Apr 28, 2016
Zombie Logic From Thomas L. Vaultonburg, Outsider Poet: The Untied Artists of Rockford
Zombie Logic From Thomas L. Vaultonburg, Outsider Poet: The Untied Artists of Rockford: There's this very small building tucked in between two larger buildings on 7th Street here in Rockford, Illinois. For decades now 7th St...
Apr 22, 2016
Zombie Logic Review: Poetry For Outsiders and Outlaws: Buy The Blood Dark Sea, a Book Of Outlaw Poetry By...
Zombie Logic Review: Poetry For Outsiders and Outlaws: Buy The Blood Dark Sea, a Book Of Outlaw Poetry By...: Book number three in the Rock River Literary series is now available from Zombie Logic Press, and it is The Blood Dark Sea by Outlaw Poet De...
Apr 15, 2016
Allen Clifton on Hillary after the NY Debate Last Night
About Allen Clifton: Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on both Twitter and Facebook. Have feedback, inquiries, criticism or hate mail? You can email him as well.
Read more at: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/author/allen-clifton/
The following comments are from Allen Clifton's Facebook page:
"Once again, I am not anti-Sanders. Though I know it clearly sounds like I am.
But hypocrisy is a huge pet peeve of mine and there's been a ton of it from his campaign and his supporters.
He walks on water and can do no wrong - ever, while she's basically Satan who's held to a standard unlike any other candidate in political history. Every single thing she's said or done is held against her without the slightest bit of context linked to it. Hell, even things her husband or President Obama has done SHE'S the one who's blamed for them.
Meanwhile, Sanders has several questionable votes on his record - but, eh, who cares? He voted for those things so he clearly has his reasons. Bernie never lies - he's the greatest human being who's ever lived... ever, ever.
He's a once-in-a-lifetime candidate!!
Here's the FACTS: He's a career politician who Politifact proves lies just about as often as Hillary Clinton, who's benefitted from being a political figure in a very tiny state where constituents don't really demand much from you.
Bernie Sanders would never be "Bernie Sanders" if he were a politician from New York, California, Florida or any number of other states where elected leaders are forced to make very difficult decisions.
He's benefitted from the fact that, in Vermont, you're dealing with a state the size of most mid-sized cities.
I live in Austin, TX - a city (not including the surrounding suburbs) that has over 250k more people than the entire state of Vermont - ONE CITY.
And if you don't think that benefits him immensely to say and do things others wouldn't be able to, you really need to learn a whole lot more about politics." - Allen Clifton
***
"Bernie Sanders is not all that much different than Donald Trump. By that I mean both candidates say (and endlessly repeat) their go-to talking points - then offer almost no real specifics as to how they plan to do any of it.
Then if you provide studies that debunk what they want to do, they simply cite their own findings (clearly biased findings) to dispute anyone who says their plans are unrealistic.
They complain about the same things: The establishment, the media, money in politics and claim that there's some mystical entity trying to "sabotage" their campaign. They also tend to try to discredit states that vote against them. To say nothing about their sudden whining about the primary rules they knew about going into this campaign.
And have you noticed how Sanders will NEVER apologize or say anything he voted on was wrong? Hmm, very Trump-like, isn't it?
Even when he was busted trying to "quote-unquote" Hillary Clinton during the "unqualified dust-up" - he admitted that he ASSUMED that statement based off a HEADLINE - and still never apologized for saying she claimed he wasn't qualified.
Break up the banks? Okay - how? Uh, well, you break them up - that's how.
How do you plan to pay for all of this? By my modest tax increases on the middle class and larger ones on the rich!
Well, then how come in Europe, taxes on the middle class are much higher than your promising? Uh, well, we need to catch up with the rest of the modernized world!
How do you plan to pass any of these big promises? A political revolution!
Well, sir, voter turnout is down and you're behind 2.4 million votes. Uh, um, political revolution! We won Utah, Wyoming and Idaho by YUGE margins - but those big wins by Clinton in the South don't count.
I'll be so glad when this is over. It's no wonder he's largely supported by young people who've probably been really emotionally involved in politics since a hashtag told them they needed to be.
I don't dislike the man, but the hypocrisy I see coming from his campaign is absurd.
Even tonight, after MONTHS of trying to paint Hillary Clinton as a shill for Wall Street, he couldn't name a single vote in her Senate career where she favored the big banks.
Not.One.Single.Vote.
