Pulling a hit from the past: What Does It All Mean? There was this:

I really have to redesign my website, man. I really have to launch vagabender, man. I really have to get some more work done, man.

Actually, what I really have to figure out is why I’m doing what I’m doing. Work, Life, Art, Friends, Politics, Philiosphy, Vice, Places, Stories, Hopes, Dreams, Revelations.

And this lovely slice of life:

I'm happy to say I've made some progress. I redesigned (if not relaunched) this website, and I'm realizing more what I want to do with that project. I just got server space set up for Vagabender. I'm getting work done.

I've started to hit a kind of bohemain rhythm here again in lovely old New York. I don't know if it's ultimately the place for me, but it's a place I can exist and have fun and perhaps prosper for a good while longer. Nothing is set, but I wouldn't mind moving back here in the fall.

As for the spiritual bit; well, it's gets a letting better all the time. I get by with a little help from my friends.

Here's a quick recipe for a possible offensive, courtesy my man Wes Connley: start keeping it real. Start talking about the real impacts in SSI reform. It means a society no longer makes it it's business to take care of its most vulnerable people. That's the Market's job now. You know that 40 year old mentally disabled kid who's mother is pushing 70? Yeah, he's moving back in with grandma, because we can't keep livable group homes and assisted-living facilities together to service adults who are on disability. It means no more help to get your child with downs syndrome through school, and no special programs for him if you even make the effort. The Market will find a solution.

Then if that's not pushing it far enough, start asking: should privatize the military? How about we downsize and outsource our national security apparatus? Lets let the market handle all that. And why not? That's what we're fucking effectively doing with our current energy policy.

The continued stability of this nation rests on the weakening foundation of cheap oil, but that's not what the future portents, and everyone knows it. Yet this nation has done nothing to address the growing danger -- that we may find ourselves economically undermined by this mismatch. Such a collapse would be on the order of a great depression. It's not happening now, but it very well may unless something changes soon. There's a good chance we may be undone by the very market forces we're supposed to have faith in. In other words, it's about time we did something like the Apollo Project, for our own national security. For real.

Look, the invisible hand is no benevolent spirit, and the market's justice is the law of the jungle. It's the war of all against all. Trusting it for everything is essentially arguing for a kind of anarchy, or some sort of leviathan. Now, you and I might understand that there are healthy and virtuous concepts buried in both those beliefs, but to the average American audience, these are politically (if understood at all) merely terms of derision, like "bitch" or "asshole."

Now, there are those on the right who understand the absolute value of freedom, or at least its real virtue, too; but to be honest, the great portion of Americans are people who are comfortable with institutions, In fact, we're in fact desirous. We want to trust in our institutions, to trust in one another. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just a little public/civic spirit. Granted, most folks deserve a higher level of performance than they're currently getting out of their institutions and communities, but this by no means they don't still want to have them. People want good government, they want it to be something they're proud of, that they take pride in. We can bring that back.

Here's a quick recipe for a possible offensive, courtesy my man Wes Connley: start keeping it real. Start talking about the real impacts in SSI reform. It means a society no longer makes it it's business to take care of its most vulnerable people. That's the Market's job now. You know that 40 year old mentally disabled kid who's mother is pushing 70? Yeah, he's moving back in with grandma, because we can't keep livable group homes and assisted-living facilities together to service adults who are on disability. It means no more help to get your child with downs syndrome through school, and no special programs for him if you even make the effort. The Market will find a solution.

Then if that's not pushing it far enough, start asking: should privatize the military? How about we downsize and outsource our national security apparatus? Lets let the market handle all that. And why not? That's what we're fucking effectively doing with our current energy policy.

The continued stability of this nation rests on the weakening foundation of cheap oil, but that's not what the future portents, and everyone knows it. Yet this nation has done nothing to address the growing danger -- that we may find ourselves economically undermined by this mismatch. Such a collapse would be on the order of a great depression. It's not happening now, but it very well may unless something changes soon. There's a good chance we may be undone by the very market forces we're supposed to have faith in. In other words, it's about time we did something like the Apollo Project, for our own national security. For real.

Look, the invisible hand is no benevolent spirit, and the market's justice is the law of the jungle. It's the war of all against all. Trusting it for everything is essentially arguing for a kind of anarchy, or some sort of leviathan. Now, you and I might understand that there are healthy and virtuous concepts buried in both those beliefs, but to the average American audience, these are politically (if understood at all) merely terms of derision, like "bitch" or "asshole."

Now, there are those on the right who understand the absolute value of freedom, or at least its real virtue, too; but to be honest, the great portion of Americans are people who are comfortable with institutions, In fact, we're in fact desirous. We want to trust in our institutions, to trust in one another. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just a little public/civic spirit. Granted, most folks deserve a higher level of performance than they're currently getting out of their institutions and communities, but this by no means they don't still want to have them. People want good government, they want it to be something they're proud of, that they take pride in. We can bring that back.

