3/6/10

Don't tread on me. That's the tea party's "new" banner. How is it that so many believe that they really know the way the "founding fathers" felt about taxation and representation are the exact people who don't know squat about the birth of the nation, the constitution, or the history of the U.S. in any aspect?

It's like someone saying "the bible says: the Lord helps those who help themselves." Of course the bible says nothing resembling that, but it's been repeated enough to be taken as a bible quote.

And that's how these self aggrandized "patriots" wrap themselves in a naval standard and believe that only they stand for the "true" America.

For instance, someone from the tea party told me that "the constitution" only requires that they give their name and age at the census. Of course, as is the custom with most conservatives, they believe that if they continue to recite a lie enough times, it will be accepted as truth. The tea party has authored and backed this particular lie and the narcissistic sheep who comprise that mob swear it's true.

In reality, the constitution says the enumeration (census) shall be financed by congress "every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." In other words, they can ask you whatever they want to ask as long as it's constitutional.

2/21/10

Now that I've seen Sarah Palin enough times to draw some sort of assessment about her as a public persona, I've concluded that she comes off as a spoiled 12 year old. She draws attention to herself for just about any reason, shows her total lack of maturity and understanding on most subjects, and stomps and kicks if anyone disagrees or ridicules anything she says or does.

Her latest hissy has been about a line in a silly cartoon series Family Guy. I've never watched an entire episode of the series because I don't think it's funny or interesting enough to watch. However, Palin's daughter, baby momma to her grandson, watched the show one evening and a single line in the show set off Palin's baby momma daughter and then Palin herself in a Facebook retort.

Silly? You betcha. So silly that it reminds me of Dan Quayle's now infamous "family values" speech in which he used an example based on the fictional character Murphy Brown to illustrate a supposed immoral and decadent lifestyle led by a single mother who chose to remain single and raise her child alone: like Sarah Palin's daughter.

Palin has pimped her son Trig as an example of her values. Carrying a fetus to full term knowing that the infant would be born with down syndrome is somehow perceived as a positive trait. Palin puts that child on her hip whenever her poll numbers go down. She thinks that kid can get her into the White House.

If she doesn't get the nomination or doesn't win the election she'll scream and have a fit blaming cruel and insensitive people for her not getting her way.

2/19/10

Yesterday, someone flew a small aircraft into an IRS building in Austin. Apparently he felt as if his action would make some sort of statement. It didn't. I would never do something like that no matter how strongly I felt about the government or those who I felt held opposing viewpoints.

Just to set the record straight: I'm not a person who is capable of manifesting my anger or frustration in a senseless act of violence.

I don't see repubs and neo cons as a threat. I see them as silly, short sighted and selfish, but they generally lack courage and conviction. As the adage goes: the promise harms no one, it is the gift that can destroy. Repubs and neocons are pussies, they're no real threat.

This is my country. I love it here. I don't agree with everything that happens or what's said, but that's life. God bless my home.

2/15/10

Here go the repubs again. Five years ago, Sherrod Brown beat an inept incumbent senator named Mike Dewine. Brown hasn't been a headline grabber. He has shown up to vote. His support of the current administration makes a lot of sense following the malaise caused by republican name callers and scare merchants who permitted the greatest economic collapse since the depression. Democrats have won big in the past two national elections. Repubs who thought they had seats for life were cast out of office by the dozens.

George Bush has made few public appearances because of his earned role as a national embarrassment. Dick Cheney has been very verbal in attacking the foreign policy of the current administration. Of course it was Cheney's misguidance of the National Security Council that led to 911, tens of thousands of American deaths in Iraq, and the successful retooling of Alqeida in Afghanistan despite NATO presence there. That doesn't keep Cheney from flapping his gums to traitors on Clear Channel stations.

The current administration is attempting damage control on a ship of state that was handed to them in serious disrepair. Bush and the thugs in his administration ransacked the American economy to put forth a pathetic agenda based on personal gain for a few like Cheney.

In my district the two congressional candidates offered up by repubs are Steve Chabot, a rubber stamp Bush republican, and Rob Portman, the Bush administration's finance director.

Steve Chabot rode the Bush derailment until it was obvious that the economy had crashed and was burning. At that point, he was among the first repub rats to jump the ship they'd manned for eight years trying to distance himself from the Wall Street scam he'd vocally supported to that point.

Rob Portman began as a reasonable and sensible congressman from the first district. He flew under the radar for about a decade until the repubs started looking for someone to fill vacated White House positions under Bush. Portman, out of office due to term limits, was star struck by his new found popularity among the power brokers of the republican party and eagerly accepted the post of finance director in the most financially irresponsible administration since Hoover. Portman held that position when the mortgage market crashed and Wall street foundered.

Of course, the Clear Channel nazis are lining up behind these imbeciles. They even say these guys are "fiscally responsible." Of course this will be the lie that the repubs pimp during the election cycle. In reality, the repubs have decided that stalemate is better than recovery. The nation is better off in a state of failure than it is to succeed under an administration that they can't take credit for electing. The truth is: without consummate failures like Portman and Chabot, the repubs have no one to offer.

House minority leader John Boehner stands a good chance of losing his seat in this election. Portman and Chabot should lose handily to better qualified and more patriotic Americans.

2/7/10

I haven't posted in awhile. I've been working for the census. It's a part time temporary job, but I really enjoy the work. I travel a lot around this area, and I'm beginning to know where everything in my neighborhood is. The job pays well and is rewarding in many ways.

The nazis on Clear Channel have continued to hammer away at the democrats in power. The tea party (founded on the lie that it's "non-partisan") continues to exploit the polarization of the nation. Apparently they believe that it's better to destroy the nation than it is to allow someone with a difference of opinion to govern with popular support.

This form of treason continues to undermine everything our federal government is elected to accomplish. This thinly disguised racist, sexist and homophobic form of radicalism continues to shout louder as the economy begins to show signs of recovery under the current administration. Dim and inarticulate viewpoints by surly personalities like Sarah Palin are hailed as "fresh and unspoiled."

The republican party has won some elections by employing fear and hate tactics among our citizens. By keeping our country divided, they stand a better chance of winning because they don't have a chance at victory by the use of reason and expertise.

As they point to the late Ronald Reagan as a beacon of example, they conveniently forget to mention that our armed forces are now fighting armies that Reagan armed. We now suffer from depleted manufacturing capability brought on by Reagan era economics which encouraged the exportation of jobs. The so-called war on drugs has been a huge waste of tax dollars, and the  Reagan era's ineffective philosophy of punishment over treatment resulted in fostering a huge increase in the use of the most dangerous narcotics.

Now the "underwear" bomber is a supposed sign that the Obama administration isn't qualified to protect this nation. Of course no mention is made of the "shoe" bomber who boarded a plane and attempted the same type of tactic just weeks after the tragedy of 9/11.

Republicans are banking on the short memory and spoiled nature of the electorate. Too many in this country have lost jobs, life savings, real estate, and more for politics to resort to such petty tactics, but that doesn't stop the republicans.

Founded as the party of abolition, the republicans have become the party of obstruction. Finger pointing and name calling are much easier than working on solutions. 

