Christmas Poem 2012

At times like this,
shivering, cold, alone
I don’t care to live anymore.

At times like this I cleave to a faith inferring
a stable in Bethlehem holds promises.

Christmas: Gods Eternal Purpose

What follows is a meditation on the meaning of the incarnation and the subsequent slaughter of the Creator by the ones which were created. Those are the ramifications resulting from the Christmas story.


The Incarnation of Christ is an example of the intent of the impulse motivating causation in the universe. Christ being the eternal Logos, is also 'temporary mankind' suffering the wrath of God as all men and women do during life.

In the art below I attempted to portray the conception of Christ in Symbols of my own devising. It was a meaningful meditation opening up concepts of how the eternal light of truth entered the realm of flesh and blood. For the ones who know Christ it is a holy mystery, for those who do not it is hogwash.

The image can be purchased by clicking on it. You will be taken to Zazzle.com. A wide selection of frames and sizes and price ranges are available

The Incarnation by Hermenutic
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Christ claims to be the 'Truth' the 'Way' and the 'Life'. I failed finding hope and peace in Christ until understanding that 'Truth' is a spiritual discussion the goal of which is a new identity.

I had been taught 'Truth' was to be received, believed and never deviated from. All questions were said to have origins in a lack of faith if the pastor's answers did not make the questions stop. The repeated remedy was to stick with what I had been originally taught come hell or high water. To give in an inch would mean the loss of my soul.

Having done that for most of 5 decades having 'faith' in the bible passages was like reading epitaphs while passing through a graveyard. Eventually I understood it was the framework in which the information about the Kingdom of God was relayed to me that made it incomprehensible. It was an example of the 'New' wine in 'Old' wine skins that Jesus said would happen. The 'Truth' burst the skins and was spoiled. It was spoiled because its potency and vibrancy, the ability to transform the life, had been transferred to the institutional framework of the church. The church substituted a form of doctrinal 'truth' for the genuine article of life in the Spirit. Every instance in which this is the case human beings have suffered by losing the ability to enjoy the presence of God.

Consciousness is the medium in which understanding takes place. Jesus was adamant that his words were 'Life and Spirit' and that those who found refuge in their meaning would never die. That is his claim. He further claimed to reveal a spiritual realm which bible writers dubbed the 'Kingdom of God'. This 'Kingdom' exists apart from the world we ordinarily think is the basis of reality. Jesus repeatedly contrasts this present state of affairs we know as ordinary life with life in the 'Kingdom of God'.

One is the 'Flesh' one is the 'Spirit'. Flesh and Spirit are at war. This is where one seeking to know Christ finds himself. He or she find themselves in a body of flesh and desire. Flesh and desire always lead to sorrow and disappointment. Always. If you don't believe me you have not lived long enough. If you live long enough you will know.

Jesus claimed the Kingdom of God was within us. He described the relationship of God with humans in words which scramble ordinary logic. The only way I could find this believable was if what is meant by within you means within our consciousness. It does not make sense any other way. This is eternal life he claimed. Take a moment to think of the type of relationship the Kingdom of God entails. Jesus describes it in his last private moments with his disciples. You can imagine he was spilling the beans here. He knew this was the last time he would get a chance to say what he had been talking about the last several years. It was now or never and his disciples, dullards that they were, still did not understand.

Reading the passage in this link it is easy to see Jesus is not speaking in parables. He is describing the wide gulf between the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. He is describing the experience and nature of the defining relationships which comprise the Kingdom of God. It is my understanding that this knowledge of the Kingdom of God is a description of ultimate reality now hidden from us by the fact we have bodies and get sick and go to work and die and such things seem to be the most important things of all. This is the context in which the 'Gospel of the Kingdom' is most effective. It is the context in which many if not all of Jesus' parables exist.



Jesus seems to be talking crazy talk. Try imagining what he describes. His words do not reveal any relationship available within the context of a physical body. The closest approximation is sexual love which is used as a symbol by Jesus and other bible writers to describe what the 'Gospel of Truth' reveals in human consciousness regarding God's grace.

The reality of the 'Truth' of the Gospel of the Kingdom is meant to be utilized by consciousness. Consciousness is the domain of the Spirit. It is the place God and the created order meet. It is the only place a relationship such as Jesus describes can conceivably transpire. Consciousness is where Spirit works its magic because the created being is the temple of the living God and consciousness is the seat of 'Being'.




Paul, like Jesus, refers to our being in the Kingdom of God in terminology that defies a physical interpretation.



In chapter 3 of Ephesians he describes the believers entanglement with Christ as 'the fellowship of the mystery'



It should be apparent from the words of Jesus that fellowship with God takes place within consciousness. This means consciousness is the place God is able to be known. I can't think of any other way to reasonably conceive of it after reading the way it is described by Jesus, John and Paul. The description of the qualities of the spiritual kingdom are words associated with consciousness. 'Truth' does not exist independent of consciousness. However, knowing the truth is eternal life. Can it be any more clear than that? Truth is the information God charms us with and which he connects us to himself. Consciousness is the media in which God accomplishes this. Our being is constructed to be influenced by information. There is no truth in the bible until the information in the letters is accessed by a consciousness. It is consciousness which determines what the information in the bible is. Until then it is meaningless. Once it is read it has the capacity and purpose to affect and transform the consciousness involved with it. The simple and yet profound reason for this is that God meets you in your mind.

