LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!THE NEXT...

...PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES!!!

His name is He Pingping from China and he has been officially named the world's smallest man. He is two foot five.

I want him to be our next President. The partisanship in Washington is out of control leaving us the real possibility that whomever gets elected will have a hard time getting things done. I believe that only He can bring our bloodied nation together and unify our great people to once again pursue a noble and worthy endeavor called Democracy. Pingping has a special ability to bring together, Republican and Democrat, Religious and Secularist, friend and foe. His recent visit to New York brought out the very best in us.

Here are some quotes from the September 19, 2008 New York Daily News:

Taxis screeched to a halt, cops pulled out cell phone cameras, and jaded New Yorkers gasped Thursday as a 2-foot-5 wonder named He Pingping led a crowd down the famed boulevard like a pint-sized Pied Piper. "That's just crazy!" exclaimed passerby Delphine Franklin, 5-feet-5, as pedestrians thronged to the 20-year-old who is the size of a 6-month-old baby.

Pingping doesn't talk much but seemed completely at ease in the hustle and bustle of skyscraper city, waving at the gawkers. He had to stand on his toes to reach the lowest buttons on the elevator at the Grand Hyatt. Sitting on the bed in his hotel room, he looked like a doll. "I wanna pick him up and put him in my purse!" said one woman on the street.

In China, Pingping leads a pretty ordinary life in a house equipped with special low doorknobs and a high chair for meals."He likes to watch TV, listen to music and smoke," his brother-in-law said. "He doesn't like it when people treat him like a child."

He creates a stir wherever he goes. In Grand Central, commuters stopped in their tracks and begged to shake his hand."People have never seen anything like him," Glenday said. Despite his size, the sometimes crushing crowds apparently don't bother Pingping. "He likes the attention," said his brother-in-law.

Ridiculous?

Now you know how I feel when someone tries to explain to me why they think McCain/Palin is good for our country.

Larry B

Send in the Clowns

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke at the German Marshall Fund in Washington D.C. today. This is some of what she had to say.

"The picture emerging from this pattern of behavior is that of a Russia increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad. Our strategic goal now is to make it clear to Russia's leaders that their choices are putting Russia on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance. We cannot afford to validate the prejudices that some Russian leaders seem to have: that if you pressure free nations enough -- if you bully, and threaten, and lash out -- we will cave in, and forget, and eventually concede."

What is truly scary is that there was not one shred of irony in her voice.

This ignorant circus must end.


Larry B

Republican Campaign Posters

That I would like to see.

On National Leadership...

On Fiscal Responsibility...

On Crisis Management...

On Family Values and Morality...

On Global Vision...

On National Defense...

Disturbing? - Yes.
Childish? - Sure.
Offensive? - Absolutely.

But how so terribly true.

Larry B

Let My People Go!

"This monument, ladies and gentlemen, tells a story. If you look to the front, you'll see on the inset, 'The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God.' It was on those laws, the will of the Maker, upon which the Declaration of Independence was premised and upon which the Constitution was predicated."

Roy Moore
Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
Monument Dedication
August - 2001

In 2002, Chief Justice Moore was ordered by the Federal Court to remove this statue...for obvious reasons...and he refused.

In 2003, he was removed from the bench...for obvious reasons...and this is what he has been up to for the past few years:

Moral Law.org

I happened to glance at the title of one of his articles and immediately fell in love:

U.S. Constitution: A secular document?

I know I inserted the link but I can't, in good conscience, expect you to read that gorgeous piece of prose, so I was nice enough to clip an excerpt:

Some who mistakenly consider our Constitution to be a "secular" document with no relationship to God will no doubt question the relevance of asking candidates about moral issues. But our Founding Fathers would have considered it strange if we did not insist that our leaders clarify their views on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and the intimate relationship between God and our federal Constitution.

