A World Wide Plea

In my life, music, movies and theatre play a very key role. In fact, when someone says almost anything, I am frequently reminded of a line from a song, a quote from a movie, or a character’s expletive from a Broadway show. Perhaps it is because these forms of entertainment were instrumental in allowing me to escape, mentally, the realities of my childhood, growing up on food stamps and welfare; even if only for a little while.

Because of my penchant to escape through music, movies and theatre, especially when times are difficult, is probably the reason why I am hearing Shirley Bassey in my head, with The Propellerheads, singing “History Repeating.”

And I can’t help but think that it is because of what is happening now, in our lives, in our collective moment in time.

I am no historian. In fact, as a child, I never even liked history. I found it dull and rather boring. Once, in elementary school, I even asked our teacher why we needed to learn history. Wasn’t it more important to learn about the present and think about the future?

A very shocked Ms. Wynn looked at me, her eyes got a bit buggy at the audacity of my question and she responded.

“The reason why we must learn history is so that we NEVER repeat it.”

Perhaps she was just boring at teaching what had already passed. Looking back, though, I cannot imagine that was the case as she was one of the most passionate teachers I had in elementary school. So I’m thinking perhaps it was just the mind of child that couldn’t be preoccupied with things that happened prior to my birth. After all, they didn’t really affect me, why should I learn about it?

As I’ve grown older, I find history actually quite fascinating; especially if taught by someone who has a passion for it. They can make you relive it, feel it, embrace it. A professor in college made me feel as if I was there, on a slave ship, hearing the clank of iron and feel the shackles at my wrists and feet when teaching us about one of the most luridly disgusting times in our country’s infancy.

If a writer is good at turning his phrases and using words, he can make you feel it as well.

And, of course, movies can also transport you into an entirely different realm just by the sheer imagination and talent of the director, actors, writers and editors.

But here’s the tricky thing about history; and here is also where another song comes to mind. This time from the Broadway show Wicked, when the Wizard says to Elpheba, “Where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it – history.”

Regardless of whether history repeats itself or if it is a matter of perspective, there is no doubt that we are living in very dangerous times. Times, I might add, that are repeating themselves.

In October of 1929, only 79 years ago, the Wall Street stock market collapsed. It sent not only our country into a depression, but the entire world. One of the more vulnerable countries was Germany, due to their large amounts of loans and dependency on foreign trade.

Out of the rubble rose Hitler.

Hitler told the people what they wanted to hear. But first, he went to the German President and asked him to invoke Article 48 of the German constitution. This gave emergency powers to the president to rule by decree.

Is this starting to sound familiar?

The Germans, tired of the political haggling in Berlin; tired of misery, tired of suffering, tired of weakness, were willing to listen to anyone.

But of course, there had to be an enemy. Someone to blame for the horrible things that had happened to Hitler's beloved country.

And guess what happened next?

Over 6 million Jews, supporters of Jews, the physically and mentally disabled, along with the uncounted amounts of homosexuals fell victim to the atrocities we now know of as "The Holocaust."

I believe these events are happening again. Only this time, here in our country. Our investment firms and banks are failing or have failed while the CEOs of the huge corporation reap the rewards of the thousands, if not millions, of laborers across our great, sad nation. They are walking away scott free, while our government condones it. If any of you lost money because of Enron, you know what I'm talking about.

And yet we sit idly by.

Now the government, OUR government, wants to buy and invest in American banks. Bail out investment firms. Some will tell you that this will help save the economy. It may.

But I have a fear.

My fear is that when you leave the door to your house unlocked, a thief could come in. And I'm afraid the thieves have not only come in, they are taking everything they can; including our souls. No one is safe.

First the American government will take control of the banks. And then, we had best watch our step because the media will be next. Newspapers and television states will be broadcasting only those things the government WANTS us to hear!

And then, only whatever semblance of God or human decency remains is the only thing that will save us.

But all is not lost.

As a registered Democrat with strong Socialist tendencies, I am now making a plea to you. For everything that you hold near and dear to your hearts, do not let the Republican party take over for a 3rd term. I beseech you. I beg of you. Please.

