Oh hi.

This is for you. Yea.

You.

Im excited!

Quiet and thoughtful. But still very excited.

Its just after midnight.
The city lights are almost here, and the feast begins soon.

If you could change the world.

What would you do?

Would you create peace? Eliminate famine, war and pestilence? Or would you leave it untouched? Letting the pieces of the pie fall into place where they may, no matter how horrific it is to watch?

Would you promote good health? Mental stimulation? How about fostering spiritual growth without the rusty chains of religion to tie it down?

A world able to be bent at your will. People frothing at the mouth to do your bidding.

Would you create armies? Would you destroy all that oppose you?

Cut the throats of the naysayers, for they don't understand your vision.

Would you kill, maim and destroy to create a utopia? One which is free from such atrocities but cannot be reached without sacrificing the lives of innocents?

The power to sculpt and create as you see fit, un-imaginable power flowing through fingertips into clay pots.

If you could, would you?



PS. Id just make certain execs create another season of Arrested Development. I mean fuck, what a great show.

Riding around in my Black Devil Car.

The lights flash by in an angry blur. I stare straight ahead. There exists nothing but the silence of the night and the grumbling of a hungry motor. The wheels grip the pavement with a fierce hold, one only replicated in a lovers embrace. They will never let go. They will never betray.

I remove my left hand and place it upon my thigh and tilt my laden head to the side. Something isn’t right. The purity of the moment has gone.

Yellow lights flash in my mirrors. I look down. It seems a menace with too much time and bravado in his hands has come searching. Do I give him the satisfaction? My brakes lights make that decision for me as they blink, indicating an acknowledgment and a start to the hunt. A wrist turns, a gear clicks. Game on.

Slicing through the air and a seemingly useless city we move through the streets. We remain not but a pair of pure black ghosts in search of their god. We dip; shoulders moving in unison, hips contorting to match the speed. Passer by’s stop and stare at the 2 second spectacle. Why? they ask, Why?

We pay no attention because we already understand. They will never know the exhilaration, the beauty, the subtlety of it all.

A high whine reaches my ears. My partner has raised his beast on its hind legs; a mocking smile plays on his lips. You will never catch me, comes the whisper.

I flatten myself down. My ego overrides.

No! This is stupid. You must stop now. You must!

I don’t. I won’t.

These speeds are dangerous. A pebble or a crack can mean demise. A wrong push can destroy.

Yet I continue.

A heartbeat passes and it all becomes too much. My lover has betrayed me with a vicious slap to the face.

I fall.

The sound of the plastic on pavement makes a sickening crunch, the smell of burnt leather and tire reaches my nostrils through the air holes. A dark liquid saunters its way down to a gutter. And here I lay in a crumpled heap; eyes still open for the moment.

‘Did I win?’ comes the gurgled cry through my lips.

Dead air greets me. I cough as a red speckled arc makes its way over my chin. It would be beautiful were it not such a tragedy.

Eyes close and my face relaxes. The purity of the moment returns and a smile finds its way onto my face. This. Here. Now

This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System

The stars are blinking their eyes, the rain has slowed down to a chatter. The ticky tacky of my fingers on the keyboard elude even the most interested of parties and I sit.

I listen.

Drums.
Bass.

My head starts to move. Back and forth it bounces. Shy. The notion of unbridled intensity is beyond its grasp.

I sit.
I listen.

A man speaks.

Can you see me passing over? On a silver ship built of popsicle sticks?
Can you see the light shine down through my fingertips?
Heed my advice poor boy. For don't be afraid.
You came up from the ground from a million little pieces. Your a pretty human being. Yea. Your a pretty human being.

Wobble and dance. Dance for all that there was and all that there will be. For everyone here is a crowd. A crowd that came up from a million little pieces.

I sit.
I listen.

There is dead silence now. The empty echos of a time long forgotten which remain pushed to the side. The ticky tacky of my fingers provide my only solace from the violent intrusion of a soundless sound.

Drums.
Bass.

My head begins its decent into its haphazard arc. Back and forth it wobbles.

A man speaks.

