The Word B

excuse me. i just read this email that was forwarded to me, it was nothing but propoganda. the email was creating an analogy for the war in iraq, and justifying american invovlement in the middle east. the analogy was that the world was a neighborhood, and each house a country, with you standing at your window watching a man brutally beat and kill his wife and kids. no one responds. this continues, so what do you do? then you watch another neighbor do the same, and this keeps happening until they are at your front door. what do you do? the statement made in this particular email, was thank god the united states is acting to defeat tyranny. maybe so. but i think this whole world situation and this outlook (through the email) is totally off base, and not taking into consideration historical events of the past. the united states government, helped put saddam hussein into power. the united states government gave him all those weapons of mass destruction. how do you think iraq came about having all those chemical weapons? ask the kurdish people and the iranian people how they feel about that. if you want to make saddam hussein look like a bad guy, that is fine, but you must also consider the person(s) who made him into what he is. are they bad guys too? who trained saddam to be a killer? who provided him with the means? who looked the other way for many years while this all went on? who is paying the price now? who is getting away with it, without any of the blame? who is the real tyrant? who is still making money from this war? it all boils down to one thing. oil. oil equals money, and money equals power.
no, it is not right for anyone to be beating and killing people. nor is it right to allow this to go on. but it is absolutely wrong to promote this behavior when it suits your purpose, to only turn around and condemn it when it no longer is in your benefit.

the u.s. federal elections are coming up very soon. this is going to be a nail biter finish and too close to call. but please, do the whole world a favor and outvote that dick head that is currently president of the country. yeah, you know who i mean. it is that same guy who is mucking up the rest of the world. we all need to see him go, for a more healthier life for all. this call goes out to all americans. you can do it.

today i played monopoly. it was one of those days. you know the ones, where there is nothing better to do, but play a board game. well let me tell you, it was one of those games that was neck and neck for the first half. then at one point, i landed on free parking and blew the game wide open. by the time the game ended i owned every consecutive property on half the board, and each monopoly i had was lined with hotels. it was a red sea of disaster for my opponent.
it makes me laugh to play that game, because it reminds me of peter sprouse. when he and i were about 10 years old, that summer we hung out quite a lot. well, he and i really got into playing monopoly. we played that game at least 4 times a week for the whole summer. it was a great way to pass the time and play civilized as kids. it never turned ugly (i can't imagine how for 10 year olds). i am not sure what the end result was of wins or losses, but we had fun. when i was back in california last year, he and i actually were talking about this same subject. "do you remember that summer when all we did was play monopoly...?" every time i look at that game, play it, or hear someone mention it, i remember the summer of 1984, and think of my friend peter. "i'll buy it!"

today, i was at work on the beach. it was a long slow boring day for most of it. basically, because it was raining all day with a cold southerly wind blowing. the beach was closed due to pollution, and there were no customers. the highlight of the day came when there was a large pod of humpback whales jumping out of the water. to watch these huge creatures throw their massive bodies clear out of the water was simply awesome, and to watch them come down making a splash larger than a sail boat was quite spectacular. i watched this go on for over an hour today. i am not sure if it was the same pod of whales, or more likely a long line up of several pods. my favorite part is watching the juveniles jumping up and out of the water. what a show!

today in north america is columbus day. this celebrating the day that christopher columbus apparently "discovered" north america. he landed in the west indies, thought he had reached india (thus the name). subsequently, he brought european awareness to the rest of the world, and inevitably brought about the colonialization of the western world. basically destroying the indigenous cultures, lives, land, and prosperity.
when i was a child, our history books had nothing but praise for good old chris columbus. what an outright lie that was. in reality, he was a bad man. he killed, raped, and enslaved the natives of the west indies. he literally performed genocide on a race of people. yet, even to this day, he is celebrated in some circles as a hero and discoverer of the new world. he did nothing of the sort. the americas were populated with millions of people long before chris columbus ever set sail.

this country had the opportunity to make a change with a national election this past weekend. unfortunately they populace decided it a better idea to put their heads further into a whole in the ground (or up their ass) and reelected the incumbent government. yes, that lying midget john howard got back in. i am so sad and disappointed. it is all so wrong and not healthy for the world. oh well, what is another three years of ultra-conservative war making regimes going to do that isn't already underway. i guess i am in the minority on this big island called australia.

do you ever wonder why so many people around you are depressed, stressed, and constantly unhappy? we are in the process of a global transition. we are living in a time where the world is on the brink of global tragedy for human kind. however, we have the potential for greatness and creating a more better global society. that possibility has always been there. but as the world slips closer and closer to disaster, the happy ending seems more difficult to achieve. it may be an impossible concept to grasp, but humans, like all animals, can sense when their lives are in danger. that is why we are trying to dull the senses and create distractions. the earth, our house, is smoking. where there is smoke there is fire and where there is fire there is smoke. so the real question is- do we put out the fire and build a better home or do we stand around and let the mother fucker burn?

do you ever wonder why life seems so much better with the sun shining? for me, it always feels better to be under that glowing star we call the sun. i like all sorts of weather, but truly prefer the sun. and i think most other people are the same. they just seem happier and more upbeat when the sun is out. so thank you sun, for rising every morning. you make my day.

today, some guy attempted to place the australian foreign affairs minister, al downer, under citizens arrest for war crimes. what a highly commendable move! not only should he be arrested, but also the prime minister, the attorney general, the minister for health and the minister for immigration and aboriginal affairs be arrested too. a few of the charges, should not only be for war crimes, but crimes against humanity, and lying while in public office. as well as being total wankers and dick heads in general.

i keep another journal. this is my latest "hi-tech" hobby. my other journal is the old fashion kind of pen and paper. recently, i bought a new book to write in, as my current one was nearing its end. for years i have used a journal that is approximately 8 1/2 inches by 5 inches, or A5 in size. for these journals, i have had a nice leather cover that easily is slipped off when i complete one journal and move onto the next. however, this time around, i felt i needed a change in size. perhaps it would also stimulate a change in attitude for me as well (i hope), in regards to writing style and projects, and well as large enough to draw pictures and create more abstract things. basically, i wanted more space and a larger canvas.
two nights ago i finished the last page of the old style journal and started on the new. in truth, i only wrote a few words, just to break it in. after i wrote those words, i looked at it, and realized i have put a very large project before myself. i know i am up for the challenge. that is not the problem, i now have. what i am confronted with is the fact that i am so used to the other sized book, that this new one seems so foriegn and unfamiliar to me that i am put off from writing in it. i look for other distractions. it is silly i know, but the larger blank page that stares me back in the face is daunting. i will over come. you wait and see, this time next week, i will be so deep into it, this entry into this journal will seem silly. it already is, a little.