Off the Rails

So I heard this morning on the radio that thousands of republicans are leaving the GOP. Some are becoming democrats and a large majority of them are leaving because the GOP did not support trump enough-they want the party of trump.

I say great! It’s been far too long, that Trump and his allies have been beating us over our heads with the half of the country supports us bullshit. Let them separate and we can see how many there really are. We can then get the can of Raid……..It’s easy to hide in the shadows and pretend your a giant even though you’re only 2’ tall.

Warriors…come out and playayay…..

Or are y’all too chicken shit?

Hiding behind the skirts of actual republicans, who do give a shit about the country, more than Il Duce ever will.

Come out, come out whever you are!

Cruz, Hawley, Greene -you can lead the new party. Have them interpret whatever they want, the way they want. Have them compete in actual fair elections. To quote a great sci fi author-show us your power”. You can re-word the constitution to say what you want-

We the white people in order to form a more perfect union will kick everyone who is not us out !!!

Bend the truth to your will. But, if you are your own party it won’t be hidden any longer. You won’t have the support of the mice that reside inside the GOP. It’s the full monty so you better be in shape.

Stand up… win on your own!!!

This way……… we know who’s ass to kick.

Seleh,

the rev

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Winter-Summer

I love this time of year, here in my city. For about two weeks in the middle of winter, the weather changes and becomes calm, sunny, warm and lovely. Usually it’s the same time as the cherry blossoms bloom and the lost majik of my city once again asserts itself.
All of her denizens become happy, and generous of spirit, as if they had beef freed from the yoke of slavery. Slavery to the cold, the wet, to the indoors and each other.
It is also the month I have chosen for my birthday.
Since at the time of my first birth, calendars weren’t yet invented. People tracked time the old fashioned way, with the rising of the moon, the raising of crops or the passing of sons in war.
But about a thousand years ago I decided to celebrating the birthday of my current incarnation as my true birthday.

But I digress…
I love my city, but she’s having troubles. The gulf between rich and poor is no more apparent than here. Mocking all of us with a horrible reflection of our leaders ideas of our future.
I have never really believed in politics or ism’s
That was always my brothers job. I was content to stand by and watch, to be the commentary on life. But now that he passed, his mantle of activism has bled into my soul  and won’t go away. As much as I try it seems to assert itself when I least expect it.
Indeed. I get lost at times when I write. Deciding to move with the flow as opposed to the thought.

My city, my beautiful morally bankrupt city, is still the only place I call home. The only place that calls my name as I walk her streets at night, climb her hill during the day.
Whispering to me in the slightest of ways.
There’s hope.
As long as there is winter-spring, I’ll believe her.

Selah

The Rev

Facts Vs. Faith

This is the eternal battle. Not good and evil, not even right or wrong, but fact vs faith. And much to the world’s chagrin, it is both a losing and winning battle. Let me explain:

Faith always, always wins in the short term. That’s just fact! There is no arguing with someone who is bound by faith to believe in what they believe. The world is flat and afterwards there are monsters. But with enough time and peoples curiosity, that piece of faith goes away. People sail to the edge of the world and lo and behold, it isn’t there.

Poof!

There is no more flat world belief. (Although there are some folks who would still argue the point today. But they’re just crrrazy)! The beautiful thing about fact is that its empirical. Either it is or it isn’t, and there is proof to back up your claim. Verifiable and undeniable. The beautiful thing about faith is that it needs no proof, only the ability for someone to let go of all reason and believe that something is true. Completely  deniable and utterly unverifiable, and they both can exist side by side amicably…if not for ego. 

The problem is that a majority of people can’t allow both systems of belief to exist simultaneously, because it breaks the covenant that they have entered into with their own belief system. “Thou shalt have no god before me”!! It cracks the shell of their ego. A man who believes in the “word of god”  with all of his breath, will not believe in evolution. Not matter how much proof exists. A man who believes in evolution and has spent his life exploring it, will never accept the “word of god” as fact, because there is no proof.-just fairly tales to tell the kids, so they are not afraid of the unknown. This is the way it is and the way it’s always been. 
Of course there is a middle ground, but very few folk live there and there lies the rub. We live in a world which requires both. We need fact and science and the ability to admit we were wrong about something when proof is presented to us. In the same breath, we need to believe so hard in things that are never manifest because it soothes our soul. It makes us better. It makes us strive to be and do things that are brave and new.

