Thinkpacs - you think, you blog

Some people would probably cash it. I had this refund check laying around for about two months and was just about to throw it out as I was doing my bills this month.
The refund was from SBC after I had canceled my phone and ISDN. I’ve lived in the Bay Area all my life, and it was nice to finally just say goodbye to SBC (ATT became Pacific Bell became SBC became ATT ) for all the obvious reasons. So they of course couldn’t even get the cancellation correct and send me a $1.89 refund for the phone and don’t complete the disconnect of the ISDN. I have to call (for the third time) to correct it. They say they are going to send me a bill.

So I’m doing my bills and they have sent me a bill for $4.14. Great, I take their $1.89 check and endorse it back to them, put in $2.25, and mail it off. Now that’s two less bills I have to deal with each month.

My girlfriend I and would have these funny little fights all the time.  Perhaps you had something similiar.  It would invariably go something like this:

Me:  You’ve called five times and said you’d be here hours ago!

Her:  I said I’d be late.

Me:  No you didn’t!

Her:  You’re mad at me!

Me:  I’m mad because you made me mad!

And then of course the whole topic was changed.  Luckily we stopped most of that after about ten years, but even now after more than twenty years we still have the tendency to occasionally slip back.

Now, the day is almost done.

Early in the day, Judy and I went to Rainbow. On the way back, we passed three sheriff busses lined up, and about 15 riot-gear-equipped storm troopers getting ready. Of course it was for the peace rally, what else? Judy wanted me to be careful, and to be sure to run from the storm troopers if they started any trouble.

Later I rode my bike into the rally, about 11:15. I had to pass through a phalynx of police, with riot gear and billy clubs. They had the entire rally surrounded. Above, three helicopters hovered. The CHP helicoper circled us like prey.

The rally itself was great. The weather was awesome again. Some of the speakers were good, but several went flat. I particularly liked the Green Party candidate running against Diane Feinstein. No one in the rally cheered for Diane, and this is her home town.

During the march, police with riot gear followed us. Police cars on every corner. Each of the four rallies has been peaceful, why is the city paying all this double-time pay to watch over a peace rally? Gavin, you have some explaining to do.

An evil empire, known the world over for support of the most horrific events in recent human history, wants to control our ports! We just can’t let this happen!

For instance, they started numerous coups d’etat to topple democratically elected governments! We’re talking big countries, like Iran, Bolivia, El Salvadore, Panama. Maybe even in the old USSR. How can you trust someone that will do those things to run our ports!

They support death squads, funded by illegal arms sales! And they were caught and let them go!

They invade other countries ignoring international law!

They have enourmous debt to communist countries!

What are we to do? I suggest that Switzerland run our ports. They are nice. What’s that? They don’t have any ports? Small detail.

America was the land of the free, home of the brave?

American know-how and ingenuity were our trademarks?

America was the great experiment in democracy?

America fought for good in the world?

Now, we give up liberties and hide from terrorists.

Now, we can’t even discuss stopping the destruction of our ecosystem because it is too hard for us.

Now, we think the best thing is to lie, never take responsibility and blame others.

And the worse part? There is about 30%-40% of our population that are beyond understanding, that are being manipulated by the administration, and have been convinced they are “right” and we are “wrong”. Not only are we wrong, we are now becoming the enemy. If we are the “enemy”, then who are “they”?

Does anyone doubt the change in the wind?

G: Man, my credibulity is really in the gutter. It’s never been this bad!

D: Don’t be so hasty. We can turn this around. Just need a little more fear is all.

K: Like I keep saying, it doesn’t matter. You’ll be fine.

G: Easy for you to say! I feel off my bike again, good thing no one got a good shot of me wiping out.

K: I could turn that around and make you into a hero. Easy.

G: I don’t know about that.

D: Yeah, let’s have a bet. All this spying stuff is getting to me, need some distractions. But I don’t bet on bikes, need something better.

K: Here’s something: We’ll set up Dick to go out hunting out on that Armstrong Ranch. And he shoots someone! And I turn that around and make Dick into a hero! Easy! And it will distract everyone from George long enough for us to get more stories planted in the papers.
G: How much you wanna bet?  $500 like last time?  Who you going to have Dick shoot?

