There is Irony in the Air

There is irony in the air. Those that understand how we got here are people who have learned that these are immutable truths; that evolution is the way we got here. Period. To call it a theory is misleading to the doubters. It has been proven. Creation theory is not proven, in any sense of the word, as the “word” relates to truth. The irony is that the creationists espouse, more often than not, and without realizing it, what is called “vulgar social darwinism” which is a wordy way of saying that they believe in a spin off notion of “survival of the fittest” as embodied by many conservative notions such as: “freedom” means “unfettered capitalism”, capitalism means survival of the fittest, “socialism” mean “communism” which means that the wealth must stay in the hands of the wealthy or else we are communists, “communism means the devil”, capitalism means survival of the strongest and no government, globalism, corporate strength, freedom to accumulate wealth however you see fit, be the world’s “superpower” (junk yard dog, my way or the highway) and let the weaker amongst us slip off the boat,. It is called “vulgar” social darwinism because it is not only a misinterpretation of Darwin, but a less than pretty way of doing it. Social darwinism relates to the fact that these people have applied to a scientific theory of evolution and mating systems a context that was never intended or talked about by applying “survival of the fittest” across the board into financial, economic and social applications that have no bearing on evolution; in fact, clearly may damage it. The reason why this has become a part of our culture in general and pounded by the right wing (who , again, ironically espouse fundamentalist Christianity...an irony within an irony; Jesus being the blessed are the meek and turn the other cheek and the rich man going to heaven is like the camel going through the eye of a needle sort of guy)..... in such a fundamental way) is that during the Cold War when everything about communism was battled, we became brainwashed (a term usually referring to communism, by the way) by the corporate, capitalist, greedy and selfish Reaganesque people that trickle down was the way to go, that corporations needed to be promoted and that freedom meant capitalism and......yes......Survival of the Fittest. Anything other than this was heading straight for the dreaded communism. So, to reiterate: the GOP and TEA have become, on the whole, the proponents of a vulgar notion of Darwin’s theory, twisting it and corrupting it, but they do not believe in evolution as it conflicts with Christian fundamentalist religion. These are the people that kill people fairly easily (in wars, in the justice system, with lots of handguns, etc.) but would deny a woman’s right to control her body (thus her life). So, to go further, it is clear that fundamentalists want survival of the fittest (men) to control as much as they can (kind of like the islamic fundamentalists,terrorists, with no regulations to stop their free capitalist progress to the top of the economic ladder or their male dominance (quite Darwinian sounding, isn’t it) . If only the irony stopped here, but it does not; the soon to be largest economy and economic strength in the world and to whom we have been borrowing from and buying from and hiring is a godless communist country, China, which has done a great job of learning how to take care of themselves and make things and better themselves (with no help from us to begin with). Ha ha, the joke is on us. And on a less hysterical note; it is becoming more and more clear that non-zero sum actions and realities such as natural and cultural altruism in many realms of biology, including humans; have propelled the most important contributions to civilization so far. So better get with it, ya’ll. You might get left behind, because, like the Neanderthals, you just don’t seem smart enough or well educated enough or kind enough to be a fruitful part of our lives as we work towards a fundamentally sound and balanced understanding of the world around us! The final irony, of course, is that these people will never read this ! They have god and air conditioning and a fascistic government and glocks to take care of any problems that might come their way, like the theory of global warming (which, like evolution is far beyond a theory). Sorry to be so hard on you, folks, but it is time to wake up.

