Happy Anniversary So.

Hi there!

A number of years tend to arrive and then depart without giving much thought.  Interestingly, as I get older, many social and cultural artifacts that seemed new and exciting now are looked at as old and hopefully lasting; along with the hope that younger people can enjoy and be amazed at what we were and are still amazed at.

I point this out because this week, May 19 to be precise, marks 30 years since the release of the landmark Peter Gabriel album So.  Years go by and the album becomes more and more ahead of its time and beyond its time.  It is also one of the few albums I will listen to from back to front a number of times during the year.  Either to mark a special occasion, notice new textures and soundscapes I had neglected to hear before, to see how far Peter Gabriel has come since then, and in a way to remember the time and the significant impact this one album/video/tour had.  Indeed, looking at this from a 2016 perspective, we do not seem to have a collective knowledge and liking of when an artist releases a new album or music video that everyone that is a fan of art and pop music, knows and likes.  There may be only a small number nowadays, such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Radiohead to name just six.

Even back in the 1980's, an album would drop and the album and artist would be the talk at the water cooler for months on end.  Mind you it would not be everyone talking about this, yet if a good album was out it was analyzed and discussed continuously. So was one such album.  This gem of a Peter Gabriel album came under the right circumstances. It was the peak of MTV's influence as a cable network for music lovers, along with a burgeoning era where the introduction of the Compact Disc allowed people to hear music as clear as could be and as easily as could be.  It came during the New Wave 80's, what I would consider as the second British Invasion of singers and bands.  Mr. Gabriel's preferred rock and roll classification, a hybrid of Art/Progressive rock fused with World, Pop and Soul influences, was experiencing a sort of revival and retroactive recognition thanks in large part to Art Rock being a New Wave precursor.  As well, many artists by this time had grown to expand their sound with the latest synthesizers and electronic sequencers and engineering equipment.  In effect, you could have an orchestra right at your fingers when playing a keyboard.

Not only were the circumstances in the industry ripe for So, this came at an important time for Peter Gabriel himself.  It had been 11 years since he left Genesis, and during that time Mr. Gabriel had released 4 self titled albums along with a live album and a soundtrack album based on the movie Birdy.  He had also done notable tours and started the world music festival WOMAD.  Using the latest studio and keyboard technologies available, and with an interest in doing more slightly pop songs, and the creation of Mr Gabirel's home studio Real World; So took about a year to complete.  Indeed, a number of stories to tell on how the album was made was later put forth as an installment of the long-running documentary series Classic Albums.  I particularly like those anecdotes Daniel Lanois speaks of in enticing the completion of some songs.  What came out was perhaps Mr. Gabriel's highest selling and most accessible album to date.  So brought Peter Gabriel a few years at least as being on league with the pop and rock giants of the time; the album sold 9 million copies and went 5 times platinum in the US, peaking at number 2 on the Album harts in the US and number 1 in the UK.  Two tours came out of this album; Conspiracy of Hope, which went to numerous stadiums and had numerous artists for social and political awareness.  And This Way Up, Mr. Gabriel's own tour which got him to perform in arenas and stadiums worldwide.

Interestingly, Genesis had their first number 1 album with Invisible Touch that same year; and Steve Hackett, who had left Genesis in 1977, achieved a top 20 hit with When The Heart Rules The Mind collaborating with Yes guitarist Steve Howe.  This was a good year to be a fan of either Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Genesis or any combination therein.  I will get to those other albums in a later time.  Right now, I think an analysis of So is of interest.  Perhaps the best way to do it is to go track-by-track.

1. Red Rain: A brilliant and abstract beginning to a great album.  In a lot of respects, Red Rain melded Peter Gabriel's earlier experimental songs with a greater emphasis on lyrics and structure. Lyrically, Red Rain was supposed to be the thematic element in a story Mr. Gabriel had conceived of earlier in his career, Mozo.  Much of the details have never been released, but Mozo would have involved a flood in a village caused by supernatural elements.  The song itself, possibly a metaphor for nuclear fallout and/or AIDS, has some of the most impressive keyboard playing Gabriel was utilizing at that point; mainly due to some cutting edge synths and pianos like the Fairlight CMI, Yamaha pianos and Sequential Prophet synthesizers.  I also am impressed with the distinctive bass playing of Tony Levin, heard throughout the album.  A good opening song that is still played regularly at Mr. Gabriel's concerts.
2. Sledgehammer:  This was the big hit, going number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and dethroning Genesis' Invisible Touch no less!).  And yes, it still holds up.  A very impressive song which is impressive in stating in no uncertain terms "let's have intercourse".  It came with an impressive music video which I still think is one of the best of the era.  Not much more can be said that has not already been said; just watch the video and be amazed once more.
3. Don't Give Up: It is equally a great Peter Gabriel song along with a great Kate Bush song.  It is a duet, and one of the better duets I have heard.  A song regarding the problems and personal frustrations unemployment and an economic downturn has on a family, with the optimistic slant that a better tomorrow may be ahead.  If you ever get to hear Don't Give Up live, it gets very lively towards the end.  The song, along with others on the album, have personally helped me during periods when I was done on myself.
4. That Voice Again: Only recently starting with the Back To Front tour has That Voice Again been performed live.  None the less, it is an impressive piano driven song which deals with the longing of being back with a loved one.  Fortunately, the lyrics Mr. Gabriel wrote do not go through obvious cliches and are well versed.
5. Mercy Street: Influenced by the writings and life of Anne Sexton, Mercy Street is a precursor for the trip-hop and House/Trance movements, in my opinion.  A good song to start Side B on the Vinyl edition.
6. Big Time: The other top 5 chart topper off of So, Big Time has held as one of Peter Gabriel's most accessible pop songs.  Only towards the end does it delve into double entendres ("bulge in my big big big..."); the rest is a biting commentary on making it in the industry and overindulging on life's pleasures.  I always thought this was Mr. Gabriel taking a subtle yet impressive dig at his old band Genesis, since by that time they had become arguably the biggest band of the era.  Phil Collins, in particular, was everywhere: there was his Genesis moniker and there was his solo ventures.  Indeed, Phil Collins recently said in an interview with Classic Rock magazine's Prog spin-off that he got more money while Peter Gabriel got the acclaim and recognition, such as his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
7. We Do What We're Told: influenced by the experiments in brainwashing done by Dr. Stanley Milgrim and the 37 patients who did not submit, this has the least lyrics yet is possibly the most unnerving song off of So.  It is also a distinctive ambient work.
8. This Is The Picture: A collaboration with Laurie Anderson and Nile Rodgers which is at times funky, at times abstract, and yet so unique.  This song was the first one to be performed in the This Way Up tour, one of the highlights of the show as can be seen in the Live in Athens 1987 concert film.
9. In Your Eyes: 30 years have passed, yet In Your Eyes is quite possibly one of the best love songs of that time and of all time. Indeed, of the many Peter Gabriel songs out there, In Your Eyes has been covered and re-interpreted the most, and has been heard in so many different occasions.  Who could ever forget its usage in the Cameron Crowe gem Say Anything, with John Cusack holding his boombox to win the love of Ione Skye.  Or its place in Mr. Gabriel's concerts as at least the third to last song on the set list.  And note, the song was not entirely a hit on the charts, yet became one after the fact.  In Your Eyes is great on its So version, yet is unique when performed live, including added lyrics and a world influence brought to the forefront, which was most known when involving Youssour N'Dour.

To summarize, the Peter Gabriel album So is one of the most important albums of its time, and might be considered among the best 100 albums released in my lifetime.  I actually own the 26th anniversary box set, which with the album and audio and DVD features and the book enclosed is a gem in and of itself.  And for Mr. Gabriel himself, So was a watershed in many ways.  His first no. 1 album, first no.1 song, the most MTV Video Music Awards given to Sledgehammer and him being given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, a Grammy nomination  for Best Album (losing to Paul Simon's Graceland), over 6,000,000 copies sold, 6 music videos released with 5 of them being alongside the best of that time, and over the years a reputation that has only grown.

This was also an important landmark for Peter Gabriel because So was the album that ended any debate as to whether he was better in Genesis or on his own.  While I think both eras and artists are equally important, and indeed it should be known that Genesis did get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame themselves in 2010 with Mr. Gabriel going in 4 years later, So was the album that eclipsed Gabriel-era Genesis.  And yes, it does mean that as much as we may wish for a miraculous epiphany, there is no way that the classic Genesis lineup of Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins will get back together again.  As can be seen in the 2014 BBC documentary Sum Of The Parts, there is still subtle yet bitter tensions when the five of them are in the same room.  But you know what, Mr. Gabriel does not need Genesis to prove his artistry and influence.  He has been able to do it on his own, and exceedingly well.  Indeed, Peter Gabriel may be the one in Genesis that might get knighted one day, or receive a Kennedy Center Honor if so chosen.