And all this brings us back to Bethlehem and the place where the controversy between Spirit and Flesh are explained and resolved. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the expression of Gods attitude toward us. Humans are like the young man in this story Jesus told. God is like the young mans Father, according to Jesus. The incident in Bethlehem is a manifestation of the good will of the source of being. Anyone reading this should understand the Gospel of the Kingdom means that the universe is a friendly place. The incident in Bethlehem assures us of that.


That is the purpose of Christ's birth. Peace on Earth. Good will to men. It's just about all he had to say.



I added several discussions on the nature of consciousness which are highlighted. I hope they will enable the reader to explore the concept of the Incarnation of Christ in a personal way.

"I Think I Took Too Much" things to do when it rains

Rain




It's a rainy November day in Warrenton.
It rained all day,
sometimes harder than other times.
The old timers don't comment anymore.

The wind blew hard,
sometimes harder
in repeated surges
separated from each other
bursting like escaped calves from a stall
knocking down fences in a frenzy,
tearing off roof-tops
and disappearing.
.

It's easy to imagine how the coast will take the brunt of climate change. We are truly on the edge of the apocalypse. After seeing what climate change has caused along the east coast the west coast must know its days are numbered.

And if the weather doesn't do it old Mother Earth just might decide to kick Juan de Fuca out of bed and shake things up.

On long rainy days when it get's dark early keeping busy is important. If a person becomes bored in a situation like this the walls start moving. Kind of like 'cabin fever'. To avoid the problem I invade the space of rain and gloom with my camera and imagination.

I saw in the window lights across the street and the reflections on the glass. I wondered if I took a picture if I could capture some of what I saw. Well take a look. I snapped a series of pictures below and added them to each other. Then I began to transform them further.

I worked on these images for a while and came up with a lot of interesting stuff. I put them into the video below. I utilized sounds from freesound.org which added quite an effect to the images.



"Rain" A poem by David H. Roche (c) 2012

All images (c) by David H. Roche

All audio used by creative commons agreements are attributed at the end of the video.

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Carbon Apocalypse

"If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will 'lose for ever' the chance to avoid dangerous climate change." according to an article dated November 9, 2011 by Fiona Harvey in the Guardian. We're a year further on now and in that time the U.S has announced itself to be in possession of most of the carbon based energy reserves in the world.

Prior to becoming 'Oil Rich', dependence on oil was considered a liability and national security concern.

New ways of extraction by an environmentally irresponsible method called 'fracking' have revealed much more accessible natural gas than was available for extraction in the past. While at first glance this largess of newly discovered energy sources seems like wonderful news, in fact the new technologies present a far more serious problem than any geographical or economic enemy could ever present. This technology threatens to extinguish life on earth as we are used to it. Below is a short video about 'fracking'. You should be able to decide if such a business is suited for your community after watching.




Whether or not the earth can continue as a living bio-system is the question now confronting the human race as the result of the new found wealth of carbon based resources. A polluted environment smells like wealth to one percent of the people in the world and the viable quality of drinking water is not an obstacle to these agents of carbon terror while they're on the way to the bank.

The exploitation of these natural resources is aided and abetted by the U.S. government itself. It is a disquieting thought that our public servants think our water supply is not important enough to protect for the 99% of the people who use water as a part of their daily life.


In a New York Times article by Ian Urbina dated March 29, 2012 it was revealed "EPA researchers concluded that some of the drillers' waste was hazardous and should be tightly controlled.
But that's not what Congress heard. Some recommendations regarding oil and gas waste were eliminated in the final report handed to lawmakers in 1987."

Read more:

Along with 'fracking' which is already making life miserable for ordinary property owners, the Keystone Pipeline appears to be saying 'en garde' to the environment. I found the issues laid out for discussion at a PBS website. You can look at how it stacks up.

Think Progress has put together some reasons not to choose an economic future dependent on "Oil Dollars" from the extraction of oil from tar sands in Canada. Take a look at them.

Unfortunately the 99 percent who know better are not in the loop. They have no voice. They've been hung on a cross of carbon and left there for the birds to pick clean. Their voices have been muffled by the covert passing of dollars into the hands of congressional representatives who do what the dollars tell them to do.

The people have no jobs and no money which means they cannot speak. They are trapped. They know they have no future to pass on to their children. They know in their hearts the world and their way of life is collapsing around them. They are scared.


At this juncture you may benefit from the information in the following film, a penetrating social commentary titled "Slavery By Consent: Understanding The Human Farm". I do not subscribe to all the ideas in this, but many insights the film brings to view make me say 'Duh!' Why didn't I understand what was being done to me?

Many people understand something bad has been done to them but for one reason or another do not make the necessary conclusions that will enable them to solve the problems, or even see what the problems are. You can watch the film by clicking this sentence. You'll find some thought provoking concepts.

On the local scene mega carbon dollars are up for grabs for the LNG and Coal industries. The Columbia river has always been prized for its ability to facilitate transportation and trade. It looks Like 2013 will be different only in the projects considered.

Historically beginning with furs and then fish these industries systematically reduced the natural resources to the point where common men and women have a hard time making a living. Robin Trower's designation 'Victims of the Fury',fits all to well as a description of the way things are.

The current industries clamoring to ply their trade on it's banks have the capacity to cause further and even catastrophic harm to the environment and communities associated with them. The track record of the industries involved is not a record that allows confidence.

Their presence represents the potential to create harm that will eclipse the harm caused by the exploitation of fur and fish resources in the past.

This is not to say a catastrophe is certain but it certainly does raise the odds that one will occur.

