It can be easy in light of the vile words and actions of Donald Trump and his supporters (and other republican candidates), or the never ending strength of the NRA, or another disappointing decision concerning murder by police officers in Cleveland, or another senseless killing by police in Chicago, or the constant stream of hatred directed toward Muslims, or the continued influence of money in our political system, among many, many others to remember that we Liberals had a pretty good year in 2015.
To wit:
We have three solid candidates to offer the American people for the Presidency of the United States in 2016--which is three more than republicans have.
Minimum wage increases were passed from Los Angeles to Rhode Island to New York--with wages as high as $15.00. There's still work to do, but it's a solid start.
A treaty was passed with Iran that in the long run will make the Middle East--and America--safer.
Relations with Cuba were normalized after more than fifty years of poisoned and pointless policy that accomplished absolutely nothing other than securing Cuban-American votes for republicans in Florida.
Marriage equality is the law of the land--let me repeat that: Marriage equality is the law of the land.
Obamacare broke records again this year for sign-ups and the number of Americans without health insurance is at all-time lows.
A climate accord was reached in Paris that, while imperfect, is nonetheless once again a good start for the good guys.
Bernie Sanders--a Democratic Socialist? Who'd have ever thought he'd run such a strong campaign? And, yeah, it's a long shot he'll win, but it's the best shot the left wing of our party has ever had.
Donald Trump said this week that if Hillary Clinton keeps playing the "woman card" that Bill Clinton's sexual peccadilloes should be fair game. This from a man who has been married three times and once said he'd like to date his daughter....
The national media, of course, was quick to chime in that Trump was right--mostly because, one supposes, once the republican nomination is settled this election year is going to be downright humdrum as the Democratic nominee cruises to victory. They're going to need something to prattle on about, and fellatio and flings it is.
I myself am hoping against hope that this is a republican campaign tactic. Frankly, the liberal base of our party has always been lukewarm at best toward the Clintons--until it comes to republicans going full on Miss Priss about Bill Clinton's sex life. Then we rally around them like the Seven Dwarfs rally around Snow White.
If they want to feign moral outrage, they'd better be prepared for the consequences.
Speaking to a group of Iowa voters this week, Marco Rubio laid out his plans for his first day in office as President. From ending Obamacare and undoing the Iran Treaty to rescinding Obama's executive orders, Rubio would be on it.
Leaving aside the fact Rubio doesn't seem to understand that the President isn't given a magic wand to do as he pleases (those pesky legislative and judicial branches!), shouldn't one at least have to win the fucking nomination before one starts telling voters what one's going to do as the Commander-in-Chief? For fuck's sake, the last I checked Rubio was a distantthird--wouldn't one think he'd at least try to win over republicans before wowing the rest of us with his political "acumen?"
Hell, I'll tell my family how I'm going to spend my Powerball jackpot, but I'm not harebrained enough to run around the streets of Clarkston telling everyone....
I've noticed that when news channels play clips of the end of Donald Trump rallies, when he's walking around glad-handing, his organizers play the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and it dawned on me that it was the perfect song for the line of bullshit the republicans are pushing.
I mean, many in America just want good paying jobs, but republicans think they need to suck it up so that CEOs can make even more money. Most Americans just want a hand up when financial troubles arise, but republicans think they need a good kick in the fanny to keep them going. Most Americans just want to feel safe, but republicans think they need to be scared shitless. Most African Americans just want the police to stop shooting their family members willy-nilly, but republicans think they need to believe that white folks lives matter,too, even though they're not being gunned down daily by police officers.
See what I mean?
Either that, or I have waaaaayyyy too much time on my hands these days.
Louisiana "Governor" Bobby Jindal this week reinstated a provision requiring food stamp recipients without dependents who are able physically to work 20 hours a week--even though the federal government, which pays for said food stamps, granted Louisiana a waiver from the provision because the job market in Louisiana is currently so bad.
Someday, someone is going to have to explain to me the republican determination to fuck over the poor every chance they get--and why anyone who wasn't rich or a racist would continue to vote for their candidates. As the article states, the move by Jindal will neither save Louisiana any money nor create jobs the recipients need. Further, Jindal's successor, Democrat Bel Edwards, has already vowed to rescind Jindal's order, though it will still cause suffering for several weeks. And denying food to hungry folks is hardly Christian and certainly not something that makes America great.
