Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

<center>Happy Birthday, America!</center>

Well, America, today you're a whopping 230 years old... too old to be involved in a war in Iraq if you ask me. But I know better... you'd never ask anyone that wasn't a Conservative/Republican for anything. But, honestly, your Treasury is being ransacked by this war and for what... or who? Can you really afford to keep borrowing money to apparently 'buy a Democracy' in Iraq? Seems as though at your age you've become so singular-minded about what you want versus what you need that anyone implying anything else appears to you to be on the fringe.

Two-hundred and thirty years is a goodly amount of time to develop into a decent Democracy, but lately... I don't know. Is it because you're listening to only one side of the populace? Or (and I hate to mention it), do you just really don't care about all the freedoms that the Constitution originally proclaimed? Your attitude as of late is not really what it should be. Could age have anything to do with it?

Remember when you were young? Those days when you were free to try all sorts of things. My gosh! The country was really a vibrant place. The arts took a big foothold in the world scene. Your movie industry was a model for so many other countries. Nowadays you seem to have so many suspicions about those 'Hollywood types' that there's an aire of distrust and anger at what 'those people' say and do.

And your free press! Geez, America, it used to be such another great model for the rest of the world. Lately, though, you are a little bit more than concerned at what this freedom to print is doing to your image, or so it seems. If you continue in that direction you can't help to be viewed as having something to hide, you know?

All this secretiveness you've been up to the past four or five years is sneaking up on you. Youo can only keep secrets for so long before they come out and turn against you.

The real secret is that you're ailing, America. You ain't the example of Freedom and Democracy you once aimed to be. You're in debt up to your Chesapeake and the flood waters are leaking over into the populace. At your age you are trying to put on a face that all is well and you're a healthy and vibrant place. But you're dis-eased, America. Witness the amount of drugs you consume yearly to keep alive. You're supposed to be one body united... you know, the United States of America? But all this red state and blue state divisions..? You just can't stand strong and united if this division continues. You know that.

Maybe age makes you less pliable, less agreeable to change. America, my friend, change is what you have been all about for all these 230 years, and those changes have always been for the better. But look at yourself now - tyring to stifle change, inhibit your freedom to express and move with the times. Those are signs of old age and you've got to get a transfusion or else you are going to live in the past.

America, your original declaration of forming a more perfect union with liberty and justice for all is growing weak. True, those that are wealthy have a great deal of liberty... the more wealthy they are the more liberty they have. But is that the intent you had in mind, America, when this was written up and agreed upon 230 years ago? How about justice for all? Your own Bureau of Justice statistics show that only one year ago there were about 2.2 million of your own people incarcerated in jails and prisons throughout your country. How many of these people are locked up solely because of their own pursuit of happiness? (You know you granted that clause in your Constition, don't you?). How about 'insuring domestic tranquility'...? I don't think by locking up so many people you're really insuring your own tranquility. Do you?

Seems like you need to take a good look at yourself, especially now that you're 230 years old. Take a good look at where you are now and compare that to when you were young and full of ideas and love of living. Don't forget all the progress you were responsible for - things like the light bulb, automobiles (and assembly lines with fair pay), the telephone, television, airplanes, movies, arts, wonderful architecture. The list is long and wonderous. Wouldn't you like to keep adding to the list? Or don't you have the energy to keep up with progress?

Woouldn't you still like to be a 'Beacon of Freedom' for the world? I mean the freedom for your citizens to keep on keeping up with their own ideas and their own measures of success. America, you shouldn't forget the 1930's so quickly, when FDR put a stop to a few that became so powerful that your citizens grew weak. But you're allowing it to happen all over. Your corportations are runnign you and 'we the people' are losing ground. You didn't intend that to happen, but in your old age, you seem so lacking in compassion and caring for the same people that once gave you a feeling of being proud and confident, happy and fun to be with. Look at you now.

I won't go on and on, even though there are so many things that just aren't healthy about you. But be assured, America, that I have faith that you will get strong again, and I don't mean militarily strong only, but internally strong, a renewal of your original intent "to provide for the common defence (and not the defense of one party), promote the general Welfare (that means all of us), and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity"... great words to live by and to live for, America. Don't squander them for the benefit of greed and theivery of the Treasury that 'we the people' have contributed to.

