8.03.2006

War Profit Litany

Allen Ginsberg

To Ezra Pound

These are the names of the companies that have made
       money from this war
nineteenhundredsixtyeight  Annodomini  fourthousand
       eighty Hebraic
These are the Corporations who have profited by merchan-
       dising skinburning phosphorous or shells fragmented
       to thousands of fleshpiercing needles
and here listed money millions gained by each combine for
       manufacture
and here are gains numbered, index'd swelling a decade, set
       in order,
here named the Fathers in office in these industries, tele-
       phones directing finance,
names of directors, makers of fates, and the names of the
       stockholders of these destined Aggregates,
and here are the names of their ambassadors to the Capital,
       representatives to legislature, those who sit drinking
       in hotel lobbies to persuade,
and separate listed, those who drop Amphetamine with
       military, gossip, argue, and persuade
suggesting policy naming language proposing strategy, this
       done for fee as ambassadors to Pentagon, consul-
       tants to military, paid by their industry:
and these are the names of the generals & captains mili-
       tary, who know thus work for war goods manufactur-
       ers;
and above these, listed, the names of the banks, combines,
       investment trusts that control these industries:
and these are the names of the newspapers owned by these
       banks
and these are the names of the airstations owned by these
       combines;
and these are the numbers of thousands of citizens em-
       ployed by these businesses named;
and the beginning of this accounting is 1958 and the end
       1968, that static be contained in orderly mind,
       coherent and definite,
and the first form of this litany begun first day December
       1967 furthers this poem of these States.

8.01.2006

You play, you pay.

Roe v. Wade for Men?

I have little sympathy for Matt Dubay or his 3-month (ex)girlfriend. I think they, and the kid, are lucky the days of the 'shotgun wedding' are pretty much gone.

I know women who use their wombs as weapons. Dubay's ex lied to him and told him that she was infertile and on birth control. That should have been warning enough that something wasn't quite right. Regardless, he must have been thinking with his pecker. The guy should have used a condom. Better yet, maybe should have kept it in his pants until he had a better sense of what the girl was like.

There is no sure-fire 100% guarantee when it comes to preventing pregnancy. My first was the result of a condom mishap, my second was a spermicidal foam baby. I love my kids, and believe that they exist because they were meant to be. I gave the DNA donor of the first child the option to participate from the beginning, or to stay away permanently. It was a relief to me that he chose the latter, even considering that I ended up on welfare for two years while I worked and went to school.

We are friends with a couple who delivered a big surprise - full term - during an ER visit for recurring stomach pains. They're in their 40's, with two teenagers ready to leave home. Too busy, under stress... neither of them had any idea she was pregnant, as she was using birth control. Another baby that was 'meant to be', lucky that he'll be loved and cherished regardless of the circumstances of his birth.


I really feel sorry for Matt Dubay's kid. The least the guy could do is suck it up and try and be a good dad. At least the kid will have something to talk about in his high school government class.

I have a enormous amount of respect for men who get duped, and still opt to participate, financially and emotionally, in the life of an unexpected child.