From Ralph

10/31/04

X marks the SCAR

A pre-election letter to my friend, Jon Spalding, of Louisville, Kentucky, Joe Petro III, of Lexington, Kentucky, (Sons of the Kentucky Pioneers), and my friend Bob Sharp, currently fighting for the cause somewhere in South Carolina- also from Kentucky......"

(Well. this is nearly it. I hope the innate wisdom of human kind surfaces on Tuesday, for the sake of the whole world and for your own sakes, in order to soothe the wound you are seriously at pains to cauterize. I still cannot figure why, after 200 years you haven't somehow figured out how to vote without the whole process becoming a golden opportunity to lie, cheat and render the whole precious process of Democracy, not the huge community gesture it ought to be, but a savage orgy of calumny and deceit and vested interest. We, in the UK have always worked best with a pencil an the end of a piece of string and a simple clearly designated sheet of paper- containing the relevant names of the contenders, who shall not be Invaders!- in the privacy of one booth to one person, in a pre-agreed, chosen place of assembly- the only tangible sign I ever see, that Democracy- and Community! are alive and well and living in Maidstone- but even that is a mirage.....( the hand is guided by a strange mental process known as TERMINAL ANXIETY- a morbid fear of the obvious)).

The preceding brouhaha of the months leading up to The Day destroy the very essence of the meaning of Democracy, and instead, turn it all into a festival of side-show three card tricks, crashing computers, 'lost votes', dirty tricks, subterfuge and illusion, not to mention racial exclusion and religion, that dissuades huge portions of your population to 'vote right' or lose jobs, their soul!- or just not vote at all 'cos it ain't worth a butt dick! as I saw on 15th Street in Denver: a lone figure standing on the sidewalk with a placard which declared:'THE COMPUTER ATE MY VOTE'.

It may all be wild, excessive and exuberant red, white and blue patriotism, from coast to coast, but if one has to cheat to win, and cheating is the only way to win, then surely, all of you in your hearts know that the 'honour' to the victor is worthless- a denigration of the human spirit, a palpable and malignant cancer, which unless removed, will ultimately destroy any evidence that you represent us all as leaders of the free world.

It is no longer just a national election. Your nation is now umbilically connected to the rest of the planet. You can no longer be Isolationist- merely about what is good for America. This election is different and is about the future of everything. There is no more 1st class on the Titanic- we are all in steerage now. The new Captain of the ship has got to know an iceberg when he sees one. Navigational Intelligence is crucial. Oh, God! Not another metaphor!! It's time to wish you wise guidance, a fair wind and- BON VOYAGE!

Here is an image to help you to vote, which you may look upon as barefaced propaganda, but really it is only a picture, a piece of worthless ART!!)

Really sorry to hear about your Sculpture Mentor. Short of Elizabeth and Skye, such people can be the most important and reassuring people in your life

Bless your hearts- HI! SKYE- and cherish your mother

RALPHXX( I think I must post this bracketed section on my website! I need to say something at this juncture....