The Cult Of Ignorance - and - Tom Sawyer Was Out In The Rain Last NIght

                                  Tom Sawyer Was Out In The Rain Last Night

                                  An original mixed media painting

                                  9" X 12" unframed

     Those viewers who may be somewhat familiar with this blog,

may have seen this painting previously.  It is one from my series of  book

paintings which I have shown here in the past decade or so.  I chose a 

book painting today as another reminder for everyone to think about all

of our individual rights which are being taken away from us by autocratic

state legislators and governors.  Everything that we do in our own personal

lives, to help us determine our future health and advancement, is under a

constant threat of being taken away from us by the Republican tyrants

who have gained full power in so many of our states.  Perhaps the sadest

part of this new reality, is the fact that we have the Trump Supreme Court

which gives these idiots permission to abuse our personal rights as they like.

     The latest example here in my state is a law which restricts freedom of 

choice in our libraries. The kinds of books libraries can buy and make 

available to readers, are now limited to those which these right-wing politicians 

see as appropriate for their children.  Any one parent has the power to block 

what the children of all the other parents can see and read.  Failure to comply 

with this law results in loss of funding for the library.  

     Libraries have always been the bedrock of American democracy, from

our beginnings.  They were the places where we could go to get the full

information we needed to help us conduct our lives for our own best benefit

and for the best benefit of society in general.  These Republican efforts to stifle

truth and factual information, is a further example of the way they are grooming

this cult of ignorance, to help them stay in power.  I am reminded again of

Socrates famous words that proclaim ignorance to be the world's greatest

evil, and knowledge to be the world's greatest good.  Nothing has changed

in over two thousand years.

    My advice to all readers now, is simple.  When you go to the library, go

directly to those restricted sections, which  contain the books which have 

been given limited access, due to Republican political command.  That is 

the area where you are likely to find some of the best books in the library.

Take those books home and read them.  They will expand your mind and

help you see the world in new colors and whole new dimensions.

     Don't let anyone tell you what you are not allowed to read. It is a 

knowledgeable citizenry which eventually removes tyrants from their 

positions of power.  

                                             Eugene P. McNerney 

We who are about to BUY salute you.

 

                                                             ( detail - Roman gladiator sculpture )

 

     When Roman gladiators entered the Colosseum to entertain the roaring crowds, 

they would address their audience by saying,"We who are about to die salute you!"

In the title of this posting, I have changed one word of that declaration, in order to

create an appropriate greeting for the NFL teams owners to use, when they open their

annual, college, players draft.  The 2023 draft has just wrapped up in Kansas City.  

The acquisition of the new players was a three day spectacle of noisy, frenzied fans,

making themselves look as stupid as possible, in order to demonstrate their 

everlasting loyalty to the surrogate warriors of their tribal cities.  

     Popular entertainments, including ball games, have always been loud, crude

and simpleminded, so it was not unexpected that the three hundred thousand fans

who showed up here, to cheer for their teams, would make quite a show of it. 

At times the draft resembled some kind of a blend of a ritualized slave-auction 

and the presentation of a new crop of Marvel-comics super-heroes.  All of that 

only shows how little we have changed over the past several thousand years and

 more, into history.  The recorded history of ball sports extends back through

countless cultures.  From American-style football games in ancient Greece, to

Harpastum in Rome, to Cuju in Ancient China, to field hockey sports in Medieval 

Europe, ball sports have had  a presence in almost every continent at some time.

No doubt when those athletes of old, finished their games, they had plenty of

avid fans waiting outside the gates to get something in the way of an autograph 

or perhaps something more from their heroes. 

       What the big show of the draft comes down to in the end is money.  Put on

a big enough, glitzy production to create excitement for the fans, and reap the 

rewards of increased profits from the publicity and sales of expensive tickets 

and all of that new NFL team-merchandise.   Are you ready for some football?

                                                        Eugene P. McNerney

        

Murdoch's Monstrous Triumph - and - Owls Taking Flight

 

 

                                                              Owls Taking Flight       

                                                             An original mixed-media painting 

                                                               ( click on image to enlarge )

                                        

     I have not posted this painting on the blog for a decade or so, but I was reminded of it 

because I have been hearing owls calling in the night, and because of recent events in 

the news.   Throughout the history of literature and art, owls have been seen as somehow

wise and able to foresee a troublesome future.  That is a fanciful notion, but about one 

third of American voters seem to be less intelligent, more angry and afraid than the owls.

