::@:: Reality of Dreams ::@::

You know, I haven’t done a “down with the government/consumerism/something else nasty” kinda rant for a while. Sso today I present atriple whammy of bite sized anti-establishment rants for you to think about, consider and maybe even comment on (you do know that you no longer need to register to comments on my blog – well until I update it at any rate).

First up - Gambling and Children don’t mix petition
The Salvation Army, the Methodist church and NCH are continuing their campaign to see modification to the Gambling Bill… I shall quote from an email from the Public Affairs Office:

“The Gambling Bill reaches its committee stage in the House of Lords on Thursday 10 March.
Much progress has been made on certain aspects of the Bill, including reducing the number of new casinos and limiting the use of credit. However no progress has been made on the fact that the Gambling Bill permits children of any age to gamble on certain fruit machines. Britain is the only western country which allows children to gamble commercially, and this has resulted in as many as 1 in 20 children being classed as problem gamblers.

The Government has said that children and gambling do not mix, but has failed to introduce amendments to the Gambling Bill to turn rhetoric into reality.

The Methodist Church, The Salvation Army and NCH have argued that Parliament has a duty to protect children. We have just a week to put pressure on Parliament to act. “

Please note that this is not a bill against gambling rather its asking we put in safe guard to protect children. I have no problems with casinos, fruit machines and the like but for kids to use them seems wrong, in fact seems to weak a word, it is plain wrong. If you agree then you can sign an online petition that the Salvation Army has up (HERE). I know that many of you think these things don’t work well last time the Army and the groups it is working with stood up against this bill it was changed, if it worked before it will work again.

Second – Bill Hicks
Just a quote I found by Bill Hicks that I found to be quite powerful. Remember this was given back in the early 90’s. Its terrible to admit that in over 10 years nothings changed.

“The world is like a ride at an amusement park. It goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question, is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, “hey - don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride…” And we… kill those people. Ha ha “Shut him up.” “We have a lot invested in this ride. Shut him up. Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and my family. This just has to be real.” It’s just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. Jesus murdered; Martin Luther King murdered; Malcolm X murdered; Gandhi murdered; John Lennon murdered; Reagan…. wounded. But it doesn’t matter because: It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love.

The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace. Thank you very much, you’ve been great.” (Sound effect of three shots, Hicks pretends to fall down dead, lights go down.)

Thirdly – Inflexibility and creativity never mix
THIS story was linked to from a comic I read called MacHall. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that a kid was getting arrested for writing a story which never mentioned any names, or schools in particular it was just a zombie story for his English class. It seems that more, now then ever, in the new USofA you can only think what “they” tell you to think, watch what “they” tell you, believe what “they” tell you to believe, and create only what “they” say is acceptable. Who are “they”? “They” are anyone who stifles creativity, freedom, and individuality for control, uniformity, and fear.

On a slightly more light hearted note did you see the picture of the crew at the top of the page in that story… SCARY WHITE TEETHED PEOPLE!!! They’re smiles blind me!

+1
Anyway, that’s my morsels of revolutionary beliefs for the moment. One solution people, evolution. And no that’s not a type-o, we have to “evolve” from the lesser state we seems to have devolved down into in the past decade. We must again aim our species to higher plains, to higher goals and see passed the boundaries of nation and fear and look into that Promised Land of peace and fulfilment. One days Martin Luther King’s dream will be a reality, lets make it sooner rather than later.

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”²
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

I guess with that quote it actuallys makes it 4 things to think on… I leave it there for the moment, so laters people.