The Dance of Death, Hans Holbein (1497-1543) 

You can be sure that when or if the secret of physical immortality is acquired (and it is a goal being actively pursued) then only a favored few will be given the prize.

Then the Earth will become even more a kind of Hell. 

Then the only way we will be able to rid ourselves of our Masters will be to kill them. 

Death has been our friend. 

He visits the rich and the poor alike in his rounds. 

When the privileged purchase the ability to stay his knock on the door, this planet will  enter a stasis.

 We shall be burdened with the same masters for thousands of years.

If we have not been already. 

Nicolai A. Berdyaev, A "Radical Christian" in the Best Sense

I last quoted Nicolai back last March but you can't get hurt having a little more.

"Egoism, self-seeking, self-conceit, pride, the will to power, hatred of others, violence, all become virtues when transferred from personality to the nation as a whole...National self-conceit and pride is a lie, just as much as it is by the way ludicrous and stupid...[nationalism precipitates] men into a fictitious and illusory life."    -- from Slavery and Freedom


"The greatest temptation of human history is the temptation to exercise sovereignty and in it there is concealed a most powerful enslaving force...The whole disquieting and tangled problem of sovereignty is bound up with the fact that man has a natural disposition to dominate others. He is in search of his kingdom and he devotes his strength to the establishment of it, but his kingdom makes him a slave."    --from Slavery and Freedom


"Habitual, time-hardened slavery may not appear to be a form of violence, while a movement which is directed to the abolition of slavery may appear to be violence." from "Slavery and Freedom"

Nicolai A. Berdyaev

Tahrir Square Cairo, Getty Images, MacDiarmid

Egyptian Army Called In as Protests Rage

Oil Price Spikes Towards $100

                                               28 January 2011 Uprising in Egypt

Police in Cairo on Wednesday January 26 prepare to keep Order.

Reports of ‘massacre’ in Suez as protests in Egypt move into third day | Raw Story

Regardless of the reassuring statements of experts and authorities and politicians around the world about the stability of Egypt, things there remain volatile. Change can happen quickly in any country. Egypt is a country of breathtaking poverty and concentrated wealth. This is a situation the human spirit will not tolerate for long.

Inspired by Tunisia and Egypt, Yemenis join in anti-government protests The Washington Post

Yemen is a country on the Arabian peninsula that has no oil. The people are poor and suffer under President Ali Abdullah Saleh who has held office for thirty years in this nominal democracy. President Saleh has enjoyed the support of the United States. This support has translated into little benefit for the people.

“True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance.”-Akhenaton

Broad Protests Across Egypt Focus Fury on Mubarak - NYTimes.com

It is about time. The Arab world has suffered under the boot-heels of their leaders and privileged class for far too long.

Quotes:

"This is the biggest protest I've seen in this era. I'm not part of any group or party. We've all just had enough."-Zeinab Khalifa, artist 


"We came here for a reason: to tell Mubarak that we don't want his corrupt regime. I came with three of my friends because we're all educated — we're all protesting for our jobs, for our rights; to get married; and for the future of Egypt." -Ahmed Mossad, 22, a translator


“We can confirm that Twitter was blocked in Egypt around 8 a.m. PT today. It is impacting both Twitter.com @applications.”- Tweet from Twitter

“The government is illegitimate, the president is illegitimate.” -crowd chanting in Cairo


“The young people decided. They haven’t seen a government listening. They got quite excited by the Tunisian change of power, or revolution, if you’d prefer to call it that.”-Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the United Nations nuclear agency




"I am here because of the poverty and because of the corruption. Nothing in Egypt is going as it should. This is the first chance the people have got to express how messed-up the country is. We want four things. We want the Minister of the Interior to be fired. We want people who have graduated to get jobs. We want the President to limit the time he is in power and we want an end to the emergency law."-Bashar Abdelmenem, a 22-year-old medical student

All or nothing at all
Half a love, never appealed to me
If your heart, never could yield to me
Then I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all
All or nothing at all
If it's love, there is no in between
Why begin then cry, for something that might have been
No I'd rather (rather) have nothing at all
But please don't bring your lips so close to my cheek
Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall
The kiss in your eyes, the touch of your hand makes me weak
And my heart may go dizzy and fall
And if I fell (I fell) under the spell of your call
I would be, caught in the undertow
So you see, I've got to say no, no
All or nothing at all

"All Or Nothing At All" Lyrics by Jack Lawrence, music by Arthur Altman

first recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1939

Billboard #2 in 1943

Sinatra claimed he and Harry James were fired from the Victor Hugo cafe in Hollywood after performing it to an empty house in 1939.

"The struggle between the two worlds can permit of no compromises...Either We or They."- Benito Mussolini

“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!”-Matthew 23:24:

The desire for an unambiguous black and white world that is certain and where one knows the rules and there is no doubt of right and wrong is the root desire and need of religion and government. This desire cannot bear individual point of view.  This desire projects upon the people a superior godlike point of view that actually emanates from the rulers of state with the acolytes of religion in their thrall (or vice versa) and is perfectly congruent with their interests. This desire for a spiritual authority actually represses true spirituality because it relies on Faith. And the beauty of Faith (belief without evidence or proof and belief in the presence of evidence or proof to the contrary) is inculcated into the minds of the people from birth. It has always been in the interest of the rulers to turn off both the rational and irrational minds of the people.

