...back when I was a serious political activist, my friends all thought they were being watched...positive all the vegan potlucks were under tight surveillance...spies in every circle of self-affirmation....the international combine quaking in fear at the thought of kids temporarily out of school knocking on doors to save whales, smoking bongs till they couldn't form coherent sentences, talking about but not actually reading Marx, and blasting early Zappa at three A.M....one guy I knew went for months telling all the freaks at the local co-op the CIA was watching his every move, getting little in response but yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re watchin’ me, too before finally being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic....Just because you’re paranoid don’t mean they’re not after you....
Kurt Cobain
...which is not to say that I don’t think anybody’s out to get me...hell, every time I get stuck behind some jalopy going ten miles under the speed limit, I’m sure it’s part of a conspiracy to mess with my life...for that matter, in the late 60’s, when I was a little kid, my dad, a psychiatrist—yeah, I know, that explains a lot...shaddup—ran into a guy he’d had committed...on the street...and the guy said I know where your children play...and, as it turned out, he did...Rittenhouse Square in Philly...whenever I’m down that way I keep my eyes out for that guy, likely in his eighties or so, possibly moving about with a walker, still looking to abduct me after all these years....
Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.
George Orwell, 1984
I’ve been asked to be a community organizer for my local yoga friends...or sangha if ya wanna get all spiritual, sanctimonious, and Sanskrit-like about it...creating some kind of on-line entity, I think, and maybe more...might have to hug people or something...not too clear on that point at this juncture....anyway, I know what yer thinking...how might this community organizing crap impact any plans I might have to run for the Office of the Presidency of the United States of America?
Jesus was a community organizer...
The Internet
It’s a real concern, too...just who are these people?...how do I know none of them have dark pasts as yoga terrorists? how do I know, a few election cycles from now, I won’t be seeing video clips at every commercial break showing a seemingly mild and benevolent yoga teacher saying as you move from uttanasana to utkanasana, visualize death to America...?
12 comments:
Well, bless my deeply religious Catholic cotton socks that I found your blog!
Actually, it was my good gurrrrlfriend Salma's suggestion that I visit. And she was right. You're so hot. And not just your body, but your mind too.
The two of us would like you meet with you sometime to... y'know, discuss things... with you...
This has been the single most paranoid Presidential Administration since McCarthy. I pretty sure everyone at this point suspected they had been the object of surveillance at one point or another. Thanks the Patriot Act, they can rifle through your Public Library Records and it comes with an automatic gag order for the Librarian--so you will never find out.
A no fly list that once you are on, there is no way to get off. Guilty until proven innocent--thats what that says. They are accusing the people on that list of being dangerous, but the people on that list have no way of facing their accusers or challenging the charges brought against them.
We have the technology now to fly over any American city and gather any form of electronic transmission there is period. Everything from CBs to E-mail. That's why intelligence agencies complained about having too much material data to sort through. Bush said it was only a select few suspects getting their lines tapped, but they explained the drones flying over Columbus Ohio.
And I have several stories in my archives about Peace Groups and Environmental groups who were surveilled as potential terror groups. Peace Marchers. Not Abortion Clinic Bombers, not that fucked up church in Topeka that harasses the families of Dead Soldiers, or White Supremacists stocking up ammo for the race war, but peace marchers and environmentalists.
There is a distinct difference between Paranoia {an unfounded fear} and instinctual response {perceptions of wrongness that causes one to be more vigilant}.
And because so much of the administration has been peopled with abnormally fearful Bible Beaters, {sorry normal Christians}, it wouldnt surprise me in the least to find out that Yoga and Martial Arts classes would be targeted for extra scrutiny due to their innate pagan philosophy.
My only paranoia stemmed from bad "stuff" if ya know what I mean, and if anything in front of me is going 10 miles under the limit, guaranteed it's got Maryland plates. (C'mon, no dis meant, it's part of the ongoing VA-MD thing!)
Hopefully, by the time you're ready to run for office, people will think back, know better and that crap won't be tolerated! :o)
If you are going to (eventually) run for President, I just want to know if you have 666 Tattooed anywhere on your person. (Not that I'm paranoid or anything!)
Your word verfification today is the word Surog - which is gorus spelt backwards - what does it REALLY mean?
Dear President of the United Yogini's of Phildadelphia:
I'm feeling slightly paranoid right now. Can you help me?
I had bean soup for lunch and now I'm headed to a "very important" meeting. Guess who didn't take Beano? Helllooo!
When you become a yoga community organizer, will you insist your teachers sing soprano in savasana?
I'm just askin'
Paranoid = pa ran o'id = "my father ran over my desires" Now take that to a psychiatrist and/or smoke it! P.S. - thanks for visiting my blog. I'm in a particularly pensive mood tonight having learned that Odetta, my favorite singer of all time, died today...
Dude its spelt jalapeno not jalopy its a meksican pepper not lyke a truck er sumthing. sawree 2 bring U down abowt it brozef
of course this Ageless Hippie Chick Yoga Goddess is going to take over the world, you have any doubts? I'm working on a Goddess in Residence yoga gig.
What a sharp & witty mind you have.
Your writing style is impressive.
Love the topic you choose to write about.
Very interesting view, filled with honesty and soul.
Thanks for the info on "Milk." I want to see the movie because I do remember the horror of the day he was gunned down. You're right: it was a long time ago and I'm glad Harvey Milk is being remembered in this time.
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