Wednesday, September 27, 2006

"Peace in your mind
Peace on Earth
Peace at work
Peace at home
Peace in the world
All we are saying is give Peace a chance"

- John Lennon

===========

"WAR is over
if you want it"

- John Lennon

Monday, September 25, 2006



reflections from a path
that once i forged
now mirrored in the past
forever in my future
is were i never want to be
live right here, right now
it's time for another path
towards the end
as i draw closer to the beginning
i see
you see
we see
together as a whole world
not a holy world batttled for
for you are you and i am me
might that be enough
for some i suppose
but not me and not you
we know better
we know the tricks of their trade
we smell a rat
that nobody knows, now
back to a path
and its reflection in time
is nothing more than streaks
of seconds, minutes and hours
on this vessel that is me
war wounds upon my heart
my eyes held shut
and its time again and again and again
always more --- never enough

Cape Lookout: Sept. 23rd & 24th, 2006


















Friday, September 22, 2006

Homeland & Hip Hop

"To think about the origins of hip hop in this culture and also about homeland security is to see that there are at the very least two worlds in America. One of the well-to-do and the struggling. For if ever there was the absence of homeland security it is seen in the gritty roots of hip hop. For the music arises from a generation that feels with some justice that they have been betrayed by those who came before them. That they are at best tolerated in schools, feared on the streets, and almost inevitably destined for the hell holes of prison. They grew up hungry, hated and unloved. And this is the psychic fuel that seems to generate the anger that seems endemic in much of the music and poetry. One senses very little hope above the personal goals of wealth and the climb above the pit of poverty. In the broader society the opposite is true, for here more than any place on earth wealth is more wide spread and so bountiful. What passes for the middle class in America could pass for the upper class in most of the rest of the world. They're very opulent and relative wealth makes the insecure. And homeland security is a governmental phrase that is as oxymoronic, as crazy as saying military intelligence, or the U.S Department of Justice. They're just words that have very little relationship to reality. And do you feel safer now? Do you think you will anytime soon? Do you think duck tape and Kleenex and color codes will make you safer? From Death row this is Mumia Abu Jamal"

Monday, September 18, 2006

a few more from the Holga...







Thursday, September 14, 2006

as promised...

After struggling the last couple of days with techincal glitches, here is my first darkroom offing to you, the kind viewers. All of these pictures were shot with the wonderful Holga. Dare say that, currently, it is my favorite weapon in my entire arsenal? I do.

Now that I have somewhat of an understanding as to how the porcess works, I'll be posting many more images in the upcoming days.












Friday, September 08, 2006

September 11th, 2001

When I pose the question: What really happened?, I am instantly placed in the category of "conspiracy theorist"...or worse "wacko". For the record, I am nothing more than a concerned America that loves the freedoms and liberties that our United States Constitution provides to each and every one of us.

---

I will forever remember that morning. I was in my truck driving to work listening to my usual morning radio program on the FM dial. It was either Mark or Brian (the DJ's) that broke the unbelievable news of the first plane. It was then that I switched to the AM dial and searched for more comprehensive news reports. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. As my commute continued, more reports of more "attacks" poured out of my speakers. It wasn't until I reached my office and saw the images on the TV that I understood that our lives had changed permanently. My blood began to boil and I slipped into an angry mode of wanting revenge. I didn't care who we had to bomb to get even...it just needed to happen. As it turns out, my emotions got the best of me and I wasn't thinking clearly...much like the rest of America.

After the initial dust settled, the entire world was unified to seek out the "evil-doers" and put a stop to any further "acts of terror". Unfortunately, the support we had right off the bat from the four corners of the globe started to crumble away thanks to the current administration and its tyrannical approach to the situation.

The moment that my body, mind and soul felt that something was horribly wrong wasn't until shortly after the "attacks". News was released that (P)resident Bush was in Florida doing a read along with elementary students. It was during his time in the classroom that he was told of the first plane striking the North Tower. He sat there and did nothing. Nothing. The glazed-over stare, like a deer in headlights, was when I knew something far more disturbing had happened than the "official report" would later have us believe.

Now, let's take some time to reflect on why (P)resident Bush remained in that classroom. Remember that I, a lowly American Joe Blow, needed to know what was going on the instant I received the news...(P)resident Bush sat, reading "My Pet Goat" for almost 12 minutes while the country was under "attack". As I see it, there are three possible explanations as to why the Command in Chief did nothing while countless people died:
  1. Incompetence. The blank stare into nothing? What was he thinking about? Was he thinking at all? Was he just so engrossed with the goat story that he thought the world could wait? Or, was it a simple matter of not knowing how to handle the situation? He claims that he didn't want to scare the children, but I believe that was just a cop-out to cover his own ass. If it was ignorance, why would we...the self-proclaimed "military power house of the world" want him as a leader? Can the stupid only be lead by the stupid?
  2. An Order to Stand Down. Why was that day scheduled for numerous military training simulations...including a scenario involving a plane being used as a missile and flown into a building? Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld where in complete control of these training operations, and it is possible that these where used to mask other secret and malicious plans to create a "new Pearl Harbor". When it comes down to it, the standing president is only a figure head or a puppet and the strings are pulled by shadowy characters that hide in dark places. Dick might have told George in the days prior to the actual "attack" that these are planned training exercises and to not worry about it.
  3. Involvement. This is the most unsettling option, just because I shudder at the thought that someone with that much power could kill that many innocent people and not lose any sleep over it. There were warning signs, but no counter-actions taken. I'm not sure at what level (P)resident Bush's involvement may have been, but it might explain why he just sat there...not worried...and not whisked away by secret service. We were under "attack" and the president of the free world was in a much publicized location. If the "terrorists" hate our freedom so much, why didn't they take out one of the very symbols that define us a nation?
Why those three buildings (WTC1, WTC2 and WTC7) collapsed, the only three in history to fall because of "fire", and why there was no wreckage evidence of large commercial airliners in Pennsylvania or at the Pentagon is beyond the scope of this blog entry. Please take time to do some investigation on your own. Do not take my word as truth and do not take what you see and hear on the television as truth...do you own research. Form your own opinion.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: Neither (P)resident Bush or Vice-(P)resident Richard Cheney ever testified, under oath, as to the events that took place that morning or to any of the information that led up to that dreadful day.

There are a lot of independent individuals that have dedicated themselves to finding out what really happened that day, and more importantly...why. If you have any trouble finding these people, please email me and I'll be more than happy to provide you with names and websites.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

the long weekend





Well, the entire family got together for a camping trip this past long weekend (Labor Day)...and we had a great time. I didn't take that many digital images because of my new darkroom and desire to explore and re-explore the wonderful world of film. Here are a couple of pictures that I snapped while strolling around...please stay tuned for some beautiful Holga images...