AND that is the problem today. 

I have long running arguments about politics and faith with different folks from around the globe. Topics that span Brexit to Saudi Arabian aggression, to apartheid in Israel. But my favorite are ones come out of a particular part of the country that is on the Atlantic coast and sounds like New Jerky. They believe that what is going on right now is a sham, a witch hunt (to quote Il Duce) and none of the charges nor indictments and convictions are with merit. Everyone is innocent except the accusers.

J’accuse!!

There is no empirical facts for their position and no supportive evidence except for imaginary groups of deep state manipulators who are reprogramming voters, hijacking the media and have only one purpose in mind. The overthrow of this president.

OK- I accept their position…mostly because I can’t change it, but also because it’s their right to be as stupid as they want to be. (I never claimed this was a PC sermon). So when they ask me about my faith, my positions. my philosophical bent.  I tell them my truth. 

I am a reincarnated soul who was cursed/blessed with the memory of most of my lives. I was born the son of Gomer on the decks of the ark. I was anointed by Elijah to be a holy man and to do gods bidding and have failed miserably since then. I am 4781 years old.

When they hear this they all have the same response, “Rev- you are so full of shit, it’s sad. That’s impossible”! . But I always reply with-“how can you be so hypocritical to believe one thing without proof while vehemently denying another thing without proof. Where is the bar, the standard by which you measure truth?  They inevitably reply with the same exact thing.

I know what’s in my heart, that I’m right and you’re wrong.

Kablamoo- and there it is. The reason this moment in politics is going to get uglier. Because it will be a battle of hearts and being 4781 years old I’ve never seen that battle go well…..for anybody! Just blood and guts everywhere, until enough time has passed for faith to leave and fact to breeze in…….

Flowing freely amongst the dead.

Very Scary Halloween Benefit for NorCal Fires!!!!

#lordrifa, #bottomofthehill, #NorcalFiresrelief

The Bad Reverend!

That’s me, to the core.
I used to want to believe that I was a good man, a good man with bad traits or a lost soul who has no clue searching for the truth. But sadly, that not true. I’m just a bad reverend with spit and vinegar running through his veins instead of love and light. The plain and simple fact is….that’s how it’s always been. Spit and vinegar has run through my families veins for millennia.

So you ask;
“Well rev, what brings this up? Why now are you coming clean with us now after all of these years”?

As of late, a few readers have told me how much they love my florid sermons. The ones with deep thoughts and no cursing. The ones where I use the English language to its fullest,  it’s most eloquent forms. Where I bathe in the luxury of language. But that’s not me really. That’s just me trying to be someone else.

I am a Brutalist. (Look it up)
I read flowery posts from folks and I want to throw up. I find the “California hug” insufferable. I eschew vapid emotional outbursts for the sake of showing the community that you care, that you’re in love……
I take pride in that as well. As fucked up as it is it’s true. My veneer of concrete will never be broken.
A true story:
In a different lifetime, I had a girlfriend who had many sisters. One of the sisters had a young son who had some emotional issues at the time. I need to point out before I resume, that this child has turned out to be a wonderful man who is kind and responsible. The goddess would be pleased and proud.
As I was saying the child had a few issues and was prone to fantastically overblown outbursts of anger. Now his mom would do her best to help the child, but as it takes with some folks, time and wisdom were needed to be present to help him make the changes needed to become the man he is today.
We went out to dinner one night, some place where they still had those wonderful comfy booths back to back and Killer (we used to call him “Killer”) was having a hard time at dinner when all of a sudden he sat up, turned around on his knees facing the booth behind and at the top of his lungs with machine gun precision shouted out; “FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU”.

He turned back around and sat quietly for the rest of the meal.
Needless to say everyone was horrified: everyone but me. I was rolling in the aisles almost breathless from laughing so hard. The table behind us was in a state of disarray and disbelief. It looked like the Caribbean after hurricane Irma! The man’s toupee was in his pasta, bowls were overturned, clothes strewn everywhere, children were crying and the mother was shouting something at us which sounded like English, but I couldn’t really hear her over the sound of my own laughter. But from then on, every so often, Killer would let the fuck you’s rip, always out of nowhere, always when he couldn’t find the right words.

