JOSEPH HOLBROOK: Journal

When I look back on what I've written, I learn from it. Whether I've moved forward or slipped back, I like having a record. All in all it's a personal catharsis that allows me some oversight of what I seem to be about. Interests from satire to spiritual, art to invention and a whole lot of junk. They all play and influence each other . . . which is a fair glimpse of what my world is about.

Additions to the JOURNAL are personal. They're BY me and FOR me and putting them out there will be a different experience.    It should be interesting to see if I can remain honest to my opinions, knowing judgment will be passed on their worth .....and maybe my sanity.    We'll see.   The thing is, it should be fun and life's too short to worry about it anyway.

If you read something that bothers you, makes you angry, or qualifies as inappropriate, irreverent, crass or crude....you'll figure out a way to deal with it.   If you think that something is just plain wrong, you're welcome to write to me about it, but hey.... if I don't respond, don't take it personally.
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"These days, it seems that the words "Intelligence" and "Common Sense" are so malleable as to be meaningless. . . at least when you're talking about Government. . . or Religion."

"As civilized human beings, we want to include Tolerance as one of our attributes; but, ignorance, religious extremism and Tribal obsessions being what they are, we can actually only afford Tolerance under defined circumstances. We must not loose our society to a "blind eye", a "turned cheek", "Political Correctness". . . or even to that Godly attribute of Tolerance.

Perhaps we should even start using the term: "Conditional Tolerance". What a shame.

We are taught that "ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED EQUAL" . . .but that doesn't seem to stop a pretty fair number of them from going through life ignorant.

Those who will be voting for Barack Obama because they're too easily influenced or too racist * to know better are one thing; but, those who will be voting for him while aware of his associations, his background and his Socialist agenda are nothing less than traitors to our Republic as it was created, and traitors to its future.

They are consciously deciding on a larger, more intrusive, invasive Federal Government. They are attempting to write a future that will not only see diminished freedoms, but could lay waste to a system superior to all others on the planet.

Take time to research the man and research Socialism. And don't place a vote based only on your hatred of the current administration. We all deserve better than such shallow knee-jerk reactions.

* There are estimates that up to 99% of the black voters who will be voting for Obama will be doing so. . . just because he's black. How obviously racist can people be. (And oddly enough: . He is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side.)

Sometimes I pass along poignant sayings that come my way, not because I think you're unaware of the wisdom, but so we can celebrate that there are those besides you and I who recognize it when they see it.

I know that the words "Faith" and "Belief" as a rule can be used interchangeably. And though the following is a personal interpretation, in my mind there are some subtle differences .

I generally grant "Faith" to things that are rational, or have been proven evident to me and are utterly dependable over time ; whereas, I'm aware that "Belief" can be bestowed upon absolutely anything, with or without facts or experimental reproduction.

I have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow, but I wouldn't say, "I have a belief that the sun will rise tomorrow ." Even though the context is correct, it somehow relates a subtle, modest possibility that I believe the Sun might NOT rise tomorrow.

The problem with "Belief" is that one can believe anything at all, for any reason at all, even without the use of logic or reasoning. . . at all . All that's really required is the freedom of choice to employ it .

So we can certainly talk about what we believe in if you want. It can be very interesting. But what we have Faith in is an altogether more serious avenue of discussion. . .and it's finally all I'm really interested in.

"We have no idea how often consciousness arises throughout the Universe, nor can we be sure that it is anything but a rudimentary example of awareness . I, for one, am confident that is exactly the case."
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....Democrats: Suck....cheaters, liars and spenders... Republicans: Better, but not much . Think about what is happening in our country now....major issues of Immigration, National Debt (3 TRILLION), declining economy, rotting educational system, corrupt governments at local, regional, state and federal level, and each party is seeking "change" from what to what ? Who the hell is even talking or debating the major issues?
Each says they'll look at immigration.. what the fuck does THAT mean ? Guest labor passes ? Does anyone really think 20 million are going to return to their countries of origin ? Federal Debt at 3 Trillion and what the fuck are we doing about it ? A significant portion of that debt is owned by foreign countries...think about that for a moment.
Our government, Democrats mostly, but in the past decade Republicans too, have moved to the public trough and learned to just print more money . THERE IS NO CEILING.....sooner rather than later that debt will have to be serviced . Every major politician is offering something...free green cards, free health care, free education, free corn support, free this.....when a populace is led into the room with goodies, democracy is over....
The war ? it was never about weapons of mass destruction, in my opinion . It was a strategic entry for a foothold in a BAD section of the world . It's now a political football, with untruth being the fabric of debate.

