this amphitheater was sketched/designed by my friend Aaron Yule; i requested a stage design for this alternative college idea i have, & he outdid me with an amphitheater.

thanks Aaron! send your 3d needs to Aaron, by mailing me.

i have a question i’ve been bringing around to all my friends, & i couldn’t get an answer until today, when i gave what i would call a possibility.

it was recently said in a study that America is in fact an oligarchy, something i’ve accused America of being a nascent form of for years. the princeton study found the rich have high influence in legislation, but the popular opinion (of The People) has low influence.

how do we best address this? —

well . . . for about 4 years, i have been pushing a form of democracy where you have one branch of the government be The People, who are balanced in power with the more sentinel congresspeople & president veto any mob mentality votes by the Popular branch, & possibly e.g. requiring 3/4ths majority of this branch. to pass a motion, to further curb bad mob mentality voting (etc).

anywhere you say the power is lopsided, you could just amend that with considerations like requiring a 3/4ths majority.

maybe the people could say no to what congressmen overpaid by donations & lobbied overly could not, etc.

wouldn’t this theoretically raise The People’s voice in government, & balance it out with the rich’s? or at least be one step, besides campaign finance reform with teeth & perhaps reducing lobbying to a fair amount.

& while we’re addressing the income-productivity gap in the national discussion, how do we best address that – how do we best solve income inequality, too?

Robert Reich says:

What We Must Do

There is no single solution for reversing widening inequality. Thomas Piketty’s monumental book “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” paints a troubling picture of societies dominated by a comparative few, whose cumulative wealth and unearned income overshadow the majority who rely on jobs and earned income. But our future is not set in stone, and Piketty’s description of past and current trends need not determine our path in the future. Here are ten initiatives that could reverse the trends described above:

1) Make work pay. The fastest-growing categories of work are retail, restaurant (including fast food), hospital (especially orderlies and staff), hotel, childcare and eldercare. But these jobs tend to pay very little. A first step toward making work pay is to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, pegging it to inflation; abolish the tipped minimum wage; and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. No American who works full time should be in poverty.

2) Unionize low-wage workers. The rise and fall of the American middle class correlates almost exactly with the rise and fall of private-sector unions, because unions gave the middle class the bargaining power it needed to secure a fair share of the gains from economic growth. We need to reinvigorate unions, beginning with low-wage service occupations that are sheltered from global competition and from labor-replacing technologies. Lower-wage Americans deserve more bargaining power.

3) Invest in education. This investment should extend from early childhood through world-class primary and secondary schools, affordable public higher education, good technical education and lifelong learning. Education should not be thought of as a private investment; it is a public good that helps both individuals and the economy. Yet for too many Americans, high-quality education is unaffordable and unattainable. Every American should have an equal opportunity to make the most of herself or himself. High-quality education should be freely available to all, starting at the age of 3 and extending through four years of university or technical education.

4) Invest in infrastructure. Many working Americans—especially those on the lower rungs of the income ladder—are hobbled by an obsolete infrastructure that generates long commutes to work, excessively high home and rental prices, inadequate Internet access, insufficient power and water sources, and unnecessary environmental degradation. Every American should have access to an infrastructure suitable to the richest nation in the world.

5) Pay for these investments with higher taxes on the wealthy. Between the end of World War II and 1981 (when the wealthiest were getting paid a far lower share of total national income), the highest marginal federal income tax rate never fell below 70 percent, and the effective rate (including tax deductions and credits) hovered around 50 percent. But with Ronald Reagan’s tax cut of 1981, followed by George W. Bush’s tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, the taxes on top incomes were slashed, and tax loopholes favoring the wealthy were widened. The implicit promise—sometimes made explicit—was that the benefits from such cuts would trickle down to the broad middle class and even to the poor. As I’ve shown, however, nothing trickled down. At a time in American history when the after-tax incomes of the wealthy continue to soar, while median household incomes are falling, and when we must invest far more in education and infrastructure, it seems appropriate to raise the top marginal tax rate and close tax loopholes that disproportionately favor the wealthy.

6) Make the payroll tax progressive. Payroll taxes account for 40 percent of government revenues, yet they are not nearly as progressive as income taxes. One way to make the payroll tax more progressive would be to exempt the first $15,000 of wages and make up the difference by removing the cap on the portion of income subject to Social Security payroll taxes.

7) Raise the estate tax and eliminate the “stepped-up basis” for determining capital gains at death. As Piketty warns, the United States, like other rich nations, could be moving toward an oligarchy of inherited wealth and away from a meritocracy based on labor income. The most direct way to reduce the dominance of inherited wealth is to raise the estate tax by triggering it at $1 million of wealth per person rather than its current $5.34 million (and thereafter peg those levels to inflation). We should also eliminate the “stepped-up basis” rule that lets heirs avoid capital gains taxes on the appreciation of assets that occurred before the death of their benefactors.

8) Constrain Wall Street. The financial sector has added to the burdens of the middle class and the poor through excesses that were the proximate cause of an economic crisis in 2008, similar to the crisis of 1929. Even though capital requirements have been tightened and oversight strengthened, the biggest banks are still too big to fail, jail or curtail—and therefore capable of generating another crisis. The Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial- and investment-banking functions, should be resurrected in full, and the size of the nation’s biggest banks should be capped.

9) Give all Americans a share in future economic gains. The richest 10 percent of Americans own roughly 80 percent of the value of the nation’s capital stock; the richest 1 percent own about 35 percent. As the returns to capital continue to outpace the returns to labor, this allocation of ownership further aggravates inequality. Ownership should be broadened through a plan that would give every newborn American an “opportunity share” worth, say, $5,000 in a diversified index of stocks and bonds—which, compounded over time, would be worth considerably more. The share could be cashed in gradually starting at the age of 18.

10) Get big money out of politics. Last, but certainly not least, we must limit the political influence of the great accumulations of wealth that are threatening our democracy and drowning out the voices of average Americans. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision must be reversed—either by the Court itself, or by constitutional amendment. In the meantime, we must move toward the public financing of elections—for example, with the federal government giving presidential candidates, as well as House and Senate candidates in general elections, $2 for every $1 raised from small donors.

Some things to think about.

Thanks.

“We must learn to live together as brothers, or else perish together as fools.” ~ MLK

We’re going to have to start working together, whether or not this was Barack Obama’s bill, your bill, or my bill we’re going to have to catch up because we’re starting to falter a little tiny bit – we owe it to America & its striving for excellence ala the greeks – let’s come together in our time of need, like every good community does, & treat the causes of our problems the right way – apply the politics of our time to the problems of our time in a diligent & proper way, & let’s use whichever solutions to the threats to our democracy & economy fit best, not red solutions or blue solutions.

unless the health of our democracy or the health of our economy are a democratic issue or a republican issue – amending the constitution to forbid Citizens United is a bipartisan issue;

unless security of american citizens is a democratic issue – giving america a raise so they earn a livable income is a bipartisan cause.

unless the health of the planet is outside any man’s best interest, it is a bipartisan need to deal with climate change properly – like Hippocrates or Mercola would administer medicine – that is what i indicate.

we have to come together as brothers, as King said, or die together as fools.

