Holder Needs A Democracy Lesson

The most famous of the "secrets" leaked by Bradley Manning, now Chelsea, was the helicopter gunship attack on a group of men including a Reuters camera crew.

Bradley Manning, with medals

Al Jazeera offices in Baghdad were attacked by American forces on more than one occasion, despite the organization (contrasted favorably as a news source by Hillary Clinton with the Mainstream Channels) having provided the US Military with the exact location of their offices.

Now the attacks on 1st Amendment rights of journalists are coming home to US soil, with the US Borders being used as the means interfering with Press freedom.  Full details here from FreePress.net, including a Petition to Attorney General Eric Holder, an official with a decidedly spotty record on civil liberties - 

"For the second week running, WNYC's On the Media has tried to find out why the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol detained one of its journalists for six hours. But so far, authorities have ignored their call for answers.

We can’t stand by while the government abuses journalists in this way. "Pressure, that's what you have to do,” former Rep. Lee Hamilton told On the Media. “You have to create pressure."

Tens of thousands have already joined our call to action. But we need you to raise the heat.

Push Attorney General Eric Holder to stop the harassment of journalists.

Thanks,

Josh

Journalists should be able to work without fear of detention or intimidation. But reporters can no longer take these rights for granted. Last month, we told you about government authorities harassing journalists in the U.K. We’ve since learned that the same kind of thing is happening right here in the U.S. Demand That Attorney General Eric Holder Stop the Harassment of Journalists. WNYC's On the Media just reported that one of its journalists, Sarah Abdurrahman, was detained with her family at the U.S. border in Niagara Falls for six hours without explanation.1 Government officials have detained journalist and filmmaker Laura Poitras more than 40 times at U.S. borders. They’ve interrogated her, seized her laptops and cameras for weeks at a time and denied her access to a lawyer.2 Photojournalist Duane Kerzic has been detained and had his laptop searched too, and now he’s part of a lawsuit filed by the National Press Photographers Association.4 It’s gotten so bad that last week actor and press freedom advocate John Cusack called on Holder to “guarantee the ... safe passage of journalists who have exercised their rights under the First Amendment.”3 We're working with Cusack to put pressure on Holder but we need you to help us deliver a message the attorney general won’t be able to ignore. This government intimidation has got to stop. And as the nation’s top law enforcement official, Holder needs to stop it. Tell Attorney General Holder to Ensure Safe Passage to Journalists. These scare tactics don’t just hurt journalists. Newly released documents reveal that the government has used border crossings to stop a whistleblower and thousands of other travelers, and has seized and examined these individuals' electronic devices without obtaining search warrants.5 Journalists can’t work under these kinds of conditions. We need to speak up and stop the intimidation now. Sign our letter and we’ll make sure Holder hears our message. Thanks for all that you do, Josh Stearns 1. Sarah Abdurrahman, "My Detainment Story or: How I learned to Stop Feeling Safe in My Own Country and Hate the Border Patrol," On the Media, Sept. 20, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15196?t=8&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX 2. Peter Maass, "How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets," New York Times, Aug. 13, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15194?t=10&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX 3. John Cusack, "Will Eric Holder Guarantee NSA Reporters’ First Amendment Rights?" Guardian, Sept. 18, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15193?t=12&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX 4. Donald R. Winslow, "NPPA Joins Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of DHS Laptop Searches," National Press Photographers Association, Sept. 7, 2010: http://act.freepress.net/go/15197?t=14&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX 5. Susan Stellin, "The Border Is a Back Door for U.S. Device Searches," New York Times, Sept. 9, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15195?t=16&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX

Free Press is a nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. Learn more at www.freepress.net."

Michele Chapin Says "Bring It!"

The Video by John Thomas Rose that I really, really want you to see, is a hilarious and beautifully handled portrait of our sculptor friend Michele Chapin

Watch the Video here - http://vimeo.com/62299340

Michele has a website with lovely images and details of her work, and classes she offers at her amazing Art Spot known as Stoneworks on Ventura Avenue.  You can visit there any time by appointment - call 805.643.5431.

OR stop by this Friday evening, as Stoneworks is a vibrant part of First Fridays!

A Modern American Ghost Town

 Welcome to Sunset Boulevard......

 ... located in Empire, Nevada, which...