Just upstream from Warrenton a half hour away by the highway, the citizens of Clatskanie are hoping they will not be victims of dirty coal. The politicians in charge do not have the same fears as the people they represent. Coal production and distribution can have serious problems for life and health. Official response to industrial negligence appears to be the same all over the world. There is an incident from Wales involving a school house with kids buried inside. The catastrophe resulted from improperly stored products of coal production which slid down onto the school snuffing their lives out.

It is not only landslides which coal presents as dangers to those who agree to live side by side with it. But water pollution as well. The list of disasters involving coal production is quite lengthy. Here is a short list of mine disasters in West Virginia. There is little difficulty finding evidence of negative impact from the coal industries on the communities which host them. If you click here you can see how coal affects communities.

In Warrenton a few miles from the sea another carbon based energy export industry wants to set up shop. I have shared thoughts on this prospect before, you can read those thoughts here.

For your reading pleasure at this link is a list of accidents associated with LNG in a report by La’o Hamutuk Timor-Leste Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis. Click here.

Will these industries have a negative impact on the viability of the environment? They certainly have within them the potential of causing tremendous harm. The track record of industries situated along rivers is dismal regarding their effect on water quality. A case in point is the 'chemical corridor' along the Mississippi River. It is clear from this report that the public servants are cooperating in hiding the potential dangers from the people most likely to be harmed.

From an article in UPI.Com at the link above Allen Johnson Jr writes: "In 1999, the chemical industry persuaded Congress to limit public access to the worst-case scenarios its plants were required to submit under federal "right-to-know" laws.

"Filings by 50 Louisiana chemical companies, published in March, suggest a chilling potential for accidental catastrophes reminiscent of the 1984 Union Carbide chemical leak in Bhopal, India, that left more than 2,500 dead and 100,000 injured. In one Louisiana scenario, more than 900,000 people would be at risk from a chlorine gas leak at a publicly owned water purification plant in New Orleans, next door to a popular playground." Emphasis added.

I first learned of the chemical corridor in the late 70's after it was determined that a chemical company had poisoned the community of Love Canal and transferred poisoned land to the community to build a school ground on. That's the kind of people you're dealing with and politicians seem to think these guys are the cats meow. They just love these industries up.

The assault on the Love Canal community is still considered a tragedy and how it happened is recorded in a data base compiled by SUNY Buffalo. A lot of people got sick and died. because of the actions of these corporations in poisoning their living space. You can read how this was done to unsuspecting American families in the book "Laying waste: the poisoning of America by toxic chemicals" by Michael Harold Brown.
It is an eye-opener.

The track record of industries such as the ones that have their eye on the beautiful Columbia River is not to be envied it is to be feared and learned from.

Read more:

With that reality bearing down on the community I began to meditate on the future a Carbon Apocalypse will usher in. I expressed those meditations in artwork.

You may purchase the artwork below by clicking on the images which will take you to my store at Zassle.com. Once there you can select different frame styles and sizes.

You can also visit Art From Another Dimension where I have selected items for sale.

Carbon Apocalypse by Hermenutic
Make custom prints online at zazzle.com

Carbon Sunrise by Hermenutic
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make custom gifts at Zazzle


a Clear Running Water state of mind

Visitation

I had the opportunity to go into town and brought my camera along. Astoria is a charming old city. It's architecture is fascinating to photograph. Situated on the banks of the Columbia River, Astoria is only 4 miles from Washington State where marijuana is legal. Oregon has decided to keep marijuana illegal. I suppose now there will be increased illegal drug traffic and law enforcement expenses thanks to the voters of Oregon.

What follows is some of the strikingly attractive buildings along the main street.

There could hardly be more varied styles juxtaposed together. But it all seems to fit like a patchwork quilt.

My eye was caught by the zig zag of the stairs.

The 'Tidal Rock' I saw for the first time today.

There it is.

This little sign for a coffee shop caught my eye.

The Liberty Theatre is right next door.

My eye gets caught by angles. The angles were what I saw that made me take the picture below.

After working on it it turned into the psychedelic style art below. An ordinary alley

turned into a neat little out of the ordinary poster.

The two figures in the foreground are constructed from pieces of flames I photographed and reassembled. According to biblical imagery God makes his ministers 'flames of fire' so I had that in mind when working on the picture.


Visitation is available for purchase at my store at Zazzle.com by clicking on the image below.

Visitation by Hermenutic
Get the best in online poster printing at zazzle.com

(C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Man and Memes and Saving The Children: Satire

Memes are a function of the synergy which naturally occurs within the relationship of consciousness and information. This indicates the nature of memes is spiritual. The relationship of consciousness to information cannot be defined easily by the physical paradigm. It is much more easily imagined within the relationships of consciousness as in a spiritual dimension. With this in mind it is possible to see that memes are tools which can be used for spiritual warfare.

Man is obviously a feature of the universe which has a fixation with God. Man is the only creature known to have conveyed information from one individual to another about God. Man, if not a spiritual creature, is a creature whose existence has not stopped referring to God.

Since we know this for certain about the human race, it seems reasonable to think of humans as partly physical creatures animated as well as motivated by a spiritual impulse.

A look at history will show right away that consciousness has had a more lasting effect on the development of our culture than the physical aspect of the individual human being. The human body slows down and eventually everything associated with it fails.

The mind also fails but the consciousness it has been involved with transcends this inevitability and continues to exist and profligate in other minds. These activities within the relationship in which they occur are an indication of the spiritual nature of man and his being. To glimpse this intuitively, even briefly, with understanding, can be mind-expanding.