Cheerio, take care.

call me wrong, but maybe if we keep taking popular progressive ideas’ bills’ cases back to The People – & then vote on each, we will either win the vote, & make progressive progress, or we lose the vote, & expose these oligarchic [congressional] voters to a wide audience; either way we win some semblance of progress, either in resolving these problems in an politically in-tune, progressive way, or setting up a *substance* victory & platform to run on in 2014 & probably in part 2016: just lay out each vote & the result: each result is a win, so . . . that would be like a bracelet of substantive victories for The People, how could The People turn around & vote against that? it would be against their conscience.

things are going great tho, very happy with the progressive democrats & independents’ skiffing along in progress. it is inspiring to see good sense thrive in the mainstream.

things are going great tho, very happy with the progressive democrats’ & independents’ skiffing along in progress. it is inspiring to see such good sense thrive in the mainstream.

~ joe

it’s funny, because i see one wave of news bring predictions that this issue they’re showing will be the defining issue of the 2014 election, & then the next wave of news it becomes that THAT will be the defining issue of the 2014 election. i realized that this 2014 ‘forecasting’ was quite a fickle thing, & that a lot could change within the time it took to arrive at that occasion.

then the best pundits even, my favorite ones, started saying/having guests saying Republicans were just about mathematically sealed to win the house & senate – ?! –

remember how those ‘defining issues’ turned out to be phantasmal? you know – the forecast was wrong? there is no reason to commit to fatalism this far out like that, given the rainbow of possibilities still possible from now until the election. we could win by 40 points . . . really, i believe that.

i think when you’re confronted with something like that so far off, even down to the wire, you need to be scheming & thinking your hardest what’s important, what wins, & how can we change the situation to tactfully use that knowledge; address concerns & address goals, etc; little strategems like that.

anyway, i see now yesterday/today that polls have swung from Republican to Democrat in like at least 4 recent elections, even tho the Koch Brothers were smear campaigning there.

just goes to show, fatalism is unwarranted, especially when the future is so unpredictable. if you see a problem, until the fat lady has sung, it is a CHALLENGE, not a certain loss. there is ALWAYS that chance. that’s what a good pro athlete believes & so should you. this is an opportunity to maximize our potential – to maximally self-actualize as a party – while rolling with the punches of losing in the polls, bad numbers, etc. there’s always that chance that you could come from behind, you have to be a survivor in the face of those things, not commit to political forecasting fatalism for one of the two major parties in an election.

i mean really, if i had to guess which party would get rocked in the polls, i’d say it’d be republicans. so, sometimes you just need to change your perspective.

here’s my ad: triple-matched donations for Democratic Senatorial campaigning against Koch Brothers’ smear campaigns – donate now: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/dsccab4?refcode=DPE-20140427-Reid-ProsHV&amounts=3,10,25,50,100,150,250&amount=3

no offense to the pundits, i love you guys & have you on most of the day =P

take care all

=)

[20:45] <lakitu> in my video lectures, i introduced scoping. i just thought of a great e.g. political idea using it. take the 7 deadly sins & crosscheck them against each gov unit, to remediate them of those things. i wonder if the idea is, like the song says, i can see clearly now the rain is gone =) gonna be a bright (bright) sunshiney day — if you can clear the grevious or hidden mistakes, perhaps ‘what you need to do’ & ‘how you need to do
[20:45] <lakitu> it’ become more obvious
[20:48] <lakitu> at the least, it would be very helpful
[20:48] <lakitu> you’d want very sapient scholars of the 7 deadly sins, their various interpretations
[20:49] <lakitu> that could be an ongoing thing
[20:51] <lakitu> you ask where the ideas of laws come from, they are the codifications of ethics. if you look into who is the main provider of ethics, it’s Da Christianity. (Da Christianity)
[20:53] <lakitu> thinking on the commandments, maybe God really intended for us not to kill. if so, we should steer toward nonfatal weapons, like stunguns
[20:59] <lakitu> re the truth of Christian morals a cumudgeonous agnostic conceded, you can see how these two land features align: one of the earliest commandments i remember is thou shall not kill – how much do we protest & loathe war?
[21:01] <lakitu> you can try to cut God out of every picture you see, but eventually what you put up to challenge Him will pale, in my beliefs. for example, try writing a ground like the Bible
[21:03] * lakitu it has to do with the meterological forces of the Spiritual plane, mumbles to himself
[21:03] <lakitu> it just wouldn’t work
[21:03] <lakitu> people have tried
[21:03] <lakitu> i think
[21:05] <lakitu> best to have community, & cooperate with the religious

if Occupy Wall Street at one point brought out hundreds of thousands of progressive protesters — who doesn’t realize a powerful progressive giant is sleeping in America? soon is the time for The People to reclaim what is The People’s, & Corporations to have what is The Corporations’.

going further: who doesn’t realize conservative de-regulation got us a national crisis, & decades of corporate greed got us this inequality, & that The People’s Progressivism is then the right political philosophy for our time?

Vote Light Blue.

for taking my seriously & giving my ideas use. i appreciate it to no end.

Thanks Again.

— joe

Please. Let our sense of Community be like that of the carolers gathered in the public square to sing Christmas sonorities; what man would they turn away? What poor figure suffering what poor fate would they turn away? None; & that too should be our great sense of Community – the mind that would not turn away a bum or a prideful man, lo NO man would leave without welcome.

Merry Christmas, Everyone.

joe

for my tastes, Lou Reed (1942-2013) was the 2nd best American songwriter/rocker, after Bob Dylan.

as it stands, we have a pretty good goldvein of lou reed songs to last us.

the world lost a quirky, charming, massive personality who was, in rock & roll, a blatant & irrepressible singer, Lou Reed was formative in shaping rock & roll for future generations – especially musicians – from his original 60s & 70s hippie & loose-rock shipmates to the current generation of indieans – more so now than back then, even.

when i was younger, there was about a 1/3 dice throw you could find me listening to these & songs like them, on headphones, on a minidisc recorder biking or walking around Faribault.

Thanks for teaching all of us to Walk on The Wild Side – just like you did –

Walk On The Wildside:

i couldn’t pick just one Velvet’ favorite – so i picked 3 songs. i think it’s impossible to be unhappy listening to Rock & Roll – a favorite song of My Dad’s & personally, this is maybe tied for my favorite rock song:

what a better 17-year-old’s anthem than Sweet Jane for my generation – i couldn’t find a better:

i still remember trying to woo a girl singing that song, ‘standing on the corner / (suitcase in my hand)‘.

— this was not feel-good music; it was feel-best.

no wonder Andy Warhol produced their first album & & made a nearly endless amount of arthouse videos at Warhol’s Factory.

bring on the documentaries.

– joe

Hippocrates has a famous oath, for Doctors, that goes

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art — if they desire to learn it — without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but to no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfill this path and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

Maybe we should have a patient’s swearing that they will seek health, avoid unhealthy foods & practices, & advise others to do likewise, at their every opportunity (since Health is very important).

