Saturday I participated in Hippiefest a Concert for Peace and Understanding. I was outside where a local band was playing 60s music. I noticed a few women pretending that they were passing around a joint. They told me that they were reliving the old days. Then I noticed a man smoking a cigar; he had a real joint behind his ear. I saw him smoking it later. I guess he was getting ready for the concert. There was a display of album cover that were drawn with chalk. You could purchase it through a silent auction. Someone did the Beatles "White Album", which my third graders could have done.
The show began with Felix Caivaliere performing the Rascals hits, such as Groovin and People Want to Be Free. He also did Wilson Picket's Midnight Hour. Rick Derringer performed his hits. I was not familiar with his work but I recognized Hang on Sloopy and Rock and Roll Hootchiecoo. Gary Wright, the Dream Weaver, performed his early work with Spooky Toad. He explained how he wrote Dream Weaver. Gary was working with George Harrison, who invited him to go to India. Harrison gave Wright books to read and one contained a poem about a weaver of dreams. Mark Farner sang Grand Funk Railroad hits, such as Bad Time to Fall in Love, Some Kind of Wonderful and I'm Your Captain. Dave Mason ended the show. He performed Only You Know, Feeling Alright and All Along the Watchtower. He was having problems with his voice so they played a blues song, which his bassist sang.
I was too young to be a hippie but I read about protesters spitting on soldiers returning from Vietnam and calling them names. All of the artists acknowledged and supported the troops overseas. Each performer was given an equal amount of time to play, which is a change from past shows. I was surprised that there were not more people dancing. I only saw two or three groups. I guess the Baby Boomers are showing their age. Despite drinking and at least one person getting high, it was a peaceful evening, just as it was billed.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
The Moral Decline of Republicanism
The Republican Party has a schizophrenic history. The party prides itself on its 1850s ant-slavery roots and the party of Lincoln. In the decades after the Great Emancipator's death, the Republican party became the organ of greedy industrialists. It has never lost its association with big business. During Theodore Roosevelt's term as president, he sought to broaden the party. He wanted a Square Deal for the people. Eventually Roosevelt and the Progressives broke from the party. Republicans became the party of the status quo and represented big business more than the average American. "The business of America is business." It used scare tactics, such as the Red Menace to gain power. While Republicans claim to be strong on defense, the are responsible for the secret war in Southeast Asia and arms for hostage deals with Iran.
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I am a former Republican, who believed it was morning in America. I believed that the party could not sink any lower but I am disappointed to be wrong. The current debt crisis debacle shows that the Republicans are willing to put political gain before the welfare of the country. In their lust for power, they are willing to cause a double dip recession to gain the White House. They will block any initiatives to improve the economy in an attempt to defeat President Obama. I do not believe even the Machiavellian Nixon would stoop so low.
Who is to blame? Ultimately, it is the American people, who believe their simplistic approach to solving the complex problems facing America. We need to be more educated. Stop spending your time watching "reality" tv and awaken to the reality of the Republican agenda. The gap between corporate executives and the rank and file workers is growing at an exponential rate. The middle class is under constant attack and the Republicans want to balance the budget on their backs. They want to destroy the middle class, with their tax and education policies.
Wake up everybody. Take action before it is too late.
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I am a former Republican, who believed it was morning in America. I believed that the party could not sink any lower but I am disappointed to be wrong. The current debt crisis debacle shows that the Republicans are willing to put political gain before the welfare of the country. In their lust for power, they are willing to cause a double dip recession to gain the White House. They will block any initiatives to improve the economy in an attempt to defeat President Obama. I do not believe even the Machiavellian Nixon would stoop so low.
Who is to blame? Ultimately, it is the American people, who believe their simplistic approach to solving the complex problems facing America. We need to be more educated. Stop spending your time watching "reality" tv and awaken to the reality of the Republican agenda. The gap between corporate executives and the rank and file workers is growing at an exponential rate. The middle class is under constant attack and the Republicans want to balance the budget on their backs. They want to destroy the middle class, with their tax and education policies.