Ok. I freely admit when it comes to this CHIEF JUSTICE'S views, I am one of those who are mistaken. I DO think of our Constitution as COMPLETELY SECULAR, written by people - for people. I think of it as a primary document of western civilization that in a thousand years will probably be looked on as one of the milestones in human social evolution and a real product of that period in history called The Enlightenment.

But I'm fucking crazy!

So, with the state of my mental incapacitation firmly identified, I couldn't help wondering about what this CHIEF JUSTICE meant by talking of the "intimate relationship between God and our federal Constitution"? Because the way I see it, and I know I am just a moron, is that the Constitution deals with a system of government. Among other things, this system is to pass laws and such so that people can live in "freedom" and "prosper" and all those other high ideals that the Declaration of Independence was talking about. Why would God choose to be "intimately" involved in that? Didn't God give his constitution on Mt. Sinai many years earlier? Does He feel that it needs to be revised?

I think the CHIEF JUSTICE'S idea, judging by his choice of art work, is that the Ten Commandments, as told to us in a book written well over a thousand years ago and revised many times since (come to think of it...just like our constitution gets amended), are irrefutably the Law of God. And since they are the Laws of God then they are our laws as well and should be upheld with the backing of the Federal Government. Makes sense to me. What's good enough for God is good enough for America.

With my newfound clarity, and wanting to be a good civic-minded citizen, I looked up our new Constitution. I think it has already been ratified by 22 southern and mid-western states. Now these are the kind of progressive and forward thinking ideas* we need to compete in the new Millennium:


1) Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me

Unless, of course, you are one of the billions of people on this planet, or one of the millions in this country, who do.


2) Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven Image

This text appears on the graven stone in Alabama. I had no idea what it meant so I decided to do a little research on the web. The Biblical Scripture that deals with this Commandment ( KJV Deuteronomy 5: 8-10) takes this paraphrased law a tad further:

"...or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

Oh boy...I hope THAT part isn't what, "...the Declaration of Independence was premised and upon which the Constitution was predicated," because that sound like Osama talk!


3) Thou Shalt Not Take The Name Of The LORD Thy God In Vain

CHRIST! I hope that never becomes criminalized.


4) Remember The Sabbath Day, To Keep It Holy

This one is interesting.

It is, once again, a paraphrase and this is the part that didn't make Charlton's stone:

"...Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." ( KJV Deuteronomy 5: 13-14 )

After lying to, stealing from and murdering...That's nine, eight and six for those keeping score at home...the native inhabitants of North America, White English settlers formed colonies and created laws that dogmatically adhered to the Commandments.

Here is one example from the world Judge Moore wants us to live in. It was written on October 22, 1695 in my home state of New York:

Whereas the true and sincere service and worship of God, according to his holy will and commandments, is often profaned and neglected by many of the inhabitants and sojourners within this Province, who do not keep holy the Lord's day, but in a disorderly manner, accustom themselves to travel, laboring, working, shooting, fishing, sporting, playing, horseracing, frequenting of tippling-houses, and the using of many other unlawful exercises and pastimes upon the Lord's day, to the great scandal of the holy Christian faith: Be it therefore enacted ... that there shall be no traveling, servile laboring and working, shooting, fishing, sporting, playing, horse racing, hunting, or frequenting of tippling-houses, or the use of any other unlawful exercises or pastimes, by any of the inhabitants or sojourners within this Province, or by any of their slaves or servants, on the premises shall forfeit for every offense the sum of six shillings ... and in default of such distress, that the party offending, to be set publicly in the stocks by the space of three hours.

Source:
American State Papers
Bearing on Sunday Legislation (1911)

The remnants of these obvious cases of forcing a RELIGIOUS belief system upon the populace could be seen in existence until at least the 1960s when merchants started to openly rebel against them. Today, in New York State, the buying and selling of products, even ones that are considered "immoral" such as liquor and pornography, are at the complete discretion of the vender and the consumer. I think that is a good thing…Free Will.


5) Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother

For how long? Should there be a law against being a rock singer, racecar driver or street magician because Mom and Dad want you to become a Doctor?