What do you think – what should be included in a patient’s oath of health?

welp, i got the idea to express my daily life in a poem — regularly — as a sort of consummate product of my daily life. poetry is the highest form of expression, like i say; so like i say, it seems sort of ‘consummate’ to express my actual life in verse.

to do this daily/often is the idea — we’ll see about daily, but for now, here’s one coin into that wishing-well of “often”:

my days build long, like a pathbreaking breeze,
from the egyptian bricks – & the picayune greed;
the starlets are all bright eyed & doey, like a rainforest pristine,& the hallows come rappin’,
at the modern times eve,
bob dylan hanging laterns, near an otherwise indescript chrome steed,
& my lectures spinning in dust bins, birdsong on a path
crooked for the scenes,

a new pyramid; & a new city;
a new people with new dreams

& cupid palmresting his chin; connecting like lace the kings to the queens,

& a tv fireplace, still caught up in a 50’s marketing scheme,
& the psychology of souls, angry mobs ever-reducing the me’s,

on yea they’re on a path of war, wrecking balls ‘gainst priests,
amid my solemn prayer for meditation
& chords from the verdant green,

& a quick salutation, pops,
you know i’m still swallowing-for-peace,

looking at broken paintings,
of figures never quite cleaned,

& the paths too winding now,
too winding to be seen.

the tree nurserys, & peanut farms,
shooting galleries & thee,

weeping on all sides,
a husband playing cards,
on a path broken stellate just for me.

the pigeons are messengers!
scrolls from the world, i swear this i’ve seen –

& of course, there’s always some new defeat,
playing in iterations on big screen anxiety machines looking for a new fear to hurl,
strewn with the utmost of carelessness around big medium & the littlest me’s —

& *those* on little feet,
ballerina dreams thru the living room world;
& of course, the special people & their elvises,
& the people living in their garages & also on top of the world,

all hallowed round a tree,
(i bought vials of their essential oil),
maybe we’ll light a candle together
comes this Christmas eve diurnial.
                                                  

& the passers-by & conversationalists,
street-voyeurs stare at my wares,
& my diorama’s weak, i know,
there’s better things to compare.

& the elvises humanized
— yes it’s real hair,
& the other vendors are still taut,
one just spit & another still stares,

& lo they spin.
on this music box of despair,
the parades of political events,
tagteam wrestling rings to see who rightly most cares

& the boxing fights
& blunder reels
measuring stacks of despair
all except for a few crossed stars;
one of them’s a coupleyear friend, an old lionous bear

lo shut my shutters,
for a bright-eye they stare,
’cause lo winds the wind, the daily breeze & whistles it scares.

& all hallow’s eve with the trick or treaters,
look: their wax buckets are bare,
till a little plead from a queen,
or i guess she’s a princess this year;

& the candles of mysticism,
flare for the seer,
the weights of indecision,
worn this year in poetry’s sheer.

& the clubs of microphones & stadia,
that too up & coming this year,all haunted by ghosts of greatness,
boring for some, guiding others our cheer —

& lastly, i saw a milkman —
cowprint on his ugly little short-bus,
(i swear it was a lady bug, just like
that UPS commercial — the bumbly ambly roadrut truck)

& i thought those good things come back,like the folk music of love,
the metageneration dreams,
like “What I Dreamt” for the groves asaid above,

last, if like A&W foam,
(now in separation only the suds),
if that breast comes breathing at my door,you KNOW i’ll be cutting a rug.

for now i’ll be practicing, listening to the painted note score above.

thought for the day: politics is meant to be the reasoning, rhetoric/dialogue, & actions for attaining the flourishing of our shared, communal interests.

In ancient times, the Greeks faced a similar situation to us in America today: a lending & mortgage crisis.

finance is far too complicated for me to absorb in a few short months, but one thing i did think of, that i think is fair for everyone involved, overall, is to do what Solon – the great Greek statesman & poet – did when he faced the same sort of situation we do now: cancel the debts & even (for our situation) reverse millions of wrongful foreclosures waged against us, The Working Class. this, then, is fairer, given that currently millions have lost their homes due to underhanded lending, & this would change to only a small percent of rightful foreclosures being reversed – their luck just panning out, & banks taking a small hit, in this broad stroke.

we could even fine tune the chosen freed people so that it is more accurate, & is therefore overall fairer.

that the wrongfulness of this move is less than the wrongfulness of the current situation, serves as a sort of ‘political proof’ that we should do it, i wonder; & that margin of error in this move would be wore by The Big Money institutions, who created this situation & then extricated themselves from it, with The Bailout, while The Common Man would win a small war, who shouldered the burden of the situation even tho they did not transgress anyone or anything; therefore the ‘error of motion’ – the margin of error necessary in a large-scale reform – would be shouldered by the guilty, & serve as a fine fine for their transgressions against The Middle-Class.

something to consider.
~ joe

i just completed a string of lectures on The Philosophy of Action – The Creative Process, with almost completely original material.

Come & Watch –

the playlist at Youtube:

The Philosophy of Acton – Volume One – The Creative Process

or each individual video (5 in total):

one school of thought i’ve been propounding lately is eclecticism. when you apply this idea to philosophy, you see that for example, subjectivism & realism are not competitors mutually exclusive, but subjectivism says what is good of the body is told in diagnosis, & realism says what is good of the body is health – as that, they are unified in a toolkit where one is used for one thing, (the analysis of ‘diagnosis’ from body), & the other thing is used for still another. it is the idea that different schools of thought are like tools in a toolbelt, rather than competing systems; this carries over to broader fields than philosophies, where science has its place, religion its, poetry another, & so on; so that each field has its place. this is the idea of eclecticism, & even well-roundedness: that you selectively use the good points from each thing, rather than tribally defend your one way.

in a way, this gets to well-roundedness, & life philosophy, where you spend not all your time being intellectual, moving one level-up in the categories of pursuits, but spend time with friends & family, pursuing your passion/career, release doing hobbies & recreations, & spend time learning new things, & experiencing new kinds of experiences, as well.

the french had a phrase, it meant “he eats well, he drinks well, he fucks well.” that is sort of the cosmopolitan idea here.

the way you do things is sort of like how you pour a mug of root beer.

it can be exact & efficient, or it can be full of life & spirit, foaming up & fizzing, as you playfully try to keep it from overflowing, a little spilling on your hand.

that is a good pouring of rootbeer; we should live with life & zeal & play & fun, & not always be completely logical.

have fun.

my friends from facebook might recognize this as being familiar — i posted this on facebook once already. i put a lot into it tho & so i thought i’d make it public. this one’s about a new ethos in Art: Ecstatic Romanticism:

i trace a cool Romanticism (not romanticness ;)) (a lot like i traced (rightly!) Jazz to Kerouac’s writing (ok & Neal Cassady – lol) to Dylan’s lyrics, to a lot of the lyrics SINCE Dylan) — like i was saying (& i’m not sure anyone will care) but i think i trace a lineage of Romanticism from The Cure to maybe AFI & those (i bet *both*) to Bright Eyes — i wanted to say something on top of that: i am coming from a deep love of modern Romanticism (i feel a Counter-Enlightenment coming on!), but am/was still pulled apart from it by the Goth/depressing elements — poisoned Beauty, sort of —

i remembered the reason (*the last person listening gets up & leaves – talking to myself i’m sure*) i shunned Bright Eyes when they first hit was because he was noted for being genius, but DEPRESSIVE. i was already old enough to be bored with depression/darkness… anyway long story short (i don’t feel like doing this on a anonymous message board & be all, ‘well i have agnosia’ — anwyay) – long story short, the facebook version is *why not make an ECSTATIC Romanticism, rather than romanticize darkness — something i’ve always found wrong twice (or ‘doubly’). Kerouackian beatific visions to the height of Blake, or Roberto Benigni’s ecstasy with Life into the deepest poeticness. why not?* i believe if i were to seriously (not as i do) walk Art’s path… i would by & large make such Art – thru Positivity & what i called literary Impressionism… if you’ve ever read my writing that starts out “holidays! ons & offs (…)” Impressionism in literature (my invention?) was sort of a trans-semantic language that took meaning by virtue of dizzying depths of swirly ecstasy, more than syntatically perfect english. felt fragments, really .. something like the best Shoegazer albums. sort of taking — oh man i forget my impressionist painters — but say Debussy — who said to fade out like a gentle autumn leaf, for a musical direction on one of his piano scores . . . sort of taking his Impressionism & writomg of the Ecstasy you the writer feel from Love & Love of Things… double Romanticism – Romanticism from Love =) true Romanticism – Optimistic & In Love Ecstatic Romanticism/Art.