Natus est Dei Filius, non pudet, quia pudendum est; et mortuus est Dei Filius, prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est; et sepultus resurrexit, certum est, quia impossibile.— Tertullian (De Carne Christi V, 4)

"The Son of God was born: there is no shame, because it is scandalous. And the Son of God died: it is wholly believable, because it is foolish. And, buried, He rose again: it is certain, because (it is) impossible."

Tertullian's words are often condensed into the phrase
Credo quia absurdum- I believe because it is absurd.

The unknown world of Knowledge (Gnosis) must be cloaked by established Religion and the State in the cape of Fear, partly because Gnosis is a fearful thing and partly because Gnosis is a threat to the establishment.  All the liberal humanities of the Renaissance are Gnostic. All progressive impulses in man arise from Gnosticism. Conservatives know this well and that is why they must see the world in black and white and this is why they tend to encourage State Religion (Formal or Informal) whether they actually believe in it or not. The Irony is that Gnosticism and its sundry practices produce a better man than Faith based Religion which somehow has a blind spot for the constant and simple touchstone of Gnosticism, which is the Golden Rule.

I Heard An Angel

I heard an Angel singing
When the day was springing,
"Mercy, Pity, Peace
Is the world's release."

Thus he sung all day
Over the new mown hay,
Till the sun went down
And haycocks looked brown.

I heard a Devil curse
Over the heath and the furze,
"Mercy could be no more,
If there was nobody poor,

And pity no more could be,
If all were as happy as we."
At his curse the sun went down,
And the heavens gave a frown.

Down pour'd the heavy rain
Over the new reap'd grain ...
And Miseries' increase
Is Mercy, Pity, Peace.

-William Blake

After Tunisia, Is Egypt Next? - Eric Trager - International - The Atlantic

There can be a time for freedom. It comes unexpectedly, like a sudden sea storm.


"The developments in Tunisia are like an earthquake. Arab rulers will try to loosen up their regimes by giving some freedom, providing jobs and education and other things. Then they will try to become repressive again." Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi opposition activist based in Riyadh

“What is this for? To change Zine al-Abidine? Hasn't he told you he would step down after three years? Be patient for three years and your son stays alive." Muammar Gaddafi, a lonely voice in support of the vile Tunisian government. Violence and unrest have been reported in Libya.

"What happened in Tunisia is a model. It shows that can we can do it."-Amir Salah, a researcher at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

“I think we may be seeing an opening in the Arab world, economically at least. Many in the government circles are racing around, trying to fix this. There is definitely a fear in the air. Especially since many of Tunisia’s neighbors are worse off. Egypt is in many ways worse than Tunisia, at least economically speaking.”-Magdy Sobhy, an economist at the Egyptian state-funded Al-Ahram Center think tank.

"Great meanwhile is the moment, when tidings of freedom reach us; when the long enthralled soul, from amid its chains and squalid stagnancy, arises, were it still only in blindness and bewilderment, and swears by Him that made it, that it will be free! Free? Understand that well, it is the deep commandment, dimmer or clearer, of our whole being, to be free. Freedom is the one purport, wisely aimed at, or unwisely, of all man's struggles, toilings and sufferings, on this Earth."-Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution

George Frederick Watts, Portrait of Thomas Carlyle

Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation has led to the fall of the corrupt Tunisian government. 

Self-immolations across north Africa follow suicide in Tunisia | World news | The Guardian

The human spirit, in the end, will not bear repression. Those who desire to shackle their fellows will fail in the end. Religion, Dictatorship, and Militarism all will fail.

To do such work as pleases me,
Near woodland pools and under trees, 
You'll get no work at all; for I
Would rather live this life and die
A beggar or a thief, than be
A working slave with no days free.

William H. Davies, No Master, 1910

Reform of the Arab world will come from the people. It must come from its own people, from their own despair and their own disenchantment and their own will. 

Trails in the Sky
Or, How to Ruin a Beautiful Day
Southern Maine
December 30, 2010 
about 12:30

I wonder why?

Busy Doing Nothing

Here I am working on another woodpile. You can't do any better than fresh air, exercise, clean living and no boss.

Chop that wood
Carry water
What's the sound of one hand clapping
Enlightenment, don't know what it is- Van Morrison, "Enlightenment"

John "Jack" W. Wheeler III, West Point '66,  Harvard Business School, Yale Law School, Chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee, Mitre Corporation consultant, while in the Army he wrote the Biological and Chemical Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual

Private eye questions if death was murder | Philadelphia Daily News | 01/07/2011

John W. Wheeler III was one of the spookiest guys in Washington. They found his body in a landfill this week and they are already setting up non-crime scenarios to explain it. Sure... and William Colby drowned whilst canoeing.

