Friday, January 27, 2006

Rehumanize Yourself (start by helping Rosemarie Jackowski)

Posted by Mickey Z on 01/27 at 06:56 AM
blog comments powered by Disqus

  1. Good morning Mickey, Expendables and Rosemarie!

    Today is going to be full of good ideas for RMJ - I know it.

    Mickey’s already got it going with the relevant discussion of Good Health. 
    I think a big part of that is had by making an effort at uniting our mind, body and spirit.
    As with most things worth doing, it’s easier said than done.

    I’ll be back in much later and I hope that everyone with a blog or any other media interaction will forward RMJ’s case. 

    The ball’s rolling...now let’s get some real momentum behind it!

    Capthca says “brown”.

    Posted by Amelopsis from Canada  on  01/27  at  08:22 AM

  2. Just adding that I’ve not yet posted about RMJ myself...but it will be in a matter of a day or two...need enough online time to put it together.

    Captcha:"nation"!! Expendable Nation ...ho! (we’d need matching rings for our super powers to kick in though)

    Posted by Amelopsis from Canada  on  01/27  at  08:35 AM

  3. All I know is, I know nothing about Vermont state law (but I know injustice when I smell it), when I’m less squiffy I’ll give those poor souls with e-mail a slice of my pickled mind. I’m sorry for not being more use, I have no useful connections or knowledge. Can a big virtual hug make up for that?
    Healthiness, ahhhhhhh, I dunno (seeing a trend here), I get that being healthy isn’t necessarily
    about those two chilli cheeseburgers I just wolfed, I feel fairly OK, most of the stress & unhealth I feel is my unfocused and pintless life (hmm, I’ll leave that freudian typo in there for laughs). I’m sure if what I was doing was more worthwhile I’d jump out of bed in the morning like a gymnast. Its a real chore at the mo as I’m painfully aware of serving the Man.

    May I recommend for a (possibly needed) laugh http://tinyurl.com/bfacb

    Posted by Mew from England  on  01/27  at  11:18 AM

  4. Once the Empress and I finish our write up with links we shall cross post it on 4 or 5 different blogs and any other space we can invade on the www tonight or tomorrow.

    “got to kick at the darkness ‘till it bleeds daylight”
    B.Cockburn

    When bad things happen to good people like the state eating its heroes while other good folks do nothing I always think of this sad little song by The Rheostatics.

    Making Progress (Tim Vesely)

    Right now,
    We are making progress.
    We are making dreams come true,
    Just like we discussed
    In our most recent letters,
    Communiques, and measures
    Of memories and treasures,
    Kept in bricks and mortar.
    And I won’t last forever.
    I won’t even try to.
    I’m just making progress.
    I don’t know what else to do.

    It’s just that this could be work for you and me.

    Right now,
    We are making progress.
    Just listen to the bugs
    Exploding on the windshield,
    Or is it just the crackling
    Aurora borealis?
    Or is it just the tip-toe
    Of small things through the tall grass?

    Or is it just that this could be work for you and me?

    Right now,
    We are making progress.
    We are hanging upside down
    Inside a vacuum.
    We are taking round trips,
    And we don’t even know it.
    Our hammers fall in silence,
    Knocking down the forest,
    Exploding all around us.
    I’m committing treason,
    Cause I’m in love with reason.
    And humans are nicest
    When they fall silent,
    Reflecting what lies deepest.
    Aw, you can hear the sea shore.
    You can see forever
    If you keep it all together
    don’t let up the pressure.

    What good’s a revolution?

    A rising and a setting sun,
    A trip around the bright one
    Lets you off where you started from.
    Following a straight line,
    Going through a tight wind.
    I’m in love with sunshine.
    I’m in love with human kind.
    Right now…

    All the love, RMJ

    Posted by Youngfox from 4th Density  on  01/27  at  11:26 AM

  5. Hello Expendables...thanks for all this. I think the quiet here is a testament to how much bullshit many of us are currently undergoing.

    Note to all those who visit but typically refrain from joining in: Please do not hestitate to chime in with suggestions or comments for RMJ...or in general. The Expendables have, well, expanded in the last month or two and there’s always room for more.

    Mew: My captcha word is “points.”

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  01/27  at  12:01 PM

  6. Just time for a very quick post as I’m going out soon.

    All the best to RMJ - I hope somebody has a solution, sadly I don’t.

