Songs of Perfection: Perfect

 Can you imagine a world without sound, without laughter, without music? 

I love music, lots of different kinds of music. There is Playing for Change and this initiative brings musicians from all over the world together to make songs, do covers and share. Pemba Laka is one of the most fun songs. The great thing about songs, is you don't need to even understand the tunes, the language or the style. I wouldn't know Baroque from Avant Guard, but music reaches beyond the labels. 

To me there are songs, music which is perfect. Those perfect songs climb inside your throat, your stomach, your very ear wax and they speak to you like a cherished teacher, a loved Elder, and a Wise One. Now tell me, if the songs I tell you are perfect, can you disagree, earnestly? 

Sam Stone, the tale of a Veteran who lived with the struggles of war. The sordid story of addiction, and death captures the perfect tale. John Prine has many songs which could be placed in the perfect category but let's limit the cache to one per artist. 

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is a song that is quite different from the story tellers. It bounces and takes you different roads. The music style and the changes within the song just add to the perfection of this music song. 

Hey That's no Way say to Goodbye by Leonard Cohen is perfect. Of course he has a number of songs that are perfect. Like many story tellers, the story is what creates perfection. In this case the simplicity of the guitar enhances perfection. 

The Long Way Home is a perfect Tom Waits ballad. He of course has many, and I mean many perfect songs. It is a crime not to list them, but I'm a criminal anyway. 

Tearful Honor is as song done by the Drum group Red Bull. Like many songs of perfection you need not know the words, you just feel the perfection. Red Bull has done wonderful songs which touch the Spirit. 

Mystic River the Drum group performed this song, Natural Mystic, at the Heartbeat of Nations Powwow in Winnipeg Manitoba years ago. It is a song that captures the beauty of Anishinaabe living. Perfect is all you can say about this song. 

Keep Me In Your Heart For A While, written and performed by Warren Zevon is a perfect song. You can't go wrong having this played on your final drive home. Eddie Vedder does it justice as well. You just can't do perfect wrong. 

Open Letter to a Landlord, by Living Colour. Great story, and message. Perfect. Teach them greedy baskerds not to be greedy. 

Nothing Compares to You, song by Sinead O'Connor. Perfect and it is a song which takes me back to that time. How music is time travel. 

Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye with Kimbra second vocals. The story the vocals, the tune is perfect. Good chemistry from people never heard of before or since.

Copperhead Road by Steve Earle is perfect. You know it had to be on here. The tune, the instruments, the story, the rawness, perfect. 

Loretta, written by Towns Van Zandt. Perfect. What is perfect is Van Zandt has his songs covered by many and the songs can't be messed up. 

Zobra's Dance is perfect. I think the world became more aware of this perfection was from Anthony Quinn when he starred in Zorba the Greek a 1964 movie film. It's perfect.

Chan Chan by the Buena Vista Social Club of Cuba is perfect. Thanks to World Circuit Records and the artist Ry Cooder for letting the world know of them. 

Opera has many perfect song, like Carmen: performed by Elina Garanca is perfection. The chorus just plays perfect to her single voice. In this music genre there are just too many perfect songs and many will be missed in the list of perfect. Of course we always will include the Tenors; Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti in the perfect company. 

Classic music has so much perfect composers how can you pick? I mean Adagio for Strings takes you home. You may cry to be home when listening to perfect classical tunes. You hold your hand out to demonstrate it touches you and that is perfect. Richard Wagner Ride of the Valkyries is a classic. Get it, a classic. 

Leaving Eden by the Carolina Chocolate Drops is perfect. The live version on the stage of the Grande Ole Opry was legendary. Perfect. Rhiannon Giddens voice is golden. 

Far Away Eyes by the Rolling Stones is perfect. A good story, some functional steel guitar adding to the perfection. 

Moondance by Van Morrison is perfect. The many instruments just cool as a dark warm room with great food, substance of beauty in the room, can't be beat. Actually the whole album is perfect as perfect as Pink Floyd's The Wall. 

The Fairytale of New York, the Pogues and Kristy Mac Coll is perfect. A seasonal song that you can play every single day regardless of the weather. The story just pierces your heart. A love song that hits you square in your face like a sock filled with rocks. 

Magnolia Wind either John Prine of Guy Clark is perfect. "I rather sleep in a box like a bum in the street..."  "I'd rather not hear pretty music again if I can't catch your fiddler on a magnolia wind..." 

Where would perfect music be without Stevie Wonder? He has so much perfect I had to chose this one as it is perfect by itself, Superwoman. 

Santana!!! Carnaval from the perfect album Moonflower. Perfect. It's perfect along side with the song Let The Children play. 

You can't have perfect without Lyle Lovett. His large band with Francine Reed is perfect. 

Some songs have stories but it doesn't mean they are perfect. For example David and David's Welcome to the Boom Town is an okay catchy song, with a bit of a story, but nope it's not perfect. Some pieces don't fit. Not like Sunday Morning Coming Down, sung by Johnny Cash, the man in black, who identified with the down trodden. 

Orphan Girl by Gillian Welch is perfect. Some heart touching tunes here. Some songs are good, real good but doesn't mean they are perfect. This song captures her career and the audience loves her. 

This list will be increasing as I remember or discover perfect. 

 

F*ck You White People

*Be Forewarned, There are swear words ahead. There are bad words ahead. There are slurs ahead. There is name calling ahead. Stop now if you are sensitive to bad words.* 

A number of  years ago I was feeling quite magnanimous, so I wrote a Thank you White people blog post. It was awesome, I thanked you White people and I was so cool about it. It was a glowing thank you for demonstrating humanity and doing groovy things. You see, some of you are good beings, and some of you do right by your actions. Lately, the world is not seeing the groovy white folk. The world is having to deal with the White people who are thugs, ghouls that are baby cooking eating vultures. These Whites are making the Thank You Groovy Whites look awfully bad. And, I mean really bad. Like so bad no Mom would look at you, never mind pick you up, pinch your chubby little cheeks and say "lub you dahlin'."You do realize the world lumps everyone into one big hemp burlap potato sack. The Groovy Whites are tainted with the radioactive stench of the Blood-leaking-arse -Fucking Whites. You don't want that, but it's out of your control. Now it is Fuck You White People.