A spokesman for Jindal said, "The best way to break the cycle of poverty is for individuals to get jobs and get off of government assistance." The sheer and utter ignorance of that statement is beyond being quantifiable. If thinking "Hey, I'm starving--I know, I'll go get a job!" actually worked, fucking nobody in America who was hungry would not have a job.
Fortunately for the good people of Louisiana, Jindal's political career is over. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it just means Jindal will turn to some conservative media outlet and continue to spread his hate, ignorance, and callousness while getting paid a fortune to do so.
And, one supposes, twenty hours of work a week ought to provide his family with innumerable feasts, quite unlike the 31,000 constituents who Jindal has left to starve.
Just days before Christmas, new Kentucky governor Matt Bevin rescinded the executive order of his Democratic predecessor, Steve Beshear, that raised the minimum wage for state workers and contractors, dropping it from $10.10 an hour (a whopping $21,000 a year) to $7.25 (an even paltrier $15,000 a year).
It's hard to imagine anything other than sheer malevolence for a move such as this--who could it possibly serve other than the contractors who can now collect an even bigger share of their contracts with the state of Kentucky while paying their employees a non-living wage. The driving force of America's economy is consumer spending and since these employees will be making less they'll be spending less resulting in fewer jobs created. They'll also be paying less in state taxes and state sales taxes. Hell, there's even a measure of human decency involved--who the hell can have any kind of decent life on fifteen fucking grand a year?
Bevin noted when rescinding the order that he believed the market should set wage rates not the government. Newflash numbnuts: since the Great Recession we've seen what happens when the market has control of wage rates--regular folks are paid starvation wages and rich assholes like you get even richer.
People who believe there are no difference between the two parties are absolutely kidding themselves. I will flat fucking guarantee you that no Democrat would ever cut the minimum wage of of his or her state.
Those who are unfamiliar with this week's tune and are perhaps thinking, based on the title alone, it was chosen for satirical reasons or as an indictment of the crass commercialization of Christmas, will be sorely disappointed. No, it is my favorite Christmas song of all-time because it is one the most goddamned hopeful songs I've ever heard.
And isn't that what Christmas is all about? Hope?
John Prine has been making music since 1971 (when he was discovered by one Kris Kristofferson), and yet I've met exactly one person in my life who was a John Prine fan. While Prine isn't a household name, his songwriting has drawn praise from the likes of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Roger Waters (and much critical acclaim) for its compassion, ability to turn a phrase, and sense of humor. And although he's never had an album chart higher than #55 on the Billboard 200, he did win a Grammy for Best Folk Album for The Missing Years. All of which is to say that Prine is one of those artists, like The Kinks or The Band, who should have had a lot more popular success but nonetheless added immensely to the pop music archives. And any way you slice it, a 45 year career in the music business isn't too darn bad.
A song that starts, "It was Christmas in prison/And the food was real good/We had turkey and pistols/Carved out of wood..." has all the earmarks of a classic, and "Christmas in Prison" lives up to its intro. Released in 1973 on Prine's Sweet Revengealbum, the song is, despite its seasonal nature, a fan favorite at all of his shows. Like many recent Jukebox featured tunes, "Christmas in Prison" is spare in setting--while there is some background instrumentation, it's primarily Prine's guitar playing and vocals, and really, the song doesn't need much more. Prine tells the story, as he sings, of a Christmas in prison (surprisingly enough) wherein the inmate narrator expresses his longing and love for the woman whose "...Heart is as big as this whole goddamn jail." The song never tells us whether the inmate is just serving a long stretch, or is there for the rest of his life, but it doesn't really matter because he can "...Wait awhile eternity/Old Mother Nature's got nothin' on me..." Throughout, Prine never gets sappy or maudlin--he just sings a bittersweet tale of love and loss, filling it with as much hope as one supposes one can find when spending Christmas in prison.
No special words this week, just these lines, among my all-time favorite in song: "The search light in the big yard/Swings round with the gun/And spotlights the snowflakes/Like the dust in the sun...."
There isn't much of a video for this, but it was the only non-live version I could find. Nonetheless, enjoy:
"Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?" Scrooge, in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Up TV, a Hallmark type broadcasting channel which claims to want to uplift its viewers, decided it would be great fun to put poor children in front of a camera and give them a choice between picking a dream present for themselves or a dream present for their parents--because nothing says Christmas mirth quite like watching poor children squirm.