Outsiders and Atheists

The line between “outsider” art and the rest of the art world is often quite blurred; no obvious distinction between them, often. This was the case at the SOFA art show in Santa Fe this year. They were kind enough and thoughtful enough to include outsider art this year, for the first time. I was fascinated to see that there was not a clear delineation of the “rows” and that I was not really able to tell the difference between the two at that time. Of course, there were some clear indications such as using recycled materials and such, but even some of the participants even agreed that it was difficult to see the line between the two. Being something of an outsider myself, I was, of course, deeply interested. Like my father quips, “I am self educated, myself”. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Meow Wolf installations over the years, I know that there is a tendency for me to appreciate outsider art. My opinion is like my opinion of a dancer; if they have the guts to get out there and make a fool of themselves, sometimes; they get my vote. Being a custom furniture maker, builder and outsider architect, I know that making those distinctions between craft and art are often very difficult to do. I was taking bronze foundry classes at Highlands University a while back and vividly remember a crazy old woman, retired art teacher who wandered around the studios in sheer see through blouse and odd attire and thinking, “Is she art?” and another professor (“teacher” to me, “tutor” to St. Johns ) overheard me talking about snagging some roots or sticks for my artwork from somewhere that was “forbidden” to remove such things and I invoked “Artist’s License” and he cryptically asked if I had a license. I didn’t like his attitude or that of many artists from academia as they often think they do have a more important license to practice and judge art. Now anyone with any sense in the real world should know that this is ridiculous and propped up chauvinism. Many children do better artwork than most adults, even professionals, naturally; for reasons that are beyond my understanding, but suggest that a license is not required. For someone with decades of personal discipline, attention to detail and countless hours of thought as to the form and shape and function and finish of a piece of furniture or a house to contemplate these questions is natural. Of course, a professional builder of things cannot really slide through their careers, as money is always involved; the success of the piece is always judged promptly. And we all know that in this particular trade, the amount of effort to create the pieces is often not commensurate with the cost to the customer. I know it is important for an “educated” person to use their training and papers to further their careers and do not ridicule this by any means. I honor them and also wish to keep things the right size so that a clear picture is in front of us by honoring also those that did not sit behind a desk and possibly kowtow to a narcissistic, politically tenured or possibly sadistic teacher or institution. This whole situation is a little like coming out as an atheist but still wanting to go to church to talk about deeply important spiritual truths and keep those friends that have shared so much with you over the years; not minding hearing or using the term “god” and also knowing that, in your heart and mind, you know there is none. You still want to play with them and suspect that many of them agree with you but are afraid to admit it. The penalty for being “outsider” does not seem fair, right sized or appropriate. So, as we pass through Santa Fe; noticing Indian Market, Spanish Market and Sofa show and the free music on the Plaza and walk together with each other, I think it is worth thinking about all this. My friends and I recently did a bronze pour together and decided to experiment pouring bronze into a green gambrel oak post carved out with our very first bronze “Artist Licenses”. What fun! Don’t you wonder how they came out?

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"Art Brut", or "outsider art", consists of works produced by people who for various reasons have not been culturally indocrinated or socially conditioned. ...

The Wrong Worries

It was an awakening when I read about the history of the “Great “ Depression recently and that Franklin D Roosevelt (famous for setting up the CCC camps, the WPA and other major jobs programs for the country) had begun to cut back on many programs and reduced spending and the depression was, again, in trouble, just like it is now.  Then WW II set in and the country was mobilized to all get to work, set up plane and munitions factories, create new technologies etc.  etc.  and  that is why people say that “wars are good for the economy” (which that one was)  etc. etc.  Our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been good for the economy, in fact have created a huge deficit only to benefit a few rich corporations like Haliburton and Blackwater and  a relative  few  young people.  The reason why is that the country was not mobilized to fight a war (not that we should have) which involved sacrifices of all sorts; belt tightening, rationing of gas, corporate support, etc. etc.  So killing people is not the solution.  But it does suggest what needs to be done; discover what the needs of the people and the planet are : alternative fuels, solar energy and clean energy, education to support all of that, debt reduction…bank sacrifices (remember those corporate sacrifices)….new jobs in biomass and forest management (remember those forest fires) in all sorts of new and exciting places (teachers aids for millions of teachers), new sources of revenue (look at the 1% of population who have been getting richer and richer every year…on our backs…trickle up …well, er,  not really a trickle, really; more like a flood) !  And how about soil building (the backbone of everything), grey water treatment, water catchment, organic farming, etc..  The GOP  and the others who are bickering got it wrong all along and it is time to wake up and see this; this is the time for the government to step in and help out big time (not with bank bail outs this time, but jobs programs and boot-strap support…..on our new war …..to support the people who need help the most right now and not after the economy has begun to (don’t make me laugh) “trickle down” again.  Houses need to be solarized and sealed and insulated and set up for water harvesting.   Wow, everybody….let’s have a war…….ON POVERTY and ECONOMIC ABUSE and POOR MANAGEMENT (gotta keep those unions, folks, to keep the working people’s rights supported).  Gotta have regulations to keep people from ripping each other off in a myriad of ways; the big economic crisis was caused by lack of regulation and proper support of the people’s needs.    In Germany (recently when the economic collapse hit) they made sure that people were not laid off, but they (mostly) all kept their jobs and reduced their hours so that people shared in the economic situation (no zero sum games being played).  No offence to Barak Obama but he needs to get out of that “preppy” world of his and start listening to people with dirt under their fingernails for a change; there is no place for people who are not attached to the earth anymore, because it is in saving the earth (and not the way the litigious enviros and greenies have been thinking and doing) that we will save ourselves. 