The Fuck-you-White-People are taking over the world. With the fuck-you-white-people group, no white people are immune to the fall out for their foul odor and rotten genital warts on the face and lips. Even the coolest, grooviest, caring, kind-hearted, sincere white people have Fuck you white people shit stained on their crisp white shirts. There might be exceptions to the shit stain and raw sewage smell which comes from the Fuck You White People. One exception that comes to mind is John Prine. He is just too damn cool (even in death) to ever be lumped in with the shit teeth fuck you white people. 

The Fuck You White People are everywhere: in the gas station line ups, in the cop cars, in political roles, in news broadcasting, in teaching, in nursing, in social media, in celebrity roles, in costumes, in wash-out musicians-actors, in neighborhoods. The fuck you white people are like flies on a dead skunk, dead racoon by the side of the highway, just maggot crawling and foul stench, burning your nostrils and eyes. 

What can be done with the fuck you white people phenomenon? Is it really something not seen in the world before? The Right wing mindset is taking over the world but it has been around since white people have been around. The fuck you white people is not something new: Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Holodomor, Nazism, Zionism, US capitalism, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump et al. 

I have no answers to the Fuck You White People crisis which is griping the world. The only real thing we can actually do is to not encourage them. This means ignoring them, not engaging in their sewage breathing on social media. I guess if it came to it, you could slash their tires on their Teslas and KIA Sorentos. Personally I would prefer if they would cancel each other out, like Carney, Merz, Netanyahu, Vance meeting in a Thunderdome pit, complete with Gladiator gear. There they would settle things in the most white way possible, after all the Fuck you with People are savage. 

The most iconic way the Fuck You White People could appease the world would be to have a Fuck-Off party. They could line each up to Arse to Plude insert (penis, in the case of Women, have a Fuck-Fist-Off) and continue along those lines. You could start the line with Netanyahu, Trump, Vance, Mitch Mcconnell, Lindsey Graham (dig up his body), Stephen Miller, Henry Kissinger (dig up his ugly corpse), Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld (repulsive ogre), Alecia Beth Moore-Hart, Mayim Bialik, Gal Gadot, Dbra MessingHelen Mirren (old replusive crow), and so many others, that the Fuck You White People train would go on and on. 

The thing with the Fuck You White People label it's a badge of honor for them. Why wouldn't it be, being a Fuck You White People has been working. Raoul Peck had it right when he brought out the documentary series Exterminate All the Brutes. 

An apology for those Thank You White People, you don't need to be lumped in with the Fuck-You-White-People, because you are indeed cool. "What is Fonzie like?" He is Wallace Shawn, she is Miram Margolyes. She is You, the Thank you White People. 

Celebs who have spoken out in support of Palestine

• Annie Lennox
• Amelia Dimoldenberg
• America Ferrera
• Amir Khan
• Ariana Grande
• Ava DuVernay
• Bella Ramsey
• Benedict Wong
• Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas
• Boygenius
• Cardi B
• Cate Blanchett
• Chance The Rapper
• Charles Dance
• Chloe Sevigny
• Dave Chappelle
• David Beckham
• Dua Lipa
• Emily Ratajkowski
• Emma D’Arcy
• Emma Watson
• Ethan Slater
• Frankie Boyle
• Freya Allan
• Gabrielle Union
• Gemma Chan
• Halsey
• Hari Nef
• Hozier
• Hugo Weaving
• Hunter Schafer
• Indya Moore
• India Amarteifio
• Jade Thirlwall
• Jameela Jamil
• Jenna Ortega
• Jesse Williams
• Joaquin Phoenix
• John Cusack
• Jonathan Glazer
• Julia Fox
• Juliet Stevenson
• Karen Gillan
• Kehlani
• Kid Cudi
• Leigh Ann Pinnock
• Lena Headey
• Lewis Hamilton
• Liam Neeson
• Lily James
• Lizzo
• Louis Tomlinson
• Macklemore
• Mahershala Ali
• Melanie Martinez
• Michael Stipe
• Michelle Wolf
• Miriam Margoyles
• Ms Rachel
• Nelly Furtado
• Patti Smith
• Pedro Pascal
• Penelope Cruz
• Perrie Edwards
• Paramore
• Quannah Chasinghorse
• Rachel Zegler
• Ramy Youssef
• Renée Rapp
• Ricky Martin
• Riz Ahmad
• Rosie O’Donnell
• Snoop Dogg
• Stanley Tucci
• Susan Sarandon
• SZA
• Victoria Pedretti
• The Weeknd
• Zara Larsson
• Zayn Malik

To Be Antisemite

 Sean Ward is the person who tried to kill people at the Synagogue in Ontario, Canada. This guy served in Infantry Canadian Armed Forces. It is quite a coincidence the attempted Jewish killer was with the Canadian Military. The Canadian Military seems to attract racists. This guy was targeting Jewish people with his hate. He called himself the "KiteKiller." He could not use the derogatory K-word on the internet gaming sites because of the label being tagged as racist. There are no tears going to be shed for Sean, nope, he made the choice to carry out his hate and fortunately for the Jewish people at the Synagogue, he was killed by police. 

No doubt Sean Ward found like minded racists in the Military. The Canadian Military seems to breed racists. This former solider can be labeled an antisemite. The Antisemite label is for people who are racists towards the religious followers of Judaism, known as Jews. How someone knows what religion a person follows must be a gift. I mean how do you know? There must be clues, like wearing a Kippa for men (the skull cap) or scarves for Women. Quite something isn't it, just think Jews were forced to wear hats to identify them. There are other people who do wear head gear or other items which makes it easier to identify their religious beliefs; Turbans, Feathered Headdresses, Hijabs, Cassocks, Kufis. For me, I remember the tv show "The Flying Nun." I did go to the Indian Residential school but the Nuns there, didn't have the big wings like Sally Fields of the Flying Nun. The Nuns word scowls and crosses on their necks, along with the Habit. So for me, if I was to be targeting a Jewish person with hate, I wouldn't know how they look. So I guess lurking around the Synagogue would be the first clue to who is a Jewish person. For the life of me, I never could understand why people don't like the Jews? What did they do, kill God or something? 

The hate for Jewish people must be really something, there is a specific word dedicated for the type of racism aimed at them. Maybe there had to be a word made for the hate because being Jewish is not really an ethnic group or race. So can you really call it racism? I guess Antisemite is more specific. Is it though? I mean are the Jewish people Semitic? Whether Jews are Ashkenazi or Semitic does not change that hate is hate. Jewish people, European or American are targets for hate filled arseholes. Religious groups are targeted by people with hate and anger. The thing is if you don't know the religious symbols, you might attack the wrong religious person. There are cases where Sikh men have been killed because the misguided bigots thought they were Muslim. That's the thing right, you have to know something about religious beliefs and symbols to target the right people for your hate. You wish to be an Antisemite, you have to know your Kippa from your Kirpan. 

