Journal of an Urbane Gorilla

Remember, close your eyes and you can see.*

It’s 4 days short of 4 years since the terrorists’ attack on the U.S. and today is the 2 months mark since the bombings in London. Whether it’s been 4 years or 2 months, somehow the minutiae of everyday have made the memory recede inordinately fast. The wars slog on and now there has been a disaster of biblical proportions on America’s southern coast.

There are human and nature-made disasters. Then, there are natural disasters made worse by human indifference and incompetence.

If we’re here for any reason at all surely it must be to love one another. Every religion espouses that as its one of central tenets. And if we are meant to love another, then our response to human misery must be to help, to care for one another.

The world’s response to the worst human-made disasters of the last century was to establish a body that could try to avert violence and to respond to all disasters in a compassionate, caring, and constructive manner. This body, the United Nations is 60 years old this year. It’s still there. It’s still working. It’s working on problems that affect us all: war, disease, famine. You name it and you’ll find the blue berets and helmets there.

They work not in the name of any particular belief, or any body politic: they operate in the name of the world. They are the human response. In a world gone wrong, they represent the good that humans can achieve. When thinking about the U.N., don’t listen to the rhetoric of ideologues of any stripe. Listen to your better angels, listen to your humanity.

The U.N. is not perfect. It reflects many of the flaws of its member states. But, it strives to bring the best of human desires to every problem it encounters. We can’t ask for more from any human-created endeavour.

A dopo e Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

Long ago, far away,
life was clear; close your eyes...
"Remember," is a place from long ago;
"Remember," filled with ev'rything you know.
Remember, when you're sad and feeling down;
remember, turn around.
Remember, life is just a memory.
Remember, close your eyes and you can see.
Remember, think of all that life can be; remember.
Dream, love is only in a dream; remember.
Remember, life is never as it seems; dream...
Dream, love is only in a dream; remember.
Remember, life is never as it seems; dream...
Long ago, far away,
life was clear; close your eyes
-Harry Nilsson

All you need is love

I was going to do a post on Ringo Starr’s birthday today, but we awoke to something horrific. When I turned on my laptop, there was an email from our friends, Emilia and Dom, who live very near a couple of the blasts. Emilia assured us that they were okay and that Dom had not gone to work. Since he works near Russell Square, this was a relief.

Then I tried to reach our friends Marian and Emlyn. They live in Wales, but I knew that Marian and her auntie were going be visiting London. The phones weren’t functioning for a while. By the time we touched base, I was more than little frantic. It turns out that they were planning on going next week. Emlyn’s determined to go now: no miserable git of a terrorist is going get him down.

Now, I don’t usually talk about this sort of stuff; but this calls for few thoughts. I know that there will always be people who will put their theology or ideology before humanity. Somehow, they convince themselves that they can kill in the vain hope that it will advance their cause. Of course it does no such thing. It might momentarily scare some folks, but I think that most people react as Emlyn did today: they aren’t going to destroy me, my beliefs or my liberty.
After the initial chaos, people find their humanity and reach out to one another. Then, we become something more, something better than we were before. The human spirit can soar above any obstacle that hate puts before it.

I don’t know what it takes to make a person become filled with so much hate, and I don’t want to know. The rest of us will go on, we will persevere and we will prevail as long as we don’t allow their hate to permeate our souls.

So my message to the bombers is this: sod off you hate-filled wankers!

As for you, faithful readers: remember, all you need is love.
Hey, Ringo, Happy Birthday! Keep it real.

A dopo e Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

I used to cuss, fuss and boogie all night long*

Grams saw my post about her trip to Las Vegas to see the Beatles in 1964 a few days ago and she got very quiet. I asked her if I had got it wrong. She said, “No, it just made me think about how shallow I was . . . am.”