You see, this is a clear reason of the need for artistry and creativity, and its important in our everyday lives.  So and many other albums and artists may not have got me to be doing music (my voice is just adequate and I can barely play a keyboard), but it was there for me and many to discover and have as a memory of our times and a reassuring comfort when life was down.  The best art and creative artists can do that and do it well, when the bulk of the art from that era and any era for that matter is disposable and not worth our time.  To that I say for this specific art and album, thank you and great job Peter Gabriel.  And Happy Anniversary!

PS. Best of luck to Mr. Gabriel on his upcoming tour with Sting, titled Rock Paper Scissors.  It should be interesting.

One journey to a trip down memory lane,

Robert

Oh and here is the album in all its influential glory.

And some music videos to tide you over.

Same Old False Flag

Earlier today, I went to see the newest 007 James bond movie, Spectre.  It was quite good, though this Daniel Craig vehicle felt at times similar to the Roger Moore era.  There was something I had noticed during the course of the movie which revealed the nature of false flag inside jobs.

A proposed global intelligence operation is in the planning stages to be implemented in the United Kingdom involving 9 countries.  At one point, the proposal wins a majority of votes for approval, yet with South Africa being the lone holdout; the proposed Center for National Security can not go forward.  This obviously changes when CNS' financier, the longtime Bond nemesis Spectre, authorizes a false flag terror incident in South Africa.  Within days, South Africa joins the CNS.

Now, that was a movie; yet a movie at times reflects real life more so than what our leaders and news media would like for you to believe.  Just yesterday, a 27 year old British Arab agent for different organizations (MI5, Islamic State, CIA, KGB, does not matter) was targeted for death by a drone strike.  His name was Mohammed Emwazi, known to many as Jihadi John.  He purportedly was known for supposedly beheading supposed hostages on camera in a desert.  These videos, which I have seen, look fake; all of them.  They all follow the same script, with the same cutaway when the supposed beheading occurs.  In effect, in order to legitimize President Obama's recent news interview with George Stephanopoulous of ABC News that Islamic State is "contained" (and we wold know since IS is funded by US); Mr. Emwazi was killed.

A little over 24 hours later, and just one day before an important multi-nation conference regarding Climate Change which would include perhaps a plan to end the Syrian wars; purported IS sympathizers coordinated some 6 different hostage takings and dirty bomb assaults in the 10th and 11th districts of Paris, France.  As of now, 153 Parisians have since passed away; the largest one day death of French citizens since the end of World War II.  I am not sure who is responsible, and I am certain this was not a coincidence in respect to the killing of Mr. Emwazi.  However, it would be easy for so many to want to believe this was an us vs. them attack.  It usually never is; in fact, the culprits can be found in one's government and financial dynasties.  Who benefits, one may think?

The Rothschilds
MI5
IDF
the Military-Industrial-Security complex
A French government under President Francois Hollande that while liberal minded has seen a dip in public trust.
The United States Government.
the War Party.
Social organizations devoted to repressing minorities.
The New Conservatives and their Presidential candidate acolytes in the US.
The Departments of Defense in most Western countries.
Newspaper and traditional mass media; there is always a need to sell product that scares.
CIA
The financiers of IS, which are many and include our own leaders knowingly and unknowingly.
Law enforcement in the United States.
And a number of people and organizations that, you watch, will be willing to make money off of these events.  Mostly with bad intentions.


Another question to ask is; who loses?  Well, it is not a pretty picture.  Along with politically liberal minded and Democratic affiliated people and campaigns, the noted losers are ourselves.  Now, this sort of problem may not occur here in America for the time being; yet it sadly seems that a transformation of Europe to a more centralized structure reminiscent of the Catholic religious monolith in the Middle Ages might be forthcoming.  Of course, it was planned long in advance for these events to occur; most people will only alter their security concerns when a tragedy of significant proportions is in effect.  In all, I am extremely concerned about the reactions that will take place; exponentially from here in the United States should something in the likelihood of another 911 happen.

With that in mind, I urge all of my fellow readers to vote early and vote often for a number of political candidates from the Democratic Party and their supported propositions.  In particular, we need to now make it known our endorsement for Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in her Presidential bid.  Interestingly, this false flag in Paris took place one day before the second Democratic Presidential Debate; making the debate tomorrow a non-issue, as was intended by those against the Clinton or Sanders ideals.  Each day that passes seems more and more likely that without our voting, a Republican (Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson) will be elected President next year.  And then it is back to not only the 2000s, but also the 1980s.  And not in a good way.  30+ years ago, we all were as close to death as a populace could be.  This was squarely on the hands of the Reagan Presidency and his financiers.  Ask yourself; could you trust Trump or Carson with maintaining peace in this world?  I sure as heck do not.

A final word:  one way a person could tell this is a False Flag is when it is only the common people that are targeted for being killed. No one well known to all needs to deal with being near death, thankfully.  If these proposed terrorists were who people say they are; individuals like Presdient Francois Hollande and Josh Homme would not be secured.  But again, common people and those we know little about are sent to die; the elite will always be kept safe.  I am not condemning the Elite; I am just stating the obvious.

And another thing:  Where are any videos of the Eagles of Death Metal concert, if any?  Even one concertgoer would film something to bypass a no cameras policy.

Last thing to note:  you need to go watch this movie again, if you have not already,  We cannot allow our lives to end up like this.

https://vimeo.com/18781528

Ask Questions: Demand Answers,

Robert

Election Day 2015

As most if not all of the United States is focused on the Presidential election in 2016, a race mind you that has yet to become the circus it will be once Pres. Obama announces he is running for a third term; there are indeed elections taking place this coming Tuesday, November 3.  These elections are mostly of a local value, though there are a number of statewide elections taking place.  One is a Mayoral race and three more are Gubernatorial races.

Philadelphia, PA Mayor Race:  In my opinion, the election already happened.  Philadelphia is fortunately a leading Democratic city, thus the Democratic primary is pretty much the election.  The current mayor, Michael Nutter, has yet to challenge the two-term limit policy bestowed upon the office of Mayor.  With that in mind, James Kenney was able to win the Primary last May, and will be at least in an official manner be named Mayor-elect this Tuesday,  My congratulations to Mayor Kenney, and hope that we have not seen the last of Mayor Nutter.

Mississippi Governor:  Republican Gov. Phil Bryant will be re-elected.  This should not come as a surprise.

Kentucky Governor's Race:  The current Democratic Gov., Steve Beshear, is not running for re-election.  One reason is last year Gov. Beshear was contemplating a run for the Senate for 2016 before electing not to run.  In that point in time, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced his intention to run for the Governorship.  Along with that announcement, late in 2014 Attorney General Conway received the endorsement of Sen. Wendell H. Ford, a former Democratic Kentucky Senator and Governor who spent 23 years (1974-1997) in the US Senate.  Well, Sen. Ford passed away on January 22 at age 90, thus making Sen. Ford's endorsement one of his last for any candidate.
Jack Conway easily won the Democratic Primary, and should be likely to become the Governor on Tuesday. Indeed, until recently, most polling suggested a rather easy victory for Mr. Conway.  However, Mr. Conway is facing a rather important Republican favorite in the state with the Republican nominee, Matt Bevin.  Mr. Bevin, as you may know, ran in the 2014 Republican Senate Primary against Sen. Mitch McConnell, so a run for the Governorship was never out of the question.  Mr. Beivn's campaign has made inroads with potential voters, turning a race that seemed likely to remain Democratic into yet another Republican pickup. The most recent polling suggests both Mr. Conway and Mr. Bevin in a statistical tie.  So in this race, I am not sure who will be elected.  As I mentioned before, Kentucky has not been a state easily suitable for Democrats since Sen. Wendell H. Ford declined a re-election bid in 1997.  None the less, Sen. Ford was a titan among Kentucky politics, and was still well respected long after his Senate career ended.  Jack Conway has become the most important Democrat in Kentucky this year, and has the potential to change the Republican grip hold on the state.  Yet, now I am not so sure.  It is possible Matt Bevin gets elected Governor.  Should that happen, it would get more difficult for Democrats to get elected in years to come within Kentucky.

Louisiana Governor's Race:  Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is leaving the Governorship to run for President of the United States, a race that is becoming rather quixotic as the days pass.  This is an interesting race in that Louisiana has a system of elections wherein All candidates of any affiliation are on the ballot for this Tuesday.  Thus there are multiple Republicans and multiple Democrats running for the same public office.  Unless the leading vote getter receives 50% of the vote, which is not likely this year, the top two candidates will continue their campaigns ending in a runoff election to be held November 21.  And as of now, the top two consist of a Republican and a Democrat.