Allan Greenspan, sometime GOP shill and full-time market fundamentalist on America's energy prospects:

"The experience of the past fifty years--and indeed much longer than that--affirms that market forces play the key role in conserving scarce energy resources, directing those resources to their most highly valued uses,"

Really. Is that what the experience of the last fifty years (and much longer) shows? I rather think not. The only time America has had any kind of scarcity with regard to energy was the OPEC embargo of the 70s. The immediate reaction was rationing (such a hallmark of a free enterprise), and the increases in efficiency that actually resulted were largely the result of the CAFE laws and other public sector moves, not the fabled invisible hand of the market.

The market can theoretically correct itself in two ways, either industry has to spontaneously decide to produce products for which there is no clear demand, or consumers can prompt change. The former is very unlikely, so we can assume Greenspan is pinning the future of this country on consumers, that is to say for consumers start making smarter choices about what they drive (the hybrid becoming the new Hummer), where they shop (penalizing big box retailers that rely on long-distance transit for customers and long-haul trucking), what they eat (penalizing commercial agricorps which use petroleum-based fertilizers) and where they live (away from places with 100+ mile daily commutes). Let's get real, the "market" isn't going to solve this one for us. The market for energy is elastic enough to be very profitable right up to the end, when it isn't, and we've got another 15 years worth of infrastructure that no longer works.

I can't believe anyone still takes Allen Greenspan seriously. "Fifty years and much longer" my ass. Going back further, America has never had an energy crisis. Our own territory contained vast amounts of oil, which built some of America's first great fortunes, and after WWII we secured friendly relations with Saudi Arabia which helped ease us off the oil peak. The little shock-let of the OPEC embargo is the last and only energy crisis in this nation's history.

Greenspan is so intense a market fundamentalist that he creates imaginary history to support his beliefs that the invisible hand of the market will deftly handle any energy crunch. He goes on to say:

Sustained higher price will "stimulate the research and development that will unlock new approaches to energy production and use that we can now only scarcely envision," Greenspan said.

Ah science, the American religion. I love science, but we're talking about 100 years of infrastructure that's predicated on affordable automotive transport for goods and people. Over at GM, they used to have a two-man team of engineers who would trot out the same electric car at every concept show all through the 80s and 90s. Their job was to design and fit a new body onto the same chassis and power-train by the time next year's show rolled around.

Sustained higher prices are going to stimulate profit-taking in the near future, not serious research. The "hydrogen economy" is decades away if not a total mirage. We need stronger investment in the kind of basic research which corporations will never do -- the fuel cell came out of NASA -- and we need to make a serious public investment in renewing our infrastructure for the 21st Century.

Kind of like the Apollo Alliance idea. Energy policy is a national security issue. It is the national security issue at the moment, actually. It's also an economic issue and an environmental issue. Right now the Republican message on this is ridiculously weak and flat-out wrong. Will anyone step up to champion the alternative view?

I'm a hustler, baby. I want you to know. Here's my latest grand plan: a bike cruising strip, or maybe just a cruise. Something like the vibe on the Halloween Critical Mass ride, but more leisurly and on quieter Brooklyn streets. I think it would be a sexy hit and local merchants could prosper. It might do something to bring people together; kind of like a street fair. Of course, in my fantasies it would be kind of like New Orleans on bikes. Well, put that idea aside for a while. See if it still makes sense in a realistic frame of mind.

Anyway, what prompted this was getting real good and high and going trucking off around North Brooklyn for some manly urban cycling, the thrill of speed and all that jazz. I was kind of tapped out, because this was after going to the gym, cardio included. But I got a little itchy in my feet. Had to get out and run.

The streets are allright out here. Not as loose as I remember them being when I was a younger man, but still bustling. There was a real live hipster tuesday night street scene on South Bedford -- people just hanging out on the sidewalks. And there are Polish teenagers playing two on two soccer under a streetlisht at the end of Franklin St. Things are alive. See, it's the first really nice evening after a solid spring day. There have been a few decent afternoons, but this is the first time I can recall it feeling like this (temperature wise) after dark. If it holds through the weekend, lookout!

I outran a few people, sprinted through a few lights, dawdled in the places I like and buzzed through the stretches in between. It was a nice mix of sightseeing and power-cycling. I would have gone longer if I hadn't started getting dehydrated after about 20 minutes.

Usually these city rides help me clear my head, or at least dig around in it for something. Didn't come up with much this time -- other than that Bike Cruise idea, but I think that was actually just a remembered idea from a few days ago, not even original -- but I did burn off some steam and scrub a little grime off the doors of my perception.

What if we turned "vagabender" into a platform for the people we meet to express themselves? Like pick up feeds if they have them, or give them their own civicspace blogs. Maybe a few of them would post something once a month or so. It could be exciting.

New theme based on the award winning Connections by Patricia Muller. Quite nice. I'll still get around to moving to my own civicpace someday, but I might port this theme when I do. It's snappy.