One would think a candidate who's spent so much time undermining her integrity would know her voting record pertaining to Wall Street up and down. Yet, he couldn't name a single thing.
Oh, but speech transcripts!
Who gives a damn? I'm sure she wrote a speech geared to tell them exactly what they wanted. President Obama took millions from Wall Street and passed Dodd-Frank. Though that apparently doesn't seem to matter. Why should it? It doesn't fit the "Clinton is the devil" narrative being pushed by the Sanders acolytes.
When it comes to these pro-Sanders radicals, they don't care one bit about the facts. They want to hate Clinton, cheer for him and reality doesn't matter one damn bit.
A supporter of Sanders basically called Clinton a "Wall Street whore." Well, if a Trump surrogate said that, we would be losing our minds over how that kind of language is linked to Trump's attitude.
Well, I'm sorry, Sanders' rhetoric against Clinton has basically been calling her exactly what that person said for months. Has he said those words directly? No - but it's clear that person felt comfortable enough to say it based on the attitude Sanders has displayed towards Clinton.
Who won tonight's debate? Clinton. Why? Because when Sanders was asked to name ONE thing Clinton voted on to favor Wall Street - he couldn't do it. And if you've made a massive part of your campaign how "much of a sellout to Wall Street my opponent is," yet you can't name a single thing she voted on that favored Wall Street, you lose the debate.
I hope Clinton wins by 10+ points Tuesday just to put an end to this primary. It's already pretty much over, but apparently math and reality doesn't matter.
Facts: Clinton is up over 200 delegates and around 2.4 million votes. SHE is the candidate "the people" want." - Allen Clifton
The following comments are from Allen Clifton's Facebook page:
"Once again, I am not anti-Sanders. Though I know it clearly sounds like I am.
But hypocrisy is a huge pet peeve of mine and there's been a ton of it from his campaign and his supporters.
He walks on water and can do no wrong - ever, while she's basically Satan who's held to a standard unlike any other candidate in political history. Every single thing she's said or done is held against her without the slightest bit of context linked to it. Hell, even things her husband or President Obama has done SHE'S the one who's blamed for them.
Meanwhile, Sanders has several questionable votes on his record - but, eh, who cares? He voted for those things so he clearly has his reasons. Bernie never lies - he's the greatest human being who's ever lived... ever, ever.
He's a once-in-a-lifetime candidate!!
Here's the FACTS: He's a career politician who Politifact proves lies just about as often as Hillary Clinton, who's benefitted from being a political figure in a very tiny state where constituents don't really demand much from you.
Bernie Sanders would never be "Bernie Sanders" if he were a politician from New York, California, Florida or any number of other states where elected leaders are forced to make very difficult decisions.
He's benefitted from the fact that, in Vermont, you're dealing with a state the size of most mid-sized cities.
I live in Austin, TX - a city (not including the surrounding suburbs) that has over 250k more people than the entire state of Vermont - ONE CITY.
And if you don't think that benefits him immensely to say and do things others wouldn't be able to, you really need to learn a whole lot more about politics." - Allen Clifton
***
"Bernie Sanders is not all that much different than Donald Trump. By that I mean both candidates say (and endlessly repeat) their go-to talking points - then offer almost no real specifics as to how they plan to do any of it.
Then if you provide studies that debunk what they want to do, they simply cite their own findings (clearly biased findings) to dispute anyone who says their plans are unrealistic.
They complain about the same things: The establishment, the media, money in politics and claim that there's some mystical entity trying to "sabotage" their campaign. They also tend to try to discredit states that vote against them. To say nothing about their sudden whining about the primary rules they knew about going into this campaign.
And have you noticed how Sanders will NEVER apologize or say anything he voted on was wrong? Hmm, very Trump-like, isn't it?
Even when he was busted trying to "quote-unquote" Hillary Clinton during the "unqualified dust-up" - he admitted that he ASSUMED that statement based off a HEADLINE - and still never apologized for saying she claimed he wasn't qualified.
Break up the banks? Okay - how? Uh, well, you break them up - that's how.
How do you plan to pay for all of this? By my modest tax increases on the middle class and larger ones on the rich!
Well, then how come in Europe, taxes on the middle class are much higher than your promising? Uh, well, we need to catch up with the rest of the modernized world!
How do you plan to pass any of these big promises? A political revolution!
Well, sir, voter turnout is down and you're behind 2.4 million votes. Uh, um, political revolution! We won Utah, Wyoming and Idaho by YUGE margins - but those big wins by Clinton in the South don't count.