Wake up everybody. Take action before it is too late.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Winter in America
Over the weekend, Gil Scott Heron died. I planned to publish a post on Sunday but I could not access my blog. While Gil Scott was the voice of a generation of black speaking out against racism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, my post will focus on a singular event. It was February 15 1985 perhaps 1986, when I was living in Maryland. My brother was visiting and saw that Gil Scott Heron was playing at Tacoma Station. I was not familiar with his work but I agreed to go. We set off for the concert, I had an address but no directions. I knew D.C. was laid out on a grid and was confident we could find it. We drove around the nation's capitol witnessing the plight of the unemployed and homeless. They were burning the wood at a construction site to keep warm. It was not an area that two white men would feel comfortable. We found the address on the flier but there was no club there. Finally after an hour, I went into to a convenience store to ask directions. I left my brother to watch for the car. Tacoma Station was in Maryland, not D.C. as the flier stated.
We entered the club and looked around. We were the only white people in the place. Gil Scott did have a white guitarist. I admit to being a little nervous. We were treated very well. The people we spoke with were pleased that we had come to hear his music, that he reached a white audience. I wonder what it would have been like if the roles were reversed and two black entered an all white club to listen to music. I know that Gil Scott appreciated our presence.
We entered the club and looked around. We were the only white people in the place. Gil Scott did have a white guitarist. I admit to being a little nervous. We were treated very well. The people we spoke with were pleased that we had come to hear his music, that he reached a white audience. I wonder what it would have been like if the roles were reversed and two black entered an all white club to listen to music. I know that Gil Scott appreciated our presence.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Reflections on a Carl Sagan Excerpt
In The Demon-Haunted World (1995), Carl Sagan wrote:
"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time-when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agenda or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness."
This is a powerful sentence, which needs to be dissected. In the fifteen years since it was written America has shipped most of its manufacturing overseas. We have become more of a service economy, which is why it has taken so long to recover from the Great Recession. There is no forward-looking leaders in America. The politicians look only to the next election. Corporate leaders look only as far as the quarterly or annual earnings reports. There is no investment in the future. There is no vision of an interstate highway system, a transcontinental railroad or an Erie Canal. The governor of Florida could not see how high speed rail could connect the cities of the state and certainly not how those cities could be connected to the rest of the country. He was looking back to "Americans love their cars." In the few months since he killed high speed rail in Florida the price of gas has risen to nearly $4 a gallon.
"When awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few" is coming with the attacks on public education. Only those who are able to attend elite private schools will be able to experience those powers. The programs will be cut from public schools because of declining budgets. Only the privileged, like Bill Gates, who was able to spend 16 hours a day on his private school computers, will have access to the latest technologies.
I am not sure if anyone in public office can grasp the issues or if they are just being paid to look the other way. The Great Recession was caused by irresponsible lending by banks, backed by Wall Street investment banks, yet no one was held responsible for this catastrophe. Instead, the tax payers paid to cover their mistakes. When the Republicans were in charge, they preached the value of debt and deficit but now that the Democrats are in the White House debt and deficit spending is evil.
As for questioning authority, most Americans get their news from television, who reduces everything to 30 second sound bites. How can the problems that plague us be comprehend in 30 seconds. Those who do not get the news from television get it from an unfiltered Internet. You do not what the author's agenda is. Some are in the pay of the people who would benefit by the writing. Most people, particularly the young, scan the Internet and do not read objectively.
I write this the day after the world was to come to an end, according to the pseudoscience of religion. Many people were duped by his seemingly supportable mathematical calculations. Others believe in Mayan calendar to point to 2012 as then end of the world. It raises the question, has the slide into superstition and darkness begun.
"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time-when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agenda or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness."
This is a powerful sentence, which needs to be dissected. In the fifteen years since it was written America has shipped most of its manufacturing overseas. We have become more of a service economy, which is why it has taken so long to recover from the Great Recession. There is no forward-looking leaders in America. The politicians look only to the next election. Corporate leaders look only as far as the quarterly or annual earnings reports. There is no investment in the future. There is no vision of an interstate highway system, a transcontinental railroad or an Erie Canal. The governor of Florida could not see how high speed rail could connect the cities of the state and certainly not how those cities could be connected to the rest of the country. He was looking back to "Americans love their cars." In the few months since he killed high speed rail in Florida the price of gas has risen to nearly $4 a gallon.
"When awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few" is coming with the attacks on public education. Only those who are able to attend elite private schools will be able to experience those powers. The programs will be cut from public schools because of declining budgets. Only the privileged, like Bill Gates, who was able to spend 16 hours a day on his private school computers, will have access to the latest technologies.
