Carl, sounds good, have a great time. I finished the cooking, the lasagna is
wrapped up in the pan and carrier, the pie is in its plate, the wine in the bag
and Nina and I are off to our friend's house.Work can wait until tomorrow.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2015 11:47 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Thanksgiving for a Grateful Empire
There are many holidays on the Empire's calendar that are meaningless to me.
But Thanksgiving is different. Because the Empire was wise enough to tuck an
extra day on Friday, giving folks a welcomed 4 day holiday, we, the Jarvis
Tribe, have declared this time as, Family Weekend. By Sunday afternoon a total
of 18 family members will have gathered, spent time grazing at the Turkey Laden
Table, camping around the large living room and basement, laughing and sharing
the high and low times during their last year. Only Josh will be stationed in
Germany, but will actually join us via Skype. Since we all come from different
places in life, we declare a, "No Politic" zone. We give thanks that we are
able to continue loving one another, despite our differences. And we offer the
hope that one day our nation can do the same.
In the meantime, I am thankful to be the senior member of this Tribe, and that
we have so many caring, loving members. Especially I am thankful for the woman
who saw beyond my many obvious flaws, and took me in and loved me
unconditionally. After 36 years, I am ever more in love with Cathy.
Carl Jarvis
On 11/26/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Boardman writes: "Any Americans who feel no shame for the state of
their country can be grateful for their psychic numbness and failed humanity."
US fighter jet takes off. (photo: Getty)
Thanksgiving for a Grateful Empire
By William Boardman, Reader Supported News
25 November 15
"Rooted in a story of generosity and partnership, Thanksgiving offers
an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for the gifts we have
and to show our appreciation for all we hold dear.."
So begins the official Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day,
2015, signed and issued by Barack Obama. While it hearkens back to
earlier Thanksgivings in St. Augustine in 1565 and Plymouth in 1621,
this is an essentially imperial document than gives only vague lip
service to giving "thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us."
When his proclamation gets specific, in the third sentence, the
President gives the highest place of grateful honor to the source of
global American imperial dominance:
We also honor the men and women in uniform who fight to safeguard our
country and our freedoms so we can share occasions like this with
loved ones, and we thank our selfless military families who stand
beside and support them each and every day.
This is, of course, fatuous pandering and a patent lie that is widely
and unthinkingly shared by much of a preoccupied populace. Our country
and our freedoms have needed no serious military defense for decades.
Even amidst the popular revival of terrorism hysteria these days, our
country and our freedoms need no military protection, because they
face no credible military threat.
It is a nice thought to imagine Americans quietly sharing an inclusive
and comforting community in which we express gratitude for our gifts
and share them with others wherever in the world they meet our
military. That might actually achieve the aspiration of showing
"appreciation for all we hold dear." But the sad reality seems to be
that, as a nation, we no longer know what we hold dear, or even what we once
believed we held dear.
Our country and our freedoms are unthreatened by others around the
world despite our well-cultivated baseless fear. At home, our country
and our freedoms are daily attacked by the cold dead hand of the
unelected corporate state. Our country and our freedoms are daily
attacked by the shrill, vicious demagoguery of divisive factions that
are as dedicated to the dominance of minority views as any Taliban or
ISIS or other monomaniacal evangelist. Our country and our freedoms go
daily undefended by a feckless, reckless government that would rather
control a cowed population than seek conciliation and general
well-being for all.
As things now stand in a nation more exceptional for its fragmentation
than its collective sense of confidence and purpose, a more honest
sampling of appreciation for what some Americans hold dear might include:
. Almost all American people can be thankful that their nation is not
involved in any serious wars, just turkey-shoots in Afghanistan, Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, much of Africa, and other places that produce few
American casualties while maintaining the constant expense of ordnance
to no useful purpose, but steady profit to the international arms industry.
. President Obama and his administration can be thankful that almost
none of their totalitarian surveillance and permanent-war-making
powers face serious challenges, not even the President's
assassination-by-drone terrorism.
. American Muslims can be thankful that they have not been rounded up
and confined to internment camps (yet), for the duration of the
preferred endless hostilities.
. All minority-Americans can be thankful if no one in their family was
hurt or killed by police this year. Black families in that category
can be super grateful. Even white families can be a bit grateful,
since cop brutality isn't as completely bigoted as it sometimes seems.
. Media-American performers can be thankful that they will never be
held accountable as journalists for their culturally destructive and
dishonest hucksterism.
. Police-Americans can be thankful for their special above-justice
status, since even the most violent among them typically goes unpunished.
. The American prison complex can be thankful for another year of high
profits at the expense of decent people jailed for non-violent crimes
by a judiciary that has lost its sense of justice (with the
significant assistance and insistence of Congress claiming to act for
an infantilized and fearful American majority).
. Women-Americans can be thankful that it is still mostly lawful to be
a woman.
. American terrorists can be thankful that they can go on
assassinating doctors, torching clinics, executing church
congregations, or shooting up mosques without fear that anyone will call them
"terrorists."
. The American public in general can be thankful that it remains
generally undisturbed by these or other American realities and that it
lacks a widespread feeling that it has any personal responsibility to
fix anything.
. Ben Carson and the rest of the Republican field can be thankful that
they have yet to be deemed a danger to themselves or others, and have
not been forcibly hospitalized.
. Any Americans still nurturing the hope of living in an advanced,
civilized nation can be thankful that we have two presidential
candidates, a man and a woman, who actually have credible records of
espousing humane values with regard to at least some of the critical
problems we face.