"...was once a thriving company town. United States Gypsum (USG) owned the town including the land, homes and town facilities. In January of 2011, USG permanently closed its operations in Empire. Over 300 people were forced to leave and a chain link fence surrounds the entire town to this day. Today, Empire is touted as 'America's newest ghost town.'"

There's a nicely-made Video about Empire, made by a talented young man with a poetic eye, whom we met in Ventura, John Thomas Rose -Take a look here!

You can see more of John's work here.

Enjoy!

Do You Feel The Blues (or Just Listen?)

If so, you will love this gloriously produced Blog, http://www.ameriblues.com/, or American Blues News to give it full credit... including Eric Clapton's Top 10 Greatest Blues Recordings -http://www.ameriblues.com/2010/09/21/eric-claptons-top-10-greatest-blues-recordings-part-2-by-j-blake/

I came upon it because yesterday at the Ventura Library, Fito de la Parra, Mexican-born drummer for Canned Heat (still playing, still touring, still cool, man) presented his Documentary,

"Rock 'n' Roll Made In Mexico: from Evolution to Revolution"

Fito is a nice man, a gentle soul (and a Drummer - how about that?), and I plan to Post more soon about him and his film.  In the meantime, please enjoy this beautifully disciplined drum solo by Fito de la Parra, playing with Canned Heat in Montreux (Switzerland) in 1975 -

and Canned Heat in the glory days, with their best-known song (to me, anyway), "On The Road Again" -

(An apparently knowledgeable Commenter, Jordan 390a, says "That's Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson who was about 22 when the group formed in 1965. Sadly as happens too often to the greats, he died in 1970 at 27...", and a passionate fan adds, quite rightly, "Of course cause nowadays its about being a flash git and making horrible music. This is real music! American Idol should be burned down.)

And what the hell, Let's Work Together!

Petraeus in Retreat

It's a good day, and I don't seem to be able to stop posting!

This from A.N.S.W.E.R:

Petraeus running scared: Veterans drive the General out of LA

University cancels event day after protest announced

The University of Southern California Veterans’ Association recently announced in an internal email that General David Petraeus, former commander of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and CIA director, would be holding a private luncheon with student veterans on October 10—coincidentally marking the 12th anniversary of the U.S. war on Afghanistan.

Iraq war veterans in March Forward!, who are also members of the USC Veterans Association and received the internal email, quickly called for a picket outside the event. Momentum grew rapidly, as dozens of individuals and organizations—including ANSWER LA, the Worker Student Alliance and more—endorsed and began organizing for the action.

Within one day of the announcement of the picket, the USC Veterans Association cancelled the event with Petraeus.

Read Article | Share:

Monsanto Doesn't Go Away

This email just came in from SierraRise.  Sorry, I don't have any time now to expand on it, will just reproduce it here.

The Tea Party are supposed to be conservative - why would they want to support a Corporation which wants to conduct experiments on our entire food chain, and ultimately take control of the World's Food Supply?

It's a mystery to me....  Here goes -

We did it! Environmental champions in the Senate have stripped the Monsanto Protection Act from a major funding bill, and over 65,000 grassroots voices from the SierraRise community helped make it happen.^[1]

As you may recall, this dangerous legislation would put the GMO mega-corporation above the law, blocking citizens like you or me from suing them if their food makes us sick.^[2] But this fight isn't over yet -- the funding bill is headed back to the House for an immediate vote, where Monsanto's lackeys will almost assuredly try to sneak it right back in during the fight over the government shutdown. The Tea Party isn't likely to win on defunding Obamacare so they'll probably see payback through amendments like the Monsanto Protection Act, instead.

We can win this thing but only if citizens like you keep up the pressure. Will you help get this done?

The funding bill must pass without the shady Monsanto Protection Act attached to it. Without federal funding, we lose everything -- EPA funding, National Parks, subsidies for wind and solar energy, countless jobs, and more. This is not the time to play games or give special treatment to corporations.

Monsanto is a ruthless company with a deadly history -- they're the inventor of killers like Agent Orange and DDT. With their army of countless lobbyists, they have laid siege to our nation's farmers and food safety.^[3] Monsanto even employs a team of 75 lawyers just to stalk and harass small farmers who reuse their own seeds!