Memes have the potential to be incredibly dangerous. Their ability to monopolize consciousness is their most dangerous attribute. Mass media has the ability to introduce memes at a rate calculated to produce shock and awe in human consciousness that is not self-moderated. This makes the ability to identify memes essential. All too often minors and susceptible adults are left to be victimized by the meme production industry through unscrupulous meme distributors.

Children are the nation’s most essential resource for the future. Keeping their minds free from the noisome clatter and clamor of dangerous memes will enable them to grow into healthy self-aware adults. If memes are allowed into their developing minds their purpose of life will be thwarted by the substitutes of the meme dealers. This happens almost 100 percent of the time when a steady diet of memes become part of a child's developing consciousness.

Memes have the potential to be every bit as dangerous as drugs for a young child's mind. Garbage in garbage out is an old maxim. We can ratify the truth of that theory by observing the effect of mass meme consumption on the youth of the present generation.



In the large social context the effect of memes is easily seen in the transference of cultural abhorrence from Russia and Communism to Muslims and Islam. This transference which we all know occurred happened almost seamlessly in the public mind and without the activity of memes would have not been possible.

The change occurred because information was transferred within a system dependent on consciousness. Millions of human minds received the information and interpreted it.

This demonstration of the effectiveness to persuade produced by memes is an indication of the need to take action. It is absolutely imperative that the minds of the nation's children are safeguarded from evil meme predators. Dangerous memes in the minds of the next generation of leaders and followers will of necessity lead to catastrophe.

If we do not Act Now human history may as well kiss its soul good-bye.

If you are not certain how to identify and separate dangerous memes from beneficial information you should begin by familiarizing yourself with the characteristics of memes. Once you can identify something as a meme you will know to be wary.

The video below is a discussion of the nature of memes. The philosopher Dan Dennett on TEDtalks describes memes and their danger. "Infectious Repeatitis" is a symptom of adverse meme infection in a human mind. Most of us have had these symptoms at one time or another. Its effect is devastating.



Click here to read a web article on the memes among us.

a Clear Running Water State of mind.

The Wrath Of God: artistic commentary on Revelation 16

The plagues described in this mythic literary work are so monstrous in scope as to be inconceivable. I made an illustrated video to go along with the theme of the book of Revelation in the New Testament. You can see it by clicking the first sentence. It will take you to my Youtube channel KaliTheCosmicKitten which can be reached at the sidebar.

The laying waste to earth by extraterrestrial as well as terrestrial and spiritual forces is described with the vividness of a psychedelic experience. I attempted to make the chaos and spectacle in the words of Revelation 16 appear in the art to coincide with the text.

The most obvious feature of the plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation is their geological and ecological categories. Earthquakes, terrible storms, famines, plagues. As I was thinking about this I recalled a description of a native myth of the PNW. Ella E. Clark's collection of native stories from the Pacific Northwest "Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest" is a delightful look into an age when men must have seen horrific volcanic activity. Her book is at the link.

The entire book of Revelation is explained in terms of the 'Wrath of God'. All the horrible things we are warned about are said to be the result of the 'Wrath of God'. This is a concept that has been explained poorly for as long as I know. It stems from the idea that God is like a strict human father who favors tough love. That starting point is certain to lead to an understanding of God that is intolerable. That's how it worked for me anyhow.

The 'Wrath of God' has nothing to do with being spanked by a big Sky Daddy God. The 'Wrath of God' is more like the Buddhist concept of Karma. I say this because of the biblical principles involved. In Romans 1 the apostle Paul explains that the 'Wrath of God' is associated with not honoring the Creator.

What sticks out in my mind from this is how the 'Wrath of God' does not consist of God smacking the hell out of someone. What it does consist of is letting him go his own way and when he gets stuck and can't get out that result is evidence of the 'Wrath of God' in his life. The prophet John in the book of Revelation makes the case that the experience of the 'Wrath of God' is applicable to society as a whole.

That is how the primal scene is represented in the first book of the bible. Human history, according to the Genesis tale, is the revelation of the wrath of God over time. We can reasonably expect the process to speed up as time goes on. The link is to a discussion by physicist Tom Campbell noted consciousness researcher. He has something appropriate to say to this age. The speeding up will increasingly reveal the accumulated results of our behavior as a society and race of spiritual malcontents living in denial of the source of its being.

The 'Wrath of God' is described in the bible as God allowing man to live independently of him. There is a rub. Man must suffer the consequences.

Man's crime against heaven is not a lack of religion. Stop and think about it the major religions require the concepts of 'good and evil' to be part of their way of worship. How does a God, which, according to the myth, forbade mankind to possess the knowledge of 'good and evil' respond to this audacity of man? Man with his religions based on 'good and evil' are yet another attempt to prove God is wrong and man is right.

The crime of man against heaven is that all he tries to do shows that God is no longer relevant to him. Man expresses his degree of respect for God by the care he gives to the gifts God gives him. In the human experience that is life and awareness and all the things that go with creation.

The mythical story holds the truth of the Revelation of Christ given to Saint John. In this graphic description it is not difficult for me to see how society regards the gift of God. We treat our awareness, our bodies, and our earth pretty much the same way.

The media fills our awareness, nutritionally impoverished mass produced food is on the diner table, the water is becoming unfit to drink and the earth is going through changes that have scientists scratching their heads. Is it any wonder a sense of hopelessness is the spirit of this age?

Mankinds life choices have resulted in his becoming a spiritual desperado within a society that enables him to maintain an alternate spiritual path by offering him substitutes for the gift of God. That is one of the lessons from the story told in Revelation.