I also like the image I picked out of my old iPhotos. "Genuine Beatniks" would be a good url for a group blog. Loads of irony considering the term's baggage. Also, credit to Jeremy for having the old photocopy of this classified ad, which was real and serious when it appeared in the Villiage Voice in 1959.

Over at The American Prospect former Fugazi-fan Kevin Mattson has a rather lengthy piece on why protest politics are not a recipie for success these days. I've got a few responses.

First of all -- here's your snark -- Mike and I wrote this about two years ago:

1. Protest had become an impotent act in today's political arena.

Protesters tend to be reactionary and turn more people off of politics than they turn on, and this administration has shown that no matter how large an outcry is heard from the people, it will pursue its own agenda. Millions of people, many of us politically active for the first time, took to the streets on February 15th, 2003, yet the administration, and the media, dismissed us as a "focus group. Protest may still be a necessary activity, but it is no longer an effective means of producing political change.

I don't mind being ahead of the pack, but it would be nice if there were any signs that the professionals were making headway up the learning curve here.

Digby has a more substantive rebuttal to the piece's implicit anti-60s thesis which I suggest reading also, but I have to say I agree with a lot of what Mattson has to say. He's dead-on about not mistaking the times, and very correct in his evaluation of "expressive anti-politics" which "bursts like a flame and then burns out, to be felt only in the heart of the participant while the ruling class, unperturbed, goes on its merry way." Ain't that the truth. I also give a heartfelt second to his call for the development of a new "publc philosophy" on which to base the return of liberalism to America.

However, the rhetorical strategy of attacking modern-day (or 1960s) protest movements without bothering to examine the reasons for their existence or the record of their accomplishments is frankly a cowardly analytical tactic, one far too often employed by centrist "liberals" who for one reason or another seem to feel defensive. I could go into some suppositions as to why this is -- most insiders and think-tankers realize that they are uncool and out of touch and need to justify themselves vis-a-vis groups and individuals who are more popular or culturally resonant -- but that would be missing the point. The point is that you are welcome bash the Yippies for the spectacle of '68, but to do so in good faith you have to admit they were right about Vietnam, and that the Democratic establishment was wrong. Likewise, you're free to quibble with the methods of the Yes Men, but to do so while ignoring the issues they seek to address is intellectually dishonest.

Establishment organs like the Prospect -- who have resources and influence to spare -- and intelligent academic writers like Mattson -- who have the time and knowledge to bring to bear -- need to take the next step. They need to begin concretely engaging with the issues themselves rather than deriding those who are already, albiet hamfistedly, attempting to do so. It's a lot more frightening that critiquing the Yippies and saying we should take a look at what Goldwater's kids have done over the past 40 years (no shit, Sherlock), but at some point you have to take a real step forward from your expressive anti-anti-politics and start making the kind of statements that aren't 100% safe, certain and correct. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Here's something that might be of interest to some occasional readers. The other day I had a little IM exchange the other day with blast-from-the-past Dylan, an old friend from Eugene who has more or less moved on out to other social networks. He was hitting me up from LA, where he'd been staying for a month on vacation with a special lady and (to quote, "ahem") her kid.

They met at Symantec in Springfield and had a little May to December -- or MILF, if you prefer -- romance, but then she was transferred to Santa Monica, prompting the visit. It sounded from the conversation that they'd be parting ways amicably, as Dylan hadn't taken to Los Angeles, and long-distance is for suckers. C'est la vie.

As someone who hopes everyone I know ends up happy, I'm glad to see the man sticking up for his own interests and not getting stuck in an uneven relationship. In the past, this has been an issue. So cheers to that.

And that's the Eugenian inner-circle news for the day.

When was the last time you let it all go and thought on the planetary scale? It's big, this world, and full of life. Sometimes it's too much, but sometimes it can be a liberating perspective. On the other end of the spectrum, when was the last time you let it all go and thought on the spiritual scale? Not about the minutae that are stressing you out, but about the personal state that your mind is in, where your soul is at, what your heart is feeling?

I'm not arguing for global consciousness or self-actualization, but I am advocating for depth on some level. For humanity and passion and if you feel up to it even a little wisdom.

Things have been jammed-up for me on that level. I've been focusing again on working, on grinding it all out. It hasn't been an easy time. I miss the comforts and luxuries of my past and I'm anticipating the adventures of my future. The present is getting a little shorted; not so "in the moment" lately.

It's not exactly writers block or anything, just a paucity of connection. I'm adrift on the skym, just sort of gliding along. There's plenty of labors to accomplish in the mean time.

So I'm going to chalk the lack of depth up to the times, and they're a-changin', so that should pretty much work itself out. In the mean time, I'll let you know if anything really exciting happens to me. I'm off to take a shower.

Holy Shit. Kevin's webiste is better designed, more focused, and contains higher-quality multimedia than mine.

I've been lapped.