Who the fuck possibly thought that would be uplifting? And why is it that in America so many people think the poor must prove themselves deserving of the help they get? And why do you suppose they didn't use any wealthy children? Afraid the outcome wouldn't have been so "uplifting?"
To a person, each child chose the gift for their parents--and that's why America is built upon the backs of our poor and our working class.
Because, unlike those who sit in judgement of our needs, we know what sacrifice for the greater good means.
I lived through the eight years that Jennifer Granholm was the (Democratic) Governor of Michigan, and I'd be the first to admit that she struggled throughout her two terms. In fairness, she had to deal with republican obstructionism in both legislative houses and it wasn't her fault the long poorly managed auto industry finally ran itself into a wall, but Granholm tried to please too many people, saw the economic struggles of our state all too often through rose-colored glasses, and let herself get bullied by republicans which gave the appearance of weakness.
While there were plenty of reasons to criticize Granholm's tenure, you may be surprised that the vast majority of invective hurled at Gov. Granholm had nothing to do with her job performance and everything to do with her gender. From my barbershop to e-mails from co-workers, it was amazing how much hatred was directed at her simply because she was a woman. "Jokes," crude remarks, and misogynistic conjectures were all based solely on her sex.
I mention this because yesterday Fox News questioned the timing of Chelsea Clinton's second pregnancy as if the Clintons have nothing better to do at their family get-togethers than to sit around and decide when their daughter and son-in-law should have sex to best help Secretary Clinton's campaign for the Presidency. I know it's the Clintons and thus Fox News has to constantly make up bullshit about Hillary Clinton just to keep their rabid base fed, but I really wonder if such questioning of the timing of a pregnancy would have occurred had any of the male candidates had a daughter or son announce their family was expecting a child.
I sincerely doubt it.
It's going to be a long eight years--they will hate the woman in the White House with the same venom as they hate the black guy in the White House.
During a pause in Saturday's Democratic debate, the three candidates took a bathroom break, and as the women's restroom was farther away, and as it often takes women just a second or two longer than men to use said restroom, Hillary Clinton was a little later than Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley to return to her spot at the podium.
Apparently, in the republican party Bizarroworld, this is a legitimate reason to question whether Secretary Clinton has the right qualities to be President of the United States. Donald Trump, who, unlike the rest of us, pees honey, termed it "disgusting."
Let me tell you this: if the republican party is resorting to obsessing over how long it takes Hillary Clinton to go pee, the race for the Presidency in 2016 is already over.
They have absolutely nothing to offer the American people.
South Carolina's senior Senator, Lindsay Graham, called it quits today in his pretty much pointless quest to be the republican nominee for President in 2016. Graham was the only republican candidate who acknowledged climate change, was in favor of immigration reform, and had the courage to call out Donald Trump. He never had a chance.
He also belongs to the John McCain wing of hawkishness on foreign policy, i.e. let's fucking bomb everybody.
While many on the left are lamenting his loss as the one republican candidate who wasn't abhorrent (Pataki and Gilmore could also fall into this category, but no one knows who they are and therefore no one cares one way or the other), the most important takeaway from Graham's withdrawal is that last rites have been given to moderate republicans. Graham never got much above 1% in republican polls, and its hard to imagine any moderate having any degree of success going forward on a national level.
The inmates are now in complete control of the asylum.
Truth be told, I only made it about thirty seconds before the bullshit got too deep and I stopped watching, but that's one Dana Loesch, a talking headcase for Glenn Beck's The BlazeTV network. Long story short: I, emaycee, have blood on my hands for the San Bernardino shootings, not the NRA, because Wayne LaPierre is a white guy and because I let a Muslim woman into this country legally and because said Muslim woman never posted her jihadist intentions on social media, and don't forget I am godless, too, and to conclude, I, emaycee, am a "tragedy dry-humping whore."
For real?
And here all this time I thought I was just a fairly nice guy with a wife, and kids, and a mortgage, who just wanted a safer, saner, and more economically equitable America.