You know I hear the Antisemite chant a lot these days. The B'nai Birth of Canada are saying the number of hate filled attacks against Jews is rising. Lot of that is linked to the Genocide being committed by Israel. The Zionists are making people feel ugly towards Jews. Jews and Zionists are not the same. Zionism is not a faith, while Judaism is the faith, the Jewish faith, but I could be wrong. I don't equate Jews with Israel, not really. Am I antisemitic because I vehemently oppose the genocide of Palestine, the Women, the children being massacred daily by Israel. It if does, then colour me Antisemitic. I can't in any shape or form believe standing up for people in Palestine is wrong or based of hatred. It is beyond repugnant to equate any kind of argument for genocide as being antisemitic. Who knew Pink was religious? We never know who is of Jewish faith, do we? I was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church as a baby. I am not Catholic, I follow Anishinaabe Traditional Teachings, also called a "Traditional." Natives (Indians), Blacks, People of Colour are targeted daily for their race, their ethnicity and it is based on racism. I think there are different words for that kind of hate; xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, bigotry. There should be a word for specific groups as well, this way society knows who the hate is aimed at, and not just a general hate. We all know who is the target when we say antisemitic, but what if you hate Black people? Maybe we can call it Negrophobia? No that is not a cool thing to say. It in itself is an ugly label. What about a word for the hate of Latinos? They were called Beaners and it may still be a label used in the United States. Again this is not cool, it is a label for sure, a real racist term. Indians, what do we use to say racism, hate against Natives; Redskin, Squaw or Wagon-burners? Nope that is opposite of terms used to describe racism to a specific group not to add a racist term to identify them. 

Jewish groups are doing a disservice to themselves by labelling everyone and antisemite. The word loses its "umph." It is like the word racist in today's society. People are proud of their racism, so calling them that, is no longer an insult or a call out. "I'm racist, so what of it?" Telling everyone they are antisemite for caring about Palestine just alienates them. The world is in a battle not of right and wrong but of "who is harmed more." The thing is hate hurts no matter who.  As the crazy of the Earth we act selfishly. Even in the midst of ugly hate, killing, and choices, we will make it about who is winning the victim contest. "We suffer more than everyone else."

Cracked Cups - Broken Cups

 The Japanese have a practice call Kintsugi.  Kintsugi is the art of "fixing" broken pottery, making it look even more beautiful with the repairs which have been made. It is also a telling, not throwing something away because it is broken. 

"As a life philosophy, kintsugi argues that the places where things have cracked and been repaired are not failures. They are evidence of a history that has been lived. Difficulty, loss, rupture: these are not things to hide. They are things that, when attended to honestly, become part of what makes a person or a relationship or a period of life worth understanding."

It is a cool way to look at something broken, maybe even if we look at it in our own lives. I see this in many of us, we are cracked, some of us are broken and even some of us are smashed; smashed to pieces. Can there be a fixing if the piece is smashed to pieces? Do we even recognize if something is cracked or broken, and if it is, do we adjust our view of it?

shutterstock.com

So what do we do with people who are cracked? Society labels them cracked and treats them accordingly. The police are the hands of society. The hands of society is rough. "Man-handled" is a soft term to describe the treatment of the cracked. Thing is, some cracks can be fixed like the Japanese art of redemption-Kintsugi. In Canada, and the United States we really don't do that kind of thing. If it's broken, well fuck it, toss it, in some cases "have at it," smash it even more. 

We tend to view the cracked as ugly, don't we? It has no purpose, can't be fixed, no redeeming qualities in something broken, is there? Try pick up the Cracked and you could get hurt, maybe get a cut from the jagged edges.  Japanese society seems to know there is redemption, even beauty in  the Cracked. So much so, they give energy and time to fixing what is cracked, what is broken. What a way to see the Cracked, isn't it. 

Indigenous people have been cracked with all that colonial bullshit that happened and is still going on.

Interacting with the Cracked, is a matter of how we see and approach the Cracked. Maybe the Cracked can be fixed or mended, who knows. All I know is we have a bias towards the Cracked. Where we see this most often is by the actions of the First Responders (Police, Ambulance), the decisions makers and then the "everyday Karen and Karl" on the street. There are no shortages of jokes, complaints, insults regarding the Cracked being played out in social media, television shows-sitcoms-movies and in the news. The Cracked is a target for everyone. 

So how do we see the redeeming qualities in the Cracked, the slightly chipped cups and the broken cups? 

There are many many many reasons for a cup being chipped, cracked, broken and smashed beyond recognition. We can name them, the reasons of course, but in the end the reasons come down to a multitude of actions, of years, of held beliefs, of seeing, and imbedded in laws. Now how do we go about with Kintsugi, with fixing the broken, the cracked cups? I don't think it is up to us to fix the broken, we don't have control over them. What we can do is this: Stop being a fucking arsehole to them, the cracked cups. Stop looking down on them, judging the fuck out of them. Maybe instead of choking them, kicking them, spitting on them, ignoring their existence, instead of killing them,we acknowledge them cups, as people, as a human being. That's a start. We need to see the person behind all the shards of broken glass (cup material). How the heck do we do that?

We need to exercise. Exercise our compassion. With any thing we do, we have to keep repeating and repeating until we can get it right. It may not be perfectly right but it's better than where we started. We have to look at them as a vessel that is incapable of holding anything anymore. It has to be hard for cops, they see the broken, the cracked cups everyday. It must be difficult to see humanity in the damaged. I guess it's a way to protect themselves from getting cut by the shrapnel of broken glass (people get it). 

In the end we all have chips, cracks and are broken. Does that mean we are beyond use? Beyond fixing? Beyond compassion?  

We need to be aware of our bias, conscious and unconscious bias. Our ugly view of the cracked. Be like Johnny Cash and wear Black. "Well, you know Johnny always wore black, and he wore black 'cause he identified with the poor and the downtrodden..." 

Maybe God will cut down those who step on the cracked cups. 