    A real find today - second hand charity book shop - “Saving Private Power” in hardback so I don’t have to wait for the reprint!  Woohoo, & am reading it now.  Certain parts have been underlined & commented on by the previous owner - more later!

    (BTW, I take the point about the speckly beard, but it’s not so bad)

    Also, from same store, a biography of Mozart by ... Albert Einstein!  Eh?  I thought.  No idea if it’s the famous one, but it was written in 1944 & the author is referred to as Dr Einstein.  The day before Mozart’s 250th, too ... did you know he wrote Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star when he was 5? 
    Now that’s talent. 

    Best to all & a pleasant weekend.

    Posted by Chris Wood from Manchester, England  on  01/27  at  01:02 PM

  7. Yeah, it’s a quiet day on all fronts if you ask me…

    But having dealt with it myself (and still dealing with it’s effects at the present), I share with you all a nice portrait of the American “Justice” system from the creative mind of Stephanie McMillan: http://tinyurl.com/cszgh

    Anyway, keep your head up Rosemarie. We don’t have the money required to help you attain justice, but know that we’re all with you, and will do what we can.

    MZ: What about starting a petition for Rosemarie?
    http://www.petitiononline.com/petition.html

    Posted by RT from The Buyou City  on  01/27  at  02:00 PM

  8. No ideas at this stage, but thanks anyway, Mickey!  It is 7:17 on a rather muggy Saturday morning and showers are forecast.  I woke up just before 6:00 am and felt quite good, but does that make me healthy?  I think Bukowski’s advice is worth following, and the Vonnegut quote is priceless!  You always choose the right quotes, Mickey.

    Hello to all you MZ’ers/expendables - I hope you all have a good weekend.

    Ciao!

    Posted by Helga Fremlin from Daylesford, Australia  on  01/27  at  03:17 PM

  9. Oh, and Chris, that was a different Einstein = not the scientist!  If you are interested in Mozart, go read ‘Mozart’ by Wolfgang Hildesheimer.  It was published in 1977 and has been translated into English.

    And then there is this:
    http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/biography/0,,1691259,00.html

    re the latest biographies on the man.  There is a book on ‘Mozart’s Women’ also which Simon Callow reviewed for the Guardian.

    Posted by Helga Fremlin from Daylesford, Australia  on  01/27  at  03:27 PM

  10. It is one of the maladies of our age to profess a frenzied allegiance to truth in unimportant matters, to refuse consistently to face her where
    graver issues are at stake. -Janos Arany, poet (1817-1882)

    I think these lines from “The Bards of Wales” by Arany describe RMJ’s plight:
    “Harsh weapons clash and hauberks crash,
    And sunset sees us bleed,
    The crow and wolf our dead engulf -
    This, [Vermont], is your deed!”

    I do not know what to do.  I like the idea of an online petition, but I have only hopes, not evidence, the situation will be altered by it.

    It is grotesque.  Vile.  It affects my digestion.

    I will focus a lot of energy on it today.

    xoxo to each

    Posted by Mudge Lithium-5 from Austin  on  01/27  at  03:44 PM

  11. Just like to comment on the police officer in the emergency room with RMJ.  Why do people need acceptance of a group i believe part of the reason is humans don’t want to be isolated but is acceptance of or being silent about a group’s actions healthy for the human spirit?  from what you wrote about the officer he may be afraid of the backlash he’d receive from his colleagues.  I think everyone has experienced this maybe kept quiet about a situation or possibly aide in taunting an individual because the group thinks it’s cool and what will they do to me if I disagree with them? or perhaps been the victim of it. Seems like group think is a huge problem not just with police officers. I think a solution to this would also be of assistance to you and many others.  don’t know if this is the sort of idea or suggestion you are looking for but that’s my two cents. From the article it seems like the state of Vermont is holding on to their selfish pride.  do they really believe they’re right or they just can’t admit they’re wrong.  I bet people have similar stories not just in Vermont but in every state. 

    speaking of Justice:
    Supreme Court halts US execution: http://tinyurl.com/9486x

    Saddam to sue Bush and Blair: http://tinyurl.com/d7bk8

    When I read this “In a society where health care is just another commodity, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what “health” is...” it reminded me of this quote possibly because the quote has the word health in it....
    “Money may be the husk of many things, but not the kernel. It brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; days of joy, but not peace and happiness.”-Henrik Ibsen