I live about a half hour south of the city of Flint, Michigan which this week had to declare a state of emergency because the number of children in their city with above average levels of lead in their bloodstream has doubled since 2014 when the state of Michigan switched their source of water to the Flint River, from it's original source, the city of Detroit. Flint's mayor, Karen Weaver, is declaring the emergency in the hope of getting federal funding to help with the developmental issues that are sure to rise in Flint's children in the years ahead.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, in typical republican fashion, has already begun blaming the victims, as a spokesman released a statement this week saying the water was safe but the problems are arising because of lead in certain citizens' water pipes--without ever explaining what exactly it was that caused the lead in their pipes to suddenly appear in their water after the changeover to the Flint River, but not when the water was coming from Detroit. A lawsuit has been filed alleging that Snyder and his minions knew about the toxicity in the water before the switch but went ahead with it anyway. Considering that Snyder hired a private contractor that served food infested with maggots (among other creatures) to Michigan prisoners, it doesn't come as much of a surprise. An old businessman himself, Snyder knows that in today's Michigan, profits come before people.
In the end, though, one wonders how much longer we as a nation can afford to tolerate republicans' disdain for spending the money necessary to improve our dilapidated infrastructure. It's hard to not believe that this tragedy in Flint could not have been prevented with the proper care of both the Flint River and its water system.
But that's the republicans world--if poisoning our children is the price we pay for tax cuts for millionaires, so be it.
Trying to write a one paragraph synopsis of the career of Frank Sinatra that doesn't just skim the surface is a bit like trying to pour Lake Superior into a coffee cup--ain't happening. So here goes anyway: his discography includes 69 albums and 296 singles. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (From Here to Eternity) and was nominated for a Best Actor award (The Man with the Golden Arm). He won 11 Grammy Awards, was a Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, and a Kennedy Center honoree. He had an amazing singing voice but often came across as an arrogant prick. He did much work for African-American causes but had ties to the Mafia (it's pretty much agreed he was the inspiration--in more ways than one--for Johnny Fontane in The Godfather). He was a strong supporter of labor unions but was seen by many as being misogynistic. And as if all of that wasn't enough to make an (extremely flawed) icon, he also invented "cool"--take a look at him in his younger days and you'll see exactly what I mean.
All of which also makes him the perfect man to sing "Cycles," the tale of a fallible middle-aged fellow who may be down and out, but is still ever hopeful. Written by one Gayle Caldwell at the ripe old age of 27 (where do these wise beyond their years folks come from? I was pretty much an idiot at 27), it was released in 1968 on his aptly titled Cycles album. It would eventually reach #23 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, andwhile not as iconic or critically acclaimed of a Sinatra song as say "I've Got You Under My Skin" or "Fly Me to the Moon" or "Come Fly With Me" or "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" (you'll never know how hard it was to only use four of his singles as examples), it sure should have been.
"Cycles" is sparse to say the least--it's a piano, a touch of a rhythm section, a few light strings, and the biggie, Sinatra's voice. And Sinatra uses it to perfection, telling his tale with weariness but not defeat. Above all else, it's honest--when Sinatra sings, "My gal just up and left last week/Friday I got fired..." his voice breaks ever so gently when he sings the word "I" and it's the heartache of a middle-aged man who's seen enough of life to know that it's one of those woeful times when you're torn between a laugh and a tear knowing full well that anger or despair aren't going to fix it. It's the kind of moment that makes a very good song a great one, and Sinatra is old enough and wise enough to close it out with a gentle wisp of hopefulness when he notes that he'll "keep on trying to sing" though he doesn't quite know how just yet.
Comforting words, indeed: "So I'll keep this smile awhile/And see what tomorrow brings...."
As the man who had Sarah Palin as the GOP nominee in 2012, and was certain it was going to be Jeb! Bush in 2016, I am now going to do what no heinous statement from Donald Trump, or vicious act of one of his followers, has thus far been able to do: kill his campaign.
I am really beginning to believe that Trump can win the republican nomination.
Ted Cruz may be the candidate du jour for the scared GOP establishment, and the current leader in Iowa, but we've seen how republican establishment candidates fare in the general election (see also: McCain, John and Romney, Willard) and how republican campaigns fade into oblivion after winning the Iowa Caucus (see also: Huckabee, Mike and Santorum, Rick). Ben Carson is as crazy as a shit house rat, but he's neither white enough nor angry enough to pacify republicans' main voters: angry, white men. Rubio has shown again and again that he's a lightweight, and if he doesn't like the work that goes into being a U.S. Senator, he's going to like being President of the United States a lot less (it's 24/7/365, Marco--think!). And the rest? Well, if you're polling in the low single digits at this point, you can turn out the lights: the party is over.