McCain is a walking zombie. There is virtually no expression in his beady little eyes. I believe him to be a puppet of the Bush administration. And Palin, who knows next to nothing, is Eliza Doolittle; Pygmalion. She is simply the Republican party's carrot, thrust unto the American people while the current administration continues their policies and strip us bare of all that has made this incredible nation what it once was.

Now, I don't know much about politics, but I can see patterns; and the ones that I see here are not only frightening, they make my blood turn cold.

And just what do I see before me? The road to perdition.

I see a world where we will all live in fear. A great nation, once made strong by the many differences within it, including the paradoxes and contrasts, both beautiful and sometimes ugly, all come crumbling and crashing around us. Terrorism will not be squashed. It will never be eradicated in any way, shape or form. In fact, the only thing that we can count on, is that acts of terrorism will continue to occur. Atrocites from within our very own government, will rear their ugly head and by then it will be too late. We will be living a replica of the movie, "Vendetta."

Our country is in desperate need of a revolution, in desperate need of a new leader. And of course, now I'm hearing the Beatles in my head sing "Revolution."

Because desperate times call for desperate measures, I implore you to drop the blinders, drop the trivial, and see what is before you. Force yourself to truly see with your heart, and not the words that someone else has fed you and still continues to feed you.

If you're as pissed off as I am, make a stand. Let others know. We MUST take back control of our politics and our country. Let it be, once again, a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Organize. Protest. Write letters, sing songs, hold hands. Hell, march if you have to!

Invoke the spirit of our forefathers, rebel against the establishment in your own way. Let's all meet at the Mall; and I don't mean for shopping! I'm talking about the one in Washington, D.C. Let's meet there and just drop out. Where are the Leary's of the Woodstock era? Where is Bob Dylan? Where are the singers? The song writers? The ones who organized us and led us through the 60s?

I do not see a bright, sunny future for all of us unless we act now. Do . . . SOMEthing. Anything. Don't just sit there. Make your voice be heard. Let the politicians know how you feel. Join the ACLU and other organizations who can help us rally and topple the current administration so that we may face, together, a better and brighter future and start, "Walking On Sunshine." Yes. Like Katrina and The Waves.

And for those who are just coming of age, those in their 20s who are into partying and drinking beer and screwing anything that moves or think that there are easy, fast ways to make money and that it is best to simply roll over, remember what Professor Dumbledore said to Harry Potter. "The time has come to choose between what is right, and what is easy."

May whatever universal power you believe in protect us all.

$135.74

My partner and I went grocery shopping today after work. We didn't buy a lot of things as we have just started the South Beach Diet. It's worked well for us before and since we've both put on a little weight we decided to try it again.

For those of you who haven't been on the South Beach diet or don't know about it, it's a bit of a challenge. The first two weeks you're mostly allowed only proteins. No carbs at all, such as rice and bread. Juice and fruit are out, as are carrots, sweet potatoes and even tomatoes. You have to retrain your mindset on the things you can eat and you force yourself to focus on that rather than the things that you can't.

So we're in Publix, our local chain supermarket. We bought some salad greens, sugar free Jell-o, sugar free puddings, cheeses, soy milk, beans, some Crystal Light and lots of frozen veggies. We picked up a few cans of tuna, dog food, Splenda, Pledge, some protein bars, mushrooms and several types of meat and fish. All in all, not a lot of food or anything extraneous. If we're lucky, the amount of food we bought will last us one week. Let me repeat that. One week. And we spent $135.74.

I never thought I would see the day when I, like my mother and grandmother before her, would be standing at the cash register saying, "I remember when." I swore I would never become that. Things change! Everything goes up.

But CHRISTALMIGHTY!!!! THIS much? And we're two people with no kids! What about the parents with children? For that matter, what about single parents? And what of the elderly who are on even more of a fixed income than WE are???

I'm incensed and appalled that our nation has gotten to the point that it has. It is absolutely revolting and disgusting. The political leaders in this country should all be strung up, lined up, and FORCED to work for minimum wage. They should be FORCED to live on a budget. They should be FORCED to work for a corporation and have to kow-tow to the bosses and stuck in a job that they don't like simply because they are working for medical insurance. They should be FORCED to live just like everybody else.

