DOD

In San Diego's Old Town district, they have a big Day of the Dead festival. It ended yesterday.  We played la musica por la gente three days in a row.  Some of it was OK.  Some was not quite a train wreck, but nothing to brag about, either.

That may be poor English.  I don't care.

The festival was pleasant and where we played was in a shady spot in a yard with old style buildings on three sides.  I guess they may have been houses at one time.   Now they are historical landmarks.  That means non-profits profit in this environment.  What a weird concept--no profit.  I won't go there, but it is actually nonsense.  This is one of the better paying music endeavors.  Getting paid by non profits.  They eschew profit yet are constantly hounding people for money.  Relentlessly.   But it is for a higher purpose, so it is OK if they are greedy.

Actually, I find "not for profit" outfits, and charities to generally be the greediest organizations around.  They get by with it, because, even though people do make a living working for these organizations, they pretend to be holier than thou because their cause is clearly more lofty than whatever it is others do to earn their keep.

That brings me to the tendency for certain groups to constantly pat themselves on the back publicly, as if they are so much better than normal people.  I appreciate various occupations like ambulance drivers, rescue personnel, military, etc.  But those are chosen professions.  They get paid.  They are not necessarily better and more worthy than someone building houses or cars, or whatever.  I get tired of government employees calling themselves public servants and pretending to be more generous and wonderful than everyone else.

You joined the military voluntarily.   And personally, there are few if any dangerous conflicts that I would have sent you to fight since World War II.  I sort of thank you for your service, but only because a strong military is a deterrent.  I do not encourage action in lunatic lnd--North Africa and mid east.  I just don't.  So many people I know put on this weird pious face whenever there is military around, and they oh so humbly proffer the meaningless phrase, "Oh, thank you for your service!".  You don't even know what service those people perform.  See the uniform and knee herk react into fawning spectacle.  Seems phony to me. Sorry.

OI do not thank those who participate in no-knock searches and raids, and militaristic action against civilians for their service.  No thank you to those who enforce bad laws, and do it in improper ways.

But I do not consider a demonstration peaceful if you force traffic to stop and interfere with people who do not care to be part of your mob.  That is force and it is not peaceful.  So, here we go.  Not thanking people who make more money than I do for their service, and not even slightly enamored with the self styled 99%.

The dead behaved very well at the Dia de los Muertes festival, so that is something.