I am not sure if anyone in public office can grasp the issues or if they are just being paid to look the other way. The Great Recession was caused by irresponsible lending by banks, backed by Wall Street investment banks, yet no one was held responsible for this catastrophe. Instead, the tax payers paid to cover their mistakes. When the Republicans were in charge, they preached the value of debt and deficit but now that the Democrats are in the White House debt and deficit spending is evil.
As for questioning authority, most Americans get their news from television, who reduces everything to 30 second sound bites. How can the problems that plague us be comprehend in 30 seconds. Those who do not get the news from television get it from an unfiltered Internet. You do not what the author's agenda is. Some are in the pay of the people who would benefit by the writing. Most people, particularly the young, scan the Internet and do not read objectively.
I write this the day after the world was to come to an end, according to the pseudoscience of religion. Many people were duped by his seemingly supportable mathematical calculations. Others believe in Mayan calendar to point to 2012 as then end of the world. It raises the question, has the slide into superstition and darkness begun.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Thoughts on the killing of Bin Laden
At first I was very excited by the news of the demise of Osama Bin Laden but then I began to think about the cost. First there is the economic costs. The Republicans preach about the deficit but one of the major causes of it is the "war on terrorism." We are spending billions in Afghanistan and Iraq (which was not a source of terrorist activity). Was Osama worth the economic cost? We are spending billions in a country that is home to 100 al Queda operatives. Second there is the cost is American life. 1500 Americans have died in Afghanistan. I do not think there sacrifice was worth it. Third there is cost of American values. To fight terrorists Bush told us we needed to give up certain civil liberties, habeus corpus, unwarranted wiretaps, unreasonable search and seizure and unlawful detention. Lastly there was the cost to American prestige. The wars in Iraq was the first time that America invaded a country that had not attacked us. Since 911 we have become a diminished nation.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Political Musings
When I came of political age it was morning in America. Reagan had replaced the Carter pessimism with optimism. Politicians argued the merit of their beliefs, acknowledging the philosophical differences. They were enemies on the floor of Congress but shared cocktails after hours. It was how compromise was achieved. It was a time of change- I thought for the better. I was working in the mortgage banking and Republicanism was a natural fit. I was living in Maryland - a Democratic stronghold. I was in the minority, fighting the status quo. I remained in the party through business school.
I moved to Arizona, birthplace of Barry Goldwater founder of American conservatism. It was at that time that the Republicans took control of the House. I realized that their agenda was not mine. I knew that I would not be able to change it. To paraphrase Reagan, I did not leave the Republican party, the Republican party left me. I had read Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead, so I joined the Libertarian Party of smaller government. In presidential elections I have voted third party, trying to end the failed two party system. Unfortunately, Perot's presidential attempts were the closest a third party candidate has been in winning an election.
I grow dismayed when I see what is being put out by both parties. The lunatic fringe of both parties have taken over. There is no more debate. It is just invective, spewed back and forth. The intellectual caliber has certainly diminished in Congress. They cannot argue the merits of their case but simply attack others. I wonder what this people did before they entered politics. They have no connection with the real world.
Views on Presidents
Ronald Reagan restored dignity to the office. He always wore his jacket in the Oval Office, as a sign of respect for the office of the presidency. Reagan had a strong team of ad visors, who had a unified vision for America. They believed in limited government, lower taxes and the end of communism. Reagan never veered from that vision. Also it was the beginning of the shift of income to the rich and the end of the middle class.
George H.W. Bush had an impressive resume but lacked vision and conviction. He broke his vow not to raise taxes, which lost him the election.
Bill Clinton's policies should be the role model for presidents. He was a centrist, who governed from the middle. His moderate policies reformed welfare and provided the country with a budget surplus. His personal behavior was his downfall.
George W. Bush was not qualified to be president and needed to be watched over be his father's friends. He entered office with the largest budget surplus and left with the largest deficit. An so-called opponent of big government, Bush enacted the large prescription medicine entitlement for seniors. He cut taxes for the wealthy. Bush is the first president to invade a country without provocation. He used the 911 attacks to destroy American freedoms, such as habeus corpus. Once the government labels you as a terrorist you lose your rights. "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." The administration loosened regulations leading to the banking and housing crisisses. The government bailed out the large banks and Wall Street gets its bonuses while the country suffers.
