regime change is what i want
the first convention is in reruns on c-span. now the boys are on the road stumping for votes, four white males in two tag teams, the incumbents versus the challengers. at this juncture i side with the democratic challengers. the republican incumbents, with their divisive message, their mean spirited arrogance, and their grotesque pandering to the worst human instincts of selfishness and intolerance, will stop at nothing to stay in power. that's how they got into power, stopping at nothing. my prayers are for a new hope, for a regime change, for kerry & edwards to enter the white house. i'm tired of being lied to by the most incompetent executive team in my memory. bush is a buffoon, a shill for corrupt and powerful forces that don't care a farthing for the values of ordinary people who want to lead a peaceful and productive life. the republican machine he fronts broadcasts an endless loop of doublespeak: hate for gays, hate for minorities, hate for the poor, hate for women, bush's team is the most hateful i have seen in decades. i would consider myself a failure as a parent if my child grew up to believe in the narrow minded garbage that bush broadcasts. even a "c" student in "intro to critical thinking" can see through the republican spin machine. and don't ask me if i want to replace roosevelt with reagan on the dime, you know i don't. do the world a favor, register to vote and defeat a conservative this election. [wr]
posted by Will Ross at 16:49

too funny.

posted by Will Ross at 17:06

looking back from an imaginary happy future
imagine two tribes bickering over the same piece of ground. let's call them the greens and the blues. imagine the greens and blues have separate religions. imagine each tribe's god told them they don't have to share their land with any other tribe. imagine growing up green and inheriting a legacy of institutionalised intolerance blessed by religion and reinforced by peer approved atrocities. imagine the blues inheriting the same hopeless legacy. imagine the misery these selfish tribes will inflict on each other. "am i my brother's keeper?"

imagine more than two tribes. imagine thousands of tribes on one planet. imagine thousands of years of domination and distrust, enslavement and temporary triumphs as tribes enforce the prime directive to fear, mistrust and hate others. empires rise, and empires fall, but across the vast sweep of history most of the people suffer short, brutish lives fearing for their safety.

now imagine a new generation of children born to these bickering tribes. imagine among this new generation peace and tolerance suddenly breaks out between tribes. one generation suddenly recognises the pattern of intolerance and asks, "can't we all just get along?" how can one generation transcend the pettiness of blood feuds and genocide? looking back from this imaginary happy future at the bitter and violent past, what enabled the knot of distrust to be untied? how did the new eyes of children question received wisdom of jaded adults? how did they perceive the hopeless teachings of their parents for the hate that it is? how did they surge beyond the prison of persecution to break free?

that's the question. when will an entire generation discard the trash talk of their parents? is it practical to imagine all the people sharing all the world? where is the reservoir of hope to overcome the legacy of hate?
posted by Will Ross at 18:20

harvesting my chet's garlic a couple weeks ago was depressing. despite my efforts at the front end of the planting to sort the cloves into two distinct categories, in the end it made no difference to the final crop. every single bulb exhibited the defective re-sprouting character i am seeking to eliminate from the strain. the crop is curing in the back porch. in the next few months before planting i have to research my options for the correct cultural selection pressures to breed this defect out of this strain, and to return it to its former glory as an awesome garlic. [wr]
posted by Will Ross at 22:56