Near-Future Past

California, 2007.

The storm black Hooligans took Van Ness, but never made the jog off to the park, Instead, they massed, some one hundred thousand strong, up to the hastily formed police blockade on Van Ness and Grove, then east back around on Market. They stopped in fact. March peace monitors, realizing what was happening, evaporated from around the autonomous columns to beat hasty retreats up Grove, Fell, Oak and Page with the march’s stragglers. People pulled on masks, bandanas, ski masks and balaklavas. Sunglasses hid eyes. Adrenaline once more raced through Greg, somewhere in the middle of that black mass, as he pulled up his own ‘kerchief. He watched a gauntly beautiful girl, a rare, anti-war Null, put her large black scarf over her gold electroplated cheek plates, before putting on shades in synch with hers…

It’s not just sex, drugs and rock’n’roll!

A wing of fighter jets, low over Nimitz Field, shrieked toward Oakland. Toward Jack London Square and the dual battle laser positions on Oakland’s inner harbor. People were running around the tower then, running away from the Harbor as fast as was humanly possible. A second roar, and surface-to-air missile batteries leapt into action to lay up a defensive curtain of heat seeking rockets. The jets broke into evasive action. Battle laser auroras danced up ultraviolet into the descending sun as the weapons primed. Two jets looped back tightly and managed to let loose their own rockets before having to dodge again. The harbor erupted under the jet strike, counterpointed quickly by one jet taking a direct hit and another spinning off, minus one wing. The battle laser fired. The precise x-ray beam could not be seen. But it produced a sharp fold in the air as it pierced across the bay and stripped the top off San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid…

Armageddon’s been in effect!

For a brief moment Marcus witnessed a phantasm, bathed in the smoky light of its own making. The creature was humanoid, dressed in a form fitting, single-piece, eel-gray body suit. The hands were gloved, with thick seams running up the arms and shoulders. And the head was entirely, strangely helmeted. It was a type of skull-tight ski mask, fitted with shear goggles and headphones, and crested with a soft, gun-metal colored apparatus. The goggles pulsed with that on-edge-of-sight light Marcus had observed seconds before, from under the door.

“Freeze,” Joe yelled, crouched and aimed.

An invisible light, apprehendable by a sense more visceral than sight and tailored minutely to Joe’s shape,streaked with precision from the refractive goggles, cookie cutting Joe perfectly. Joe exploded backwards…

End Time: Notes on the Apocalypse can be purchased for download starting May 1, 2016 from Smashwords.

The land that the 60s forgot

My wife and I have been taking day trips to enjoy the Bay Area we live in, starting with a brief jaunt through western Marin County on March 16. Playing tourist was enhanced by the definite 60s vibe of the tiny towns we visited.

POINT REYES STATION

We ate lunch at Osteria Stellina, a modest Italian restaurant with decent although not outstanding food. Then we walked about the town, and I took the following photos.

Flower Power Home and Garden
This was from the garden patio in back.

Totemic Art
These totems of abalone shells topped with various bird decoys caught our eye.

Nearby Shrine
This looked like a shrine to the Virgin Mary involving ships. Perhaps a Catholic shrine to sailors?

OLEMA

Sight of a famous 60s commune comprised of Diggers fleeing San Francisco, or more properly going back to the land, we didn’t stop very long here, except to snap this photo of a cabin decaying into the underbrush. Note the abalone shells.

FAIRFAX

The hippie influence seemed strongest here, with the business loop to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard lined with lots of little shops, stores and eateries. Overall fun, although by the time we got here it was overwhelmingly hot and we had decided to head on back to the big city (San Francisco). Here are photos of a:

Sidewalk Mosaic Bench/Wall

I’ve been remiss here. During these day trips, I’ve been preoccupied with taking photos of my surroundings (mostly the sights) without paying attention to the people. I will rectify that with the next day trip, the one after the one we took to Santa Cruz in April.

When one becomes many (e unum pluribus)

There are plenty of folks who would like to replicate the Confederate States of America, only with success. Here are some of the secessionist sentiment I’ve run across recently, and not just the much publicized White House petitions. Let’s start with the attempt to divide California into North and South. Shades of Ecotopia with regard to North California, or more historically interesting, the State of Jefferson.

Then there are some Leftist fantasies that still circulate, for a Republic of New Afrika in the southern black belt, Aztlan in the American southwest, and a native American Republic of Lakota.

Finally, there’s this baker’s dozen (and more) of secessionist movements, some serious and some not so serious, in no particular order. Here’s the list: Alaska, Long Island, Republic of Texas, Nation of Cascadia or Ganjastan, League of the South or a revived Confederate States of America, Northwest Angle, Third Palmetto Republic, Second Vermont Republic, Christian, Exodus, People’s Republic of North Star, Sovereign Citizens, Kingdom of Beaver Island, Conch Republic, Essex Junto, the Great Republic of Rough and Ready, and the State of North Colorado. Instead of ferreting out specific websites, I’m just going to provide several aggregate sites for you to search.

Clearly, one response to the American Empire, and one solution to American imperialism, is to break apart that empire in order to blunt or end that imperialism.