I Don't Think the Buddha Knew About Pot

From my introduction with Zazen, I've come away with the notion that the Buddha is asking for us to integrate ourselves in the moment and recognize now.  Pot is great for that.  Once you get past the feelings of paranoia and the sinking feeling in your stomach, pot zones you out.

You don't recognize time- if you're relaxed.
You don't stress about the moment- when you relax.
You don't really care- after you relax.
You just are and pot helps you relax.

That's my understanding of the goal of Zazen, which is better known as the Zen Buddhist tradition. 
In the grand scheme of things, I think I want a stoner holding the trigger for us.
A coke-head will overreact and push the button too soon. 
A drunk will be more prone to act like a  belligerent bully.
A pot head's going to take a while to pull the trigger on a war or set off a nuke. 
A pot head might relax and contemplate more readily than any other drug user.
Pot is our way to peace, but first we have to get past the notion that peace is a bad thing.
The United States of America is not a peaceful country.
We like war.
We like winning.
We don't want to negotiate.
We want to dominiate and be proven right.

http://tobkes.othellomaster.com/archives/2007/03/
I think the Buddha was on the right path (as was Jesus, Socrates & Mohammed) but I don't think he knew about pot.



Current Affairs

I went to the Slayer/Marilyn Manson concert a week ago. 
I live in the Desert Southwest area and the concert was outside.  It was about 105 degrees outside.  In the seating area, it was probably 30 degrees hotter.  I was melting and Slayer was kicking ass.  Manson came on and the tempo slowed down to a melancholy thrumming vibration from the walls of sound on stage.  I hadn't been to a show like this in years. 
It was my first time seeing Slayer live.  I've listened to their music over ten years.  My wife went to see Marilyn Manson.  The crowd is always interesting.  This time I found myself in comparison- contrast mode.  The girls didn't have big hair and mini-skirts, but they were still dressing as slutty as ever.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Indians were the one thing that seemed the same as in years past.  They were steadfastly representing in concert shirts at the thrash show in respectable numbers.  Some of Manson's fans were a bit odd (wearing face paint and what not,) but it was an enjoyable show and a pleasant crowd.
Although I am again forced to realize that no longer am I a young man. 



Getting to Know Your Government

The rules for the United States Senate are detailed in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution.  Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution lays out the requirements for being a Senator.  Only four requirements must be met to be a U.S. Senator.

 1. You have to be appointed by the state you represent.
 2. You have to be over the age of 29.
 3. You have to be a citizen of the United States for no less than 9 years.
 4. You have to be an inhabitant of the state you represent.
         http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlei.html#section10

 U.S. Senators have "worked" the following number of days this year so far:
  16 days out of 31 in January 2007
  12 days out of 28 in February 2007
  21 days out of 31 in March 2007
  10 days out of 30 in April 2007
   15 days out of 31 in May 2007
  18 days out of 30 in June 2007
  15 days out of 31 in July 2007
  August is to be determined
       http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ds/h1101.html

  -U.S. Senators have exclusive Senate access to a state-of-the-art fitness spa complete with massage rooms and a defibrillator.    
      http://www.patriotvocals.info/PatriotActivismMarioGovtIssuesSenatePerksSpa.htm

  -At least two free office spaces
  -Free foreign travel
  -Free postage
  -automatic pay raises
         http://www.russfeingold.org/pay_raise_jan_04.php

  -Free life insurance
  -A staff allowance of at least $400,000
  -Expense account for telephone and office supplies
  -32 free roundtrips home a year
  -Access to a film production studio
  -Free fresh cut flowers
  -Free income tax preparation
  -Use of Senate baths for $100 a year        

       http://www.purepolitics.com/edu/mrsmith/pureperks.htm

Then there's Mitt. 
Is America ready for a Mormon president?  It was less than 200 years ago that American mobs were driving Mormons westward to the deserts of Utah and Vegas.

I'm thinking Mitt and Rudy have got as good a chance of winning as Bill Richardson.



Tip of the week

Find people that stimulate you mentally. 
You will be challenged and receive benefits from that stimulation well into your future.



Birthday Shout Outs (September 2nd to September 8th)

9-2

(1964) Keanu Reeves- His work in River's Edge pretty much foreshadowed his acting style for the rest of his career, but the first Matrix movie was ground-breaking.

(1968) Salma Hayek- She's all right.

9-3

 (1955) Steve Jones- The Sex Pistols made their mark.

(1965) Charlie Sheen- He's got Red Dawn, Platoon and Young Guns on his resume.  I guess that makes up for "Two and a Half Men."

9-4

(1908) Richard Wright- You've got to acknowledge when an American brother managed to overcome adversity before Civil Rights.
(1951) Martin Chambers- The Pretenders had their moments.
(1960) Damon Wayans- He was a funny guy and "In Living Color" was one of the best sketch comedy shows ever.

(1960) Kim Thayil- Soundgarden had a nice sound.
 (1970) Ione Skye- She was in River's Edge and Say Anything.  That's enough to make my list.
 (1981) Beyonce Knowles- Can you say, "ba donka donk?"

9-5

 (1847) Jesse James- He proves that life is a lot like professional wrestling- whether you're a good guy or bad guy you're only as important as the number of people that talk about you.
 (1929) Bob Newhart- A very funny man.

(1940) Raquel Welch- She was a hotty.
 (1946) Freddy Mercury- He helped create the beat that made Vanilla Ice rich.
 (1966) Terry Ellis- En Vogue had some nice songs.



9-6

 (1888) Joseph P. Kennedy- You can blame this guy for Ted, John F. and Robert Kennedy.
 (1939) David Allan Coe- He wrote quite possibly the greatest country & western song.


(1943) Roger Waters- Pink Floyd, at their pinnacle of success, was the greatest band ever.


(1944) Swoosie Kurtz- She was in Slap Shot, Wild Cats and Bubble Boy.  Once again- good enough for my list.
 (1947) Jane Curtin- An alumni of Saturday Night Live.  She was one of the best straight characters from any SNL cast.
 (1964) Rosie Perez- Associated with "In Living Color" and White Men Can't Jump.  That's an awesome career.

9-7

 (1936) Buddy Holly- He was a pioneer in getting rock music a mainstream audience.
 (1949) Gloria Gaynor- What would sad, drunk women do at karaoke bars without her.

(1951) Chrissie Hynde- Once again, the Pretenders had their moments.


(1951) Julie Kavner- The lady behind the voice of Marge Simpson.
 (1964) Eazy E- Rest in Peace.


9-8

 (1925) Peter Sellers- The Pink Panther movies are classics in comedy.
 (1932) Patsy Cline- A lasting pioneer in country music.
 (1947) Benjamin Orr- The Cars were an awesome band with amazing longevity.
 (1948) Akihisa Mera aka Great Kabuki- He proved you could draw wrestling crowds without speaking.


(1964) Scott Levy aka Raven- A very interesting wrestling character.


Belly Laugh

Jack Paar on the Johnny Carson show. 

This is a nice piece of nostalgia that demonstrates life wasn't a cleaner place to be, they were maybe a little more apt to color up language and allude to the obvious but perverse undercurrents were still there just not as honestly expressed as today.