Twigs Spot

You may find this blog entry a bit disjointed, as I need to vent. Freedom of Speech? Freedom of the Press? Freedom…a word much abused by the current administration. Less than an hour ago, I clicked a link to the "Top Stories-AP" site to read a story titled "Bush Shrugs Off Questions About Spy Program." Not 5 minutes ago, when I revisited the site, the same article was retitled to read "Bush Fields Questions About Spy Program." I obviously don’t know who ordered the change, but it is clear that there is a battle going on in the media these days, and that battle mirrors the current political landscape. The sides have been chosen: Liberals in favor of truth at all costs, regardless of consequence, and Conservatives in favor of protecting themselves, their image, and their vision of America, regardless of what rights and values are tread upon along the way. It is not as black and white as that, but the majority of the country, the muddled middle, is in danger of being squeezed out by the extreme right and left.

Shrugging is exactly what Bush has been doing for 5 years, in response to any and every accusation or question raised to him. "Why did your administration lie to the American people in order to start a war that has greatly benefitted you and your buddies financially?" "When are you going to end this unjust and immoral war and bring our troops home?" "Why didn’t you come to the aid of the residents of New Orleans in a timely manner in the wake of Hurricane Katrina?" "Why do you consistantly nominate unqualified friends of yours to important government positions?" "Why did you ignore the Constitution and illegally spy on American Citizens?" "Is your power absolute, does it have no end?"  The answer is always the same: freedom…blah blah democracy…blah war on terror…blah blah resolve blah God Bless America!

How is it that Bill Clinton, who’s only major mistake was infidelity while in office, faced possible impeachment, and Bush doesn’t even feel the need to answer questions about his agenda? This guy isn’t made of steel, he’s made of teflon. I fear the future of checks and balances in this country. If things continue down the current path, the democracy Bush claims he is trying to protect, and spread around the world (to places that don’t want our "help") will give way to a new form of democracy, "Bush’s Democracy." Under this new government, the President will have absolute power, to go to war, to change laws, to put whoever he wants in political offices (like he did recently when he appointed 17 people during a Congressional Recess so that they wouldn’t have to be confirmed by Congress for a year, according to the NY Times-17!) In other words, he will be a King. He already thinks of the US as a totalitarian state run by him, since he was "chosen by the people."

Is it "un-american" to question our leaders and authority fugures, or to disagree with a war that has killed thousands and put a chasm of hatred between millions more? No Mr. Bush, it is exactly that freedom that makes us American. Every single day, there are reports of car bombings and suicide bombers and attacks by insurgents, and more US soldiers killed. Things are not going well in Iraq. There are still enough people in this country that believe in peace and justice, and true freedom, to keep dishonest politicians like you in check. So yes, God Bless the USA, but not just the USA…try to remember that next time you or your staff give the go ahead to torture and humiliate other human beings.

Ever find yourself in a situation where you take a step back, look around, and think, "How did I end up here? How did I end up in this place at this time with these people?" I do, and fairly often it seems. Such was the case at just after 4am Wednesday morning, as I got ready to leave the Czechoslovakian Social Club.

How did I end up at a members only club, which I had previously passed many times in my own neighborhood? I simply asked if I could go in. Someone I work with at Becco, who just so happens to be from Slovakia, split a cab with me back to Queens. She was stopping in there for a drink, as it was the last night the establishment was in operation. I knew this was the last chance I’d have to check the place out. It intrigued me, and I was curious what it would be like to hang out with complete strangers who barely spoke English, and be able to walk home afterward. Hey, it’s cheaper than a Eastern European Vacation! Still, it was a little out of character for me. I don’t much travel out of my comfort zone, especially with people I hardly know. Perhaps it was the 2 glasses of vino rossa I had enjoyed, or the full meal resting in my belly, that gave me the impetus. In any case, once I walked through those doors, I felt like I was no longer in New York.