That mental state is due in large measure to the constant stream of poisons being fed

to them by Rupert Murdoch and his lying team of program hosts at Fox, who play to

to all of the worst fears and hatreds of their followers.   Legitimate news organizations

provide the honest truth about everything that is happening, so that people know the 

facts.  Murdoch gives the people whatever lies will bring him the greatest profit.  

     Now the real news organizations are reporting on the fact that Murdoch has 

paid close to eight hundred million dollars to settle the Dominion lawsuit, just so he

wont have to stand up in court and admit that everything Fox has been telling people 

about stolen elections, is a complete lie.  Fox will never do any kind of on-air report

or admission of guilt or apology for their assault on the belief in our honest and

fair elections, which are the basis of our democracy.  Now Murdoch will be able

to conduct his lying business as usual, after paying some hush-money, much the way

Trump pays hush-money to porn stars.   Murdoch is reportedly worth nearly

eighteen Billion dollars, more money than anyone could ever need, so the pay-off

was a way for him to win again, without costing much serious pain. 

    But there is something that all of those lying Fox program hosts should probably

remember in the future.  Those avid Fox followers out there may not be the most

intelligent birds in the aviary, but most of them probably have guns, because of

all the things you have done to reinforce their fears and hatreds.  So when the 

truth finally begins to filter down to some of them, they may start coming after

you, just the way they stormed the Capitol on January 6th.  Wouldn't that

be a hoot?

                                            Eugene P. McNerney

 

Florida Bans Michelangelo

      The book-banning Floridians are at it again.  They are going to strip (pardon the

expression) Michelangelo's David from their books.  They say that the sculpture is

pornographic!  

     Michelangelo's David is probably the most famous, monumental, stone sculpture

in the world.  That well known image has been featured both inside and on the covers

of countless books and magazines.  Everyone who has seen Michelangelo's amazing

artworks are in awe of his spectacular achievements.  Hundreds of thousands of 

people have stood in line breathlessly awaiting the opportunity to enter the Sistene

Chapel for a few minutes, to gaze upon the wonder of Michelangelo's art.

When they are finally able to go inside and look upward, I can guarantee that none

of them have ever said, "Wow! Porn!". 

     Those Florida nitwits don't know the difference between photos of fine art and

photos of pathetic people having sex for money.  The human figure has been at

the core of artistic expression in Western Civilization since the dawn of history.

From ancient Greece to Rome to the Renaissance and clear up to modern times,

the nude figure has remained a central focus of sculpture and painting.  We are

proud to have these sculptural figures in our parks and on our monuments and

on public buildings.  They are featured in fountains, on hundreds of public 

squares, which people enjoy seeing every day.  Their images are even printed

on the postage stamps of many countries, where the people take pride in their

artistic heritage.  Perhaps some of the Florida numbskulls have received  letters

stamped with one of these little images.  If so, I doubt that the receipt of such

an image has given anyone fits of hysterics. 

     So what is their problem?  Why can't they admire the grace and beauty of

the human form in great art?  The answer seems to be that no matter how

beautiful these images may be, the nude reminds them that they are mammals.

And like the rest of the mammals on the planet, we all reproduce in pretty much

the same way, no matter how much these people try to elevate themselves

 to a higher plane, somehow above all that.  When their children ask them

where babies come from, they probably have difficulty giving them honest,

straightforward answers about human reproduction.  Instead of giving

their children the facts, as it becomes age appropriate, they prefer to remove

great art from books or remove the books completely.  They are the fig-leaf

brigades, busily trying to preserve the purity of their warped little minds. 

                                                        Eugene P. McNerney  

Ukraine's Year In Hell - and - Putin Smiling While Ukraine Burns

                                                          Putin Smiling While Ukraine Burns

                                                          10"  X  8", mixed media

     In May of 2021, I posted a Memorial Day piece, asking the eternal question of when we 

human beings would finally learn to stop making wars and killing each other.  That posting 

included a painting called The Exultant Spartan, showing a warrior who had spent the day 

pillaging a conquered enemy city, and was triumphantly warming himself before the fire, 

as he burned the city to the ground.