How Beautiful We Are: Anishinaabek

 This morning, I drank my Earl Grey tea and watched a little film; "If anything happens, I love you." I had seen this little film before and for some reason I watched it again. I was sitting propped up with a number of fluffy pillows in the King sized bed, drinking Earl Grey and scanning through titles of shows and films. I was not sure of where I was going with the aimless channel flicking and searching and what my emotional state was in. But there it was, picked a little animated show of 12 minutes in an obscure category of  Netflix listings. I watched it and it made me cry and reflect. The show demonstrates the grieving parents of a horrible incident; school shooting. It made me cry for our loss. Yeah, it's been 21 years this August that my dear boy, ended his life by chosen to hang himself. Still this took me somewhere else, I don't cry in the conventional sense, sobbing and bring tears. I'm medicated everyday so tears don't come anymore, but deep sadness and emotion is still there, it is in the back of my eyeballs. A pain of burning happens behind the top part of my eyes. 

Yesterday, it started off pretty good. I was up early, drove to the Reserve, which takes me a hour and a half to get there. So it's an hour of talk radio, CBC morning show and the University of Manitoba radio show. I like to listen to talking and move on to my music play list: John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Tom Waits, Watchhouse, Chris Smithers, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and lots of old radio rock. When I got to work, I started with Sage Smudge. There is a beautiful Eagle carved staff hanging in the reception area, I am tasked with smudging the Staff. It is soothing and cool, I feel. It gives me the opportunity to smudge myself. It makes me feel good, you know what I mean? Anyways the day started off like that. I could hear some of my colleagues laughing amongst each other and this brings me joy. A few of my co-workers were getting ready to go pick Grandfathers (M'shoois Asin), you may know them as rocks. When a local Knowledge Keeper came with his truck to hook up the trailer to go haul the Grandfathers. It became apparent that damage had taken place. Someone, (burned me up) came and stole the battery for the jack mechanism of the trailer. The trailer needs an electric jack to lift up because the trailer is heavy and cannot be picked up an individual to hook the trailer to the hitch on the truck. Not only did some individual steel the battery, but the cut all the electrical wires and took them. Can you imagine, and the thing is, this trailer was one week old, it was just purchase by the community Health Centre. This was extremely disheartening. A lot of theft and destruction is going on in the community. At the Powwow Arbor, there was a new wiring system put in the MC stand and a solar panel system put into the Arbor, and some individual came and destroyed the new electrical system and stole the four thousand dollar system for the solar panels. This didn't feel good. It feels really ugly actually. 

The fact is, there are so many good things and happenings going on in the Reserve. These ugly incidents are dark cold clouds on our shining sun-filled community and people. It is enough to make you say, "Jesus Maggot Christ sakes," and go on a running-over-Reserve-dogs-rampage. But nope, as the great Bahai' says, "Hey you know what, Maanoo." Actually the Bahai' Faith do not say Maanoo but Bahai' says a lot of cool shit. Maanoo is an Anishinaabe saying used by the Old people in the community, it is a way of thinking, "let it go," or as the Italians in the movies says, "Fuhgeddaboudit." Maanoo is still used but not very much these days. Seems it is a way of thinking that was exclusive to the Old people. Not that we don't have old people now, but I'm talking Older Old People, those ones. They used to say stuff like "Yoohoo" when in conversation with you. No one says that anymore. In any case sometimes bad shit goes on. It can ruin us or we can side-step it. Like deceased Elder Ken, once said, "if you're walking and see shit on the street, do you step in it?" We are going to have dark cloud days, but there is going to be sunshine as well. 

Our community is experiencing some hardships, there is no doubt. In the midst of those hardships there is the movement of Mino-Bimaadiziwin, the Good Life. Many Reserves - Native communities are igniting flames of Traditional life, Traditional Beliefs, Traditional Languages, through Traditional Teachings and Celebrating their heritage. 

It is beautiful, the Anishinaabe - the people. It is the Traditional Teachings, the Language, the world view, Anisinaabe will bring about the Good Life. I love being Anishinaabe. One of the things we hear when our People pray, is to give Thanks. We give thanks for the Earth and all the Relatives we have here on Earth. It's funny, we have everything, I mean everything we need from the Earth, but yet, human beings want more. For fuck sakes wanting stuff for the sake of having it, is what is killing us. The Earth will survive but maybe we won't and that is not the Earth's fault. How wonderous is it how a world exists at all. To have the miracles of life, living beings in this world, now you have to admit that's fucking awesome. It's beautiful how Indigenous people see the World, as all connected. Fuck those who just exploit, how sick are they. Not sick in something they have no control over, but sick in the choice of how they see the world. 

Like any person, I get tired too. I can choose to focus on what is wrong: the wickedness, the depraved, the greed and the overall selfishness of individuals. The whole living as an Indian brings me back. There is always something, someone who will bring you back to seeing the Good in Life, good in the world. When I see those young singers at the Drum and how they choose to interact with the Drum is a blessing. You see, they, the Indigenous people see everything as a Relative, and the Drum is a relative. It's built into the Language, the Drum in the Anishinaabe language is a living relative, not a "thing." How beautiful is it to see the world as having so many relatives and being connected to them? 

How Beautiful We Are: Anishinaabek. It's not a question, it's a fact. 

Red Bull - Whistled - 

Through Indian Eyes

 

I purchased this book many moons ago. It is a good book. Not sure of how it would be received today. As a kid, a young adult and now an older adult, I still value Indians in media, in sports, in television, in movies and in the spotlight. Another book I did enjoy was Mitakuye Oyasin: We Are All Related, by AC Ross. I did get to meet him a couple of times so that was cool. The first time was a conference at the Lethbridge University, Ross was a speaker. Phil Lane Jr was the host of the conference and it was the launch of the Four World's Institute. If you ever get the opportunity to go on the internet, search the title We are All Related, find a book store and be able to order the book for about fifteen bucks, do it. The read is interesting. Some things you may find far fetched, maybe weird, but look past that and grab the nuggets of gold the reading offers. You will decide to wish me good feelings and gratitude for sending you to the reading. You will end up quoting, "the world is going to shake like a  dog and shed its fleas." End of the world baby, end of the world (but not the way you think).  

I have been missing Ceremony in my life. Of course I have attended a few this year, but somehow I miss Ceremony. I was at a Ceremony a couple of weeks ago, and man did I feel really good listening to the Knowledgeable ones.  There is much to be said about hearing good words, good advice, good Teachings. I do see things, like the good in others. It takes practice. Practice to look for the good. I think looking for the good in people is in fact Looking Through Indian Eyes. That is about Looking Through Indian Eyes, you look for the good. Thing is not everyone is good. 

