Tattoo Your Social Security Number On Your Arm
Watching the footedge come in from the news about the hurricane about to hit Galveston tonight I takes me for a little ride down memory lane.
I was a professional musician in Texas in my 20's and played at the Balinese Club, as well as several other clubs along the Gulf coast as well as the Clear Lake Hilton. The Balinese is a classic party crib, dating back to the days when Houston based ZZ Top used to play there. (They were originally the Moving Sidewalks before adopting the name that would follow them into fame.
"Down at the Balinese" written by ZZ Top actually made it on to one of their early albums.
When we were playing at the Clear Lake Hilton Hurricane Alicia, August 18, 1983 hit the area nearly destroying the hotel on a Sunday - while our equipment remained setup on the stage in the club there. I never saw the original aftermath, but our drummer went down and was shocked to see that everything except out guitars (which we never left onstage) were pushed off the stage and slammed into the bar.
The big plate glass windows that surrounded the club overlooking the harbor and bay had been blown out and everything was totally soaked. Kenny's drums were custom made from some exotic wood - now baked in the Texas sun, warped and ruined.
Time To Stop Rebuilding in Hurricane Zones
Am I the only person who watches hurricanes and floods repeatedly cause billions of dollars of damage and mega-billions more in State and Federal dollars to protect and rebuild over and over - wonder why we haven't called a "time out" and sought a better solution to this madness?
At what point do you stop handing band aids and aspirin to a guy who keeps hitting himself in the head with a hammer? 14 hurricanes have slammed into Galveston with winds above 111 mps in the last 100 years.
After Katrina hammered the ramshackle trash town that was New Orleans the damage was so bad that more than one voice was heard to say that rebuilding in such a dangerous place, that will surely be hit again, was just a bad idea and that the city should be disbanded or rebuilt somewhere else.
Sentimental drunks, Richard Simmons, plastic bead manufacturers, and Girls Gone Wild went wild to protest - claiming that "Bourbon Street Must be Rebuilt!"
Have you ever BEEN to New Orleans? Seriously one of the filthiest stinkiest towns in the United States. Crime has always been off the chart, poverty ridden and drug addled - New Orleans sits on Interstate 10 as a nice layover for illegals, drug dealers, and criminals of all sorts.
Roping the Big Easy off and allowing it return to what it has always naturally been would be a great idea. No, not the biggest slave retail outlet in the world in the 1800's. Imagine the beauty of the bayou as a giant wildlife refuge (read: swamp) where gators, neutra rats, snakes, mosquitos and other forms of flora and fauna that battle humans daily to flourish without human intervention.
Enviromentalist extremists - are you listening?
In fact this would be a great place for environmentalists to live. Maybe the 16 caribou who live in Anwar could be introduced to this wildlife wonderland?
And just think about what a great contribution the bartenders, oyster shuckers, and zydeco musicians could make if they were dispersed across America.
We could also figure out a way to create "Cajun Land" in Disney World! All that would need to be done is to stretch the rules a bit to allow women to bare their breasts for plastic beads.
And who better than Disney to implement a nice system to hose down the vomit and urine that the locals and guests heave into the French Quarter each night. Maybe there is even an alternate fuel to be found in all that seafood and alcohol human Mardi Gras bi-product.
Finally - once we stop shoring up the people who "choose to stay" in the path of the big storm - they will die off, and cease to reproduce.
Residents in Galveston who refused to leave in the face of imminent life threatening destruction, were told to write their social security number on their arm! This is a giant CLUE PEOPLE!
Fulfilling the Darwinian survival of the fittest principal, which if true we are thwarting big time now, and a smarter human will advance - who will NOT choose to build their homes and businesses in the path of certain destruction.
In my humble, but accurate opinion,
Rick Butts
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Comments on Tattoo Your Social Security Number On Your Arm »
Hi Rick!
Opinions are never accurate Rick, that's what makes them OPINIONS! lol! All they are is "Mental Noise".
Interesting view you express, although people are attached and until we raise the collective consciousness to a level where transcend attachment to material things (including money, homes, cars, jewelry, vacations, other people, location and locale) you are going to meet with much resistance as people fight for their attachments which they can't perceive as separate from their self.
So the way out of what is currently happening ongoingly is to focus on INCREASING THE AWARENESS and WAKING UP people to their true nature. True nature, our true expression is NOT attached to anything. It is free.