12/27/09

As this year winds down, I think of the events that have really affected my life.

My Mom died in September. She was my stepmother in a legal sense, but in reality, she's the woman responsible for my upbringing. I began calling her Mom in the early 1960s, and she has always treated me as one of her own. Her example and guidance have bolstered me in many ways throughout my life. As complex as our family is, my relationship with her was very simply based on love and respect. She was my best friend and greatest fan. Losing her has left a giant void in my life.

My youngest daughter and her family came home this year. My son-in-law's enlistment was over and he decided against reenlistment much to the Army's chagrin. They've lived locally all year, and we've had a chance to spend some time with our grandchildren which has been a great pleasure for us. My son's boy has been growing and blossoming, and we've had great fun watching him progress as well.

I started out this year with a delivery job, but because I had problems operating a large ill-equipped "bread truck" van, I wound up leaving the company in June with only a marred driving record to show for it. I've had a couple of interviews for other jobs, but it's clear that at 60, my age is keeping me from serious consideration. I've been writing for examiner.com, but they've yet to pay me.

The band has done well this year. We've done about a dozen paying gigs, and a couple of benefits. We sound as good or better than I can ever remember sounding in any band. Our last gig will be New Year's Eve this year.

Gale has been a rock through all these ups and downs. She's held on to her job and been a great support for me. Though I've had a tough time emotionally, she's held steady and helped me keep my morale up.

So I guess this year has been a mix of loss and blessings for me. I think 2010 will be a better year.

11/25/09

Sarah Palin says she quit as governor of Alaska for the sake of the people of Alaska. That sounds to me like the old adage about having sex for the sake of virginity. If she was indeed the best person to govern Alaska, and the majority there felt she was; and she accepted the office, shouldn't a stalwart stick with it to the end?

In military terms, she quit her post before she was properly relieved. In about two months, the barnstorm campaign she's waging to pimp her book will be over. She of course wants to snatch up as many of those Christmas dollars as her greedy hands can snag. She continues to pimp her youngest child for personal gain too. What a skank.

11/23/09

Why Sarah Palin's so popular with goosestepping repubs

The neo conservative movement has been a catastrophe for this nation. They claim Ronald Reagan as one of their own. Though Reagan was a consummate failure as president, he has been deified by neocon revisionists. Radio talk is all about right wing political views. Nothing fair and balanced about AM radio. As tough as they talk, they're a bunch of pussies when it comes to action. Yeah, they talk a good war, but none of them actually walked it.

As neocons spew hate and distrust across the AM waves to the tiny audience they're able to attract, the bulk of the U.S. is engaged in reality. By attempting to shift the blame from the republican incompetents who permitted this economic crash, they've lost credibility with just about every clear thinking citizen. As more and more of their listeners are going farther into the bunker, AM radio claims victory every time the nation experiences a setback.

The group supporting Palin are quitters like her. The election didn't turn out the way they wanted, and they're just going to quit believing in this country's democratic principles as a result.

The bunkerists have no real champions. Limbaugh and his lot have never served this country in the armed forces and the one that I can think of who did -- Liddy -- is a convicted traitor. So where does it leave the bunkerists?

It leaves them with someone like Sarah Palin: a semiliterate boor whose lack of comprehension of the issues could only be appealing to the least that this country has to offer. Paramilitants and all other manner of groupies are flocking to her book signings.

Donald Trump likes her because he thinks he can make a buck by associating with her. The poor rich think they can get out of paying their fair share of taxes if they help her get elected.

The fact that she quit on her constituents in Alaska matters naught to the bunkerists. To those emerging from the bunker to buy her book, her lust for money and the spotlight somehow justifies her lack of devotion to duty .

Palin's lack of substance and commitment, laughable as they are, seem to be an endearing trait to those who will buy her book. She's simply saying what they want to hear.

As shallow as that seems, that's what Palin is counting on pimping to keep herself in the national spotlight. Is she a contender for the repub nomination in 2012? You betcha. They have no where else to turn.

11/02/09

I've been rereading my blog lately. I guess anyone who doesn't know me well would think I don't like conservatives. Most of my friends and acquaintances lean conservative, but like me, they're pragmatic.  My dad was a Goldwater conservative. It's just the way a lot of people around here think. I don't hold that against them. I don't have to. Their spokespeople out themselves.

What's happened is that radical "conservative" talk radio has spawned a group I call neo-conservatives. Most of the neo conservatives I've met (converted hippies and computer age para-militants) are conspiracy theorists and paranoid about "the government." My theory about these neo-cons is that they don't get out much.

Folks tell me I lean liberal. Some say I'm way liberal. I don't see it that way. Conservative talk radio and the Republican party have adopted the "us-uns vs. them-uns" approach. It's been very effective starting about 10 years ago. It sells commercials on the dying radio format and garners some voter bases for politicians, but overall, it's been disastrous for this country.

It really kills them when some conservative politician or talk host turns out to be a hypocrite. Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict, he may have reformed his daily practices with drugs, but the fact of his addiction remains. Yet, he gets some kind of pass because he pimped the "message" as larger than his lifestyle choices. What a pig.

I think liberals are just as irritated when one of their own has a dark side, but it doesn't seem to dawn on any of them that these jerks don't really mean what they say. They're just telling people what they want to hear no matter what side they're really on.

As far as my personal relationships with conservatives, we chide back and forth some, but the fact is: we all want the same things in the end. We just have different ways to get there.

My political views cost me a job or two. As a rule, I don't talk about my political views. Folks think that because I was a Marine, that I'm right leaning. Once a Marine...and all that: like Marines are programmed and not people. That and my appearance lead folks to think I lean right. I guess it disappoints when I turn out to be pragmatic and not necessarily a righty.

10/28/09

Haven't been on the blog for awhile. I've been writing for www.examiner.com so you can check that if you want.

I guess President Obama is beginning to settle in to the job. His approval ratings are slipping, but those of us in Cincinnati understand what's behind that temporary slide. The Clear Channel nazis are hammering every move Obama makes. Though the economy is leaps and bounds beyond where it was a year ago, the nazis claim that Obama's just trying to take over the government.

Why? Why would he do that?

Well, the Clear Channel pussies never get that far. "I'm afraid" they whimper and never articulate exactly what it is they fear.

They fear for themselves. It's getting harder for them to solicit ads from sex aids. Without, those ad revenues, they'll be out of jobs. Maybe they'll fall back on all the money they've made in the money market funds they've pimped on air. Oh wait, that's gone bust. hmm... There must be something they could do.

For the time being, they're selling fear to the old and dim audience that still wastes time listening to AM radio.

9/27/09

No surprise that Clear Channel continues to buy Marconi awards for its personalities. The award is alleged to be for excellence in broadcasting, but given the wasteland that Clear Channel has created in broadcasting, the meaning continues to diminish at an even faster rate than the radio audience. Cell phones and laptops are providing much more personal distractions. Talk radio claims to be interactive, but on Clear Channel the callers are as programmed as the commercials.

