The Machine’s Pump Volume 20 – #6 – June 2017

So, how are you coping with day-to-day life in mid-2017? You getting plenty of sleep? Facing each day with enthusiasm and optimism, secure that your future on this planet is in good hands; that your leaders have your back? That’s nice. At least we’re all on the same page, huh? Incidentally, what’s the best way to stockpile water and who makes the most reliable emergency home generator? Have you noticed how many people these days are selling boxes of delicious freeze-dried food, which will keep for 25 years in a cool dry place? Proponents of aggressive religions would have you believe their way is the answer to worldwide chaos, but most of them seem absolutely out of control themselves, slaves of their own fear and anger, not at all at peace with their surroundings. And their messages of hope and love usually come off like, “BELIEVE THIS, OR ELSE!”

Whatever, I do think humans like to smile and for that smile to be a reflection of some authentic internal joy. Almost all of us want to be wanted and respected and to be given more than just the time of day. We want to be noticed and acknowledged. And we want to feel safe in our own space. In fact, I’ve noticed my dogs and cats have similar desires to mine. They seem to enjoy food and treats even more than I do. A couple of them think they should eat about every three hours, 24 hours a day. I stay up very late every night. Later than you do, I bet. And it’s not uncommon, as I’m heading to bed, which is usually between 3:00 and 4:00 am, to come across a dog and a couple of cats, totally awake, ready to chow down. Of course, one of the dogs will also need to go out, into the backyard, and bark a while. I love that.

One of the great things about animals is they are what they are and you can count on them to be pretty consistent. And if one of them is acting out-of-character, it’s probably sick or scared. An animal can even be a predictably huge pain in the ass at times, but its actions are never driven by ego. Desire, yes, but ego, no. They don’t really care what you think about how they look or act, although they generally appreciate attention and affection. So why can’t humans be just as simple and honest? I have tried to live up to the standards of some of my favorite pets; the ones I put on super high pedestals; the ones who were able to see things I couldn’t see. And I’m not talking about bugs and other dogs and cats. I just know when a character in a movie accuses another one of acting like an animal, I’m usually offended for the animal. Or if they say someone was treated worse than an animal, I recoil a little and wonder why it’s okay to treat animals badly. Hell, one should only be so lucky to live in my house and be treated like an animal. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m too sensitive when it comes to this topic and I often don’t have enough faith in people, but I’m probably not going to change now, huh?

Back to my original subject, how are you doing? Are you pleased and comfortable with the job our leaders are doing, trying to bring us together? And, by leaders, I’m not necessarily referring to the obvious, by the way. I wonder if that should be a priority; bringing us together, somehow, in our sea of differences? On what, can the right, left and middle all agree? If a leader was determined to achieve greatness, what could possibly be a better result of truly great leadership than to bring a divided country together around a common cause? You would think all of the scientists reporting on climate change would do it. Nope. That won’t work. A hostile foreign power blatantly trying to influence our elections? Nope. A dramatic rise in anti-government white power activity? Nope. I remember, as a kid, walking the halls of The First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas (or maybe it was in Mad Magazine), seeing frightening posters of Nikita Khrushchev looking at a child, saying, in quotes, “Yes, we are going to bury you, too, little one.” I’m sure the hammer and sickle were somewhere on the poster, as well. I spent a good part of my childhood very damn afraid the Russians were going to drop a nuclear bomb right on top of my head. And I also remember, as a teenager, seeing posters around town, announcing a rally, celebrating the release, from the local prison, of the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The image on the poster was a big blood-red moon behind a silhouette of a hooded rider on a horse, rearing up. All of the churches, full of Christian white people, shunned and denounced the event, wholeheartedly. Most rational people were, of course, wary of Russia and knew better than to invite the demons of racism too deeply into their souls. But that was when our Southern Baptist preacher told us NOT to take every word in the Bible, literally, saying clearly that he did not believe God created the universe, etc. in six earth days. The Bible is full of parables and stories meant to simply teach a lesson, according to him. The congregation was fine with that. No big deal. Okay, enough of this same old same old from me. In case you forgot, I’m in a band called Brave Combo. Check our itinerary often. We play music and just might add a bit of pizzazz to your little corner of the village, where the constables have nonstop migraines and the school kids don’t have pupils, although they can see anyway, but only in X-ray vision. Run! While you can! Run!