The possibility of a brokered convention has been discussed of late, but there hasn't been one since before I was born (1959), and one could easily see the republican base going full on ape shit if it feels its chosen candidate has been screwed out of the nomination.
And that leaves republicans one Donald J. Trump as their Presidential nominee in 2016.
That would be, hands down, in all their variations, the words "politically correct."
It is part and parcel of a two party political system that the two parties will have differing views on policies and how best to ensure the future of the country. But not every disagreement with Democratic policies and leaders is the result of the republicans' claims of "political correctness"--we may be factually correct, we may be morally correct, we may even be humanely correct, but make no mistake about it, in comparison to republican policies and leaders, we are always correct.
"Politically correct" has become as iconic of a republican chimera as cadillac driving welfare queens, lobster eating food stamp recipients, weapons of mass destruction, cantaloupe calved Mexicans, the selling of baby parts, and the imminent enactment of Sharia law.
Well whaddayaknow--conservatives aren't all wrong.
Writing in the American Conservative Daniel Larison takes to task hawks (which, let's face it, means republicans--no Democrat who matters has hopped on their terrorist threat crazy train so far) for over inflating the threat that ISIS poses to America. The plain truth of the matter is that Americans face no more danger from ISIS than they do from right wing extremists--and the idea that ISIS threatens either the United States as a country or our way of life is so ludicrous as to be laughable.
But after today's school closings in Los Angeles (which are looking more and more like a big nothing), how many of tonight's Presidential candidate debaters do you suppose won't use the moment for more fear mongering to drive campaign contributions and rile up their base instead of having the courage to educate their voters that ISIS is no more than a pimple on America's butt?
My guess is it will be the number that ISIS's Arabic ancestors invented: zero.
Speaking about the expected flood of campaign advertising dollars, which he described as “phenomenal,” Moonves said that he is glad to have so many Republicans competing for the nomination.
“The more they spend, the better it is for us and: Go Donald! Keep getting out there!” Moonves said. “And, you know, this is fun, watching this, let them spend money on us, and we love having them in there. We’re looking forward to a very exciting political year in ’16.”
Is there really much wonder as to why there's not a whole hell of a lot of confidence from the American people in our national media? Never mind that the well-being of millions of people depends on this election, CBS is making money on a fucking clown show.
As if Corporate America doesn't make it hard enough for workers to unionize with their threats and firings of union activists, Menards has decided that that isn't enough--it's threatening workers' bosses, store managers, with a 60% pay cut if any segment of their staff votes to unionize while on the store managers' watch. While there seems to be some disagreement as to whether or not it's legal (same link), how many members of a store management's team can afford a cut in pay that large and would stand idly by while their stores associates tried to start a union?
One certainty, though, is the utter disdain Menards, and by extension, Corporate America, has for its workforce--frankly, if you don't have an executive title next to your name or sit on your ass in a boardroom it really doesn't give a fuck if you or your family live or die.
Having a conservative say something that's monumentally stupid isn't all that rare, but Elizabeth Hasselbeck of Fox News may have raised the bar so high this week that she'll never be topped. She used a segment to teachchildren to use martial arts moves to challenge and disarm a shooter. This would be colossally bad advice for adults, but in what passes for wisdom on the right, somehow Hasselbeck, and Fox News, thought it would be a fine Mr. Rogers moment for the kiddies.
My youngest son has been taking Tae Kwon Do for six years now and I can flat fucking guarantee that they never taught any of their students one strike, one punch, or one kick that can be used to stop a bullet. And you want to know why? Because there fucking isn't one!
One supposes that on a future segment Hasselbeck can teach the kids about finding a radioactive spider, and how if they get bit by one, they can shoot webs from their hands to disarm a shooter....
If there is one topic that pop music examines with proficiency, it is love. Granted, at times it can be simplistic and overwrought, but at its best it is realistic and heartfelt. Who among us hasn't heard at least one song dealing with the joy and pain of love that was a lightning bolt/dagger on a personal level? Damned few I'd suppose. Unlike last week's tune, which dealt with a would be gypsy who just can't stay away from his love too long, this week we're dealing with a man whose love "never really was."
