Yet Another Sunday

Fuck Hope, There's No Such Thing
I'm paraphrasing Admiral James Stockdale in the head there. What we hoped would be a nirvana-like Sunday has turned out to be just another day of full-blast construction noise at the construction site next door. The bastards started at 8 this morning. And it's a Sunday, you see; and it's the week that the Holy Day season really begins; but the foreigners who put up the money for this 18-story hotel don't give one shit about the customs of New York City, not one shit about the feelings of the residents of this mostly residential neighborhood, their only feelings are for their current investment situation and the time-bossed schedule they've set up for the construction assholes to follow, the contractors making promises to meet certain schedules and to meet certain costs--and We the People of this neighborhood have to endure it. This noise, for those of you who've never had an 18-story building built right next door to your home, is absolutely nervewracking at its lowest level and absolutely demonic at its highest level. Today's noise is low-level but it's quite distracting and therefore disturbing--tomorrow morning at 7 am, the Devil himself mounts a demonic concrete-busting tractor and then the true hell for residents begins--and goes on for 7 straight unbroken hours--and NYC is right in the middle of a snowstorm, too--but that doesn't stop these construction dudes--they worked Friday all day in almost blizzard conditions--today's like a spring morning for them--it's cold and it's raining, but it's picnic weather for these birds. Another ironic thing about this construction site: this noise is being made by just about 5 human beings--the heavy machinery operators--or today, it's about 4 guys overthere making all the noise--the roar of these hi-revving motors--like the roaring of a garbage truck when the boys are packin' that big jaw on the back there that eats up that garbage and then that high-pitched outrageous high whine when that big jaw takes a big gulp of garbage--or in the case of construction sites these garbage trucks eat wood and brick and dirt and dust--or there are the sounds that are heavy thuds of a big shovel shoveling chunks of concrete into the back of a big high-powered dump truck--accompanying all of this is the constant beeping of those devices laws mandate they put on the backs of trucks that back up--a most irritating peeping beeping sound--God it's devastating to peace of mind. The major brain-damaging sound will occur all day tomorrow when the concrete buster gets back to its full-throttle mode and holy gawd of a million gollies, that's a noise that will send even the most apologetic do-gooder straight into the highest flames of the disruptive lake of fire!

Anticipation is a big problem in living in the heart of Manhattan these days--Anticipation is a form of hope, and hope is the only thing sailors once had, "Their destinies were anchored in hope," and yet according to a sailor, Admiral James Stockdale, there is no such thing as hope--there is faith but no hope--and those who survive have no hope--and those with hope don't survive--and further, according to the Admiral (the most decorated man in the Viet Nam Farce), those who commit suicide were those depending most on hope.

The Admiral in Politics

Admiral Stockdale believed if you are being tortured--and the Admiral was tortured daily and madly by the Cong--the hopeful say, "Oh surely this will end soon; or surely this war will be over soon." Those are the ones who crack up. Admiral Stockdale said his method was to think: OK, I'm now in a world of torture--there is no hope of this torture ending--it will be--it is inevitable--therefore, you say to yourself, fuck these bastards, let 'em torture me, I'm gonna make it, goddamn it, fuck hope.

I am trying to relieve my own mental breakingdowns over this construction noise by following the Admiral's orders!

Admiral Stockdale, in case you've forgotten, was Ross Perot's vice presidential running mate--back when--the same dude who in his first debate his opening statement was, "Who am I and why am I here?" Obviously running for vice president was like being tortured to the Admiral.

Stockdale as a Prisoner of War
On a mission over North Vietnam on September 9, 1965, Stockdale ejected from his A-4E Skyhawk, which had been disabled from anti-aircraft fire. Stockdale parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken into custody.

He was held as a prisoner of war in the Hoa Lo prison for the next seven years. Locked in leg irons in a bath stall, he was routinely tortured and beaten. When told by his captors that he was to be paraded in public, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor to purposely disfigure himself so that his captors could not use him as propaganda. When they covered his head with a hat, Stockdale beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition. He told them in no uncertain terms that they would never use him. When Stockdale heard that other prisoners were dying under the torture, he slit his wrists and told them that he preferred death to submission.

From Wikipedia
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We the People of New York State Bullshitted by Our Governor
Governor David Patterson is a professional politician. His father, Basil Patterson, was also a professional politician. They are members of the New York State black Power Elite, and I make the color distinction because the Power Elite that truly rules us is basically white male. David and his dad have lived their whole lives in the political context. As politicians they are totally interested in themselves, fuck their constituents.

The Governor says New York State is in the worst economic condition ever in the history of New York State--30 billion dollars in the hole--no explanation how this just so suddenly happened, except the Governor says it's because so much New York State income comes from Wall Street. He has to tax the poor he says! Listen to this, he can't tax the rich because if he does, they leave the state and the state loses revenue! However, if the poor leave the state, he doesn't give a shit, though we ask him, if the poor leave the state, who's gonna pay the taxes and tolls and fare increases? How stupid are our politicians? Listen to this, the New York State Governor says 300 million dollars of NY State income came from Wall Street bigshots getting huge bonuses! The Governor says he's for more and bigger bonuses for the Wall Street criminals! It brings him in more money! Doesn't such explanation of flim-flam defy logic to you like it does to me?

This is the kind of backwards thinking that is ruining this nation! Reduce taxes! Reduce tolls! Reduce subway fares! Put off paying interest on borrowed monies!

God, the political context is too scary for hopeful me.

thegrowlingwolf
for The Daily Growler