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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Hijacked by F Scott Fitzgerald

Note:  For today and tomorrow, Martin Olson's BENCHPRESS will be under the tender care of F Scott Fitzgerald, the king of the jazz age.  Enjoy!

Yesterday the voice of the Egyptian pro-democracy movement was finally heard.  Hosni Mubarak, the leader of a regime which has lasted 29 years, announced that he will step down from his position and transfer all power to the military.  At the time of the BENCHPRESS, Swiss banks have frozen a number of his assets and he has fled to his vacationing home in Sharm el Sheikh.  Enjoy the long vacation, you tired dictator--it must have been tough ruling for about 30 years. In all, over 300 people have died from the protests, which is far less than how many would have suffered if his regime had continued.
It doesn't happen enough--the realization of our power, the unification of our energy--but when it does happen, its glow is utterly contagious.   Here in America, where most of the population has been sedated by one chemical charm or another, I feel the sharp necessity of a similar "tolling of the bell".  You can tell disaster is looming; all over, the wear and tear of our way of life (and by that, I mean the most general habits / priorities of our country's government) can be felt like a stubbed toe.  The potholes that freckle our roads, the industrial waste and abandoned buildings, the abused environment, etc etc.  And all that is only the physical side of things--for some, the mental and emotional weight is even heavier.  Living in a constant state of financial despair, without the certainty of employment, without affordable health care, the high cost of college education, the never ending personal and collective debt... and worst of ALL- knowing we have the ability to change it--to push back and restructure the rules a little bit--tip the scales in the right direction, you know?  Because in Egypt, we have seen in clear view that a country and a country's government are not the same thing. We are the boss, plain and simple, and literally, too!  We hired them bastards, we pay them, we have the power to fire them if they ain't representing the needs of us people.  Amen.



 


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