Like many folks of a certain age who were introduced to rock and roll in the seventies, I recall the Doobie Brothers with a certain fondness. They had a nice string of catchy singles, I saw them in concert, and when, every now and again these days, the odd song of theirs plays on a store PA while I'm shopping, it'll bring a smile. While they'd never make my top 100 bands of all time, they were certainly a serviceable little band whose music I enjoyed.
Much to my surprise, they were a lot more than that, at least on a popular level. I recall their Grammy's in the early eighties, but I had no idea that over the course of the last 45 years they had accumulated 11 platinum and/or gold albums (their Best Of has sold over 10 million copies), six top ten albums (including one at #1), and five top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (including two #1s, both I'm certain with a bullet). All from a band that before yesterday I could only recall the names of three members (Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter).
Released in 1979 on their Minute by Minutealbum, "What a Fool Believes" was written by McDonald and Kenny Loggins (whose work with Loggins and Messina I loved, and who solo work is purity shit) and as noted above, details the story of a man reuniting with an old flame who was never really such. It would eventually reach #1 on the charts and take home the Grammy for song of the year. The song's strengths are in McDonald's vocals (never my favorite blue-eyed soul singer, but he absolutely nails this one) which are unflinchingly honest but never maudlin, and the lyrics, which capture perfectly the ever hopeful nature of the oblivious. See the man with the stars in his eyes, see the woman with the polite smile, watch her walk away, watch him pretend she'll come back--a movie could literally be made of the picture McDonald and Loggins create, The rhythm section is jaunty throughout, but the keyboard work is just heartsore enough to make it all work. Add in some stunning harmony vocals and you have a classic love song that really isn't a love song. Sort of like a love that "never really was...."
Truer words: "But what a fool believes he sees/No wise man has the power to reason away...."
How many times have we heard republicans scream about judicial activism and how activist judges are taking away our freedom? Or bitch about Democratic Presidents not following the Constitution? Remember Kim Davis and religious liberty? Hell, republicans put the "freedom" in freedom fries.
But banning Muslims from coming into the United States? Fuck, yeah, we can do that! Screw that freedom of religion bullshit in the First Amendment!
It appears republicans new rallying cry is "Give me liberty...but screw everybody else!"
"It is the natural outgrowth of the Republican Party's longstanding flirtation with bigotry, its turn away from the civil rights movement, its electoral "Southern strategy," which relied on racism and bigotry to win national elections, its abandonment of affirmative action, its widespread skepticism and disdain for immigrants and immigration. Decades of the GOP walking the line of racist discourse have given Trump permission to espouse and promote outright bigotry." This today from an editorial in The Detroit Free Press which castigated Donald Trump for his call to ban Muslims from entering America. Later they lament Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for being one of umpteen republican governors to refuse to welcome the women and children refugees from Syria, and calls out both of them for giving voice to hatred. It ends with a plea for us to all stand together as Americans. What the Free Press doesn't say, though, is that they endorsed Rick Snyder for our governor, not just once, but twice, knowing full well that everything in this post's lead paragraph is true. The republican party has been run by its radical faction since Reagan's two terms and expecting Snyder to behave any differently than he has in light of the republican party's history since the 1960s is either willful ignorance or the height of stupidy. In its endorsements of Snyder, the Free Press is every bit as guilty as Trump and Snyder in legitimizing hatred. So forgive me if I don't stand with the Free Press--we are reaping what they sowed with their lack of courage in calling out the republican party for its decades old bigotry until today in the interest of some misplaced sense of fairness toward the two parties. Bigotry is bigotry, and no, both parties do not partake in it. Peace, emaycee
On this, the thirty-fifth anniversary of John Lennon's being murdered by four gunshots in the back. an infuriating fact: since his death on December 8, 1980, 1.1 million Americans have been killed by guns.
Imagine--it's easy if you try--how many of them would still be alive if only our political leaders had ever had the moral courage to stand up to the NRA and enact sensible gun laws.
Maybe I've just missed it, but am I the only one who thinks it odd that with all the mass shootings we have in this country, that we've yet to have one surviving spouse or parent or child of a victim say that what we really need to do to combat mass murder is to have more people carry guns?
Do you think there's a reason for that?
Do you suppose someone could give republicans and the NRA a clue?