     Nine months after I posted that piece, Vladimir Putin sent the full force of the massive

Russian army across the borders into Ukraine, intending to annex the entire country into

Russia, and make all of the Ukrainians submit to Russian rule.  Eight million Ukrainians 

have fled into other European countries, and millions more have been displaced from their

 homes.  Many thousands of men, women and children have been killed or severely 

injured, and nothing remains of many cities and towns but bombed and burned out ruins.  

This was all done to satisfy the bloated ego of one man.

    We are now marking one full year since that invasion began.  Things did not go exactly 

as Putin planned.  The Ukrainians have fought the Russians to a stand-still, but he 

refuses to withdraw, so the daily slaughter continues without let-up.  There doesn't seem 

to be any end in sight.  How many more months, or even years, of misery lie ahead?  

And even if the Ukrainians do eventually manage to push the Russians off of their land, 

there is nothing which can compensate them adequately for all of the misery, pain and 

death which has been inflicted on them.  

     There is an old story which says that Emperor Nero played his fiddle as he was 

watching Rome burn.  The image that congers up, of an extreme sociopath enjoying

a conflagration of total destruction, suggested the above vision of Putin, admiring his

own reflection among the fires of Ukraine...... and smiling!  The only things missing,

 from the image are his devil's horns.

     Many people still hold on to the mythological idea of the existence a humanoid

creature who is the personification of evil, living in some underworld kingdom, and

causing people to do evil things.  But the real devils are the sociopaths among us, 

who think only of themselves, and the ignorant enablers who follow their leader's 

bidding.  It doesn't matter whether it is a Hitler or a Mussolini or a Putin, they all 

take power by pandering to, and promoting the worst instincts of the populous: 

the hatreds, jealousies and fears of anyone they see as somehow different from 

themselves.  After gaining a base of support, the new great leader kills off anyone 

who speaks out against him, and abolishes the free press, replacing all genuine 

information sources with his own propaganda machine. After a few years of 

indoctrination, the tribal instinct takes over, allowing the people to think of 

themselves as somehow correct, if they commit evil acts for the good of their 

nation.

    This has all become a pattern of history which is destined to be repeated

until the end of time, unless we finally manage to properly educate every man

woman and child, replacing our mythologies and tribalism, with the guiding

truths of science and humanism.    Socrates told us where we were going

wrong over two thousand years ago.  He said,"There is only one good,

knowledge, and one evil, ignorance."   That is a statement which we should

be repeating to ourselves on a regular basis.   

                                                 Eugene P. McNerney

Good Thieves, Bad Thieves and Shameless Leeches - and - Horatio's New Role

             

     "Good morrow, noble sir.  How fare thee, in these times of mendacity and deceit?"

     That was the greeting which interrupted my usual morning ruminations, on the blatant 

and total lack of ethical behavior, on the part of our Republican leaders.  My surprise 

visitor, was my little friend, thespian and sometime model, Horatio H. Hamster Esq., 

and he seemed to be reading my mind, as he often does when he pops up so 

unexpectedly. I always enjoy having him stop by to inform me of all of the latest 

happenings, here in our little animal kingdom; he has such an artful way with words. 

 So I greeted him in kind, and thanked him for coming by to see me.

     I couldn't help but notice that he had acquired another new persona, no doubt in 

preparation for a new production at the Quadruped Playhouse, in a role which would

probably supply a new-reveal name for the middle H in his initials.  I complimented him

on his swashbuckling styled, sword and authentic looking, leather hat, and asked him 

what role he might be preparing to perform.  He flourished the sword dramatically, 

and explained that the hat was a hand-made copy of one seen in a Robin Hood movie, 

from the 1930's, because he was going to be playing Robin Hood soon, if things worked

out right at the playhouse.  So, I understood then, that the middle H in his name would be 

standing for Hood,  for a while at least.  

      As I was taking out my sketch book to do a quick drawing of him, I asked if the

personality differences among the membership of the playhouse had improved since

I had last seen him.

     "Alas!," he replied. "All is not well in Nottingham!"

     He went on to say that the deep divide in the company, which had developed when

they voted to oust Vladimir Pig and Donald J. Skunk from membership, was still dividing

the company.