So one of Clear Channel's local personalities was the benefactor of their generosity. This guy is the epitome of the dinosaur big mouth that is bringing radio to its final days. It's said that the T-Rex was probably the last dinosaur because it was the biggest carnivore. Well Clear Channel has their's..... 

9/05/09

Obama's success is scaring the hell out of some folks. Health care, financial reform, and economic recovery are on the minds of just about every American. Health care is a particular sticking point.

Nearly 40% of working Americans don't have health care for themselves or their families. The vast majority of uncovered citizens are children. As one of my former coworkers put it: if I go down the entire family is screwed, if one of them goes down, we take them to the emergency room and the bill gets covered.

In any instance, we the taxpayers are footing the bill for all of those uncovered citizens already, but those that voted for the losers in the previous election are clamoring for keeping the health care system as it is. The problem with that is: the health care system is broken. As workers wages are essentially frozen the cost of health insurance to a typical employee continues to rise at about 15% per year. It is the largest single deduction from a paycheck outside of taxes. If that deduction could be reduced by 75% and taxes rise by 5% to compensate, the wage earner stands to gain considerably. Instead of the unchecked rise in health care insurance and costs to the wage earner, the government regulates and even offers a low cost alternative that can help families who otherwise could never afford the ever more expensive cost of comprehensive health insurance. Makes sense, but the losing party continues to get all chicken little about Obama's health care policies.

Then there's financial reform. Under former guidelines, financial racketeers where able to operate without fear of restriction or retribution. Without fear of intervention they joined in a feeding frenzy that risked millions of folks' life savings by simply following the chum line and investing other folks' money in the most foolhardy schemes and swindles while assuring their clients that the market was right for such nonsense. These advisors received commissions and compensation for leading so many to financial demise, and few have been brought to justice for their participation in such underhandedness.

Finally there's economic recovery. This is something the republicans fear most. While they claim to cheer on the success of the economy, this will spell disaster for their party at the next election. So now they cheer the disaster that their party bridled the rest of us with, and downplay every gain that's made under the current administration.

I'm beginning to believe that those republicans would rather kill this nation than see it succeed under the current administration.

8/30/09

Kids are starting back to school. Of course the education system is feeling the pinch of a slow economy. Home foreclosures and slow development have stifled tax revenues in many communities. My community has levied an income tax and also levies property taxes. So in my school district, they're feeling the pinch from both ends.

The feet dragging continues in Washington. Republicans, while admitting that health insurance and health providers have caused another financial crisis in this country, simply won't enter into the discussion on an adult level. They've decided to resort to infantile name calling and finger pointing offering up some lame arguments that are based on out and out lies.

In addition, the Clear Channel nazi traitors are calling for the demise of the economy. In fact they're cheering its failure along. Their whiny sniveling accusations continue as the financial markets continue to slide. Banks that have been mired in smarmy dealings involving the stock market are continuing to topple like dominoes and their customers are going to be at risk unless the government steps in at the local, state or federal level. The FDIC is down to its last 10 billion, but the fed won't allow it to fail and leave millions of depositors hanging in the breeze.

The conservative/republican approach to government and regulation has been a colossal failure. By turning their heads and allowing these swindles to carry on unabated, the republicans have created a shambles of monumental proportion.

Now the whining is focused on health insurance reform. Limbaugh - the great prevaricator - claims that death panels are going to legalize killing off grandma. Obviously Clear Channel doesn't drug test their personalities, if they had, Limbaugh would be unemployed. However, his paranoid ravings about the health care debate sound like a drug addict's fantasies, and they probably are. His audience is made up of the very old for the most part, and his scary lies resonate with them, but no one else.

As Clear Channel's audience continues to dwindle, their attacks on anyone who is working on solutions in this country sound more and more like rats who have been left on a sinking ship screaming at the top of their lungs out of desperation and despair. Conservatism has run its course in this nation. Its most vocal proponents have shown themselves to be nothing less than hypocritical lechers and drug addicts; and though they continue to pose as patriots, their turncoat rants uncover their mercenary intent to mislead and misinform their audience for profit. 

8/18/09

Today is my granddaughter's birthday. She was born four years ago. My mother was still alive. Her father was about to ship out to Iraq.

In her short lifetime, the world has taken a serious turn for the worse. Yet, we have been able to insulate her from most of the challenges that we adults face. As she progresses into adulthood, much of what we experience now will be healing and improving. Hopefully she will benefit from many of the common sense decisions we are beginning to make now.

The country regained its senses and elected a mentally and morally stable leader. Not to say that the opposition won't be putting up some whacked out candidates of their own, like Sarah Palin, but for the most part, the repubs have shown their true selves over the past 8 years dominating the decisions that have brought this nation to the brink of disaster. 

Now most of the electorate is reluctant to listen to anything so called conservatives have to offer. Reagan era politics have run their course. Most of us have been burned by the deregulation of the investment industry. Bankers betrayed customers by investing billions of hard earned dollars in risky schemes padding their own pockets and leaving their depositors hanging in the breeze.

When the bankers got backed against the wall, they capitalized on the greed of the investment industry and sold off trillions of dollars worth of risk laden mortgage packages on which the investors backed the entire Wall Street scam that came crashing down in 2008. Millions of hard working and penny saving citizens have seen their retirement savings vanish. Pension funds are decimated. Real estate is no longer a safe investment.

The economy is strong in the U.S., and that's the only thing that has saved us from the irresponsibility of republican politicians and their wealthy backers.

In the end, it's the poor and middleclass that are going to pay the price. The poor rich are going to claim they can't afford to pay a fair wage. The Clear Channel nazis already proclaim that illegal immigrants are harder working and more dependable that the average U.S. citizen. What crap. Wrapping up in the flag and cheering on the demise of the nation doesn't make someone a patriot. It's amazing to me how some of their callers actually believe what those traitors are spewing.

Their current whining point is the overhaul of the health insurance industry. This needs to be done. Like the rest of us, doctors, pharmacists and insurance agents are going to have to take less for their goods and services. It's a simple fact. It's a runaway industry that needs to be brought under control.

Clear Channel's incessant whining and caterwauling about how we're moving toward socialism has an audience. Their listeners are aging, and their ratings are sagging, because most have turned to other forms of entertainment. Radio and print publications have garnered less and less of the media share.

Though Clear Channel owns some of the biggest stations around, their listenership diminishes with each passing day. That can only be a good thing.

So there is a brightness on the horizon. My young granddaughter and all of those of her age group will benefit from the action we take now just as I did from my parents' emergence from the great depression.

8/04/09

The right wingers on Clear Channel and other outlets for their drivel have decided to take up the cause of any disrupters who stand in the way of economic recovery. At the moment its a group of republicans disguising themselves as a grassroots organization that whines about taxes. Of course this group of republicans have been given giant chunks of airtime on Clear Channel stations and their grandstanding at political events gains them some press coverage.

Despite the negative rhetoric of Clear Channel's nazi contingent and the feet dragging of the republicans in Congress, Obama's plan appears to be moving the economy in the right direction.

The federal government can't turn things around. That's a fact. They can provide some incentives and programs designed to help the economic situation keep from worsening, but they can't cause things to get better on their own.