I'm sick and tired of all these filthy politicians making rules for the masses, living like parasites off the taxes WE pay, and lieing through their fucking teeth about . . . well, EVERYTHING!

Starting with the most local of commissioners, although they are probably closest to mainstream America and the aches and pains we feel, then continuing all the way up to the son-of-a-bitch who calls himself the "P" word; the man who stole office not once but TWICE! The idiot moron who has driven our country so far down the fucking toilet it'll take a hell of a lot more than Roto-Rooter, a plumber's snake and the entire Drano factory.

I can't wait for the madness of King George to end. The fascist dictator pig should be strung up by his balls. I pray to a God I'm not sure exists anymore, that we never honor Bush in any way shape or form, the way we have with Nixon, Reagan and other dead former "P" people who all of a sudden, just because they have died, are instant saints and everyone wants to canonize.

How stupid do they think we are? Exactly how bad IS our short-term memory as a nation? As a people?

Well, apparently quite stupid if they are feeding us McCain and Palin. Even dumber if we allow the Republican party to continue to destroy what I was always taught to believe was the greatest nation on Earth.

I'd like to see, not just Palin and McCain, but all the other politicians on BOTH sides, fighting to pay bills and struggling to put food on the table. I would really love to force them to look at our nation's poor, the civil rights they are stripping us of, yet touting Democracy in other countries we have no right to be in.

The problem is, that kind of change will never happen. The kind of change I want to see will be nothing short of a revolution.

I truly hope people wake up soon. I hope we realize that words don't pay the rent. Words, as important as they may be, don't put food on the table, they don't feed your kids, they don't pay your doctor bills, your medication. They don't pay for your gas. They don't put gifts under the tree at Christmas. YOU do.

So if you want to continue struggling, barely scraping enough money to get buy, let alone get ahead, go ahead, keep believing the false prophets and their false words. Frankly, with all that we have allowed and put up with . . . considering the state of our country, our economy, our great nation . . . our planet . . . I'm surprised that anyone can sleep comfortably at night.

Especially the politicians and lawmakers that have led us to where we are now.

Pissed off? You bet. Disgusted? Absolutely!

Aren't you?

Seriously. What else has to happen before you stand up and say "I've had enough and I'm not going to take it anymore?" How many more jobs have to be lost? How many more people have to die because they have no insurance and we have a tired, overburdened bureacracy that just doesn't care? How many hurricanes have to blow before the privileged few are FORCED to look at the poverty that exists in our own backyards and start fixing the things that broken and no longer work?

Wake up people! We are not battling these things as one single ethnic group, as men or women, as straight or gay, as one religion pitted against the other. We are ALL fighting these things TOGETHER. As one planet.

We must stand up and say something because if we don't, as Ben Franklin said, "We shall surely hang together." And personally, I can already feel the noose tightening ever more.

All of this just because my partner and I spend $135.74 for barely one week worth of groceries.

Signs

I know what you’re going to think as you read this. At first you’ll think, why do I want to read this? But curiosity will get the better of you.

And then you’ll think I’m crazy. You’re probably right. Even I am doubting my own sanity and whether what I see truly happened, or if it was a hallucination as my partner says it was.

And now you'll think, "AHA! So there are drugs involved!" Well, there was a brownie involved. A rather large chunk of special brownie I might add.

So then you’ll keep reading because you might just be curious enough to find out what happens next. And when this is all over, you’ll have one of several reactions. You’ll either believe me or you won’t. You’ll think it was a hallucination and so what?

If you believe me, and I hope you do, then you just might find yourself here with me, understanding what I’m talking about. However, if you don’t and move on, that’s okay, too. What will happen will happen regardless of what you do. That's dangerous.

More dangerous still is this: what if you believe me and then decide that I’m dangerous? That I should be locked up? That for the better of humanity and all that is supposedly "American" and "Patriotic" and "for the right of the people" that I should simply not speak? Not be heard?

And that this should not be seen or read?