I was left wondering after I finished reading and thinking about this chapter. Try to imagine the last plague of hail with hail stones the weight of one 'talent'.

A talent weighs 34 kilograms
.
1 Kilogram = 2.20462262 Pounds

Can you imagine a worldwide plague of hail stones 34 times that size?

In this spiritual book the heavens are described as rolled up like a scroll and at the same time the earth is laid waste by geological and economic catastrophes. It's description gives one the bleak sense the photographs of Hiroshima after the first atomic bomb blast leave with the viewer.

I wonder if the universe resetting itself could explain what is happening.

The bible seconds this query and it is also the thought inside the concept of the Kali Yuga and Vedic thought. So we're in good company as far as spiritual authorities go.



__________________________________________________________________________________

After making the initial entry above I came across the information by Thom Hartmann in the video below. The video provides some flesh and blood to the abstract notions of what might happen. Reports like this do not make the plagues of Revelation appear as mere literary hyperbole as they are often regarded.



(C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Reflections Of The Soul: LNG In Warrenton Oregon

The natural gas industry has its eyes on the small community of Warrenton Oregon. If you click on the first sentence you can read a pdf file produced by the Columbia Riverkeeper. Click here to browse through their Website.

Informing yourself will aid your decision making. Take a look at the project as it will be and imagine how suitable it is with the real estate on which it is to be built. The site chosen is basically a sandy, grassy swampland just inside the mouth of the Columbia River.

This geological roll of the dice known as the Columbia River draws trade like a magnet. It has, from the moment it was discovered; changed the environment, population base and society as a whole. This is a direct influence of the trade which commenced and which men have deemed the River gave them to pursue. This is what we do as men.

If this project is chosen some change to features of the Warrenton society are to be expected. Change is a given, all things change. Change is not necessarily bad. It pays to be judicious in areas as important as this.

We all know the dangers that accompany the weather in this area. 100 mph winds are nothing new here. It is also nothing new for refineries to be damaged to the extent their poison is released into the domain of the general public by powerful storms. Take a look at some of the photos on Tony Long's website by clicking this sentence. The storms of 2007 brought not only winds in excess of 120 mph, but also flooding and rapid soil erosion. Imagine how quickly a factory built on sand and grass would erode. Maybe you can be convinced that it can be built safely. I have my doubts that I can be convinced.

Take a look at the list in the first image below and make note of the spills related to storms. I dare you take a look and then believe them when they say if it does happen they will keep the damage to a minimum. Is that good enough for you when there's no use going fishing anymore?

I come from NYS the land where the fish are unfit to eat in more than one lake. You may have heard of Love Canal. All done by well meaning industrialists going about business as usual. Most people find such a risky prospect as the proposed LNG terminal should be undertaken only when much greater need is apparent. Helping someone make a buck is not the proper criteria for making foolish decisions about the land people are going to have to live on. There's people on the coast of the Gulf Of Mexico that can testify to that. Whether or not the likelihood of weather or earthquake can cause a problem which decimates the ecological sanctity of this area is anyone's guess.

I wouldn't be surprised if many agree that to add a natural gas catastrophe to the overall extent of damage done by a natural calamity would only make things worse. From first responders to victims all would be placed in peril by a conflagration that had to be dealt with before rescue could begin. I doubt the community of Warrenton wants to pay for all the safety measures necessary to keep the citizens fears quenched. If they are like the politicians in Birmingham Alabama, of course they will.

We'll just have to wait and see.

I love this old river. Seeing how the tides enter it and exchange with it inspires me to no end. The video below is the finale of the Grateful Dead. It was the last time Jerry played. It seems appropriate to include it. For several reasons.

I went out along the river in Warrenton a while ago and took some pictures. This is the area near Carruthers Park. It is nearby the area proposed to host the LNG facility. Take a look at it and imagine how it will change as a result of this industries interest in the Columbia River.

I've thought about the changes that might occur. As an artist and photographer I like to conjecture about what changes to the landscape might take place. Take a look at my perception of the Riverwalk in Astoria at night after the facility is in place and running.

This is how it looks now.

Text and photographs (C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Is 'Voter Education For All' a national security concern? UPDATE 10/15/2012

Voter Education For All UPDATE:

I posted the initial satire a while back. Today Amy Goodman is reporting on coercion of voters. Click to watch her coverage of this topic. Is this a crude prelude to an all out assault on voter sensibilities? Is it 'free speech' or simple economic thuggery on the part of employers who attempt to influence the voting choice of those economically dependent on them?

This situation is ripe for a worker revelation. (I do mean revelation) In all of this can be seen the operating principles, values and desires of those involved in molding the will of the electoral public.

UPDATED 10/15/2012

Below is the original satire I wrote.


Should we have compulsory voter education as a prerequisite for voter eligibility? The prosperity and security of the nation depend on the success of its business enterprises. As a result this topic is rightly the ultimate concern of the nations leaders.

What do the poor know about business? It is painfully apparent that the poor know nothing about the real world and the way it works. Their lack of knowledge makes their voting a matter of national security. Making sure the poor are educated is therefore a bi-partisan priority.

That is why a coalition of corporately funded charities have developed 'Voter Education For All', a proposed voter re-education program. Republicrat representative from Bumfuck Idaho; Robert Anthony Bastard has introduced it as HS bill 6969.
You can read a brief information piece about Republicrats by clicking this sentence.