FDR has been slammed on Clear Channel lately. Clearly the most capable and effective president of the twentieth century is being cast as a failure by Clear Channel's nazis.

They never mention the fact that programs like the CCC and WPA not only provided temporary employment for ten of thousands and injected millions in earnings back into the economy, those programs also provided practical training for those workers who would go on to take part in the greatest construction boom in the history of mankind. Beyond that, FDR put together the G.I. Bill that provided education benefits and affordable housing for millions of veterans and their families. Some of the New Deal's programs were short lived, but everything FDR did was designed to put folks back to work, and it worked.

But the Clear Channel nazis cast him as a failure.

Did the government bring this country out of the depression? No. The citizens of this country did by working hard and smart and taking advantage of the incentives the government afforded them to improve the situation for all.

FDR's approach did work.

Tax cuts and reckless spending by the Bush administration have caused much of the government's debt. After all, Clinton and the Gingrich-led congress handed Bush a surplus. The fact that Bush and his cronies decided to look the other way while Wall Street bilked millions out of their life savings, and the banks incentivized bad lending practices, caused the strongest economy in history to teeter on the brink of collapse as Bush left office.

Now Obama has to try to get things moving in a positive direction again. It looks like he might be succeeding. But that doesn't keep the Clear Channel nazis and their minions from getting chicken little about, well, nothing.

7/27/09

Why Sarah Palin resigned when she did

Why did Palin resign when she did? The experts and her colleagues were astounded. There was no apparent reason for her to vacate office when she did. Her poll numbers were good. She was facing some opposition in the Alaska legislature, but nothing she couldn't handle. She could have gone on for another year, got a few things accomplished and then stepped back into national politics with a full term as governor under her belt.

While I'm not sure why she resigned, (I've suspected that it's some lurking scandal because of her defensive stance in her resignation speech) many believe it's likely that it's a chance for her to do a book and make speeches -- in other words, make a lot more money.

But why did she do it when she did it?

Well, Michael Jackson died. MJ's death gave her the opportunity to resign rather quietly. Her resignation was relegated to a one paragraph sidebar as MJ's funeral and burial were covered extensively by the world press.

Palin is now a celebrity, but MJ is huge news and his death afforded her the best opportunity to vacate her position as governor with as little clamor as possible. This is evidence that she has top level advisors helping her to maintain her status as a right wing attack dog while allowing her to wimp out on the most important position she's held to date.

Again, this is evidence that the republicans are going to continue to attempt to polarize the U.S.

Though Palin has proven herself to be uninformed and boorish, she is the new standard bearer for the failing "conservative" movement founded by draft dodging twerps and money mongering evangelists on the radio and television.

7/23/09

I suppose this falls under the "careful what you wish for" category. The Enquirer just shut down their Cin Weekly production leaving CityBeat as the area's only weekly. The two pubs have been locked in combat ever since the Enquirer decided to try the market about 10 years ago. With flagging sales and diminished revenues, Cincinnati's largest publication downsized leaving Cin Weekly as its most notable casualty.

Now CityBeat is alone at last, just the way they wanted it. Are they tough enough and deep enough to weather the economic storm that's assaulting all discretionary income for businesses and customers alike? We'll see.

They've done a great job of severing ties with just about everyone who has helped them succeed in the past. They've killed off all competition and reduced the size of their own market.

Their reporting and editing remain biased and inaccurate. They've adopted a facade of self importance that's silly and fairly annoying to most readers. Their "Best Of" issues are nothing more than promotions for their advertisers.

In my own recent experience with them, they attacked WAIF by interviewing the worst possible examples of former programmers to obtain content for their nasty slanted assault on WAIF. Why? Because WAIF hasn't advertised with CityBeat. Simple as that. That's CityBeat's style. I guess they can live with that.

So CityBeat is alone and unchecked at last. I hope they enjoy the ride, but watch out for the sudden stop at the end.

7/17/09

The 4th of July has come and gone. It rained most of the 4th. Our neighbors pulled off a party on the 4th though. When it looked like the pig roast was getting washed out, they moved it into their barn and partied on.

That seems to be how the country is functioning these days. Though the conditions aren't ideal, we're still finding ways to fulfill our dreams. Mass foreclosures have stopped for now. Layoffs are slowing considerably. The stock market has stabilized. Folks are much more cautious about spending, but they are buying what they need and less of what they want.

Republicans are doing all they can to drag their feet, and in a lot of cases they're attempting to spread panic about the federal leadership. The problem I see with their criticisms and complaints is their twisted logic. In my locality, when the feds lowered taxes, the locals raised taxes because they claimed that they weren't receiving federal funds for this or that. Of course our locals are just about all republicans. Even now, a local county sheriff and chief of police of our largest municipality are releasing dangerous individuals from jails claiming that they don't have enough money to keep them there. Of course they couldn't convince the electorate to vote a levy for building a jail, and this, they say, has caused the situation. Just a few weeks ago, the county bought a very expensive boat for our local crime stoppers, but who knows why funds were allotted for that.

It has been Republican mismanagement and corruption that has precipitated the financial state in our country. Now that the republicans are out, the prophesies of doom and damnation have permeated the Clear Channel airwaves. What a bunch of pussies. Their guys sold the country down the river and now all they do is whine about anything the new guys do to put things right.

Obviously the folks in this country are a lot smarter than Clear Channel thinks.

06/07/09

Conservatives really don't know what they stand for. For the past few weeks, I've been speaking with a group of folks who make their money by servicing a government funded social program, but they hate democrats and in particular, Obama. That, of course, is the epitome of oxymorons. They, above all, will benefit the most if Obama expands the government. They are already locked into the system, and expansion of government participation will offer them more opportunities that they are already equipped to undertake and are familiar with the procedures to qualify for those programs.

The problem for these folks is that they're making a lot of money, or they're misguided para-militants. My view is that they don't know what they want.

Once again, we're hearing about the poor rich. Those downtrodden wealthy are being taxed disproportionately. I feel so sorry for them. They of course enjoy everything this country has to offer, which is almost infinite in possibility. Most have no regard for the law except where it can cost them money. One of the principal elements of illegal immigration is that the wealthy hired these unregistered aliens for menial tasks like housework, gardening, stable work, and then eventually they were hired for stoop labor like picking vegetables and even construction work. This was an easy way for the wealthy to maintain their businesses, keep deadlines, pay less than minimum wage and not have to withhold taxes or fica.

In addition, those on wall street lobbied to allow them to base everything they do on mortgage-backed securities. When the housing market adjusted, tens of thousands of marginal mortgages were defaulted and the whole paperwork system came crashing down.

So now that the bills are coming due for all of the deceptive practices and underhandedness the wealthy have been getting away with for decades, the poor rich are weeping and moaning that it's just not fair. Someone has to foot the bill for this recovery, who better than those who have precipitated this crash and benefitted most from corruption?

Additionally, para-militants are screaming that Obama's going to weaken the military and turn the U.S. into a communist state. None of this is happening of course, but because that group is paranoid and only listen to what they want to hear, they'll continue to poke holes in the air with their fingers and declare the end of civilization as we know it. Of course when Bush was in office, they simply called the evil feds "the government", but now they call it Obama.