oh yea, did I mention, the Cynic Of The Week Award goes to me ? thank you, thank you very much (in my best Elvis voice)... . . Jack
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JANUARY 10, 2008: . ."DISCERNING VOTERS:"

Barack Obama is black . We've never had a black President . Maybe it's time we had one . Now there's solid decision making.

Hillary Clinton is a woman . We've never had a Woman President . Maybe it's time we had one . What an intelligent reason to vote "Clinton" for President.

Hillary shed a tear yesterday. A substantial reason to vote for her rather than Obama.

I think Democrats should be running a Midget for office. Some sort of a Bi-Polar, Eskimo, Hermaphrodite, Midget . We've never had one of those as President, and by god. . .I think it's time . He-she would be a shoe-in for all those discerning voters.
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We're on our Anniversary trip to the Cliff House Inn at Mussel Shoals . Patti and I are just sitting on the Cliff . . .watching the world . I can't help but wonder if "appreciation " is a learned ability, or if we're just born with it. . .obviously we're born with the potential.

I can't help but wonder : If there is a purpose to life, maybe it's simply to appreciate it . "TO APPRECIATE" would be a perfect purpose . I'm watching a herring gull soaring on the brisk winds that are blowing today . I can tell he's not looking for fish, he's just flying around . Some Dolphins swam by earlier today . I know that, in the wake of a ship, they can set their tails at 22 degrees and just surf the wake. They couldn't be going anywhere in particular .

Dogs, cats, all kinds of animals can be observed just enjoying the moment . I think it's key to realize that most of life seems able to take advantage of the moment. . . to appreciate the world around them . To soak it in. And if a bird or a dolphin or a dog or cat are able to appreciate , how smart do any of us have to be to do the same, regularly . It may after all, be the purpose of existence. . . at the very least, it's the icing .

NOVEMBER 24, '2007: . "MUSIC"

It was 1962 when I moved from Toledo Ohio . I was 14 1/2 years old and some of the popular songs that year were: Let's Twist Again, Town without Pitty, Ramblin Rose by Nat King Cole, Johnny Angel, Stranger on the Shore by Aker Bilk, Baby it's you by the Shirelles, Surfin Safari, Hey Baby (Bruce Channel), Duke of Earl, The Man who shot Liberty Valence. . . ( a complete list at: http://www.musicradio77.com/Top1962.html )

Along with the 50's, 60's and 70's music, I grew up with a great appreciation for music from the 40's as well . Dad loved the music of his era and had a decent selection of 78s that he played regularly . He loved Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Dad was a pretty good singer too .
We were barely a middle-class family, but I remember that he somehow found the money to buy a record making machine (no bigger than a large portable player) . I remember singing "Davey Crocket" into the thing back in 1955 . (I still have the record) . I also remember Dad coming home that year with a new 78 record that he was excited about . . .said we'd love it: "Tutti Fruity" by Little Richard. Wild . I was 8 years old . Dad must have been turning 30. It was He, that decided I would take piano lessons starting about that time and though I didn't particularly care for practicing, he said I would be happy about it later on . I took lessons for 4 years . . He was right, of course . At about 12 or 13, I was a pretty hot piano player.