A little less focus on marketing and marketing and more marketing by so many people online (not saying you!) and a bit more focus on our COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS waking up would benefit ALL of us (as One) hugely.
I wonder how many marketers are consciously aware with all their marketing devices that they are only marketing to THEIR SELF. There is no other. Only ONE BEING is here now and always.
So the solution here, again is to focus on the AWAKENING more people and expansion of AWARENESS. Thus causing the letting go of attachments, freeing people to make choices based in wisdom and not based in attachment.
with Hugs and In Joy!
Amy
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Great views by both of you.
Amy pleasures my intellectually elitist side.
Rick takes care of my Pragmatic Side.
There was a phrase coined in the Last Election debacle
"conscious conservative" or some such nonsense.
Man forgets his rightful place in the scheme of things. You really can't mess with ole' Mother nature.
If the "people" would not continue to subsidize Stupid choices the problem would go away.
But Gosh, then some Know-Nothings wouldn't be re-e;ected……
Oh well.
Maybe we would regress back into a a Citizen-Statesman form of Government??????
I really love you both!
Rick,
As always a very interesting and funny post. As you know I live in West Houston and my family and me just rode out Hurricane Ike. We are more fortunate than most people in this area. We actually have power and sustained very little damage.
I do tend to agree with you about New Orleans. It is a bad idea to build your city in a bowl that will inevitably be filled up again and again.
Please though, don't put Houstonians in the same category.
One key thing that we must all remember is that much of America's energy comes from the gulf coast. And many of the people who live in this area are responsible for the production and delivery of that energy to the rest of the country.
And Amy I'm not talking about spiritual energy (though I do believe it has it's place) I'm talking about a very real tangible energy. The energy that makes it possible for you to have light when you flip the switch, powers your computer and makes your car run when you turn the key.
If we were to all just pack up and move somewhere else to go and meditate on the collective consciousness guess what would happen.?. You wouldn't have the real energy you need to power the life you enjoy.
You want to see our TRUE nature? Turn on your TV and watch all of the 100's of 1000's of people who are coming together to help their neighbors rebuild their lives.
Why?
So we can all get back to work. So we can all provide for and enjoy our families. So we can all contribute something real that makes this world a better place.
Sincerely, Barry O.
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Hi Barry, great points. A quick note, the true nature you are speaking about is not our TRUE nature, but the loving nature interconnecting all of us.
Our True nature? Creator. Infinite and unlimited. Omnipotent and omnipresent. Source energy. We are all individual expressions or units of Source energy. As this, our true nature doesn't know duality (right-wrong, good-bad, up-down) but only totality which contains all of it. Our true nature can't judge or prefer, it just IS. It is the realization of this (through experience) that sets one free. Enables one to transcend the duality (good-bad, like-dislike, right-wrong) of this expressed existence here.
Our true nature is pure Love (not as the Earthly concept, but as a powerful force).
While we are spiritual beings Barry, it is true that while we express our energy here into this Earth existence that we do 'prefer' the energy that you speak of that comes from petrochemicals. Do we *need* that energy? Of course not. It is merely a preference. We have grown accustomed to the comforts and conveniences using that energy affords us.
On another note…I am very glad to hear that you are safe and did not lose power or sustain much damage. There have been a lot of Gulf landing hurricanes this year and it's still so early in the hurricane season.
Hi Chuck! I am glad I pleasure your intellectually elitist side! And I love you too!
With Love and Joy and of course Energy!
Amy
Amy Flynn (Amy~AllAboutEnergy)s last blog post..The Other Side of Fear is A Miracle
Common Rick, don't hold back. Tell us what you REALLY think!
I dunno, maybe the can have hurricane codes like they do earthquake codes in CA. Buildings could be domes, anchored to bedrock or somesuch.
I figure that if people want to liver in hurrican zones they can pay appropriate insurance rates and stop expecting the Gov to bail them out.
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Amy,
Thanks for your kind words. We are very blessed to not have sustained any more damage than we did.
I guess I'm in over my head on the "true" nature discussion. Silly me. I thought I did have the ability to tell right from wrong, good from bad and up from down.
I'm curious. Once we realize our true nature and become "free" what then? It sounds kind of boring and a little unsafe to not be able to make judgments and have preferences.
