"Yes, Jack; had there ever in the history of the world been two words which made such beautiful music when laid side by side?" -Stephen King "Nightmares and Dreamscapes"
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Showing posts with label Jack Brummet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Brummet. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Quote of the day
Friday, March 04, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
All This Is That Re-heated (from January 2005): Foot Washing Baptists & The Catholic Devils
By Jack Brummet
Social Mores Editor
My friend, Doc, (http://drstephencw.blogspot.com/) today details his involvement in the Rama cult (he didn't jump the rails, but his former guru, Rama, did). [1] He also wrote a couple other interesting pieces on Rama earlier in the week. Rama sounds a little like Marjo Gortner, Jimmy Swaggart, or any other charlatan with a good rap. He was prodigiously good at extracting cash from the flock. Interestingly, he hooked in a lot of software developers just at the moment when many software businesses were cranking up their acts and starting to make boatloads of money.
Thinking about cults reminded me of my Baptist roots. We were American Baptists. I'm not sure about the other Protestant sects, but our church had definite opinions on the other churches. The Jewish faith was well-regarded, since it was the cornerstone of the Protestant religions. I didn't hear much about the Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Churches of Christ, Grace Fellowship, Reformed Protestant, United Brethren, First Christian Church, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, or even the Menonite, Quaker, Episcopal, Amish, Shaker, or Evangelical Covenant churches.
The Catholic Church was regularly and savagely excoriated. I remember preachers railing against "The Cult of Mary." "THEY FORSAKE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR HIS VIRGIN MOTHER AND CONDEMN THEMSELVES TO PERISH IN THE FIRES OF THE GREAT DECEIVER!" In our church, the crucifix was empty, but in the Catholic Church, Jesus eternally suffered, nailed to the cross. "THEY CELEBRATE THE AGONY AND MURDER OF OUR LORD IN THEIR STATIONS OF THE CROSS!! THIS CHURCH CELEBRATES THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST TO HEAVEN."
"THEY DO NOT EVEN READ THE BIBLE! THEY IGNORE THE GOOD BOOK! THE NEW TESTAMENT OF CHRIST OUR LORD IS IGNORED!" Confession was an excuse to sin even more--a free pass to perdition! Our ministers ranted against The Priests, The Nuns, The Brothers, The Bishops, and Cardinals. Most of all, they railed about the devil incarnate: His Holiness, The Pope, in his gilded palace, The Vatican.
The Reverend bemoaned "THE ABOMINATION OF THE EUCHARIST," the foul and damning Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and its perversion of what was clearly intended by Our Lord to be symbolic.
"THE CATHOLICS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTRAGES OF THE SAINT BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY MASSACRE IN WHICH FIFTY THOUSAND OF GOD'S PRECIOUS CHILDREN WERE MURDERED! THE CATHOLICS RAN THE INQUISITION!"
There were, of course, also degrees of weirdness within our own denomination. The Southern Baptists with their prohibitions against makeup and dancing among other things, were considered a hopeless bunch of joyless prunes (even in our church, which went so far as to use Welch's Grape Juice for communion). Looked even further down upon were the Immersion Baptists--who took you to the river for baptisms, even in January. We did that only in the summer, but it was more ceremonial that doctrinaire. Still further down the line were the Foot Washing Baptists. At last you come to the Snake Handling Baptists, who were so out there that they did indeed feel like a cult. There is probably another splinter sect of Baptists somewhere, performing even wackier acts in the name of religion.
When does a cult become mainstream? When does a cult jump on the rail and become a church, or religion? I'm not really sure. Clearly, the Church of Latter Day Saints has transcended cult status and gone on to become the fastest growing church in the world (I think Orthodox Judaism is the second fastest growing).
[1] check out the links in the articles there--one to Wired and one to a whole (free) book on the Project Gutenberg site).
