Oh, summer has clothed the earth In a cloak from the loom of the sun! And a mantle, too, of the skies’ soft blue, And a belt where the rivers run.

And now for the kiss of the wind, And the touch of the air’s soft hands, With the rest from strife and [...]]]> IN SUMMER

Oh, summer has clothed the earth
In a cloak from the loom of the sun!
And a mantle, too, of the skies’ soft blue,
And a belt where the rivers run.

So, long as the streams run down,
And as long as the robins trill,
Let us taunt old Care with a merry air,
And sing in the face of ill.

  — Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906)

after the downpour, in the early evening, late sunlight glinting off the raindrops sliding down the broad backs of the redbud leaves beside the porch, beyond the railing, each leaf bending and springing back and bending again beneath the dripping,                      between existences, ecstatic, the souls grow mischievous, they break ranks, swerve from [...]]]> JUST

after the downpour, in the early evening,
late sunlight glinting off the raindrops sliding
down the broad backs of the redbud leaves
beside the porch, beyond the railing, each leaf
bending and springing back and bending again
beneath the dripping,
                     between existences,
ecstatic, the souls grow mischievous, they break ranks,
swerve from the rigid V’s of their migration,
their iron destinies, down to the leaves
they flutter in among, rising and settling,
bodiless, but pretending to have bodies,

Nothing will make you less afraid.

  — Alan Shapiro (b. 1952)

The basics teachings of Buddha are about understanding what we are, who we are, why we are. When we begin to realize what we are, who we are, why we are, then we begin to realize what we are not, who we are not, why we are not. We begin to [...]]]>

WHAT WE ARE NOT

The basics teachings of Buddha are about understanding what we are, who we are, why we are. When we begin to realize what we are, who we are, why we are, then we begin to realize what we are not, who we are not, why we are not. We begin to realize that we don’t have basic, substantial, solid, fundamental ground that we can exert anymore. We begin to realize that our ideas of security and our concept of freedom have been purely phantom experiences.

  — Chögyam Trungpa
     From “The Practicing Lineage,” in THE MISHAP LINEAGE: Transforming Confusion into Wisdom

The few that I do consider to be heroes were not necessarily life-altering for me, but definitely opened my eyes to different ideas.

Of course, one of my biggest musical heroes is Johnny [...]]]> There are very few people that I really consider to be musical heroes … or at least, who are heroes to me.

The few that I do consider to be heroes were not necessarily life-altering for me, but definitely opened my eyes to different ideas.

Of course, one of my biggest musical heroes is Johnny Cash. This was a man that could take just about any song and simply by performing it in his own style made it his own; in fact, in many cases more so his song than the original artist’s. The classic example of this is Johnny Cash’s cover version of Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”.

Other people are heroes for their effect on generations of people; Bob Dylan and John Lennon are the two most prominent examples of this I think, although Johnny Cash definitely fits here as well.

But for me, another one of my great heroes was the late, great Joe Strummer, formerly of the Clash and who spent his latter years fronting the Mescaleros.

The Clash, which he led in the late 1970s through the early 1980s was something of an anomaly in British punk rock circles, as they were decidedly anti-fascist, anti-violence, anti-racist, pro-creative, and anti-ignorance … whereas other “leaders” (i.e., the Sex Pistols) consistently proclaimed that there was “no future”. At a time when nihilism reigned, the music of the The Clash opened doors and opened minds for anyone receptive enough to listen.

Strummer’s later work with the Mescaleros continued this tradition; perhaps without the ferocity associated with some of The Clash’s early works, but the ideology was still there nonetheless, exploring the impact of globalization and ethic/racial tolerance.

Tonight I watched Dick Rude’s documentary Let’s Rock Again, which chronicled the Mescaleros’ 2001/2002 tour in support of their second album Global a Go-Go. Listening to and watching some of the last interviews Strummer gave before he died helped bring it home.

Really, if you’ve never given Strummer’s later works a listen, go out and do so now. You won’t be disappointed, and it just might change your life, even if only a little.

JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS – JOHNNY APPLESEED

Lord, there goes Johnny Appleseed
He might pass by in the hour of need
There’s a lot of souls
Ain’t drinking from no well locked in a factory

Hey – look there goes
Hey – look there goes
If you’re after getting the honey – hey
Then you don’t go killing all the bees

Lord, there goes Martin Luther King
Notice how the door closes when the chimes of freedom ring
I hear what you’re saying, I hear what he’s saying
Is what was true then now no longer so?

Hey – I hear what you’re saying
Hey – I hear what he’s saying
If you’re after getting the honey – hey
Then you don’t go killing all the bees

What the people are saying
And we know every road – go, go
What the people are saying
There ain’t no berries on the trees

Let the summertime sun
Fall on the apple – fall on the apple

Lord, there goes a Buick forty-nine
Black sheep of the angels riding, riding down the line
We think there is a soul, we don’t know
That soul is hard to find

Hey – down along the road
Hey – down along the road
If you’re after getting the honey
Then you don’t go killing all the bees

Hey – it’s what the people are saying
It’s what the people are saying
Hey – there ain’t no berries on the trees
Hey – that’s what the people are saying, no berries on the trees
You’re checking out the honey, baby
You had to go killin’ all the bees

Those who have heard the tale of Svein Tuft have wondered, could it possibly be true?

How he dropped out of school in the 10th grade, lured by the freedom of the outdoors. How he evolved into a barrel-chested woodsman with Paul Bunyan biceps. [...]]]>

Canadian Rider Makes an Unorthodox Climb Toward Cycling’s Pinnacle – NYTimes.com

Those who have heard the tale of Svein Tuft have wondered, could it possibly be true?

How he dropped out of school in the 10th grade, lured by the freedom of the outdoors. How he evolved into a barrel-chested woodsman with Paul Bunyan biceps. How he ventured, at 18, from his home in Canada into the wilderness on a $40 thrift-shop bike hooked to a homemade trailer.

They have learned of the way he traveled sparingly, towing only his camping gear, a sack of potatoes and his 80-pound dog, Bear. The way he drank from streams and ate beside an open fire. Or hopped trains across Canada, resting as the land flickered by.

Now 31, Tuft is out to prove that all the raw travel and personal drive can translate into something beyond his survival. Recruited by one of the world’s top cycling teams, he is about to begin a more disciplined journey. It starts next weekend with the Tour of California, where he will race with the Garmin-Slipstream squad, and is likely to continue this summer at the Tour de France.

Read more …

In this age, when athletes have become personalities, it’s refreshing to read a profile of an athlete who is more concerned with being true to himself than trying to fit into a mold of what a professional athlete should be.

I have to admit, I’ve seen the name Svein Tuft before, on VeloNews.com and CyclingNews.com, but haven’t paid a whole lot of attention, especially the past couple of years when it seems that doping stories overwhelms everything else, and my own drive to ride my bikes has faded … but stories like this are inspirational; and I find myself more interested in getting out on my bikes and following the sport than I have in years.

When people ask me what my political beliefs are, I generally say that I’m on the far left of the FM dial … KZSC 88.1 FM, all [...]]]> My father and I disagree on a lot of things, especially politically … but recently, I’ve come to discover that we agree on a few things as well.

When people ask me what my political beliefs are, I generally say that I’m on the far left of the FM dial … KZSC 88.1 FM, all the way … although around here it’s 90.1 FM (KUER/NPR) and 90.9 FM (KRCL Community Radio).

I’ll be a Democrat until the day I die, I think … because even on some of those issues which I personally don’t agree, it’s better than the alternative. Thinking about what’s best for an entire community, whether local or global, rather than trying to legislate my own personal moral code.

For example, I think I’m one of the few people in the US who thinks that it is actually possible to pro-life and pro-choice at the same time; that pro-choice means pro-CHOICE, not pro-abortion. This is one of the issues on which my father and I agree.

