Not sure what to do anymore...

This whole financial crisis is puzzling the hell outa me. What the FUCK is going on...and what can I do to help? Better yet, what can I do to GET help?!?!?

Let's be honest, no matter how it started, there's no quick fix to this. It took years to happen and it may take years to resolve. We may even have to depart from our credit cards and actually resort to buying only what we can afford! We MIGHT actually have to start WORKING!! (NOOOOO!!!)

The only way I see that the typical American can help the cause is to do two things:

1) Buy American-made goods.

Let's face it: there is a very minute amount of truly AMERICAN-made things these days. Why not support what little we have left? Why not actually send money to our government? I mean, I hate this big government federal ass bullshit as much as any thinking American, but fact of the matter is, we are in debt. We are in a MASSIVE DEBT! And now the only way to pay it off is to jack up taxes. Now this whole economy business comes along wrecking our wallets YET AGAIN (if this bailout gets passed, anyway). I only wish there were stronger words to express how I feel right now, but until I find a way to say it, there's always this: "WE ARE FUCKED BEYOND BELIEF!!" The dollar is collapsing...do you realize that this is the EXACT kind of tragedy that could spur the one world currency? Do you realize that it could help the formation of the NAU? Do you realize that I went off topic? I'll get back on it right now.

2) DO NOT withdraw your cash!!
That would be the mistake that our forefathers made back in the late 20s...they panicked, withdrew all their savings from the bank and BOOM! Depression. Or at least the start of it. Like this situation, it sorta started with credit bullshit and people spending stupidly...or spending the money they didn't have. In this case, it has to do with loans that people kept withdrawing. Lemme tell you something: a LOAN cannot pay off another LOAN! But then again, Congress has been doing it for decades...no wonder we're short on cash! And to top that off, we're trying to help the whole world with this war on terror, but all we proved is that we can't even keep ourselves on our feet. WHO ARE WE TO TRY AND HELP ANOTHER COUNTRY REBUILD IF WE CAN'T EVEN KEEP OUR OWN COUNTRY STANDING? DOES ANYBODY ELSE FIND THIS TO BE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY INSANE??????

Shit...this things sickens me SOO much...

And the worst is that the country will not wake up to the corporate bullshit. We will still end up with a Democrat or a Republican as President. Why can't America face the facts? We need REAL people who REALLY represent the people...who will REALLY do what's necessary for our country and not FUCK IT UP MORE!!

To think I used to be a Republican...

Shit man...shit. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE PROTESTERS?? DON'T YOU WANNA BE HEARD? THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT! STOP GIVING ME BULLSHIT ABOUT ANIMAL RIGHTS...ABOUT GAY RIGHTS...ABOUT LATINO RIGHTS...all of that is fine and dandy, but HOW ABOUT AMERICAN RIGHTS?? DON'T I, AS AN AMERICAN, DESERVE TO BE FREE?? DON'T I DESERVE TO CHOOSE A CANDIDATE THAT COULD ACTUALLY FUCKING SAVE OUR COUNTRY??

To be honest, I'm so fucking sick of this shit. I want to protest all of this bullshit, but no one seems to be on the same page as me. Everyone is just either lost, completely bought by the liberal (and neo-con) media, or just plain ignorant. Just to STUPID to understand that THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MENS' SOULS...and we are all failing...the US is about to fall to socialism, people...try watching Glenn Beck once in a while...HE'S ON TV EVERY FUCKING DAY. But I'm sure you'd rather fucking watch Spongebob or I Love New York or the fucking Hills or The View or some random football game or those fucking bars that show up when nothing is on...GET A GRIP PEOPLE!! THIS IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION FOR OUR COUNTRY!!

Has anyone else noticed Russia becoming more and more Soviet lately? I swear to God, if they bomb Ukraine, I'm going to fucking FLIP THE FUCK OUT!! Not only because I'm a Ukrainian-American, but because they are trying to build an empire again. HEY, YOU FUCKING RUSKIES, YOU OWN HALF OF FUCKING ASIA!! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!! YOU DON"T NEED ANY MORE LAND, YOU ASSHOLES!!