I guess we become like the Cyborg on Star Trek.?. That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
Or, I guess once we all become free and stop this madness of preferring petrochemicals and technology we can all go back to wearing loin cloths and gathering berries.
Again… That just doesn't sound too appealing to me.
Barry O.
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Greg,
You're right if you are going to live in a hurricane zone you should at least have the appropriate insurance. To expect the government to keep bailing you out is irresponsible and unrealistic.
One of the things that infuriated me the the most was watching the coast guard risk their lives to save people who had plenty of notice and opportunity to leave but refused to do so.
It's one thing if you are old or invalid and can't get out. But, if you can get out and you just don't then you shouldn't expect someone else to risk their life to save your dumb ass.
I mean come on. Honestly. How selfish and irresponsible can you be?
Barry O.
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Barry,
You are thinking from the perspective you have now.
"I guess I'm in over my head on the "true" nature discussion. Silly me. I thought I did have the ability to tell right from wrong, good from bad and up from down.
I'm curious. Once we realize our true nature and become "free" what then? "
Of course this is the perspective you have, so you think from that perspective. Trust that there is another perspective.. or nonperspective if you will. And it includes EVERYTHING. A vast perspective. You are everything, it's just that you aren't aware of that fact consciosly now, you think you are only Barry. You are both, everything and everyone AND you are Barry!
When there is no longer good/bad, up/down, right/wrong or what we call duality - we BECOME everything. Everything is us. And by the same token we also become no-thing. It's simple, yet complex for the mind to grasp. And tougher still to put into words.
It's not boring and it is! It's blissful and yet if it were stimulating, we would not have created the projection "Earth" for us to come be born into. We play in duality forgetting that we are all one being, interacting as if we were separate. In fact we are no more separate than fingers are from each other. All connected and part of ONE hand. Yet each distinct with it's own size and fingerprint.
Confused? It's ok.. not too worry. We were talking hurricanes and low lying coastal areas.
Seems plain and simple as long as humans value the coastal areas for their beauty and crave having access to the water, these areas will always be populated. Maybe it's genetic!
NOLA, isn't beautiful like other coastal areas, yet NOLA is beautiful in it's rich flavor, and culture. A subculture within a culture. Doubtful NOLA can be moved or not rebuilt. Too many people cherish it much like a person might cherish the special little dimple on one cheek.
Ok.. enough bad analogies! I need sleep!
In Energy!
Amy
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Rick I understand your opinions - but there's another side to the coin.
What if YOU had your entire life built in New Orleans?
What if YOU had 4 or 5 kids and they all had homes, jobs, and attended churches in New Orleans?
What if your entire life's savings went down the drain because of the hurricane? Would you then want New Orleans to be abandoned?
There are wonderful people in New Orleans.
I have great friends there who lost everything. Their lives were shattered from one moment to the next.
I understand that money should be spent in protecting the city and not in saying let's just leave the city all together.
That's kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Shooting the dog because it has fleas.
There are many aspects to consider when coming up with a solution to a problem.
Abandoning the city is not one of them— in my humble opinion.
Eren Mckay
Amy,
You seem like a really nice person but I think it might be time to put down the bong.
Barry O.
Eren,
It's understandable that people want to be where they grew up and have family, etc… Most of us want that and it's a good thing.
But, to continue to put yourself and your family in harms way is not wise or loving. No matter how painful the change of moving to a new city may be I can promise you it's not going to be a 100th as painful as going through another Hurricane Rita.
Not only are you going to have to go through the mess of a hurricane again but you're also going to have to live with the guilt of knowing that you could've got out, you should've got out but you didn't and now your family is paying the price again.
The analogy of shooting a dog with fleas is completely inaccurate. The dog doesn't have fleas. The dog is standing in the middle of the road and won't move. So what do you do? Reroute the highway? No. You move the dog.
I'm sure you've heard the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Well, New Orleans, if you continue to build your city in a bowl it's just a matter of time before you get wet. And it's not George Bush's fault, FEMA's not to blame, it's a little thing we call mother nature and physics.
While mother nature is completely unpredictable the laws of physics are not. If she decides to dump a bunch of water on you and you're in a bowl below sea level you're going to get wet.
