The Fat Lady Sings

Quote of the Day

...a charter is to be understood as a bond of solemn obligation, which the whole enters into, to support the right of every separate part, whether of religion, personal freedom, or property. A firm bargain and a right reckoning make long friends.

~~~Thomas Paine, Common Sense

The Fat Lady Sings Goes Group!!

Yup – you heard that right.  The Fat Lady Sings has added some other voices to the mix.  I made this decision for several reasons:  My time has been severely compromised of late (Kelley Wenzlaff and her Mom for the House campaign), and I didn’t want The Fat Lady Sings to suffer any consequences. Also - most blogs that survive long-term do so through forming a community.  In fact – some of my favorite stops in the blogasphere showcase a variety of voices, and shine as a result – Blondsense, Night Bird’s Fountain, Shakesville.  It seemed only natural to allow The Fat Lady Sings to do the same.

So – let me introduce you to our new Chorus (you can access their web pages or email them directly through the icons on the left): 

Missouri Mule has this to say about herself: "You don't have to do diddly-squat to get older---matter of fact, you can't even avoid that; but getting smarter---now, that can be a bitch if you try to go it alone.  Life is in a constant state of flux, that's for sure. One day you're a cute girl shyly shopping for your first real plug-in vibrator, and before you know it, your kids are grown, your mother lives with you, and you walk through the kitchen one day and there she sits with your vibrator, working on a crick in her neck.

I don't want to be one of those pitiful old ladies who sit in the corner nibbling on small bits of paper, never joining in any activities, never receiving visitors, never sleeping with the male residents.  Nosirree, not me. I plan to be exactly like I am right now---only a whole lot older and smarter. People will be fighting to get into my nursing home, wanting to come before they're even old enough to be there. I think I've learned a thing or two in my sojourn. As usual, I'm just gonna lay it all out here and let you be the judge. I'm I pushing the edge of the envelope?  I hope so; but I know, by gawd, I am at least getting to the sticky part! It will eventually come down, as it usually does, to the age-old plea of "’Lordy, help us all!’"

Next let me introduce you to T.B., or Teebs as she is affectionately known.  T.B. describes herself as a mid 30s refugee from corporate America whose life is currently changing faster than she can keep up.  She and her husband recently relocated to southwest Florida and are expecting their first child at any moment (and she does mean any moment!).  Teebs writes about everything under the sun over at her home blog, Soul Gardening.  T.B. has one of those special voices – passionate, introspective - dead honest. In laying bare her own soul she speaks to ours – and in profound ways. There’s a poem by Wordsworth that always reminds me of her: “A violet by a mossy stone half hidden from the eye; Bright as a star when only one is shining in the sky.”  I think you will all enjoy T.B.’s inherent luminosity.

Oldwhitelady (or O.W.L.) has what I would call a rather wry sense of humor. Intelligent, articulate - she always makes me smile – and I thoroughly enjoy her no frills take on life and politics. A natural artist – O.W.L.’s métier seems to be comedy, entertaining all and sundry writing a series of delightful shorts over at The Practical Press.  As a matter of fact, she’s been nominated for several Practical Press awards this year, and I say it’s about damn time!  O.W.L.’s home blog is It's Morning Somewhere.

The Culture Ghost and I have been blogging friends almost since I began writing.  We share a love of gardening, theatre, film and politics. He refers to himself as anarchic, misanthropic and somewhat scattered – but I see him in more iconoclastic terms. Culture Ghost doesn’t pull any punches.  He will make you sit up and take notice – that I guarantee!  Expect any and everything.  Culture Ghost is a formidable intellect wrapped around a sensitive soul. He always goes straight to the heart of any matter.  If you are not now familiar with his work, you are in for a treat!

Sumo is rather a rare bird. She speaks in images as well as words. In fact – her selections of cartoons and photographs are famous for not only their entertainment value – but their cutting edge as well. Along with her own blog Sumo Merriment, Sumo contributes to The Blue Republic. We are lucky she agreed to add her unique voice to our mix.  Combining intellects is rather like cooking, you know (an analogy Sumo will appreciate). Adding just the right amount of spice always enhances the flavor. I can assure you Sumo provides the added kick to any combination!