my fave modern Romantic is e.e. cummings, re since feeling is first (probably seems tired, but that is straight Ecstatic Romanticism / Counter-Enlightment / (again, Positive) Sturm Und Drang. his ‘grammar’ is not taking away anything from this sentiments – the founder of Sturm Und Drang WHICH BECAME Romanticism – ok – said “Poetry is the mother tongue of the human race.” (he also was a Christian. i.e. it wasn’t Nietzsche, who Philo/Art punks fall in Love with… too often — but –) the idea of that poem is fully Romantic….. everyway Romantic. i love The Cure but again, darkness… i truly love any great piece of art, Life Is Beautiful to the first person to etch or sing — i actually amn’t approaching this as a critic, or putting Art in a very sorted ‘structured’ thing, but just a person with a good idea burning a hole in their pocket — every time i’ve held onto my ideas they grow obsolete / i seem like a latecomer. i am just a guy who loves Romanticism & sees an opening for Ecstasy to fit in — by way of Love. Ecstatic Romanticism, like Debussy, Benigni, & in a way Kerouac; Ecstatic (Positive) Romanticism. =)

there is a lady, Pagila, who was doing the old Dinonysian/Apollonian distinction – & tho i agree with her on other things (porn, etc, surprisingly — basically — anyway), the Nietzsche world-view of Dinoysian vs. Apollonian breaks down here: Righteous Ecstatic Love. simply put, Ecstasy (no i didn’t get Ecstasy from the Barack Obama T.S. Eliot / girlfriend letter haha – altho that was great) – (Righteous) Ecstatic Love is the marriage of Goodness & Animalistic Passion – showing no need for bounding Goodness on one side & Passion on the other.

if anyone has any comments i’d like to hear anything at all, really. i will be selling popcorn in the back *points*. grab up some of these people’s works & bump around town with them. i can pretty much say Debussy (esp. Clair De Lune, & maybe Arabesque), some sweet spot Django Reinhardt, like September Song (a special acoustic version), Beyond The Sea (Le Mer, i think) (again a special/certain version), etc etc, Roberto Benigni — my big fave Life is Beautiful — & Kerouac — anything at all by him … & e.e. cummings — these people did me right everytime, basically.

our culture blows me away.

i wonder that we are living in a new Renaissance, where art & philosophy & science & religion are being put in equal stride, & great culture is everywhere. for sure we are in a golden period like in B.C. Athens. there is great culture almost everywhere: on the radio, on the internet (our new communication invention), in politics.

the only things i really think of are we need to keep this going, & what is it we are exactly doing that is so great?

i wrote a facebook post about the rainbow of societal causes we are pushing & pursuing, in our time, & i think now would be a good time to plug them in (into this post) –

here they are:

This Is The Best Decade Since The 60s – Let’s Keep ALL We’ve Got *Going* – LOVE & BEING GOOD, GIVING GOOD VIBES, NATURAL & ORGANIC, SPIRITUALITY OVER SCIENTISM, PEOPLE OVER THINGS (NON-MATERIALISM/NON-GREED, & NON TECHNOLOGY ADDICTION), COMMUNITY, *LOVING EVERYONE*, BEING POSITIVE & OPTIMISTIC, HAVING FUN, BEING HUMAN, BEING ROMANTIC, *LOVING EVERYONE*, BEING ANGELIC TO ONE ANOTHER, CHRISTIANITY, SOCIETAL & POLITICAL AWARENESS, ACTIVISM & PROTEST & AWARENESS-RAISING GRASSROOTS MIDDLE CLASS OVER CORPORATIONS, PEACE, DEMOCRACY, WOMEN’S & GAYS’ & EVERYONE’S RIGHTS ACROSS THE WORLD, ANIMAL RIGHTS, GREEN WAYS / ENVIRONMENTALISM, FREE INTERNET, OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE, COMMUNITY DONE THINGS, POT LEGALIZATION, NATURELOVING, INDEPENDENT MUSIC, *LOVING EVERYONE*, COMMUNITY GATHERINGS, BEING HUMAN, HAVING FUN, BEING RECEPTIVE, COMMUNITY, BEING ANGELIC, VOLUNTEERWORK & DONATION, COMMUNITY, BEING FAMILYSTRONG, BEING FRIENDSTRONG, BEING GOODWILLED, *LOVING EVERYONE!* . . . ♥♥♥♥

– &!, this is my point – let’s make it PERMANENT!!!! Loving natural organic hippie/indie politically aware Good at heart Good vibes Loving People – for Life! ;)

this letter made me “an internet SUPERSTAR” – like i always used to joke about – i think for real. i sent this to all of The Democrats including Barack Obama during the 2012 elections, & i think it made it around the world, in a way. i did it at a time when our country really needed it, & when my health was so bad i ended up in Abbott Northwestern heart hospital with heart damage from the stress of the elections & my accrued health problems to date. i really could’ve released a probably traction-gaining, chance-at-popularity song too, The Common Man’s Time, (maybe i’ll post it on here) – i chose instead to do the dirty work of writing election strategies & send it pretty thanklessly as a campaign committee letter. i never got a real letter back.

this is i think what they received (i can never find my original copies):

Greetings Mr. President, & esp. David Axelrod & other stragetists/advisors for this campaign. i to my own dismay must open with the fact that these notes are months late, & any help they could’ve been will have to ‘hit’ now & up ’till the election, rather than when i had written them in July & so on. (i have been very physically ill, thanks to a political issue i will address to you some other time (the letter’s all written =)).)

that said, *this letter* is about the campaign strictly, & not my personal struggles.

To All Those Reading This, i am a fervant Barack Obama supporter & as well, a large PRO democracy-supporter – i have followed politics closely for a number of years now, & have a good handle on the filibustering, the Citizens United ruling, the disparity of income, & the ‘messaging’ etc involved in the slander/distortions about Barack being a muslim, about him being an illegal-foreigner-president, about him ‘not doing anything’ (again, see the ‘sit-down-strike’ style ‘protesting’ of a record number of (not ‘congress’s’ but) ‘republicans” filibusters – !), & the like, & other heavy political issues i have absorbed & thought on.

i — tho not a well-known person — may be identified as managing, (until poor health,) as a walk-on, the largest philosophy chatroom (“agora! not chatroom!!,” haha=)) on the internet. (i was lakitu of Undernet IRC, the longest-standing, largest, & most-reputable philosophy discussion forum, by many there’s fair assessments – which, being philosophers, they are a fair bunch) — *i* then, have essentially engaged philosophy for hours a day for nearly 10 years, & more hours each day when counting my own thinking, aside from philosophical oration.

to my credit as well (establishing any precociousness i may show), i was in lock-step with Barack Obama on what was, in my opinion, his best response to the 1st Presidential debate the other night – made on a stump speech in Denver, i believe:http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/if-you-want-to-be-president-you-owe-the-american-people-the-truth compare that to the posts from the day before on my special for-this-purpose twitter account, ‘lakituthefirst’ (https://twitter.com/lakituthefirst). you will have to click the shorttext link, in the twitter posts as well.

so, if you have internalized all that above, you can see i am no fool.

each of these were written as ‘whole letters’ — each is written to be read/referred to as a unit – had i the health i would perhaps mesh them, but i will have to take them ‘how they’ve grown off the vine’ for now:

without further ado, several winning sub-campaigns, i believe:

1. Community

Community is the focus of God’s world, as ‘having religion’ is etymologically ‘being bound together’, & Love is that ecstasy bond. Social Darwinism (no need to use the term, most often) – the idea that ‘survival of the fittest’ reigns over Love IS THE END OF Love — Religion, Community — these are ‘truly human,’ & truly most meaningful, ‘because the Kingdom of God is between us’, Barack, & so Communty is something we should praise loudly & with fire.