Here is a link: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/05/opinion/the-wrong-worries.html

Letter to Friends in Norway

To my Norwegian Friends:

When I visited your home and your country a few years ago I was struck by the advanced thinking that the people were involved with; the farmers were being supported to actively maintain the family farms, people could hike and camp all over the country and even on private property for a few days which made one feel more connected to the land and the beauty of the scenery. There was a major “fiesta” celebrating the immigrants in the area that we joined in on while we were there; eating all kinds of exotic foods and watching all kinds of dance and talks and commingling. There was a sense of safety and peace. There was a sense that the people were being taken care of; universal health care. There was a sense that the newly acquired oil wealth was not being squandered and was being reinvested in sustainable economics and green solutions of various sorts. The family is celebrated by many fantastic statues in Oslo. The policemen do not wear guns. There appeared to be a lot of tolerance, empathy and advanced thinking, such as: it appeared that the roads and power supply was often aesthetically driven; underground lines even in the terrain which was mostly rock, reasonable street signs, unspoiled views all over the place. My belief is that if aesthetics ( not the simple aesthetics but more profound notions of what that means) drive the show, then everything else sort of falls into place; no ugly street signs, no clear cutting, careful tending of the forests (like in Sweden where they get upwards of 30% of their energy from “biomass”), attention to good food, quality lives. They come from the land in their recent history and are still in love with it; the Norwegians were mostly farmers (on the land) or fisherpeople (remember all those sardines) and they retain that respect and love of the land and the way they show it now is as described above as well as lots of hiking and camping and outdoor activities, such as the one where so many young people were tragically mown down by a purportedly rightwing fundamentalist anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant terrorist. I am so sorry and pass this link on to my fellow Santa Feans, many of whom probably have connections to the wonderful Norwegian country and it’s people.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5754/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4525

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Norway-PM-Extremist-views-are-legitimate-1607427.php#page-2

Remember Oslo (and Thor's Hammer)

Maybe we can begin to line up the forces at work in the world today and see what appears to be happening on a regular basis. Religious fundamentalism of any kind is at fault for so much pain and war that it poses a threat to society as a whole. President Carter ( who did not shed a drop of American blood during his time in office, reputedly) has identified the problem publicly and is posing himself (a deeply religious person) against fundamentalism. There is a difference between the borderline fundamentalist icons of Palin and Bachmann and Bush and Khamenei or Bin Laden (who are on or on the border of that danger zone) and Carter, who promotes acceptance and tolerance (except in the case of this fundamentalist danger). The reasons for the danger lie in the notions of connecting church and state (unconstitutional) and railing against truth; science (albeit “amoral” sometimes or subject to vulgar interpretations) representing truth and religious fundamentalism representing “fairy tales” that are obviously untrue; this fact not dissuading many people who do not seem to have the ability or education to see this. The “fairy tale” mentality also lends itself to the dark side of most fairy tales and religious mythology, which is often death and destruction ; jihadism, nationalism, Armageddon and Rapture, regal authority, religious authority, crusades, apocalyptic notions, rabid reactions to women’s rights (responsible for most of the destruction these days…..I think), gridlock in congress (trickle-down economics is your basic fairy tale), terrorism and the terror-like responses (torture, etc.) to terrorism, immoral history of Catholics in relation to sexual abuse in recent years and apartheid ( as suggested by many in relation to Israel….a basically religious community bent on ethnic cleansings of sorts). Now Oslo; a horrid reminder; guns in the wrong hands ( Tucson, remember that easily purchased …….. NRA idiots readily selling guns to madmen……..Glock with that insertable cartridge) send a clear message: hear about a religious ( or NRA; right-wing) fundamentalist and you had better run away really fast (or dial 911)……or both. It’s in the news; they will either shoot you or sell you the gun; no questions asked. It’s our right to know.

http://progressiveworldreview.com/2008/04/17/jimmy-carter-a-real-leader/

Dancing the Two-Step and Other Steps Too

What does, say, Thor's Hammer have to do with dancing, you might say. Well, here goes:

http://www.quotegarden.com/dancing.html

So when the hammer is thrown, it comes back into your hands.

