Cortazar Always Knows How I Feel

"...obsessed by something that his intelligence was not equal to comprehending, but which floats slowly into his music, caresses his skin, perhaps is readying for an unpredictable leap which we will never understand."

From Coney Island

There's a man standing in a yellow raincoat, using the newspaper sleeping bags as a roof, allowing the sludge of conversation to drip down onto his boots where it can be more easily stomped out, and stomped out, and walked on and dissipated and stomped out until finally it melds into all the rest. They look just like everything else. No one there to catch them. No one.

And then everyone got together and whispered to everyone and I could feel they're button eyes on me.

From Blanchot's The Writing of The Disaster

Amoung certain "primitive" peoples (those whose society knows no State) the cheif must prove his dominion over words: silence is forbidden him. Yet it is not required that anyone listen to him. Indeed, no one pays attention to the cheif's word, or rather all feign inattention; and he, in fact, says nothing, but repeats the celebration of the traditional norms of life. To what requirment of primitive society does this empty language, which emanates from the apparent locus of power, answer? The discourse of the cheif is empty precisely because he is seperated from power---it is the society itself which is the locus of power. The cheif must move in the element of the word, which is to say, at the oppostie pole from violence. the cheifs obligation to speak---that constant flow of empty speech (not empty, but traditional, sheer transmission), which he owes to the tribe--- is the infinite debt which effectively rules out speaking man's ever becoming a man of power.

In this context we are the primitive people, or as Benjamin says and I'll paraphrase because this is a lot of quotes to ask people to read, a primitive legal system where the death penalty is imposed for certain crime and offenses against property. Does George Bush have dominion over his words? Not at first glance, but when you read on you realize he does on a profound level. Like one of his former speech writers said, 'People always think George W. Bush is a stupid man with good intentions, but the opposite is actually true.' I get caught up on the next sentence. It says it is not required that anyone listen to him. Perhaps Benjamin can help here. People do not listen to George Bush, save for the militarism or "predatory violence." It is not out of respect but out of fear. One of Bush's campaign managers said that they would campaign and win the re-election on two things, Optimism and Fear.

"He, in fact, says nothing, but repeats the celebration of the traditional norms of life."

"The world is a safer place now that Saddam has been captured." But what about your claims of imminent danger? Exactly what are the ties between Osama and Saddam? "The world is a safer place now that Saddam has been captured."

It is the society itself which is the locus of power.

This is the problem. Does anyone know this? The myth of revolution is dead and no one knows why. It's just a longer list of questions that continue to confuse me. I don't understand who supports Mr. Bush. Who is still fooled?

Found In Translation

This post is from two incredible people writing from Taiwan. Hopefully they'll be sending me posts once a week or so detailing what they've eaten and what the corners of their room look like so that we can get a hint of what it might look like when fully reassembled. Perhaps we may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination...Ladies and Gentlemen...I give you Found In Translation

The corners of our room, of which there is only one save for a bathroom, are a striking white. A fine juxtaposition against the redbrown spots on the walls created by violent warfare waged against the mosquitos that attack us at night. Here is a list of the things i've eaten in the last twenty four hours:
wax pears
papaya
dragon fruit
bow wan
sweigh jow
tang mien
tang ban tiao
There is another fruit, I don't know what it's called but it tastes like a combination between a pear and the sap that flows out of pine trees. It's green and bumpy.