It's amusing to me to hear that they've registered and taken advantage of the same federal and state social programs that they curse publically.

Some things never change...

05/19/09

I've been listening to the all night truck show on Clear Channel on my way into work. Everything's a conspiracy theory on that show. It's like sitting around a truck stop listening to a bunch of folks wired on coffee and sweets espouse their solutions for solving all of the world's conflicts and pestilences. It's pretty spacey. A lot of wandering minds. They think Obama's a huge conspiracy to take over the world. It doesn't matter that he already holds the most powerful position on the planet, they think he's sinister and underhanded. Obama's probably been in charge of the most open administration since Reagan shut it down, but that don't stop the truckers from thinking he's out to get all of us.

The host of the show seems affable and agreeable -- willing to listen to anything, and that's the charm of the show. You'll hear some of the most "out there" conspiracy theories you could or couldn't even imagine to exist. The host looks stuff up on the internet to confirm or debunk most of the stuff that's said. He sounds like a nice enough guy.

But I'm suspicious.....

05/15/09

Deficit spending is what got the U.S. into this credit collapse in the first place. The government bases its budget on what it projects it will take in, not on what it actually takes in. Deficit spending has been used almost forever to buy homes, cars, machinery and other big ticket items. It's what we do to get into the lifestyle we feel most comfortable leading.

Lenders make loans on what a client is projected to be able to cover with future earnings. This is all based on future success, or best case scenarios. In the event of a downturn in even one of the factors used to compute a borrower's ability to pay, the entire deal can collapse. This has finally happened to credit card companies along with most other financial institutions.

In addition, that's what has happened to the U.S. economy. Since Reagan, credit card usage has skyrocketed. Purchases made by card holders have provided this economy with enough promises to pay, that everything rolled along just fine until the creditors began to be faced with overwhelming default on loans which included credit cards -- the ultimate in personal deficit spending.

Since the eighties, financial forecasters for every company and corporation project earnings and staff is expected to meet or exceed those goals or face the consequences. Goals to meet are progressive and productive, but in the U.S. these projections became unrealistic and all too important.  Firing and demotion are always threatened and certain termination implied for all who don't produce acceptable  numbers.

Forecasting has been in use since mom and pop founded their first enterprise. When mom and pop didn't meet a goal, they'd be disappointed, and try to understand what it was they needed to do to move forward; and in the end, after discussion and argument were presented, mom and pop would still be the ones getting the job done.

Additionally, in the past there was a sense of loyalty toward honest, hard working employees that has been lost amidst the credit boom. In 90s era corporate America, jobs were exported, staff reduced, and payroll cut whenever forecasts weren't realized because most businesses have been running on an "if come" basis. It was all about economic expansion, and those who recommended hunkering down and accepting integral and sustainable improvement found themselves cast aside.

Folks would do anything to save their own lifestyle including turning on anyone to save themselves. The blame game is huge in a service business: everyone pointing fingers at someone else whenever a mistake was made. Company politics have become more important than productivity and innovation. Customer satisfaction was more a catch phrase than a reality.

All of this is the byproduct of a service economy. The labor pool has become watered down with incompetence chiefly due to Reagan era testing and intolerance. Companies campaign by way of advertising that the public should simply accept mediocrity because it's the best that a company or corporation can come up with nowadays.

Listing liabilities and guidelines for behavior have replaced the brainstorm at company meetings. No vessel for speaking up has been encouraged in the workplace. Improvements are accidental.

This has been the case with U.S. car companies. Long ago the foreign car market began its steady march to the top of the sales board, and the U.S. car companies just didn't pay enough attention to slow the steady increase in sales by the foreign car dealers -- not because they couldn't -- they just didn't. The U.S. car companies were outthought and outlasted by foreign competition. U.S. car companies have been out of touch with consumers for decades.

Now the bubble has burst for the U.S. car makers.

A mob of whiny tax protesters are screaming for Obama and congress to stop increasing deficit spending. Why? Bush resumed federal deficit spending when he decided to prosecute a war against the Iraqi people. Then he cut taxes and attempted two stimulus packages. Suddenly the deficit jumped into trillions just as the financial collapse became apparent.

Clinton and a Gingrich led congress had balanced the budget. Bush and his congress destroyed all that great work. Now Obama and his congress are charged with resetting the economy under the worst possible conditions. Do you borrow and do something, or do you sit tight and do nothing? 

05/03/09

When the republicans had a majority in Congress, they ran roughshod over "the left" cancelling programs, repealing environmental safeguards, deregulating financial markets, and in general, setting us up for the biggest crash since the depression.

Now republicans are screaming about the plan Obama has set in motion to repair the damage and move on from here. Will he be able to do anything but get things to bottom out and turn? No. Simple as that, but getting this going in the right direction is a huge first step. Can the government stay in the construction business long? It's not going to, because private enterprise can do it cheaper and better. That's always been the case, but getting things moving in the right direction is something only the government can do right now.

Just like in the 1930s, the government can provide enough jobs to get cash flowing again. Once that happens, the market grows , confidence returns and private enterprise takes over. It took more than a decade last time. This time, it shouldn't take so long.

With property values in a dismal state, millions will be resetting their mortgages with the government's help. The stock market will never recover all of its losses, because a lot of it's current downturn was due to inflated values.

Folks will adopt simpler and more practical lifestyles and find their way out of this mess. The whole nation will recover after learning a hard lesson about investing in paperwork instead of themselves. Some paper will hold value, but the stock market will be looked upon in an entirely different light now.

I guess it will come down to who can we trust. 

04/26/09

So far the financial crash hasn't been as deep reaching as the hype suggests. Layoffs  continue, but the stimulus is beginning to have a positive effect already. Not much of the money has been disbursed yet, but just the anticipation has helped to calm things some.

Folks aren't spending so freely. Banks aren't lending. Sales of everything are flat.

My thought is that as the stimulus money gets disbursed, confidence will return in small increments. The financial markets will get some much needed regulation. Finally the economy will turn and gain back its momentum.

What we've seen is the end of a long winning streak that we'll need to reestablish over time. A lot of folks have had their life savings completely wiped out in this crash. That money is gone and won't return. Hopefully the feds and other law enforcement will bring the principal offenders to justice so that the system can survive.

Of course when everything begins to turn for the better, you can bet that Clear Channel won't give Obama any praise for helping us through the crash that their boy Bush failed to recognize or take action to curb.

04/17/09

In case anyone hasn't noticed, the U.S. already has a national health care program. It's called Medicare, Medicaid and SSI rehabilitative. It's a tough concept for the right wing to pick up on apparently. Estimates range from 40% to 60% of the U.S. population already receive or will receive benefits from at least one of these programs at some point in their life. 80% of the population will benefit from these programs in a direct or indirect way so if you put all of these programs under one umbrella and add a low cost health care program for low income families, what's so spooky?

The right wing propaganda is that it will damage the current health care system. This line of fear and intimidation is fostered by none other than medical providers, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance carriers who are very deeply invested in the system as it stands.