6) Thou Shalt Not Kill

Pretty straightforward. I can't argue. It just needs to be applied CONSISTENTLY.


7) Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Don't wait up for me Martha...

I got me a job building jails!!!


8) Thou Shalt Not Steal

YES!!! I only wish it applied to soulless corporations as well.


9) Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor

Another good one! But, unfortunately for us little guys, this does not apply to Republicans or their minions.


10) Thou Shalt Not Covet

Another paraphrase from the Alabama Guru but understandable since the full text would sound ridiculous in this day and age:

"…thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbor's." ( KJV Deuteronomy 5: 21 )

Well, maybe not so silly. I have coveted many an ass in my day. Should I have been brought in front of some governmental tribune to face punishment for my thoughts?


And I'M the one who’s fucking crazy?

The Republican Party’s choice of Sarah Palin as vice-presidential nominee was obviously a political ploy. It is a transparent attempt to drive a wedge into progressives, specifically women who were supporting Hillary Clinton. It is also an absurdly cynical move to co-opt the concept of feminism and paint themselves, the people in power for the last eight years, as outsiders - victims of the establishment. Just today as I walked into my office, I saw a copy of the New York Post in the lobby. Glancing at it as I walked by I saw this line, accompanied by a picture of Palin, at the top of the page. Mind you, it was not the headline but right above the paper’s banner:

Sarah – "Obama should have picked Hillary as running mate."

If you do not believe me just listen to any Republican talking points that are being projected at you – at this very minute - on any number of corporate run media news outlets.

But that is only half of the story. They also picked Palin because she is completely in line with Judge Roy Moore and everything he wants our country to be. Those three million evangelicals courted by Karl Rove in 2000 and 2004 - so openly in those days - are now being thrown a bone. McCain is not a religious nut so to get these doomsday repressives all excited the party trots out a uniquely unqualified individual who takes pride in being violent, ignorant and superstitious – in other words just like them. The only solstice I take is in the fact that this pandering, so open in previous elections, has gone underground. There is much less "We were chosen by God" talk coming out of the GOP and more old school fear mongering. I think even they know that is not going to be enough in this upcoming election.

It might be underground but these 17th century views are at the core of their philosophy. It is whom they represent. And although McCain does not come out of that mold, make no mistake, a vote for McCain/Palin is a vote for the validation of those views – no matter how they try to dress it up.

But, I’m not worried too much. Palin is already being exposed for the shallowness and meanness she truly represents. I know that really isn’t enough to guarantee a victory but this year the choice is so clear that even people who did not know it in 2000 – or 2004 – have to know it now. It is the choice between hope and fear. Between science and superstition. Between the future and the past. And with having that knowledge the electorate still wants to vote for these clowns - firmly against their own interests - then we deserve what we get.

But as simple campaign strategy, I agree with what Roseanne Barr said on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday night:

"I wish that he (Obama) would go for McCain's throat because there's so much there to go for and just forget her. Forget her."

Is there anyone out there who did NOT know what the "Bush Doctrine" was?

Larry B


* For further reading GodsTenLaws.com
has a comprehensive list of The Ten Commandments as they appear in three different editions of the Bible – King James Version (KJV), New International Version (NIV) and The New Living Translation (NLT).

A Little Dobb Will Do Ya

(***Editor's Note*** - The Right Side of History wishes to apologize in advance for the course language in the following post. The author had an extremely unnerving experience and the text reflects his state of agitation.)

I went to the taping of the Lou Dobbs show yesterday on CNN live at 7PM. His theme this week is an "Independent Convention" where non-partisan people can openly exchange views. For going I received a ten dollar gift certificate for Barnes & Noble and a complimentary writing tablet that has the words "CNN=Politcs" written across the front!

Lucky for me, right before I went to the production I just finished the book Hell's Angels. After reading that (As well as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72) I was impressed with the journalistic style of the author. So, in honor of Hunter S Thompson, here are the verbatim notes that I took long hand during the hour and a half I was trapped in that small studio with the Gargoyle and his minions.