It is clear Monsanto will stop at nothing to stay on top and doesn't care who it hurts along the way.

Tell your representative that no corporation should be above the law. Keep the Monsanto Protection Act out of the federal funding bill!

In it together,

Ashley Allison
SierraRise Senior Campaigner

P.S. Want to keep up with the latest about Monsanto and other campaigns from SierraRise? Like us on Facebook!

References:

[1] Hattem, Julian (2013 September 25). "Senate funding bill won't include Monsanto Protection Act." The Hill.

[2] Snopes staff (2013 September 13). "Monsanto Protection Act." Snopes.

[3] Cesca, Bob (2010 March 8). "Monsanto watch: Targeting American farmers with lawyers, fear and money." Daily Finance.

Heart-Breaking

A song from Maine musician Peter Alexander and his band -

"The Health Care Blues" -

Now - if you haven't already - please look at my next Post, "Puzzled by Obamacare?"

Puzzled By Obamacare? Watch This!

Obamacare - Affordable Health Care - begins on October 1st.

This morning's "Democracy Now!" program had an excellent explanation of how the scheme will work, and how to go about getting YOUR coverage, which will kick in on January 1st next year - coming up soon!

There are numerous ways to access "Democracy Now!", on radio or TV.  For the radio version, you can go to the KPFK archives; the TV version of the show is apparently available online, on a constant stream here:  http://www.livestream.com/democracynow  (It doesn't seem to be possible to spin through this video, but the Healthcare item comes up after the opening headlines.)

To investigate what coverage you will be able to get, with an estimated savings of 33% in New York State and 25% in California, go to https://www.healthcare.gov/ - it launches on October 1st, but you can start checking out your options now.

Help Wanted II - "In A Democracy..."

Hi Friends and other Hippies!

In one of my first posts, I asked for some research assistance from you knowledgeable people, about tracking the source of an anecdote that I had read somewhere, that in a book by a former adviser to President Johnson, the author told how he repeatedly warned the Administration that Vietnam was a quagmire...

I got some interesting links from Eric P - would still be interested in any more info anyone can offer - details in the first  "Help Wanted" Post, below.

Now I'm looking for more assistance please - Classical studies, anyone?

Years ago, I heard that Plato, the father of Western philosophy, said (and I think it's f***ing brilliant), "In A Democracy, everyone should take a turn at governing - except those who want it."

Trouble is, I've never been able to find the source - any ideas, anyone? Perhaps in the "Republic"?

Please add your Comments below!

Political Passion From The Topless Ladies

The ladies of The Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society, being residents of New York City (poor things), are lamenting the passing of summer.

We'll come to that in a minute.

First, the serious stuff.  In a Post on September 11th, entitled "On Modesty", they write:

“One of our old friends returned to New York recently after spending time in Egypt and Turkey and Israel and India. As it happens, she can pass for a native of any or all of the above—in Egypt, Egyptians think at a glance that she’s Egyptian, in Turkey a Turk, and so forth. And so, while travelers from, say, Japan, or lighter-skinned, blonder-haired travelers from the U.S., got a pass, what our friend got was a great deal of unsolicited advice about what she shouldn’t do outdoors. Such as exist, outside the company of a man.

In Egypt in particular it wasn’t advice, it was exhortation: a woman in the street without a man by her side—either father, brother or husband—is any man’s, to do with as he will. And if she makes the mistake of dressing provocatively to boot, she is taking her life in her hands.  (How many rapes per day are there in Cairo? Do you just want the official, reported figure…? How shall we count gang rapes?)

Of course, there is more going on in Cairo right now than attacks on women. But when the revolution passes (and it will, they always do), the plight of women will remain. On the “women’s car” on a train—and, my god, I could just stop there, couldn’t I? that there even is such a thing, in 2013—on the “women’s car” on a train, women covered from head to toe stole curious, eager, wondering glances at the western women, the ones who dared to wear short sleeves, and pants. But only glances, only peeks, and then they returned to their covered-up existence.

Why do we go topless in the park at the end of summer in the middle of New York City, where it is legal and any woman may do so if she wishes?

That’s why.

That’s fucking why.”

No point in my adding anything, except possibly to say that when I visited Egypt in the 80s, it wasn't like that.  Oh well.

****************************************

And now to The Rites Of Autumn - Topless Pulp Fiction-style.