I moved to Arizona, birthplace of Barry Goldwater founder of American conservatism. It was at that time that the Republicans took control of the House. I realized that their agenda was not mine. I knew that I would not be able to change it. To paraphrase Reagan, I did not leave the Republican party, the Republican party left me. I had read Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead, so I joined the Libertarian Party of smaller government. In presidential elections I have voted third party, trying to end the failed two party system. Unfortunately, Perot's presidential attempts were the closest a third party candidate has been in winning an election.
I grow dismayed when I see what is being put out by both parties. The lunatic fringe of both parties have taken over. There is no more debate. It is just invective, spewed back and forth. The intellectual caliber has certainly diminished in Congress. They cannot argue the merits of their case but simply attack others. I wonder what this people did before they entered politics. They have no connection with the real world.
Views on Presidents
Ronald Reagan restored dignity to the office. He always wore his jacket in the Oval Office, as a sign of respect for the office of the presidency. Reagan had a strong team of ad visors, who had a unified vision for America. They believed in limited government, lower taxes and the end of communism. Reagan never veered from that vision. Also it was the beginning of the shift of income to the rich and the end of the middle class.
George H.W. Bush had an impressive resume but lacked vision and conviction. He broke his vow not to raise taxes, which lost him the election.
Bill Clinton's policies should be the role model for presidents. He was a centrist, who governed from the middle. His moderate policies reformed welfare and provided the country with a budget surplus. His personal behavior was his downfall.
George W. Bush was not qualified to be president and needed to be watched over be his father's friends. He entered office with the largest budget surplus and left with the largest deficit. An so-called opponent of big government, Bush enacted the large prescription medicine entitlement for seniors. He cut taxes for the wealthy. Bush is the first president to invade a country without provocation. He used the 911 attacks to destroy American freedoms, such as habeus corpus. Once the government labels you as a terrorist you lose your rights. "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." The administration loosened regulations leading to the banking and housing crisisses. The government bailed out the large banks and Wall Street gets its bonuses while the country suffers.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Jamaica Redux: A More Detail Account of the Trip
The flight to Jamaica was uneventful. Since I arose at 3:00, I slept through most of it. There was only a minor delay in getting through customs. After retrieving my luggage, I went to the tour operator, who directed me to the ground transportation. I was the first to arrive in the people mover, so I had a long wait until it was full. The last two boys to arrive had a Red Stripe in each hand. The driver made a stop for stretch break and Red Stripe refill. It took several hours to drive from Montego Bay to Negril but Scott was tour guide as well as driver.
After I checked in, I went to lunch with my friend. Then it was to the beach. The water was shallow and the waves were small. The beach was in a sheltered bay. After traveling, the beach was a place to unwind. I took a tour of the resort as I headed back to the room. The Riu Tropical reminded me of an old Victorian restort. It possesed old charm with modern ammenities. It sat on the beach. There were two small swimming pools, mostly for cooling off with built in lounge chairs. One pool had a bar. There was an open courtyard, three sides contained restaurants and bars, plus a stage, while the fourth was the pools.
A routine was established the first day. Predinner cocktails at one of the three bars, dinner and postprandial drinks at the bar by the stage. There was some form of nightly enterntainment. It was mostly resort employees or a local band.
Our first night, we imbibed too much at the bar and were slightly hungover. After breakfast, we went to the beach to recupperate. On the beach, they served jerk chicken. I went to get lunch for us. I pulled my lounge chair under a palm tree. I was sitting on the lounge chair, when I heard a crashing thud and felt wet. A coconut fell from the tree and smashed into my chair spewing coconut water on me. It would have hit my had had I been laying down. The life guard suggested that I move my chair. I would have been more helpful if the warning came a few minutes before but I would have lost the memory. Later on I purchased two CDs from a vendor plying his wares on the beach.
The next day, my friend and I went for a tour. The majority of the tour was spent in transit. Scott, the tour guide, told me he was a PHD - pot hole dodger. The pot holes were larger than compact cars. I saw a good deal of goats grazing on the side of the roads, even in the towns. We took a pontoon boat up the Black River to see the crocodiles. We went through mangroves and the mountains filled the horizon. After lunch by the river, I purchased a mask and a turtle from the local vendor. I was able to get a good bargain and still support the locals. We went to YS Falls. On the way to the falls, it began to rain but had stopped as we arrived. I still went swimming in the river. I swung out on a rope and made the plunge into the cold river. I was impressed that students were uniforms to school. As I saw large groups of students walking home I saw unity and not division as I see in America.
