Try THAT in Seattle!

The mask-burning party was last night and, to be honest, I was nervous. I had no idea if anybody would show up, especially on a Wednesday night, and who would show up if we did get some attendance - Constitution-loving people, the cops, or the whack jobs that act like fascists while looting and burning.

For starters, no police despite a sign in front of my house announcing the party. Second, no whack jobs. Yea!

We did have about a dozen people show up. Those that were hungry were fed and most pitched in with a little dish or treat. I forgot to put out the speakers for Christmas music. By the time I remembered, we had a bunch of small groups going, all having their own conversations. So, I skipped the music.

We held off on the mask-burning until about 8PM because everyone was enjoying themselves. When we did finally get around to it, it seemed anti-climatic. As I stood watching the people there, I realized that the mere act of gathering was far more powerful than tossing a mask into the fire pit. Still, that part was so popular that we did it twice.

Interesting note: the masks melted before they burned. Makes me wonder what the heck we’re inhaling chemically off store bought masks. Yeech!

The other thing that struck me — and I joked about it — was that there was plenty of laughter. We were peacefully protesting and even had a our little fire just like the big city, but instead of mindless rage, there was laughter. Try THAT is Seattle, city of the angry army of imbeciles.

Tyranny hates laughter, especially at its expense. More of this is absolutely needed - and we can have fun doing it.

When we finally broke for the night, everyone left in good spirits and energized, with a commitment to do this again. Hope and camaraderie are powerful emotions. With those, we can get a lot done.

Did we change the world overnight? Nope, but we did take a baby step.

The next baby step will happen next month. I’ll keep everyone posted and let you know when and where.

Also, I have some other thoughts triggered by the conversations last night. I’ll share them in the next couple of days.

Be safe everyone - but remember . . .

Live is for living, not cowering. Stand tall.

Bring Your Masks, I'll Provide the Matches

The mask-burning party is tonight at my house. Bring your masks - my granddaughter wants to burn a mask but not the one she likes, so we’re giving her a different mask to torch. I’ll have a small cozy fire pit to lob the little face diapers into. We don’t need the Fires of Mount Doom in Mordor for this project. All we need is a little fire, a lot of mockery of the petty tyrants like Dear Governor, and the pleasure of like-minded friends committed to the proposition that we will not allow obnoxious and foolish progs to restrain our natural rights.

I bumped into one of our city council members and gave him a heads up that the party was happening. His response? “Naked Faces Matter!”

I’m stealing that. I also invited him to the party. He’s one of us.

At the risk (substantial) of making a big fat target of myself, the address is 308 2nd Street, Asotin, WA. Parking is whatever you can find on the street. After school hours, the bus parking is usable.

The nearest restrooms are around the corner at the Zip Trip.

I’ll have the grill fired up around 5:30PM. I’m cheating and using gas. Charcoal tastes a lot better, but really isn’t designed for mass production. I’ll also have some coffee on hand, hot water for hot chocolate, pop, egg nog, and water. If you want to bring a small dish of your own, that would be great but not required.

In the event we get crazy people showing up to ‘counter-protest’, the game plan is to treat them with kindness. I really doubt we’ll get any, but better to have a plan than not. We’ll offer them coffee and pop, burgers and dogs. I guess, if they’re vegan, we can offer potato chips. We’re not going to argue with them. Their minds are not open to our viewpoint, and we won’t waste our time and energy on them. Deal?

A Thank You and a Book Recommendation

First, a big THANK YOU to David Knight for having me on his show. It was an pleasure to chat with him, and he made it such a relaxed conversation that I regretted that it needed to end. Behind the scenes, Travis helped everything flow smoothly - which, given this is the first time I’ve ever done such an interview is a testament to his patience and skill.

Also, a couple of folks have emailed asking what books I had read on propaganda. I think the most informative, for me, was The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing by Joost A. M. Meerloo in 1956. Amazon link here. (I don’t get paid by Amazon - I recommend shopping around to find the best deal.)

It is somewhat dated but the core information is very accessible - and terrifically frightening.