Evidently the Ladies had a party to mark "A Wake For Summer" -

and marked the occasion with an Ode, no less -

“When morn in late September sunlit dawns, 

Presentiments of autumn nowhere seen,

Nor wintry breezes, nor the touch of rain 

That lately has defiled so many days,

And in its stead the warm caress of air 

As temperate and all-embracing as 

At summer’s peak, but with a plangent strain

For well we know its like won’t come again

For many months, we take ourselves outdoors 

And share with friends of vintage old and new 

A draft of vineyard’s fine fermented crop

And orchard’s too, together with a feast

Unmatched in time’s remembrance; yea, we glut

Ourselves on flavors fair and, fairer still, 

The gentle hand of Helios on our all-

Unburdened bodies; 

                 ... thus we meet the end

Of summer’s season with defiant mien.

You say tomorrow beckons, cold and drear,

And well you might; but for today we play

In summer’s final bounty of delight.”

Isn't that just darling?  I'm sure we could find room for their poor, pale bodies here in the Land of Endless Summer....

See the rest of their Blog here.

Your Chance To Kick A Wall Street CEO

If you have any notion of a newspaper being any sort of objective source of information, The Wall Street Journal is... a shame and a disgrace  - we can't say the name didn't warn us.  All through the Bush years, they were the cheerleaders for relaxing the rules so that the scum who call themselves Bankers in our society, could run amok with our savings, with our economy, with our housing system, our health care, and our jobs.

Under President Backbone, they've been among the chief excuse-makers for those criminals - step forward, Larry Summers, the man who was so hated as President of Harvard that the faculty voted him out; a man who stifled the warnings of regulators who saw the 2008 debacle coming, and threatened or punished any who pointed out that the King might be wearing anything less than an Iron Man suit; and then still had the brass balls to put his name forward to head the Federal Reserve - until public opinion booed him into withdrawing.

Larry Summers, economic genius

Recently I had the dubious delight of reading a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed by a Stanford Economics Prof called John B. Taylor. This mind-boggling paean to unfettered "private enterprise", aka greed, exploitation and corruption, went under the headline "THE WEAK RECOVERY EXPLAINS RISING INEQUALITY, NOT VICE VERSA".

Apart from the complete lack of logic - you mean we would have had less economic inequality if something (perhaps "The Magic of the Market"?) had created a stronger recovery? - it also is historically ridiculous. The increasing economic inequality which has resulted in ALL the economic gains of the last few years going to a tiny fraction of the people, began in 1980 with the election of the Gipper and his stooges - if not before. We've been through several of the Capitalists' beloved booms-and-busts since then.

Anyway, we now have a chance to take a kick at one of the criminals responsible; Brian Kettenring, Executive Director of Leadership Center for the Common Good, sends this message - read, sign and enjoy!

"In an interview published on Monday Sept. 23 in the Wall Street Journal, AIG CEO Robert Benmosche claimed that the criticism aimed at AIG for awarding its employees bonuses after it and other Wall Street firms crashed the economy and were rewarded with bailouts was "intended to stir public anger, to get everybody out there with their pitch forks and their hangman nooses, and all that–sort of like what we did in the Deep South [decades ago]. And I think it was just as bad and just as wrong."

Aside from its shocking insensitivity, this statement reveals the insularity, arrogance, and breathtaking entitlement that pervades Wall Street institutions. These attitudes, when combined with their economic and political power, led to the Wall Street bankers’ criminal behavior that destroyed our economy and stole our homes.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) put Benmosche’s words in stark context on Tuesday Sept 24 saying,

“[A]s the son of sharecroppers wh o actually experienced lynchings in their communities—I find it unbelievably appalling that Mr. Benmosche equates the violent repression of the African American people with congressional efforts to prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars. If these statements are true, I believe he has demonstrated a fundamental inability to lead this modern global company in a responsible manner—a company that exists today only because it was rescued by the American taxpayers—and that he should resign his position as CEO immediately.”

We could not agree more. We call on AIG CEO Robert Benmosche to apologize clearly and unequivocally, especially to African Americans and members of communities that have been targets of racial violence, and to resign his position as CEO of a firm that only exists today thanks to an $85 billion bailout.

