Wall of Shame

Folk-art Calavera, Tanya Photo 2008

US/Mexico's Wall of Shame

Remember John Kennedy's “Good Neighbor Policy”?

If you travel to some little villages in Colombia, for example, you will still find in the dusty town square a statue of good old John Fitzgerald.

He is still well-liked and remembered there for what was called his “Good Neighbor Policy”-- which was mainly propaganda, of course, (that's politics) but also had a germ of the profound idea that neighbors—even neighboring countries—could also be friends.

Fast forward to today:

Our own United States is presently building a wall—a very high, very big, very expensive wall-- between our neighboring country, Mexico and us.

Now as the poet said: “Good fences make good neighbors”, but he didn't say anything about walls.

Walls never work.

The Great Wall of China never kept out the enemies and neither did the Wall of Hadrian or the infamous Berlin Wall and the spite fences between neighboring churches in the little towns of old the Midwest also came a-tumblin' down.

Because the “enemies”, whoever THEY are, are ALWAYS on both sides of the wall!

I wonder if old Ronald Reagan were still alive (Remember him in Berlin: “Mr. Khrushchev, TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!”) what he would say about the crack-pot wall between “us” and “them”?

Our wall—our very own Wall of Shame—will certainly also come a-tumblin down and it will probably be sooner than later.

Tomasito, 2009

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Queen Califia's Garden

Tomasito photo

The other day I was raving about a most unusual piece of walk-in art here in Escondido--Queen Califia's Magical Garden.

We went back yesterday--on a dark, gloomy morning to see what the different light would bring to the amazing sculpture--and it was just as beautiful as before.

The blazing points of reflected sunlight from the mirrors and shining tiles were subdued but more color seemed to be emitted from the deep red tiles in the mouths of the guardian serpents--and it was much more comfortable as the day was much cooler.

Tomasito, 2009


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Eliminate Medical Insurance

(Tanya photo, 2009)

Abolish Medical Insurance

When you walk into any doctor's office the first question the receptionist asks you is: “What kind of Insurance do you have?”

Not : “How may we help you?” or any other politeness.

Because getting the money is the only consideration most doctors have—and they train their minions to be brutally frank.

If everyone had NO medical insurance—doctors would have to deal with the reality of most of our actual financial conditions.

Doctor's fees would drop immediately—or they would be out of business.

I can remember a time in the not-so-remote past when no one had medical insurance but MDs were somehow able to survive.

But now the collusion between doctors and insurance companies—quite a symbiotic relationship for rampant greed—is complete.

In fact propaganda anathematizing people for NOT having medical insurance makes those of us who manage to stay healthy without doctors feel guilty.

Even the US government is proposing ways to pay for medical insurance for everybody—from our taxes, of course.

Never mind that “socialized medicine” never works. (Ask any UK citizen.)

Tomasito, 2009

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Open Letter to Governor Scwartzenegger 2.

Tanya photo, 2009

March 7, 2009


Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

There is another "Right" which should be a part of every good, modern government, a part of the democratic social contract which makes civilization civilization.

This Right should be in the US Constitution---as another one of the Bill of Rights guarantees:

That is: The Right to Work.

There should be paid work--and not just meaningless busywork--guaranteed to every citizen of this country--and the pay for this work should be enough to live on with comfort and dignity.

I believe this model could be realized right now if the incredible "compensation packages" given to corporate heads, some doctors, lawyers and so forth were equalized with normal workingman's salaries--and by this I don't mean a "socialist state", since I have been around enough to know that they never work--I just mean that enough is plenty for anyone--the rest is just plain greed.

There would be a tremendous outcry by the rich that this could not be done--but I believe that it nevertheless must and will be done fairly soon right here in our America.

Thank you for considering this proposal.

I wish you continued success in every part of your life.

Sincerely,

Thomas F. Wold

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Open Letter to Governor Scwartzenegger 1.

Tanya photo, 2009

March 3, 2009


Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,


We hope you had a very good trip to Germany—a very interesting and vivid land—and of course the neighbor of your birth country.

Now that you have returned, there are some actions which I suggest you should undertake immediately—since the economic disaster is growing more ugly every hour in California and the entire world.

Some of my suggestions will take considerable use of extraordinary powers, but as the situation grows daily worse, perhaps the majority of the public—your constituents--will will support the changes.

You should cap the rate of rent charged by landlords immediately.

The working classes to which most of us belong and now the ex-working classes—most of us without income—and the rest of us living in fear that their next paycheck will be their last—as it probably will be, and that they will be evicted.

I also suggest you cut the monthly rents owed to landlords by half.

Most of us are truly being gauged by the owners of the apartments or houses we rent—few of us are owners—and the rent now charged has grown higher and higher during the economic bubble and now that the bubble has burst the rents have remained high—though the money to PAY the rents has in many cases vanished.

Most of us depend on at least two full incomes to pay rent on basic habitations and other necessities—and these incomes simply do not exist any more.

If you do not take action that is creative and drastic—it is probable that California will experience very difficult times indeed.

I voted for you and am a “member of your team”.

Do not let us down.

Sincerely,

Thomas F. Wold

Bush's Rules

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo wrote, adding later: "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

Department of "Justice" document (October 23, 2001) from Bush era revealed today by President Obama (March 2, 2009).

OUCH!

Tomasito, 2009


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Queen Califa's Magical Garden

Kids Examine Fantastic Egg in Garden. (Tomasito photo, 2009)

There is a breathtaking piece of walk-in sculpture here in Escondido, California: "Queen Califa's Magical Garden", realized by an international sculptress, Niki de Saint Phalle.

It is absolutely unique--a new kind of art for the new world, for sure.

The entire sculpture covers on area of perhaps half an acre--and the whole thing is a vivid melange of mirrors, tiles and gaudy wonderful mosaics--and not just your usual mosaics--but polished stones and glass of all sorts and colors.

Then there are huge undulating snakes and weird "totem poles" of the most outlandish and impossible creatures.

It takes the mosaics of the Spaniard Gaudi and the Watts Towers of Los Angeles and the children s fountain in the Turtle Bay Arboretum in Redding--and just moves off from them into a whole new and elaborate artistic concept.

Visiting it is a fantastic experience.

By golly, I don't often get this enthusiastic about a work of art, but this one is absolutely splendid in my book!

Tomasito, 2009


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