to show it to them personally.”
Now I want one of those blank vax cards.