You really think Indians are the bad ones? Geez that sucks, sucks the ugly one, on how white people (and others) can't see through Indian eyes.  If you could see Through Indian Eyes, you would see beauty. The beauty of the Children, the Sky, the Earth, the Water. You wouldn't see money in everything, you wouldn't admire greed. 

If you ever get a chance to hear Indian Words,  you will hear good. You will hear them saying Thank You. Even when Indians are praying, it's always about being Thankful. Being blessed for a Gakina, everything and everyone. The People have everything they need on Earth. Why ask for more? Oh but wait, you didn't win the lottery, so you asking the God, the Allah, the Waheguru, the Jehovah, Bog, Dio and so on, to give you something? You want to win a game, so you ask in Jesus name to be on your side? Bombing people, you pray your aim is true and kill those children at school. I hope your prayers are not answered, but that's not right for me to speak like that. I do hope your eyes and ears do open. 

Through Indian Eyes is living as Anishinaabe. I wonder if I look Through Indian Eyes. I mean, I should look through Indian eyes, after all I'm Indian, Anishinaabe, one of the people. I was with my Dad driving through the mean streets of Winnipeg and we were in an area with many an Indian living "hand to mouth." They are the hurting ones, the homeless, the ill, the addicted, the challenged and we saw them. My Dad was old at this time, starting spiral of dementia. He looked sadly at the Indians on the street and started speaking Anishinaabemowin. I made out the words, Gidimaazinaagozi, they are pitiful. I loved my Dad, never said it to him, ever (legacy of Indian Boarding Schools). Dad was hurt for his people, our relatives - Indinawegaamaganidog. Through Indian Eyes, you see other human beings, not the dregs of society. Society sees them as lesser.  

You know many of Indians are not looking Through Indian Eyes. The results of not looking Through Indian Eyes, we knock each other down. We blast those trying to live the Good Life. 

Through Indian Eyes is living Mino-Bimaadiziwin, seeing everything as our Relative. If we see everyone as our Relative, we are going to try and treat them good. 

Are we looking Through Indian Eyes today? Can we learn to see look Through Indian Eyes, if we are not Indian or we were not raised Indian? 

Doesn't It Disappoint When an Indigenous Person you Meet doesn't fit the Description

 I was at a Powwow in Fisher River over 20 years ago and a Maori individual was attending the Powwow. The MC of the Powwow introduced him to the crowd. For some reason, I was there in front of the stand to greet him. We touched noses. He was White looking just like me. I remember this because he didn't look like the Maori folks we know. Needless to say, I was a little bit disappointed. I wanted him to look like the big brown tall handsome Maori folks of Aotearoa. I imagine he was disappointed to be greeted by me as well. In any case there were loads, and I mean loads of real Indian folks around for him to later meet. Powwows are known to have lots of Indians, and many are real Injuns. 

Speaking of Indians, I visit a lot with them in the Reserve (which I belong to) and it is fun, and frustrating at the same time. The Elders (not just Traditional Elders but old folks) are wonderful in sharing stories, knowledge and viewpoints. I also get to visit with the trouble folk as well, the ones living in addiction, specifically meth and crack. 

In Winnipeg there is a homeless situation where the people (mostly white folks) are appalled, disgusted, and angry that the homeless are messing up places. I get that for sure. You drive down some streets where the homeless congregate and there are tents, garbage, shopping carts, bicycle frames all over the places. Not to mention the discarded syringes on the grounds (like playgrounds in some cases and public parks). So people don't like that kind of thing. Me, I don't like it but I am not sure what could be done about it. 

You see people are funny in some ways. Not the laughing funny but peculiar. Like how my friend was; a smart person capable of dialog with anyone, even kings and queens. He had a habit. The habit was, he was comfortable with the drink. He would be sober, doing great things and then he would sabotage all he was accomplishing. He would self sabotage himself because it was uncomfortable "winning." His default was to the street life, the drink, the pills. It was how he was. He knew the taste of winning, but he was more familiar with the taste of losing. Just like how some guys thrive in jail. 

I have met many people who have served time in jail. Whether they deserved or not, I don't know. I used to tease my friend who was in jail many times, there was research study which determined ugly people got more sentence time than good looking people. I guess he got lots of time in jail. Oh anyways, the common thing about jail folk, is they never accept that it was them, who got themselves into jail. They say things like they are "turning the key on us." They say this about anyone in the system, from Indigenous guards to the Elders who work there to help them. It's a thing. "Our brothers are in there, it's a brotherhood." Meanwhile, some of them are killing our own people but yeah those are the brothers. 

Manitoba has an Anishinaabe Premier. Who would have thought it. I mean, Manitoba is not known for their love of Indigenous folk, or anyone of Colour for that matter. So having a political party choose an Indian (not India Indian cause that has happened in Canada and even a Woman too) to head their party. He, the Indian, got elected by the conservative landscape called Manitoba. And get this, he looks Indian. I mean his Mom is white  (not disrespect intended, I have met her and she is a smart strong person) but he has the looks and colour of his Dad. I think all the Indians (well not all, many call him a political prostitute) are waiting for him to do Indian stuff. I mean do something for Indians within his political purview. Like, I don't know follow the law of Point of Sales tax for Indians. Where you purchase something and it is sales tax exempt. It is law after all. Indians may not realize the Premier is leader of  the whole province and the province is mostly White. So essentially white rules the kingdom, despite who is sitting on the throne. Even if the guy is fitting the description of an Indian. This means, the Indian Premier, lord of the manor, the head honcho, the big cheese, the grandest chief, is just a minion for the true rulers of the nest. Indians should not expect anything for them really. The other thing is why should we beg a lower government for stuff, we are sovereign nations after all. 

Fitting the description is a good thing, but it is not the only thing.

Joe TwoRivers - The Forest Rangers TV show
Not an Indian 
Actor Michael Zenon of the Ukraine 

 

Big Wiggly

 I have interacted with many people over the years, from different "walks of life." I have had steaks in a doctor's home in Las Vegas, water skied in Lake Mead with White people. Witnessed "big shots" filling their glass with Hennessy, and telling the host, "you got the best bar in town."  I ate with people who were running for Judicial office in the United States. I have also seen folks take big shots of Everclear, and that is far away from the Remy Martin as one could get.  I encountered and engaged with different folk from various "stations" in society, in life. From the high Scotch drinkers to the Baby Duck connoisseur.  I visited with Lysol drinkers, beer drinkers, Holy Rollers, Jehovah's Witnesses and non-smokes. Today, much of my interaction is with Reserve members and of course my family. I look fondly on the people I interact with today. I do miss visiting many of the people in the "Ceremony Circle," many who are my relatives and friends. I think it's an age thing; you tend to stay home more and hang with your partner, the grandkids. I still think of my friends, family, cousins often, which brings up good thoughts and feelings. I'm lucky to have had those good experiences. There are some interactions which do bring me other thoughts. The meeting with many strangers where just that, strangers. You know how some strangers when you meet and visit them, you wouldn't mind being friends with them, while others you think, "douche bag." I don't really have the opportunity to sit with high rolling big shots much these days. 