K:  Won’t be you this time!  We’ll find someone convenient.

D: Can you get women and booze in too?

G: Ok, $1000 then.

D: Deal. Man Karl, I don’t see how you’re going to do this! George, get me and Karl another beer.

Another day at the White House:

Bush: Thank you all for coming out today. I know you could all be at Disney World or shopping with your big American SUV, but you, the American People ™, are here today to listen to me speeching like this, that’s really nice. To start this off the right way, let me first bite the head off this baby.

(bites head off baby, blood squirts out)

(the press is quiet, hammering heard in distance)

Bush: See that? I can bite the head off a baby, and you won’t say a word, I knew it!

Bush: Ok, so who has the first question? Bill, go ahead!

Bill: Thank you Mr. President. Is it true that you are going to bring back the guillotine? (large structure is seen behind curtains in the
distance. hammering continues)

Bush: Absolutely not! That is just how the enemy does it! Cutting off heads like that is barbaric and completely un-American. Next question.

Judy: Sir, we have reports that your favorite phase has become “Off with his head!”, and then you start laughing to yourself. Is this true?

Bush: That is just so far off, I won’t even respond to that. Who did you say told you that?

Judy: It was an anonymous source sir. (Judy is carried off by two men in suits)

Bush: Any more questions?

I guess we now know the answer to Ben Franklin’s original “A Republic if you can keep it.” statement. Who else to know the difficulties that lay ahead for us than those that had just had a revolt and risked everything, and yet we let it slip away.

It didn’t happen quickly, but slowly as we forgot. The value of customs, things that we lack here, I suppose, helped make it so easy. But, perhaps, other cycles are at work here.

For instance, why did the US population become so complacent to begin with? Did we not have enough enemies to keep us busy? Perhaps too many enemies to keep track of? Perhaps not knowing who the enemies are?

I’m blogging that a simple feedback cycle was created that caused the complacency, and that the other part of the cycle is rooted in our economy. Not the economy that existed in the 18th century, but the economy that developed over the past 50 years.

The economy today is based on the fact that people don’t know simple things any longer, and have to rely on the State and/or Big Business to keep them alive. Not so in the 1700s, but today how many of us even know how to make bread, the most basic of foods? How many have actually picked fresh fruit? Made clothes? Walked or rode a bike to get somewhere, and not just for fun?

The question remains: which started first? Did someone decide that complacency was required in order to destroy our liberties so Big Business could take over? Or did Big Business just get too greedy and not see that they were causing Americans to just become little consumers, at the expense of everything else, and that this would result in a Constitutional Crisis?

For starters, this is a really tough decision to make. This guy’s been working for me for awhile now, and it’s time for me to decide on the “bonus” he deserves, and I want to be fair about it.To tell the truth, he’s really caused me some problems, but he’s really important, you know “visible”, out there representing the company, and he has great contacts for sure.

When I first hired him, he said he was going to be really nice to all the employees we had and make everyone work together. But that soon changed and now most of the people really hate him. He’s fired a few people and they say it was because of what they’ve said about him, but I’m not certain of course.

He does take a lot of vacation, but I won’t hold that against him. He even lied on his resume, but I guess everyone does these days.

And a couple of his friends have been arrested, and even more are under investigation! But I could handle that if his business decisions were working out. He keeps telling me everything is going great, but I’m not so sure.

He wanted to open a store in a new neighborhood and said it would be a slam dunk. We’ve spent almost all our money fighting the competition there for almost three years now, it’s hurting our main stores, and our reputation is suffering because of it.

For instance, we had a big flood in one of our buildings, and this guy stayed on vacation, and then hired these incompetent guys to take care of the mess! It was a complete disaster. Some of the employees even died!

And because of the competition, he had tried to bug their offices to get some information, and he got caught. He’s telling everyone it was in his contract that he could do this, and so far he’s getting away with it, but I’m not sure how long he can keep this up. Of course we’re telling everyone things are going great, but most of our international partners think something is up.

So the big question is, what should I do?