ON THE ROOF W57

On a  clear day, you may be able to see forever.  But on a foggy night, you can have mystery and wonder.

word and photos by F LoBuono

STREET SCENES/NYACK - FALL 2012

All photos by F LoBuono

From the Streets 9/27/12

                                                 SCENES FROM THE STREETS OF NY

                                                                                       All photos by F LoBuono

Muslim women

The 1st Anniversary of the Occupy Wall St. Movement

The "face" of OWS

Tourists

The smoker.

"Let's make a deal"

Nuts?

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/24/12

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

One of the more common, and PASSIONATE, debates to be found on Facebook involves the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the so-called separation of church and state clause. In addition to protecting our right to free speech, a free press, and peaceful assembly, the 1st Amendment prohibits the establishment of a single religion to represent the Federal Government as well as guarantees our freedom to practice ANY religion of our choosing. It is written as such: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Now, it's within the language that the debate arises. You'll notice that it does not specifically say that there is to be a separation of church and state. Proponents of some sort of "State sponsored" religion argue that, once again, the liberal media, has brainwashed the populous into believing that the law says separation of church and state when it actually does not. And this is, in fairness, accurate - at least on the surface. However, they are relying on semantics rather than facts to make their case. Most of these people are devout Christians who would like to see Christianity as the official "State religion". But the language is clearly, and readily, interpreted to mean separation of church and state: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. . . It does mean freedom of religion, but, just as importantly, it means freedom FROM religion.

Writing for the majority in Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, 512 U.S. 687, 1994, Supreme Court Justice David Souter may have summarized it best when he wrote: "Government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion". 

Justice Souter's opinion echoes many others throughout our history that confirm the importance of the separation of church and state. And this is NOT a bad thing. In fact, to the contrary, it's a very good thing - a very AMERICAN thing. It means freedom OF religion for you and freedom FROM religion for me.

  

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/23/12

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

A good friend and I were driving on Rte. 9W in Rockland Lake the other day. It's was a beautiful afternoon and that's a particularly picturesque stretch of road. It's just two lanes and slices through the woods that surround the small lake. It's a bucolic setting and one that I always enjoy driving through - especially with the motorcycle. It's great to just kick it a bit, sit back, and watch the road fly by. However, as with ALL things, there is a down side, too. It's perfect habitat for critters - all sorts of critters. I've seen, fox, deer, ground hogs, all types of birds, and, of course, squirrels, crawling all over the road. And, because of the nature of things, I've seen them as PART of the road! It's inevitable and both car and critter can pay a terrible price in a collision.

So, as I was enjoying the setting, at the same time, I was carefully watching the road. I scanned both sides for some critter making a mad dash for the opposite one. Of course, being Fall, the squirrels are particularly active, frantically collecting their nuts and acorns for the long winter ahead. This usually means, unfortunately, many of them wind up, as my truck driving brother calls them, road pizzas! But I'm usually pretty good at dodging the little bastards. And I was doing a damned good job that day, too. On more than one occasion I had to take evasive action to narrowly miss one!

Of course, (me being me LOL) this got me thinking: there is so much good habitat on both sides of the road, why would they risk a gruesome death to exchange one for the other? I mean, isn't one tree's acorns the same as any others? Why wind up as so-called road pizza? Well, simply put, they do it because they have to. They are driven to do so by instinct. They are compelled to, at least, TRY. They don't even think about it. They must be what they are. This, in turn, led me to this question: Are WE so different? To truly live, and not just survive, must we not risk all to learn what must lie on the other side? Isn't this the elemental premise of human nature. Are we not driven to learn, despite the danger, to know what might be across the highway? I think that we must come to terms with the idea that there is an element of risk in just, simply, living - especially if one attempts to live a truly full life.

The most successful people in history have been willing to risk all to gain all. Now, this may be extreme for most people. Most of us have far lesser goals. Still, it is a mind-set, an ethos, that can be applied every day and in every way. Once we accept that bad things, as well as good things, are ALL a part of life, the SAME life, we forge ahead. It drives us forward as a species and as individuals. That acceptance reduces, if not eliminates, fear. Without fear, we are free to experiment, to grow, to ultimately live. 

Yes, perhaps, there ARE better acorns in the trees on the other side of the highway. And you will never know until you try.

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/`9/12

Word and Photo by F LoBuono

This poem was inspired by a friend and lover. We were having one of our great philosophical sparing sessions when she suggested that she preferred one part of my persona over another. I responded that "I am both". When I thought about it further, I realized that I am more than "both", much more. . .                                                                          

I am

I am cocky. I am shy.
I am boastful. I am modest.
I am strong. I am weak.
I am aggressive. I am timid.
I am honest. I am full of shit.
I am smart. I am stupid.
I am fast. I am slow.
I am frustrating. I am rewarding.
I am giving. I am selfish.
I am thoughtful. I am boorish.
I am kind. I am cruel.
I am reasonable. I am stubborn.
I am easy. I am hard.
I am masculine. I am feminine.
I am traditional. I am iconoclastic.
I am full. I am empty.
I am warm. I am cold.
I am complete. I am empty.
I am fearless. I am a pussy.
I am loving. I am lustful.
I am everything. I am nothing.
I am a man.
I am a human being.

today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/18/12

Beware of cheap imitations that are not what they appear to be. . .

This was inspired by a clip of a new "documentary" The Hope and the Change, a pro-Romney, anti-Obama video that just aired on CNN:

Opinions are like assholes - everyone has one, and most of them STINK!

From what I saw, this should NOT be classified as a documentary! It is a flat out campaign commercial for Mitt Romney. To the producers: CALL IT WHAT IT IS, and let the public make up their own minds.

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/17/12

Charlotte, N.C.
Words and photo by F LoBuono

CARPE DIEM
                             Today . . .
                                    and EVERY DAY!

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/14/12

Words and Photo by F LoBuono

An ancient Chinese proverb says, a person's car says a lot about it's owner. I happen to agree. And I've had myriad cars - more crappy ones than not. Big ones. Little ones. Fast ones. Slow ones. Ones that ran like clocks. And ones that just never did. I've had them all. Now, I drive a vehicle that is the best, in a multi-purpose sense, that I've ever owned. I've driven over 178,000 miles in it - without a serious mechanical issue. It's all-wheel drive with great ground clearance, so it's great in the snow. It gets decent gas mileage, especially for a truck-like vehicle. It's fuel injected, so it has enough pep. It has room, TONS of room. I've hauled all kinds of crap in it. It does so because it's SQUARE. It's so SQUARE that I call it The Box. And, best of all, it is RELIABLE. Just like me: Square, but reliable. 'Nuff said. 

Today's MOMENT OF ZEN 9/13/12

HOPE . . . 

THE FUTURE . . .