Obviously one of them is Bernie Sanders. The other, better one is Jill
Stein.
. Upper-income Americans can be thankful for the country that cares
for them and neglects others, making sure, year after year after year,
that people who could learn are not educated, that people who could
work are not hired, that people who could eat are not fed, that people
who could be free are not.
. Any Americans who feel no shame for the state of their country can
be grateful for their psychic numbness and failed humanity.
As some were wont to say back in the day: "Things are going to get a
whole lot worse before they start getting worse."
So we can be thankful that things aren't worse already.
Blessing on all, regardless of just deserts.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not
valid.
US fighter jet takes off. (photo: Getty)
http://readersupportednews.org/http://readersupportednews.org/
Thanksgiving for a Grateful Empire
By William Boardman, Reader Supported News
25 November 15
"Rooted in a story of generosity and partnership, Thanksgiving offers
an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for the gifts we have
and to show our appreciation for all we hold dear.."
o begins the official Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day,
2015, signed and issued by Barack Obama. While it hearkens back to
earlier Thanksgivings in St. Augustine in 1565 and Plymouth in 1621,
this is an essentially imperial document than gives only vague lip
service to giving "thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us."
When his proclamation gets specific, in the third sentence, the
President gives the highest place of grateful honor to the source of
global American imperial dominance:
We also honor the men and women in uniform who fight to safeguard our
country and our freedoms so we can share occasions like this with
loved ones, and we thank our selfless military families who stand
beside and support them each and every day.
This is, of course, fatuous pandering and a patent lie that is widely
and unthinkingly shared by much of a preoccupied populace. Our country
and our freedoms have needed no serious military defense for decades.
Even amidst the popular revival of terrorism hysteria these days, our
country and our freedoms need no military protection, because they
face no credible military threat.
It is a nice thought to imagine Americans quietly sharing an inclusive
and comforting community in which we express gratitude for our gifts
and share them with others wherever in the world they meet our
military. That might actually achieve the aspiration of showing
"appreciation for all we hold dear." But the sad reality seems to be
that, as a nation, we no longer know what we hold dear, or even what we once
believed we held dear.
Our country and our freedoms are unthreatened by others around the
world despite our well-cultivated baseless fear. At home, our country
and our freedoms are daily attacked by the cold dead hand of the
unelected corporate state. Our country and our freedoms are daily
attacked by the shrill, vicious demagoguery of divisive factions that
are as dedicated to the dominance of minority views as any Taliban or
ISIS or other monomaniacal evangelist. Our country and our freedoms go
daily undefended by a feckless, reckless government that would rather
control a cowed population than seek conciliation and general
well-being for all.
As things now stand in a nation more exceptional for its fragmentation
than its collective sense of confidence and purpose, a more honest
sampling of appreciation for what some Americans hold dear might include:
. Almost all American people can be thankful that their nation is not
involved in any serious wars, just turkey-shoots in Afghanistan, Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, much of Africa, and other places that produce few
American casualties while maintaining the constant expense of ordnance
to no useful purpose, but steady profit to the international arms industry.
. President Obama and his administration can be thankful that almost
none of their totalitarian surveillance and permanent-war-making
powers face serious challenges, not even the President's
assassination-by-drone terrorism.
. American Muslims can be thankful that they have not been rounded up
and confined to internment camps (yet), for the duration of the
preferred endless hostilities.
. All minority-Americans can be thankful if no one in their family was
hurt or killed by police this year. Black families in that category
can be super grateful. Even white families can be a bit grateful,
since cop brutality isn't as completely bigoted as it sometimes seems.
. Media-American performers can be thankful that they will never be
held accountable as journalists for their culturally destructive and
dishonest hucksterism.
. Police-Americans can be thankful for their special above-justice
status, since even the most violent among them typically goes unpunished.
. The American prison complex can be thankful for another year of high
profits at the expense of decent people jailed for non-violent crimes
by a judiciary that has lost its sense of justice (with the
significant assistance and insistence of Congress claiming to act for
an infantilized and fearful American majority).
. Women-Americans can be thankful that it is still mostly lawful to be
a woman.
. American terrorists can be thankful that they can go on
assassinating doctors, torching clinics, executing church
congregations, or shooting up mosques without fear that anyone will call them
"terrorists."
. The American public in general can be thankful that it remains
generally undisturbed by these or other American realities and that it
lacks a widespread feeling that it has any personal responsibility to
fix anything.
. Ben Carson and the rest of the Republican field can be thankful that
they have yet to be deemed a danger to themselves or others, and have
not been forcibly hospitalized.
. Any Americans still nurturing the hope of living in an advanced,
civilized nation can be thankful that we have two presidential
candidates, a man and a woman, who actually have credible records of
espousing humane values with regard to at least some of the critical
problems we face.
Obviously one of them is Bernie Sanders. The other, better one is Jill
Stein.
. Upper-income Americans can be thankful for the country that cares
for them and neglects others, making sure, year after year after year,
that people who could learn are not educated, that people who could
work are not hired, that people who could eat are not fed, that people
who could be free are not.
. Any Americans who feel no shame for the state of their country can
be grateful for their psychic numbness and failed humanity.
As some were wont to say back in the day: "Things are going to get a
whole lot worse before they start getting worse."
So we can be thankful that things aren't worse already.
Blessing on all, regardless of just deserts.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