The Democrat, state Rep. John Bel Edwards, is currently leading both the jungle primary and runoff polls.  Interestingly, the Republican is Sen. David Vitter; a rather risky venture that was supposed to go over well without any problems.  And yet, there is a problem; Sen. Vitter willing to trade in 11 years in the US senate for a more volatile elected office in being Louisiana's Governor.  Sad to say at times, yet a Senator becoming a Governor rarely yields the same rate of impact and success as when in the US Senate.  And in this case, there is an election for Sen. Vitter's Senate seat next year that needs to be considered.

You see, should Sen. David Vitter get elected Governor, he would be able to name his own successor to be appointed to the US Senate and likely have the benefits of incumbency against any potential Democratic or even Republican challengers.  However, were Mr. Bel Edwards be elected Governor effectively this Tuesday, then Sen. Vitter will need to consider his political future.  I would think Sen. Vitter will run for re-election to the Senate should he not be elected Governor; I do not know if his re-election would be a virtual lock.  So, I think Sen. David Vitter will remain a Senator after both the jungle primary and the runoff, and John Bel Edwards will be elected Governor.  I should point out thought that Louisiana is a Republican state; so this could change at the last minute.

Now I want to focus on elections far more closest to home.  I live in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York.  Unfortunately, while New York is a Democratic State, much of Long Island including Nassau County, is quite obviously Republican.  Quite obviously because Republican politics in this area of New York is terminally corrupt.  In some functions, the local political scene has not gotten over Sen. Al D'Amato's re-election defeat in 1998; thus what once worked does not in this day and age. Do not get me wrong; Sen. D'Amato and his people have helped out Long Island over the years.  Yet their political cronyism and neo-Tammany Hall outlook does not suit well with me.

Of course, now the Republican machine in this county is run by the likes of Kate Murray and John Venditto and Ed Mangano and their lieutenants.  Decent people on a personal level, yes.  I did appreciate Mangano, the Nassau County Executive, endorsing Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his re-election bid last year.  I was classmates with Oyster Bay Supervisor Venditto's eldest son, Nick; I even talked with him on several occasions, including our high school 10 year reunion four years ago. My family and I have even met Hempstead Supervisor Murray and her family quite a few times.  Yet, despite that, they are not to be trusted to do the right thing in our social, political and economic matters.

If you want to know why, there have been recent reports regarding the sheer audacity to continue obtaining contracts with a Mr. Singh, who has been negligent on his taxes involving his restaurants. This chiefly involves John Venditto and his seemingly iron grip on Oyster Bay leadership.  There is a YouTube channel devoted to exposing these issues, with videos such as this one,

Concurrently, Kate Murray is running for Nassau County District Attorney, running against the current DA, Madeline Singas.  DA Singas has had the experience of being a prosecuting attorney and is well versed in legal issues.  Ms. Murray, simply stated, does not know the law as she think she does.  And yet, here we are with both Murray and Venditto thinking they have their elections sewn to their liking.  Mangano, by the way, is not running this year.  And to compound these corruption revelations, the recent Venditto and Murray endorsements are rather troublesome.  Particularly NuHealth endorsing Kate Murray; a clear violation of neutrality measures needed for hospitals!  Including the same hospital where I was given birth and I got treated for lead poisoning!!

Needless to say, I have no intention of voting for any of these Republicans this year.  Yet you probably already knew that.  I am endorsing DA Madeline Singas to continue her tenure as District Attorney for Nassau County.  I am also endorsing Democratic challenger John J. Mangelli to be elected Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor.  As well, I am endorsing all Democrats running for the Town of Oyster Bay council and the offices of judges.

I do understand many who are reading this might think this may become a problem if the current Nassau Republican leadership is replaced.  A number of them are involved with town offices and will point to my participation with the GAP program since 2012 and continuing,  I need to mention; the corruption and ineptness needs to end.  I hope and believe this will not change the status of Town of Oyster Bay workers and volunteers, nor would it derail the GAP program and related services.  Yet, if changes will need to be made in order to end the corruption and allow for newer leadership; then we will need to adapt when the time comes.

Well, those are my thoughts on Tuesday's elections.  I implore my fellow readers to take the time and vote on Tuesday; and if needed, register to vote as soon as you can.

One final note:  As this was going to be published, I found word that Sen. and 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson passed away at age 73.  I did not agree with Sen. Thompson's views; yet the Senator was a decent person that had a lifetime of service dating back to his involvement with the Senate Watergate Committee.  My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones at this trying time.

We got the system to alter the system,

Robert

This will not take 11 hours

Thursday was a day that was wasted.  Not by me; I worked that day.  No, it was wasted by many in the alternative media and the conservative/military apparatus in thinking perhaps faintly that some form of political victory would occur on their end.  I of course speak of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton being questioned by 7 or 8 House Republicans and about 6 Democrats on the issue of the 9/11/2012 inside job that was the proposed beginning of a hostage rescue mission that was completely altered by the rape and assassination of four people involved with diplomatic and military matters in Libya.  This included United States Ambassador Chris Stevens.

In short, Sec. of State Clinton had no role in what had taken place in Libya, starting the year before with the complete overthrow of Libyan life signified by the assassination of Col. Muamar Gaddhafi. Matters of these foreign policy miscalculations should be placed on a number of other hands, not that of Sen. Clinton nor the Department of State.  Indeed, the State Department was what was keeping the US in good standing with the world until 3 years ago.  Yet, not one congress member on the Benghazi Libya committee managed to discuss the fault that lied with these groups or people:

Pres. Barack Obama
The Department of Defense
Certain figures in the Senate and House at the time, including then Sen. John Kerry I am sad to say.
CIA
Ambassador Stevens; a hard pill to swallow, yet it would have been best to consider asking for greater security before going into a war zone.  Irrelevant at the time, yet now a problem.
The US House of Representatives in their votes to cut funding for security measures.
Mitt Romney: I think  this was initially  a Neocon inside job and still believe certain factions carried out these provocations as was made obvious with their politicization of the assault.
The makers and financiers of a badly made trailer for a badly made movie done by a presumed Coptic Christian.
The individuals in Libya whom later were recruited to organize their terror-for-hire activities under the banner Islamic State.
Libyan leadership in the post-Gaddhafi era; this extends to a number of post Arab Spring governments.

I could name others, yet do not have the time.  In what came forth yesterday, only One congress member, Washington Democrat Adam Smith, mentioned any of the above as needing to be blamed; specifically mentioning Gen. David Patreaus.  As well, Sec. of State Clinton did imply the lack of in initial planning for security measures by Ambassador Stevens.  The rest of time, as it has been for a long while now, the blame has been shifted to Hilary Clinton.  Well, blaming her for the faults of others is a waste of time, paper, money and lives.  This will only help Sen. Clinton in her run for the Presidency: a good deal of Republican leaders and insiders have even mentioned the absurdity of this committee and its inane focus on Sec. of State Clinton, and if not her then Sidney Blumenthal.

What did 11 hours of a hearing and statements accomplish?  Not One Motherfucking Thing!  Excuse my language, yet nothing new was told, and no minds were changed.  I can tell you, at least one or two of the Republicans on that committee are looking at either facing a primary challenge or an outright re-election defeat.  Rep. Peter Roskam, Rep. Trey Gowdy and Rep. Martha Roby come to mind.  As well, I think now would be a fair time for Rep. Elijah Cummings to join Rep. Tammy Duckworth in leaving the House to run for the Senate.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, mind you, did not go this far and this wastefully with their hearings with Sec.of State Clinton two years ago.  In any matter, I think Rep. Cummings would be a darn good Senator, as would Rep. Duckworth should either of them get elected or much less run,

And yet, you know what was not even talked about once?  Just why we have been in Libya, Syria and the surrounding countries in the first place.  And just why our foreign policy these past 14 years has been mainly problematic; a continuation of American hegemony that finds no place in a changing and educated world where the US is, correctly, not the leader of all matters.

Interestingly, the last couple of days and nights I have been watching a series of interviews with the recently passed Ali Treki from 25 years ago regarding many of the same issues facing the world and the at the time failed Reagan and H.W. Bush policies.  I present these here for your consideration and ask you to find the time to watch and listen.

By the way, the interviewer, former SUNY professor Harold Channer, is still involved with interviewing important people on New York public access television.  Do have a look at Mr. Channer's YouTube page for some rather interesting interviews over the years.  A lot more informative than what you may have seen yesterday.  And if you managed to watch all 11 hours: you just wasted a day in your life you will never get back.  Same with those who were there.

HRC for 2016: Because at the least, our dream will become WRH's nightmare (I will say why soon),

Robert

PS.  This is too funny to not include as a postscript.  Too funny, and yet too sad.

PPS.  My thoughts on the Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies, the Guillermo Del Toro film Crimson Peak and the Danny Boyle film Steve Jobs are forthcoming.