I have known many a criminal, whether it was a friend who "buried a business partner in a farmers field" to (as my friend referred to them, himself included) the "cheap nickel and dime-store-hood. They were good people, except for the one little tiny mistake they made; killing someone, breaking entering, and other mistakes.  I'm not going to say they were better than the big-shots, but some of those big-wiggles were kind of creepy. Never went beyond the superficial hand shake with them, so really don't know if they were good folk or not. I don't judge but I do fucking judge. If you are a baby-raping, baby-eating, baby-killing parasite, I don't like you. At the our wedding, in my Mom and Dad's yard, their home, I invited a gentleman who killed and buried a criminal in a farmer's field. I was perfectly comfortable with him at our Reserve. He was not a parasite. Get this, he was not an Indian, but a Whiteman. Yes, even though I judge white people harshly, I did and do have White friends. I exclude them from the rest of the white world. They are fine people, good people, big hearted people. 

So much cruelty in the world and you can bet your bottom teeth it is not the lowly walking-the-mud-with-gum-boots-t-shirt-wearing people. Yeah, for sure, cruelty can be dished out by anyone. The Karen, who calls the cop on a child for selling lemonade, the cop who shoots a child playing with a toy gun, the cop who kneels on a man's neck until he is dead, the father who sexual abuses his child. Cruelty walks with us everywhere and in many different levels. I feel much of the world's cruelty is being enhanced by  the Big Wigglies, the people with uncontrolled power. The power is usually attached to wealth, the obscene wealth. The type of people who would purchase a bottle of Vodka for 3.7 million dollars. 

The Rich, the super-mega-insanely rich people are the culprits, the maggots of greed, are the engineers or cruelty. These are the Big Wiggly cruelty with zero limit. They are the baby eating, baby raping, baby murdering parasites. We live in a mad world ruled by the Rich. The Rich control the world, and control the governments of the world. The governments of the world are largely filled with political prostitutes. The men (and some women, but mostly men, white men) who sign up for public sector life are generally paid and bought for by the rich. For the rich it's a cheap deal. They get to own governments and go to bank, laughing all the way. The political whores spread anal wide for the rich, while the Rich won't even bother with lube. Big Wiggly all the way. The baby eating thing may not be actually true, but the raping culture of the rich is documented, and under age of 18 is still a child, someone's baby. They are raping babies to raping the Earth. You are just a witness. 

It is the man who says "you got the best bar in town," who is the cruel, the Big Wiggly cruel. 

Political Owned Whore 

Wonder What They Are Thinking

 I live in the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba and I drive to the Sagkeeng Anishinaabe Reserve daily. It's not too far, one and half hour drive from city to Rez. When I get into the Reserve border, I drive by Catfish Creek and many a morning there is this Eagle on a tree all by His lonesome. I guess it is a male as it is on the smaller side of the Eagle size, and Women Eagles are huge. Females have the size and dominance, so I hear. Anyways, the Eagle is by his-self in the mornings, sitting in a tree, looking away from the Lake Winnipeg and towards the highway. I wonder what this Eagle is thinking as it sits by his lonesome, looking around? He is just looking out for food? Or is he wondering, why can't I have a Woman (or partner)? Why do I have to be alone? What is the sake of siting here and not being able to share a little meal with someone? 

Society (arseholes) used to think, and some still do, that animals did not have consciousness. Better human beings know this has had to be pure bull-shit. It gives arseholes the "clean-slate" to treat animals with no regard. Thereby giving them the clear conscience to  be cruel to them - dog fighting, animal testing, locking them up in cages and every other monstrous act they feel free to do.  I was just watching a Spanish Bull Fight and saw the Bull being killed with a sword by the Matador. I felt bad for a brief moment and then the feeling and thought went away. It is just like anything else where it's "out of site, out of mind." I wonder what the Bull was thinking, was feeling? Maybe it's a mindless beast? 

You know there are Indigenous folks out there who know, they really know, that the Whole (everything) is related. So how can we think of our relatives as dimwitted creatures? People like to say "oh, they live on instinct." As if that is an excuse to not think of them as Thinking Beings. The pure arrogance of human beings. If there were not Human Beings where would the world be? I really love the analogy that we are the invasive species. Just like those Zebra Mussels. Mucking up everything they come in contact with.

We are in the world of round, of the circle. People like to demonstrate with the Circle; like a Medicine Wheel model, drawing to show connectiveness. For me, the whole Medicine Wheel thing is a Teaching Tool. It reminds us that everything is connected: seasons, directions, elements, ages, and beings. That is all there is to it. Of course there are much more Teachings to the different Circles but in the end, we are all Relatives. So stop taking down to your relatives, like they are (R-word) and beneath you. Afterall you don't know what they are thinking.

Cut Those Tipi Poles

 There is a Powwow (Treaty One area) in Winnipeg  and for some strange bizarre reason some individual or individuals, decided to take a chainsaw and cut up the Tipi poles. Is it just me that finds this really weird. 

"The 5th annual Anishinaabe Days powwow kicked off Saturday in Winnipeg bringing together dancers from across the province and beyond.The celebration at at Naawi-Oodena was clouded by an act of vandalism, as the tipi poles were cut the day before the event. “It’s unfortunate that we had an incident like that here,” said Chief Gordon Bluesky of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. “I don’t believe reflects all of Winnipeg and I definitely don’t believe it reflects residents of this area,” said Bluesky."  