(For more information on the extent of lynchings in American history, the Charles Chestnutt Digital Archive at Berea College is a good source of statistics. http://faculty.berea.edu/browners/chesnutt/classroom/lynchingstat.html)

That's why I signed a petition to Robert Benmosche, CEO of AIG, which says:

"Mr. Benmosche, we demand you apologize and resign as CEO of AIG for saying criticism of Wall Street's multi-million dollar bonuses was “just as bad and just as wrong” as racially-motivated lynching."

Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/demand-aig-ceo-robert?source=s.fwd&r_by=838320

Thanks!"

In Which I Find A New 60s Site

A gorgeous picture of an Afro - with the beautiful Marsha Hunt under it -

You can read about Marsha Hunt's career here.

Much more to come, Oh my Brothers.......

such as Bad Boy Keith Richards -

and self-confessed poet Jim Morrison -

The site, The Swinging Sixties Tumblr, created by a talented lady named Mariposima, is a glorious treasure trove of 60s-ana, divided into categories such as "Musicians", complete with good-quality audio links, Photographers, Actors, and so on - very cool indeed.

For instance, you can hear the heartbreaking voice of Beautiful Dusty Springfield -

I don't seem to be able to link directly to it, but if you copy this link into a new window it will work -

http://theswinginsixties.tumblr.com/post/60311377087/audio_player_iframe/theswinginsixties/tumblr_mncmt7oRKF1qj8adw?audio_file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tumblr.com%2Faudio_file%2Ftheswinginsixties%2F60311377087%2Ftumblr_mncmt7oRKF1qj8adw&color=black&simple=1

Dusty Springfield — You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me - 1966

They had Capitalism and Product Placement in the 60s, too....

Alan Grayson Speaks Out (About the Shut-Down)

Representative Grayson, one of the few honest people in Congress, sent out an excellent e-mail today, so I won't mess with it, just present it to you as is -

"Nothing man has ever done to man in the horrible caprice of power and cruelty, exceeds his self-inflicted punishment." Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge

"In the old days, people thought healing was a good thing"

"America is the strongest nation on Earth, the strongest nation that the world has ever seen. America is so strong that the worst things that ever happen to us are the things that we do to ourselves.

Or the things that the Teahadist D.C. Republicans do to all of us. They want to cut our noses, to spite their faces. They want to shut down our government.

And why are the Tea Party Republicans so desperate to burden the body politic of America with this self-inflicted wound? Just to "de-fund" Obamacare, and make sure that 50 million Americans cannot see a doctor when they are sick.

These are some of the points that Alan Grayson made on national TV a few weeks ago, discussing the possible shutdown of the U.S. Government, by the U.S. Government. Listen up:

Cenk Uygur: Congressman Grayson, you know, policy-wise, I'm sure you don't want the government to shut down. It has a lot of consequences. People might not be paid their Social Security, you might not be able to pay the FBI, et cetera, et cetera. On the other hand, politically, God, wouldn't the Republicans be doing you guys [the Democrats] an enormous favor?

Congressman Alan Grayson: Yes, they would. And I think that it would be the end of the Republican Party as we know it. But let's talk a little bit about how we've come to this point. What Obamacare actually does is that it extends health insurance coverage to 50 million Americans who didn't have it before now. And in addition to that, it makes health coverage affordable by very simple things like letting buyers pool their buying power through these exchanges, and coming up with transparent form contracts for insurance, so that you can get all the coverage you think you're getting, without becoming a master of the fine print. Simple things like that. And [Republicans] are so far against letting poor, sick people see a doctor, that the Republican Party, many in the Republican Party, are willing to shut down the American government in order to prevent that from happening. They are so incessantly bent on seeing to it that there's no healthcare for 50 million Americans that they willing to go that far to do it. That's crazy. That is absolutely crazy. You know, [Congressman] Barney Frank used to have a bumper sticker that he circulated inside the [House Democratic] Caucus saying, "Democrats may not be perfect, but Republicans, they're crazy." And that really is crazy. Osama Bin Laden, in his wildest dreams, never could have dreamed of shutting down the American government, and here the Republican Party is going to do it for him. For his ghost. And for the sake of what? To make absolutely certain that sick people can't see a doctor? It's crazy.

Click here to see the video, and support the Grayson campaign for justice, equality and peace."