I took a walk along the beach today. I began with a walk down the beach past several other resorts. There was a nude beach with the chairs discretely set back from the beach. I would not have noticed it if there were not signs. I am not sure were the topless women in the sea was staying. I walked up the beach and stumbled into the "vendor's village". I did not mind people hawking their wares because it was their space. I could have turned back. One man offered to give me a tour on his boat. I was offered drugs, and reggae music. I turned them all down.
The Riu Tropical had buffet dining in the main dining room. They had theme dinner nights, my favorite was Jamaica night. I enjoyed the jerk chicken and curry goat. The waitstaff were very attentive. My glass was never less than half full without someone asking if I would like more. In addition, there were restaurants that served Japanese, Italian, Fusion and a steakhouse. We dined at the Japanese and Italian restaurants. The food and service were well done.
A week of lying in the sun, swimming in the sea and drinking all night went by quickly. Departing the island was a dreadfully long process. The line to go through screening process was an hour. Then there was another line for customs. Finally, I was patted down before boarding the airplane. My week in the tropics had come to an end.
After I checked in, I went to lunch with my friend. Then it was to the beach. The water was shallow and the waves were small. The beach was in a sheltered bay. After traveling, the beach was a place to unwind. I took a tour of the resort as I headed back to the room. The Riu Tropical reminded me of an old Victorian restort. It possesed old charm with modern ammenities. It sat on the beach. There were two small swimming pools, mostly for cooling off with built in lounge chairs. One pool had a bar. There was an open courtyard, three sides contained restaurants and bars, plus a stage, while the fourth was the pools.
A routine was established the first day. Predinner cocktails at one of the three bars, dinner and postprandial drinks at the bar by the stage. There was some form of nightly enterntainment. It was mostly resort employees or a local band.
Our first night, we imbibed too much at the bar and were slightly hungover. After breakfast, we went to the beach to recupperate. On the beach, they served jerk chicken. I went to get lunch for us. I pulled my lounge chair under a palm tree. I was sitting on the lounge chair, when I heard a crashing thud and felt wet. A coconut fell from the tree and smashed into my chair spewing coconut water on me. It would have hit my had had I been laying down. The life guard suggested that I move my chair. I would have been more helpful if the warning came a few minutes before but I would have lost the memory. Later on I purchased two CDs from a vendor plying his wares on the beach.
The next day, my friend and I went for a tour. The majority of the tour was spent in transit. Scott, the tour guide, told me he was a PHD - pot hole dodger. The pot holes were larger than compact cars. I saw a good deal of goats grazing on the side of the roads, even in the towns. We took a pontoon boat up the Black River to see the crocodiles. We went through mangroves and the mountains filled the horizon. After lunch by the river, I purchased a mask and a turtle from the local vendor. I was able to get a good bargain and still support the locals. We went to YS Falls. On the way to the falls, it began to rain but had stopped as we arrived. I still went swimming in the river. I swung out on a rope and made the plunge into the cold river. I was impressed that students were uniforms to school. As I saw large groups of students walking home I saw unity and not division as I see in America.
I took a walk along the beach today. I began with a walk down the beach past several other resorts. There was a nude beach with the chairs discretely set back from the beach. I would not have noticed it if there were not signs. I am not sure were the topless women in the sea was staying. I walked up the beach and stumbled into the "vendor's village". I did not mind people hawking their wares because it was their space. I could have turned back. One man offered to give me a tour on his boat. I was offered drugs, and reggae music. I turned them all down.
The Riu Tropical had buffet dining in the main dining room. They had theme dinner nights, my favorite was Jamaica night. I enjoyed the jerk chicken and curry goat. The waitstaff were very attentive. My glass was never less than half full without someone asking if I would like more. In addition, there were restaurants that served Japanese, Italian, Fusion and a steakhouse. We dined at the Japanese and Italian restaurants. The food and service were well done.
A week of lying in the sun, swimming in the sea and drinking all night went by quickly. Departing the island was a dreadfully long process. The line to go through screening process was an hour. Then there was another line for customs. Finally, I was patted down before boarding the airplane. My week in the tropics had come to an end.
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