"This is awesome! This is my first taping of a political show. I usually do "The View" or "Oprah." I' m glad I'm going to do something fun!" - Woman behind me age about 35.

The M.C. "warms us up" like we're waiting for a sit-com.

M.C.: "YOU COULD BE ON TV!"

M.C.: "I will applaud - then you follow."

Moved homely couple for two blondes.

Before show last story on CNN is how Palin's glasses are selling "Quadruple!" One customer ordered by writing "Palinize me!"

Literally hooping and hollering.

Dobbs: "Independently minded voters are demanding…" then went through roughly six different polls. "Evidently most voters are looking at the McCain/Palin ticket will be best to tackle the economy."

Dobbs: "No leadership in 20 years on the deficit issue in EITHER party!"
Q: What about Clinton?

Teleprompters working overtime.

Told to, "lean on my left cheek" Evidently I was blocking a shot.

M.C.: "Stand by for applause everyone."

"Both parties" said over and over.
Q: New talking point?

This is so fucking fake.

Video piece - Woman reporter then stands around studio uncomfortably.

Dobbs paints a truly bleak picture but does not point out that one party controlled everything since 2001 and 2002 is the year his economics expert guest said was the dropping off point to disaster.

Dobbs: "Many say what we are talking is boring. But what IS boring…to the critical issues!" (Applause)
Q: Then what is with the poll talk?

M.C.: "No applause on this one please."

Video piece - Reporter: "Mexican drugs and violence pouring in over the border…"

All the guests and the host are old pasty white guys wearing an obscene amount of pancake makeup.

Guest T Boone Pickens book - "The First Billion is the Hardest."

We're behaving like trained seals.

Dobbs: "On off shore drilling Pelosi said, 'I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE PLANET! I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE PLANET!'" To which the guy next to me started to laugh.

Dobbs: "Tens of millions want to drill."

Guest watching the screen behind me creeps me out.

For an "independent perspective" - a huge oilman.

Dobbs: "You're a man who received such a warm applause because you're a man who can get things done"

They jerk each other off.

Dobbs: "You are a complete non-partisan."

Boone: "If I'm going to be the Lone Ranger…"

"PRESIDENT PICKENS!" is shouted behind me trailed with a giggle.

Boone: "If I were 60 I could beat these two guys running here!" (Wild applause)

Drugs/moralist guest sniffing before the interview.

Guest: "If the government forces parents to send their kids to school, the government has an obligation to clean the drugs out of those schools!!!" ("YEEEESSSSSS!" yelled out)

Dobbs: "It's about supply and demand and to think that you can not attack on both fronts is insane."

Guy sitting next to me: "Ask over here!"
M.C.: "Oh, you guys like Palin?"
Guy sitting next to me: (Clapping real loud) "YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!"

This is the verbatim e-mail I sent to Dobbs last night via the CNN internet site:

Interesting how someone who berates everybody for "labeling," forces anyone whom wants to contact him into labeling his e-mail either "positive" or "negative."

This comment is firmly in the negative. I was in the audience for today's (9/9) "Independent Convention." I made the terrible mistake of sticking around for your Q&A session after the show went off the air. After witnessing the awful bullying you did I can honestly say I was shocked. I was particularly offended when, the subject of choice and Sarah Palin came up. One member of your audience voicing a contrary opinion was mercilessly destroyed. You even called the guy "cosmopolitan" as an attempt at insult, to which the man replied, "What are you talking about…I'm from Maryland." That didn't stop you from just tearing into him with your prescripted diatribe.

After the Maryland gentleman was cowered a woman in the audience asked you a simple question "Let's forget about Palin what does the Republican 2008 Party Platform say about abortion?" To which you went into some ridiculous soliloquy about how these "wedge issues" are all just smoke and mirrors and "it don't mean anything."