On Thursday, republicans voted to deny millions of Americans healthcare without any alternative plan to Obamacare, voted to deny funding to Planned Parenthood that allows millions of American women to get mammograms, cancer screenings, and birth control, and voted to allow suspected terrorists, who we don't allow to fly on our airplanes, to buy guns.
As we gear up for the primary season, I keep hearing notions such as that the Presidential contest is little more than a dog and pony show and doesn't mean much or from supporters of Bernie Sanders that they'll stay home if Hillary Clinton wins or from Clinton supporters how they'll never support Sanders.
For those who feel such, take a good look at the paragraph above that begins "On Thursday,,,": then pull your fucking head out of your ass and support the Democratic nominee regardless of your cynicism or favored candidate.
Millions of your fellow Americans well-being is dependent upon it.
Two of the best things about writing Friday Night Jukebox are 1) the smile I get from listening to old favorites (which reminds me of my Dad because he used to do the same thing), and 2) learning new things about bands and songs that I didn't know before.
Needless to say, a big smile this week and a few new tidbits, too. Like that the Allman Brothers Band once opened for the Velvet Underground--great bands, both, but what an unlikely pairing. I didn't know that "Melissa" was virtuoso guitarist Duane Allman's favorite song that his brother Greg wrote, or that his guitar playing did not appear on the song. Or that, despite being considered the fathers of Southern Rock, the band eschewed the term, feeling it pigeonholed them because their music was a lot more than just one genre. I didn't know they'd had a mini-Renaissance in the early 90s and toured regularly until just last year.
Formed in 1969 by, surprisingly enough, the brothers Duane and Greg Allman (among others), the band had a great run until the late 70s despite losing band members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley within a year of each other in motorcycle accidents and suffering a myriad of drug problems (at one point four members of the band were in rehab at the same time). They're known for being one of the few bands to feature two lead guitarists and two drummers. Lots of infighting and continuing substance abuse issues caused them to breakup and reunite numerous times through the years, but in the end they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, made Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Artists of All-Time, and are widely considered as one the greatest live bands in the history of rock and roll (their album, Live at the Fillmore East, is considered by many to be the best live album ever).
Released on their Eat a PeachLP, "Melissa" showcases the much underrated vocals of Greg Allman (one of the great practitioners of blue eyed soul, along with Darryl Hall and Van Morrison) as it tells the story of a man who longs to travel the world but keeps returning home to his "sweet Melissa." Duane and Greg Allman were heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and soul singles at the time and it's not hard to see their influence on Greg's singing.The vocals are almost seamless--there are pauses and interjections but each word flows into the next as easily as minutes flow into hours. And ever in the background--other than the acoustic intro--is a guitar line that is as plaintive and in love with Melissa as the gypsy whose name one knows. Every now and again rock and soul merge to create a moment of magic, and "Melissa" is one such moment.
Kind of interesting factoid: I learned to strum the guitar in 4/4 time by playing the acoustic intro to "Melissa" countless thousands of times....
Sometimes, it's the simplicity of the lyrics: "...mmmhmmmm...."
Jeb! Bush touting his "experienced leadership" this week in Iowa:
[Bush] said Americans have previously “bet on someone who was unproven,” two-term Democratic President Barack Obama, which Bush said “didn’t work out.”
Kind of wondering exactly what the definition of "didn't work out" is to Jeb!--does he mean the stimulus package that rescued the economy from his brother's ineptitude and helped ensure we didn't fall into a second Great Depression? Or the bailing out of the now healthy auto industry which saved millions of jobs? Or the job growth that's second only to the Clinton administration in the last fifty years? The near doubling of the stock market? How about millions more Americans who have healthcare insurance? Or maybe that he didn't get us into two wars and ultimately botch both of them? Or that we haven't had a terrorist attack on our soil for the length of his term? The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act? Normalization of relations with Cuba? Gay marriage?
Too bad Jeb!'s older brother "didn't work out"--we'd all be a hell of a lot better off if he had.
How about this: in America, you are seven times more likely to be killed by a right wing extremist than you are by a Muslim terrorist.
Who could have ever guessed? Not Ted Cruz--his lie o' the day today was that most violent criminals are Democrats.
Though it is possible that Cruz considers the murders of innocent bystanders and African-Americans not so much as violence but more so collateral damage in his quest for a white Christians only America.
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