While it's understandable why interested parties are concerned about a change in the status quo, it makes no sense why the right wing is so chicken little about it. Canadians seem healthy enough, yet they are portrayed as a health care poor nation by the Clear Channel nazis. Private health care will survive even if a national program is adopted, it's just that employers won't get their own insurance for free if federal guidelines are set.

Beyond that, hospitals and physicians charge insurance companies more to "make up the difference" for "write offs" forced upon them buy non paying patients. If you've ever been dogged by a collection agent over a misunderstanding on a medical bill, then you know that the docs and hospitals want their cash. Some folks go to the emergency room for every sniffle and sore throat knowing they can't pay the bill. Eventually the bill gets forwarded to Medicaid and is at least partially paid.

The insurance companies raise their premiums claiming rising health care costs as the reason. Insurance fraud is rampant both by patients and doctors. Now the insurance companies are caught up in the investment crisis and going broke.

Pharmaceutical companies are charging more for drugs in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world.

If there was ever a right time for the government to step into health care all the way, it's now. Runaway costs and charges have built a house of cards as large as the financial world had -- until about 6 months ago. If the government steps in and regulates the health care industry, it could save all of us from another huge crash.

04/12/09

My youngest grandchild turned one year old yesterday. He was born during the Bush administration so his entire life he'll be paying taxes to cover Bush's insanity. As will we all from now on. What could Bush have been thinking about while all of this chaos was taking place? Wall street wrapped itself in one scheme after the next while millions of hard working citizens continued to invest their retirements and futures in the stock market.

Oldish dudes in $1500.00 tailored suits would appear on t.v. and tell us that the wise investor is in it for the long haul. Stately looking swindlers would give us that knowing smile and air of confidence as we lost our money, "you know you can trust us" they'd say -- typical snake oil salesmen. Well those suits made a haul alright. Now they aught to have their asses hauled off to jail for failing their investors and padding their own accounts.

As the Obama administration tries to sort through the rubble and get things moving in the right direction again, the rest of us are trying to make sense of what just happened. With all that's happened with the U.S. economy within the past year, most folks are in a state of shock.

We're less likely to spend on a credit card these days. That's been a tough transition in the U.S. Some are so wired in to the plastic process that it's like breaking an addiction. Working class have been writing checks that they can't cash using plastic, buying groceries and everything else with credit cards. Then they make a minimum payment when the bill comes in. The balance continues to grow as the minimum becomes less of a percentage of the total debt. As interest and finance charges mount soon the card(s) have been taken to the credit limit and the embarrassing "decline" takes place.

When I was waiting on a parts counter, I saw more meltdowns by customers over credit card limits than I care to relate. So they armed themselves with additional credit cards to cover themselves in case that happened.

You can't rent a car without  a credit card. You can't book a hotel room without one. You can't buy online at most places without one.

Many working class have never used layaway or put together a Christmas savings account. Vacations are totally financed by credit card companies. The transition to less debt will be a wakeup call for most.

How did this happen? The American dream. The mythical America (where no one smokes, drinks too much, does drugs, or commits crime) includes a custom built palace, new cars, and any other toy that any household member imagines having just like on t.v. Champagne tastes on a beer budget: it's as simple as that, and yet the problem is far reaching and deeply imbedded.

The "keep up with the Joneses" syndrome has become a way of life for many. Now the debt has come due and there's been hell to pay for many. Bush's thugs effectively removed the credit card companies' responsibility for allowing such debt to mount uncontrollably. The "free market" has been when a client goes into bankruptcy and negotiates what stuff he or she gets to keep without paying for it. Now Bush's gang has forced the consumer to pay most or all of the debt over time.

The credit card companies bear as much blame as the consumers in this. Credit card companies have raised my credit limits without asking me first. Though I'm smart enough to know better, I was lured into indulgent buying partly because of the knowledge that all that new credit exists.

I've regained my senses now. I have one credit card. I pay more than the minimum every month. I use it for emergencies now and that's about it. I've gotten into a cash paying mode. Walking into a gas station to pay my gasoline bill is good exercise. I could pay at the pump and boost the interest and finance charges on my card, or I could walk my ass in and pay cash.

Writing a check at the supermarket takes longer, but there's no interest going to be compounded on your food bill.

The solution to runaway debt is for all of us to become fiscally responsible on our own. Pay off your car before you get into another. Put enough down to keep yourself right side up in any loan. Negotiate for the best interest rate on any loan or credit card. Don't charge more than you can pay off the next month. Save up for big purchases.

Simple stuff, but extremely hard to execute if you're not used to it.

04/04/09

John McCain says he is part of a "loyal opposition" that wants to present alternative points of view on national matters. I think Obama will take this in stride as he has most of what the repubs are talking about these days. The losing party is whining like a bunch of little sissies about how "this aint Bush's fault" and that the dems will turn this country into a socialist state.

Of course Clear Channel's nazis are predicting gloom and doom. They wrap themselves in the flag while encouraging failure of the economy. One guy even insists that it's okay to invest in money markets now, and claims that a 12% loss wasn't all that bad by market standards. So the stream of misinformation continues as Clear Channel loses market share on the airwaves. Even they know that Bush and his thugs are mostly to blame for the collapse.

There have been some signs of change. Unemployment continues to climb, but wall street seems to be righting itself. Morale in this country is beginning to pick up some. The lunchbox crowd is still hanging on and doing business as usual but on a much more limited basis. The thing is now to hang on to what you have. Few new purchases of big ticket items are being made now. Repair shops are doing fairly well, but the new car market is foundering.

In the end, I think, all of this will stabilize. Some of the money changers will be bankrupt, some good folks will fall victim to the broad scheme that fostered this collapse too, but eventually the economy will find its equilibrium  when it is priced at its true value which will happen when the djia is around 9000.

Hopefully, this is the end of the Reagan era. The economy of the working class is every bit as important as the white collar and tailored suit crowd, but under Reagan economics, the working class are never given the chance to drive the economy. They work for sub-poverty wages on the slim assumption that if they keep with it, they will be able to hover somewhere above the poverty line. They have little expendable income so the market they benefit becomes stoic and quality starved.

Working poor are what many Americans have become in a servant economy. The true turnaround will come when the U.S.  begins to regain its manufacturing base.

03/20/09

How Ronald Reagan killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Republicans and Democrats alike still evoke the name of Reagan when they speak of a "style" of politics that will put the nation on the "right" path. When Reagan came to power, he and his wife decided that it was time for the nation to experience some grandparenting. Their oversimplification of complex and enduring challenges facing this nation virtually eliminated any chance for lasting solutions to take place.

I think Reagan's meddling in the workplace did more damage than anything. Though much is made of his "less government is better" approach, the government actually grew under Reagan. He and his followers would eventually deregulate the financial markets, and more significantly, open the labor market to foreign incursion. 

How did he destroy the American economy?