Unintentional Inaction

Well, as we are all aware, there was this past Thursday a shooting at a Community College 150 miles north of Portland, Oregon.  And yes, what you thought were the protocols for a mass shooting were enacted upon again.  And oh yes, the story does not add up entirely.  The only difference now is the US East Coast is in a two-tiered storm system consisting of a Nor 'Easter and Hurricane Jaquin.  Thus, there are other matters on the minds of most people on the Atlantic seaboard.  By the way, Hurricane Jaquin may not hit us, but it is best to be safe and prepared.

The point of this essay though is regarding what occurred this Friday afternoon.  At about 3:30, President Barack Obama held a press conference stating that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had resigned and will be succeeded by John King.  Afterwards, Pres. Obama continued on with complaining about matters that do affect us all; including but not limited to the need to abolish the sale and manufacturing of guns.  Sadly, this press conference ticked me off, as Pres. Obama's conferences have recently been ticking me off .  This is for two reasons.  First, Pres. Obama's press conference came at the same time that Sec. Of State Hillary Clinton was making a speech in Florida.  Now I would think most news media outside of C-SPAN would show this speech instead of a meandering press conference.  Alas, this is what we have come to expect from a main stream (lame stream?) media that is in the tank for ABC (Anyone But Clinton).  Equal blame goes to Pres. Obama for usurping the only worthy successor, provided he does not run for a third term.

What was really problematic for me was Barack Obama had more or less threw his hands in the air and asked for the Republican Party to pretty much do what Obama supposedly cannot do.  This has been a fallback for 7 years, and is not by any means emblematic of a President.  Look, a President can and must do whatever is deemed in the best interest of Americans regardless of opposition.  It is abhorrent to me that Barack Obama, the President, does not simply enact laws and bills by decree. 

What is that you say?  A President acing as if he is a king?  Well yes.  Every four years, the United States gets involved in electing a President; and in each campaign, the candidate uses his/her platform for public speaking and ideas to mention what will be enacted once the election is over on Election Night.  You will notice that the candidate does not use the term "we", referring to the Legislative and Judicial Branches working in tandem with the Executive branch along with other implied branches and estates.  What you do notice is the candidate uses the word that might just be the most important word in the English Language.  That word is I.  We see this even currently in this long campaign for 2016. 

And yet, what happens to some Presidents upon election?  They seem to forget that a plurality of the eligible voters in the United States elected a king to rule their lives, and subsequently they put the onus on leadership to their opponents.  Pres. Obama has continually done this for the past 7 years; thus showing a complete lack of leadership.  His statements of "I" later become statements of "We", and far later become statements of "They". 

Now why is that?  I have come to the knowledge over the years that Barack Obama has always wanted to be a celebrity President; all the perks and benefits yet none of the work.  We saw this outright during his 2012 re-election when he made a number of chat show appearances of no importance, alongside benefit dinners of little regard.  While those distractions wee ongoing; international diplomatic tragedies like the military assaults in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012 were taking place.  Typical of Obama's lack of leadership  in critical issues during that time, blame was put on others besides the President himself. 

And now we are seeing this again; we should soon expect Pres. Obama to later paraphrase Mel Brooks in Spaceballs when he says "I can't make decisions here. I'm the President!"  I doubt that I have seen any other President in my lifetime feel as if he is this powerless, from either political party.  And yes, that does include Pres. George W. Bush, who brought forth disastrous proposals and actually enacted upon these proposals.  I firmly believe on this issue of gun violence and the need to end the likelihood of another Chris Mercer Harper coming into mental problems, Pres. Obama could be ending these events by effectively using his powers and do the following:

Abolish the usage of guns and gun manufacturing.
Allot for mandatory psychological profiling on all persons.
Criminalize gun owners for intent to kill family and others; this is important because when a person owns a gun, it is usually to bring a permanent end to a family squabble. 
Curtail the powers and responsibilities of other branches of Government, if not abolish them outright. 
Alter the US Constitution.

Any President has it in his/her powers to do such matters.  In the whole history of the United States, I can only think of just 1 President who effectively made a successful imperial leadership.  That would be President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and this was only possible due to being President the last 13 years of his life.  And yet, the US needed FDR from 1932-1945 to allot for these ideals to be put into place.  In contrast, President Barack Obama has been effectively punting the ball as a first option.   

You wonder why many voters are flocking to other candidates that will provide simple-minded solutions, in addition to ruling as if they were a king/queen.  Perhaps one could say this is Obama going through the motions in only having one year left of his Presidency.  That may be true; yet Pres. Obama has not indicated an endorsement of a candidate.  Thus, I fully expect Barack Obama to run for a third term; an idea which while sadly ending the Democratic nomination race, will ensure a re-election defeat.  Should Obama go through with this, then he should do what he was elected to do and, you know, actually Lead.  I have already given a number of suggestions in this essay.  Pres. Obama should act upon them. 

Well, those are my opinions on this matter.  Incidentally, 2015 marks the 20 year anniversary of one of my favorite movies, the Rob Reiner film The American President.  For 15 years now, we have seen Presidents allowing their voters to drink the sand.  Well, perhaps it is time to think differently. 

I am not the President, nor am I running for President,

Robert

Miscavige's Successor

 Recently, I have written my thoughts and concerns regarding the Church of Scientology.  I have noticed that since the release of the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear, the Church is now effectively in an crisis of its own doing.  Membership is down to 50,000 at best; and any attempts at smearing the whistleblowers have been met with needed ridicule.  I cannot say for certain if David Miscavige is about to have his religion be relegated to the status of outright cult.  I do however believe there has ben a successor religion to pick up where Scientology left off.  And indeed, a leader has already been chosen.

The religion I refer to is the Roman Catholic Church, and its leader(s) are Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger, retired/deposed) and most notably Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Brogolia, active).  It is Pope Francis and his leadership capabilities which I am concerned about. Now, people that know me know that I am considered a Catholic, having gone through all the official rites of church membership and living nearby an important diocese with offices in Rockville Centre.  Yet, I have not been to a Sunday Mass in quite a number of years, for quite a number of reasons too numerous to mention.  Indeed, if you were to press me on the issue, I would say Roger Ebert's memoir Life Itself explains best my antipathy towards the religious hierarchy.  It does not, however, mean I am in tune with Church doctrine; for one thing, I am pro-choice. Many Catholics sadly are not pro-choice.  As well, I am of the belief that a female can be just as important of a religious leader in the Catholic order as any male. 

Yet, those are only minor issues at this time.  My leading concern, and one I think is shared by many, is the intertwined relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and our secular world we live in.  In the two years since the installation of Pope Francis, the Church has seen a massive publicity campaign that did not occur for decades earlier.  What gets me is that not one year before, Alex Gibney had directed and produced a documentary regarding the abuses the Church has done to younger men; focusing mainly on those that were abused at a Catholic school for the hearing impaired.  If you can look for it, Mea Maxima Culpa was shown on HBO and might be found on Blu-Ray and DVD at Amazon. 

This push for a Catholic revival has occurred just under a decade after questions regarding the Church's financial properties and management of banking institutions came to the forefront.  As of today, the Church owns more property and businesses outright than what we can imagine.  In effect, membership in the Church does require a hefty frigging fee every time the collection plate gets passed during Sunday Mass; the more you pay, the more you get to obtain their version of Clear, or perhaps OT VIII. 

So for me, I have a problem with a religion that demands your money for their wisdom.  Yet you know what else; I am deeply aghast at the child abuse that goes on with younger men.  My disgust has been with me in that regard for some two decades, after seeing the Canadian TV miniseries The Boys Of St. Vincent.  I remember it only aired a few times in the mid 1990s on A&E in the US; yet I did find a decent web transfer of the complete 3+ hour miniseries on a Japanese hosted video site.  Here is the link at the bottom of the essay.

I post the link only because there is not a way to embed the video on this site.  None the less, it is downright disturbing, and on a different note it is still Henry Czerny's most iconic role. 

Even with all that has been mentioned, I am concerned that the Roman Catholic Church is on a path of obtaining world political leadership.  We may not have seen this in our lifetimes; yet it was not that long ago in human history that the Church was the globalist order in this world.  For hundreds of years, particularly the Middle Ages and Dark Ages prior to the Renaissance and even afterward, Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchesses, Princes and Princesses, Military leaders and Civilian leaders, Legislators and Judges alike, all bowed down and pledged their allegiances and lives to the Church.  Whomever was Pope had final say on all social, political, economic and war decisions.  Clergymen gave their opinions and statements on issues; and governments were set forth to do the deeds of the Church.  This began to thaw slowly but surely with the German Lutheran Reformation, along with the establishment of the Church of England and Anglicanism. 

Now, under Pope Francis' leadership, more so than in any other time, the Catholic Church is now seemingly the final arbiter and ruler on all matters relating to mainland Europe.  Interestingly, that includes Germany; whose Chancellor, Angela Merkel, might not have been re-elected had not the Pope endorsed her and her Conservative minded party.  This order, for instance, that all Catholics must house the Syrian refugees in Europe seems more akin to a forced political maneuver rather than a recommendation.  I, for instance, would not be too certain to house a refugee, for reasons too varied to list here.  It now appears that the Church now dictates policy in Cuba.  I do not believe this was ever the intention of the Castro brothers when the 1959 Revolution took place. 