I needed to speak up at that point because it was clear that although you sang a song and did a dance you didn't answer this woman's very simple question. I said, "But she is talking about the platform. What does the platform say?"

I remember you authoritatively bellowing "It doesn't exist!"

Not believing my ears I asked, "In the PLATFORM?"

"Yes!"

I thought that was just beyond the realm of believability. But I didn't KNOW, and I said as much. Either directly after my question or sometime later you launched into a "doesn't anybody read?" routine that I found incredibly duplicitous. You spend an hour attacking anybody who has a degree and then wax poetic about the lack of reading in society.

I eventually walked out when the woman sitting one seat from me started to imply that "media types" were "communists."

But, Mr. Dobbs, I do read. So, when I arrived home tonight I decided to look up the Republican Platform on the Internet. From the section entitled "Maintaining the Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life," here is a direct quote:

"Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life." (page 57)

Doesn't exist?

Don't worry, you have the mike. You have the camera. People believed you. The damage has been done.

Now if this creep were truly “independent” – a claim he made so many times in the short time I was there that I thought a Port-O-San man was going to come and suction out all the excess bullshit – he would have said something like this:

“Yes, if abortion rights are your primary concern then you should not vote for McCain/Palin because that party has consistently championed the outlawing of abortion. Both in their platform and their speeches the Republican Party is pretty clear on how they feel about this issue and there is no doubt that if they are elected they will try as hard as they can to make it a reality. Also both of the Republican candidates have stated publicly that they are firmly Pro-Life…except when it comes to people of color and animals. No matter how they try to soft pedal their horseshit, make no mistake, they mean to make abortion illegal. I’m not being partisan. I am just stating the facts so that you - the “independent minded” voter - can see the clear distinction of your choice.”

No, he didn’t say anything remotely like that. After I didn’t let him off the hook with his dismissive and evasive “it doesn’t really matter” swill, he then flat out lied, intimidating some who did not have a quote at the ready or humiliating others who dared to say that 2+2=4. Being told by several friends how “objective” Dobbs is, I didn’t expect this Republican pandering/apologist type talk. I mean, where was I, The Bill O’Reilly No-Spin Zone?

Another virtuous independent idea Mr. Dobbs put forward in retort to someone making an honest observation was, and I quote, “You really need to stay out of the blogosphere” and trust more conventional sources of information. That line drew wild applause from the audience. His position struck me as ridiculous. Yes, certain blogs are poorly constructed hatchet jobs for whatever party/point of view the blogger holds. That I will agree with. But many are not. Many are thoroughly researched, footnoted and verified and are a vital source of information. Most importantly, these blogs are truly independent meaning they are written and maintained by people on their own time and at their own expense, expressing their thoughts divorced from profit and agenda.

Basically by telling his legions of “free-thinkers” to stay off the net, what this “non-partisan” hack is really saying is that only centralized corporate media can deliver you the news. Only some elitist glorified blowhard tap-dancer can be trusted to tell you the truth. According to Dobbs, the only place to receive legitimate information is from a shifty employee of a subsidiary of some giant conglomerate which is bent on increasing sales. The electorate should have faith in jerks like this even though their ears have heard nothing but lies. This type of reasoning can be described with the same words I used to recap a 2004 argument I had with someone. He was trying to tell me that John Kerry is a coward and George W Bush is a hero.

Pure insanity.

Lou Dobbs is not independent at all. He is an egotistical clown who gets off by putting others down. A true independent who indoctrinates himself with this cynical shit head should ask, “Is this empty suit just another wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

But, the real question for all of us is will the tactics of completely rewriting history, misrepresenting positions and transparent appeals to the base nature of Man work in 2008?

I'm scared.

Larry B

Gimme Shelter

Considered by many to be one of the best rock & roll documentaries of all time, Gimme Shelter released in 1970 is primarily made from the footage taken at a free concert the Rolling Stones - plus others - gave at the Altamont Speedway in December of 1969. Their intention was that the show was going to recreate the spirit of the recent Woodstock festival - meaning peace, love and dope. They only achieved the last one of those three.