I say Community is ‘all or nothing’ – We shall live together as Brothers, or die together as fools — spake by Martin Luther King Jr. soaringly & sapiently —

& ‘Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself’ — Jesus Christ said for all of us for all-time. We arte all God’s Children.

& that Brotherhood of Man is emanant & obvious, but to those blinded by Hate;

& so, to see Greed, & not your Brothers’ & Sisters’ suffering, is to be blinded by hate;

& God Said… Greed is a serious sin.

so build on Our Country’s rainbow-like heritage — Divided We fall, Together We stand — & speak of communioning with the suffering, not ‘just’ communioning with those blinded by Greed to those suffering, & Defeat Greed.

Much Love Barack Obama, joe valentyn

2. Character –

another silver tack is to use “CHARACTER” as a focal point – Obama vs. Romney as people. “likeability” is huge – the person’s ‘aura’ they put off – our impression of ‘who’ will be making all the decisions we can’t crystallize or explicate or foresee – that’s “likeability,” i wonder — & it’s huge.

people respect – even his “critics” – Barack’s ‘wellspokenness,’ his ‘speech-giving abilities’, his ‘wisdom’ & ‘judgment’ — that is one of the wheels of wisdom & goodness, as in the old Japanese proverb – wisdom. his heart is the best of the modern day people i have seen, he volunteered as i understand, & potent with intelligence he is able to follow his greeds, but rather he continues to fight at great costs to, as his wife put it, “pull everyone thru the doors of opportunity with him.” his heart is great & that is not the only reason why, & there is not an end of the list of reasons i could reasonably make… the 2nd wheel.

i would add charisma / personality / humor, etc, to the Japanese Cart (see the proverb), which you genuinely have. in passing, given this ‘addition’ to The Cart, i must trail off trailing off about the infinite wheels of this cart – the infinite explicatability AND ineffability of ‘character’s cart’, etc . . .

but for our purposes, you can harness these things greatly – AND as a defense against false attack ads — meaning, rather than ‘fight against’ whatever their agenda for the national debate is, tirelessly, as if it were some hhorrible factory conveyor belt of horrendous lies, say this: “Do you really think Mitt Romney is a more moral, smarter person than Obama?”.

people will likely return with “oh it doesn’t matter who he is, it’s his politics that matter.” — you either anticipate that in your first ‘character’ sub-campaign, or wait to see if it surfaces,, & then answer the above surfaced response, with “his philosophy, his policies, his beliefs & his actions stem from his morals & his intelligence. it certainly DOES matter who he is – his ‘character’, his good-naturedness & his genius… [or whatever words he/you choose to use (use a few — some that speak to those who speak every register of language, from the lowest to the higher, etc)]” – “this guy will be making the most important decisions in the biggest power on earth – OUR country – everyday for 1460 days in a row!! if that person takes too grave of moral shortcuts, or is mentally clumsy by nature, then, as a matter of practice, — often — then their decisions will oftener than is optimal be risky, & we are bound to suffer.

the good parts of his or her political philosophy will never fruit[“froo-it” (/become implemented properly)] – because they will be rotted with the single apples of their mistakes, *& the people they are presiding for will suffer.*

so — good-will & intelligence — *CHARACTER* — certainly do matter!”

Obama beats Mitt in any poll of ‘character’ or ‘nobility’ or ‘class’ – try a poll where they rate, or whatever. [this was written before likeability become a topic in the national campaign

it is clearly an effective & good (in the sense of morally good) sub-campaign.

**

now i realize that those two sub-campaigns COMBINED give an air of Martin Luther King – RIGHTEOUSLY – it was NOT about race but about CONTENT & at that he was a true Christian Genius. that Content Of Your Character rather than Color Of Your Skin was a serious wind that is pushing you still & you are RIGHT in all ways i can think of Barack, to harness that & let us ‘live out our creed’ – where the Content of Our Character defines our person & not insignificancies Martin Luther King Jr. —-

3. Be Positive, re The [at-the-time] Likely-to-Come Smear Campaigns

Obama campaign ad strategy – best idea:

Be positive, as that is always best; & *use this analogy* to defend against the record levels of smear ads we are likely to see against Barack this political race, 2012:

(i suggest something like:)

“[positive message after positive message after positive message here, accomplishments/plans/etc]. You know that Big Money people, [show corporate logos, & maybe ‘the Koch Brothers’ in text, not just a picture – think word of mouth, & internet searches], the GOP, & others are doing all they can to fill you with propaganda, to MAKE UP for their lack of Goodness & Wisdom [use your own words] – what we will tell you is this: when you watch those ads, ask your heart if you would believe your great friend, or your great friend’s enemy, when his enemy accuses your great friend of all kinds of Lies, Cheating, & <pick other recognizable sins/wrongdoing that they are likely to falsely accuse you of> – ?

President Obama. Honor, Wisdom, Goodheartedness/A Good Heart/Benevolence. [really would go with those key terms – honor to shadow the republicans shady ways against Obama’s NON shady ways – Wisdom because he is, & Goodheartedness because that’s the main quality – an ‘evil genius’ is the last person you want to deal with: benevolence/goodheartedness is key.]”

so again, without (most of) my bracketed parentheticals:

“[positive message after positive message here after positive message here, accomplishments/plans/etc]. & we have to say one thing: You know that Big Money people, the GOP, & others are doing all they can to fill you with propaganda to MAKE UP for their lack of Goodness & Wisdom – what we will tell you is this: when you watch those ads, ask your heart if you would believe your great friend, or your great friend’s enemy, when his enemy accuses your great friend of all kinds of Lies, Cheating, [whatever – see notes above] – ?

President Obama. Honor, Wisdom, & A Good Heart.”

& – believe it or not – ask Bob Dylan to write a song for Barack, about the modern situation, & use it – if not, court him intoxicatingly-profoundly to use e.g. Forever Young (track 18 version on Biograph). (see footnote for more on this)

that is how you win a war against endless dollars in a smear campaign: with the truth. maybe link to a fact checking website at the end of the ad for response to every(?) republican ad – very simple one – “www.obamafactcheck.com“[1] — & lastly consider incorporating generous amounts of well-declared non-partisan fact checking sources. again: label them generously, AS non-partison/independent groups. accept that some of your history (Obama’s, et al) will be imperfect. don’t try to make him look perfect, just the best candidate around. i personally haven’t seen a better one in all my life – nor have i witnessed a better living public speaker.

* * *

other notes (if this gets thru):

[again this is from many months ago – they might have to be reappraised in this time/political situation/scene – *i* think they could serve a purpose, tho:]

the following are winning points, & will in my opinion expose the shallowness, i’ll say, of large sections of the opposition to Barack Obama, turning if not those people toward Obama, then affecting those people who hear & understand these points – basically that racism is a BAD reason to not vote Obama – toward Obama — in other words, ‘collateral improvement’, where they can further rally voters for Barack that those messages may not have:

again – winning points that have their place in your campaign, in my opinion:

– Obama is not a muslim.