Fracking In Ventura County (CA)

Here's the latest from CFROG.  You may remember them from my commentary on the glorious democratic process in Ventura in May,  Fracking the Ojai Valley, Pts 1 and 2. (Scroll down the Blog to read them)

CFROG say:

"Citizens for Responsible Oil & Gas was born in May 2013 when a small oil company received routine permission to drill nearly a dozen new wells in the Upper Ojai without any review of possible problems that such an increase could bring. We appealed the approval to the Planning Commission. We lost. But we were able to attach Ventura County’s first “no fracking” provision to the CUP and stop the illegal use of an access road that the company had been misusing for 17 years."

I have to point out that I don't remember a “no fracking” provision" to the Conditional Use Permit, or a "ban on the illegal use of an access road" , but maybe I dozed off, like one of the Planning Commissioners. If CFROG would care to post a Comment, correcting me, I'd be happy.

If you live in the area, you should join CFROG.  Here's what CFROG membership entails:

(It's Papa Lennon's pizzeria in Meiner's Oaks)

CFROG's message continues:

"After that hearing we stepped back and looked at the big picture, and saw that one small oil lease as just one tentacle on a much larger, more troubling problem.  So we doubled down and expanded, reached out to friends and neighbors for startup money, and now we are ready for prime time and reaching out to you.

CFROG exists out of a deep concern about oil extraction techniques – including fracking and acidization – in use in Ventura County with almost no oversight and exempt from any meaningful environmental review. 

The California oil and gas industry (which also began in Upper Ojai) has been a part of Ventura County since the 1860s. And yet, amazingly, many of the regulations under which the industry operates have not changed since the days of the Wild West.

California is poised for a new oil boom as technology makes it possible to extract heavy crude oil reserves – like the Monterey Shale below Ventura County – that until now have been unreachable using traditional methods. The new methods are highly controversial - over 70% of Californians are against fracking in our State.

As we face a third year of drought, we must ask: does Ventura County have the water reserves for enhanced oil extraction? Is it a safe practice in an earthquake zone? Will our home values or tourism be negatively affected? How do we balance the 7400 jobs provided by the oil & gas industry with the 31,000 jobs supplied by agriculture? How do we maintain the quality of life we are so fortunate to enjoy?

CFROG believes that the citizens of Ventura County have a right to weigh in. 

We are a small, committed group of local residents coming together to act as a citizen watchdog to help monitor, report, litigate if necessary and educate the community on an issue that affects our drinking water, our jobs, the value of our homes and the water available to farms.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. Become a CFROGGER!

You can lead the way for a safe and thriving Ventura County by doing three simple things:

1. Visit our website  http://www.cfrog.org/   and click on the “Join Us” button at the top of the page. Becoming a CFROGGER will keep you in the loop about legislation, planned actions and events.  While you’re there, take a look around. There’s a lot of useful information for you."
   
   

Words From A Great Texan (For once, I'm Not Being Sarcastic)

Since the hilariously irreverent Molly Ivens passed on to the Great Joking Ground in the Sky, the position of Best Texan falls on the sturdy shoulders of commentator and rabble-rouser Jim Hightower.

Here's how he describes himself:  "National radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks."

If you haven't read the man before, here's a sample of his style:  "Here's some useful advice from an old country saying: Never try to teach table manners to a pig — it doesn't work, it'll wear you out, and it just annoys the pig."

In this case, the pigs in question are the Tea Party-dominated Republican majority in the House of Dis-Reputables. In a pithy article on the Nation of Change site, he tries to discuss the GOP's Health Care plan. Problem: they don't have one -

"During the debate on their latest attempt to repeal the [Obamacare] law, a Democratic lawmaker asked for a copy of the GOP's health care plan so he could read it aloud to other members. Silence in the chamber."

Read the whole, biting, story here.

Saturday Was International Peace Day!

I'm ashamed to say I didn't know that last Saturday, September 21st, was International Peace Day - until I went to my local Library and found wonderful events taking place.  Why did no one tell me?

Anyway, you can learn many things about this amazing achievement by Actor/Film Maker/Activist Jeremy Gilley, at the website here. (I vaguely remember seeing him in Royal Shakespeare Company productions in the past.)

