The mornings are less warm, less humid now. I take that as a sign that Fall is at hand. Starbucks is more busy around 7AM since the beginning of the school term dictates a universal scheduling of the day, for everyone two years old (pre-shool) and upward. Some of us, even in retirement remain in grad school, as reading and writing are high priorities of day to day living. In a real sense this bias toward education conditions the flow of early morning traffic here at Starbucks. Just a week ago, the early morning steady inflow of work commuters requesting a customary beverage, now has become stampede of high school teens. Young adults visibly rushing lest they be “late” for a further appointment. Starbucks baristas efficiently accommodate. And life goes on.

Such as our lives happen to be, – each fulfills his or her role in America where choice has been harnessed in totality to the engines of profit making. I mean no disrespect to any business. Especially to Starbucks to which I owe for accommodating my presence to write my blog posts. A business of whatever type is compelled to offer the widest possible product line, or service options. Consumer choice is a high priority. But that is the boundary and limit of our exercise of choice.

Choice is manipulated, massaged, defrauded by every strategy of marketing to subvert the weighing of alternatives in the realm of politics, the practice of sound management of society, the crafting of policy for the generalized benefit of the whole. That was a long sentence…. But I’ll stand by it.

On this 27th day of August, with a hint of Autumn in the sweet morning air – a zeitgeist of despair prevails, a very antithesis of education, a nullity and voiding of choice. An implicit threat of verbal violence persists, when the truth of our situation is voiced in public. Why voice one’s truth? My truth cannot stand alone without your truth. Contrasting viewpoints are constitutive of choice.

What to do? I propose this tune as a provisional National Anthem for a troubled time. A tune to symbolize a raised fist of resistance to the craven idea that human beings are “herd animals” suited for disposal (deportation). And that our earth-home is available for pillage, at hand for unconditioned profit. This fierce tune declares that life entails a contrary logic to that which at present binds us!

Life is rough and ragged and beautiful, full stop.

Bang a Gong (Get it On) by T-Rex.

And your thoughts are?