Saturday, November 01, 2014

New Life

The garden is in full flower now, with the wisteria hanging on the arch that marks the start of the Garden Path. The goldenrods have taken over any ground that does not contain a shrub and I'm not sure if there is enough time before winter to chop them all down so I can see where I need to add more flowers. I wouldn't mind the rods if they just flowered and stayed put, but they always try to take over the entire area and since they grow from the roots each time I cut one down four more sprout up. I have to find some purpose for them, maybe weaving cages for tomatoes... once you need a plant like this it goes away. Contrarywise, when I discovered that valerian worked on my back pain I began to see it growing all over the yard. It all depends on the mind of the plant.

The Israelis are working on their "Final Solution" for the Gazans, wiping out every man, woman and child, all the time declaring how precise they are and how careful they are not to hit civilians. It would seem they are either the worst army in the world or the best liars, because some 1500 civilians have died from Israeli missiles and bullets. This demonstrates, I think, how when one obsesses about something, especially an enemy or past insult, you gradually take on the attributes of that enemy. You become a fascist if you worry all the time about Hitler and his boys and if you constantly complain about the horrors of the Death Camps you will be compelled to make one for yourself and fill it full of enemies so you can wipe them out. They haven't pulled up trucks and pumped in exhaust gases, but bombs and missiles look more like a war instead of a genocide.

Meanwhile I am reading about the history of the region, especially the Jews. I want to understand why that area always seems ready to kill some group or another. One thing you notice is the consistency of the events. The Palestinians around Gaza have been taking it in the shorts for thousands of years now, it seems, no matter who it is oppressing them you have to feel sorry for them. Now it's the Israelis again, stepping up to take over and kill them all for the various crimes involved in resisting the takeover/genocide. Israel wants the ocean side. They also want all arable lands in all directions. YHWH promised them and they plan to accept the invitation, after all, it IS the Creator making the offer. Trouble is, even in the Bronze Age they knew it meant killing every one related to all the people they feel are in their way so as long as babies are born and memories remain there will be one war after another until everyone is wiped out.

At the same time you read over the Torah and related texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls, it's important to also read the Quran and Bible. That's a real eye opener! I love my Muslim friends but I must say that like the Old Testament there is a great deal of hatred for one's neighbors if they don't share your faith. It's a curious thing but YHWH has set everyone in the ME at each other as a basic part of their faith. It seems that the Prophet was abused by the Jews, most likely for not being a Jew, but to be fair the other Arabs also abused Him. But as a result of a personal insult He inserted into His revelation the idea that Jews must be converted or killed. The Jews have a different take on it, believing that converts to Judaism are not exactly "Jewish". The constitution of Israel makes it clear that only Jews who have descended from Jews since the Creation can be called Real Jews. The rest are wannabes who may or may not make it into heaven. Christians descend from Jews who believed that the Messiah had arrived and the End Times were upon us. Trouble is, He said it was happening right then and would be completed in their lifetimes. Now, some 2,000 years late they still think nothing is wrong, He's just using that kind of speech where a "lifetime" means "several lifetimes" and "is upon you" means "someday will happen". In other words they are in serious denial. Regardless of the whereabouts of this Messiah they have adopted the zero tolerance philosophy of the Jews and applied it to the Muslims. It seems we have to wipe them out for the Messiah to show His head again. Curious decision coming from the King of Peace, ain't it?

So, while logic dies in the desert along with little girls and boys, the World watches blood flowing from their lawn chairs at CNN, sipping their tea and nibbling on lady fingers. Not their kids, why should they worry? Naturally, those of us who recall the World Trade Center remember that it was our ambivalent attitude toward the killing of innocents which placed a target on the city. Now we happily sell weapons and ammo to the Israelis so they can complete their Final Solution and naturally we will be so surprised if the Arab world sees this as somehow dis-respecting their right to life. The classic response will be to murder as many innocent Americans as they can.


Cat Humor

The cats no longer laugh at my jokes. For a long time I thought it was because most of my jokes are based on puns, and cats only admit to knowing American English as a second or third language. So when you tell them a pun, most of the time they will just stare at you. But I mean the other kinds of jokes, even a pratfall doesn't get a chuckle out of them. Brighton acts as if the mafia were looking for him and Mariah is pretending to be Catwoman, going out at night and victimizing the local rodents. She's above it all. Buddy laughs. He's a good dog and I can count on his support in most things.
It's not like I plan a career as a stand up comedian for critters, but since I spend a great part of my conversations speaking to a cat or dog or chicken, I tend to expect a reaction from my audience. The hens tend to get very literal. They find human humor difficult to fathom. Go ahead, ask a chicken why they crossed the road, they will not look you in the eyes, they will mumble and mention something about greener pastures and all, but they will never say “to get to the other side”. It's just not the way hens think. Cats don't appreciate humor because they tend to be overly sensitive about their own appearances and a pie in the face is just a mess to them. Subtle jokes are impossible to understand in a cat mind, they are not very subtle beasts. But a dog... well, a dog will do most anything to please a human, even laugh at their jokes. For that I thank them.