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In Atlantic Cousins: Benjamin Franklin and His Visionary Friends (2005), there are many clashing ideas and viewpoints that carry over or morph into those of 2011-2012.
Flashback. One clash in Atlantic Cousins (pages 88-89) comes over voting rights, even before the US Constitution. In the wake of the American Revolution, Presbyterians make a power play in Pennsylvania, pushing through a "Test Act." Test, you wonder? A "test" of religious belief that favors the Presbyterians. In order to qualify to vote, one must, among other things, attest to the divine inspiration of both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Blocked from voting even among otherwise qualified adult males are: deists, Jews, German anabaptists, members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), gnostics, agnostics, atheists and more. Richard Price, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Ben Franklin and numerous other civil rights proponents work to overturn the Test Act as effectively as possible. Franklin returns from his 1776-1785 stint as American ambassador to France in order to become President of Pennsylvania, whereupon the Test Act is repealed (the full details must be serpentine).
Earlier, in England in the late 1600s, the Parliament had passed similar Test Acts in order to block Catholics and "Nonconformists" from holding important political offices. Those versions weren't overturned in England until 1828-1829.
In 2011-2012, the same kinds of cultural-political and economic power games continue in the USA and globally. Same shit, different century -- united by the glue of human nature. It's worthwhile to remember, though, that there were cool people then and there are cool people now, fighting for many of the same sorts of Enlightenment-style ideas.
Today's Rune: Whole.
Orange pepper-spray, Black Friday, Christmas just around the corner of time. What a world. Meanwhile, another excellent day in and around Saxapahaw capped off by Mongol (2007), an absorbing flick I'll post about soon, if all goes as planned.
Has everyone gotten a chance to see the "pepper-spray cop meme" galloping around the globe quicker than a Mongol messenger (such as the example above)? Love it.
A lot going on here, there, in Egypt and everywhere. I spent $5 on a book about Ben Franklin and his correspondents that looks pretty cool, and certainly of continued relevence, given Franklin's defense of human rights, evolving opposition to slavery, mentorship of free libraries, stewardship of the postal system and championship of free speech, freedom of assembly and civil society in general, all while remembering to have an electrifyingly good time while he was at it. To all that and more -- cheers!
Today's Rune: Harvest.
Coming at you from Tar Heel Land, Bob Dylan in the background, luxuriating. Lots of conversation, most lately about Dylan through the years as a sort of cultural yardstick, and Patti Smith, and Van Morrison and a bunch of other stuff. The Rolling Stones Some Girls (1978) brings about a boatload of memories as well. Get the oars out . . .
I've written a little about Saxapahaw before; it seems to get cooler even again, with new music and art venues, the all-important post office, excellent food, and only about twelve miles by back road to Carrborro, my old stomping grounds morphing into Chapel Hill. Greensboro, Durham and Raleigh are all within easy reach. The land here is lush and rolling, much greener and more wooded than in North Texas. The roads are in better shape, too, but gas costs about the same -- about $3.20 per gallon for regular unleaded.
Today's Rune: Journey.
Choose light, dark or vegan. You could choose light and dark, but not light + dark and vegan without making it non-vegan overall: it's a choice between that or vegan. Or you could skip Thanksgiving feasting altogether, making it a Thanksgiving fasting.
On Thanksgiving Day, I'll probably sample everything on the table. How about you?
To get to that particular table, I'd prefer to go mostly by train, but time is of the essence. Instead, I've chosen to walk to a car that I will drive to a parking lot to take a shuttle to a corridor to a jet plane through space and time to a distant location to be picked up by a sibling to be driven to a distant house where I will undoubtedly choose to sleep through the rest of the night, if all goes as planned. By tomorrow at this time, a seat at the table.
Meanwhile, cheers to all!
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
Delving into Michael Allingham's Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Universty Press, 2002), it's hard not to start thinking about the choices we are making all the time, or that are made for us. How so many free choices are really gambles. To at least some extent, we are all gamblers!
Modern life. Any kind of insurance. How much should the deductible be vs. the payment plan vs. the possible payout? How much is risk aversion, a requirement of law, prudence or a feeling of safety?
The dentist. My dentist says I need two crowns, an expensive proposition for anyone who is not a millionaire. What do I do? I think, no I don't -- you are trying to choose for me in order to make more money. Instead, I choose to deal with each crown as necesssary, certainly in a more fiscally paced way. It's a gamble that I can wait as long as I want.
Driving, or more accurately, speeding. Who doesn't make a quick calculation such as, ah, everybody's speeding, what are the chances that a traffic cop will bust me? Just in case, let's keep it to "only five miles over the limit."
A nuclear Iran. The Iranian leadership has chosen to develop nuclear power, which will evidently enable Iran to develop nuclear weaponry, as well. ("Choice is deliberate desire." -- Allingham, page 21). The leadership of many other nations does not like Iran's choice, and in turn some choose to obstruct and delay and (try to) block Iran's choice. The leadership of Israel, managing its own nuclear arsenal, could choose to attack Iran. Likewise, if Iran completes a nuclear weapons system, Iran's leadership could choose to attack Israel. What are the chances either way?
Any way you cut it, choice theory is pretty damned interesting. Given how many daily choices we all make, large and small, we should probably think about the process more often.
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.
Globally, wild times. From a culturally longer perspective, 2011 is one of those banner years like, say, 1968 or 1848. From inside the middle of it, 2011 seems not quite 1776, 1789, nor 1917/1918.
Like a renewable wedding with history, 2011 features something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The new includes the velocity and amplifying effects of information technology combined with a much larger world population and physically changing global climate. Borrowed and indeed old are many ideas resurfacing from the past. Blue is the tinge of anxiety about the future, perhaps the realization that the perfect society, the perfect world is unattainable, that we're all mortal beings, flawed agents of choice and destiny.
2012 is coming fast, and with it, more upheaval, conflict, debate, choice and destiny. And the wheel spins on even as the latest status quo dissolves.
Today's Rune: Initiation.
Gadzooks, how much flimflam spam and scam can we spic and span? Advertisements come at us from every direction. Are they the most influential way to communicate?
What ads look like phony-baloney in 2011? I'd start with all the meds, pills and medicine man hogwash. Then I'd proceed to insurance and financial companies, anything to do with automobiles, energy corporations, beer-related fantasies and . . . well, you name it. But above all, consider your Adam's Apple!!
Hey, must be good: it's toasted.
Liar, liar, pants on fire: No wonder we're skeptical.
Today's Rune: Harvest.