Rascals and Scallywags Who Feed at the Public Trough (or anywhere else)

My Reforms For Congress

1.  Henceforth all Congressmen shall be chosen by lot from citizens who put themselves  forward for the seat.
2. Institutionalized persons are ineligible.
3.  Convicted felons are ineligible.
4.  If after a two year term, any Congressman who wants to retain the seat shall put his name forward to do so.
5.  To allow for some institutional memory, half of the incumbent Congressman who apply for another term shall be chosen by lot to retain the seat.
6.  No one who does not have a residence in a Congressional district may lobby the Congressman of that district to support or oppose any legislation.
7.  No money or gifts can be contributed to any Congressman since there will be no more campaigning.
8.  Violation of 6 or 7 is a felony offense for both Congressman and lobbyist or gift-giver. 

Think about it. The average citizen would provide better representation than the damn lawyers now in charge of Congress.

Elections have been totally corrupted beyond redemption. 


Addendum:


10. The size of Congress shall be increased. It will be harder to buy or corrupt so many. A larger Congress is a more representative Congress. At the founding of the Republic a congressman represented about 50,000 people. Today it is a little over a million, depending on the state. To get the representation today that we had at independence we would need a Congress of about 6,000. Such a Congress, chosen by lot, would truly be representative. 

..Happy 2011..from my eternal friend, Chutney.

I'm bored. Why won't they let me lick myself? I guess I'll just read ITGK6!

Vyzygoth's Inside The Grassy Knoll 6 is now available. In it you will find my essay "Some Thoughts On My Pending Retirement". Go to the issue and enjoy all the contributions by such luminaries as Andy Colvin, Brian Tuohy, William Ramsey, Vyzygoth and Andy Senior. Angie Riedel does the usual great job on graphics. You will not be sorry. And the price is right.

My Mothman Painting

The Billowing Breath, circa 1990, a painting by John Bonanno

My First Real Concert

In Boston, 1965

The first half of the concert was Bob alone with guitar.
After intermission he went electric with the full lineup of what was later known as "The Band" playing those great songs that can be found in his opus from "Bringing it all Back Home" through "Highway 61 Revisited".
The old time folkies in the crowd performed the pro-forma walkout in disgust.
(It was already a sad cliché by then.)
It was their loss.

"For the very first time the young are seeing history being

 made before it is censored by their elders." 

-Margaret Mead, Cultural Anthropologist

Anthropology Group Addresses Furor Over Deleting ‘Science’ - NYTimes.com


The American Anthropology Association has engulfed itself in a furor over its supposed redefining the mission of the discipline. Some have said that Anthropology has retreated from calling itself a science. The anthropologists have responded with (what else?) a paper clarifying the position. Called "What Is Anthropology?" it reads like a tedious ANTHRO 101 paper. The first paragraph:

"Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of four areas: sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their research, teaching, and professional lives."

The Times article may exaggerate the differences between the more scientifically oriented anthropologists and the more humanistic ones. It is a description of a tempest in a teapot.  However it must be understood that Anthropology is concerned with nothing less than the full range of human behavior and development through all time and space. Much of this interest, it must be admitted, is impervious to the scientific method as we know it. And I think, on a certain level, every anthropologist must admit this, even the physical anthropologists who spend their time extracting bones from the earth.  Anthropologists, even the most scientifically oriented, must be concerned with interpretation and extrapolation, which, in my opinion, is an art, not a science.

Matisyahu at the State Theater in Portland, Maine, December 9, 2010


Thanks for the great show, Matisyahu. But is it my imagination or are drums way over-amped these days? I guess I'm just getting old. And digital mixing is for the birds.

The text is drawn from "Deeper Insights Into the Illuminati Formula" by Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler.

Walt Disney

Final Part: The Cry of the 16th Aethyr, Which is Called LEA,  taken from The Vision and the Voice by Aleister Crowley. 


"Hegel remarks somewhere that all great historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He forgets to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce." - Karl Marx

"The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented Hell."- Bertrand Russell

BBC News - Could Charles and Camilla have been better protected?

"Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself-that is my doctrine."- Thomas Paine

There is hope for England yet. The crowd, agitated about the doubling of tuition costs in the UK, chanted "Off with their heads!"
Undoubtedly if the mob got its wish the royal serpents would simply grow new ones.

"The interest of the State is in intimate connection with those of the rich individuals belonging to it."-Alexander Hamilton

"We warned it would happen and it happened as we warned. "Off with their heads! Off with their heads!" chanted the angry mob as they attacked the Royal Rolls Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. "Off With Their Heads 2.0" read the headline of our Autumn Trends Journal predicting the outpouring of outrage that would accompany the harsh austerity measures inflicted upon the general public, while governments doled out generous bailouts and rescue packages for bankers and financiers.

Since the onset of the Greatest Recession, I’ve been informing readers to expect uncontrolled unrest that would roil markets and destabilize governments. When people lose everything and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it. And the spontaneous attack on the Royal couple was the first salvo in what promises to be a long war between the people and the ruling classes.  Anyone questioning the intensity of the people’s seething anger is either out of touch or in denial. This was the worst show of violence directed towards the Royals since the days of Irish/English hostilities." -Gerald Celente