Now back to the blog:

I have never let go of Killer in my head. When I read those flowery posts I think FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU as if he was right next to me in that booth, both of us on our knees screaming. When someone whom I don’t really like or even know comes up to me and tries to hug me I think; FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU.
I can’t help it, lord knows I’ve tried but it comes soaring out of the back of my mind with ballistic speeds.
I, of course, respond in reality with all of the proper decorum one should have, let alone someone who pretends to be a man of the cloth. I use the correct “like buttons” on Facebook or nod my head and smile that inane vapid smile. I make the small talk that says “I’m here making contact” but am actually sitting with Killer in that booth. I try to get away as fast as possible from the hug but when cornered I allow it to happen.
Still I hear Killer, screaming-not knowing what he’s doing is socially wrong. Not knowing that in one moment he is breaking apart long-standing traditions of grace and decorum.
FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU.
Sometimes it’s the only thing that conveys the correct emotion.
I’m a Brutalist and I call it as I see it.

Selah
the rev

 

LordRifa Live!!

Hey Y’all,

Lordrifa has a few gigs coming up and some new Video’s to share. First off we are playing with Kandur and the Blind Bandits, Saturday September 16 at the Neck of the Woods club in the Richmond in SF. It will be deep!!

Then we want to invite all of you to watch and comment on our new video “Toxic Love” from our last album, “Playland at the Beach”. A scathing commentary on the government/corporate alliance to make you believe there are no problems with our environment. Contrary to the facts!

We are also playing at the Bottom of the Hill on Saturday October 28th for a very terrifying Halloween show with Sam Pace and Stang.

And if you haven’t seen it yet, don’t forget to watch our last video “City of Dis” made by the amazing folks at Ikeibi Films!

This revolution is televised!!!!!

 

Selah,

the rev

More Than Ever!

LordRifa Album Release Party!!!!

Hey Y’all.

 

          We are thrilled to announce the release of our fifth album:

                          “Playland at the Beach”.

It has tales of terror, humility, humanity and of course DJT!! (What album these day would exclude him?).

We are coming to the Neck of the woods on Saturday, April 29,  2017 8 pm to play it all for you. We are lucky to have a wonderful opening act called the Rad Dads.

http://www.lordrifa.com/upcoming-gigs

Clear your calendars, tell your friends and get ready to revolt!!!

The American Spring

I get up every morning read the papers front to back,
Not missing a single word.
I like the way it feels folding over in my hands.
a relic of the past.
My future is past

The papers sing me stories of things I can’t control or stop,
Swearing it’s from god.
I drink my bitter coffee, conversing with my friend-
My version of the creator.
He’s my favorite god!

And I feel helpless against the tide of liberty’s decay.
I feel helpless against the tide of political betrayal!

But underneath it all are excuses that I tell myself,
The excuses of my story.
My wife she holds the purse and my shame seems to never end,
The shame of my story.
There’s no jobs to be had!

And I feel helpless against the tide of liberty’s decay.
I feel helpless against the tide of political betrayal!

 

It takes more then a ribbon to show you care,
More then a flag on your chest to be aware.
Serving your country can be done in many ways,
You don’t have to die so other will say.

“He’s a true patriot, god rest his weary soul.
He died on a cross or was it under the sole,
Of a boot still worn by a our butcher of choice.
He gave his life to defend my voice”.

Lord, lift him to heaven, god rest his soul
but his family and his neighbors got to get off the dole……….

Don’t just stand and wait for the American spring,
Don’t just be idle but sing the praises of the free.
Freedom is not the right to be white,
It’s the right of dissension, and the will to fight.

I’m gonna run and find our American spring,
I’m gonna get on my knees and pray for this thing.
I’m gonna find you and dance and sing,
I’m scream and shout our American spring.

You gotta fight for the American spring!
You gotta die for the American spring!
You can’t hide from the American spring!
We all long for the American spring……

Selah,

the rev

 

 

 

Don’t Stop Partying YET!!!

     LordRifa will be live at Slim’s    

       Saturday January 7th 2017, 8:45

You can BUY tickets here or at the door. Tell ’em the Rev sent you and get a free download from our upcoming album, “Playland at the Beach”. An adventure in funktographic color with 25.1 Progressive Surround Vibes. A New Americana experience!!

                   2017-You gotta fight the powers that be!!