Jack Burns Lives!

The juncos have returned, signifying the closeness of winter. Except it’s hard to believe winter is near when it is 66 degrees outside.

In addition to the juncos, the garden is filled with Carolina wren, Carolina chickadee and Northern Cardinal. They’re wonderful little creatures that bring joy to any heart that’s open.

And it’s Thanksgiving again, the annual American gluttonous feast where thanks is given to a imaginary deity that loves and blesses us. Except it’s hard to believe this is possible when you consider reality.

Speaking of reality, I suggest you do a little research on the turkey industry in the United States. Think you’re doing okay by getting a “free range, organic” bird? Think again! The poultry industry is a cruel, disgusting industry characterized by genetic engineering, torture and mass slaughter, and there’s a lot of lying and deceit throughout.

On this day, I’m thankful my children have returned from school. I’m thankful for my loving wife and for all living things. Except perhaps for George Bush and those that make war on other living things, including trees, rivers, our air and our soil. Even rocks.

In fact, we should all be thankful these things remain. I give thanks for the resiliency of nature, and it’s ability to withstand and overcome the apparently hopeless stupidity of man.

I’m hopeful the people of Darfur and Iraq can have peace today. No bombs, no murders, no torture and senseless bloodshed. I’m hopeful there will one day be a day when all living things can live in peace and without fear of the evil that exists around us today.

I’m thankful for today and for the feeling I have right this moment. Peace. Contentment. A calm spirit.

I wish the same for you and for all.

art:Chris Holtorf

For the hotly contested Senate race in Tennessee, the results are in and they are as follows:

Corker: 921,504

Ford: 873,009

Choate: 10,577

Gatchell: 3,666

Heyward: 3,508

Keplinger: 2,990

Lugo: 2,532

Translation….

Almost one million people (sheep) in the state supported the Republican candidate and for the preservation of the status quo. They support the war, support the expansion of capital and probably believe in the rapture.

873,009 people are delusional thinkers (more sheep) that believe Harold Ford, Jr. and the Democrats really represent some big change. Harold voted for the war. His dad is a lobbyist. He’s admittedly a conservative.

The Choate supporters are the really frightening bunch, since they support a full blown Christian theocracy.

Gatchell is the guy that tried to legally change his name to “none of the above,” but failed to get it listed that way on the ballot. He received 3,666 votes and obviously lost because he has the devil’s symbol (666) in his ballot total. More people voted for him than for the Green candidate, Lugo.

Heyward is the real freak of the bunch. He’s in a heavy metal band and considers the Republican Party too moderate. He’s against minimum wage, against social security and against the separation of church and state. He’s critical of government funding for AIDS research. He also believes all domestic sources of fossil fuels should be completely exploited. And why I have spent even this much energy on this moron is a mystery. He also received more votes than the Green Party candidate.

Keplinger seems fairly harmless and at least wants to decriminalize small amount of marijuana. He got more votes than the Green Party candidate.

Chris Lugo was the Green Party candidate. Chris’ platform was built on a pro-peace position (no one has been able to tell me exactly what the problem is with peace), pro-environment, supportive of alternative energy, campaign finance reform, civil rights for all people and fair trade. He made a lot of sense on many issues. In fact, I’d challenge ANY Democratic supporter to debate me on where he’s wrong on a SINGLE issue.

The most depressing thing about the election is the fact that in my state, Tennessee, the Green Party candidate received the lowest vote total of ANY candidate. Hardcore conservatives that look like skinheads received more votes.

My neighborhing state, Mississippi, is about the same.

Some folks believe in a place called hell. Well, I’m convinced that I must be in it.

So, the beat goes on in Tennessee. Republicans have lost control of the House, which is good, and may lose the Senate (even better). But something tells me not to expect any major changes. Herr Bush is still in the White House, and the past fifty or so years of history clearly show that it doesn’t matter what major party is in charge. It’s still going to be business as usual, and the business of the nation is business. Exporting capital to all parts of the globe (called spreading democracy) and at the expense of all living things.

Global warming.

Destruction of forests.

Extinction.

Alternative energy you say? Well, the Democratic platform talks a lot about alternative energy. Alternative forms of energy to keep the machine rolling along. There’s nothing about steady state economies. Nothing about curbing growth. Nothing about addressing the key and core problem which is industrial capitalism and the grow ad infinitum mentality in this country. And nothing about reducing the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops stationed in over 130 countries that protect the machine and pave the way for more growth.

There’s a lot of talk about technology solving our problems, but technology is no panacea, and as we’ve clearly seen, it’s not benign. As Bill White recently stated, science has and will continue to serve the elites in a panoptic, fascist state. Sheep can “be controlled through technology so as to preserve a system with privilege for the nomenklatura. Today’s CEOs could morph into tomorrow’s party apparatchiks.”

How comforting.

Today I’m left with the realization that I live in a state with nearly six million people, and of those six million people, only 2,532 people made a stand for the environment and for non-humans. Only 257 others are in my county, and I live in a county with nearly one million people.

I feel very alone.

The future primitive, that is.

Yes, I hate cars. Wouldn’t it be nicer to be in a village that didn’t have cars? Wouldn’t it be smarter if we’d design the core of cities and towns to support only bike and foot traffic and make the cars stay on the outer perimeter?

You could walk or cycle to work with no worries about being run over by a SUV. You could walk to the bakery, visit your favorite pub for a pint, walk to the library. Live above your place of business.

You can do all those things now, of course. But there’s so much automobile traffic. So much noise. So much pollution.

It could all be so much nicer.