I once shook hands with a boy who honestly thinks.
A man, with a penchance for ink.
He said, look. Look to see how well it fits. My nails, my eyes, my lips.
Its beautiful said the man who thought. Truly Insatiable. Incredible.

I light my cigarette and inhale. Acidic gray smoke crawls its way out of my mouth and the ember glows, waiting until it is beckoned again.

I sit.
I wait.

Ink on the dot

The process of tattooing. Why does our modern day generation take part in this practice? What compels us to have ink permanently put into our skin. It begs the question, is it vanity, is it art, or is it simply both? Certainly, tattoos can reflect different periods of a persons life. Their total dedication to a culture; Their hopes, their dreams, their personalities or their memories can all be translated into tattoos. But why? Why would someone wish to take something that resides within them and place it upon their flesh? Perhaps its a way to make the incorporeal into the material. A bookmark in ones life to remind the self what one has gained and what one has lost. A story in a life's journey.

Tattoos have burst into the mainstream with a yell and a stomp within the last 40 years. Its not just the uncivilized that tend to get work done these days, its the lawyers, the doctors, the engineers, and the nanny's that help contribute to the growing numbers. At some point in time, it became acceptable for a “normal person” who contributed to society, to have a tattoo. They were no longer shunned or dismissed, but instead praised on the quality of the work. Tattoos suddenly were started to be appreciated more as pieces of moving art rather than a symbol of non-conformity.

What caused this shift? This increased surge of individuals who wanted to reclaim their body? Could it be nothing more than a “trend” which has yet to see its end? Perhaps. But let me offer another explanation.

It was the start of the sixties. A time of mass political and social upheaval in the western world. People were starting to refuse to accept the norm and questions were being asked. Suburban, intelligent teenagers had begun to experiment, both with drugs as well as a different streams of thought. It was the age of the true rebel.

For most of the flower power generation, it was an age of great growth, both socially as well as individually. There however needed to be a fitting form of recording such triumphant acts. Tattooing seemed to be the answer. It served as an automatic segregation from the class structure which most were fighting against and at the same time created a unique shared experience. Although every tattoo and story were different, the symbol of laying down permanent ink on your body was enough to distinguish an individual as not “one of them”. Thus, no longer was the tattoo the flag of the outcast and misunderstood. Now, it became a strong representative for the pissed off mass.

It slowly evolved from there to what we see here today. Now a days, cultural talk does not see tattoos as a means of segregation from established society, but simply as evolved pieces of art.

What, you ask, can possibly be the motivation then? Vanity is a possible explanation. It, as with most things, drives a person towards what they think helps them look better. As with the past, tattoos today are used for decorative, spiritual, identification, and cosmetic reasons.

However, if we were to dig a little deeper we would realize that a tattoo does have a certain type of aura surrounding it, especially in today's world. Not to say that the individuals with the tattoos are seen as miscreants and low lives (although, at one time this was true), but they are simply now subject to a completely different form of analyzation.

The hidden mystic of a tattoo is something powerful and hungry. This perception of unbridled intensity which lies just underneath the surface can be a powerful magnet to some. This radiates off most good tattoos and can be a very powerful enticement to get inked.

Many don't understand tattoos. They find them neither fascinating or attractive. In fact, some would go as far to say that they clutter up an already perfect piece of art. I can in some sense understand this point of view, but fail to see its merits. A tattoo is simply an extension of what and who you are. It is a declaration to the rest of the world without you having to say a single word.

War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.

Before I start writing anything else, let me preface this ENTIRE essay/note/madman's ramble by saying that whatever may be said here is meant to spawn thought and discussion. It is not meant to offend nor demean any individual, culture, or way of life.

A few days ago I got sent a link to a video called “Fitna The Movie - A Geert Wilders film about the Quran”. Now, I had heard the controversy surrounding this movie but never uptil now had I the opportunity to sit down and watch it. For those who don't know what I am talking about, here is the controversial video in question.

First a little back story on our friend Geert Wilders. He is a dutch politician who has been a member of the dutch parliament since 1998. First for “The Party for Freedom and Democracy” and from 2006 on, “The Party for Freedom”, a party which he founded and of which he is the political leader. He has always been a staunch critic of Islam and believes the ideals of Islam are in conflict with Dutch law.