Social Mores Editor
Thinking about cults reminded me of my Baptist roots. We were American Baptists. I'm not sure about the other Protestant sects, but our church had definite opinions on the other churches. The Jewish faith was well-regarded, since it was the cornerstone of the Protestant religions. I didn't hear much about the Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Churches of Christ, Grace Fellowship, Reformed Protestant, United Brethren, First Christian Church, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal, or even the Menonite, Quaker, Episcopal, Amish, Shaker, or Evangelical Covenant churches.
The Catholic Church was regularly and savagely excoriated. I remember preachers railing against "The Cult of Mary." "THEY FORSAKE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR HIS VIRGIN MOTHER AND CONDEMN THEMSELVES TO PERISH IN THE FIRES OF THE GREAT DECEIVER!" In our church, the crucifix was empty, but in the Catholic Church, Jesus eternally suffered, nailed to the cross. "THEY CELEBRATE THE AGONY AND MURDER OF OUR LORD IN THEIR STATIONS OF THE CROSS!! THIS CHURCH CELEBRATES THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST TO HEAVEN."
"THEY DO NOT EVEN READ THE BIBLE! THEY IGNORE THE GOOD BOOK! THE NEW TESTAMENT OF CHRIST OUR LORD IS IGNORED!" Confession was an excuse to sin even more--a free pass to perdition! Our ministers ranted against The Priests, The Nuns, The Brothers, The Bishops, and Cardinals. Most of all, they railed about the devil incarnate: His Holiness, The Pope, in his gilded palace, The Vatican.
The Reverend bemoaned "THE ABOMINATION OF THE EUCHARIST," the foul and damning Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and its perversion of what was clearly intended by Our Lord to be symbolic.
"THE CATHOLICS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTRAGES OF THE SAINT BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY MASSACRE IN WHICH FIFTY THOUSAND OF GOD'S PRECIOUS CHILDREN WERE MURDERED! THE CATHOLICS RAN THE INQUISITION!"
There were, of course, also degrees of weirdness within our own denomination. The Southern Baptists with their prohibitions against makeup and dancing among other things, were considered a hopeless bunch of joyless prunes (even in our church, which went so far as to use Welch's Grape Juice for communion). Looked even further down upon were the Immersion Baptists--who took you to the river for baptisms, even in January. We did that only in the summer, but it was more ceremonial that doctrinaire. Still further down the line were the Foot Washing Baptists. At last you come to the Snake Handling Baptists, who were so out there that they did indeed feel like a cult. There is probably another splinter sect of Baptists somewhere, performing even wackier acts in the name of religion.
When does a cult become mainstream? When does a cult jump on the rail and become a church, or religion? I'm not really sure. Clearly, the Church of Latter Day Saints has transcended cult status and gone on to become the fastest growing church in the world (I think Orthodox Judaism is the second fastest growing).
[1] check out the links in the articles there--one to Wired and one to a whole (free) book on the Project Gutenberg site).
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Monday, January 10, 2011
Why I won't run for President
By Jack Brummet
Social Mores Editor
Because of my past
Because of my present
Because who knows what might come out
Because I will say almost anything for a laugh
Because who has the time to raise $200 million
Because I would work to repeal the 2nd amendment
Because I would also work to repeal the 22nd amendment
Because most planks of my platform begins "mass involuntary ________"
Because I would order mandatory music at least five hours a day
Because we could never build enough holding tanks, prisons, camps, and islands of exile. . .
Social Mores Editor
Because of my past
Because of my present
Because who knows what might come out
Because I will say almost anything for a laugh
Because who has the time to raise $200 million
Because I would work to repeal the 2nd amendment
Because I would also work to repeal the 22nd amendment
Because most planks of my platform begins "mass involuntary ________"
Because I would order mandatory music at least five hours a day
Because we could never build enough holding tanks, prisons, camps, and islands of exile. . .