Voter Education For All is a charity devoted to providing 'corrective information' designed to re-educate the nations poor voters. Most of the poor do not understand the reason that the 1% need more tax breaks or freedom from prosecution. This bill will remedy that very important deficit in the public mind. It has already passed enthusiastically in the house of representatives and is expected to be received the same way

in the Senate. President Owopaho has said he will sign it into law when it arrives at his desk.

The 'Voter Education For All' program will be implemented at no cost for all of the poor who have not been informed on how to understand things. It will become a mandatory part of all grade school civics classes in both private and public school environments. The goal is to alleviate political discord and enable law makers to simply go about running the affairs of state like an ordinary business.


So the answer to the question "Do you think the poor should be encouraged to vote?" is yes. A well informed voter is an important part of the electoral process. HS6969 will see to it that this important need is filled. Contact your representatives and urge them to vote for this most important voter re-education measure.

WingNutNewsService has offered free airtime to kick-off the program. Watch for their public service spots. Due to the urgency of the danger of voter malfeasance in the voting booth, corporate sponsors have donated their talent from the wide variety of their expertise.




The above is completely fictitious regarding names and events. It should be considered social satire.

(C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Dystopia Is Us

I found this video "Inside Job" in the list of videos that shows up with my YouTube channel. It's the story of how and who ruined American society and stole the hopes and future of an entire generation all over the world.

This is an in-depth look at the situation we all find ourselves in. I especially enjoyed the interview with Eliot Spitzer. He explained the difficulties with undertaking a successful prosecution, but he explained also the nature of the wrongdoing. I came away thinking that what ordinary people consider crime has actually become a way of doing business and we had better get used to it. It appears these criminals have absolution for all their activities.

At about the 7 minute 20 second mark begins a remarkable revelation. In 2001 when G.W. Bush took office the American economy was virile and healthy. It didn't take me long to remember that when Obama took office eight years later the economy had fallen into the crapper. Those who blame the current administration for this mess make no sense at all.

If you can accept this metaphor, Obama was given a three legged horse, a broken economy. He was told he had been chosen to ride the horse in the Kentucky Derby and that he was expected to win. That's about what it amounts to.

Misconduct allowed and encouraged by previous administrations all came to fruition in Obama's administration. It's clear the man has had precious little cooperation in helping resolve the problems he inherited.

The activities of the elected representatives who have concentrated their efforts on seeing to it that Obama does not succeed are an example of malfeasance. Their crass indifference to the needs of human beings places them in the same category I place people like Stalin and Hitler.

The picture below is symbolic of what has been done to the United States. I snapped this picture on Silver Street, In Fleming New York. I wondered why it was being flown. I figured it must have been some kind of protest. I passed this place every day on the way to work and back and finally decided to take a picture of it.

It is highly recommended that you watch the movie. When you hear people blame Obama for the problems the nation is facing you'll know how to regard that information.

Correct information really does a smack down on it's counterpart. This film explains the situation we as a society are in. It addresses the problem and places the blame where the blame lies.

Signals From The River

Signals From The River


The river fascinates me on many levels. Just its sheer magnitude is awe inspiring. But I feel that its natural wonders are just the surface. The river is an entity, a quality, a metaphor, a presence. Further information at this link.

I regard the river with humbleness. It was here before the cascade mountain range and it will be here after it is re-arranged again. It will be here but changed. The same river but a different river. At the link is a discussion concerning the illusory nature of rivers.

Being in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean the fluctuations of the tide are a commonplace event. Sometimes entire logs will be pushed upstream by the tide. A remarkable sight. Anyone who has piloted a boat on the river knows how difficult the tide can be. The enormous amount of energy exchanged with apparent ease and effortlessness by the universe is apparent every day, twice a day. But as immense as the river and ocean are, something beyond,something other,binds them into an even larger system of interdependent relationships. One can speculate on how long something like this can continue to unravel.

And so it goes, in the most overarching of relationships the interdependence necessary to maintain those relationships is discernible. Nothing can exist in and of itself for very long.

The river is a teacher, Koan, a parable. At the hyperlink is a discussion of the river as a metaphor.

When I came into town the skies were cloudless, the air was warm and breezy. I went to photograph. I always find something that pleases the eye. I found some and brought brought them back to share with you in the video below. Enjoy.




Below is one of the photographs included in the video. It is available for purchase by clicking on the image.

Cormorant by Hermenutic
Create a poster online at zazzle.com

(C) 2012 by David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind.

Peaches (a poem about enjoying peaches)

I wrote this poem several years ago. Buying peaches recently I remembered the poem and took pictures of the peaches. I had wished to do this previously but had neither the peaches or the software or ability to use the software.

I pulled out the poem today, originally written in 2007 I believe, and edited it to the point it is seen here.

Peaches

Colors of sunrise in mist
their fragrance
makes me stop
and take one in my hand
as I pass;

soft and fleshy,
sweet juice gushes in rivulets
through my beard
dripping onto my boots

Mmmm.

I put together some pictures to go with the poem in the video below.

All work by David H. Roche (C) 2012

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Drone Systems Inc.

Drone Systems Inc. is offering a domestic product line of its very successful drone combat unit. The unit originally designed for the military as a way of replacing combat troops and eliminating injuries now has an application for the domestic market.

Drone Systems has completely overhauled its military line of combat robot drones to meet the rising needs of the domestic market. Originally intended for the military, the drone robots have all the tools and effectiveness of a military command attack bunker turned toward peaceful means. The domestic product line has been completely retrofitted to the needs of the contemporary American community.