Geert Wilders is however, a very strong supporter of Israel. In the past 25 years he has visited Israel over 40 times where he claims to have met with Ariel Sharon and Ehun Olmert personally. In the last ten years that he has served in parliament, Wilders has always supported Israel and politically attacked nations, individuals and groups which he perceives to be enemies of Israel.

To basically understand the mentally of our enlightened friend Geert Wilders, lets take a look at a direct quote of his in which he was referring the increasing Muslim population of the Netherlands.

“Take a walk down the street and see where this is going. You no longer feel like you are living in your own country. There is a battle going on and we have to defend ourselves. Before you know it there will be more mosques than churches” (Geert Wilders).

Hmm. Shed some light on his character?

Now, the actual video was in all honesty nothing but a joke.

Again, let me preface what I am about to say next by re-iterating that I am NOT tied to any religion nor do I have any special compassion for Islam. In fact, I disdain the very idea of organized religion. I believe organized religion, is a parasite on the human race, feeding itself while simultaneously killing its host.

This video was created to do nothing more than to incite hatred and intolerance. It is easy to take parts of any holy book that are out of context and make it sound like the most inhuman thing ever written. This, is what Geert Wilders did to gather more supporters for his ignorant and hateful ideology. Lets take a closer look shall we?

Female circumcision, is an African cultural tradition and even though it is practiced culturally within Islamic communities, it is not related to Islamic teachings.

Killing homosexuals is not taught or supported in Islam. Stoning itself is never mentioned once in the Quran. How many times is it mentioned in the Bible you ask? 18.

Contrary to popular belief, Jihad does NOT mean holy war. Jihad directly translates to effort. As preached in the Quran, War jihad is the smallest jihad. Educating jihad is the greatest jihad.

Wilder, references the Quran 8:60 in which he says, “Strike terror in the enemies of God”.
Sorry Wilders, but if that phrase were to put into context, it translates as “Frighten the enemies of God.” Substantial difference.

From 8:57 to 8:61 the translation is as follows: “If you are in war, you defend your life and fight. But if your enemies accept peace then do it.”

Interesting no?

In the end, ALL the verses about violence are either taken out of context or wrongly translated.

Hey look, I can do it too:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy [a] everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” Samuel 15:3

“Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.” Number 31:17,18

It should also be noted (although it really shouldn't have to be), fanatical terrorism has existed for a very very long time now. People causing suffering to a group of civilians due to a conflict of ideologies. Their sole purpose is to "convert" their enemies style of life into one which is deemed acceptable by the terrorists. This hand is extended not only to religious fundamentalism, but to political wars across the globe. From the start of the KKK in the 1870's, racist and political terrorism of Nazi Germany and Stalin, the red brigades of Germany and Italy, to the ETA in Spain and the PKK in turkey. Terrorism is a fanatics way of life. It exists EVERYWHERE and is not limited to any particular religion or creed.

We, as westerners assume that the fanatic will listen to the “right” logic and the individual will prevail over the nonsense. However, how can this be possible when the very culture itself is in complete opposition to that? Here in the western world, your own individuality, security, and comfort super seeds everything else. You are not going to jeopardize your own life for the sake of the community.

However, else where, tribal mentality is the ruler. Where, worrying about what happens to your own self is in-consequential. What matters is, how will it affect everyone else? The tribe is replaced for the individual. Thus, acts of fanaticism are acceptable as long as the perceived results will be a positive for the community as large. Heck, we see signs of this in the western world today. Evangelical Christians and neo-conservatives ring a bell for anyone?

I will say this however, Islam is a very dated religion. It is the only one out of the major theistic beliefs that has remained static. It tries to force an ever changing world into its own envelope, and perhaps this makes Islamic fanaticism inevitable. At its height Islam used to be the most progressive, and liberal religions in the known world and then it just stopped. Corruption, greed, and just plain pigheadedness took hold. Its a shame really.

Perhaps one day we can all live in a world where organized religion ceases to exist, and TRUE religion gains its foothold. Even then, how easy would it be manipulate and corrupt? Maybe we need to work on bettering our selves before we try and force others to believe something we only half heartedly understand.