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Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Dry Run
It's old news (one of the hazards of the press--do you write about it immediately, with maybe 1/7th of the facts, or do you wait and let the story--and, presumably, the truth--to evolve?), but do you remember the suspicious packages on the cargo planes in Europe a couple of weeks ago? The early speculation was that these packages/printer cartridges were a dry run [1] by a terrorist group. Soon enough, we found out they weren't really a dry run at all. The packages (printers and toner cartridges) were fully armed with high-powered explosives. One was allegedly defused 17 minutes before it was set to explode.
All this talk made me think of the concept of dry runs. In the final episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano discussed this with a fed--Agent Dwight Harris. The FBI Agent explained that they frequently received anonymous tips or bad Intel on terror activity, and even found dry run packages in the cargo or luggage where the terrorists were "just testing our response."
It hit me that the dry run and the trial balloon is an ingrained and central social mechanic [Ed's note: and this mechanic is often flagged in the 21st century as "passive-aggressive" and various other related labels.] You use these mechanics in human transactions. I see it in my work all the time--where what we do has a lot of latitude and room to be creative, loose and indefinite. Wherever you look, you see instances of dry runs and trial balloons. You may try them on your spouse/partner, your boss, your parents, your co-workers, your kids. And at the same time, those same people may well be performing their own dry runs and floating their own balloons over and upon you. In my work, and really, in my life everything is a dry run for what comes next. Sometimes you float a trial balloon, and sometimes you leap, frightened and overjoyed, into the promising murk.
[1] dry run. Noun. 1. (Military) Military practice in weapon firing, a drill, or a manoeuvre without using live ammunition. 2. Informal a trial or practice, esp in simulated conditions; rehearsal. (Collins English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003)
All this talk made me think of the concept of dry runs. In the final episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano discussed this with a fed--Agent Dwight Harris. The FBI Agent explained that they frequently received anonymous tips or bad Intel on terror activity, and even found dry run packages in the cargo or luggage where the terrorists were "just testing our response."
We see dry runs every day. Whenever The White House or other politicians send up trial balloons (the most recent one I remember is the old Hillary-Joe Biden switcheroo trial balloon), they too are testing our response.
It hit me that the dry run and the trial balloon is an ingrained and central social mechanic [Ed's note: and this mechanic is often flagged in the 21st century as "passive-aggressive" and various other related labels.] You use these mechanics in human transactions. I see it in my work all the time--where what we do has a lot of latitude and room to be creative, loose and indefinite. Wherever you look, you see instances of dry runs and trial balloons. You may try them on your spouse/partner, your boss, your parents, your co-workers, your kids. And at the same time, those same people may well be performing their own dry runs and floating their own balloons over and upon you. In my work, and really, in my life everything is a dry run for what comes next. Sometimes you float a trial balloon, and sometimes you leap, frightened and overjoyed, into the promising murk.
[1] dry run. Noun. 1. (Military) Military practice in weapon firing, a drill, or a manoeuvre without using live ammunition. 2. Informal a trial or practice, esp in simulated conditions; rehearsal. (Collins English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003)
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
George W. Bush writes to All This Is That (from 2005)
By Jack Brummet
Social Mores Editor
Five years ago, then President George W. Bush, wrote us to politely decline our invitation. And now, after two years out of office, we see the slow resurrection and rehabilitation of George W. Bush's image beginning to occur. . . Check out the original article here.
Social Mores Editor
Five years ago, then President George W. Bush, wrote us to politely decline our invitation. And now, after two years out of office, we see the slow resurrection and rehabilitation of George W. Bush's image beginning to occur. . . Check out the original article here.
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Monday, November 08, 2010
All This Is That Turns Six Years Old This Week
We began publishing this blog in November, 2004. Since then, we've published 4,260 posts, or, roughly two per day. At least 180 of these posts have focused on alien lore; 200 or so have been poems by Jack; three or four hundreds of Pablo Fanque's political pieces have appeared, as well as four hundred pieces of original art. We have also published numerous pranks and japes; two letters from George W. Bush to the editors of All This Is That, dozens of articles on country, rock, bluegrass, and jazz; around 20 articles on Growing Up Hillbilly, hundreds of articles on Presidents, and Presidential elections, many articles on pop culture, and dozens of articles on the folly of humans and the human condition. It's hard to sum up four thousand posts, but we have generally stuck to our mission of covering the paranormal, poetry, painting, politics, persiflage, and pop.