The domestic drone unit is easy to operate and designed for communities of any size, from tiny hamlets to the metropolis. Because of high technology and low labor costs any community can maintain public safety at a 99% savings compared to the average public payroll. The entire force is supervised by one operator from a command bunker. The robot controlled drone public safety agents do not need to be paid and do not require the burdensome expenses for compensation insurance or health insurance. The savings on pensions and wages paid to public employees who simply do not deserve their salaries or benefits will be immense and immediate.

This innovative product will enable any mayor, city manager, county executive or governor to easily balance a worrisome budget and still be able to have a fine Christmas party. All these benefits come about simply by slashing jobs from the public payroll and putting expensive employees on the street.

This robot drone technology when applied to the public sphere is designed to eliminate all but the highest level jobs in governments of any size. Since it has been proven that the working man and women are the problem, eliminating them from the public payroll is the only just and fair thing to do. Making them unemployed has become politically correct. Since they won't work for peanuts, they won't have to work at all.

An additional plus to this technology is that it is easily adapted to the prison system. Communities can now be relieved of the expense of having to pay for someone to watch over the criminals the robots capture. The savings from putting prison employees on the unemployment line amounts to billions of dollars per year nationwide.

Any community can benefit from this product while maintaining the public safety. Putting public employees out of work will result in positive cash flow to any government agency that installs the next generation of drone employee replacements in their city, state or federal government.

Drone Systems Inc. envisions an employee free government bureaucracy with no payroll. You have asked if we can help. Well yes we can. We can end your budget problems now.

Drone Systems Inc. and it's product applications are approved by your Republicrat representative who makes money for us while cutting costs for those managing the economy.


R.A.T. Bastard
CEO Drone Systems Inc.

Social commentary on the tactics of the Tea Party

(C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind

Gods Apothecary - Medical Marijuana

I have been learning about the way in which God made this plant fit into the needs of the human being by making the body with welcoming centers in each cell for the chemicals in the plant. The relationship of the healing compounds in the plant and the receptor sites in the human body have been described as those of a lock and a key.

In the video below the remarkable health nurturing properties of marijuana are discussed. You may find the information in this short film helpful and learn that you might be benefited by it.

The video discusses the potential for producing positive results within the body, results sometime not able to be duplicated by readily available medicines. The testimony of the young lady whose joy and enjoyment of life were restored to her is compelling. It is highly recommended that you spend the necessary moments to watch the video.





My personal experience and regard for the efficacy of marijuana arises from having undergone a brutalizing treatment using interferon. I almost died. I experienced a total health decline requiring that I be out of work for 3 months. Before that I lost 35 pounds At 6'2" I was down to 168lbs and unable to eat. I began to be overcome with fits of rage (a listed side effect of interferon) I lost much of my hearing (another listed side effect) I was overcome with suicidal depression ( another side effect) My blood broke down ( another side effect). There is more that happened to me from taking the drug but that is some of the worst.

Finally I couldn't work anymore. I felt like a truck had run me over and then backed over me again. It was the worst I had ever felt in my life. The doctor wanted me to continue treatment even though hope of success was listed as under 40%. My children told me it would kill me and came to the doctors office with me. One son wrote to me when I asked for advice. He told me he felt the medicine would kill me much quicker than the disease. That helped me make my decision. I had taken the cure. I described the results. One thing I left out. Before beginning interferon the viral count was minimal and the body was holding its own. After treatment the viral count has multiplied out of sight. I was too weak to speak for myself. I'm alive today because I stopped the interferon treatment when I did. No thanks to my doctor that's for sure.

I was in New York, a state with outdated and inhumane laws regarding marijuana. If I had tried to medicate myself I would have been a lawbreaker. A person with need of help from this medicine regards the situation as an anti-human activity directed against him.

I made the photo card below from the first photograph at the top of the page. It can be ordered as a poster if so desired. You can order prints by clicking on the image. It's just a little artistic piece designed to be shared and provoke discussion of this essential topic. Clicking the image will take you to Zazzle.com where the product can be purchased. The image is more easily seen in the cover picture due to increased size.

Gods Apothecary by Hermenutic
More Medical Photo Cards

The relationship of the plant to the human body brought to view in the existence of receptor sites reminds us of the Creator who made the plant with us in mind. A wonderful theme for meditation. The bond of these relationships is eternal because we live and move and have our being within them and are not able to be separated.

A Christian is fortunate in understanding his body as the temple of God where God lives. Gratitude arises as he recognizes the care of the Creator for him or her personally in crafting the body to receive the healing medicine. Meditation on the themes of the love of God in providing a healing plant and setting the proof deep within us is rewarding both physically and spiritually.

Medical marijuana aids and abets healing of body and spirit. It is time to stop the madness. It is time for society to return to humane principles of governing. Giving the individual the key to his own body would be the first step a society which valued personal freedom would take. Freedom is nothing to fear unless the goal is to control.

Below is a video on the topic of creation to aid your meditation.



All images and Text (C) 2012 David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind.

Surveillance State (art poster)

Who would have thought that the U.S. would become a surveillance state like the totalitarian regimes it warned us about? We were told how good it was not to live in them because we were free and they were not free. They had secret police. We, of course, did not.

Once upon a time we had a constitution to guard us from the predatory instincts inherent in the nature of a government bureaucracy. Much of that security has been removed. Now the military can stop you and arrest you. Now the police with encouragement by the Federal Government conduct searches without warrants.