To this point, I only have about 450 songs or so on my hard-drive. . . but I use them daily . Other than making CDs for any number of reasons, I like using "random play" programs that surprise me . Most days, while I'm working, the background music for the day is the music of my yesterday . Unlike an old photograph that can make me look and feel old in comparison, the music makes me feel young . The songs are a part of who I am. . . . and it's as though time has disappeared .
When downloading and rating the songs on my hard drive, I was a little surprised that the greatest majority of my favorites were romantic . Within the top 20 so far are:

STRANGER ON THE SHORE (AKER BILK)
SPANISH HARLEM (BEN E KING)
WONDERLAND BY NIGHT (BERT KAEMPFERT)
KEY LARGO (BERTIE HIGGINS)
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME (BROOK BENTON)
SO THIS IS LOVE (THE CASTELLS)
PRETTY LITTLE ANGEL EYES (CURTIS LEE)
CLAIR DE LUNE (DEBUSSY)
DRIFT AWAY (DOBIE GRAY)
WHEN I FALL IN LOVE (THE LETTERMEN)
THIS MAGIC MOMENT (LOU REED)
EL PASO (MARTY ROBBINS)
APRIL LOVE (PAT BOONE)
SUMMER PLACE (PERCY FAITH)

LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES and CHUG -A-LUG are on my list somewhere too. . . but they're just not up there with the ones that move me the most . Apparently, I'm an irrepressible romantic.

When I painted the Laguna commission for the Seehs,

Well. . . Al Gore, along with the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has won the Nobel Peace Prize . Although I agree that attention should be given to Global warming, his "Documentary" contains some serious errors that are central to the thesis . And there are alarmist tactics and exaggeration that smell more of politics than science.

The efforts were not deserving of a prize in Science (which is what global warming is all about), so he was awarded a Peace prize . I'm hard pressed to see how global warming has anything at all to do with Peace .

It should be evident that this prize can be, and occasionally is awarded to promote Political and World views . Another example that pops to mind: One of the Nobel Peace Prize winners In '94 was terrorist Yasir Arafat.

I recently ran across a commentary about Global Warming from author Michael Crichton . A brief, but very reasonable read at: (CLICK on title below)

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS August 21, 2007: State of Kansas v. Nicholas L. Martinez: 8 U.S.C. § 1325 (2000) declares an alien's unsanctioned entry into the United States to be a crime . While Congress has criminalized illegal entry into this country, it has not made the continued presence of an illegal alien in the United States a crime unless the illegal alien has previously been deported and has again entered this country illegally . Basically, it is illegal to sneak over the border to get here. . . but not illegal to stay here . (My god. This is just a bad dream. . .right?)

Based on the Martinez decision, other legal interpretations are being reconsidered in the state of Kansas . Though it's still a crime to rob a bank in Kansas, it's only a crime DURING the robbery . And, it's not a crime to spend any of the stolen money, unless of course you've been caught and sentenced for that theft or any similar infraction . They are also considering reinterpretations of laws regarding rape and kidnapping . Nothing will be considered illegal after the fact, only during the commission of the crime . With this new outlook, sizable downturns in convictions are expected.

I've always been a reasonably curious guy who likes finding answers to all sorts of questions; however, I don't seem to need certain answers that others do . Here's a tame but decent example:

Let's say it's hot outside, way too hot to be out there DOING anything . Comments are made between Patti (my wife) and I regarding the situation and she'll immediately head for the door, to go out on the porch so she can look at the thermometer. . .to see "HOW HOT it is" . I ask her, "What are you doing? And she says, " I want to see what the temperature is." And I say, "What's the difference what the thermometer reads if we already know it's too hot to be out there in it." She says, " I want to know the temperature."

Now, my claim is: What's the difference what the number on the thermometer is if it won't influence the conclusion we've already made . . . which is, that it's too hot to be out there in the first place . I don't get it . Now if it was a very young person, I can understand the need to learn how to associate a number to the experience of the heat . But Patti is a number of years past young and she knows how hot certain temperatures are. . .so, what's the incentive? What's the need?