Over the next week, Pablo and Jack will be posting links to their favorite articles here. We will also include links to Google's top searches here (of which, interestingly, none appear on either Jack's or Pablo's lists.
We started out very tentatively six years ago, feeling our way along as learned how to blog and how to publish every day. We've gotten much better at it, and have published every single day for the last six years. We have published this blog from all around the country--from Boston, Vancouver and Victoria Canada, NYC, San Francisco/Berkeley, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Orange County, England, Mexico, Greece, India, and Turkey.
Stay tuned this week for some of our favorites.
Before we sign off today, we want to announce that we are adding another editor to our staff. Our friend, and reformed Republican, Mona Goldwater will become a regular contributor on, or before, December 1, 2010.
Poem: Driving Home To Seattle, We Watch Deer Drinking from the Skookumchuck River
A rainbow loops over
the alder cathedral.
Dark clouds are sinking.
The Lamplighter
loans them a patch of land
and a heartbeat.
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Jack Brummet
(originally appeared in The Croton Review)
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Monday, September 06, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Inside Jack Brummet's head
By Jack Brummet
On location in Orange County, California
This is the closest thing I could find to a graphical representation of my brain today. It's been one of those days. . .
On location in Orange County, California
This is the closest thing I could find to a graphical representation of my brain today. It's been one of those days. . .
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Help spring Jack Brummet from jail!!
I have just been arrested and will be going to jail (I know, some of you are thinking "what took so long?") for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Executive Lock-up.
Don’t bother asking what crime I have committed – it’s not really that important. And most of you probably have a good guess. If I raise bail of $2,400 before the Lock-Up, they will go easy on me, but I need your HELP to post my bond. Your donation will help MDA continue research into the cause and the possible cure of the 43 neuromuscular diseases they cover. Your support of the MDA Lock-Up will also help MDA provide medical equipment, clinic visits, support groups and a much-needed week of MDA Summer Camp for the families served by the Association. If my FB pals, blog readers, friends and family each kick in a few bucks, we'll make my bail. Please donate $5, $20, $100, or even $1.000. It's 100% tax deductible. If we all pull together, I can avoid bunking with my cellmates Tiny, Psycho, or El Cuchillo.
Jump to the link
https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/154711/Participant/jack/Default.aspx
and donate heavily and often!
If you donate $500, I'll come to your house and make a four-course dinner with wine and beer pairings for you and seven of your friends--Paella, North Carolina barbecue, Mexican Nayarit/Jalisco, Italian, Vietnamese, or NW cuisine--you name it--carnivore, gluten-free, vegan...whatever works for you.
Thank you ever so much. And, hey, Jerry Lewis thanks you too.
/jack
Monday, May 03, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Five Years Ago Today On All This Is That: Hillbilly Cred - A photo of Jack that he says proves his claims of "Hillbilly Cred." It is a photograph of him at one year of age, teething on his Grandpa Dell's hook arm
Click to enlarge - Jack and Dell Galvin, 1953
To prove that I do have Hillbilly cred, I submit this photo. It's 1953 and I am teething on my step-grandfather Dell's hook arm. He lost his hand at a sawmill or on the railroad (there was another missing limb in the family and I can't remember which was which). [published on All This Is That, April, 2005]
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Jack Brummet and the Rajasthani Danny DeVito
Jack in a craft shop with the self-proclaimed
"Rajasthani Danny DeVito" - click to enlarge
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Tuesday, March 23, 2010
On the lake in Udaipur, Part 1 (traveling mates)
Here are the photos of us today as we boated around the lake and stopped on the island. Part 2 will be the photos of the palaces and island gardens. Keelin Curran, Claire Brummet, Jack Brummet, Colin Whitchelo - click to enlarge.
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