– Obama is not an illegal immigrant.

i would emphasize those in separate campaign motions, not lumping all this (in this note) together as one ad, unless it’s best…

footnote: on using a Bob Dylan song: the reason to use a Bob Dylan song is Bob Dylan likes Barack Obama, Barack Obama likes Bob Dylan AND all the kids – every single cool one worth their indie/modern spit like Bob Dylan. it would be a display like you’ve never seen before with youth voters turning on / latching on to Barack Obama as their presidential candidate — i am very serious. Bob Dylan is huge. Huger than huge. use your great resources like him. Jay-z to me is very pop, very bubble-gum pop – Bob Dylan ‘wins’, Beyonce/Jay-z’s art is (without much experience with them) much more fleeting.

i would recommend choosing & then genuinely stating you chose not to ‘try to trade him a Presidential Citizen’s Medal’ or whatever he accepted, ‘for a song,’ but rather to support his country, at a very crucial crossroads for it. don’t say too much haha.

i will have more suggestions another time – my vote would go to Barack for another 40 years i tell people – but i will settle for 4

re: “maybe link to a fact checking website at the end of the ad for response to every(?) republican ad – very simple one – “www.obamafactcheck.com“”[1]: i think you already do this, i wrote this some months ago.

4. conservatives clogging *congress* & the flow of the national dialogue, obstructive distractions – we must take control of the dialogue

republicans have sort of ‘jammed’ the airwaves of the national dialogue with deficit worries, using not real ‘want’ but tactical ‘messaging’, completely as a distraction, or at least completely foolishly timed;

we need to take control of the national dialogue & talk about what we want & need – & MAINTAIN the national dialogue as much as is rightly so: NATION BUILDING, so we improve our infrastructure, like during The Great Depression, & get jobs being created & kept, again, like during The Great Depression; TAXING THE RICH & using it for economic stimuleses (stimuli) like Robert Reich says is necessary: ‘government is the spendor of last resort’ & we need it to be done for our country’s sake; & all the other good ideas Obama & Reich et al have for our nation; & campaign-finance reform (Citizen’s United) – for the sake of this country – a very key ‘pushpin’ to remember is – we need democrats, not just Obama, to win the elections, TO pass campaign-finance reform & the other things as well.)

emphasize Robert Reich, the most successful Secretary of Labor recently (judging by job creation, right? -), loudly rather clearly states, government must invest in our economy, because the super-wealthy will not, & the average 99% CANNOT – so some one has to spend to kickstart this thing again — & that would be the government. after that, correcting the a-given graph (http://www.motherjones.com/files/images/what-they-make450_0.png, or https://motherjones.com/files/images/change-since-1979-600.gif) so that we all benefit from Amercia’s grwoth *SINCE WE ALL GREW AMERICA!*

i strongly suggest you ally with him, & ‘accept a hit’ on any detail-criticism of his of you / Barack, because ‘what works’ — ‘what we KNOW works’ — has huge pull with everyone & anyone, i think.

5. Be Bold – Big Progress [a point to be continued later]

i suggest strongly, as a witness & fan of the ’08 campaign ‘fire’ through to this point – there has been too much centrism & moderacy. we were & are still interested radical goodness, & Big Progress, because our situation is so desperate – we don’t need a runner in the groove of Clinton, & his (successful) centrism, we need an OBAMA. Big Progressive Change – grandiose – smart.

& again, we need to ‘go blue’ (vote all or nearly all democrat, less we have a stinker in there), SO THAT we can achieve these massive reforms & progressions, & also hold onto what is right.

6. misc debate notes

post 1st debate (probably outdated):

obama – don’t panic – he pulled some cartoon-villain approach, & showed an entirely shapeshifter appearance that would’ve thrown off the best orator – take the time during the interrim (i suggest) to pummel that home using *easy to understand* (not super detail-heavy) facts/videos of Romney twofacing you.

general debate notes:

less specifics, more populist: ‘ring some bells’ –

you’re speaking to about 300 million people — Americans — of all levels of intelligence — you need to find something that shakes their spines, Barack – ring some bells, i want to hear LOUD, CLEAR, HARMONIOUS, UNDENIABLE *MUSIC* that we all get — that speaks to our very core of our heart — disparity of wealth (that even resonates with (younger/poorer) republicans, i think) — things like that — details can come as needs be —

i would prioritize understandable-to-everyone details first in the debates — & publish or separately spread ‘pundit fodder’ (needed/complete-as-they-should-be specifics) later.

but ‘ring some bells.’ go populist on anything you can (your philosophy/beliefs are good — show your ‘real gems’) — & those sort of ‘gathering bells’ can be backed up with the ‘back-end’ (like in programming) policies & specifics. Romney can try to sound The Middle Class bell until we get to his last year of talks, & “the 47 percent” spiel that i think will be a constant antidote to ‘No, *I* am all about The Middle Class!’-ing of Romney.

final debate move – you did this but keep on:

don’t let them control the dialogue *while still being honorable* – we’ve got the best game in town, bring OUR things, ‘play offense’ & wheel out a bunch of winning points he will have to address. they ALWAYS seize offense & use ‘messaging’ (underhanded public communciation) — i’m not sure the best way to defeat that rather than blowing out of the water *what you can seize on that is heinously wrong about what they’re saying during the debate – & sometimes letting it ride as best you can till AFTER the debate, via stumping/factchecking/people in the media & your PR people/etc.*

he was a very sneaky gus (in the first debate), i guess the best you can do is correct the misinformation very poignantly.

7. must win with Democrats & Obama, not just Obama

[unwritten but a timecrunched point – we need the public to understand Obama over Romney is not enough, we need congress-wide Democrats packing the seats, else we’re in the same filibuster-susceptible situation – which i touch on lightly in a below paragraph.

this may well be the 2nd key to success after Barack, in my opinion.]

8. other winning points:

* re the accusation “Barack didn’t do much” — i always first show your much pushed jobs graph, but two i encourage you to (ESPEICALLY in light of needing many Democrats/progressives elected, not just You/Barack elected, to overturn & pass things) — continuing: when people say “Barack didn’t do much” a 2nd point after the jobs graph/numbers: *SHOW GRAPHS* of the Republicans’ record(?) number of minority filiubsters – put it simply what this is, (i say ‘it’s effectively a sit down strike by the minority to block the majority passing a bill — minority rule rather than majority’ — that is a huge point — i again say to you, it does NOT seem to “be congress who’s at fault” — it is specifically Republicans, which whether you are a Democrat or not you should call out, because it’s a serious, recurring wrench being thrown in our gears. consider lighting a ‘Rules Reform’ fire/debate, (or whatever it’s best called), to reform the rules as well as highlight the Republicans’ obstructionism as of late. (this can tie into several Republicans’ (including their House leader’s) “number #1 goal,” among a recession, severe job deficits, financial deficits 2 wars sworn Muslim extremist “enemies of America”, “is to make Barack Obama a 1-term President.”)

* trying my hand at economics:

i) we have A Jobs Deficit & A Financial Deficit;

ii) from what i understand Recovering Jobs is the Best Way to Pay Off The National Deficit; (several economists like Reich are my source for this;)

iii) too, from what i understand (from Reich – who again you should emphasize & settle any minor differences you may have), the Best Way to RECOVER JOBS is to Invest (you can say for this point, “they call it ‘spending’ but really it’s ‘investing’ — you can’t make make money if you don’t spend money, they say” etc –), & be as Robert Reich says, the “spender of last resort”: Government, Consumers, & Businesspeople are the 3 spenders in the economy – if Businesspeople have no businessmoney they aren’t spending; if Consumers have no jobs they aren’t spending either; since the economy requires some money to get it growing to get the rest of it growing, in a a sort of ‘domino effect of growth,’ *then Government must spend* — stimuluses, nation-building, all that – you can probably come up with more.

iv) since we have A Deficit right now, & some people have gamed the system so that they RECEIVE money when they already make billions, THEY can pay for us getting out of The Recession – Ursurists, Financial swindlers, Big Money corporations, & others/people who gamed the system & immorally effected The Recession in the first place.

on this iv step summary: the people (my generation) are HUNGRY for bankers/financial exploiters to lose money in favor of The Greater Good (of The Community) – my only comment here is it is, from my perspective as a 28 year old, THE WINNINGEST point: retracting money from those whose being greedy caused this recession, to grow back stronger from this recession. oligarchy is a BIG topic among the youth & sapient older-crowds, too. any large-scale reformations against the nascent oligarchy is a huge & indefatigable public win, from my vantage point.