While the first half of the movie consists of straight-forward scenes of the band playing songs - first at Madison Square Garden in New York and then later at Muscle Shoals in Alabama - that fans of the group would probably find interesting, it's the second half that really takes you by the throat. In those last 45 minutes, the viewer is shown a total breakdown of a society. An exact moment in time when all of the hopes and ideals of the hippie movement crashed in a nightmare of disillusionment and violence.

I know that is a sweeping statement and way to general to contain the whole truth. I, for one, appreciate the hippie movement and the ideals they were expounding. There are others like me as well so the movement is not dead although the Republican Party has been trying to make us forget it for the last 25 years. They want us to forget the ideas that is - civil disobedience, equal rights, and anti-militarism - but always remember the fear. Watching this film gives the audience an insight into the mindset of Nixon's "silent majority" that has carried over till this day. I guess what makes it fascinating is that, at that time, the bogeyman to middle class Americans were white kids as compared to the normal strawman which the establishment would waste no time getting back to pointing us at - black youths.

Let's face it, that concert, and the images produced by it, play as one long political commercial for Ronald Reagan. You have scenes of draw dropping incoherence, out-of-control irresponsibility, painful naivete, massive drug use and, of course, primal rage leading to murder. At that time, all Nixon, or any politician, would have had to have done is show this hedonistic decadent bunch to a "normal" middle class parent and then dismiss anything the reformers would have to say as ridiculous because "seeing is believing." And if that same politician wanted to kick it up a notch he could scare the Hell out of the general populace by linking such debauchery with the, also recent, Manson murders. It was a solid one-two punch that every politician with progressive ideas has had to fight against ever since.

Of course, the irony of it all is that the ones committing pretty much all of the violent acts that day were not on the psychedelics and marijuana which were the trademark recreationals of these "scary" hippies. Those acts were committed by the many Hell's Angels who were there and THEY were all hopped up on beer and liquor - the silent majority's drug of choice.

After watching the film, there is a strong argument to be made that 1960s "radicalism" was, in fact, insane. The image of Mick Jagger on stage leaning towards one of the Hell's Angels in full M.C. black leather worn under a cut denim jacket and topped off with some sort of Celtic/Teutonic animal-skin head gear is, simply, priceless. By the time we see that scene, the concert is completely out of control and Mick is getting some sort of advice from this medieval looking character. The shot only lasts a few seconds and if you look away you might miss it, but in that single visual the whole movie's theme can be summed up.

There is another prolonged shot of a bearded man who, for some reason, appears to be on the stage only a few feet from the band. They are playing "Under My Thumb" and with every line that is sung, this man wretches in pain. He clenches his fists and tightens his muscles. He moves his head from side to side looking intensely into nothing and, yet, is seeing - what? I have no idea. His facial expressions can be conservatively described as total anguish. There is no doubt he is on some kind of hallucingetic - and that he is tripping hard. After a little while the Hell's Angel, who is standing next to him, violently pushes him off the stage. And that is where the absurdity reaches its zenith. The Hell's Angels were hired to be the security!

"How much were they paid?" you might ask.

"All the beer they could drink."

And that is not a joke. The organizers of this "Love-In" (Who, by the way, come off as real assholes.) thought it was prudent to have a large gang of tough, violent bikers hanging around the stage and drinking beer all day - TO KEEP ORDER! And, believe me, they are HANGING AROUND. They are in practically every shot with beer cans, liquor bottles and pool cues in their hands. And, to be more blunt, judging by the icy stares and downright scary facial expressions on some of them, the whole "flower-power" idea was just not their scene.