An astonishingly energetic, upbeat individual (especially for a Brit!), Gilley (presumably with some helpers) has gone from gathering a few friends together at London's reconstructed Globe Theatre, to creating a United Nations-sponsored, world-embracing event which has saved thousands of lives.

His brilliant notion was "Peace One Day", a twenty-four period in which as many people as possible, all around the world, would make peace, whether in their homes, at work, or in the battlefields that seem ever-expanding around the world. In that magical period, glorious work could be done for humanity, and thousands of lives could be changed forever.

PLEASE watch his story HERE!

Among a million other things, you will get to compare the shine in Kofi Annan's eyes as he tells of the lives that can be saved in a single Day of Peace, to the dead-eyed stare of one-time Winter Soldier John Kerry trying to sell us a "limited war" in Syria.

Tar Sands: 60s Rocker Still Tells It Like It is

Zap! The Electric Beemer!

We all know BMW, makers of the "Ultimate Driving Machine", whose cars I used to test-drive - and very wonderful they were!

I've just discovered that "The Beemer" is going electric! Meet the i3, BMW's first mass market electric car and the company has invested EUR 400 million into its production at the Leipzig factory. 

Here's the production line where they create the beautiful silent beast:

and let me tell you, this factory in Leipzig, Germany, is a hell of a long way from the stinking pit I worked at in Luton, England for Vauxhall, part of General Motors, in 1969!

For more pics, see here.

Be Sure of Your 60s Fix!

Sign up with Bloglovin, and your e-mail inbox will always connect you to the latest posts of the day from your favorite blogs -  Click On This Link.

*Now take another look at the trailer for "Pirate Radio":

RIP Jackie Lomax, the Almost-Beatle and Ojai Resident

I knew Jackie very slightly from "The Hub" bar in Ojai, but I only learned of his death from The Guardian.

He really did work closely with Liverpool's famous sons:

"It was John Lennon who advised him to embark on a solo career, and Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr played on his first Apple single, Sour Milk Sea, which Harrison also wrote and produced."

The fascinating Guardian Obituary begins thus:  "The career of the Liverpool-born singer and songwriter Jackie Lomax, who has died aged 69, seemed set on a golden path when he became one of the first artists signed to the Beatles' Apple label in 1968. But if an appealingly soulful voice, high cheekbones and influential friends were sometimes all that seemed necessary for stardom in those days, they were never quite enough to do the trick for Lomax, who has died suddenly at the age of 69, while on a visit to Britain from his adoptive home in California.

Lomax had known the Beatles since their early days at the Cavern club and in Hamburg, when he was the singer and bass guitarist with the Undertakers, a popular Mersey Beat band noted for their energetic stage show, in which the musicians wore the frock coats, and sometimes top hats, appropriate to funeral directors in the wild west."

The rest of the story is well worth reading, though they seem to have forgotten that Jackie was a fine Blues guitarist - go to the Link.

Jackie Lomax in later years

Don't Look! Crap TV News

Jon Stewart exposed the incompetence of Cable News, especially CNN, last night, looking at their worthless, analysis-free coverage of our latest nutcase shooting-spree in Washington, DC.

Stewart's conclusion: they do it on purpose!

You can watch it here.

(Please look away - read a book or something - while the idiot women discuss how to make your dishwasher sparkle....)

How Texas School Boards View Our History

and do you remember what happened at the Texas Schoolbook Depository?

(If the Cartoon is hard to read, you can see it here.)

Fun with Ojai Valley Artists - this Friday!

In the Spring of this year, a group of enterprising Artists took over a run-down space in the heart of OJAI, California, and turned it into a bright and beautiful Gallery.

This Friday evening, 20th September, everyone in the area is invited to "Happy Hour at OVA arts, 108 N. Signal. Sept. 20th from 6-8:30 p.m. Save the date and put it in your calendar! Music by Marc Weber, food and wine. FREE!!!"

Here's a link to a nicely-made video about the making of OVA - 

Even the 1% Don't Like the Keystone XL Scam

This story was posted today at The Daily Kos.  I'm not entirely sure what to make of it....

"Unexpected environmental activism coming from the one percent: Billionaire investor Tom Steyer [founder of the hedge fund Farallon Capital Management LLC] said he is backing a four-part, $1 million advertising campaign aimed at convincing viewers the Keystone XL pipeline will hurt the economy and communities and should be blocked.

