America Must Change

It's winter and I'm super cold-my coat was stealthily removed from me at a bar last nite as the temperature hovered 'round -10. The Packers lost, New England will win the Super Bowl, and I'm starting to think this whole thing is as staged as WWF or as fixed as boxing. But www-wwait it gets worse! There is a presidential race!! A race w/a bunch of morons talking about nothing. Hmmm, have we heard ANYTHING about the massive trade deficit? No. About the dollar being worthless!? About our shitty infrastructure? Our debt and the looming recession? No. Our cities are shameful places ignored by everyone who can afford to. And we have no energy policy of value, no plan to deal with real issues facing our country. No, of course not. But there are plenty of poised and driven men and a woman who claim to have answers. Granted none of us know what the answers are, but they have them, if we only vote for them.

This presidential ignorance to our problems angers me, but negativity is of no use to me right now-I've had enough. Today is the day to celebrate Dr. King's life and work, however you do it. You might volunteer, listen to a speech, attend an event, or simply clean your kitchen on this day off (for the lucky). Frankly, I don't care what you do, but you really need to think about the state of this country and the direction it is in. Do more than bash the "other's" stupid and obtuse behaviors. You (and surely I) need to think about what we're doing and not doing and how we can actually try and impact this country in a positive way. Yeah this IS elementary school type stuff I'm suggesting, but to DO something different is much harder than the movies make it seem. So think long and hard, pray if your inclined, and look around and try to realize that if we keep going down this road as a nation things will only get worse. While China, Korea, Saudi Arabia and others build grand new cities, America continues to decay. This needs to stop.

I have no answer as to what you or I should do. But if we simply zone out into our computers, music, tv, and entertainment-maybe even laced w/a chemical additive, nothing will get better. Toss away the distracting amenities for a minute and think. I'll get back to you later.

For now and because this is a part-time music blog check out this old Raheem Devaughn track that speaks to this conundrum: "Who"-by Raheem Devaughn-'The Love Experience'
and asks us:
"Who's gonna really care? Who's gonna take us there?
Who's gonna change their life? Who's gonna pay the price?
Who's gonna take a stand? Who's gonna live for love?"

I wonder and I also think I know the answer.