This public relations program the Church is now engaged in seems to the layman a good and decent success; if only one considers the public humbleness and more liberal minded attitudes and beliefs Pope Francis espouses.  But you see, that is the problem with Pope worship; only in the last year have Catholics overall been willing to accept LGBTQ people, for instance.  Just because the Pope says so, Now they can accept.  Well, I and many of my family and friends accepted the LGBTQ community long before it was considered cool to be accepting these groups of people.  In fact, so did many others become supporters and advocates of LGBTQ individuals prior to 2014.  I never needed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI or Pope Francis to tell me When to accept the LBGTQ community.  I do have a brain and use it regularly.  Nor do I then or now need a Catholic leader to tell me to support their agenda regarding their anti-abortion and anti-contraceptives dogma.  To me, being pro-choice is being pro-life; for I choose the life of the female rather than the implied life of a fetus.  As I have often said, our birthdays do not come on the anniversary of the date when our parents "did it". 

And yet, after this trip to Cuba, Pope Francis will make his way to the United States and will pretty much dictate the lives and beliefs of some 69.4 million Catholics; this includes Jeb Bush.  I often half jokingly wonder if, say in Washington DC or in New York, the Pope says a command like "eat a stick of butter" and many though not all would do it in fear of being excommunicated if refused.  Again it is a joke, and I know some may be saying to me "well Robert, if your favored political figure or celebrity said it, you would do it too".  No, because there is a difference.  They are not religious leaders and thus if I choose not to eat a stick of butter, they cannot force me to do otherwise.  A religious leader, such as a Pope or Cardinal or Archbishop, has this unique sway in allowing people to do things just by saying "Do It".  So if Pope Francis goes up on his pulpit and tells Catholics to vote for Jeb Bush or any other candidate beholden to the Church; I am concerned these fellow Catholics will be like lemmings willingly falling down to their premature grave. 

Well, now that I have made my concerns known, I would like to hear from you.  I have noticed that while I am getting page views, something seems to be wrong with the comments and interactivity.  Do any of you fellow readers have any suggestions?  I do have a Facebook page, search keyword Robert Kelly.  You can mention your concerns there, or even here if possible.  Might I need to change the website to a new server or hosting platform?  It does get a bit lonely only talking to myself at times.  Let me know if anything can be done about this.  I would really like to hear your views. 

I end with a rather problematic yet pertinent question.  If you were invited to the house of any of these three people:

Pope Francis
David Miscavige
Robert Durst

Which one would be honest with you?  Well, for me there is no definite answer, except maybe a fourth opinion.  Choose neither and free your mind.

It is a TED talk, yes.  But since the other choices were David Icke (an acquired taste I know) or a song which sounds a heck of a lot like Queen Of The Night (Whitney Houston off of The Bodyguard), this will suffice.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Robert






http://www.56.com/w33/play_album-aid-9150379_vid-NTY5NDg3MzY.html

The one sane choice

It may be hard to believe, given not many alive now lived or remember this time period. Yet, the 1980s were not halcyon days for the United States or even the rest of the world. If or when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman decide to do a documentary series about the eighties, I would expect people's perception of so called good times to be completely shattered. A great deal of the Republican mindset that engulfed America in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to a 1979 Address to the Nation from then President Jimmy Carter. Nominally, it was the 14th in a series of Addresses involving energy usage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakFDUeoJKM My apologies for not directly embedding the video; I am using Microsoft Windows 10 and its new browser Microsoft Edge. I will see if Chrome does things differently. None the less, the speech I linked to was and still is unique in that President Carter pretty much told the American people to stop blaming their leaders for their problems and start blaming themselves. What a concept: taking responsibility for one's own actions and thoughts! How it related to energy was effectively consume less and perhaps, maybe, turning off the heater once in a while and wearing an extra sweater. Well, within the next year, much of the American public rejected these recommendations for self preservation and much like someone being told not to do anything stupid; they tripled down on their stupidity and elected President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan era lasted a total of 12 long years. I think the only reason why it lasted this long was because it became clear, after the Iran-Contra scandal blew up in everyone's face, that an actual third term campaign for President Reagan would have resulted in a defeat. So in came George H.W. Bush to be President in 1988, retaining many of the Reagan brain trust without the public image of a failed leader. Four years later, and with the "Cold War" now extinct, the Republican Party, and with that much of the bipartisan bull crap in maintaining a "war" mindset, began to shatter immensely. I can remember those times; Dan Rather every night for a month in early 1992 introduced reports on a false and troubling U.S. financial economy. Lawrence Walsh, independent counsel investigating Iran-Contra, obtained grand jury indictments for key Reagan-Bush officials, and likely was going to indict both Presidents if possible. I do remember on Halloween Eve a re-indictment of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was obtained. It was also the year of the South Central L.A. Riots, among other social justice issues coming into view. Into this social political chaos emerged then Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas and by all accounts a Southern Centrist Democrat. And for the first time in 12 years, people were not only needing to hear the truth about their lives; they were willing to listen and make changes. If you need a visual aide on why the Clinton campaign and subsequent Presidency from 1992-2000 was successful; I would suggest watching once again the D.A. Pennebaker film The War Room, now a part of the Criterion Collection. Also of interest is Robert Downey Jr.'s opinion documentary The Last Party; though be aware this was when Downey was zonked out on booze and pills half the time. I have already alluded to and made note of the eight years of relative peace and security when William Jefferson Clinton was President. I, like you, are aware of what the past 15 years post-Clinton have been like. In short, apart from flashes of sanity within the Senate and the State Department, nothing good has come forward. You know, in only my second week as a student at Hofstra University, 9/11 occurred. One of my fellow travelers saw, like nearly all of us, the aftermath of the destruction and she said out loud "This would have never happened if Clinton was still President." And this woman, whose name I forget, was right. Indeed, there are certain times I play a what if game. That being, what if Bill Clinton decided to run for a third term? We know President Clinton would have easily been re-elected. Yet, as we know, a Clinton third term was set aside to focus on Hillary Clinton's 1999-2000 run for the Senate. She of course was elected. And I would say from that point forward, many of us that effectively were given the double deuce by the Cheney-Bush people, culminating in the 9/11 Inside Job, wanted to have the tide turn in favor of us once more. I had hoped Sen. Hillary Clinton would have ran for President in 2004. She did not, instead focusing on her 2006 Senate re-election bid. Fortunately after that election, Sen. Clinton began a process of running for the Presidency to which she was and still is entitled to I might add. In 2008, Sen. Clinton won the national Democratic Primary. Yet due to a myriad of reasons all found to be not worth my time, Clinton was barred from receiving the nomination in what amounted to a retread of the old back-room party bosses deals. We were left with then Sen. Barack Obama, the perpetual disappointment. None the less, President Obama was elected in 2008: the Clinton family's endorsement and a certainty for Sen. Hillary Clinton to be involved in the Cabinet was what sealed the deal for at least my voting for him. Yet Sec. Of State Clinton would not be in that title at the State Department for that long of a time. Sec. Of State Clinton left in 2012, which was followed as we see today of another Presidential run. Now, let me remind you I did vote for President Barack Obama again in 2012. However, I voted for Pres. Obama thinking that he would be defeated. It was more of an approval of the four years having gone by rather than the four years to come. We have seen though a continuation of a weak, egotistical, self-centered prick being a President more in line with wanting to be a celebrity more than anything. I do not know what a Republican presidency would have been like if one was elected in 2012. I sure as shit was not going to give the Romney and Paul people there fantasies. And I frankly have never liked Gov. Chris Christie; Now most people hate him, but it was not that easy being a lone voice at the time showing my disapproval on that lard. None the less, Pres. Obama winning re-election in 2012 assured a continuation of Democratic leadership for decades to come. We all were convinced after eight years of Obama there would be: Eight years of Hillary Clinton Eight years of Cory Booker Eight years of Chelsea Clinton Eight years of one of the Obama daughters. Well, now once again, there is a probability this will not happen. I have said before that Pres. Obama is actively seeking a third term. With the likelihood that he might lose, Obama and his people are setting up Vice President Joe Biden to fill the void. Interestingly, I think after Beau Biden passed away, there has been more of an incentive for VP Biden to run; fulfilling the last wishes of his son to have a Biden become President. I am not pleased with VP Biden running. This now means at least 8 Democrats are running for President! I expect Mayor Bill De Blasio to announce his candidacy shortly, and I am thinking there will be a Donald Trump equivalent for Democrats to consider before the year is out. My money is on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make a move. By the way, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out in support of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. So too has Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Indeed, most of the Senate Democrats and nearly half of all House Democrats are endorsing Hillary Clinton. Same goes for several Diplomats, a number of businesspeople and quite a huge list of celebrities. Go look at the Clinton 2016 page on Wikipedia for an ever evolving list of endorsements. Each of these endorsees have one mindset in common: they want their political party back to where it can be in being effective in its leadership and trustworthiness. In short, they want the 1990s back. As do I. In 2008, after being given the double deuce by party bosses, we were assured that President Barack Obama would promise us everything us Clinton Democrats wanted and even more. Apart from the four years of relative decent International Diplomacy, we have been disappointed in most areas. Even certain beneficial acts like "Obama Care" were compromised from its needed intentions. I for one will not be led down a path of abject disappointment and voting for style over substance, celebrity over leadership. Taking a page from the misguided fanatics Dr. Ron Paul still continues to have, albeit in a mercifully dwindling number; my choice for President, the Only Same Choice for President, is Hillary Clinton. Should Sen. Clinton not receive the nomination, even before the primaries, if possible I will write her name in. If a write-in is not possible, then I will vote for the Democrat; albeit it will be nothing more than a protest vote. Hillary Clinton for President 2016 or no one at all. Our lives may just depend on it, Robert

The unforgivable crime

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!"

