The Captains and the Kings

Congratulations, America. You Are...The unreal expectations that rest on the shoulders of the president -elect will wear heavily, I fear. a good, decent man with an interesting mind and creative ideas, Imagine, a president who speaks in complete, intelligible sentences! Who actually understands the rule of law and that this country must abide by them. Who hopefully will close the torture camp of Guantanamo and repeal the vile,disgusting ironically[tragically] titles"patriot ACT" which is little else but an excuse for the government to do what ever the hell it wants whenever it wants to. Appoint some federal judges who might have a casual acquaintance with the constitution and the bill of rights.{The most damaging effect of the last 28 years of conservative right wing influenza is the appointments of poorly qualified,narrow minded conservatives, many evangelicals to boot, in prominent judicial roles.} Good luck, Mr president-elect,the mess you have inherited from the coup masters BUSH_CHENEY-ROVE-Gonzalez_Myers-Rumsfeld-KIssinger[yes, Hank the knife is an honored advisor to this despicable melange`} For the fist time in almost 50 years, the world is looking, excitedly, to America for some hope. It may be our last ,best chance...

Anthony Braxton, Don Byron and not fitting stereotypes

Anthony Braxton is one of the great living composers still working today. In Japan he would be classified as a Living Treasure,though in America we have American Idol and People Magazine to suit such purposes.His Body of work is so vast and breathtaking that Stravinsky comes to mind,[also for its dissonant public reaction] as a peer. His Ghost Trance music is riveting and beautiful, and Im hoping to hear the Mosaic Box very very soon....Don Byron, though not yet in Braxtons compositional league, is on his way there. Byrons' work output is varied and lovely and new, refusing to be cornered by pre-conceptions and the status quo who dig their heels in and squeal"thats not jazz!" or some such bullshit.I would love to hear Don Byron tackle Messiaens seminal Quartet for the End of Time ,his ear is such that it would alight on new variances and nuances that I have not heard Here's to two brilliant men ,unafraid of their contemporaries squawking,who have hewed a path strewn with beauty and edge. I, for one, am most grateful...

Bob Dylan

Well, Dylan has a new album out.Time was, this was huge.For music lovers, it is still. The headline reviews are typical"Dylans Times they are a changin" " a new wind blows",etc, as if this man has not written anything since Blonde on Blonde. If you haven listened, you're missing some of the most beautiful ,vital music of the last 40 years. Love and Theft, Modern Times and now this Tell Tale Signs, which is nothing short of a history of American roots music. Everyone is shocked at Dylans' brilliance on his Theme Time Radio Hour, as though he was a typical airhead rocker. The man is a literal true autodidact genius. It comes forth on this brilliant two cd set[three if you have the $100 bucks for the deluxe version, thanks Columbia/Sony}...Mississippi is worth the price, alone. Nearly a third of the cuts are from Oh mercy, an album with which Dylan has repeatedly expressed disappointment. Included is a cut from the Civil War movie Gods and generals, and some recent live music. Every time this man puts forth a new album, it is invariably posited that "this is his best work since Blood on the Tracks." This time ,they are correct...

What I believe

....I believe in love, as trite as that sounds. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth showed everyone how to live, and serve.I believe that there is no "correct" religion, that in the end, as our friends say"There Is No God But God."I believe in laughter,music,poetry,dancing,in loud happy neon colors to celebrate this passage,that the humble devotion of anyone trumps any "priestly " pronouncements, I believe that we in the West have lost our idea of the sacred,which explains "new age" philosophies. I believe any belief system that does not lead to service and helping anyone anywhere at any time is ultimately and simply fashion.I believe that the four great things America has given the word are:Jazz,Baseball, The constitution and Alcoholics Anonymous.I believe that everyone should be treated absolutely equal, for this is how the Creator made us, and that we should leave people the hell alone. I believe the last politician worth his salt who ran for president was George McGovern,and look what happened to him. I believe that we are all children of God, and that we are all bastards and God loves us anyway. and I believe that Grace Trumps[to quote Will D Campbell}I believe that we are simply stewards of this planet, and we better get our act together, and damned quick.And, I end where I began, Love and Mercy and Compassion conquer all...

Paul Newman

There are many varieties of cool,most of them fake.Paul Newman ,though, was the real thing. Cool because he gave a damn, and then did something. Cool because he loved his wife, dearly, for half a century.Cool because in a time when small mean cowardly men talk big and do nothing, he lived what he believed. Cool because he knew that he was just one among many, and didn't take himself too seriously. Can anyone imagine an outpouring for any leading man ,today, to match his? Cool because he didn't make his death bigger than his life, nor an opera. Rest in peace, brother.

The Celebration of being both greedy and stupid as a virtue

Eschewing politics in general,less then enamored with the democrats, I am stunned speechless, by the fatuousness of the republicans. Imagine a ticket that makes the last 2 look intellectual? McCain is so desperate to be president, he can and will say or do anything, anything, to be elected. I mean anything. Palin is so vacuous and vicious in her pursuit of power,her views[when she has them or is told what to say] are simply asinine,for lack of a better word. When did this country reach for the lowest possible height in elected officials? When did being intelligent become a handicap?I WANT the smartest people available to be running the country. This anti-intellectual dumbing down bgan its fruition during the Reagan years.you know the great de-regulators .Thanks guys... I simply will not believe that the American people are this gullible or racist[if Obama were white,he would be about 15 points ahead.I know no one wants to speak about this].To quote Harry Truman"how many times do you have to get hit over the head before you realize who is hitting you?!"

DAMN EVERYTHING BUT THE CIRCUS

Damn everything but the circus!

...damn everything that is grim, dull,
motionless, unrisking, inward turning,
damn everything that won't get into the
circle, that won't enjoy, that won't throw
its heart into the tension, surprise, fear
and delight of the circus, the round
world, the full existence...

— e.e. cummings

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