Diamonds and Pearls and... Ron Paul.

At the recent farce of a democratic debate- in an obviously scripted moment- a cosmeticized and coiffed twit of a contemporary, bimbo extraordinaire stepped up and asked candidate Clinton which she preferred, “diamonds or pearls?” then Clinton, in mock surprise, as fabricated as her over-the-top threats against Iran and sundry, did a little Cosmo-magazine dance of parity concerning the relative value of these shiny stones. This little tidbit has been replayed ad nauseum in the succeeding days and it perfectly sums up the bankrupt state of the culture; what those promoting such banality would have us understand the culture to be. It was a Kodak moment.

Quite accidentally, I am ‘so totally sure’; the in house crowd was stacked with Clinton backers who made strange animal noises of disapproval every time Obama and Edwards chose to attack inconsistencies in Clinton’s positions. The whole affair was tailored like a cheap suit. Consistent with the taste of the whole, the suit was assumed to be Armani; a fraud in mufti in the same way that CNN pretends to be a news channel instead of an unintentional lampoon of the same; when it is not perniciously serving the interests of its masters.

Except for Kucinich- who mixes strange with truth and makes me wonder- all of the candidates looked about as genuine as a Miss America contestant. The fix is in and it goes down like Jello Pudding with the same end effect. Once something becomes a total joke all you need is the looping laugh track and a runaway pig’s bladder. More and more it all seems as if Rupert Murdoch’s vision of life has become reality. It’s like dressing up Baron Samedi in the clothes Jon Benet used to wear... one size fits all. One news channel, all the same channel... all the same lies; “one ring to bind them all and in the darkness find them.”

Can something that has become such an absurdity ever regain any authenticity again? Was it always bullshit? Shouldn’t somebody put red noses on the clowns at Mount Rushmore? “Not with a bang but a whimper.” Does the actual meaning of that phrase apply to sex and does the translation work out to the promise of a desired union culminating in the laying on of a lash upon the trembling collective ass desensitized to anything but the revelation of pain promising a pay per view relief? They certainly seem immune to what they’ve supported, allowed and turned a blind eye to all along the way.

A good friend of mine in Hawaii said to me on the phone yesterday, in relation to the ‘spontaneous’ diamonds and pearls exchange, that it sets up a strange counterpoint to the millions who are starving and dying and wracked in innumerable ways; this loathsome and cloying fascination with baubles. This is the sum of the American Dream... an obsession with cosmetic trivia... the fascination of a people with cold gems that are coveted by cold hearts... by people who cannot feel.

I listen to Ron Paul speak and the difference between he and they in gravitas and honesty is instant satire. What are they going to do about Ron Paul? My friend said that they are going to have to kill him. I hope that isn’t true but it does look like they won’t be able to discredit him. He’s surrounded by psychopaths in his own party and vaudeville clowns in the other. It’s turning into a combination American Idol B-slasher flick.

I don’t agree with everything Ron Paul says but I don’t expect to. I’m not an expert when it comes to governing a nation; much less the most powerful and ridiculous nation on Earth. Everything I know about government I learned from Lao Tzu and I’ve never bothered to learn more. He says it all. However, Lao Tzu’s solutions to the needs of government are diametrically opposed to the bombastic, self interest of the present collection of pandering clowns. I guess I’ve used ‘clowns’ a few times already but I can’t think of a more appropriate term. Every one of them looks to me like they should be running around with a seltzer bottle chasing Clarabelle. It’s no surprise that the present resident of the White House is also a clown of the John Wayne Gacy variety. Sometimes I close my eyes and I see a chimpanzee dressed in a summer party dress being chased around the Lincoln bedroom by a tumescent James Gannon in lederhosen; Karl Rove in the corner with a feather duster up his ass. What are we to expect from those seeking to replace him who never had the courage to stand forth and say what needed to be said?

I keep thinking of that line from Apocalypse Now; “The horror! The horror!” I can’t see where any of this is headed but I know that I don’t want to go there. It astonishes me; this ‘business as usual’ motif that threads it’s way through the increasingly more intense warning signs of wildfires, cyclones, floods, riots, murderous assaults, tazerings, lying disinfo and do I really have to go on? Where am I going with this? The evidence shows a world in upheaval undergoing massive transformation... politically, socially, in the natural world... no one seems to have a handle on anything and the present leaders of much of the so-called free world are waving the tired specter of terrorism and pushing corporate inspired fascism as a solution, while whatever small- disorganized terrorism there may be is caused by and often engineered by the very forces declaiming it. It’s a shell game. Meanwhile Mother Earth doesn’t seem too happy; whatever the reasons may be. Think about it.

Bad writers are on strike, as if anyone would miss the septic flow of their input and the industry says that it will get by on ‘reality’ (snicker) shows... it is to weep. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands are dying in real reality shows but no one is watching. The price of oil is shooting through the roof and impacting every area of the world’s economies. Transit unions are striking... Pakistanis are revolting... thousands of Buddhist monks are buried in the Myanmar jungles and for some reason... you have to laugh... Chinese manufacturers are soaking children’s toys in GHB... and its business as usual.

Ron Paul is the only sane voice I hear that is also uncompromising. I don’t generally support political candidates but I know the difference between seeking balance and deliberately seeking imbalance. I know the difference between reasonable perspective in pursuit of the common good and ruthless efforts for the benefit of the few. Ron Paul is saying a lot of the right things and his history seems to indicate that he is sincere and informed. He actually appears to be human. Dr. No? More people should be saying “No.” instead of being Yes-men for any and every oppressor of human good; every profiteer on the backs of the people. More people should be saying, “I don’t know.” rather than having answers for every question they get and all of those answers tailored to the fears of the largest interest group they could poll, or the richest minority group whose desires they anticipate

Diamonds and pearls... Vampires prefer diamonds and pigs trample pearls, so what have you got? ...Blood-sucking swine?

From what I can see, Ron Paul represents those still capable of reason in this most unreasonable and selfish culture. Does he actually represent this in essence? How would I know? I can see the road he walked to get here and whatever he may truly be he’s a lot more viable than any of the rest. He’s possibility and the promise of hope. He’s the sort of man who might well be made great by the power of office. I think it unlikely that would be true of the others; the others are bought and sold long ago.

As much as I am impressed with Ron Paul; if only by comparison with the competition, I am easily as impressed by his supporters... I like the sort of people who talk about him. I like their intensity and intelligence. I like their independence and I like their dreams as seen reflected in their candidate of choice. It’s an unlikely event but stranger things have happened. If by some miracle of circumstance and fate, Ron Paul were to be elected then I think that speaks well for humanity and for the future. I’d be very impressed.

As far as diamonds and pearls go, I hope in my life that I continue to spend as little time with those who love them as I do now. I hope one day the value mistakenly given to lifeless trinkets gets put back on the most valuable of life’s creations... one another.