All I ask is that you keep an open mind. Try and put whatever you were taught, by your parents, your teachers, your neighbors, away in a box, just . . . brush it aside. Everything you’ve ever known about religion or God or the afterlife and what might be beyond. Don't think with your mind, but with your heart, the very core of your soul that is embedded in your very DNA; that part of you that is still very much connected to the Earth we come from but that you have buried and chosen not to look at.

Now, before I take the next step, there is something you must know, I am not a religious man. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I believe there is . . . something. I believe something keeps watch, but not for judgement. That, we do ourselves.

What is "out there" exists only to keep watch, so that we can continue in the way we are supposed to; interfering only when they absolutely must. To bring us back and align us to what our original goals were before we came here to this world. Before we were born. When we agreed.

Yeah. I know. Crazy. Totally. Like the Mad Hatter.

But let's suppose, for just a moment, that there are signs all around us; some subtle, easy to miss, some a bit more palpable, such as a message in the song you're listening to, the movie you watched last night, or your favorite television show, where you stopped channel surfing because something caught your attention and spoke to your heart. Or maybe there's a sign in the book you're reading.

Sometimes even these little signs, barely noticeable, are easy to dismiss as coincidences. But what if they're not?

What if the signs are there to show us the way, point us in the right direction? What if these signs are here to remind us of what we are here to do with our lives. What if these signs were real and you stopped to observe them? Would you take them seriously?

“What if,” like Joan Osborne sings in that song, “God was one of us?”

Remember. I told you. I’m not a religious man.

The signs are there. They have always been there. The trouble is, you either cannot see them, choose not to see them, or disbelief and go against your hunch.

You're not alone. We've all been there. We've all ignored the signs and paid for it dearly afterward. And we just say to ourselves, "If only . . ."

By now you’re asking yourself, “Where the hell is this going? What is up with this guy? Why am I even bothering to read this shit?” But you know the answer to that.

You’ve been just as troubled as I have been.

The signs increase in urgency if we ignore them for too long. And that is what we have done. We've ignored everything we have ever seen or felt, and believe the lies which we have been fed. Now, the signs are too obvious to overlook.

Our climate.
The state of our nation.
Our economy.
Our freedoms.
Our ability to choose and be freethinkers.
The earthquakes and other natural disasters.

We have been poisoned and continue to be poisoned. And we continue to allow it.

Sounds like a conspiracy theory, doesn't it? Sounds like one of those fantastical Hollywood movies where death and destruction bring about the fall of our nations, the fall of man, and animal, kind.

Life, as we know it, will all come to a crashing, cataclysmic, grinding halt.

That’s right. Everything will be gone and destroyed.

But what if you could stop all that? Would you do it? What if all you had to do for life to continue, was to do one simple thing that your loved one told you to do? Something they either hallucinated or perhaps -- remember you must keep an open mind -- perhaps they really channeled a message to you?

Now you’re thinking I’m crazy. Or that I’ve been watching too much television. Reading too many books, sitting in the dark watching too many movies.

Maybe I have. But the signs . . . they're all there. The time's come and we must do something. We can't just pretend that what we do has no consequence to the next person, nature, the world. The Universe.

Again I know what you're thinking. Even as they scream at their most urgent, the signs are still easy to push aside as insanity or the result of a hallucinogenic. But what it it isn't? What if there are some of us who can really feel what is at hand?

And what if I were to tell you there is an answer? A simple one.

Now here is where it gets really tricky. Here is where I will either lose you entirely and you’ll decide to click on that porno link or TMZ or Perez Hilton or some other tripe with absolutely no substance because like everyone else, you've been brainwashed to believe that the lives of those you read is far more important than you're own.

But if you believe that this "bullshit" is actually going somewhere, then please, read on. I need you to come with me even further.

What if a loved one, someone whom you have lived with for, say, nearly 13 years; someone who, hopefully, you love just as much as you love life. Or as you love yourself. Someone you would take a bullet for.

What if that person told you what you needed to do to save not only them, but yourself, your relationship and, in short, save the future of the entire planet and thus the entire universe with all it’s many layers?

Just by following a few simple rules that may or may not have been a hallucination.

