Jack Burns Lives!

Thanks

One of my favorite fictional characters, Gus McCrae from Lonesome Dove, talked about appreciating the little things in life, like “a warm bed or a glass of buttermilk.” I ain’t so fond of buttermilk, but I fully appreciate the point of being thankful for the little things. For the necessities and what some call “blessings.” Things you shouldn’t take for granted, like good health.

And on this Thanksgiving Day, I’m thankful for those things. A roof over my head, a pantry full of food, a loving family and loyal friends. For good books, music and art. For the wren in my garden and for the keen eye of the hawk that soars overhead. For meaningful work, a healthy body and a reasonably sound mind to ponder the large things and enjoy the small ones.

I’m thankful for the reasonably unspoiled places that remain, since no spot on this planet is unaffected by human endeavor.

And to that point, there’s a lot I’m not thankful for, things my compadre Hayduke points out in his Thanksgiving missive. Our permanent war economy and for the politicos and corporations that fuel its existence. For the greedy bastards that take whatever they want and with no regard for anything but themselves.

There’s certainly a part of me that wants revolution. That wants to see them up against the wall so they can face the music. But I’ve learned much from my Left Coast friends, not the least of which is violence never solves anything, and that it only brings more violence.

I hope that I can one day say I’m thankful for lasting peace, but I’m not holding my breath. All I can do is remain committed to peace and to exposing the lies and lank language of the propagators of violence and terror. Terrorists like Joe Lieberman, Glenn Beck and Dick Cheney, and terrorist organizations like Exxon, Dow Chemical, Bank of America and Monsanto.

I’ll be really thankful when they’re gone, but there will be others to replace them. Human societies have a seemingly infinite capacity for creating morons. We’re prolific reproducers, putting rabbits to shame, producing thousands upon thousands of wankers every year.

The rest of us, the less than one percent or perhaps even a half a percent of the total, hunker down in our communities and just do the best we can to protect what’s left. And I’m thankful for all those folks. The good people that speak for the voiceless and for those kicked to the curb by capitalist overlords.

Stand up for these. Be heard. And as Edward Abbey would say “stand for what you stand on.”