Monkey Tale

I climbed to the top of the highest tree in the forest
Just so I could see the view

But there was a dead monkey up there
And that made me sad

So...
I decided to enjoy my success from halfway down.



It was still very grand
And it didn't smell so much like dead monkey.

An Open Letter to the Democratic Party

Maybe this is our fault. Maybe we weren't clear. Maybe we shouldn't have made it so personal. It doesn't really matter any more, but I feel the need to try to explain it one last time.

When we told you we were #BernieOrBust we meant it, but maybe we shouldn't have made it about Bernie. When we told you we were #NeverHillary we meant it, but maybe we shouldn't have made it about Hillary.

This isn't about them. It never was.

This is about a system of government we no longer believe in.

No... I'm not talking about the Republic. I'm talking about what it has become as a direct result of the so-called "two party system", which has really become more of a single "pro-business" party with two squabbling factions.

We like to pretend this process is Democratic, but it's not. The same tiny handful of super wealthy corporations owns and funds the whole pageant. The same moneyed interests fund both parties and own the media that props it up.

Bernie tried to challenge this system from the inside, and he chose the Democratic party to do it. We supported him because we supported what he was trying to do, and by extension we supported you. 
 
Maybe we should have used the hashtag #DemocracyOrBust. Maybe we should have used the hashtag #NeverOligarchy. Maybe if we had depersonalized it you would have understood our message more clearly. By personalizing it we invited recriminations and bruised egos to obfuscate what we were trying to say.
  
But that's not how hashtags work. Hashtags are reflections of our flawed, beautiful selves in all our glory. They reflect the passion of the moment and as people we can't help ourselves but to write our plays replete with heroes and villains.

And let's be honest, when confronted by an opposing point of view we'd all rather be offended than try to see clearly into a deeper underlying meaning.

The problem with Hillary Clinton isn't that Hillary Clinton is a bad politician.

Quite the opposite. She's an extraordinarily skilled and accomplished politician. The problem is the system she is a part of, which literally legalizes bribery. Being a masterful operator in a system which leverages campaign financing into legislative power and incentivizes corruption by allowing politicians to amass vast personal fortunes by peddling influence is not something to be proud of.

Now it's over.

We're sorry you've chosen not to embrace our campaign to restore Democracy to the Republic, but we will not be unifying with you in support of the Oligarchy.

You're going to have to pull this one off without our help.

Please don't take this as an invitation to debate or persuade. Don't waste your time and ours trying to convince us that your Oligarch is better than their Oligarch or trying to scare us with Donald Trump. We know all about the supreme court. We've heard it all before.

Trump and Clinton are just two sides of the same coin. This isn't an election any more. It's a dog and pony show and when it's over Hillary and Donald will still be going to the same cocktail parties together, with all the same wealthy donors whispering in their ears, smiling for the cameras and laughing at each others jokes.

In four more years, when nothing has changed, we can try again.

A Simple Free Market Equation

In the end
Math don't bend.

You gave it away yesterday.
Ain't nobody gonna give it back.
You're out of the black.

Ain't no exchange,
   no price range,
      no market,
         no store,
            no commodities floor

Sells the shit you really need.
And everybody
   Everybody
      EVERYBODY needs a thneed.

Like a wallet we clutch at some broken old crutch:
   Thinking to much?
   Afraid of the pain?

You can't have a headache if you don't have a brain.
Don't pump blood if you're afraid of the stain.