Exactly what the rules are do not matter right now. I cannot tell you what they are anyway. Not at the moment. They were meant for one person and one person only. But he does not believe me. The future of our world rests in his hands and I don't think he believes me or will do anything about it.

You see, just like Dumbledore said to Harry Potter at the end of book 5, "Soon we must decide between what is right, and what is easy."

And I just need to know that I’m not crazy.

I really believe that what this one person chooses to do or not do, will alter the course of not just our planet, but the entire universe with it's billions of life forms and entities of all kinds.

I need to know how to persuade him, or the world WILL cease to exist. It's already near the brink. But it's not too late.

There is no, “That depends on what you want me to do.”

There is no, “What are you talking about?”

You either believe me or you don’t. You either understand or you don’t. You will either do it . . .

. . . or you won’t.

And then the world will end. Sooner than you think.

No. This is not fiction. It truly isn't. So please . . . come with me in the next installment. I really need someone to believe me. This was not a hallucination. I felt it, saw it. It was quite clear. There were too many specifics. Too many comments from entities all saying the same thing over and over and over. There were too many of them and they took great pains in getting here to warn him. Through me.

They risked much to tell one person what needed to be done. And that person is not listening. He does not believe me. I think . . . no, I know, he thinks I’m crazy. But he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.

So I must tell someone else.

Again . . . I need someone to believe me. And better still, explain it to me when this retelling of my experience is over and I might understand what it's about.

I know you’re out there. I can hear you.

And I can feel you.

Disney Vacation: Day 2, Part One -The Park Formerly Known As MGM Studios

Friday evening, 6:26 p.m.

We are now back in the hotel room. Niko is laying in bed watching Reba on Lifetime and I’m sipping my coffee and writing my blog entry.

After breakfast at the hotel cafeteria, our first destination was MGM Hollywood Studios. Oops! Excuse me. Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is the park with Mickey’s large, cobalt blue sorceror’s hat as the centerpiece. The park itself is designed to capture the romanticism, spirit and glam of Hollywood’s Golden Age.



One of the most amazing things to me about Disney, aside from their dedication to service, is their attention to detail, detail, detail. And since the devil, they say, is in the details then Disney must be the King of Demons! Even now, as I think about it, I realize that out of all the pictures I took, nothing will do it justice. It's one of those places that simply must be experienced. Though I will certainly add photos to this entry, at the end of this piece will be a movie clip to give you a better idea of what it's like here.



And trust me when I tell, Disney is NOT paying me to write this!

I love it here, though. I would love to live here. Period. Okay, maybe not live here but perhaps an overextended stay at the hotels for about a month. That includes the parks since I’m a Park Junkie!


The wait for the “Hollywood Tower of Terror” was close to 90 minutes. So we decided to take the Fast Pass and return at the appropriate time. In fact, I will recommend, at all parks, Fast Pass it whenever possible for the more popular rides.


We walked around through the shops. We went to a Narnia “pseudo-ride” where we saw a specially edited, extended trailer for “Prince Caspian” and some props from the movie.


Then we went to the new Toy Story 3-D ride which was loads of fun. You sit in this little buggy type thing with 3-D glasses and shoot at an animated range. But the buggy doesn’t sit still. You’re at one location for like, maybe, a minute. Then you’re whisked along to another shooting range. Lots of fun!

Another ride we did at Hollywood Studios was “The Great Movie Ride.” The outside is done like Graumman's Theatre in L.A. Like many of the other rides, we've gone on this one before. Although they haven't changed it in a few years, it's another one of my favorites. You sit in an open-top trolley-like thing and you get pulled along from one movie set to another. If you get a tour guide that isn’t very exciting then the ride can be a bit dull. But if you get a good one, even when they’re corny, it makes the ride much more fun. The clip at the bottom of this blog entry will give you a taste for what it's like. It will also give you a clue on one of my favorite movies. And if you can't figure it out, I'll give you a hint: I'm a friend of Dorothy's.

And, of course, no trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be complete without a visit to “The Muppets.” This is a 3-D movie and you sit in a pseudo-theatre to be a part of their usual Mayhem.