Now personal property can be taken without due process and the owner of the property likewise taken without due process. Experiences like that pissed off Tom Jefferson and George Washington. Depending which side you favored they were either traitors or heroes.

Glenn Greenwald in an article published on AlterNet has described the effect the state of siege on personal privacy has on the human personality and how it will change society as a whole.

Since the surveillance state is a reality I made the poster to reflect that reality. The image at the top of the page (at least for the present) is the image offered for sale. You can see it better in the larger version. It can be ordered in multiple sizes and there are a variety of frame styles and sizes available. You'll have fun watching the faces peeking at you from all angles. It may make you ask: "Where in the world did America go?"

Clicking on the image will take you to my store at Zazzle.com where you can decide which size you want for your wall.

Surveillance State by Hermenutic
Search for another framed art work

Republicrats: an overview

Republicrats

Republicrats are the offspring of Democratic and Republican approaches to extorting money from the taxpayer. They also grant tax exemptions to a lucky few which makes them very sought after people. Their appearance (see image below) is not the result of their unusual approach to the reproduction of their own kind as first assumed. Later research, however, showed clearly that their appearance is due to the change in values required in order to become eligible to be considered a Republicrat.

Republicrat sex shuns conventional human style sexual encounters and instead reproduces by means of group sodomy which takes place in a context known as the electoral process. This process lasts a maximum of two years and culminates on the evening of Election Day. It is preceded by a year long orgiastic courtship resembling a rough and humiliating S & M relationship. Those contending for office behave like inebriated teenagers hurling insults at each other before kissing and making up. The offspring of this mating ritual is the winner of the election. The whole nation "oos and aahs" at him and goes to bed hungry.

For most Americans the method of reproduction used by Republicrats just doesn’t make sense. The birthing process seems even more inscrutable. The birth of a Republicrat itself has never been observed, unlike their reproductive activity. It is known that the gestation of a Republicrat fetus takes place in either the anus or the cheek of the partner designated to give birth.

Gestation for a Republicrat fetus varies from two years, to as little as two months. The raising of the normal Republicrat is unnecessary because they are born full grown. They are freed from the cares of those they serve whose children are raised by state funded day care, taught by state authorized education, where they learn to vote for the Republicrat of their choice when they grow-up.

Republicrats bring new meaning to the word ‘congress’.

Below is an artistic representation of a 'normal' Republicrat. A Republicrat somewhere is leading you into the future.

Art and text by David H. Roche (C) 2012

Co-incidences Involving Interdependent Entities

I just began with a doodle. I took a random picture from my collection and began to monkey with it. The picture I chose is below.



From the image above the one below was taken.





Making pictures in this way is terribly relaxing. The mind and body linkage in the creative process encourages a spontaneous concentration of attention. It is a refreshing sensation to be so fully engaged in the process. The result of simply following what develops can often be startling. I tend to think there is a connection made with the unconscious mind such as in automatic writing. The whole process seems somewhat magical to me.


I made a video utilizing some of the developments as I tinkered with the images. You can see it by clicking here.

All work done by David H. Roche (C) 2012

A Clear Running Water state of mind

A Heron Stopped For Breakfast

The heron showed up this morning at the same time I went out to the pond. He had come for breakfast. It was an unusually bright sunny morning and the bird wafted down onto the half submerged tree where it likes to hunt.

I was on the opposite side of the pond but went to get my camera and went around the pond. I got some good shots of the bird.

Notice the little black bird. I have observed their purpose in life is to act as irritants to every other bird. They serve the other birds the way mosquitoes serve mankind.

I made a video of the photo series I snapped and added some music a friend arranged and played. You can watch A Heron Stopped For Breakfast by clicking.


The images below are offered for sale. Clicking on the image will take you to Zazzle.com where you can purchase a print of any standard size with the choice of a variety of frames

Heron In The Shadows by Hermenutic
Browse for more artwork prints

Heron In The Shadows # 2 by Hermenutic
Order custom prints online from Zazzle.

Either / Or (a Memorial Day Poem)

Either / Or (a Memorial Day Poem)

You can choose sides,
or you can choose compassion.
Choice changes the world.



I was watching the Democracy Now Memorial Day special. Veterans were turning in their medals and explaining why. One after another came up to speak and discard the medals they had been awarded. They were men and women who felt they had been deceived and used as thugs in a criminal gang. One veteran quoted two time medal of honor winner General Smedley Butler saying: 'War is a racket'.

As I watched I realized the vast majority of Americans have not chosen compassion. Only a few have compassion directed energies. Most 'love' one side to the exclusion of the other. Such 'love' is devoid of compassion and amounts to hatred.


What is compassion? Compassion is able to be perceived in the story of the good Samaritan who stopped to help a member of a race hated by his own culture. The Samaritan helped a stranger. He saved his life and paid his bill even though he did not know him. This is an example of compassion.




Human need is the basis of compassion. Choosing sides disallows compassion requiring that you take up a cause directly against other human beings. The last 10 years overwhelmingly display the fruit of taking sides.

If as many who had chosen sides had instead chosen compassion the record of the last 10 years would be significantly different because what is chosen has certain results.

One of my favorite 'good Karma' songs is 'Anthem'. I recall seeing this performance on the Smothers Brothers Show when it was broadcast in 1969. The song reintroduces the idea of making compassionate choices. In 1969 more people were choosing sides instead of compassion. The song is by the Hello People. Enjoy.






Poem 'Either / Or (a Memorial Day Poem) (C) 2012 by David H. Roche

a Clear Running Water state of mind.