Archive for September 2012
Project Firebox 52
– photo by Mitch Waxman
They don’t play the bagpipes for Fireboxes, nor do the fellows in the kilts and sporrans muster with flags and march. Gaze upon the ignominious end of a scarlet centurion, shattered by probable vehicular assault, its very innards picked at and eaten away by the scourge of those metal collecting “Crows of Queens”. Amazing Grace, indeed.
ghastly marble
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For so long, western Queens has been regarded as the vestibule of Long Island- a convenient place to stamp out boots caked with mud or to leave a wet umbrella. It has been a place one passes through, while on the way to somewhere else. The elites of a certain Shining City lying to the west have formulated a different role for the place in recent years, but there’s no denying that they still regard it as a corridor.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Those of us who live here see a different place, idiosyncratic and oddly charming, populated by aspirants, immigrants, and often- bad actors. We exist between the factories and rail yards, along the highways and elevated subways, in pretty as you please two and three story homes. “Mind your own business” is the motto, as is “trouble will come anyway, so why seek it out on purpose?”. Most just want to be left alone to BBQ or smoke black market cigarettes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Municipal involvement, other than by a dedicated cadre of operatives and opportunists, is slim. Ask any resident of Astoria what reward there is in voting, and you’ll be told that it’s jury duty. All of the time I spend in Brooklyn on creek business strikes a stunning counterpoint to the scene in Queens. In Greenpoint, they may not vote at higher numbers than on the Queens side of the Newtown Creek, but they can summon up a torch bearing mob with stunning rapidity over there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For many years, I’ve wondered “what if election day was a national holiday?”. A national “get off of work day”, which would be vetted by a receipt handed out at the polling place and presented to your employer. It wouldn’t indicate who you cast a ballot for, instead merely stating that you voted. The biggest problem we have is low voter participation. It allows marginal groups who vote in blocs great power, sidelines the mainstream, and allows elites to develop amongst elected officials who cater to tiny slices of the population. Perhaps a tax credit instead, knock a hundred bucks off your federal taxes in return for participating in the American form of Government.
dismounted and descended
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As much joy as it is possible, for one such as myself, to realize is attained via the delusion of solitude. Condemned as children to existential servitude in the concretized valleys of the vast human hive, New Yorkers are never truly alone. We are witnessed, watched, stalked, constrained, and regulated every second of the day. Legislated rules govern volume, appearance, and moral propriety.
Even the air we breathe and the water we drink are overseen, inspectors and officials have the right to compel that the front door of our homes open for their inspection and oversight.
Often has a humble narrator been accused, however, of being a kook and conspiracist- or simply a paranoid.
from youtube
X
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Jello Biafra warned us, all those years ago, of what was coming. We all carry tracking devices, which also make phone calls, and hie to rules laid down by those who have long sought to keep a restive population entertained with games and circuses. Even the sacrosanct right to rule over ones own immediate vicinity is vulnerable to the desires of suspicious magistrates, who may demand any who catch their notice to passively allow temporary detainment and inspection- the so called “stop and frisk” procedure.
This is merely the most benign of invasive inspections, of course, which expose the farce and tissue of lies which underlie the social contract.
from youtube
X
– photo by Mitch Waxman
“Necessity has forced such programs” is the answer which would be offered by those who enforce them, followed by some catchy jingoism such as “Freedom isn’t Free” or “If you have nothing to hide, why would you care?” or something. The same entities and personages, of course, maintain armies of lawyers to ensure their own privacy. These creatures and organs, all granted existence under the ideations of “law”, never make an error – instead it’s “an unfortunate incident” or “an accident”.
Such paranoia and musing about the universe occupies a significant amount of my thought, as one scuttles about beneath the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself, and across the concrete devastations of the Newtown Pentacle. Perhaps, somewhere, exists solace?
from youtube
Lincoln Restler
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A statement which I make constantly is that “abstention from political intrigue and partisanship is both necessary and prudent”. Nevertheless, one must call attention to one of the candidates vying for the office of “State Committeeman” in the 50th district.
Lincoln Restler is seeking reelection, and against difficult odds at that. I know this man, and hope that any of you within his district consider him as your choice for the office. The election will be held on Thursday the 13th of September.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in the past, staying abreast of the story of the Newtown Creek and the communities surrounding it have carried me to literally hundreds of public events and meetings over the last few years. A familiar face at these multitudinous gatherings, Mr. Restler is not your typical politician, and he has earned more than just my respect. I consider him to be worthy, upright, and exactly the sort of man whom you’d hope would enter public life. Whether it be his efforts at “saving the g train”, his advocacy for the residents of public housing, or just trying to bring a supermarket into Fort Greene- Lincoln is always on the side of the community and his style is never “politics as usual”.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
To be clear, this is the opinion of Mitch the private citizen, who cannot vote for the fellow I’m endorsing as I live in a different district, but my interest in the contest is sparked by… well let’s just say that one of the borders of this election district has a certain Creek running through it which is near to my heart.
I wish that we had “a Lincoln Restler” in Queens, and I’m sure his political opponents wish he was here too. Lincoln is a heck of a guy, hard working with a good heart, and if you live anywhere in North Brooklyn- Lincoln is always on your side.
A “real mensch” as my grandmother would have said.
The Newtown Pentacle 