if wishes were camels

No, no, it's not quite time to get our hopes up that Crow has returned to the east coast of Canada in spite of the fact I told him the snow was gone and the temperatures have actually hit the high 30's. You already know he went to the Middle East and rather than return, he's taken it as a good time to go exploring. He may be looking for magic inscriptions left by the ancient pyramid builders. I hear there's a rumor they knew some aliens who might have some answers for the mess we're in.. or perhaps they know of a nice planet without humans he can take his friends to til we wise up.

Meanwhile, he told me a joke he wants me to share:

One day, a man was walking along the beach and came across an odd-looking lamp. Not being one to ignore tradition, he rubbed it and, much to his surprise, a Genie actually appeared. 'For releasing me from the lamp, I will grant you three wishes,' said the Genie. The man was ecstatic. 'But there's a catch,' the Genie continued. 'What catch?' asked the man, eyeing the Genie suspiciously. The Genie replied, 'For each of your wishes, every politician in the world will receive double what you asked for'.
'Hey, I can live with that! No problem!' replied the elated man. 'Then what is your first wish?' asked the Genie. 'Well, I've always wanted a Ferrari!' Poof! A Ferrari appeared in front of the man. 'Now, every politician in the world has been given two Ferraris,' said the Genie. 'What is your next wish?' I could really use a million dollars ... ' replied the man, and Poof! One million dollars appeared at his feet. 'Now, every politician in the world is two million dollars richer,' the Genie reminded the man. 'Well, that's okay, as long as I've got my million,' replied the man. 'And what is your final wish?' asked the Genie. The man thought long and hard, and finally said, 'Well, you know, I've always wanted to donate a kidney ... .'

You may notice it's an old joke because of the modest nature of the guy's wishes.. or perhaps he's just not especially greedy. Take care til next time. I promised Crow I'd clean up the crappy postcard he sent but I may surprise him by turning it into a painting. If I do you'll see it here first.
♡

Crow in Egypt

It was very irritating to hear the US government in concert with Israel had suggested the Egyptian people weren't ready for democracy. Are we supposed to have forgotten Iraq and Afghanistan were ready once we'd prepared the ground? Naturally, my friend Crow has taken another detour on his way home. Some events he prefers to see for himself; the rest of us have Al-Jazeera and Common Dreams among many others.

This is not an anti-American revolution but a revolt against an American backed regime. It appears that another piece of the Empire has removed itself from control and that's a good thing. As Pepe Escobar said yesterday, "This is about the millenarian heart of the Arab world possibly on the verge of a seismic shift."  We should wish them well and look to their methods when our turn comes. The heart of the world longs for change.

I hesitate to write about larger issues in the political world because there are so many better equipped than I but I would like to share a song by another Canadian whose heart was forged here and honed in the US - Leonard Cohen:



"Democracy"

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on ...

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

♡