His supply side economic approach absolutely sold the American workforce out to the lowest bidder. Outsourcing manufacturing jobs became the trend in the Reagan era. By moving manufacturing plants to the third world, insane profit margins for manufacturers were easy pickings because places like Sri Lanka and Taiwan weren't burdened by environmental and safety regulations or treating their workforce as participating partners in the production of quality products.

The U.S. became a nation of servants during the Reagan era. How did this happen? More emphasis was placed upon workers' personal choices than on the quality of their work. There are several factors that led us down the path of servitude:

Drug testing

One of the lasting effects of the Reagan administration has been it's anal policy on drugs. Nancy's "just say no" oversimplification of a far reaching and deep rooted behavior among productive citizens has stifled manufacturers' ability to retain an effective workforce and maintain a reasonable profit margin at the same time.

Emphasis has been placed on behavior rather than productivity under Reagan politics, and that's  a concept that only a Hollywood couple could conceive to be viable. In the cookie cutter world of Reagan politics, we're docile and cooperative drones willing to allow our bosses to watch us pee and play with the urine afterwards.

Workers willing to endure the degradation of this invasion of privacy can then join the workforce at risk.

No study has ever shown that this policy has actually reduced industrial accidents as it was espoused to do in the early days of implementation, but Reagan era hysteria has kept this nonproductive practice alive in the U.S.

It's an additional expense for employers that has never been justified.

Smoking regulations

Workers who smoke have been removed from their workstations to have a cigarette. Secondhand smoke propaganda has been hyped and overblown to the point that a public panic has turned the smoker into a modern day leper. Smokers assemble outside buildings and plants in the worst of weather conditions because regulations prevent them from remaining productive while they smoke.

It seems to be forgotten that a majority of those who built this country into the industrial giant we'd become by 1980 were smokers who could smoke at or near their workstations.

Insurance companies were empowered to put smokers on their shitlists too. Employers and employees are penalized excessively for permitting or engaging in this non-violent behavior.

Once again, Reagan era "that's a no-no" politics encouraged vengeful regulation of "untidy" behavior with no consideration for productivity.

Busting Unions

Reagan made it his personal crusade to bust the unions in the U.S. After he broke PATCO in a legendary confrontation in which he beat down the union with such a vengeance, he and his followers successfully cast and continue to cast the unions as an unnecessary and nonproductive leech on American employers and employees. Unions have been on their heels ever since.

Workplace standards regarding health and compensation for workers fought for and maintained by labor unions in the U.S .effectively curtailed after Reagan's union busting. Collective bargaining became a parody as unions negotiated concession after concession. Unions that fought for their members were handled by outsourcing those union jobs to foreign labor.

As the manufacturing base was taking the easy way out of the country, Americans began to serve those companies with foreign interests in a different way. With fair paying manufacturing jobs becoming more scarce, the shift to servitude began. U.S. workers began their trek toward servanthood by selling and servicing those goods manufactured oversees or serving those who did.

As a student of the Civil War, I can say without hesitation, that the South's almost exclusive dependence on foreign goods and investment was the primary reason that they couldn't sustain themselves as a nation. A manufacturing base is a primal strength that the most powerful nations possess.

Under Reagan era politics, erosion of the manufacturing base in the U.S. has accelerated to a critical point leaving the U.S. vulnerable and reliant. When a single income was sufficient to maintain a household among blue collar workers, families were more cohesive. After Reagan, the two income household became the norm among the working class, families began to disintegrate, juvenile suicide rates increased, and the latchkey generation was initiated.

By placing the emphasis on behavior rather than productivity among U.S. workers, Reagan's followers made it far more profitable for manufacturers to outsource labor. In Bangladesh, workers could smoke at their workstations and their continued employment was not stipulated upon an invasion of privacy, yet products produced there could be sold in the U.S. without maintaining the workplace standards that U.S. producers were forced to conform to.

Reagan was NAFTA's chief proponent and once again Reagan era politics has permitted foreign incursion into the U.S. marketplace.

The result of Reagan era politics has been the current financial malaise. His meddling in the workforce and deregulation of money handlers has resulted in the greatest swindle of all time. The diminished manufacturing base, overregulation of the workforce and underregulation of the financial markets has left the strongest economy in history teetering on the brink of collapse.

03/08/09

How has this financial crisis affected the media? Well, Clear Channel radio is running a lot of ads for sexual stimulants. Since most of the hosts on Clear Channel are phallic challenged, the trade off is probably that those hosts get a steady supply so their wives and girlfriends don't laugh at them so much.

The republicans are trying to rally to stop the Obama steamroller. The party whose lack of planning and concern has caused this crisis still think they have a better idea about what's to be done to turn things around. Bush figured out that a stimulus plan is a good beginning, but dumbass didn't place any emphasis on focusing the plan. Just like his bank bailout, he didn't make anyone accountable for the billions he doled out. It was like Jack Nicholson's Joker in the first Batman movie riding down the street tossing money out of the car not caring about where it landed.

The result was a spending spurt that created and saved no jobs. Obama's right. The key to the economy is jobs. By focusing the distribution of funds, creation of jobs is a real possibility and a lasting outcome more likely. Hopefully this plan won't get mired in the typical Washington malaise. Partisanship in Congress and the Presidency has gotten us to this point.

The price of Reagan-era politics with its uninformed deregulation of the oil industry and stock market and dallying in nation building is the undoing of the strongest economy in history. What foresight and hard work had built in two centuries, Reagan's followers dismantled in less than two decades by permitting greed and avarice to pillage the economy unbridled.

Now millions have been stripped of their life savings: the nest egg they would retire upon. Those workers will have to remain in the work force until they are absolutely unable to maintain steady employment. At that point, they become an issue for the state to address. With the baby boomers streaming into their sixties the possibility of octogenarian cashiers and office workers continues to form into reality.

As young workers seek employment fresh out of school, the older workers will continue to hold on to their jobs. Unemployment will continue to rise along with crime and poverty. No matter what, restoring this economy has to be the number one priority of not only the government, but each of us as individuals must do what we can to restore our own personal economy.

Paying off debt, living more reasonably, reducing our dependence on oil based products and energy, and the list goes on: our priorities must focus on independence because it puts us in a better position to deal with interpersonal matters.

03/07/09

I guess the saddest thing about the financial collapse is that honest working folks have been duped into believing that putting money in the stock market is a sound investment. Actually, the vast majority of folks could have spent time at a roulette table and faired as well. So commercials about the "wise" investment companies have disappeared from prime time shows. The info-mercials about buying homes and selling for profit to become a millionaire are absent as well. The quick buck con art is still in full force. Commercials that espouse the lie that  "there's never been a better time to invest in real estate" and the mutual funds scam continues to be falsely promoted as a sound investment.

The white collar scum that led workers to feel safe investing their retirement in unstable funds that collapsed are feeling the pinch as well. Administrators of those funds haven't been effected in most ways. Sure, they're not making the kind of money that they used to make. If they actually believed the garbage they were selling as advice, they've lost just about all they've invested as well. I got to believe that they weren't taking their own advice. I've got to believe that most of them saw the folly of what they were selling to others because they were so close to it.

