From The Grave

From the grave, Sam Walton is directing Chump not to stop trade with China, or the world’s largest employer would go out of business. Being the lead, and final domino.

Someone once commented to me, they thought everything in Mall Wart was made in America, ’cause it is always so red, white and blue in there. How nice.

After kindly questioning, discovered that, that was what, they were solely basing their opinion on. The primary colors, under nauseating cold white lights.

“I’m alone, I’m eating and I’m reading a book, right? Waitress walks over to me: ‘Hey, whatcha readin’ for?’

Isn’t that the weirdest #uckin’ question you’ve ever heard? Not, what am I reading……but……..what am I reading……FOR?

Well, goddamnit, ya stumped me! Why do I read? Well . . . hmmm…I dunno…I guess I read for a lot of reasons.

– Bill Hicks

One reason would be to read a news magazine or the print on the products bought, to see where they come from.

Which mostly read, Made in China. Instead of focusing on the “allegedly” new “lower” price. (At some point, wouldn’t everything be free?) Have to raise it up, to mark it down.

You know, the lower price that keeps the competing vendors in the high stakes business, of finding cheaper and cheaper labor and materials to satiate American consumers need to fill an abysmal void.

For sure, China is where everyone’s “Freedom Fireworks” are from. I’ve delivered dozens of those pallets, none said, made in Kansas, or any other state.

(Just a tad ironic, celebrating “freedom and independence” buying a product made by those, not)

As for the clothing tags, with other countries too numerous to list, might as well just read, definitely not made here.

Speaking of products and where they are made. There were sure a lot of US flags in Korea on 45’s recent visit, did they ship them that quick, or are the made there?

“Hey buddy, my daddy died for that flag.”

“Really? Cause… I bought mine. Yeah, they sell them at K Mart.”

“He died in the Korean War.”

“Wow, what a coincidence, mine was made in Korea.”

No one and I repeat no one, has ever died for a flag. They may have died for freedom, but that is also the right to burn flags if you want to.

– Bill Hicks 

Side semantics tangent. If it were illegal to burn a US flag, but it was made in Korea, would it be an American flag or a Korean flag?

Back to the stores.

Except from.

John Trudell’s “Graffiti Man”

//
So much older than the day before
Ain’t everybody tired of being poor

Grafitti man’s got something to say
Message in a scrawl message on the wall

Something’s wrong
Not our fault
We gotta be cool
Our time will come

Open spaces in shopping center walls
Middle class man middle class land
Clean enough to be a family affair
Nice place to take wide eyed child
Controlled climate temperate zones
Neat little shops all laid out
Everything by sale
By cash or plastic
Price not negotiable but payment is
Different junk man different junk
Spend some money buy some more

Grafitti Man’s got something to say
Message in a scrawl message on the wall

Put on blinders
Dull the senses
Who’s worth more than money they spend?

Sky scraper buildings
Corporate corridor, office suite
Executive board, high finance
Big businessman suit
Not stained, by sweat or blood
Using money, like perfumed water

Sophistication smiles
Hide stain and decay
Realistic decisions
In columns and ledgers
Dividing profits among themselves
Spoils of war are spoils of war
Says Junk Man owner of the junk

Grafitti Man’s got something to say
Message in a scrawl message on the wall

Down with bosses
No more bosses
Something’s gotta change
Something’s gotta change