Now, this took me aback. Shallow? The Grams? She’s a very serious person, except for when she’s being silly. She has a degree in Political Science and she’s a whiz at statistics. She’s fond of saying, “ah yes, 'American' politics where everything that exists can be measured and that which can’t be measured, does not exist. 'Comparative' politics where you 'compare' cultures not politics then decide that you can't compare on the basis of cultures, and 'International' politics where you assure yourself of the hegemony of capitalism, conflate it with democracy and say the Henry Kissinger is a 'realist'.” Did I mention that she’s also quite sanguine about things politic?

So, I asked her what she was talking about being shallow. “Oh, 1964 was ‘Freedom Summer.’ Everyone was going down south to register black voters, I was more concerned about seeing the Beatles.” I had to admit that she had a point there. Then I remembered the button above, that she keeps in her stocking drawer (along with other important things, like my passport). So, I retrieved said button and waved it in front of her.

“So, what about this?” Didn’t you belong to the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee?” She took the pin and smiled, “Yes, but I just belonged. I didn’t do much. Know what I mean?” Not really, but I’ll take her word for it. Then, I realized what was going on.

“You’re depressed because your birthday is coming up, right?” She shook her head, “No, it’s more because I wonder what I’ve accomplished in my life, y’know?” Hmm, let’s not go there ‘cause then we’ll all start to think about what we’ve accomplished.

So I said, “Grams sing me that song about being saved. Y’know.” She laughed and sang the song that follows. That’s what I love about her, she’s a walking, talking, singing bundle of contradictions. She’s the Grams, she's got a good heart and I love her no matter what she says about herself.

A dopo e Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

*I used to smoke. I used to drink.
I used to smoke, drink, and dance the hoochie-coo

I used to smoke and drink
Smoke and drink and dance the hoochie-coo
But now I'm standin' on this corner
Prayin' for a-me and you

That's why I'm saved. I'm saved.
People let me tell you 'bout a, kingdom come

You know I'm saved. I'm saved.
I can preach until you're, deaf and dumb
I'm in that soul-savin' army
Beatin' on that big a-bass drum

I used to cuss. I used to fuss
I used to cuss, fuss and boogie all night long

I used to cuss and fuss
Cuss and fuss and boogie all night long
But now I'm standin' on this corner
Ah-I know right-a from wrong

That's why I'm saved. I'm saved.
People let me tell you 'bout a, kingdom come

You know I'm saved. Ah, saved.
I can-a preach until you're, deaf and dumb
I'm in that soul-savin' army
Beatin' on that big a-bass drum

I used to lie. I used to cheat.
I used to lie, cheat and step on people’s feet

I used to lie and cheat
Lie and cheat and step on people’s feet
But now I'm steppin' on the glory:
Sal-vation is my beat

Because I'm saved. I'm saved.
People let me tell you 'bout a, kingdom come

You know I'm saved. I’m, saved
I can-a preach until you're, deaf and dumb
I'm in that soul-savin' army
Beatin' on that big a-bass drum.

Saved– sung by Laverne Baker (this is one of Grams’ faves)

Good times, Charlie

As he walks along the avenue
With an independent air
You can hear the girls declare
“There goes a PM heir!”
You can hear them sigh and wish to die,
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the back of Michael Howard.*

This is Charles Kennedy. Well a caricature of him, okay? He is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in England. He has done something no one (aside from Grams) thought he could do: he’s sidelined the Tories and given Tony Blair a run for his money. A quiet sort of fellow, no flash. What has he done? He and the LibDems have made their party real players. Not only are they truly part of national politics having taken 22% of the vote, they edged out the Tories for 2nd place in 160 local constituencies. This, my friend, is a major deal. The LibDems have marginalized the Conservative Party and made New Labour look over their shoulders with not a little concern.

What difference 24 hours makes.

A la prochaine. Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

*To the tune of The Man who broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
As I walk along the Bois de Boulogne
With an independent air,
You can hear the girls declare,
"There goes a millionaire!"
You can hear them sigh and wish to die,
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.