I don’t feel that anyone has the right to tell a woman that she does, or does not have the right to terminate a pregnancy. The decision to have an abortion should be made by the woman in concert with her family, her doctor, and her spiritual power (if she has one). I would prefer people to choose life, but it is not my place and especially not the government’s place to tell them that they cannot choose otherwise.

Surprisingly, this is one of the things on which my very conservative father and I are in total agreement.

And I will never understand why it is that the people that are most against abortion also seem to be the most pro-capital punishment and pro-war.

Why is it not okay to destroy a shapeless clump of cells, but it is okay to fly to another nation and shoot fully-formed adults and drop bombs on men, women, and children, young and old, just because they have different religious beliefs?

I am against capital punishment because it is irrevocable (and innocent people have been executed for crimes they did not commit), and it costs taxpayers more money to execute a convicted criminal than it does to keep them imprisoned for the rest of their natural lives.

I firmly believe that government has a responsibility and a duty to ensure that all people are given equal opportunities to succeed. If that means welfare, then so be it … however, I also think that even welfare should have its limits.

I think that anyone should be able to qualify for welfare for up to 1 year with no strings attached. I think that in order to qualify for more than that initial year, then the recipient must be required to either a) attend some sort of vocational training, with passing grades and definitive guidelines for continued qualification; or b) provide some sort of public works service with a certain number of hours required per week for continued qualification. I think that if a person is involved in such programs, then the free (or very low-cost) childcare should be provided while the parent is working to lift themselves out of their current situations.

I believe that every child should have health insurance, covering preventative care as well as the best treatment possible. If the child does not have private insurance (through their parents’ employers) that meets a certain level, that that child will be covered by government insurance until they reach the age of 18 (or high school graduation) or until the age of 22 if they continue higher education. Parents will not be able to opt-out of covering their children under private insurance so that they can get the free government insurance, to prevent abuse of the system.

I mostly believe in the classic “liberal” concept of a free-market economy, however, I do believe that industries should be regulated to prevent abuses that can cause harm to their workers, their customers, and to society as a whole.

I believe that the only limits on freedom of expression/speech/press/religion/whatever are where actions cause harm to another. Pornography made by informed, consenting adults is okay; child pornography is not. Preaching against Muslims, Jews or Christians is okay; bombing a church, temple or mosque is not.

If you don’t like what’s on television, turn it off, or change the channel, but do not tell me that I do not have the right to watch/listen to/read/worship as I choose.

I believe that all people have the right to marry who they choose, be they gay or straight, same-sex or opposite-sex. Two men being married to each other, in a loving, committed relationship, will have no effect on the strength or weakness of my own marriage.

In many ways, a lot of my beliefs are (civil) libertarian, but the Libertarian party’s platform does not mesh with my beliefs; with who I am. I am definitely not a conservative, as I believe in progress and reform, rather than maintaining the status quo. The Democratic Party most closely coincides with not only my personal beliefs on how I should live my own life, but also with those ideals which while they may not sit well with my personal moral code, tend to err on the side of personal freedom and liberty.

And so, I will continue to identify with the left … with Democrats.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Don’t vote … unless you care about your future, your children’s future, your grandchildren’s future, the economy, civil rights, human rights, women’s rights or gay rights, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to worship (or not to worship) how you choose, education, defense, [...]]]>

Don’t vote … unless you care about your future, your children’s future, your grandchildren’s future, the economy, civil rights, human rights, women’s rights or gay rights, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to worship (or not to worship) how you choose, education, defense, the arts, the environment, alternative energy, renewable energy, oil prices, gas prices, healthcare, welfare, social security, veteran’s affairs … if you care about any of these things, then perhaps you might want to consider voting.

Vote your heart. Vote for the person who you feel best represents your values. Vote for the person who you think will do the best job.

But only if you care. Otherwise, don’t vote.

“I have a dream” – August 28, 1963

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.