Honestly, as long as you have enough insurance and you don't expect the government to keep bailing you out then go for it. Build your house wherever you want. But please have enough sense to evacuate when told to do so. And if you don't have enough sense to do that then please take responsibility for your own choices and actions and don't blame others.
Barry O.
Hi Barry,
I understand your position and respect each and every one's opinion even though I may disagree.
The point I'm trying to make is this:
Basically if there is no rebuilding: all of the homes and properties become worthless- in other words- everything that was created after a lifetime now is worth ZERO.
Is that fair?
If you were 60-70 years old with no money left - how could you rebuild your life?
Are things so simple and cut and dry?
Hmmmm- no.
Things could have been done by the government to prevent the vast amount of damage that did happen.
The engineers were warning that this could happen.
But I really don't want to get into the whole Bush and FEMA thing. They are not the ones suffering.
I am concentrating my efforts on the victims- the people who had their lives devastated and should be supported and helped.
Personally I would have relocated my family- but I have to respect the decision of those who don't have anywhere to go.
They don't have the resources to do so.
I just think we need to be more sensitive to the victims when we speak of issues such as this.
As we say here in Brazil:
Pepper in other people's eyes is a refreshment.
In other words we need to put ourselves in other people's shoes and be empathetic.
I understand your viewpoint of being smart- and I do agree that the more people that relocate the better for them. That shouldn't be imposed though.
In my humble opinion,
Eren Mckay
Eren,
No it's not fair. Life never will be. And there's nothing you me or the government can do to make it fair.
Of course we should have empathy for the victims. It would be inhuman not to. At the same time though we must exercise good judgment and wisdom.
I too am thinking of the victims. I live in a city, Houston, that took in many of the New Orleans refugees. I gave much of my time, possessions and money to help them.
Once they experienced the quality of life here many of them, wisely I might add, decided to stay.
But, to go on rewarding bad decisions by continuing to bail people out with federal monies is not good, or fair, for anyone.
The government that truly failed those people was their state and local government. You'll notice that this time around mayor Nagin changed his tone. He learned from his mistake and he told those people to get the hell out. If he would have done that last time the loss of life would probably have been much less.
Quite frankly the federal government learned their lesson too and they were more prepared for this type of disaster.
This is America Eren. People help each other out. There is always a place to go and you always have a choice. Admittedly, exercising those choices is more difficult for some than others. But the choice is still always there.
Because I believe in freedom I don't think we should force anyone to relocate. However, I do think they should be prepared to take personal responsibility for the choices they do make and not expect government to always bail them out.
Barry O.
Hi Barry,
I also agree with the fact that it is better to relocate.
Before the flood happened: Did any of the government officials-local or federal tell the entire city to stop living there?
Hmm- i don't believe so.
Was there a true effort to get people informed of the dangers that they had in living there?
Nope- there's another no.
Of course right before the storm happened sure they did— but i mean years before- were they telling people of the dangers?
And yes they knew about the dangers years before.
The government federal, state local- knew of the dangers looong before anything happened.
Are the resources being used by the government to make the American's lives better?
Are good decisions being made each day for the best of the people?
These are questions that we need to really look at their actions to be able to evaluate.
I also agree with you that we should not depend on the government.
In fact I go so far to say that anyone that trusts any government is at best extremely naive- or just blind.
History repeats itself.
I'm not speaking about any particular politician. I'm talking about it all as a whole.
Barry —even though i live in Brazil South America- I was born in the U.S. I am an American citizen.
So I'm on the same page with you on freedom.
I don't trust any government be it American, Brazilian or whatever one for that matter.
I'll let their actions speak louder than any words.
No matter what we say–
It still does not take the responsibility away from them for their lack of preparation and prevention (I'm talking local, state and federal).
For something that requires that much investment it is pretty obvious that it needs Federal funding.
Local and state simply does not have enough resources for that much investment.
Therefore i do not excuse any part of the government for their lack of responsibility in what they could have prevented in New Orleans had they invested the time resources and energy to do so.
I see you make some great points as to the fact that now that we know it's a danger zone that we should be thinking of alternatives. I agree so long as the people do not get too short an end of the stick in all of this.
In my humble opinion,
Eren Mckay
Interesting theory, but what do you consider to be hurricane zones? People in Ohio and Kentucky got damage from Ike- should we stop building in those states?
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