- A phrase you do not ever want to say to your children.


In life, there are people that we look at and think to ourselves "well, thankfully we're not these people".  We tend to collectively think of ourselves as morally superior and normal, whatever that word means nowadays.  A lot of the time, these people we criticize are known celebrities; people that seem to get away with their obtuseness and asshole tendencies. 

Yet, we as a collective are not ones to judge these celebrities.  Many of them have children, some more loyal to their parents than others.  None the less, these celebrities that are parents do indeed love their children, and would do anything to protect them and/or advance their own endeavors.  How I see it, one could be a pig, a drunkard, a philanderer, a cheapskate, an Anti-Semite, a druggie, a prisoner, or even a complete piece of shit.  So long as they are loving their children and their children love them; there is hope.  Yet that hope ends when the unforgiveable crime occurs.  That crime being allowing and/or directly participating in the killing of their child. 

For Dr. William H. Cosby Jr. Ed.D, any sense of redemption ended on January 16, 1997.  It was on that day that his son, Ennis, was killed in cold blood while near the Los Angeles Freeway changing a tire.  I am convinced Ennis' father, Bill Cosby, allowed and authorized a hit and run murder on his only son. 

How can you say that, you might be thinking?  Look at the evidence and the lies and the deceptions Cosby has done in his 78 years of his life.  Particularly up to 1997, these infractions included:

Raping and drugging by force 40 or more females of all races and economic classes.

Forming a false image by being the white man's black man.

Dissing former co-workers and friends when felt convenient.  Among those include:
Richard Pryor
Sir Sidney Poitier
Lisa Bonet
Malcolm Jamal-Warner
Harry Belafonte
Flip Wilson
Spike Lee
Stevie Wonder
Denise Johnson
Arthur Ashe
Jimmie Walker
Sherman Helmsley
Janice Dickinson
Robert Culp

Having the gall and temerity to go on television and dis his own movie Leonard Part 6; even though he wrote the script!

Removing socially and culturally important African-American entertainment shows like Amos and Andy.

Looking down on fellow African-Americans who did not have $400 million in the bank.

Fathering an untold number of illegitimate children in addition to his 5 own children.

Using his comedy shows as fodder for his bad deeds.

Bilking Temple University for unseemly amounts of money.

Forming a hatred on all races while trying to be post-racial.

Subjecting his wife, Camille, to 50 plus years of physical, emotional and mental abuse.

And most importantly:

Being a lousy parent to his five children.  Bonus points for his disgust with Ennis and Erinn.

We know that of his five children, Ennis and Erinn were the most concerned and upset over the coming revelations of Bill Cosby fathering Autumn Jackson.  We know the both of them confronted Cosby early that January to tell him to stop his ways and force a settlement and acknowledgement of past deeds.  We also know that Ennis had plans to take measures into his and his sisters' hands in order to have Bill Cosby be treated for sexual addiction at the least.  Yet, of course, a person like Bill Cosby would have none of it.  Especially from Ennis, whom he had a tense relationship. 

It is where the above quote went from a threat to a promise.  It is where January 16, 1997 happened.  A white immigrant was hired by Cosby to make a contract hit on Ennis Cosby; starting with mucking up the car Ennis was driving.  It was followed by the most obvious sort of drive by shooting one could imagine.  And with that, Ennis was gone.  The light of the Cosby family; the one who could right the wrongs of his father, was no more. 

I remember months after Ennis' killing when the Autumn Jackson lawsuit was put into place.  It was then that I knew; Bill Cosby had his son killed to distract from the revelations of his two-faced fucked up life.  Why it has taken 18 years and an unsealed admission of Cosby administering Quaaludes to more than one female rape victim is something that boggles my mind.  Many think the statute of limitations have run out on any charges Bill Cosby faces.  Perhaps that is true for rape and drugging.  It is not true for murder.  And if I am not mistaken, full punishment according to California Penal Code Law pertains to Cosby's actions that fateful day.

Bill Cosby: You Killed Your Only Son.  Admit it to all that had once cared for you and looked up to you like I did.  And then be Punished for these crimes for all the remainder of your life.  When you do pass on, I hope Ennis is there waiting for you to send you on your eternal damnation in the hell you made for yourself.  Ennis Cosby deserves justice after these 18 years.  Let us all hope this vile being, for whom I am almost tempted to use the N word on, gets the punishment he deserves.

Love your children and you will find peace.  Talk to you all later,

Robert

In Cold Blood

I have been contemplating what to write about on the issue of the last five days.  For those not aware, on June 17, 2015; a 21 year old white male from the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina went to a Bible Study event at Emanuel AME church in downtown Charleston.  Once Bible Study ended, Dylan Roof shot a fully loaded gun into the heads and bodies of 9 unarmed African Americans ranging from ages 27 to 86; 6 women and 3 men, including Pastor and State Senator Clementa Pinckney.  2 others were wounded and are still hospitalized; 3more are alive without wounds. 

Let me start these next two or three posts by stating that I do not own a gun, I am a Democrat, I am not racist and I have not posted diatribes against others that were and are innocent.  Dylan Roof has done this; so too has his mentors and handlers, for which there are many.  Yet, Dylan Roof is only a symptom of a larger issue at hand in this world, one I have been noticing for quite some time. 

I am speaking about the ongoing and widespread despair we are all seeing in our lives today.  Perhaps despair and heartbreak have always been at the forefront of our lives; yet it now seems more obvious than ever and more open to any person that sees it.  Let me give you an idea of this desperation foisted upon younger people today.

A 22-23 year old may have just graduated from one of the most prestigious private universities in the United States, or even went overseas to study and obtain a degree.  Post-graduate studies could be on the horizon for that person.  However, that young person has now accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt; not to mention forking over tens of thousands of dollars for room and board and other expenses.  Financially, that person is now flat broke.  In the immediate aftermath, this person will need to seek employment that would fit right in with that major and/or minor which was studied.  Yet, no jobs are being offered; perhaps certain interests do not need to hire or will pay cheaper wages to other more dependent workers.  Depending on where this person is living; the only job available is likely to be one that pays little and has no real value (e.g., licking envelopes).  So now this person is stuck in a dead end job with a dead end future in a dead end town needing to support a dead end family. 

It is then that a thought comes into the heads of these people in dire straits.  That would be to die and/or have others die.  Because you see, this ever changing world in which we live in will invariably become unbearable to many people, particularly those in a depressed state.  When it appears nothing is changing, and it is the same shit yet a different flavor; anybody would want a way out.  The biggest indication of this desperation I have found is when other people and living creatures pass away that mattered to the lives of so many on a personal and otherwise basis.  Here is something rather sobering.  What do these people of note have in common?

Gov. Mario Cuomo
Sen. Edward Brooke
Rod Taylor
The Editorial Leadership at Charlie Hebdo
Andrae Crouch
Anita Ekberg
Edgar Froese
Sen. Wendell H. Ford
Ernie Banks
Demis Roussos
Colleen McCullough
Sir Martin Gilbert
Louis Jourdan
Philip Levine
Lesley Gore
Clark Terry
Leonard Nimoy
Boris Nemtsov
Anthony Mason
Edward Cardinal Egan
Sam Simon
Sir Terry Pratchett
Al Rosen
Mike Pocaro
Andy Fraser
Alberta Watson
MP Lee Kuan Yew
James Best
Geoffrey Lewis
Gunter Grass
Percy Sledge
Sen. Robert P. Griffin
Jayne Meadows
Ben E. King
Grace Lee Whitney
B.B. King
Dr. John Forbes Nash Jr.
Anne Meara
Betsy Palmer
Beau Biden
MP Charles Kennedy
Sir Christopher Lee
James Last
Ron Moody
Ornette Coleman
"The American Dream"; Dusty Rhodes
Kirk Kerkorian
James Horner

These people passed away this year; and we are not even finished with June yet.  As we grow older, more and more of those we grew up with and even had a personal connection with seem to pass on to the unknown.  Left to continue are us who are living, of course.  Yet for some, it feels like an end has come.  And with that end, a sense of longing for the past in some form or another occurs: usually involving childhood innocence and a rose-colored glasses memory that may have been true yet perhaps not. 