I'll be so glad when this is over. It's no wonder he's largely supported by young people who've probably been really emotionally involved in politics since a hashtag told them they needed to be.
I don't dislike the man, but the hypocrisy I see coming from his campaign is absurd.
Even tonight, after MONTHS of trying to paint Hillary Clinton as a shill for Wall Street, he couldn't name a single vote in her Senate career where she favored the big banks.
Not.One.Single.Vote.
One would think a candidate who's spent so much time undermining her integrity would know her voting record pertaining to Wall Street up and down. Yet, he couldn't name a single thing.
Oh, but speech transcripts!
Who gives a damn? I'm sure she wrote a speech geared to tell them exactly what they wanted. President Obama took millions from Wall Street and passed Dodd-Frank. Though that apparently doesn't seem to matter. Why should it? It doesn't fit the "Clinton is the devil" narrative being pushed by the Sanders acolytes.
When it comes to these pro-Sanders radicals, they don't care one bit about the facts. They want to hate Clinton, cheer for him and reality doesn't matter one damn bit.
A supporter of Sanders basically called Clinton a "Wall Street whore." Well, if a Trump surrogate said that, we would be losing our minds over how that kind of language is linked to Trump's attitude.
Well, I'm sorry, Sanders' rhetoric against Clinton has basically been calling her exactly what that person said for months. Has he said those words directly? No - but it's clear that person felt comfortable enough to say it based on the attitude Sanders has displayed towards Clinton.
Who won tonight's debate? Clinton. Why? Because when Sanders was asked to name ONE thing Clinton voted on to favor Wall Street - he couldn't do it. And if you've made a massive part of your campaign how "much of a sellout to Wall Street my opponent is," yet you can't name a single thing she voted on that favored Wall Street, you lose the debate.
I hope Clinton wins by 10+ points Tuesday just to put an end to this primary. It's already pretty much over, but apparently math and reality doesn't matter.
Facts: Clinton is up over 200 delegates and around 2.4 million votes. SHE is the candidate "the people" want." - Allen Clifton
Mar 9, 2016
Styling
I gave Jack a bath last night because kindergarten pictures are today. He went to bed with wet hair. This morning he looked like a fresh young shiny haired chicken. So, I re-wet it but just before he went out the door I realized his bangs were hanging in his eye and got the scissors. I did a one snip trim of the bangs before he asked for a winter cap and we headed to the bus. This could go two ways: cute, fresh, shiny, kindergartner or chicken head with crooked bangs and chocolate on his face. yay me.
*2:30 update:
Soooo, I was just informed by my adorable kindergartner, the plain blue t-shirt I dressed him in today was the same color as the blue screen they use behind the kids, and the photo taken today looked like a mysterious floating Jack head. These pics may be even more epic than last year**
**Last year's photo:
Jack is in the front on the far right.
*2:30 update:
Soooo, I was just informed by my adorable kindergartner, the plain blue t-shirt I dressed him in today was the same color as the blue screen they use behind the kids, and the photo taken today looked like a mysterious floating Jack head. These pics may be even more epic than last year**
**Last year's photo:
Jack is in the front on the far right.
Feb 17, 2016
Feb 10, 2016
Feb 2, 2016
Make America Great Again
Lead pipes to replace
Potholes to fill
Potholes to fill
Condemned houses to tear down
Schools to repair
Schools to repair
Kids to mentor
People to help
Energy solutions to invent
Solar panels to install
Wind farms to plant
Litter to pick up
Garbage to recycle
Organic food to be grown
Let's put some people back to work and re-invest in our United States.
Let's put some people back to work and re-invest in our United States.
***
I really get riled up during these big election cycles.
Jan 31, 2016
Idealogues a List
Equality for all despite, gender, race, ability, and wealth.
Livable minimum wage.
Livable minimum wage.
Tax the rich.
Feed the poor.
Feed the poor.
Health care for everyone.
Pay teachers.
Gun control.
Reinvest in these United States by rebuilding infrastructure.
Stop trashing our planet.
Don't hit.
Make peace.
Include.
Jan 28, 2016
I think my ear is screwed on too tight
I have this headache and when I tug on my ear it feels better.
When I pinch my eyebrow it feels better.
While tilting my head all the way to the right, I yawn, and it feels better.
I can twist my arm back behind me as far as it goes and it feels better.
