Rants

Every one you know seems to be maturing? Who are these people? If you don’t think your mature enough for a “real collage” you might be surprised. . . You will be surprised. The growth your looking for may just come with a new situation. I really do think that putting your self in the freshmen dorms and just kind of jumping headlong into the whole thing would be a big help to you. (I didn’t really get that chance living in the hotel 75 for my first semester) This is as I’ve said before also selfish on my part (assuming you would come to NDSU) because I want you up here. I don’t think we ever had enough time to really get to know each other which is odd because its been along time. I guess I don’t understand how Brittany and the driver’s license makes us not be peers any more. That just doesn’t make any since to me. As for bleu I don’t remember that moment as clearly as you because I’ve had so many of those moments. That’s really how me and Gross got so close we studied film, probably a few hundred or so. Art has a way of unifying people. Its just a way of saying the unsayable. The people I know are what dives me forward its simpler for me to do things for other people then to do for my self. But do not fear; fear eats the soul. So come up to Fargo you might learn something and the change of scenery might do you good. Well do something anyway your not going to win this race standing still (and you probably already know that).

Yours in ten minuets or less (or your pizza is free),
Jeff Forshée

I had a conversation with Andy Borne a while back where I said something to the extent that the only way to keep America on top was to keep china poor by any means possible.  He called this Malthusian and frankly I have to agree with him, and more so with Malthus.  While his equations may not have been correct, there was no way he could have predicted the advances of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. Don’t give me any of that optimistic “we’ll find a way” bullshit, we are draining the topsoil at a staggering rate, and as if to add insult to injury we are beginning to use food to power our vehicles (think ethanol)?  Do you have any idea how many calories it takes to power a car? By pure food value a gallon of ethanol has 244,939 (cite: http://reddit.com/info/drah/comments) That’s enough to feed 122 people for a day or more… to get you what? 25 miles? Blasphemy. I’ll come back to why I hate ethanol in a later post.  Anyway, back to china.  Simply put they need to be kept poor for the worlds sake.  Think of the energy demands that would be put on the world if 2 billion Chinese suddenly lived the extravagant American lifestyle.  The world simply couldn’t take it.  America needs to stop importing Chinese goods, for import is undeniably dragging down American Business,  and a huge piece of the Chinese import is from Wal-Mart (despite me liking their anti-union policies) and they need to be stopped.  As much as I enjoy the utopian idea of a completely free, self regulating market, we’re not ready for it, theres too much imbalance, and buying things from china puts American companies out of business, or worse yet sold to China.  In example, RCA’s Television Manufacturing Division.  Well that was random, but it’s a post.

Love and Kisses
Jesse Donat

Here I am, 7 am, unable to sleep, so I figured I'd give a go at writing you a letter. It's come to my attention lying here staring at the ceiling, that it bugs me more and more as times go by how everyone I know seems to be maturing while I sit here stagnating, and honestly despite being two years out of high school, I don't believe my self mentally mature enough for a real college. While most everyone I know has been off making new friends, learning social skills, having the times of their lives, I've just been dawdling away my life because of some mistakes I made in high school and the time thereafter…

Another thing that part of me is trying to talk me out of saying is that part of me spites Brittany. She's never done anything to disserve ill feelings, and quite honestly has always come off as downright nice, but the childish part of me see's her as someone taking away a friend. I don't mean any offence by this, its just a… I suppose subconscious reaction. There is a selfish part of me that honestly wants to hold you back, part of me that didn't want you getting your license. Part of me that wants to keep us peers, so I can have someone I can relate to, but I digress.

I've spent this last week moping around, knowing everyone was going off, a couple of them never to return, and with Paul gone likely never seeing a good number of the ones who do return again anyway. I've been unable to sleep most of the week, and that’s led to a lot of reminiscing. For some reason the one moment that keeps coming up in my mind is when we watched Bleu in Gross's basement. You probably hardly remember it, but something about that crystallized in my mind, and is remembered as one of the highpoints of my life.

I just want you to know, never let me or anyone else for that matter hold you back, as if I could. I hope no offence was taken to this latter, none was meant. This ended up being a lot more honest than usual, perhaps more honest than I want to be, but oh well.

Wishing you the best,
Jesse Donat

As many of you are aware, the British Intelligence Service and Scotland Yard disrupted a major plot within the last few days to blow up ten commercial airliners traveling between London and the United States. President Bush is right to indicate that this plot is proof that we are a nation at war. The Democrats on the other hand have crawled back into their little ball of nonsense. The right honorable gentlemen Sen. Edward Kennedy was quoted by the BBC saying: "It is clear that our misguided policies are making America more hated in the world and making the war on terrorism harder to win" (link). The left actually believes we are fighting an enemy that would just leave us alone if we "played nice." Instead of acknowledging that we face an enemy more determined than any we have ever faced, the Democrats care little about the truth and more about bashing the President. Al-Qaeda has been determined for the better part of two-decades to bring America to its' knees. I'm highly skeptical that they're just going to stop because we leave them alone.

