The Electorate

[mnaz]

I, the people, in order to piss on a flat rock, hereby inject the koolaid. I robot, rage against the light, flyin' fumes on roads to hell paved with tongue. But there's a war on; I don't speak sneer, but there's a war on, that much is clear. And I got a buzz on, strange hair, might go down to the apocalypse for a beer. 'Coz the measure of a man is how he plays the four horsemen and pisses me off, in that precise order, and I got a buzz on, a strange one, that much is clear. Time to refill syringe with ink, watch the war on cable in a mixed drink, and my cousin died fighting for a parking lot, so pave his grave with a speech. Finger on the button, God on a cell phone, stay the coarse, ride a hoarse. And so it goes, that much is clear.

Or more simply,

Dip me, strip me,
Pawn me, spawn me,
Poll me, pole me,
Where do I send the check?

Red me, blue me,
Screw me, unscrew me,
Piss me, kiss me,
Where do I send the check?

Cash me, trash me,
Prod me, prick me,
just stick a fork in it,
I think I'm done.

[stilltrucking]

I am sorry about your cousin, what good are condolences? I watch the faces on my TV scren, at least they show the american dead, sometimes Iraqi. But mostly it is john Q American French Lick Indiana forever 18/ Not that it helps you but
it helps me to read it. you articulate it so well, I wait and see what is next. I dread the "I" word, I think that would be a mistake.


As much as I can stand to watch these days is the silent memorial at end of the News Hour on PBS. I got the images, oh yes I got the images saved up. Why do I feel like it is 1917 and I have seen it all before?

I don't know what keeps me going sometimes,

Yeah I can't watch no more, I watch the simpsons during the network news infomercials. I watch the News Hour with Lehrer
I liked this piece by firsty too about the electorate.

Remnants of Madness ~ The Sudden Calm
http://www.studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=8541

Well we can always call it art.

e-dog wrote:

US Military Spokesperson Compares Iraq to “Great Work of Art”

Meanwhile, the chief US military spokesperson in Iraq has compared the ongoing violence there to a work of art. Speaking in Baghdad Thursday, General William Caldwell said: "Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition. A lump of clay can become a sculpture. Blobs of paint become paintings which inspire."

from democracynow.org
Headlines for November 3, 2006


astounding. military spokesperson's theory of (political) aesthetics
http://www.studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=8501

I was talking to the TV today, in a soto voce I said "I hate you" to Pastor Hagee. He has a plan, I think it as scary as anything Osam Bin Laden would want to spend money on. And I look at his audience of normal looking people, voters all probably, all I could think say was oh my godd.

[mnaz]

Heard someone say something about 'cut and run', and I had a Jesus moment, or needed one. "I bet al Qaeda in Iraq is happy about the results", he said.... Listen jackass, why do U suppose al Qaeda is in Iraq in the first damn place? (No, I didn't say it).

So why did 80% of everyone who seemed to have their shit together previously decide to lose their minds a few years back? That's what I wanna know. Or, maybe not.

[stilltrucking]

So why did 80% of everyone who seemed to have their shit together previously decide to lose their minds a few years back? That's what I wanna know. Or, maybe not.

I understand you more mark. I don't know what to say about your poem. I suppose if I was an Englishman I would say it was "bloody brilliant"

I don't know if you saw my reply before I edited it, I used a figging .

I cracked a dumb joke about labels. I said you put it a lable on it (it being anger) stupid joke, but I am stoned. This is probably too serious a discusion to have with someone on drugs. I have a hard time believing that women as smart as Hilary Clinton and Barbara Boxer were dumb enough to fall for that doctored intelligence, too many people knew the truth, I think it was politicaly convienient for them to vote for the war. Is that what you mean about "lose their minds" vote for a suicidal war? Sorry I am feeling pretty good, still drinking my mogen david cough syrup and I am pretty detached from this right now. It took me a long time to figure out first too. You both got PTSD. Me too, there are about 20% of us these days. One in five maybe, just enough I hope to save those poor bastards 80% of us still in denial.


wine X weed, just talking jib
maybe it made sense
just a go.
tempted to delete it but I wont

My sense of outrage is under control, not sure if that is a good thing. I am wrong about the numbers I hope. I suppose I am cynical about impeachement, yes I would love to see it, it would make for some great tv, all these sane rational people who voted for the war can trot out their outrage for being decieved. But I don't think it would help end the war any sooner, in fact the war would just drag on. I got a lot of hope for Pelosi, I am almost afraid to find out she voted for the war.

sorry for the ramble. I have not lost a family member in this war, but I still think I understand how you feel.

thanks for writing about it.

