Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Mars or . . . Say What?!?
Just got the latest issue of Rolling Stone a few days ago. RS has had some pretty damn interesting articles in the last half-year or so, as more and more of the corporate media decides to pursue profitablity by emulating the FOX model rather than respectability. Even that's not quite right, since the corporate/republican repeaters of their daily talking points possess such a disproportionate share of the media environmnet; even when someone in the more established media trys to follow through with some journalism, the din of the attack dogs can make them appear to have lost respect. Like ABC, Dan Rather and all that shit. Anyways, often RS and Playboy are the only periodicals that will contain article that can channel a bit of what's left of counter-culture.
This last one contains a major article where a space-suited astronaut be standing on the red planet, while large font type says something to the effect of: 'While it may ultimately prove impossible, and while it will surely take decades and cost well over 500 billion dollars, Nasa scientists - convinced that life on Earth is DOOMED - are determined to do whatever it takes to save the human species by colonizing Mars.'
Then you read this article and there's just quote after quote by these scientists who have pretty much given up hope that our species will be capable of evading self-destruction if we remain bottled up on planet Earth. Some also mention an asteriod as a planet killer, but I think we all know at this point that their talking about depletion of resources, nuclear warfare, and global climate change.
Hell, we all heard about the 24-year old college drop out that the Bush Administration had appointed to Nasa as some sort of minder for the career scientists over there. When he wasn't figuring out ways to turn the model of the Challenger on his desk into a water bong, he was modifying their public statements to water down any language regarding global warming. Just one obvious propagandist plant like that has me screaming in outrage, but I've learned to exhale and realize that most of my fellow sentient beings choose bliss over reality.
So the fragile, beautiful life that has slowly blossemed over that last few million years in the garden of our sweet, Mother Earth is doomed. I'm not going to dwell on it too much, in a way I think it is just a characteristic of our species. In my poetry I've often tried to work out an witty line where a single element of bacteria comes to consciousness and realizes that the spread of its kind will kill the host and take them all down with it, but if if feels guilty or not will have no effect on the spread of the bacterium. Believe me, Goddess of Nature, I feel plenty guilty.
Yet I find myself quite upset about this whole 'the human race must go on' bullshit. If life on earth is doomed, and a big ark is going to be built to take a select few to a new planet - it sure as fuck won't be the children of my social class that get to go. Oh sure, a few of them, those who 'rose to overcome adversity', proved themselves exceptionally gifted at absorbing the instutional education system, and then found niches for themselves where they could make themselves highly useful to the goals of the ruling class while remorselessly shitting on the brothers and sisters they left behind - they might have some technical jobs over on Mars. The bulk of the ark will be filled with those who can afford it, however. The same folks who've spent the last forty years working a machine that purposely prevented our species from having the sorts of discussions that might have lead to greater equality or a chance to save the planet.
Much as the sci-fi lover in me wants to daydream about life in the future on other worlds, the socialist in me says fuck ya in the eye. If we're going down I want to see every one of those fuckers going down with us. Ain't no 500 billion of our tax dollars need to be spent on the chance that the Bush twins might be able to escape to serve as brood mares and carry on that noble bloodline. No. Spend that money on social programs so at least the last few generations of Americans can enjoy part of the last tragic acts on our world's stage.
To quote the Lizard King:
Five to one, baby, one to five,
No one here gets out alive!
This last one contains a major article where a space-suited astronaut be standing on the red planet, while large font type says something to the effect of: 'While it may ultimately prove impossible, and while it will surely take decades and cost well over 500 billion dollars, Nasa scientists - convinced that life on Earth is DOOMED - are determined to do whatever it takes to save the human species by colonizing Mars.'
Then you read this article and there's just quote after quote by these scientists who have pretty much given up hope that our species will be capable of evading self-destruction if we remain bottled up on planet Earth. Some also mention an asteriod as a planet killer, but I think we all know at this point that their talking about depletion of resources, nuclear warfare, and global climate change.
Hell, we all heard about the 24-year old college drop out that the Bush Administration had appointed to Nasa as some sort of minder for the career scientists over there. When he wasn't figuring out ways to turn the model of the Challenger on his desk into a water bong, he was modifying their public statements to water down any language regarding global warming. Just one obvious propagandist plant like that has me screaming in outrage, but I've learned to exhale and realize that most of my fellow sentient beings choose bliss over reality.
So the fragile, beautiful life that has slowly blossemed over that last few million years in the garden of our sweet, Mother Earth is doomed. I'm not going to dwell on it too much, in a way I think it is just a characteristic of our species. In my poetry I've often tried to work out an witty line where a single element of bacteria comes to consciousness and realizes that the spread of its kind will kill the host and take them all down with it, but if if feels guilty or not will have no effect on the spread of the bacterium. Believe me, Goddess of Nature, I feel plenty guilty.
Yet I find myself quite upset about this whole 'the human race must go on' bullshit. If life on earth is doomed, and a big ark is going to be built to take a select few to a new planet - it sure as fuck won't be the children of my social class that get to go. Oh sure, a few of them, those who 'rose to overcome adversity', proved themselves exceptionally gifted at absorbing the instutional education system, and then found niches for themselves where they could make themselves highly useful to the goals of the ruling class while remorselessly shitting on the brothers and sisters they left behind - they might have some technical jobs over on Mars. The bulk of the ark will be filled with those who can afford it, however. The same folks who've spent the last forty years working a machine that purposely prevented our species from having the sorts of discussions that might have lead to greater equality or a chance to save the planet.
Much as the sci-fi lover in me wants to daydream about life in the future on other worlds, the socialist in me says fuck ya in the eye. If we're going down I want to see every one of those fuckers going down with us. Ain't no 500 billion of our tax dollars need to be spent on the chance that the Bush twins might be able to escape to serve as brood mares and carry on that noble bloodline. No. Spend that money on social programs so at least the last few generations of Americans can enjoy part of the last tragic acts on our world's stage.
To quote the Lizard King:
Five to one, baby, one to five,
No one here gets out alive!
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Love the Morrison quote.
I don't think I would want to live in a world where only the elite are selected. Yep, I'm pretty damn sure of that.
I don't think I would want to live in a world where only the elite are selected. Yep, I'm pretty damn sure of that.
ah, the sun will go out tomorrow....betcha bottom dollar it will....
i have a lump about the size of a golf ball on my forehead from banging it on the wall by my computer...between foret gump's fuck up's and the religious right i am constantly banging my head...ahhh morrison quotes...my kinda guy..
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i have a lump about the size of a golf ball on my forehead from banging it on the wall by my computer...between foret gump's fuck up's and the religious right i am constantly banging my head...ahhh morrison quotes...my kinda guy..
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