The truth cannot be hidden, and it is a fact that the world is ruled by an increasingly concentrated elite who have no regard for the future of humanity. On this ninth anniversary of a horrific act of murder, launched by criminally deluded believers, we should assert, to ourselves and our neighbors, that war is also a criminal, immoral enterprise, and acknowledge that the decade of war and destruction we have wrought on the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan is on a scale almost unimaginable to most Americans.

Humankind teeters on the brink, with an old guard, counter-progressive elite clinging to power — through warfare and global economic oppression — even as they endanger the very survival of humankind on planet Earth.

As R. Buckminster Fuller said, we must turn from making “killingry” to making “livingry.” The alternative to this planetary shift of consciousness will surely be many thousands more slaughtered. Or extinction.

As a memorial to the millions of innocents extinguished in the wars of modern times, let’s make the shift.

When I wrote about Bob Dylan’s concert in Troutdale, Ore., I got an unexpected link from a Dylan fan site… Bam! Our server got the most hits in one day since the days we used to write about stupid stripedy clothes-wearing white people and their penchant for trying to start charter schools rather than send their precious spawn to school with poor, black and/or Spanish speaking kids.

Anyway, that was interesting, but also interesting was when a Japanese Dylan fan site picked up my post and excerpted it in Japanese. I don’t speak Japanese, so I’ll assume the person who translated it did a decent job, and isn’t responsible for the hilarious machine translation back to the English:

It Is not You, Babe
This man, funny shit.

Come on people rose in Mellencamp started playing. We were just like my DMZ. Mellencamp while playing, but we were sitting, but started to stand in front of you. The screaming started throwing ice cubes on your back then. hit lesbian couples wearing torn chunks of ice that had preceded. they are whining because people are standing before. I I thought it would sit for two more songs about Sume, she would not. “Hey! Wine T-shirt there! Sit!! (poweredbyfinewine of youth shirts)” … the voice of one another Gatchiritaipu man …. next thing you are, “Sit down!” he said.
…
Mellencamp looks at his wife “feel good” he said. Does your wife is hot Mellencamp?
…
I’m not a rock critic. But let me say it ?Ere “JustLikeaWoman” were floating in tears in her eyes. The encore was two songs not good, great. We drive back to Beaverton, sober and happy.

My old farts beer league team finished 5-5, 4th place out of eight, then lost to the fifth place team in the first round of the playoffs. I thought cuz I skipped it, my team would have a better chance… but no dice.

Birthday girl requested, in order: hash browns for breakfast, left over mom’s mac and cheese for lunch, spaghetti and potatoes o’brien for dinner, and a combo deal on the cake: one with coconut, one with chocolate frosting, both based on the old family pound cake recipe. And what goes with pound cake and coconut cake? Why, chocolate syrup, of course! Yum! (And yes, it is, in fact, the second time I’ve made birthday cakes in as many weekends. It’s a special time of year for us over here!)

I love Pete Seeger, here singing a Tom Paxton song, apropos the start of a new school year:

Chehalem Mountains

Looking south from Cooper Mountain Vineyards, our local organic, bio-dynamic winery… their attitude is right, the pinot’s pretty damn good, and the view is sublime.