[mnaz]

I don't know anyone personally who was killed in the war. I'm writing on behalf of the embattled "we".... a disjointed rant, no doubt, but I'm sure many could relate. I'm thinking more of the Roved "electorate" of '04-'05. The new Congress is long overdue of course, but the same bastards in the White House/Pentagon are running our foreign policy for another two years, and the beat goes on.

It seems the only way to kill this damn war will be to cut off the money, and that would be spun as "anti-troop", "cut and run" nonsense. You know, I really try to keep this dark stretch of time in perspective.... we've survived worse, I suppose. But this was a corporate war right from the start. Let's not have any more wars of choice and immense no-bid reconstruction contracts handed out to cronies. Let's just not do that. Let's do an investigation Let's do several. The world will not weep for Saddam, once he's gone, but this war was never really about Saddam...
And I have it on pretty good authority that "we're" worn out (and tapped out) by it all, by the spying, the torture, the dismantling of Constitutional law, the systemic corruption, political smear, and lies, lies, and more lies.... torture.... the U.S. Congress openly debated torture.... that's what bad guys do, I thought. This couldn't possibly be my Congress, could it?... I want my money back.

Anyway, I'm slipping into another rant, I see.... helps just to get it out sometimes.... Like I say.... try to keep it in perspective, I suppose. Thanks for hearing me out.... Over and out.

[creativesoul]

ya know it is not just the internal war that we suffer from, or the judgement or the blood on our hands for not takng the goverment in charge by force. it is just sooo wrong to watch passively murder on the tv
and when do we become we and make the changes?

[Zlatko Waterman]

About the poem, mz:

Absolutely brilliant Pynchon-esque, Dylan-inflected rant-chant.

( a separate matter, below)

Howza bout spending a few days with us in January or February, my friend?

( you can answer in PM-- I would like that)


--Z

[Arcadia]

irresistible poem, mnaz!!
but maybe the piss/thing is not necessary...

[stilltrucking]

none of my business
but I thought it was bloody perfect


But I am no poet, I suppose every pome can be improved
we co-exist with our different opinions about poetry.

There is a red necked expression "pissing in the wind" similiar to pissing on a flat rock, those are american slang for doing something stupid. We got a chance, a slim chance of stopping the madness. A slim two vote majority in the senate. A impeachement is not what we need. It would be pissing in the wind. The house of representitives got a better working majority, they control the money, but ever since iran contra the executive branch has got slick with slidding the money around behind the back of congress.

Sorry for the ramble mnaz, but that is what would really break my heart, if the democrats started pissing in the wind. I think the senate majority leader is a sleeze guy named Reed?

But i have high hopes for Pelosi, I am hoping she is the chip off the old block, her daddy was the mayor of baltimroe back in my day Reminds me of JFK's grand pa Honey FItz? She ain't no San Franscisco liberal, she is a baltimore liberal, my homegirl

[mnaz]

definitely, ST.... you're on my wavelength with this one.... emergency damage control at this point.... no need to keep pushing and bring out the worst in us all.... tempt fate.... but we should hold some hearings into the corporate abuse and corruption aspects of this war, I think (as non-personal and non-partisan as humanly possible). It's pretty damned important, I would think...

And Z...

Thank you for the high praise. The poem is rough and perhaps a bit 'vague' (and 'apocalypse' is probably overused by now). It means a great deal to me personally however, even if it might be too plain, or 'punk' in its words.

I'll P.M. you soon. Been pretty busy recently....

M..

[stilltrucking]

Man if you are on the same wave length as me I am worried about you. I get so lost these days. All this is just scribbling for me. If it makes sense to you I am glad. I was not so much responding to you as the I was to the poem. Are you the poem? You know I never read one poem on the old litkicks politics and poetry board that I liked as much as yours.

speaking of poetry and politics.
I think Pelosi is the schrewdest politician to come to washington since Eisenhower. Her letter in support of Murtha a brilliant move.


in the spirit of the poetry and politics board on litkicks your poem was perfect.

thanks mnaz
on a personal note about wavelengths:
and she asked me
do I sound kind of strange to you these days?
Why do I always feel like charlie brown every november?

thanks for the rambl

[stilltrucking]

I don't know how you write that way mnaz.
Hard for me to imagine you only been writing a few years.
I been a compulsive typist about thirty years and it is out of control
these days. But I got the dem tattered rags of old age meta-fiscal homelessness blues.
Half carbon based life form half silicon
I just spill out some ticker tape words
run out a few punch cards
another text box
another line of words

Maybe we are on the same wave
I do a lot of laughing at myself

[Nazz]

It's that season again!
Will U make the right choice this time?
It's getting late.

[constantine]

excellent work, mnaz