This is a weird story and it reminded me of  the The Golden Spruce tree that was killed by this crazy guy. The Tree was not easy to get to. This guy had to swim across the water to get to the island where the Tree was standing. He really wanted to kill this tree. With the Tipi poles it is not as dramatic or as significant. The Golden Spruce was held in reverence by the Neechies (the Haida First Nation). The tipi poles were quickly replaced. The thing is this, someone or more than a someone, had to really think about what they were doing. Had to get a chainsaw, drive over to the area, pick a time where no one would be around. The area is is a high traffic area, and in an area of the City that is a little affluent (or adjacent to rich folks areas). Not that it should matter but you know how it goes. The person or persons were deliberate in what they wanted to do. I wonder what they end goal was, and what they accomplished? Was it an act of racism? Where someone(s) with so much hate, they took the time to carry out and act of vandalism with forethought to hurt someone's feelings? Was it an act by Indians themselves? You know, those Neechies who don't like Traditional ways, i.e. Christian Indian folk. Maybe they went there to make a statement, but who knows. There is this one Reserve who is rumored to outlaw Traditional practices in their community. I think this is so sad. Perhaps it was a grudge attack. Maybe someone or someones, don't like Treaty One or a person or group linked with Treaty one? 

We don't know what motivated the act. It is a small act in the big world. Really an annoyance with little significance. Tipi poles can be replaced, harvested in the bush. If you were to order a set of Tipi poles you would be looking at no less than six hundred bucks and higher to purchase. It wasn't a harmless prank. It was disheartening. It shows contempt for Our Ways, Our People, Our History, Our Community. So it is not a nothing thing. It is like someone decided to come take a shit on your doorstep. set it on fire, knocked and ran away as you come to see who it is. It was an act of disrespect, an ugly disgusting act of knowing this is messed up. Anyways I say fuck them and anyone else who smells like them. 

The Powwow is a celebration, and it is a get together of everyone. The thing about majority of Powwows, is that they are a public good. Meaning they are not a money making venture. They provide a public function, a public service for the public. The nastiness of the chainsaw action on innocent Tipi poles is like shitting on their own kitchen floor. It makes no sense. 

We Didn't Know, Some of Us Know

 At one of the community Powwow Gatherings there were some comments made to the organizers/sponsors regarding a Flag Bearer. The person drilled the organizers about who the Flag Carrier was. At a Powwow entry there are Flag Bearer/Carrier is front and center of the Powwow Dancers. The Flag Bearer either holds the Community Eagle Staff, National Flags, Community Flags at the beginning of the event. They dance with Staffs, Flags while Honour songs go on. This is a significant part of the Powwow. They are chosen to represent the event, the community, the People. So, it is an Honour to be part of this procession. Turns out this particular Flag Bearer was a predator of Women.  "We didn't know." 

Do we know or do we not know, can be the difference between an active participant or a clueless schmoo. In the case of the Honourable Flag Bearer some one must have known. But who knows. There is this guy in the community who is literally a daily voice in the community and We Know. The fella was in the news for sexual assaulting an young woman, barely 18 at the time and he was in his 40's. He wasn't convicted as he said he "kept asking her." She was juiced, drunk, intoxicated, and he had his way with her on the bathroom floor (cause he is a classy guy or as he says a "Traditional man"). She was a petite thing and he is an imposing older guy. So, yeah she "consented" (Heavy on the sarcasm here). The young girl had Aunties who interrupted the "encounter." They beat him on the head with bottles. The courts didn't convict him, so it's all good, he dances at powwow and blows his whistle at the drums.  I guess there are people who don't know, but some of us know.

A number of us organized yearly Gatherings for people who had suffered a suicide loss, a death by suicide. We put out pamphlets and internet postings advertising the Gatherings. We included the people who were going to participating at the Gatherings, various guests, and speakers. There was one fella on the information pamphlets, a good guy by all indications. An Elder, this Woman came on told me about the risk of using his image, name on the pamphlet. Guess the guy had history of sexual abuse. We didn't know, but someone knew. We are shocked when we now know, aren't we?

There is this guy, he was a Chief for many many years. He was widely known for his fierce nature and his deadly stance against colonial injustices and the instruments of colonialism. He was merciless when he went to deal with government officials. I remember him at a meeting speaking to a high ranking executive big wig of the Federal Government; "I used to play hockey too, and with the stickhandling your are doing, I would smash you against the boards." I thought that was a real cute way to threaten and intimidate a bureaucrat. This fellow was exposed on television for having his mother's arm broken. People didn't know or some knew. I remember he dated a relative from our Reserve, put her in the hospital, yeah he was fierce all right. Get this, he has been chosen as the leader for his Band again. Guess they don't know or some of them know, but it's copacetic for those who know.

In the wider society, actors, musicians, political whores are known. They are not known usually for their sick depraved behaviours, and beliefs. We listen to the tunes, watch their movies, vote for them because we don't know, some of us know. The biggest, everyone knows, is of course the racist raping deranged wrinkled whore and no it's not Rosanne Barr, it's the other one. 

Genocide happening in Palestine, We Didn't Know. Kids being targeted deliberately by snipers (IDF). We Didn't Know. It was live on television, the slaughter. We Didn't Know. 

Tom Paxton - We Didn't Know 

“We didn't know,” said the Burgomeister
“About the camps on the edge of town
It was Hitler and his crew
That tore the German nation down
We saw the cattle cars it's true
And maybe they carried a Jew or two
They woke us up as they rattled through
But what did you expect me to do”
“We didn't know at all
We didn't see a thing
You can't hold us to blame
What could we do
It was a terrible shame
But we can't bear the blame
Oh no, not us, we didn't know”
“We didn't know,” said the congregation
Singing a hymn in their church of white
“The press was full of lies about us
Preacher told us we were right
The outside agitators came
They burned some churches and put the blame
On decent southern people's name
To set our coloured people aflame
And maybe some of our boys got hot
And a couple of niggers and reds got shot
They should have stayed where they belong
And preacher would've told us if we'd done wrong”
We didn't know at all
We didn't see a thing
You can't hold us to blame
What could we do
It was a terrible shame
But we can't bear the blame
Oh no, not us, we didn't know
“We didn't know,” said the puzzled voter
Watching the President on TV
“I guess we've got to drop those bombs
If we're gonna keep South Asia free
The President's such a peaceful man
I guess he's got some kind of plan
They say we're torturing prisoners of war
But I don't believe that stuff no more
Torturing prisoners is a communist game
And you can bet they're doing the same
I wish this war was over and through
But what do you expect me to do”
We didn't know at all
We didn't see a thing
You can't hold us to blame
What could we do
It was a terrible shame
But we can't bear the blame
Oh no, not us, we didn't know