Lunch was at the "Brown Derby" and the food here was delicious! This is the second time we've eaten here and both times not only was the service impeccable, but everything they served was extraordinarily delicious. Even the dessert was a work of art!


Hint about food and restaurants: it's expensive here. I would highly reccomend one of the Disney Dining Plans. And another feature you want to take advantage of: Reservations!

For now, though, I'm signing off. I'm going to take a nap and rest up because tonight we're going to The Magic Kingdom!

Disney Vacation: Day 1

Friday, July 18, 2008

It’s 8:34 a.m. We’re just beginning to stir.

We took our time yesterday in getting up here. The cast recording to Mamma Mia and Wicked were our travel companions. Even with a stop at one of the service stations for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs, we still walked into our room at the All Star Music Resort at 3:30.


The All Star Music is one of Disney’s “value” resorts; polite parlance for no-frills. The decorative theme here is anything and everything musical. We’ve stayed here many times before. Once, just to see how it would compare, we stayed at the Pop Century. Even though we liked the fun, decade-oriented decor, we opted to come back to the All Star Music. The layout here appeals more to us, it’s much less crowded, and the rooms are less noisy here.

The All Star Music Resort has a total of 10 buildings, each with it’s own theme: country, rock, jazz, calypso, and Broadway. Guess which one we’re staying at?


We always ask for the Broadway section. It's a bit further away from the lobby; especially after a day when we hit two parks and our feet are so tired they're burning, but it's worth the trip because it's away from the noisy pool which remains open until midnight.

After we rested for a bit, we hopped the bus to Downtown Disney to meet up with Larry (a co-worker), and his new boyfriend. We had dinner at Raglan Road, an Irish pub/restaurant that we absolutely love. They have terrific appetizers, great food and a fun atmosphere; especially when the band starts to play!


It was wonderful to see Larry again. He’s one of those people that you can’t help but like the instant you meet him. Warm, friendly and approachable with a smile that will melt anyone’s heart. We don’t get to see him often so when we do we like to make the most of it. Larry, if you guys are reading this, thanks again. We had a terrific time!

After dinner we hopped on the bus (one of the best things about staying on Disney property!) and came back to the hotel. As exhausted as I was, I couldn’t sleep. But that tends to happen whenever I’ve done a lot of stuff in one day. It’s as if my mind needs the time to absorb and process everything I’ve seen and experienced before I can finally shut down.

And now, it's time to get ready. We're going to MGM Hollywood Studios shortly.

Niko's gone to get us breakfast, and me some coffee. Can you imagine? Niko, who is the antithesis to coffee as I am to . . . well, collecting stuff . . . so to say that he's getting me coffee is no small thing. I guess maybe this place truly is magical!

Mickey Mouse, Music, M&Ms, and Mamma Mia . . . mmmmm

This blog entry, though posted today, Monday, July 21st, was originally written Thursday morning, July 17, while Niko and I were driving north on vacation to Disney World. I was hoping to not only share with those who read the blog and have never been to Disney, but also for myself so I can read it at a later date, when it no longer felt as if we had actually gone there. Mind you, we've been there 7 or 8 times in the 12 years we've been together. I find, though, when you take pictures and write about it, that's when you truly remember the experience.

So, without further much ado, the first of various entries concerning our vacation. I hope you like it.


It’s Thursday morning, July 17, 2008. Like Muslims in the Middle East making their pilgrimage to Mecca, Niko and I are traveling north to the Land of Mickey Mouse and the Magic Kingdom.

The first part of our trip to Disney started off a bit wonkey, though. I woke up with a headache that is due either to barometric pressure and a storm headed our way, or perhaps ear wax build-up; it’s happened before. Add to that (I apologize ahead of time if I’m being gross) the fact that once I actually got up and out of bed I couldn’t stop going to the bathroom. It was like I was saving it up for days! Of course it doesn’t help that I went to bed at 1:00 a.m. because, like the little kid in the Disney commercial, I was too excited to sleep!

An hour and a half after we originally intended, we finally managed to get out of the house. There was a quick stop at CVS to pick up my ear was removal kit, Einstein's for coffee and a couple of breakfast sandwiches, and we were finally on the road.