*

they say ‘you become rich because you worked hard, & because you worked hard, you should be able to keep your riches’ – did David Koch really work so hard he earned all that wealth? or Mitt Romney? did 400 people really make the effort equal to the other 225 million or however many, since 400 people own half the wealth {adjust this to make it more accurate}, & the other 225 million own the other half? or did they exploit, probably cheat, & game the system’s rules & laws to get the wealth equal to about 500,000 other people per person, on average. i don’t believe they ‘worked 500,000 times harder’ in ‘an honest day’s-work’ than the average person! The Walton Family owns more wealth than the bottom 40% of America combined!!

so then you guys can ring ‘bells’ like *Disparity of Wealth,* therefore *Re-Distribution* *to Investment* (hard to say to the public explicitly, “Robin Hood these people”) & *also to Stimulus Packages / etc* — you can sort out the ‘exacts’.

even as business-productivity rose across the country, the wage increases (according to mother jones [check this]) went like this: http://www.motherjones.com/files/images/what-they-make450_0.png

seen here with productivity (& the blue line being i think EVERBODY IN AMERICA’S wages, not just the bottom 90% like in the last): https://motherjones.com/files/images/change-since-1979-600.gif

maybe something like “this is what trickle-down, top-down, de-regulation for the rich has caused — should we continue that? or redistribute the wealth, & take a Community-Loving, Greater-Good approach? i think we should take the Community-Loving approach” — as opposed to Social Darwinism (altho you’d have to phrase that differently or break it down — e.g. ‘a competitive, brother-hating world, not a communal, loving one.’) — could link then to ‘Community’, before/after, & also defend Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc…

also this video could circulate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJAbEmyZP0o (Rachel Maddow)

so not only *Investments*, *Re-distribution of the ‘Topheavy’/’Lopsided’/etc Wealth,* but also *Community,* are not that bad, because we should love community.

*

50 some people contributed 42%(?) of the campaign finances so far. [again this was from awhile ago.] *Citizen’s United, your two’s difference on Campaign Finance Reform*: some bells to ring: *”Money is Speech,” these people believe – they literally say that — if you have more money you therefore have more speech (the entire problem almost)* — also *”Corporations are People” — same line of thought, a very deleterious idea to their philosophy in our time – when a partial oligarchy is sort of ‘the hot idea’, etc* — also this should naturall flow (i think,) into we need to elect almost ALL democrats across the board – You/Barack is Great, but we need majority votes, esp. to defeat a filibuster. so this is a good stepping off point for ‘Vote for All Democrats’ inasmuch Democrats favor meaningful Campaign Finance Reform over Republicans/Conservatives.

9. my own opinions:

lastly, my personal opinions – genetically-modified organism / genetically engineered foods are bad, your sources (‘corporate science’?) have tricked you – it is a serious threat to our future agriculture, without exaggeration as i understand it — you need to listen to Dr. Joe Mercola — a Ron Paul fan but then again they are both doctors, so they are likelier to feel for each other — on this very grave topic, so that we are not needing to try to fix what God never intended.

handbreeding plants may be a great, natural (enough) option. haste will create a ‘grey goo’ type scenario – slowest carefullest development will make our world Art, i believe.

so – back to GE crops: that is the best popular point among the (Minnesota/Ron Paul leaning) youth i’ve heard ‘against you,’ on facebook etc – that you have so-far supported genetically engineered crops, when their defiance of God & Evolution show up clear as day in their (GE crops’) potentially DEVASTATING consequences to the food supply as well as our health — not ‘merely theoretical’ consequences, but ones that have demonstrably, empirically begun — you need to listen to a very studies-oriented, important, & genius Natural Health Doctor named Dr. Mercola — listen to him & follow his referenced links (or give to an advisor as long as he or she is not utterly “blinded by science” & can accept that technology, chemical products (DDT, Asbestos, BPA, & things like that), & other ‘interventions’ can go heinously wrong, sometimes,)) — listen & follow those links i mention *here*:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/15/genetic-roulette-gmo-documentary.aspx

(this one mentions you & Your Wife — re high-fructose corn syrup, her saying all food products ‘are like poison in a way’ — she is right, by the way — if that earlier article is any predictor of the long-term research for synthetic food additives’ health effects ( http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/24/pharmaceutical-drugs-vs-nutritional-supplements.aspx (you can just skim that one)):)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/09/ge-food-supporters-insist-organic-foods.aspx

there’s more but that may be a start – again he is all studies based, anythign he’s touting is likely well entrenched & endowed with empirical science.

also relatedly, Big Pharma is a monstrosity. they say they are ‘in it for the health’ as they ok all kinds of greed, a lot like my former boss at Javalive, a coffeehouse in Faribault, would sputter “i have overhead” everytime someone asked why his prices were 2 to 3 times higher than anywhere else’s locally – it is only valid to some limited amount, just like “we are in it for the health” is only valid to some limited amount – & *that amount* is perhaps quantified like this (explore this study’s veracity, i am guessing you will find it is plenty solid, & then some): http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/24/pharmaceutical-drugs-vs-nutritional-supplements.aspx

this/these are good campaign tones to ring i wonder, among the youth – we SEE these ads on TV, we are saavier than in a very long time to Natural Health & Natural Medicine — the people are fed up with it — even Jerry Seinfeld was doing jokes about the ads for medications, ‘then the lawsuits against them a few months later,’ the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. GE is a hot issue for many of your more intelligent critics.

i suggest you start reading Mercola.com for excellent Natural Health, Natural Medicine, & their related politics . . . again he is a passionate person — & i will ease you into something here — Ron Paul is A Doctor – Dr. Mercola is A Doctor – so i think Dr. Mercola (don’t tell him i said this, haha) sympathizes with him more readily for that reason — that said, he is NOT a tea-party wingnut, writing manifestos about crazy things tea-party wingnuts have been writing about; so you will have to sort your feelings about his opinions of you from his very lucid statements about Natural Health, Natural Medicine, & their related politics. he is incredibly genius, probably near your par from my estimating viewpoint – & just sees Big Pharma (as i have ‘EXPERIENCED’) brutalizing our (The People’s) health for money/Greed —

that is why i think he has a ‘freedom’ tack on health politics – still his MEDICAL ideas are extremely relevant, accurate & studies-based, & worth your time, when considering a health issue from a grassroots, non-incentivized (he sells products but more often recommends whole foods than supplements — which he does not sell (he does not sell whole foods, like apples, & broccoli;)) licensed, practicing & passionate Doctor perspective. always accurate, succinct, & worth reading; please consider his health website (www.mercola.com) &/or daily newsletter on that site for 1) health & also health care policies, & also 2), your personal & families’ health. for example,

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/24/modern-medicine-disease-treatments.aspx ,

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/07/30/doctors-death-part-one.aspx ,

& (again)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/24/pharmaceutical-drugs-vs-nutritional-supplements.aspx .

i fit into the last article’s topic, suffering a strongly-suspected-stroke & severe severe allergies due to misadminstered *INVOLUTNARY* medication — i have long-term serious affects from that that drain my social security & the time & energy of those who have to help me with my Aphasia, Agnosia, & Memory Problems, not to mention severe outdoor allergies, after loving & enjoying the outdoors (mountain biking) literally 4 or more hours a day. i say this to warn you, because 1) the Greed of Big Pharma drove this ‘to be’, & 2) i particularly note my health sufferances FROM synthetic drugs — *compounds we never evolved with, & so our bodies don’t know how to deal with (<– strong argument against synthetics, borne out in the last-pasted link’s cited study –)* — i say this *for your personal & family’s benefits.* take a day in the future to consider these things, for Sasha, Malia, Michelle & Yourself. i encourage you, Barack.

for the time being, i will leave it there, & just say:

1. ‘nature abhors a synthetic’, ala ‘nature abhors a vacuum’;

& 2. i am strongly suggesting you take up Mercola’s health ideas, theses, & philosophy for consideration, if not almost-whole adoption.