When she returns from the porch, I ask her, "Now that you know what the temperature is, what are you going to do with the information?" "Nothing" she says.

It's funny about tatoos . My Dad got one when he was a young man and was sorry about it for most of his life . I grew up believing that it was a "phase" that Americans had already gone through . Little did I know .

I also remember (back in the 70's I think), Dad and I used to discuss how barbaric some people were beginning to act and we proposed, in jest, that perhaps it wouldn't be long before they all started wearing bones in their nose . Little did I know.

Adapting tribal rituals like tattooing and piercing speaks of a need to belong. . .to something . It seems obviously contradictory that people claim such things give them individuality, when the real reason they do it is because everyone else seems to be doing it .

I'll take pure soft unstained and unpunctured skin, thank you . And the individuality that comes from what you do with who you are .

JULY 24, '07: . OFFERINGS
"I hear people say, "I wouldn't trade my life for anything". I'm pretty sure I wouldn't either; but then again, I haven't seen any of the offers."
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A friend sent me a short commentary entitled: "I decided, Growing Older is a gift." And there was a very nice list of things to be appreciated in a mature life.
Me: I decided, Growing older is inevitable . And I'd better be wise enough to appreciate where I've been and where I am. . .or it's doubtful I'll appreciate where I"m going.

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I love watching documentaries about Galapagos Island . People can walk right up to any of the wild creatures and none of them show any fear at all (the wild creatures that is) . The narrator usually goes on to explain that great care is taken to maintain the animals' natural fearless attitude . ie. the animals are not taunted, hunted or interfered with at all; so, there's no reason for them to fear man.

Every time I watch such footage, I can't help but wonder if there was ever a time in humankind's (actual) past where such fearlessness was true of man. . .towards man . Modern man is hardly competent enough, clear enough, or peaceful enough to bring it about in his future . Maybe that's why it's difficult to imagine that it was ever true .

It's such a shame that the most intelligent creature on earth seems destined to live in fear of the most violent creature on earth. . .and that they're both the same animal.
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*Terrorists and car bombs in Ireland and England yesterday.
*Al-Qaeda-linked suicide bomber killed nine people today when he drove his car into the site of the ancient Queen of Sheba temple in central Yemen.
*Iraq still brimming with terrorists.
*Iran had a direct role in a sophisticated militant attack that killed five American troops last January in Iraq.
Please read the entry below . Some certainly seem to be missing The Purpose.
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(from #4 entry, Philosophy Journal): Certainly one thing that results from the dance of infinite possibilities is "EXISTENCE" . "Existence" IS the "Meaning" of our Universe . To look for meaning other than that might result in missing the sublime point: . That WE are the Evidence of The Meaning . Our existence is a celebration of Potential and we are afforded the opportunity to be "Conscious Aspects" of the expression.

Humanity's "Purpose" should be to comprehend these simple points, to seek the good that can be discovered and all the love that can be expressed while we are here, and Aware . (And though "Good" may not be an established property under the laws of physics, its general meaning can hopefully be discerned by most.) . Knowledge, Understanding, Creativity, Friendship, Happiness, Humor, Harmony, Passion, Compassion, Peace, Love. . . Of course these are The Purpose . It seems so obvious .

JUNE 16 '07: . . .To Play: CLICK the small PLAY BUTTON UNDER THE PICTURE, or the LARGE PLAY BUTTON IN THE CENTER OF THE PICTURE . (Clicking the Picture itself takes you to it's spot on the YouTube web-site.)

This, from 1987, is a simple tune I composed and called "Patti and the Dolphins"©. I played it for her at our favorite vacation spot, The Cliff House Inn, Mussel Shoals , California . We were down on the beach in a tunnel that runs under Hwy 101 . I stuck it on the YouTube site and this is the link . Fun memories. . .and an extremely fast 20 years.

"FREEDOM of speech allows both intelligent and ignorant speakers the right to speak. . . even to rant if they wish; but, allowing psychologically deranged people to do so under the guise of "rational opinion" smells more like social illness than freedom of speech. Perhaps with a confused civilization in moral decline, it's normal to see such ugliness.

