Write on, brother

A great country?

Were we ever a great country? We look back on early America as the place people came for religious freedom and to have a new and better life.  All of us immigrants when we arrived. Of course we had our way with the Native American population, believing the place was ours for the taking. What’s so great about that? (sound familiar Hawaii?) Later, people were killed for trying to start unions. Or just for having a different skin color. Was that a great country? Oh yeah, we were able to grow and grow and make some people very rich. (while plundering the planet)

It has been said that democracy is the greatest political system. I suspect that it has just taken longer to show its true colors. It does look good on paper. Maybe if everyone involved in this system operated with integrity and with the greater good of all in mind it would be groovy. But look where we have ended up. Everything is so much about greed and power. Sensibility, health, safety and quality of life are out the window in the face of corporations.

And our stuck with gears forever grinding political system can’t even begin to tackle the large, systemic problems like Social Security and Medicare that need addressing. Oops. I just felt a little bile in my throat. Oh editor, pray tell the nastiest words thou wouldst allow me to defile the do nothing while still blood sucking leeches gaming the political system for less than honorable reason?

We are at the point where future generations won’t have it as good as their parents (the experts say). What does that even mean? What will it look like? We are failing to educate our children in a meaningful way. We are failing to feed the children and ourselves healthily. Congress is considering a bill that would put huge corporations in charge of food and practically ban using your own seeds, having a backyard garden and hamstringing organic food production in the name of safety. Just the opposite direction we should be going in.

And to get personal for a moment, Hawaii has been talking renewable energy – Hawaii brags about being the model for the planet – while we have egg on our face for talking it while other places are walking it. And we speak about the importance of sustainable agriculture for our health and to provide a measure of food security and keeping money local. But can we ever do that with the power structure in place that has to put corporate profit over what is best for all residents? And they do that by controlling the land and the water. Let’s face it. This is not a can do state. The system we have in place will further stratify the rich and poor, leave us an unhealthy population, cause incredible environmental degradation, and overdevelop profoundly in anticipation of more (mostly rich) people coming. It doesn’t have to be that way. We could have a vastly different future by making better choices now. Why don’t we?

I don’t think we are a great country. If we ever were. Sure, we’ve been able to get things done. And depending on how you define better, we’ve done it better than anyone. We’ve made amazing advances in a lifestyle of bigger and faster things in it. (did I mention that thing about while plundering the planet?) We’ve made amazing weapons and used them to kill lots of people. (in the name of what, actually?) We’ve created a Wall Street that not only extends to all a deliciously dangerous debit lifestyle but thinks the citizenry is simply theirs for finding the best way to suck money out of. (and the citizenry goes along) And those leeches I referred to above facilitate it all by being bribed into submission by our whole political system and the way it is financed with wastefully ginormous amounts of money and favors owed.

Isn’t it about time we started paying attention to the fact that greed isn’t good, but ruinous? To our quality of life and quality of a possible future? Is there a chance for US to become a truly great country that looks as good in reality as it does on paper? Where to begin?

Maury King

Founder, ExpectMoreMaui.org

I got on the plane from Maui to come to LA for my 95 year old father’s hip replacement surgery on January 27^th. When I got off the plane, I found out he didn’t survive the surgery.  I know that is exactly what he hoped would happen. He told me so. He had low quality of life and was deteriorating. This is the best thing that could have happened, as he dreaded any kind of lingering, painful death.

I will accept condolences, but a relative pointed out that my whole relationship with my father has been a grieving process and his death actually ends that process, rather than beginning it. So I’ll celebrate his life and mine and get on with it.

I’m trying to sort out my feelings and start to deal with his estate. I’m the only one to do it.

Here is his obituary:
King, Norman
July 21, 1915 – January 27, 2011
Passed at 95 following hip surgery. Owned Crestview Service Center Goodyear Dealer on Pico Bl thru mid 70s. Had over a dozen holes in one at Rancho Park par 3. Survived by wife Esther and son Maury King.

More later.

I was such a glass groupie for a couple of years. Your vase was by far my most expensive purchase. Believe it or not, I have 2 of Lino’s Saturn seconds (unsigned) and they each cost less than your piece (they hang outside, exposed to the rain and the elements. I love that and hope Lino would appreciate it). When I moved to Maui I ‘loaned’ the vase to a friend in Seattle. I think he was surprised to find out the loan was over when on a recent visit my girlfriend saw it and fell in love with it. So, we spent the better part of 2 days of our week’s vacation packing and determining the best way to ship it. Obviously it made the journey successfully. And we saw some great music on that trip, including Red Dress who once played in that room right next to the front door of your studio.

I so wish there was a good way for me to display it in bright sunlight for all to see, and to be able to appreciate the magic in the deeper layers, both sides exposed (hard to choose between the side in the photo and the other side, which has the fish that I picked out). The homes here have huge eaves to help keep them cool (it works) and they also block bright light from getting to the windows so short of having a bright interior light shining on it – not too practical, but we’ll be working on it – we’ll just have to enjoy the colors we can see, knowing that there are so many more hidden underneath. Maybe we’ll have a Take the Vase Outside and Share a Glass of Wine With It day once a month. I wonder which goes better with vases, white or red.

Thanks for making some great art and I’m glad I found my way to it. I like that the piece is home again.

I try to make a really good case for starting meetings on time. Have a look at http://pleasestartontime.wordpress.com/

They say big changes need to be made to move us into a sustainable future. I have a couple of medium size changes just to test our capacity to adapt. 

I’d suggest mail delivery 3 times a week nationally. How much gasoline usage and air pollution will that eliminate? I’m sure we can live with our mail every other day. I hope we can find a way to keep postal workers fully employed. This is about saving energy, not costing jobs 

I’d also suggest we move to a national vote-by-mail system for all elections. Not only will that save the gasoline of everyone driving to the polls to vote, but it is a more secure system that leaves a paper trail and results in higher voter turnout. 

And I don’t know about where you live, but the faithful crew running the polling place I vote at is getting old and I don’t see many younger folks coming along to replace them. Who is going to run all the local polling places so we are assured of knowledgeable staff moving into the future?

I know at present local jurisdictions have the right to run elections the way they choose, but some standardization moving forward will assure us of keeping one of our most basic, sacred and important  rights intact. This is a time when national confidence is being rebuilt, and voting is not something we should take any chances with.

Maury King