  Some of the members, such as the family of nearly blind and deaf foxes, were 

still insisting that the vote was not counted properly, even though it had been recounted 

several times.  Some others, such as Margerie T. Groundhog and Lauren Badger, were

so committed to the stench of the skunk, they were constantly growling to have his

membership restored.  And worst of all perhaps, was the weasel family.  Kevin McWeasel

in particular, who privately admitted that the skunk was a most repulsively guilty beast, 

but who publicly pretended that the two of them were the best of friends, in order to gain

the directorship of the playhouse.  As the new director, he now has control over what 

new plays are allowed to be performed.

    Horatio said that the situation at the playhouse had gotten so bad that he was

wondering if the company would even survive, and he added that he doubted that 

"a poor, country yeoman from Sherwood Forest", could save them all, from the crooked 

weasel.  And so,the question still remained, as to whether he would have the chance 

to perform his dramatic roll as Robin Hood. 

      As I was finishing my sketch of him, I thanked Horatio Hood for stopping by, and I 

told him that I commiserated with his situation, because it was so eerily familiar with 

what I had been seeing every day on my television.

    As he prepared to depart, Horatio gave another flourish of his sword and a tip of his 

hat, saying, "Fare thee well, noble sir, until we two shall meet again."   And I responded 

in kind, saying, "Fare thee well, prince of thieves.  Do come again soon."

     When he was gone, I was left again to think about the lack of moral fiber in our 

Republican, Speaker Of The House.  It has been revealed that a newly elected member

of the congress by the name of Santos, or Devolder, or some other fictional name, is

 even more of a fraud than Donald Trump, because every single aspect of his life is a lie.

The only difference between them is that this new fraud has admitted to some of his

illegal conduct.  But Kevin McCarthy hasn't called upon the ethics committee to remove 

him from office, because he needs this slime-ball's vote, to help him hold on to his slim 

hold as Speaker Of The House.  

     These people are not statesmen, or even adequate public servants.   

They are nothing but leeches, sucking at the public treasury.

                                                                                        Eugene P. McNerney

   

The Season Of Long Shadows, - and - A Message Of Hope

                                                  A Message Of Hope - An original acrylic painting

                                                  12" X 16", unframed

 

                                                         ( click on image to enlarge )

 

      The people of the northern hemisphere are safe once again, to enjoy our annual holiday celebrations.  The winter solstice has past, marking the start of the sun's journey back to us, bringing the hope of new beginnings, fresh starts and new growth.  Now that we have science to help us understand the celestial navigation of our sun, we no longer imagine that any ceremony we have performed, in our shadowed past, has had any influence on bringing the sun back to us.  We no longer light huge bonfires to try and lure the sun to return, and we rarely make dedicated animal sacrifices as an appeal.  And it has been quite a while since an innocent virgin has been tossed on to the fire, to make our prayers look more sincere, although human sacrifice remains a central theme of some of our religious ceremonies and beliefs.  All in all, a change for the better, as our celebrations can now take on  more purposeful and thoughtful considerations.   

     The dark shadows across Europe have been deepening for ten months, as Vladimir Putin continues to slaughter the people of Ukraine and destroy their infrastructure and basic utilities of survival.  Many people are trying to endure the winter without heat, light and clean water.  Whatever we can do for them is much deserved.  And elsewhere, in a number of theocratic countries, the women are being reduced to slave status and human rights are eliminated.  What can we do to try and reduce such a growing menace of barbaric ignorance in the world?  We might start by questioning and reducing the growing influence of the religious right in our own country, which has succeeded in reducing American women to second class status.

      With all of the ignorance, hatreds and atrocities going on around us in our troubled world, the symbols of  this season still give us hope.   We pick the holly and the ivy and the other evergreens, and bring them inside, to remind us that we shall survive, even through the dark, bitter cold of winter, to great the return of the life-giving sun once more.  And we make wreaths of our evergreens for our doors and gates, to greet visitors with the message of hope.

     The house in the little painting above, has fallen into disrepair, but it seems that it is still occupied by at least one last family member.  Perhaps he, or she, no longer has the physical ability or the monetary means to make repairs to the property.  But the person who remains there, still made the effort to place a little, evergreen message of hope, on the broken, front gate. 

     So, we have the promise of new beginnings now.   The sun is coming back to us.  We will have a new, growing season, to replenish our lives and the lives of those who have been less fortunate.  There will be new possibilities for a better year ahead, and we still have the hope of finding peace and love for all.  Hope is eternal.   Perhaps hope is the only thing that is eternal.

                                                                               Eugene P. McNerney