election apathy

today on the job, i heard some employees breaking the cardinal rule. ( never talk about sex, religion, or politics ). now a bunch of construction workers breaking rules is not surprising in and of itself. what was shocking to me was the topic, ( politics ) and the turn the conversation took. three dudes were saying they wouldn't bother going to vote because " who cares, I don't think any of them are qualified anyway." when i hear these kinds of indifferent comments, it disturbs me. there are places in the world where people would risk death just to speak their minds. in some places they would gladly sacrifice themselves for their children to have just the smallest chance to take an active role in their government. we take for granted, and blow off, the liberties that many others will never know. we rationalize our behavior by saying our voices won't make a difference, but every now and then, someone does. he or she may not live a very long life, but they make a positive change whatever the cost. this election when i go to the polls, whether there is a good candidate or not, i will be thankful that i at least have the chance to participate, and i will keep those who paid the ultimate price for me to have that opportunity close to my heart. every time i write some nonsense on the internet, i think of that dude standing in front of tanks in china. what a terrible chance he took to give people the right to assemble, if only for another minute. "he alone deserves liberty who daily must win them anew' --Geothe--

shiny objects

so today i was in the bank for a few moments. and like most places these days they had a television blaring to distract us from their poor customer service. as i stood there waiting to be helped i started to feel a little insulted by the fact these people think we are so small minded that they can dazzle us with "shiny objects" while they do a sub par job. then just as i was about to sink into a dark place of fury and self righteousness, it happened. I heard the stupidest thing ever! an anchor on the television actually said " politics is supposed to be about honor and issues, not all of this mudslinging ", and kept a straight face . well as you can imagine, i was instantly enthralled. i mean really, who was the last politician that was honorable. or the last one that took on a hard issue, with nothing to gain from his/her stance. i stood there alternating between laughter and incredulity, until suddenly it was my turn. then i realized, it had worked. i was so dumbfounded i forgot to be pissed off about my slack ass banks' poor customer service. i was blinded by the "shiny objects". then i realized the dude on TV was doing the same thing. throw out some beautiful concepts to distract from the fact, that no matter who wins this election, most likely we will all lose. oh well, at least they will fill my vision with "shiny objects" for the next four years, maybe i won't notice everything going to hell.

the Clinton Obamanation

so here's the thing, there has never been an election that should have been easier to win, for one political party. the dems. could have trotted out any old white dude, and won by a landslide. yet here they are, in the middle of all the primaries, and their leading candidates are a woman and a "african" american. at first i figured they were just out of touch with a good portion of the country, ie the south, back east, and small town bible belt states. i figured they all spent times in big cities, and didn't realize that crazy bigots are still running around all over this country. then it came to me! this may well be, the shrewdest civil rights advancement in decades. the democrats could take an election like this, where one party is so distasteful, and use it to force people to accept a candidate regardless of gender or ethnicity. i mean hell, it has happened in other countries, and they are still there. so this election year i will be tipping a glass back for the democratic party. they have either made a huge difference in the way this country's citizens view each other, or made the most monumental fuck up in election history! either way, i salute your courage, cheers.

todays haiku

shades of black and pink
aggression and grace at once
bar inspiration

triumphant return

That's right kids, the screamin chinaman is back on the blog. i have many excuses as to why i haven't posted since august. i was re-habing my injuries, i was working a ton of overtime (including being sent out of town for three weeks), i moved and was re-organizing, but the best excuse is i was/am building a sweet bar for my new apartment. well usually excuses are B.S. but heres some pictures, and you be the judge.