I can certainly understand the feelings at times. Last year, one of our pet dogs, Doogie, passed away at 14 years old.  I can certainly tell you now that there have been days and nights, though not frequent, that I think about Doogie and feel a sense of emptiness if only for a brief while.  Yet, this is where people differ.  For myself and my family, we simply move forward and await the next day; knowing full well that we have our health and our commitments to ourselves and others.  There are however many that do not respond in kind.

The worst sort of feelings can be amplified when there is a gun involved.  I firmly believe that when a person is holding a gun in their hands, the gun becomes sentient.  No different than what happens to James Woods' hand by the end of Videodrome.




Quite scary, is it not?  And that is just the transformation sequence! 

None the less, it is much more saner to be without a gun than it is to have one.  Let me put it this way; if during the midst of a divorce between two people, an argument occurs and there is a gun in the room: does it not seem obvious that it will be used to end the argument permanently?  I say this because it has and continues to happen.  Just two days ago, Milwaukee Brewers baseball star Darryl Hamilton was killed by his girlfriend in what is deemed to be a murder-suicide over a petty squabble.  Had the gun not been in the room, both of them would still be alive today; and perhaps less inclined to turn violent.  More notably, the lives of their families and their children are now forever altered and forever ruined.  For anyone that has recently seen the newest Disney-Pixar movie Inside Out, all core emotions have now been permanently replaced by an idea to continue the cycle by leaving this life in some form or other. 

Hard to believe, yet there are more guns in the United States than there are people living here.  There are more gun manufacturers than there are community service organizations in the United States.  One can discuss many other issues that relate to these shootings.  SSRIs, economic mistreatment, family issues, mental health treatment, employment and the like are all matters to be discussed.  However, those matters need to wait until two important matters are needed to be attended to.

1.  Banning and outlawing guns in the hands of any person.
2.  Altering the culture of seeking death.

Banning guns is an easier task.  All one needs to do is declare gun possession to be a criminal act; followed by indicting the gun manufacturers as accessories to murder and racketeering under the Rico statures.  In that way, the NRA, the GOA and other like minded organizations can be put out of business.  As well, it makes things easier to allow for a repeal of the 2nd Amendment and perhaps a full altering of the Constitution which is much needed.  As an added bonus, the Republican Party and numerous Democrats would need to discuss some other matters of importance on the campaign trail.

It is the needed task of altering and hopefully ending the culture of death apparent in most people today that will be harder to achieve.  So long as beloved and admired individuals in life continue to pass away, while despised individuals are more inclined to live beyond their expiry date; this death seeking culture will sadly persist.  I know for a fact that the elites of this world that own us have exclusive access to drugs and elixirs prolong lives and cure illnesses that would shorten our lives.  A literal Fountain of Youth, if you will.  At some point, access to these drugs and elixirs will need to be put into the hands of the populace at large.  Perhaps it might take drastic measures for this to occur, yet I would be weary on that front.  Let this be clear: James Horner has just passed away, while the scions of the Rothschild dynasty continue to live.  That, my fellow travelers, is not justice.

Getting back to Dylan Roof; he will be personally locked up and behind bars for the remainder of his days, as it should be.  There are of course other concerns regarding the Charleston Shooting, particularly the targeting and assassination of  State Senator Clementa Pickney  (D-SC) that leads me to believe Roof had minders and a ton of help.   Those issues will be discussed at another time, sooner rather than later.  None the less, if there was ever a time to start banning guns and altering the death seeking culture we all are involved with to some degree or another; this would be the perfect time. 

For those who are not aware of whom James Horner was: Mr. Horner was a composer of innumerable film scores.  Many of which you all know and perhaps love.  Here is an example.

Talk to you again fairly shortly,

Robert

PS.  Baseball is Slavery and started out as a replacement for slavery.  More on that when we see the film at 11. 

Handicapping the Class of 2016: Rock Hall Editon

I have been interested in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for quite some time now.  I suppose it goes back to when the Hall was opened in Cleveland, Ohio back in 1995.  It seemed a rather odd yet intriguing premise: a building and history project that sought to honor and determine who are the most important rock artists and non-performers in the Rock and Roll medium.  Unlike a sport hall of fame where statistics and numbers are of the most importance to determine an induction, recorded and performed music has no such obvious criterion.  Getting a number one hit album or song, for example, does not thankfully indicate Hall of Fame worthiness. 

As the years have gone by, the RRHOF has become quite important to merit worldwide attention and a fair deal of hand-wringing debates and responses.  For myself, I feel as if I and a number of others have helped to steer the influence.  You see, for the past 7 years, I have been an active participant on the website Future Rock Legends.  On there, my user name is Lax followed by the number of my current age.  I will explain why I picked the name Lax later.  In any matter, the Future Rock Legends website itself has grown to include numerous polls and ballots to determine what are the best Songs and Albums of all time.  Our Crown Jewel though is the Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project. 

It was initiated in 2010 as a way for the FRL community to look back at prior RRHOF inductions and determine what would we do and who would we induct each of those years through 2010. We then went through a phase of looking 16 years in the future to determine what our own Hall of Fame would look like by adding more inductees through a projected 2026 induction.  We stopped there as we fit 10 years in the real world would be a sufficient amount of time to determine on FRL who would make the Hall, either in our website or the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame itself. 

Since then each successive year we have added a new class of inductees from our own ballots of 7 Performers, 2 Non-Performers, 2 Influences and 2 Sidemen.  Whichever artists, groups and non-performers get the most votes to make it to the top positions in each category are thereby inducted.  Now, perhaps this may not mean much; yet here is an interesting anecdote.

Last Summer, many of the posters on FRL  had come to a consensus that Bill Withers had ben massively overlooked for induction.  Indeed before the October vote began, many of us mentioned on the message boards our intent to add Bill Withers on our ballots.  This might likely have struck a nerve with the RRHOF Nominating Committee; for in early October, Mr. Withers was announced as one of the 16 nominees for possible induction into the RRHOF in 2015.  I should point out that we at FRL voted right after the announcements.  Within a week, when the votes were tabulated, Bill Withers was easily inducted into our Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project; indeed, Mr. Withers had more votes than any other person or band. 

Well, flash forward to December when the RRHOF announced their 2015 inductees.  One of the 8 inducted was indeed Bill Withers.  As an added bonus, Lou Reed was posthumously inducted right after the Revisited/Projected ballots had Mr. Reed obtaining the second most votes of any other person or band.  I would like to think we at Future Rock Legends, not to mention the fan ballot by the actual Hall of Fame website, had a hand in  getting these two important artists to be inducted into the actual Hall of Fame. 

In September, the RRHOF Nominating Committee will meet in New York to discuss which 16 artists and/or bands will be put up for nomination as Performers for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class of 2016.  The only specific qualification for induction is for the artist or band to have made a record of some kind (debut album, demo tape, home recording) at least 25 years ago.  For this year, it means any artist who started out by 1990 is now eligible.  We at Future Rock Legends will concurrently be planning for our newest Revisited/Projected class with the cutoff date for the first recording being 2005.  This allows our more recent induction classes to be an indicator of what the Nom Com may likely put up for nomination this year.  Here is who I think at this time will be the 16 artists and/or bands nominated this year.

Alice In Chains:  Easily one of the best alternative/grunge bands in their time.  Their music was far much heavier and darker than many would initially realize, fueled namely by Layne Staley's autobiographical lyrics and singing alongside Jerry Cantrell's interesting counterpoints.  Alice In Chains has continued onward long after Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002; this time with newer lead singer William Duvall. 

Blur:  Four British chaps who became the defining faces and forefathers of Britpop, including a most sophisticated intelligence and musical outlook.  Their mixtures of soul, pop, rock, intimate singer-songwriter approaches, and even a bit of musical parody has not been duplicated by other artists since their initial recordings. 

The Smashing Pumpkins:  Growing up in the 1990s, there were only a select few artists and bands that when they came out with a new album and tour, everything stopped to take all the newer material in.  The Smashing Pumpkins were one of those bands throughout the 90s that would release a new album or tour and everyone just had to follow them.  For an Alternative band, they were at the edge of defying labels and just putting out what they felt they needed to put out.  A lot of this was and still is due to the near singular vision brought forth by Billy Corgan, an awesome lyricist, singer and instrumentalist that showed a great deal of intelligence and song craft that is varied and rather thoughtful.  Like many, I have felt the best years of the Smashing Pumpkins were when James Iha, D'Arcy Wretzky and Jimmy Chamberlin were in the group; adding subtle layers and textures to Corgan's ideas.  None the less, what we have are the records and concerts that still to this day matter as being influential for newer artists.  It has been 20 years since Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness; and it still sounds fresh and energetic today as it did back then.