Rounding out our choir is Diva Jood.  Jood says she walks a fine line between being reserved and being a bit of a tornado.  I would say that describes her right down to a ‘T’. Power and grace all wrapped up in a delightful package of intelligence, intuition and warmth. Journey’s With Jood takes on politics in a very human way – how our elected officials choices and decisions affect all of us – for good and ill. Never strident - Jood speaks truth to power in measured tones – but her passion, heart and commitment to the truth always shine through.

And there we have it – The Fat Lady Sings choir of voices. Please welcome them as we set off on our journey. As I’m in a somewhat philosophic mood tonight – indulge me while I quote one of my favorite poems. It’s by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I think it suits the circumstances. I had this printed in my High School yearbook to the utter and complete befuddlement of all concerned:

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

A sense of Community

Kelley Bell here, stepping in for FLS, and hoping she is pain free very very soon.

http://kelleybell.blogspot.com

This summer, my neighbor got toilet papered.  It was the great grand daddy of all toilet paper capers ever.  Six wholesale cases, of sixty-four double rolls of angle soft covered this woman’s roof, lawn, trees, and car, with a four inch thick blanket of soggy septic snow.  In addition there was some property damage to the car, lawn and mailbox.  (Apparently, the wealthy granddaughter of our school board president was involved in a teenage love triangle with my neighbor’s son.)

She gathered together a group of hooligans, and used mommy’s credit card to fund her ugly assault. My dogs woke me up in time to write down the license number of the shiny new Cadillac SUV, and call my neighbor, who gave chase to the families’ private compound.  As dawn broke, the police were assessing the damage and conducting interviews.  Apparently the girls’ parents were not going to admit anything, and attempted to file trespassing charges against my neighbor if she did not drop the matter. 

According to the girls’ law firm, “The compound is a private street.”  The ploy did not work.  It might have in the old days, but the power of public awareness thwarted the plan.  Charges were dropped on condition the young lady make a public apology and accept full responsibility for her actions, a condition she venomously opposed.

I barely know my neighbors, but on this occasion we emerged from the privacy of our property lines and came together to help the family in need.  We brought ladders and poles, doughnuts and coffee, and spent the day united by common cause, mitigating the damage of a spoiled little vixen accustomed to unlimited wealth and power. It was a rare moment of community empowerment.

According to the book "Better Together: Restoring the American Community," by Harvard professor Robert Putnam,  “participation in public affairs and time spent with family, friends and neighbors have all dropped by 25 percent to 50 percent since the late 1960s.” It's the new American way.

We communicate with strangers on the internet while hardly talking to the neighbor next door. We know all about the personal affairs of celebrities, but know nothing of the people down the street.  Even though we spend thousands of dollars each year in the local grocery store, the clerks never greet us with “Good morning Mrs. Jones, how are the kids these days?”  They view us as strangers with potentially bad credit each time we swipe our card.  Our communities have become too anonymous and transient for the social ties of old.

Putnam’s recent research shows “the more diverse a community is, the less likely its inhabitants are to trust anyone…They don’t trust the local mayor, they don’t trust the local paper, they don’t trust other people, and they don’t trust institutions.”

A study by The Ohio State University, “found that many voters were becoming timid and apprehensive about participating publicly because of the polarization of politics.”

But is all this a bad thing?  Will it lead to an overpopulated planet of isolationists?  Will it dissolve the fabric of society and lead us to ruin?  The truth is politicians, people, and institutions should not be trusted.  History offers a long list of examples. 

And The People are not going to put up with it anymore.  We are going to change the game.

With the internet, and other forms of long distance communication, we are no longer viewing the world through a keyhole, receiving censored information, and forming our worldview on the rhetoric of local leaders with hidden agendas.  We are taking charge of our own lives, searching for our own answers, and trusting our own instincts.  We are networking and spreading information that the gatekeepers can not control.  Through technology and education, we are transforming humanity, from a mass of ignorant sheep, herded by the powerful few, to a powerful group of well informed global citizens, who will control the actions of our leaders, and hold them accountable for what they do.

Hopeful signs of this new connection abound in cyber space.  We are becoming part of a global village, a wider, more diverse, more informed, more empowered network of citizens, connected through our keyboards, on a wireless network that will bring us together, and change the world.