So do the dancers, into each other's arms and into their own lives and bodies and souls.

But the ones who "stand there with their arms crossed or sit in their chairs and act like they are appreciating music" have a lot to learn about what they might gain from their vulnerability. The answer is: everything.

The act of creation, be it what some call art ( which should be, mostly, the reflection of a moment in time when some image or shape or feeling is called up if only so briefly and in such a ephemeral or clumsy way) or what some call craft (which is just a way of saying the artist has decided to make something useful or not necessarily profound) is the "hammer" and, like our dance partner, it enters into a synergetic relationship where stepping together creates an energy where anything one puts into it will be rewarded wonderfully.

A culture that has decided to look and listen and not dance is like a woodworker without a hammer; what was he thinking?

Now then, going to the Santa Fe Plaza and the Summer Bandstand and dancing to Zydeco music has got to be one of the most exciting things in the world or dancing to the African drummerss at the Railyard (on the grassy side of the park) and we just did it, along with a slew of wonderful dancers at both occasions.  After the African dancing (which we found was really great to polka or two step to….) we went over to La Fonda and danced some more to Bill Hearne and company (Auge was there on the pedal steel that night !) and last Saturday it was a “beach party” at La Tienda. Not bad for an old country couple. 

More later, folks; this one is not goin away

The Windmill

 

Land's heart is creek;
Susurrous sounds of infinite eddies;
Spelling life, shape changing daily;
The place to take the ducks
For soul regeneration and chest repair

Built heart being The Windmill
and the Tower, pumping, again.....
Water and marking time in circular fashion

Do you know how hard it is to get four strong 30 foot 6 x 6s
And bolt on 2 x 10 cross braces, X's in Golden Mean ?
Carrying the turn of the century on our backs,
bonding with the craftsmen who designed gears and pitmans and
Babbitt bearings, sucker rod and stuffing boxes,
back when cast iron was king, history turning to make way
For steel
do you know how hard it is to make a new "sail" ?
The old guy at the sheet metal place does,
"Do not bring me another one", says he,
"I had to cut those by hand and my hands hurt"

Do you know how to erect a 30 tower?Or climb one for that matter?
Well neither did I till 31 years ago.
Do you know how scary it is up there,
Begging the questions of death and disaster?
Well neither did I having given up rock climbing
After that episode with Monique up in Cape Breton.
...Bonding with the mast climbers of yore at sea,
borrowing their descriptions of what is happening
In the Wind.

And, cupful by cupful, breathe by breathe, whisper and gale;
the Windmill spins and groans, sounding for all intents and purposes
Like a whale
Dryland leviathan skeleton
Picturesque archetypal phenomenon;
water oozing from the pipe to feed the forests
"We" planted, quench the thirst and beat the drought.

The grown children remember it with chills and twinges
As they ruminate and visualize where they came from,
their memory spinner, Guardian and Constant.
Giant weather vane for all to see,
Perch for feathered friends in calm weather
They even told me so

And it is a monument; put on maps everywhere
Like Camel Rock or Morphy Lake
Like a natural spring; gotta know where they are.....
Like a watercress patch or a stand of ponderosas,
Like the old bulldozer with its front bucket,
Like a husband or a wife or child;
take photos at every chance as they are so beautiful
in this light and that

A mystery like a ship in the fog
A friend of many years who has watched you grow
And then grow old and you them.
Has been there for you and you for it.
Part of your life, like dandylions, blue flax, sunflowers
Part of your soul like windy days, rain and water

Part of your work, like your shop, your truck or your children
Something you would sorely miss if they were gone
Tragic as you ponder what you did wrong along the way
Like that burro that died young; only 25
So many years being there and then the dying silver-grey donkey
staring at you, leaning like a drunkard against the crawler
Seconds from the final fall that spelled the end
In ways only I, perhaps, will ever understand
Leaving a hole where a whirring stood

They say it is hard to kill a Swede
and I say it is hard to kill a donkey
Hard to hit the bullseye, Co, they shoot at the little" o"
way up there; too tempting it seems,
like tormenting burros
And easy to take a windmill for granted
Thanks to Aermotor's tough design
Rural gift.......of water and ...to be...
The heart of the land and the friend of
The homesteader......Part of.......
The Land Ethic