And you know what, I'm gonna say the same to the US. YOU ARE (or were) THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!! YOU DO NOT NEED MORE LAND OR TERRITORY!! WHY NOT SPEND SOME TIME FIXING YOUR POVERTY PROBLEM OR SECURE THE FUCKING BORDERS TO KEEP AMERICA FOR AMERICANS AND THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO BECOME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN?!?!?

But why don't we secure our borders? Because in the end, Mexico, Canada and the US will be one nation. Or at least that's the hopes of those in charge.

Here's the bottom line of this whole rant: It doesn't have to be this way. We built this nation on protesting England and fighting for freedom. Why not do it again?

Too lazy? Then don't even fucking bother voting! Don't even fucking try to preach to me about your liberal agenda (because liberal and neo-con is the same in my book). Go back to your HDTV that you bought on credit and that Xbox 360 that you can't even pay for and go waste your time, your life and your MIND away while the few, the proud and truly patriotic Americans are fighting for YOUR life and YOUR freedom.

>Takes a breath<

Sometimes I wish I didn't feel this strongly about shit...it'd get me in MUCH less trouble...

Theory: Because It's Fucking Important

         It's dark out as you make your way down the lonely, dimly lit street. Your footsteps echo as you descend into the quiet solitude of the subway station. Pausing at a corner, the melancholy melody of a bansuri catches your auditory attention. Like a painful, desperate cry of longing, the haunting flute draws you closer. As you approach, the wails build to a terrifying climax. Then silence falls, and all is still. The man reveals his inanimate companion, and you are struck at the simplicity of the object: it's nothing but a tube with some holes carved in it. You inquire as to how this sound, this feeling, could be possible, and the man reveals his secrets.

        There is a whole underlying science of mathematics that guides musicians in their choice of notes. The more advanced musicians often espouse the value of learning this math. Theory is the grammar of music. By learning it, one can express ideas with greater clarity, and broaden one's horizons into fields never dreamt possible.

         All music starts with a scale. The first note of the scale determines the key. The following notes are determined by a pattern of intervals. Scales can contain any number of notes, but many scales contain 7. Notes follow a series of half and whole steps until an octave is reached. A half step is the distance from one note to the next chromatic note. A whole step is two half steps put together. An octave is the same note as the first in the scale, but the pitch is higher. The most common scale, the major scale, follows this pattern of whole and half steps: whole whole half whole whole whole half. 

      Not all music is contained by the major scale, and many variations exist. The pentatonic minor scale is a 5 note scale used widely throughout blues and rock. It's cousin, the pentatonic major, differs only in that the second note is a half step higher. But scales alone cannot explain all of music's magic.

        Chords are groups two or more notes pulled from the scale. A major chord consists of three notes, the root note, a note a major third interval above the root, and a note a minor third interval above the second note. These intervals form recognizable shapes on a guitar, creating patterns that can be recognized with agility. Minor scales are also utilized commonly. A minor chord consists of a root note, a note a minor third above the root, and a note a major third above the second. In a major scale, each note has a corresponding chord. The first, fourth, and fifth notes all have corresponding major chords, while notes 2, 3, and 6 have minor chords. The 7th chord is diminished, whose construction is determined by a root note, a note a minor third above the root, and another note a minor third above the second. In a scale, every major chord has a relative minor chord that share two notes in common. A major chord's relative minor chord is found a minor third step below the root note of the major chord.

       Theory can be intimidating to learn, but its practical applications are limitless. Learning chord construction allows a musician to more quickly dissect difficult progressions. Scales are useful in performing solos, and generating melodies in original works. They are also useful in performing back up behind vocals or other instruments. By learning scales, a musician can narrow down the number of notes to a much more manageable population, and even if those notes are chosen at random, the likelihood of them blending in a satisfying way is much greater than the odds of notes picked entirely at random, unshaped by the knowledge of scale construction. 

        Music is a language, and every language follows certain patterns that make for easier communication. Although not all musicians learn these rules of syntax, those who do often find it easier to communicate their musical ideas more clearly, effectively, and purposefully. These are the musicians that can perform with powerful emotion, with a power that transcends the written word, but not the spoken. This is the magic of music, the ability to generate feelings without ever saying one word. 

      The man returns his bansuri to his lips and resumes his hobby. The melody is light and cheerful now, far from the mournful dirge played not long ago. Your spirits are lifted with the joy of understanding, and you ride the peaceful waves of sound home to bed.