There are other things I could mention but I will leave it that. This is the first time I watched it in probably 25 years and I could say if you haven't seen it in that long it is definitely worth another look. Like I said earlier, if you are not a Stones fan (And I can't say that I really am. I like a whole bunch of their songs but I think that their last piece of relevant music was the album Tattoo You which was released in 1981) the first part is sort of run-of-the-mill. But stick it out. You will see a document of a time when certain dreamers were confronted with a hardcore reality - A reality that was carrying cue sticks, chains and knives.

I also want to especially recommend watching this movie to younger viewers for whom these events are ancient history. My formative years were the 1980s when a clown by the name of Reagan put on a cowboy hat and proceeded to poison the well of progression and social evolution for the next 28 years. For my generation, when he was pulling out his vial and sprinkling the pain, the 60's ideals, those images and sounds, were already entrenched in our minds. Yes, many of my contemporaries dug Ron's thing, but there was an alternative vision that he needed to overcome…and he was successful. Why do you think Bill Clinton was so badly hammered - viciously, unmercifully…unfairly - for his two, genuinely elected, terms of office? Was it because he lied? If that is the case how do you explain the silence from that same crowd when the current gang has been caught lying - over and over again - lies that actually had real-world horrific consequences? No. It was because Clinton, at least for the Haliburton bunch, represented THAT America - The dope smoking, ungrateful, establishment questioning, scary long hairs.

So, for young people, most definitely to the ones who are gravitating toward Obama, the ones who are passionately getting involved for the first time, the ones whose political and cultural experience so far has been this ghastly administration, seeing Gimme Shelter would be most beneficial. I could easily recommend movies that show the other side of the coin. Where counter-culture ideals are shown in a positive, moving and an inspiring way (The documentary film Woodstock comes to mind) but I won't. Watch this one, where that culture - the one representing what I feel was the most important era of American social development - and I STILL believe in - is shown to be empty, ineffectual and ruinous. Because the moment you suggest something progressive, the people in power, the ones you will have to argue with, the ones you will have to convince - the older ones - will see YOU like the people documented in this film.

Be prepared.

Larry B

Our Daily Bread

I stopped watching The Daily Show awhile ago because I didn't find what was going on funny anymore. But, because of the convention, I watched it this week - and their commentary was right on. I stumbled upon this video tonight. I don't have much to write about it but I felt that I should post it because I think it symbolizes why John Stewart is playing a vital role in the democratic process.

I think something good is happening.

Larry B

Ticket to Ride

Dated June 4, 2008, the following text appeared on Realclearpolitics.com and was written by Jack Kelly. I don’t know anything about the site or the author, but since it is an opinion piece, that doesn’t really matter. One thing is for certain, the early timestamp of his article proves that he has his finger on the pulse of the Republican Party.

At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is both the youngest and the first female governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating that has bounced around 90 percent.

This is due partly to her personal qualities. When she was leading her underdog Wasilla high school basketball team to the state championship in 1982, her teammates called her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her fierce competitiveness. Two years later, when she won the "Miss Wasilla" beauty pageant, she was also voted "Miss Congeniality" by the other contestants.

Sarah Barracuda. Miss Congeniality. Fire and nice. A happily married mother of five who is still drop dead gorgeous. And smart to boot. But it's mostly because she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party.

Ms. Palin touches other conservative bases, some of which Sen. McCain has been accused of rounding. Track, her eldest son, enlisted in the Army last Sept. 11. She's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association who hunts, fishes and runs marathons. A regular churchgoer, she's staunchly pro-life.

Kimberley Strassel of the Wall Street Journal said Sen. McCain should run against a corrupt, do-nothing Congress, a la Harry Truman. If he should choose to do so, Gov. Palin would make an excellent partner "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who have crossed Sarah," pollster Dave Dittman told the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes.

Sen. Barack Obama's support has plunged recently among white women. Many Hillary Clinton supporters accuse him -- I think unfairly -- of being sexist. Having Sarah Palin on the ticket could help Sen. McCain appeal to these disgruntled Democrats.