Right now we are traveling north on the turnpike and it’s just a little past noon.

When taking a road trip, one of our favorite things to do is pack the CD case with music. Show tunes to be precise. As many show tunes as we can play in the car. It makes the trip more fun, no matter where we’re going, and puts us in a mental vacation mode.

Presently, we’re listening to the cast recording of "Mamma Mia." And you know? There were portions that illuminated me as though I had never heard the words before.

Now, you make ask yourself: “What illumination can you possibly derive from ABBA?”

Even in the fluffy, bubble gum, pop way that ABBA’s music is delivered in Mamma Mia, there are certain universal truths. And when a certain truth rings within me it rocks me to the very core. I get all goose pimply, my breath might catch and my eyes tear-up; as if I am recognizing a life lesson that I have long since forgotten and have just now reacquainted myself with it.

For instance: “I Have A Dream.”

There’s a line that says “If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale, you can face the future, even if you fail.”

I never really thought about it before but in a way our lives are a bit like a fairy tale with all the things we do, the strange encounters, the beautiful things we see and the joys we experience. And even if fail at something, the very fact that we try is wondrous. At least, that’s how it appears to me. And how appropriate to guide us to Disney World; the very land of Fairy Tales!

Then there’s “Thank You For The Music.”

There’s a line that says “Who found out that nothing can capture a heart, like a melody can?”

Again, I’ve listened to this disc a million times. I’ve always been grateful for music as it is the most perfect art form. But the bit about capturing a heart with melody struck me so brilliantly because that is exactly what happens. A piece of your soul is captured with the nuance of a melody. So I say, yes, thank you for the music!

I have seen “Mamma Mia” (the musical) three times now. And I’m sure I’ll see it again. Naturally, I’m also looking forward to seeing the movie. I know it will be just as much fun as the musical and the music. Mind you, I love to see a dark, deep-thinking movie that makes me numb and puts me in a funk. But I also love light and fluffy.

As far as Mamma Mia goes, you can’t get any lighter and fluffier. The difference between this light and fluffy, however, is that like Mickey Mouse, music, the M&Ms I’m eating as I write this, Mamma Mia reminds us that even through the myriad and mayhem of life experiences, there is fun to be had. No matter what.

So, what’s the wonder in your life? Mine is as simple as the ability to wake up in the morning. And although I might not be actually living in a fairy tale, that’s okay. The fairy tale is in visiting Mickey Mouse, letting the M&Ms melt in my mouth, listening to music that takes me to a different place and letting myself get swept off my feet by the fun and levity of Mamma Mia and other musicals.

Besides, how boring would life be if we all lived happily ever after? Now, making it up as we go along . . . what can be more of a fairy tale than that? Oh, wait. That's right. Going to Disney World where, or so they say, dreams come true.

Independence Day, or . . . What Freedom Means To Me

Before you read this blog, I am placing a disclaimer. If you are a politician, conservative, republican, white supremacist, supporter of any of those already mentioned or any other form of member to any party or religion that does not allow the diffference of another race, religion, culture, or sexual orientation to be recognized, I strongly recommend and urge you to leave now.

You have been warned.


As a child, I never liked Independence Day. Now wait. Before you go calling me un-American, hear me out.

As a kid, Independence Day meant nothing to me. It was just another day revolving around a whole lot of loud stuff that went boom. And growing up in a Puerto Rican household, in the East New York section of Brooklyn, I didn’t understand the need or desire for those loud things that went boom. Maybe it was my upbringing and the culture. Or maybe it was the fact that on Independence Day, the people in my predominantly black ghetto neighborhood of Brownsville, could only get their hands on cherry bombs, firecrackers, and M80s. Either way, even as a child I didn’t understand how blowing up someone’s car, scaring the crap out of someone and possibly losing a couple of fingers in the process, was supposed to be celebratory or fun or even connected with a day that had so much significance.

Until I got older and history repeated itself.