Putnam tells us “that renewed social activism will soon counteract social alienation in America.”  We are breaking old ties and forming new nural connections like as the giant brain of the collective consciousness.  In Putnam's book, the author stresses the importance of participatory involvement, and the creation of grass roots networks to create new opportunities for people to find their own public voice rather, than relying on organizers to speak for them.

This is the key to the revolution.  People no longer need to define themselves based on the acceptance of their neighbors or local church.  We no longer feel the need to conform.  In the not so distant past, non conformists who refused to bow to authority were ostracized by their communities, and suffered enormously for it.  They were cut off from social relationships, from access to goods and services, and left to contemplate their views in the dark shadow of doubt.  But today, that model is melting away like snow melts in spring.  A new hope is budding from the grass roots of the earth, bidding us to bloom and grow as we see fit.  People come together not for the basic human needs of acceptance with whomever lives near by, but they come together for higher causes, and connect for purpose of community growth rather than self need.

Putnam talks of individuals “building and applying social capital.”  He tells us of “the hope that new forms of social connection might be invented in order to revive our communities.”

He describes compelling ways in which civic renewal is taking place, explaining that “hardworking, committed people are reweaving the social fabric all across America, in innovative ways.”

We are using the World Wide Web to reach out and find other people who share our viewpoints.  We are learning compassion for people from other lands, other cultures, other colors, other belief systems, and other lifestyles. We are standing together against oppression, greed and the unbridled power elite.

A grand shift is taking place.  We are rejecting the old model of community, based on geographic location, sameness, and social hierarchy.  Individual activists, driven by vision are becoming a great force for change.  They are building cyber communities and uniting the global village with uncensored voices.  We The People are learning that we DO have the power to create change, that people all over the world deserve to be accorded basic civil, and human rights.  We are learning that our leaders do not always stress this ideal because it comes into conflict with their path to power.

Therefore, we question authority.  We mistrust the messengers.  We march to our own beat.  We find the truth behind the spin, and stand together for justice. 

We choose our communities from a much wider pool, and we have learned, for the first time in human history, to trust ourselves, follow our own hearts, and to unite as citizens, not for mere acceptance, but for principle and cause.

With the internet, we can choose whether to connect with the people across the street, or the people across the world.  It is empowering, and gives me reason to hope. For the fate of the future literally rests at the touch of a keyboard, in our very own hands.

-Get well FLS.  We miss you.

Basic Housekeeping

Primed and ready?  I do hope so.  One thing, though, before we start.  File this under 'rules of the road': 

1.  Do try to follow the thread of each conversation.  The operative word here is ‘try’.  Believe me, I’ll understand if the spirit moves you – we all need to exercise our demons before they shrivel our souls – but if we are talking about, oh, say, string theory and it’s spiritual implications – interjecting comments regarding your aunt Ethel’s recipe for green apple turnovers, or pontificating on President Bush and the art of bicycle maintenance just won’t fly.  Oh – and about that Bush thing – don’t worry, children – we will eventually cover enough governmental folderol and whoohaha to satisfy even the most ravenous of politico’s.

2.  How to follow a thread.  You will notice multiple topics.  Just click on a subject heading that interests you, and off you will go, over the river and through the corners of my mind (ha - gottcha!).  Perhaps this would be a good time and place to say ‘I might as well tell you - Vanderhume is dead’.  (Wait for it – wait for it – still nothing, hmmm?).  Or not, as they say, depending on your knowledge of Harryhausen trivia.  Sorry – had to, don’tcha know.  Following an irresistible impulse (speak ta me Jimmy – tell me all about it!).  Always dreamed of accepting some extreme award, looking out over a sea of vacuous faces, only to confound them with a pithy remark – you know – just to establish my ‘otherness’.  Frankly, I’ve never really been the ‘joining’ type.  Always preferred the iconoclast label – so that means I’m not exactly a three Musketeers fan.  Cyrano’s more my speed, though I can’t say I emulate his altruism (more’s the pity).  I try though, God knows I try!     

Got it? Good.  So, boys and girls - where oh where shall I start?  Not much going on in the world these day’s, is there?  Such a dearth of important issues, I just don’t know where to focus my feverish little brain.  How's about -