This evening, as I waited on the subway platform, I pondered these things. I didn’t dig to deep because, in all honesty, I was more focused on just getting home. It had been a long day and there was a bowl of pasta waiting for me. The shallowness of my thoughts were apparent – even to me – when the best explanation I could come up with as the reason for what is passing for sound political judgment at the RNC was a pop culture reference. I think Republican bigwigs, and obviously right wing bloggers and politicos, look at the 2008 campaign as their version of "There is Something about Mary." I mean this woman, like Cameron Diaz was to normal male viewers of the Farrelly Brother's movie, sounds like a John Birch/PNAC/Right Winger’s wet dream:

She’s "drop dead gorgeous!" (Stroke…)
She slashes taxes for the rich! (Stroke…)
She’s a "lifetime member of the NRA!" (Yeah…)
She’s "staunchly pro-life!" (Um-Hmm…)
She kills animals with guns! (Uh-Huh…)
She’s a "regular churchgoer!" (Oh my sweet Jesus, YES!)
She’s in charge of oil! (That’s it baby, that’s the spot!)
And, (Here it comes…) she’s continuously knocked up! (BAM!)

The train pulled into the station.

The doors opened and I was surprised to find some vacant seats. Grabbing one, I pulled out my book and started to read. Within a few seconds I understood completely why the car was semi-vacant. An intense odor filled the air one, as a city dweller, I immediately recognized. Sniffing, I looked up and – yes – there he was. A homeless man was sitting across from me and it was obvious that he had not bathed or changed his cloths in months. Or, at least, that is my assumption from the stink because he actually looked to be reasonably well dressed.

For you non-city dwellers out there, or for the city people who have never experienced what I am talking about, every so often, in the subway car you board, there is a homeless man sleeping in a corner clad only in rags. He usually has whatever possessions he "owns" in plastic bags placed all around him or crammed into a little shopping wagon that he holds onto tight. Often he is shoeless. And he is certainly always alone because the aforementioned smell is overpowering and other commuters in the car go the other way. It always is a depressing and heartbreaking scene but, you become desensitized to misery living in an anonymous megalopolis.

I also notice that these kinds of encounters happen far more frequently when a Republican occupies the White House.

I should have been tipped off when the doors open and found a large swath of space when normally during rush hour time it would be filled with nameless faceless people. But, the situation I described above was not in effect. There was no society cast-off laying on seats or spread out in a corner. And the smell didn’t hit me till I sat down. This homeless man, who I was now sitting some six or ten feet away from, had clothes that were not that worn, shoes that had life left in them, no plastic bags and he was reading a newspaper. The situation was unusual but, I did what I always did when faced with this situation in the past, I continued to read.

My theory is simple. I can take the smell for my relatively short journey and, since everyone else runs for the hills, I have plenty of room. For the price of minor discomfort – especially when you compare it with THIS man’s station in life – I don’t have to have crotches in my face or someone up my ass for 30 minutes. It is a trade-off.

And, of course, a few others stay in the area too. I do not know if it is for the same reason that I do but, either way, we are going against a long held city tradition. And THAT is another reason why I stay. The sociologist in me watches the doors whenever the train pulls into the next stop. I watch the faces through the glass. There is an anticipation and excitement when they see the empty seats. There is a slight tenseness to some as they start to jockey for position to charge in, muscling anyone near them for the precious real estate. And then, as the tone sounds and the door opens, within seconds the faces of joy and lust becomes one of abject horror as they streamline to get out - either by walking between cars or just getting off all together. Sometimes their realization and reaction take a little longer and they awkwardly hover in the area, sniffing and looking around. Soon they, too, flee.

So McCain/Palin is in my head, comical trampling, stumbling and bumbling are in my eyes and a reek stank is in my nose. At the next stop, the doors open and a loud boisterous African-American woman walks through and within one second exclaims in a booming, exaggerated voice: "OH HELLLLLL NOOOOOOOOO!" and immediately walks through to the next car.

I feel ya, Sista. I feel ya.

Larry B