Under these circumstances, one has to view abominations like Rosie O'Donnell as just a sign of the times. . .no matter how depressing the thought, or repulsive the person. That any portion of society is exposed to her private madness is the fault of the media that promotes her. She is obviously unable to repair her genetics, or unwilling to medicate her psychosis."

SOMETIMES a statement crosses my mind that would fit a situation nicely. . . though the situation doesn't exist at the moment. Here's an example: " . . .That degree of stupidity is a dilemma. He'll never be smart enough to realize just how dumb he really is." OR

". . .He'll never be informed enough to recognize how little he knows." etc.

Just one of those "phrase concepts" that would be handy to recall if you needed it. OR. . . Perhaps phrased in such a way as to stand on its own, with a twist: "God willing. . .I'll never be smart enough to realize just how stupid I am." Maybe a T-Shirt? What do you think?

I consider myself a car guy even though I don't own anything custom or collectible at present. I was raised to enjoy automotive form and function. Cars are, or can be, Art on Wheels for me. I also appreciate individual taste, but what I often see moving down the road these days hardly qualifies as "taste" at all. I see people driving 50 -80- 100,000 dollar automobiles with the most ridiculous wheels I've ever seen. Of course, there are Companies out there making these rims, so there's apparently some kind of mutual understanding going on; but my god, they look like rolling cartoons. It's possible that they're trying to display a sense of humor, but I don't think so. I think the only thing they're displaying is Seriously Bad Taste . . . at a cost of thousands I might add.

There'll be this beautiful automobile, beautiful interior, flawless paint job, gorgeous design lines. . . with oversized chrome-spoked or fingered and riveted wheels, so shiny and glittery that it actually makes the car look like a joke. You can't see the car for the wheels. If it's an SUV, I fully expect horn-beeping, red-nosed circus clowns to come piling out at the stop lights.

Decisions based on glitz, glitter and "Out Of Context Favoritism" affect me like sour notes, or fingernails on a blackboard, physical discomfort bordering on pain. (By "Out Of Context Favoritism" I mean for example: Say it's time to pick a color for some new contact lenses. . . Red is your favorite color, so that's what you go with).

Some dolt is bound to pipe up and say: "What is it with you. . .people can do what they want. Everybody has their own idea of what looks good. Are you some kind of snob?" All I can say in return is: "Apparently I am, and to be honest. . .I don't really care what anybody does. Even strange ideas can be entertaining. But if critical opinion isn't allowed. . . who is it that's being discriminatory? Enough of the civilized world is going to hell as it is . I can't seem to help but speak up for common sense decoration. . .at least. (Joseph Holbrook)

I made a personal vow last year to lay off talking so much about politics in this journal. I think it's healthier to concentrate on more positive observations. So, I've begun a personal Philosophy Journal (accessable from this page). Of course, you see how that works. Now I can still vent in this part of the Journal when I want and not feel guilty about it. (Unfortunately, it's not going to help my anger and depression over all the political crap. . . .so once again, I've utterly failed to fool myself.)

To cover a little of both: It's well worth the time to acquaint yourself with the Common Examples of LOGICAL FALLACY: (The Wikipedia link is below) Familiarize yourself with such things as: Appeal to pity, Appeal to tradition, Appeal to fear, Appeal to the majority, Biased samples, Argumentum ad populum etc., (read them all, they are usually only a paragraph or so a piece, plus it's fun to check where your weaknesses might lie). You may find, as I did, that for some reason the word "Politicians" keeps popping into your head.

Try not to be too demoralized as you confirm yet once again that: Polititians take advantage of a guillible public by using flaws in their ability to discern what are logical steps or conclusions in a statement, argument or debate. After your done, be sure to remind yourself how much we're supposed to trust them. That is why we keep hiring them, right?

Religions advise you of what they say God wants you to think. Philosophies inform you of perspectives to consider.

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