And I’m thinking that maybe we, as a society, have forgotten what it’s all about. Independence Day has gotten lost in the shuffle. It's become the 4th of July, just . . . another day off; for most of us. Oh, sure the fireworks have become more sophisticated and prettier to look at but many have forgotten what it's all about. Independence Day is not about the loud things that go boom. It’s not even about the pretty things that explode in the air and make you go oooohhh and aaaaahhhh.

It’s about telling someone that you’ve had enough of their tyranny and you’re not going to take it anymore.

Indepence Day is about the simple act of a very young country telling King George that they had had enough of taxation without representation; enough of the British military knocking on your door and demanding to be housed and fed or you would be accused of treason to the Crown. Enough of the British police smashing through your door and arresting you . . . just because. Enough of the British and The East India Tea Company charging so much for something Americans had grown to like and depended on.

Any of this sounding familiar?

Thousands, if not millions, of bold and courageous men and women who dared to stand up in unison and tell King George to simply fuck off because we were tired of wire tapping, slowly being stripped of civil rights, getting screwed over by fat cats who charged triple for gas, something we all need, while the richer get richer and the poor get poorer with no hope in sight of national health plans to help millions of American men women and children and . . .

Oh, wait. I’m sorry. For a minute there my mind merged and the past 232 years disappeared. My bad.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s time for another revolt. Time to declare war on the political machine and tell them that we’re tired of their tyranny and lies and want our Indepence. No, not with guns and cannons or sparklers, but with words.

The old fashioned way.

Join the ACLU or Working Assets or any other activist group you support. Protest in your own way. Donate money if you can’t organize with them and raise banners or picket sings.

Write your Congress person. Tell them that you’re tired of having religion crammed down our throat; after all, it’s a choice, not a mandate. Wasn’t this country founded by people in pursuit of religious freedom? I’d like to think that by the same token we are free to pursue the lack of religion; after all, too many people have died at the hands of others because of religion.

Actually our country was founded because the prisons and poor houses of England were overflowing with people who had been arrested for protesting against the King and good old Georgie, tired of hearing his people, traitors that they were, how dare they, complain about him.

So, tell your representatives that you live in fear of losing you’re job because it’s going to be shipped out of the country. Tell them you’re tired of being hungry and not having enough money to get by and pay your bills. Tell them you’re tired of getting deeper and deeper into dark pits where the sun doesn’t shine. That you’re tired of our tiny, beautiful little planet being used, and pillaged and plundered. Don’t be afraid to ask for a National Health Plan! In one of the richest countries in the world there is no reason why thousands of people of all ages and from all walks of life, should die each year because they cannot get the health services and medicine they need.

Stand up for your right to marry, or not; to hold hands in public without fear of being killed; to be able to walk down the street and not worry about how you look at someone because now they have the right to shoot you if they think you looked at them cross-eyed.

I don’t mean to paint a grim picture. After all, we are very lucky. For the most part. We could be living in Iran or Iraq. But guess what? There are still several hundreds of thousands of people who still go to sleep hungry each night, do not have a roof over their head, do not know how they will survive one more day. And some day, if we’re not careful, it could be you.

Remember what Ben Franklin said, and please forgive my paraphrasing as I cannot remember the exact words. “We must stand together because if we do not, we shall surely hang together.”

I hope we remember over this 3-day weekend, as many of us enjoy time off from work and attend pool parties, barbeques, get-togethers with friends, that this freedom we enjoy is not a guarantee. We can wake up one day and it will all be gone because freedom, the choice to do pretty much anything you want, at almost any time, is the true meaning of Independence Day.

And freedom is something we must fight for. Not in another country pretending we’re fighting for democracy. But in our hearts, our minds, and yes, even in our souls. Some of us every day, some of us only every few years, when the embodiment of good old King George and his administration decide to take over again.

Remember that this government, our government, is of the people, by the people, for the people, and not just for the select few who are in the minority, making rules they can wiggle out of, but affect all of us. Perhaps our political figures should be wise and remember that the very guns they are fighting to allow are the very guns that can turn against them.

Now, in the words of the immortal Mork, “Fly! Be free!”

Go celebrate your Independence and your freedom; blog . . . and spread the word!