As long as there are terrorists who desire the US?s demise and countries that harbor and promote terrorism against the United States, we are a nation at war. Diplomacy must always be the first recourse when dealing with a dangerous regime but the 1990's were proof of Iraq and Afghanistan's refusal to deal the US and the UN in good faith. Approximately 10 different Security Council resolutions (I have an earlier post documenting this) were passed during that decade that called for negotiations and then military action should Iraq defy the resolutions. Each time Iraq violated a resolution, instead of taking the promised action, the Security Council simply passed another resolution telling them they had been "bad." In the case of Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they simply refused to negotiate in good faith all together. Diplomacy was given 10 years and nothing in the way of progress was made. The world simply has a weak stomach for leaders who follow through on their promises. This is why the world hates President Bush, and why I have no regrets about voting for him.

I started a letter in my head. It began: “You know the sound that a pulley makes banging against a flag pole? That is how I feel right now.” It will not have a middle. It will not have an end. Sad dreams of distant happy tomorrows. I find myself arguing with the clock instead of working on art and the New Language. Car ride home with Tina and Michelle. Said blissfully too much. Contented. Just failed my driver’s test. Always calm about these things. I will have no problems next time. (Though that won’t be for three weeks so if I do me and the clock will come to a head.) Next year spreads out wide in front of me. The summer will have been a good one. I have been called a nice guy and a poet both by people who would know. Some one needs to yell at me to get music and comics up. Though it seems there really aren’t any fans of my music. Just called nick asked him what the deal was. . . He said who is this. . . I told him all else remains a mystery. Said he was at work told him to call me back. I found my self laughing through the whole conversation. Very Buda I think. Nick seems cornered I think, says “now is not the best time I‘m at work” is there anything more then yeah haven’t talked to you in a year. With the new language we build houses (aedificare) and bridges it seems. Could this turn out the same as our rift? Seems to good. But I am in high sprits now. I have a woman and a guitar there is love to make and songs to write. May the vast open horizons great you as pleasantly.

Yours in truth,
The eternally waiting, Jeff Forshée

Kafka died a few days ago. The fear that I would slip away with him was overwhelming. Couldn’t sleep. Thought I wouldn’t wake up. Instilling a perfect fear of death. Unable to operate under those conditions. So the fear lays dormant. The fishing is good here; It sustains me. I am half looking forward to and half dreading next year. Maybe the system will give me the forward motion I need and have needed for a long time. I miss people. . . I don’t know weather that is specific beings or just in general. What is our deal? Most friends are “there for each other” and that really doesn’t apply to us. . . At least in the conventional since. We have to much hesitation. Far to much. I realized the other day that when I die (or before hand) that people will be able to understand me at least in some since. I will have left behind letters and diaries and music for anyone willing to look for it. This makes me content. I had a dream the other night Shatner was a room mate of mine we were close but didn’t talk much he died and I had to take care of his dog. . . Felt more emotion then I have in awhile. I won’t have enough money for everything next year. I will run out of food money near the end of the year que sera sera. I should update the medium page I have more then a few songs. I want to mix the failure with something half good and that may take awhile. I am afraid of what you said before. That were done talking. I don’t really know what to do about that. I know there are things you don’t know but I’m afraid you will have to ask for them. As any one can and no one does. People seem to have a fear of these public forums for things like this but we know the truth is. If we have transcended anything it should be lies.

Babylon Fading

The story of Babylon has always interested me. it’s a theme in most of my artistic works that doesn’t show up as often as it should. Its always been my belief that it was not language but understanding that was shattered. And that is of course far more horrible. Now I also believe that this is just a story. I shutter to think that anything anyone calls God could do something so infinitely cruel. My point is that this is something that need to be fixed. We must all learn to communicate better. even if it’s a web of person to person connections that work its far better then what we have. This is what I refer to as “the new language” at some points. Really its just a greater personal understanding and a willingness to tell the truth. The truth is. That is the new language. Most people don’t seem to have a desire to know other people. All men are islands some of us build boats. The doodling and what not are most important because your truly creating something regardless of how crappy it is. I hope someone actually reads. I hope they point out how foolish and idealistic I am (as long as they do it well). Who else can we pull into this? Any one else want in? No? Ok then. . .

Yours truly,
A man with a boat.

I promised Paul a post so here it is.

Quoting The Superficial (link) (not the best source, I know)

Democratic Assemblyman Ted Lieu has introduced a bill that would prohibit the selling, leasing, or distributing of an ultrasound machine by California manufacturers to anyone other than licensed medical professionals, after it was publicized that Tom Cruise had purchased one for use at home with Katie Holmes.

"If someone sees Tom Cruise buy one, they think this is the thing to do," Lieu said. "This is a public safety measure. There's really no medical reason for an untrained person to use this machine."

Despite this, quoting Wikipedia: "There are no substantiated side-effects documented in studies."

Why make something illegal that has no harm? That?s not freedom, that?s not capitalism, that?s totalitarianism. Laws are to be kept to a minimum, and there to protect us, not there to keep us in our place. They want to take away our rights, one by one.