    Posted by tm from on land  on  01/27  at  04:42 PM

  12. Hi MZ’ers There is no way I can ever repay all of you for everything that you continue to do to help me. I really appreciate it more than anyone will ever know. You all are such an inspiration. As I said yesterday, after 6 years, I now for the first time, feel a little bit of optimism. That is the gift that all of you continue to give me. You continually chip away at my hopelessness.
    Have you all heard the important news? At 9:15 tomorrow morning, BILL BLUM, will be on C-span, a live call-in program. I am alerting as many people as I know to tape it.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  01/27  at  06:01 PM

  13. Rosemarie:

    One of the most useful pieces of advice I know, from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by our man Thoreau:

    ...how much more eloquently and effectively [s]he can combat injustice who has experienced a little in his[her] own person. Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole experience.

    From everything that I know about you, you embody this sentiment. And you encourage me to do more, and to do it more effectively.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  01/27  at  06:15 PM

  14. PS: I don’t feel particularly expended as an Exendable, Mickey. As Al Pacino’s character in Scent of a Woman said:

    I’m just getting warmed UP!

    But I will be out more than in the next week. Hey, are there any Expendables living near London or Canterbury? I’ve got some performances coming up with my band in the week ahead. Introduce yourself if you can make it; I’ll be the one bitching about it all into the microphone.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  01/27  at  06:25 PM

  15. Hello again. Welcome Chris, RT, Helga, Mudge, TM (great Ibsen quote, btw), Keir (good luck with your gigs), and of course RMJ.

    RT: I like the petition idea but we’d need RMJ to specify precisely what it is she wants us to petition for.

    RMJ: I also got an e-mail from Bill Blum. I’m so pleased to see him finally get some mainstream recognition.

    Michele and I saw a bargain matinee of Brokeback Mountain today. Highly recommended. Maybe it could have been a little shorer but otherwise, it was a powerful, moving, heartbreaking story and the landscapes alone were worth the price of admission. I know Mudge saw it. Anyone else?

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  01/27  at  06:37 PM

  16. Keir, I’m in London Monday-Wednesday. I’d appreciate the disruption to my routine…

    Posted by Mew from england  on  01/27  at  06:58 PM

  17. Good evening MZ & Expendables all,

    Just a few quick thoughts before I must set to manufacturing the all important RMJ post which will bring the case closer to justice. (hey - if you say it enough times it must be true, right? Let the propaganda work for Good this time! ...and don’t forget to repeat it often)

    The Rheostatics are my favourite Candian Band - that song Youngfox typed out is really sadly beautiful. http://tinyurl.com/7ungf

    Keir - good luck with your upcoming shows - wish I could be in London to see one.

    Mew - working for ‘the man’ can get me down at times too; fortunately I’ve been in MUCH worse situations and so I only need to compartmentalise my current situation to a small extent; it’s a means to an end, that being enjoying my life.  I can work to live, and not the other way around and that’s key for me.  I hope you can spring out of bed in the morning at least some days...it makes all the difference for me.

    Mudge I really like the poem and your thoughts, I hope the pending email campaign post will make more of a difference than many others do...and I’m hopeful that our collective efforts will make it so.

    MZ, haven’t seen Brokeback yet. I have yet to see quite a few movies: Constant Gardner, Goodnight & Good luck, Syriana...just to name a few.

    RMJ, The best is yet to come! That’s the plan, and I for one am sticking to it!

    Now I must away...to The Plan!

    Have I mentioned lately how glad I am to have “met” you all?

    Posted by Amelopsis from Canada  on  01/27  at  08:08 PM

  18. Hi Rosemarie, Mickey and All.
    I don’t have anything to add today, Rosemarie, ‘cept good luck and I’m thinkin’ of ya.
    Say, if the Expendables are publicising Mr. Blum perhaps he could do a little somethin’ for us? Eh?

    Nice quote TM. And the Vonnegut one is a pearler, Mickey, as most of his are.

    Where’s Michael (and Joe and Jos)?

    Check ya later.

    Posted by Jim from   on  01/27  at  08:30 PM

  19. Good night, all.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  01/27  at  10:14 PM

Next entry: "Big Daddy"

Previous entry: Your assignments...should you choose to accept them