It's Not My (fuckin') Concern

 A cousin of mine has lost two of his feet. He lost one foot, than he lost a finger, than another foot. Yeah, he has the diabetes. The guy was never obese and had been always active. Sure he is older now, about 67 or so. I keep meeting guys in my reserve who are losing parts to their bodies and it's from the diabetes. I asked a few of them, "what the hell happened?" This one guy is about five or six years younger than me. He has a tip of his finger gone. He said, "It just fell off. There was a little black dot and next thing you know my finger tip just rotted off." Another guy has some of his toes gone and he said the same thing, little black dot and then the doctor says "got to go," and then snip they took them. It never was any business of mine when people started to lose feet legs from amputation. Now it is my fuckin' concern because I got the diabetes. I was recently put on insulin for  my sugar numbers being high as the heavens. So that was kind of a shitty moment in my life. Don't get me wrong, I have had my good share of shitty moments in my life; you know suicide of my son and high number of deaths in the Reserve. The news of insulin made me quite mournful. Mournful of youth, mournful of mistakes in my life made by me. You see, I never don't think of stuff being on me. I was always at the edge of the pool when it came to wild waves of things. My cousin shoots his wife, I was 15 and he was my older cousin, but wasn't me. A friend of mine hanged himself, I was 15 but it was his family and not me. A car accident killing 5 in front of our house, I was about 8 or 9 but remember it well (our house was on Deadman's curve). The Aunties' house burning down across the highway from us. I was about 14 or 15. Nothing left but the concrete footing of the house. I remember the power lines sparking around and just whipping around on the ground. My cousins without a home, but it wasn't me. 

It's by the edge of the pool but we're not diving in, falling in, or even putting or feet in. It's tragic but not really our fuckin' concern. We have a roof, a bed, a home. You know the world is in a bad way right now. The Earth will always be the Earth, but the world with human beings is in a bad way. But it's not our fuckin' concern. 

Suicide has not really been a concern of mine. Sure I did my first suicide attempt at 17 (gun misfire or no Steve, no kids, not blog). My fixation with suicide, didn't come to much later in life. Again, it was around us and we were not in the pool. My nephew Jay took his own life, long before his cousin, my son took his life. Still at the time of my nephew it was not me. It was me but I still  was just at the edge of the pool. My nieces and the cousins around his age were more in the pool than the edge. It is weird that even things right close to us are still not our fuckin' concern. It's not us, not me. 

I just saw on social media a doctor's post about Loss of Ejaculation when diabetes is long in your life. I was thinking, "I don't know how to feel about that?" I mean, am I going to dip in the pool over this, or just keep sitting at the edge of the pool? And, and to make matters worse, look at this: "Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects approximately 34% to 45% of men with diabetes and has been demonstrated to negatively impact quality of life..."  No damn shit, your quality of life is negatively impacted. God damn, talk about jumping headfirst (get it) deep into the fucking pool. Not just dangling your feet in the water by the edge. Is it in in our fucking concern? Since I am now considered a full-blown type 2 diabetic, should it be my fuckin' concern? The loss of ejaculation is weird though, don't you think? I mean. if Larry Flint has thought us anything, it was the quintessential representation of ejaculation was the shot on someone's face or breasts. With limited ejaculation you are nothing it would seem. Not that I care about following the masses with ejaculation adventures. 

I wonder what else we believe where it's not my fucking concern? Earth quakes happening in Venezuela. Genocide in Palestine where IDF (world's most moral army) are deliberately targeting kids.  On the good side, "more than 100 Catholic bishops, nuns, priests and parishioners joined a procession across the U.S.-Mexico border, urging the U.S. government to treat migrants with dignity and respect." I am not sure if this makes my concern, but what does these days?  I am happy to hear about animal bridges being built. Like last year, Colorado made the biggest animal bridge across a super busy highway. And get this, deforestation in the Amazon (no not the rotten Jeff Bezos empire) has dropped by 24 percent. You can thank the Indigenous people for the drop in deforestation. Also the world increased  use of alternative energy. It is in my fucking concern, because the forests around the world clean the air for all of us. I love the bush, we all should make it our fucking concern. 

My Reserve Chief and Councilors seem happy in their roles but that is not my fucking concern. 

   

Diving in the deep end and not hanging out in the shallow pool. 

I would pay a 100 bucks to see that

 I remember the episode of The Sopranos where Vito is beat to death and a shaft is shoved up his butt. The Lisbeth Salander avenging her rape with shoving a sliver dildo up the butt of her tormentor/rapist. Those fictional shows were memorable. I would pay for a memorable episode right now for some certain villains of society.

I would pay a 100 dollars to see the Orange dude (Mr. pedophile Trump) have a similar experience of anal exploration by Lisbeth Salander or by the old Hillary Clinton lady. Now that would be something the public would love to see.

I would pay a 100 dollars to see the Orange dude (Mr. wants to sodomize his daughter Trump) slide down one of the big twirling water slides, the ones that you exit at a 100 miles an hour and have the same experience on the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas. You know, the infamous decapitating slide. 

I would pay 100 dollars to see Danielle Smith sit in one of James Arthur Ray's Warrior Sweat Lodge. I wonder if she would fare better than James Shore or Kirby Brown. 

I would pay 10 dollars to see Doug Ford get intimate with the Animal Farm's Napoleon (the Pig in the book Animal Farm). Not that I would enjoy it, but I would be paying to see the expression of his face. 

I would pay 100 dollars to see Pierre Poilievre do journalistic reporting in Gaza. 

I would pay 10 dollars to see Mark Carney drink water right out of the Athabasca River everyday, for at least a month. Where the Athabasca River runs through the Tars Sands area. Carney and the Country of Canada see no issue with the environmental concerns raised by the Neechies living there. 

I would pay 100 dollars to see Benjamin Netanyahu smothered, lathered in maple syrup and do the Game of Thrones walk of shame through the rubble of Gaza. With the added nuance of children saying "shame, shame, shame," and then the Yellow Jacket Wasps are released around his walk path. I would for sure pay 100 bucks to see that.

I would pay 100 bucks to see FBI guru Kash Patel, go snorkeling off the coast of California, all the while he is pulling Chum in a cotton sack, tied to his swimming fins. All the while there are camera crews following his day long adventure in the Ocean. I paid to see that.

I would pay 10 bucks to see Kristi Noem be in the middle of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. She would do well with the Bulls as she is comfortable with Bull shit. 

I would pay 100 bucks to see Trump, and his team of retards (the label is only for them) swim in the Porkchop Geyser. Where the water is a nice temperature in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It would be an adventure for them that is for sure. 

Entertainment may come with a cost.