If I sit on the chair in front of someone and have them stab the spot at the end on my shoulder-blade with their thumb, it feels better.
I can't very well go walking around town pinching and yawning and stretching and getting stabbed with a thumb, so I took a pill and a nap.
My head still hurts.
When I pinch my eyebrow it feels better.
While tilting my head all the way to the right, I yawn, and it feels better.
I can twist my arm back behind me as far as it goes and it feels better.
If I sit on the chair in front of someone and have them stab the spot at the end on my shoulder-blade with their thumb, it feels better.
I can't very well go walking around town pinching and yawning and stretching and getting stabbed with a thumb, so I took a pill and a nap.
My head still hurts.
Jan 13, 2016
Wishes
Dear Humanity,
Can we just do better at keeping the children safe? I'm tired of reading the news.
Sincerely,
Me
Can we just do better at keeping the children safe? I'm tired of reading the news.
Sincerely,
Me
Jan 11, 2016
Dummies
Jan 7, 2016
January List
I like this day where it's warming up and the snow is sort of melty and the air as all humid and slushy.
Instant coffee all morning.
Cheese.
New (to me) coat from the boy's department at the resale shop is cozy and looks totally cute with my snow pants and slushy snow boots.
Junky tv shows like Bar Rescue and Project Runway Jr.
Misspelled notes from a Kindergartner.
Pretzels and beer.
Instant coffee all morning.
Cheese.
New (to me) coat from the boy's department at the resale shop is cozy and looks totally cute with my snow pants and slushy snow boots.
Junky tv shows like Bar Rescue and Project Runway Jr.
Misspelled notes from a Kindergartner.
Pretzels and beer.
Dec 29, 2015
What Do We Tell the Children?
When I am sitting at karate next to another parent and I say "Did you have The TALK, yet?" we aren't referring to sex. The hard conversation we don't know how to approach is what to tell our kids about police.
The children are pre-teens and some of them are tall. They are awkward and rowdy, able to haul garbage cans to and from the curb and maybe even take the city bus around town on their own soon, certainly big enough to take a dollar into the gas station for candy. These cute round faced children who are thinning out and tripping on their feet will drive soon. We have an egalitarian household where we don't bark orders and one can argue a point for weeks, but I fear there is one realm where irritability and defiance (two qualities pre-teens have in aces) can get you killed. Where being a petulant punk who's not so round-faced and small, can get you tackled and handcuffed or worse. In these United States we're tasering eight year old children, using pepper spray in schools, and shooting twelve year olds on the playground.
I'm not sure what to say about it to my child who sometimes still believes in the tooth-fairy and is afraid to read Harry Potter before bed, but is big enough to steal my hoodies and flip-flops. What do I say to the kid about officer friendly? I've got a rambunctious boy who's deaf in one ear and has a panache for running around pretending he's shooting bad guys. What do I tell him? Do I talk to him about it the same time all the magic of Santa Clause dissolve into the realities of the 5 o'clock news? Exactly how tall does he have to be before he's considered a "possible threat?"
Yes, yes, of course our perfect children will never get into trouble, never encounter an officer yelling at them, never have a reason to get face down on the cement, never get pulled over and look guilty. They same way they'll never have reason to walk calmly out of a burning building, or huddle into a bathroom and be silent for a lockdown, or duck under their desks and put a book over their heads, or swim to the edge of a pool, or not chase a ball into the street, or refuse to give directions to a skeezy candy wielding guy driving a van, or be smart enough to just say "no." Not our kids.
Yeah, this is the discourse I don't have an after-school special for, no pamphlet on how to discuss, no first lady to tell us what to shout. This is the talk that is hardest, because friends and relatives we love wear a blue uniform, because we teeter between just cooperate and 'am I being detained? Am I free to go?' ourselves. And while each parent's 'birds and the bees' lecture is slightly different than the next, I certainly don't want to be the 'abstinence only so we aren't talking about it at all' parent.
***
The children are pre-teens and some of them are tall. They are awkward and rowdy, able to haul garbage cans to and from the curb and maybe even take the city bus around town on their own soon, certainly big enough to take a dollar into the gas station for candy. These cute round faced children who are thinning out and tripping on their feet will drive soon. We have an egalitarian household where we don't bark orders and one can argue a point for weeks, but I fear there is one realm where irritability and defiance (two qualities pre-teens have in aces) can get you killed. Where being a petulant punk who's not so round-faced and small, can get you tackled and handcuffed or worse. In these United States we're tasering eight year old children, using pepper spray in schools, and shooting twelve year olds on the playground.