Chic:  The preeminent dance-soul-funk-disco band of all time, as far as I am concerned.  Nile Rodgers to this day remains one of the most gifted and accomplished people in the music industry.

N.W.A:  Before Dr. Dre went out on his own, there was N.W.A., a rap and hip-hop group that were brash, politically charged and did not give a crap if you cared for them or not.  Much of what hip-hop is positioned as today comes from the likes of Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Mc Ren, DJ Yella and of course Dr. Dre in their relatively brief tenure. 

The Eurythmics:  Perhaps the most important New Wave act to come out of their era, certainly the most interesting.  Annie Lennox is clearly one of the best singers of her or any other time; quite the good instrumentalist and producer with a keen songwriting approach is Dave Stewart.  Both In their writings and performances were doing things not seen before or really even since with their brash outlook. 

Depeche Mode:  The forefathers of Emo and EDM that made personal songs at a time when superficiality ruled the airwaves.  what Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher have done in some 35 years is very astonishing.  Gahan is the voice, Gore is the guitar and the words, Fletcher is the one that puts it all together; and while with the band, Alan Wilder was the trained musician.  To still be innovative today as you were back then is a rare accomplishment that Depeche Mode have uniquely been able to succeed at. 

Nine Inch Nails:  be it a band or just a name for Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails defined the Industrial subgenre which has since been expanded by many newer artists. 

Yes:  The most progressive, eclectic and proficient of the Art Rock groups.  Quite a number of lineup changes; each one quite excellent in its own way.

Janet Jackson:  The youngest of the Jackson siblings and the most accomplished female from the family.  During her prime, Janet was just as equally innovative as Michael was; and perhaps a bit more proficient in material coming out.  Fortunately, Janet Jackson has a new album coming out this year, her first since Michael Jackson passed away.  I cannot wait to hear it.

Kate Bush:  A rather left-field nominee, to be sure.  Yet, Bush is one of the absolute best singer-songwriters with a very unique approach to performance and recording. 

Kraftwerk:  Perhaps the most influential group not yet inducted.  To list their firsts and their innovations would need to take a longer essay.  And that may happen if it is needed.

Link Wray:  The innovative guitarist that brought the power chord to a wider audience; along with being an important figure for people of Native American heritage.  I feel Link Wray is best suited for an induction in the Performers category.

Jeff Lynne/Electric Light Orchestra:  It is interchangeable in whatever approach is given.  None the less, one of the most brilliant minds in the rock field may hopefully get the recognition long sought after.

Nick Drake:  A most mercurial and mysterious singer songwriter who passed away at age 26.  No concert footage or film of Nick Drake is readily available.  Yet we do have Drake's music; and what great music it was.  Sparse yet effective, wistful yet a tinge of hope sought in each lyric. 

Deep Purple:  A band that I think would have already gotten in if past relations with living former bandmates were not as tenuous as they have been now.  Still to this day a most varied and harder rocking band that have influenced countless newer artists.

Well, those are the 16 I think will be nominated.  Tune in by tomorrow, I hope, where I will explain my preliminary picks for induction into the Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project.  Who knows; perhaps one or two may wind up as nominees on the RRHOF ballot. 

Have a good night; more to come,

Robert

One Interesting Summer

You know it is Summer when the day is so unbearable, you need to install your air conditioners.  Luckily, my family and I lasted through June 11 without the need to crank up the AC.  It has taken the first and hopefully last 90 degree day in New York for that to change; to say nothing of an Air Quality Alert that went out today. 

All the same, with the start of summer my memories keep coming back to June-August 2002.  A lot of changes and discoveries had come to a then 19 year old male like myself who had begun to explore his place in the world and just the year before had found out; I had Asperger's Syndrome.  The one big celebrity I followed that Summer was Robin Williams.  It was in 2002 that Mr. Williams came back to doing stand-up comedy with a vengeance; culminating in his HBO special "Live On Broadway."  In the realm of movies, Robin Williams had starring roles in two films that showed a deeper and rather creepier side which we all felt was just for show.  Those movies, the Christopher Nolan classic "Insomnia" and the Mark Romanek  underrated "One Hour Photo", were clearly amongst the best films that year.  There was a hope that Mr. Williams would have received another Oscar Nomination for either of those movies.  Alas, it was not to be. 

Little did we know that those movies showed us a inner look into Robin Williams that opened his darker side.  It was that sort of depression, confusion and despair that had seeped into Mr. Williams life for a great deal of his 63 years which resulted in him killing himself on August 11, 2014.  I can only speak for myself when I say Robin Williams' passing has left a void in this world which has yet to be filled; nor could it ever be filled. 

In the days ahead I will be looking back at Insomnia, One Hour Photo, Live On Broadway and some other appearances and interviews Robin Williams had done that Summer of 2002 when it seemed like he was at the height of his influence and relevance.  This is not to say it went downhill from there; far from it.  Yet, in that year, Robin Williams I think had the pulse on the world in what we were going through; what we were feeling; and our deepest and darkest tendencies.  Little did we know how much this was tearing Mr. Williams apart in his private life.  Now we have the clues and the hints to look back in retrospect. 

To give you an idea of Robin Williams' genius and interesting outlook on life, here is an excerpt from his 1986 Live At The Metropolitan Opera TV special.  It is something we all know too well.

Talk to you fairly soon,

Robert

Victimizing the Agressors

This past Memorial Day Weekend, I became aware of a verdict in a case stretching back 3 years ago.  For those not aware, On November 1, 2012, 43 year old African American Timothy Russell of Cleveland, Ohio and his girlfriend, 30 year old African American Malissa Williams; were involved in a high-speed chase by Cleveland Police Department cops over a matter which remains unclear to this day.  One thing that is clear; the couple was unarmed.  This did not stop 13 different police officers firing there guns at the couple, fatally shooting them 137 times!  One of the officers, Michael Brelo who is currently 31 and a white male, jumped on the roof of their car and shot the couple 13 times in the head.  Sadly, both Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams were likely dead already when the shots were fired.

This resulted in Mr. Brelo being charged with voluntary manslaughter in the couple's deaths.  It only took 3 years to reach trial and a verdict; because, as I and you know, the halls of justice are as slow as molasses.  None the less, it was thought that perhaps with the subsequent cases of police brutality becoming well known to us all; justice for the Russell and Williams families would prevail.  Alas; we should have guessed differently.  Using the now widely discredited "I was in fear for my life from these crazy people" excuse, which for some reason still holds water to low-information people; Mr. Brelo was found not guilty on all charges.  Accordingly, outrage, protests, arrests and calls for police reform have ensued.  We can only hope that Mr. Brelo, along with the other 12 cops, get sued in civil courts and be held liable for damages at the least. 

I initially had little to no plans on remarking on this verdict; you fellow readers know where I stand on these issues pertaining to police brutality.  None the less, two things irked me to respond.  First, this verdict was a judge's verdict; not decided by a jury of one's peers.  For a case such as this, a jury trial verdict is needed.  The second and more upsetting for me issue was Pat D'Angelo, Mr. Brelo's defense attorney, having an impromptu press conference which I feel was insulting and racist.  Insulting in that Mr. D'Angelo's remarks were of the "cops can do no wrong" variety.  Racist due to the implied words of perceived entitlement that should come to people like Mr. Brelo just because one thinks so.  Here is the press conference for you to decide.

Now I understand Mr. D'Angelo was doing his job and did it with a decision benefiting him and his client.  Yet, he is wrong; completely wrong in his opinions.  Mr. Brelo as far as I am concerned does not show law abiding tendencies due in no small part to jumping on the roof of a car and shooting off 13 rounds on his gun in killing a couple!  Were I to do that; you would not be reading this blog.  I am also deeply troubled by the implied statements that because Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams had mental health difficulties, that everything related to the incident was their fault.  May I remind Mr. D'Angelo this important distinction:  I do have Asperger's Syndrome.  Living with Asperger's, indeed living with any mental health problem, is the equivalent of having a full time job.  From my experience, it is well known that any person deemed with having a mental health problem is prone to effectively being marginalized because of our differences. 

This is, once again, a mockery of what needs to be deemed appropriate and correct justice.  I know many will think differently.  Yet, it is time to stop this incessant need to defend police officers even in times when defending them is asinine.  Again, I ask you: if you or someone you knew and loved were doing even the minutest of actions Michael Brelo did or any of the cops in this case; would You be walking away scot clean?  Would You be getting a pass because one said so?  I know I certainly would not. 

Good Night and Keep Calm,

Robert