Here's his first ad:

As you'll see, Mr Billionaire doesn't seem to be concerned about the insanity of fracking for tarsands oil at all. He doesn't seem to worry about WHY oil should be transported by pipeline from Canada, all the way across the United States to the Gulf of Mexico, THEN refined, THEN shipped across the oceans to China and other markets. (Why not ship it from Vancouver?)

He doesn't even mention Pollution or Alternative Energy.

No, what bothers him, is that the energy dragged out of Alberta at such huge environmental cost (Fracking pollution is already proving a problem after the "Thousand-Year Storm" being experienced in Colorado right now.) will be used for the benefit of nations other than the USA.

There's more to this than meets the eye, Folks....

Austi's Phascinating Photography - See It Tonight in Ventura

Tonight from 6. to 9 pm, if you're anywhere near Ventura, CA, don't forget to check out First Friday, when local artists show off their stuff!

Leaflets are available around town, with details of the local venues which take part, and the information is in the local Press.

I wanted to show you some of our brilliant friend Austi V. Campbell's dramatic, psychological Photographs, but Google doesn't want to let me do it, so here's an image of a different kind:

You'll be able to see more - and chat with the Artist herself - at M. B. Hanrahan's studio at Bell Arts, the wonderful venue in the former mattress factory, 432, N. Ventura Avenue.

Very much worth the trip!

Looking for Campbell-ot

In the process of writing a post about my talented friend Austi Campbell, I came upon the attractive visage of Texas Freshman State Senator Donna Campbell -

This charming lady apparently "hasn’t wasted any time making her mark on the 83rd Legislative Session in Austin", according to her local Radio Station.

How has she worked her wonders for the people of the Idiot State of Texas? One of her great contributions to the march of progress is:

“Most notably, Campbell authored a bill that limits the amount of classroom hours a person would need to complete in order to obtain a concealed handgun license.  Currently state law requires at least 10-hours and up to 15-hours of classroom training before a handgun license is issued.  But Campbell’s bill, which isn’t getting a lot of opposition in Austin, would reduce the requirements to a minimum of 4 hours....”

Just in case you thought having untrained idiots running around schools with firearms might indicate a lack of concern for human well-being, this fine woman has other measures in hand:
“Campbell has been an outspoken proponent of a bill that she co-authored that requires abortion clinics in Texas to meet stricter clinical standards.  Specifically, the bill would impose the same standards on abortion clinics as those imposed on ambulatory surgical centers.  Campbell says women shouldn’t be exposed to a clinic with less standards than a clinic that performs a man’s colonoscopy.  Critics say the bill amounts to a backdoor ban on abortions since the new regulations would be so costly that an estimated 80% of clinics would be forced to close.”

The sooner these Frack-happy morons secede from the Union, the better.

A Bi' o' British Nostalgia

Jacqueline Winspear, the author of the Maisie Dobbs period-detective series of books, has a website (who doesn't, these days?) with information about her books and career, and so on.

The site also also contains some charming little essays. One, beautifully written, is about a nostalgic trip to the rural county of Kent, in South-East England, where Winspear grew up, and a ride on the lovingly-preserved Kent & East Sussex Railway, hailed by its supporters as "the country’s finest example of a rural light railway".

Here's an extract from Jacqueline Winspear's essay:

"He's seen me, he's seen me!" I'd squeal.

"I was no more than a toddler at the time, but I remember it clearly, remember the waft of smoky steam pressing up through the trees, the kerCHUFF-kerCHUFF of the engine, and the driver's smile as he leaned out to acknowledge me. And that whistle really was for me, because the drivers knew who was who along the branch line. We arrived at the station in Hartley late one day, my parents running to the platform only to see the back of the last carriage as it pulled out. But the driver had looked around at just the right moment and seen us, so drew his engine to a steaming halt and shunted the carriages back again so that we could climb aboard. That was in the days when a guard would walk ahead of the train to the first level crossing at Bishops Lane, to close the gates so that the train could pass safely. Not that there was much traffic on Bishop's Lane. The odd tractor, perhaps the farmer's old Morris, Fred Cooke delivering groceries, or the doctor on his rounds. And that was on a busy day.”

You can read the rest of the yarn, here.