I'm not sure what to say about it to my child who sometimes still believes in the tooth-fairy and is afraid to read Harry Potter before bed, but is big enough to steal my hoodies and flip-flops. What do I say to the kid about officer friendly? I've got a rambunctious boy who's deaf in one ear and has a panache for running around pretending he's shooting bad guys. What do I tell him? Do I talk to him about it the same time all the magic of Santa Clause dissolve into the realities of the 5 o'clock news? Exactly how tall does he have to be before he's considered a "possible threat?"
Yes, yes, of course our perfect children will never get into trouble, never encounter an officer yelling at them, never have a reason to get face down on the cement, never get pulled over and look guilty. They same way they'll never have reason to walk calmly out of a burning building, or huddle into a bathroom and be silent for a lockdown, or duck under their desks and put a book over their heads, or swim to the edge of a pool, or not chase a ball into the street, or refuse to give directions to a skeezy candy wielding guy driving a van, or be smart enough to just say "no." Not our kids.
Yeah, this is the discourse I don't have an after-school special for, no pamphlet on how to discuss, no first lady to tell us what to shout. This is the talk that is hardest, because friends and relatives we love wear a blue uniform, because we teeter between just cooperate and 'am I being detained? Am I free to go?' ourselves. And while each parent's 'birds and the bees' lecture is slightly different than the next, I certainly don't want to be the 'abstinence only so we aren't talking about it at all' parent.
***
Dec 16, 2015
The Darkest Days
When the alarm sounded there was rain and the sun wasn't yet up. I lost the remote and couldn't put Sponge Bob on and so there was no commercial break to tell us to leave on time. A new lunch box had to be located to replace the forgotten one and a cruddier choice of drink bottle will substitute for the one that doesn't leak all over in the backpack. The bus driver was sick and some stranger was driving an odd bus this morning and though the route number in the window was correct, I couldn't help but worry what would happen if he dropped all those little kids off at the wrong school. Perhaps a high school, where all the gang members who eat kindergartners go. Back home I shook off the early morning and set to work inserting a sliver into my left index finger while re-cutting the long side of a canvas whose gesso I am watching dry.
Dec 14, 2015
Dec 13, 2015
Mine all mine
Next week I'm going to take myself to lunch and a movie. I've not done it in decades. Someone is always with me. But after two weeks of art shows and Christmas parties I feel like I need a whole day of not talking to anyone, not sharing anything and making zero compromises. I bet to some people, the fact that I have to designate a day to do that seems alien and ridiculous to them. What a thing.
Dec 6, 2015
Dec 4, 2015
Nov 29, 2015
Whim's Bakery and Grille
If I had a restaurant I'd make all the breads from scratch. Pumpernickel and wheat, sour dough and honey, flax and oat, bleached white and brown sugared, then we'd slice them thick and make toasts topped with jellies, jams, and/or different nut butters, local honeys or marshmallows. We'd also serve grilled cheeses with as many kinds of tasty cheese as you can think of with fresh avocados or tomatoes or apples and other neat fruits and vegetables. We'd grill them up and odd combinations of them along side jellies and and at night we'd serve soup with the toasts or the grilled cheeses. We'd have chicken soup, french onion and a very nice tomato locally sourced and from scratch. You'd be able to order anything from just a slice of toast to a sampler plate of all the fun things. And that'd be pretty much it. That's the whole menu. Toast, Grilled Cheese, Soup.
Nov 23, 2015
Thankfully
Here's a list of things I like:
-instant coffee
-banana bread
-roller skating so fast I can barely breath
-sunrises
-answers
-vintage fairy tales
-warm socks that only go up just past my ankles soze I can wear them with skinny jeans
saying "soze"
-websites that don't make one click for each new number on their really incredible list of amazing things that will blow my mind to see (I never make it past three clicks)
-instagram (thanks Ajax!)
-tall brooding poets
-this song (always a sucker for clapping in a song)
-instant coffee
-banana bread
-roller skating so fast I can barely breath
-sunrises
-answers
-vintage fairy tales
-warm socks that only go up just past my ankles soze I can wear them with skinny jeans
saying "soze"
-websites that don't make one click for each new number on their really incredible list of amazing things that will blow my mind to see (I never make it past three clicks)
-instagram (thanks Ajax!)
-tall brooding poets
-this song (always a sucker for clapping in a song)
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