I truly hope it's not too late, America, for you to restore your vitality and freedoms so you can continue being a country that will inspire others to trust and believe in. There are millions of us that want you to regain your health and continue progressing towards a future for all of us, not just a faction. We may be called 'Progressives.' Among us are those that belief in Freedom and Liberty for all. We may be called 'Liberals.' These shouldn't be dirty words in your eyes, America, but rather they should be words that mean the original intent of what you were conceived to be for all of us... even those that fear liberty and justice for all. That's what made you strong to begin with... inclusion of all, for all, by all.

May you reflect upon your humble beginnings, America, on this your 230th year.

I love you, but I'm not going to be waving any flag today. I hope you understand.

Cecil

Remember when you were young?

Oh yes I remember.

I remember when I was three-fifths of a man.
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_slav.html

automobiles (and assembly lines with fair pay),

I suppose you mean Henry Ford's five dollars a day.

But Ford's innovation brought with it a new pressure of work -- at home and abroad. Paul Boatin was one of 80,000 men working at Ford's River Rouge plant in Detroit: "You had become an animal. Worse than a plain chunk of meat. You felt a complete frustration and isolation."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/ ... ption.html

Yes bring back the good old days.

That is exactly what they (this regime) is trying to do Cecil.

I remember sitting in a room with a bunch of truck drivers listening to the boss talk about the glories of the good old days. Some of the Afro-American drivers did not seemed very happy with their recollections.

Good day for parades and beer,

Watching the parade go by my back door.
Big float came buy from the Fellow Ship Of the Word church. Huge flag pole on it. It got tangled up in some over head wires. I was kind of hoping for some fireworks, but it was just a telephone line.

As bad as they seem, these could still be the good old days.

Jack - are you suggesting that assembly lines are not a good thing? Look how cheaply it made the automobile... so most could afford them... not just the wealthy. $5.00 daily was damn good pay back then, ya know?

It's not that I'm wishing for the old days to return, but rather for this country to continue progressing forward, not giving away jobs to foreign countries, not keeping people chained to assembly lines (like some foreign countries...), but to be able to have the freedom to keep moving forward. That's how the civil rights movement came about... moving forward.

I reckon you don't agree that all is not so good with America nowadays, eh?

I have never seen Charlie Chaplin's modern times.

I am not suggesting anything. I don't think it helps to romanticise the past

.When Henry Ford launched the Model T in 1908, he meant it to be the simplest car ever assembled, designed for a new mass market. To make it affordable, Ford would have to change the way it was made. Every aspect of construction was broken down into discrete stages that anyone could master. Soon, there would be no need for skilled craftsmen with years of apprenticeship; workers could learn to do any job, quickly mastering a single, repetitive step. Pushing for even greater productivity, Ford introduced the moving assembly line five years later. His innovation allowed more cars to be made even more cheaply -- and much faster. The moving assembly line cut production costs dramatically, raising workers' wages, and giving them unprecedented buying power.

I reckon you don't agree that all is not so good with America nowadays, eh?

Is that what you think I meant?

I am trying to take St. Jacks advice and

Believe in the holy contour of life.

Jack: "I don't think it helps to romanticise the past. "

Nothing wrong with a little romance now and then, even if it's based on memories of the past. As long as we don't rely on it for our present state of affairs, doncha think?

George Santayana's quote, "those who ignore the past are obliged to repeat it," isn't such a bad quote, altho he doesn't mention romanticising the past, but rather being aware of the past. Some may see some romance back there and enjoy thinking about it at times. One might call that way of thinking 'hope'... hope for a better future.

Winston Churchill once remarked, "the further backward you look, the further forward you can see." That pretty much includes the whole ball of wax - romanticizing and all. It's up to the present to cull the bad past from the good past and use that good as a stepping stone to tomorrow, IMO.

Romance is a concept
best served in the surreal

http://www.studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtop ... ght=#39061

Sad.

Good thing not everyone agrees with that sentiment.

Where is Lucy now?

I did not think it was sad, I thought it was funny and true.

No idea where she is. Maybe she went back to Chile? I feel like I watched her grow up. From a hip high school chick to a college woman. I think she graduated this year.

Speaking of showing our age, I miss mars too. I miss the all the young ones. Where is Geoff and KD?

The young 'uns! Gosh, Jack... hard to guess on that one. Maybe we old timers bored them into leaving.

Maybe so. Too bad. I was hoping for the young ones to lead us

If they had known you'd follow them, I'll bet they would've asked you.

never trust any body under 70, that's my motto

... that is until we're 70, eh?