From the Dalian Dept. of What the Hell

posted 4-28-09

Try getting this image out of your head.

The unforgiving, part 3

posted 4-25-09

I have not been happy with Parts 1 and 2 of this article. I've labored over writing them but felt a persistent dissatisfaction with the results, a sense that the writing was strained, uninteresting, directionless, and lacking. I just couldn't say what I wanted to say--because, I discovered, I didn't fully understand my main idea before starting to write. A fatal flaw.

Today, the light bulb finally turned on over my head, the muses swooped by, and I had one of those Eureka! moments of intellectual satisfaction when you finally understand something you've been twisting around for too long in your head.

Part 3 should be a breeze. The writing may be no better, but at least I now know what I'm trying to say.

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The unforgiving, part 2

posted 4-18-09

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix.

I re-read Part 1 of this post to see where I had left off, and I was a little struck by the last paragraph, which seemed a tad melodramatic and perhaps depressing. (On the other hand, it's hard not to be depressed when you live in a country that thinks Britney Spears can sing, Stephen King can write, and Jim Carrey can act.)

The timeline feels strange too--an unpopular President leaving office, an immoral war, the "collateral damage" of civilian casualties, the bombing of neighboring countries. Is it then or now? I sometimes feel that I'm living a flashback, careening between 1969 and 2009. I've become like Kurt Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five, "unstuck in time."

Note: beginning with this post, I am restarting the comment feature by popular demand (which means I got an e-mail from somebody asking for it).

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Fun facts to know and tell

posted 4-12-09

Conservatives love to wail about liberals destroying America, and they often cite Roe v. Wade as an example. If you ever need to, point out to them that Roe v. Wade was a 7 to 2 decision by the Court and that 5 of the 7 concurring justices were were put on the bench by conservative Republicans. The conservatives should direct their self-righteous indignation at Nixon and Eisenhower, not liberals. Note too that 1 of the 2 dissenting opinions was written by a Kennedy appointee. The Roe v. Wade justices and the Presidents who appointed them were--

Concurring opinion justices: Harry Blackmun (Nixon), Warren Burger (Nixon), William O. Douglas (FDR), William Brennan (Eisenhower), Potter Stewart (Eisenhower), Thurgood Marshall (LBJ), Lewis Powell (Nixon)

Dissenting opinion justices: Byron White (Kennedy), William Rehnquist (Nixon)

Words to live by: A musical interlude

posted 4-12-09

When I was a young man, Cat Stevens was, in essence, my religion. I was devastated when he walked away from his career with no explanation. Years later, I realized no single person can be my "savior" unless I'm in a goofball cult. Today, I still listen to his music and remember with great fondness the man he was and the music he made.

"Don't Be Shy" contains wonderful advice, and Eddie Vedder, one of my favorite singers, does a fine performance of the classic tune.

Please enjoy this musical interlude as you squirm with frustration and anticipation while awaiting Part 2 of my post, The Unforgiving.

Ummmm.....OK

posted 4-11-09

I really must stop surfing the Net. Too often, I come across things that seem notable and oddly compelling but too strange. Take, for instance, the annual Hounen Penis Fertility Festival held on March 15 in Komaki, Japan. I guess nothing says Party! like a 12-foot wooden pee-pee.

If you're a phallus or fertility fan, you can read a description of the festival and its Prick Parade here. Apparently, the penis/fertility theme is comprehensive--sort of like Pope memorabilia in Rome. You can get penis lollipops, post cards, trinkets, key chains. etc. It's a veritable penis-palooza.

In case you're wondering, however, The Dali has no intention of incorporating human genitals into Dalianism. The burden of spiritual leadership is demanding enough without adding a wang parade to the whole affair.

The unforgiving, part 1

posted 4-11-09

The big battles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous, reckless, hypocritical, brave, silly, headstrong and scared half to death.  And we were right.
   Abbie Hoffman on the radicalism and protests of the 1960s.

A friend asked me the difference between a liberal and a progressive. "A progressive," I replied, "is an armchair liberal with no guts."

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