I was greeted warmly by a group of middle aged, smiling people. The woman was her Aunt, and she said what I presume to be hello in another language. After a brief dialog between Tina, the girl who let me in, and her Aunt, I was welcomed by a few other gentleman in broken English. After having a seat, I surveyed the setting, a festively decorated place, fairly dark with strings of lights softly illuminating the long narrow room. The place was quite full, with many older patrons, who looked to be regulars, populating a messy group of tables in the back. A few younger men and women had moved tables out of the way to create a dance floor, and they spun and swayed to the music playing from the jukebox. The music I heard over the course of the 3 hours I was there ranged from thumping techno sounds with foreign language blasting over it, to old American music, such as Ace of Base, which I heard at least 3 times. The bar was fully seated; a few men discussing soccer wearing futbol jerseys, a soldier in desert camo, and slick looking man in a turtleneck trying to get the female bartender to kiss him for hours, being made fun of by his friends at the other end of the bar. All in another language. Still, i stayed as they kept putting beers in front of me, saying cheers every 10 minutes to one thing or another. Even after the one person I vaguely knew left, I stayed to observe. They were very kind to me, and I spoke with a few different people, relaxing a little more with each conversation, until I no longer felt like an outsider.

I think there was a lesson in there somewhere. Perhaps to be more spontaneous, to try new things, to experience small portions of other cultures whenever possible. The one thing I really took away from that experience was a sense of human interconnectedness. These people grew up and lived halfway around the world, and came here searching for something better. But they were just like people in any other bar I’ve been to. Some a little older, some a little drunker, but the same in spirit. There are so many people in the world we will never know, never meet. Never share laughter or stories with. But just to know that they are much like us, that is something to build off of. If we could focus more on the things we share and less on the things that set us apart, that open-mindedness could do wonders…

Although the social club is now closed, there is another place where Czechs gather, and you may be surprised where it is . Visited by many famous Czechs, including President Vaclav Hovel, the Beer Gardens (which you Astorians know quite well) has an interesting history! http://www.bohemianhall.com/

Believe it, my blog is no longer on hiatus. Lucky for you.

So. Today is New Years Day.  And as another year begins, along with it comes a chance for change, for improvement, for bigger and better things. Now is the time for self examination, for some much needed introspection, a priority check.  You may find yourself asking the same questions as me: What is important to me? What do I want to accomplish in the next 365 days? What steps can I take towards self actualization and the full realization of my potential? How can I keep my perspective and pursue not only my "money-minded" goals, but also my spiritual goals, and really strive for enlightenment? These are some heavy hitting questions, especially after a night of heavy drinking. Questions that require a lot of thought. And as I rolled out of bed at the crack of 2pm today, I lay there pondering my future, and I found…I wasn’t able to come up with any answers on the spot. In fact, I consciously pushed aside the questions, vowing to return to them later in the day. Which I have yet to do. In fact, I don’t think my new year is off to a very good start…

After finally rolling out of bed, i managed my way to the kitchen where i spent countless seconds deciding between waffles and oatmeal. I chose the former, and as I poured my OJ, my day was off and running. Surely, as the first day of 2006, today would be a sign of things to come, right? Lets hope not. Today has been to this point what I like to refer to as a "nothing day." After the juice pouring, things went downhill, and I lost all ambition. I eyed the bananas, and quickly decided that opening the plastic bag (which was closed with a knot, not a twisty) and the act of peeling it were beyond the scope of my abilities at that time. Surely I’d return to the banana on my trip back to the kitchen to wash my dish. From there I made it back to my room, plopped onto the couch, and flicked on the tv. There I remained for a few hours, not changing the channel, moving only slightly to reach for the phone a few times, where I carried on a few lazy, uninspired conversations. Many thoughts of action crossed my mind; I could go to the store, return movies to blockbuster, take a shower, do some yoga- but each idea was met strict opposition. Eventually i did head to the kitchen, but merely dropping the dish in the sink, and grabbing the mountain dew on my way back to the couch. After hours of nothing, I picked up the guitar and played it-for 6 minutes. I began to loath myself for starting off the year by doing absolutely nothing. I mean, Carpe Diem, right! Which is how I made my way to this computer, and wrote this blog entry. Wow, I feel much better, a wave of satisfaction has washed over me, a sense of accomplishment! I feel as though I am ready to take on the world, to bravely face the new year,to seize my destiny! I just need to have dinner first. Hmmm, nothing to eat here. Guess…I have to…leave the apartment. Damn. That’s it! My New Years Resolution is to live each day fully, not to waste days sitting around being lazy! No more "nothing days" for me!

I can start tomorrow, right?