10. Love Ya Barack Take Care, see you on my screen celebrating victory – see it happening & see how to MAKE IT HAPPEN. you can do this, we’re supporting you. ‘Member, Ring Some Bells, Community, Character, Disparity of Wealth, Investment/The Solution (“spender of last resort” if you should, but probably in other words), & Everything Else i have said & the Great things i haven’t said. Love Ya Barack, Good Luck My Brother. – joe valentyn

what i asked for in return was a letter in return to impress a girl i was interested in – of course i never got any letter back, except a half-autogenerated one via Stephanie Cutter. for all i know this letter could’ve been trashbasket liner. i also sent a copy to Robert Reich, Rachel Maddow, & Steve Kornacki (a Salon.com journalist who sometimes did stints on NBC) titled “Steal This Letter”. i couldn’t even get confirmations that they received it, from staff in their offices, while meanwhile Rachel was writing a whole book, titled Hubris, which also seemed a bit much when i had been sending some rather thoughtful/philosophically-aligned emails to her, too.

oh well, i guess i can just take barbs from the IRC-ians who i chat with from time to time about how this was all in my head. thanks guys =/ – let me know when you get that letter lol.

gosh.

here’s an old poem i wrote about 4 years ago.

it goes a little something like this – a one two one two three four!:

.: What i By Learning Forgot :.

one day i thought
stupidity knows, all those things i forgot
by learning so much,
about this & that & dot dot dot

running thru the grass, i would never’ve known that’d be the innocence i’ lost,
listening to the adults, i knew i could not make that kind of talk,
i dreamed of being a big kid, but the grown ups, there was something some of them ‘d lost;
but when i woke up one day, late for work, i stood between two worlds, the losing, & the lost:

a kid came up to me, & drew me a picture my memory pinned up, but my organization since lost,
& i leaned more toward the little guy, as up walked my boss,
& i looked at my picture, while Gary explained how It’s Everyone That Tardiness Costs,
the kid was all smiles, & Gary looked cross, & i knew who to choose, i knew who, between the losing & the lost,,

so, i quit my job,
Gary would say i got fired, but either way it was cost,
but  i found what that kid gave me:
a piece of my innocence – he smiled so much – he had playfulness, spark, innocence, & love – i hope i never ever lose something so important again, only little things, like jobs.

 ♪♫♫♫♪♫♫♫♫

there is news.

we have mastered new forms of power, & formed a material production revolution around them. 

& now, later, material productions are doing everything & more agriculture did for hunter-gatherers: turning mass productions into automated operations which require less man-hours & produce more goods.

too, we have devised a huge advancement for the trade routes of information: The Internet.

we have even begun fashioning simple information tools; these leaf-&-stick waterwheels of information are the beginning of un-understandably great semantic tools of the future.

this report is not just to tell us that these things are happening, but to respond, too.

first, for our material production developments, what fates held for the agricultural revolution – the exploitation of the common people by large landowners – we must keep vigilant against with the corporations in ours:

the fruits of industry & automation technology ought to be divided fairly, rather than greedy owners keeping all profits to themselves.

we can do this by subsidizing co-operated factories & upcomingly, automated factories, so that the profits of mass productions of cheap & valuable products can be shared among all participating, rather than most of the money going to a plump few, as is often the case;

more positively, with the automated production revolution we should start seeing a new society taking foothold; one where products are abundant & inexpensive, just like when farms made crops & meat widely accessible, & there should no serious two-ways-about who can afford basic things & who can not; & the playing field should be leveled bothways, so that everyone has comparable basic goods in this life.

as long as the distribution of the fruits of the automated revolution are well-divided – say in a employee-owned automated factory co-op sharing profits evenly – then all of our myriad of products should become cheaper as automated production replaces human hands; at the same time freeing us from work’s drudgeries, & giving us more free-time for what matters most to us —

if the fruits of that labor are kept well-divided.

for the revolution in information trading that the internet is bringing, i propose a system by The People, of The People, & for The People, containing all the myriad [] {to be continued – Ed.}

third, we should pour our research funds into information tools; not into weapons research, not into experimental substances research: into information tools. deductive applications, inference engines, expert systems, maybe even into philosophy programs, & put these powerful items in The People’s hands; in The Government’s hands, in the Non-Profits’ hands, & level the playing field against runaway advancement in commercial areas, where the conflicts of interest are too strong for optimal growth. 

at the same time, we should remove software patents, because it slows our civilization’s progress & boosts commercial advancement out of step with the rest of The World.

let’s do these things so that we may REACH the stars of higher culture thru information technology, & also, so the cultural advancement of powerful corporations *does not* outpace the government’s culture or what the average person has access to: because, for the optimum civilization progress to be made, fundamental insights using information technology should be accessible by all, with the basic required information-infrastructure ready to use, rather than too-powerful of corporations having all the tools & fundamental insights they provide, & the average person being the victim of their advances; & again because we should ALL enjoy the fruits of bounding information technology, & because commercial culture should not become overgrown, we should make these tools public & free, or at least affordable, like other basic utilities are – water, garbage, & electricity – so that everyone has great access to the fountains of culture.

one concrete step to do this is for the government to make a public search engine that is the analog of a public library for all the world’s websites, so that no one company becomes too powerful with information, & then too powerful with money, & then plays the role of a library or government department compounded with conflicted interests, making poor choices poor experiences for the citizens. we should make a public search engine that is the best at what it does, just like the city makes maps of the roads & houses & businesses, & also make applications that help people do basic things, like communicate & share files thru ftp, & provide & maintain them for free or few & affordable dollars.

too, we should subsidize culture itself, & give access to what the low-income kids *want* culturally, to help them grow via their favorite music & books & movies & lectures & pictures & documentaries, etc. this is a civilizational blessing, because we effectively use powerful technology to thrive our culture immensely, improving the actual people, rather than just constant technology improving, which will only pass on thru the generations.

why not help pay for people’s culturation, just like we help pay for their bodily nourishment; food for thought is also important, & we want the most advanced culture we can, really.

& on that note, how about contributing to the greater good of The World, & picking up the tab on getting India electricity & reasonable access to computers; & then when Egypt – a 2nd great historical culture – coalesces into a more stable entity again, we can upgrade this great culture’s computer infrastructure as well, alike ‘civilizational security’, to get them contributing more of their legendary cultures to the global dialogue that is The World Wide Web.

with the changes coming from automated production, the nearly vertical growth in information exchanging, & the new area of making information tools, it is best to have a plan. i hope these thoughts serve as some early ideas in our navigating these revolutions.

thanks.

– joe