Now the country must get back to what made it great in the first place. Americans investing in themselves and their communities. This is going to be a positive change. The idea that you can put your money in a fund and thirty years later draw out ten times what you paid in has proven itself to be nothing more than bilking.

The federal government is going to try to kick start a turn around with an injection of funds into the economy. Infrastructure is the primary target that the fed aims to feed. It seems to be as good a plan as any. Most are hopeful that it will succeed.

Those of us that are lucky enough to be employed are uncertain as well. No job is safe. No investment strategy is certain. Right now folks who have a grip on things are going to concentrate on getting out of debt. The FDIC claims that it's nearly bankrupt and is levying fees on banks and thrifts to help it through these times.

Obama remains cool and focused. Keeping fingers crossed.

02/20/09

The Clear Channel nazis are already setting up for the possibility that Obama's plan will succeed. They're beginning to sow the seeds of the "if the economy turns around, Obama had nothing to do with it" lie. So called experts on the economy are on every show espousing this fallacy already as if some facts exist to support their lie.

These are the same cheerleaders who led their listeners to vote for Bush not just once but twice. Now here they go again.

Obama's living up to his promises so far. The stimulus is supporting solar and wind technology along with trying to help the loan industry and encourage infrastructure improvements and repairs. His plan isn't to save the economy, just to help turn it away from it's downward trend.

Seems like it could work.

02/06/09

Nazi pundits are already banging on Obama. He's been in office about two weeks now -- plenty of time to prove himself one way or the other? Not. I think he's getting an education in recruiting right now. Some of his appointees have disqualified themselves through past tax practices and such. Anyway, they've obviously been asking the wrong questions when they interview these folks. Hope he gets that straightened out.

I'm still going to give success a chance to succeed. Dick Cheney says Obama's steering us toward disaster so that means Barack's probably on the right track. This financial disaster rests squarely on Reagan era politics. Reagan came into office, cut taxes for the rich and increased government spending raising the deficit by 100% over his predecessor.

Instead of investing in the economy, the rich began to export jobs. Wall Streeters began their campaign to convince many working class to invest in the stock market -- remember E.F.Hutton's "when we talk, everybody listens" ads? Soon a huge number of wage earners were investing in the stock market through mutual funds attached to 401k programs.

As it turns out, those millions of wage earners have been bilked out of their life savings thanks to the quick buck artists disguising themselves as "investment counselors."  Companies forced all of us to sit through hour long lectures on how we could make our retirement money grow through wise investment in the American economy.

Well it's come home to roost. Home values overinflated during the flipping phase where someone would buy a depressed property and fix it up with paint, polish, and minor repair and sell in a short time for a tidy profit. In order to do that they had to grease the mortgage guys' palms too. Now home values are experiencing an adjustment at the expense of millions of working class homeowners. The mortgage industry has proved itself to be as crooked as the investment world.

Layoffs and bankruptcy are commonplace these days. Huge corporations are teetering on disaster. Yet no one seems ready to listen to any reasonable suggestions to turn things around. Republicans won't admit that they fostered this collapse by unchaining wall street who began to make up new rules for engagement designed to lead an unsuspecting public to economic disaster.

Those on wall street still have money. They're not losing their homes and jobs in any great numbers yet, but if they do, they're likely to have a reserve hidden somewhere.  

01/28/09

At this moment, 10:30am, we are experiencing the perfect storm. Two snow storms have just raged through southern Ohio and have dropped about 1 ft. of the white stuff across the landscape.

Our pets are taking it in stride as you can see in this pic of Gale walking Mick and Keef while Sunny and Dolly pick through flecks of hay we left outside for them. Of course the pups and horses can get in out of the weather if they choose. The horses have the sturdy barn and the dogs have a lean to shelter and houses to retreat to in this weather. Right now they choose to remain outside.

I'm not at work today because they've called off deliveries until tomorrow. I made every single delivery yesterday even going back to deliver one guy who wasn't home. There's a lot of satisfaction in this job.

Gotta get myself dug out now.

01/10/09

Obama just gave a speech about his plans to help remedy the economic recession the U.S. has entered into over the past 8 or 9 months. Housing prices are falling, banks are closing, wall street is in disarray, jobs are scarce, and folks are looking to the government for a way to turn this trend around.

So Obama wants another stimulus package to help start the turnaround. It sounds to me like he's not just going to hand out money, but make funds available to all of those who want to help themselves recover. Obama has some of the best fiscal minds in the world on his team and they've all agreed that this sort of package will be a great first step toward recovery, but the nazis and klansmen at Clear Channel, who have never done anything except bitch for a living, are claiming that Obama's strategy is flawed.

On a positive note, one talk show host has actually done something to reinforce his beliefs. Al Franken, of Air America and Saturday Night Live fame, has won the Senate seat from Minnesota by unseating the incumbent Republican. Finally, one of those blowhards has shown he has the stones to back up his stances. The rest of those spineless jerks are just going to stay on their shows and whine about those who are actually doing something.

01/01/09

The sad reality of the election is beginning to surface on the radio. It looks like the democrats are going to be in control for at least the next 4 years. There have been challenges to Barack Obama's eligibility for the office of president. Claims are being made the he was born outside the U.S. Obama has provided sufficient evidence that he was indeed born in the U.S. His Hawaii birth certificate has been published online.

Clear Channel hosts are stirring the rumor that Obama was foreign born, and though several attempts to challenge Obama's citizenship status have failed to result in anything a judge would consider, the vague claims continue to be the subject of talk shows across the Clear Channel programming grid.

The reason no responsible judge will convene a case concerning Obama's eligibility is because no hard evidence has been produced. No judge is going to spend taxpayer's money based on a conspiracy theory. Clear Channel's Nazi's and Klan member programmers continue to extend the life of the unfounded claim though. It scares most of their listeners to think that a black man could actually right what's gone wrong in our country.

12/20/08

I guess it's time for a year in review. Aside from one tragic loss this has been a pretty good year. In November of last year, I put myself on a six month timetable to leave the automotive parts field behind. I'd worked there 38 years. Though I'd earned a livable wage and worked with some great folks, I'd seen a crossroads approaching in my life.

I read somewhere that life is a series of crossroads. While some believe that you come to a single crossroads in your life where you make a defining decision, I believe we make defining decisions throughout our lives.

I know a really nice guy that was telling me that our jobs define us. It's what we do to conduct business that tells all about us. I don't agree with him. The way I earn a wage tells nothing of me except that I retain enough competency to accomplish whatever tasks are required of me at that particular place of employment.

Was I a great parts man? I was a competent parts man and a team player. I work hard, I'm dependable, and I'm trustworthy. I was always certified in whatever lines I sold. I was good enough, and for that kind of job, that's all you have to be to remain employed.

At the end of May, I decided to leave the automotive industry and search for another line of work. I started out as an auto parts delivery driver. I'm now delivering meals to elderly and disabled. Connected only by the means of transportation involved, these jobs are fairly far removed from each other, but similar in ways too.

In January, Gale stepped down as a deli manager where she couldn't exert her seniority to get favorable hours and is now a cake decorator working days. We've reached a stage in our lives where we feel we should be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor, and free time is a priority now.

We had a great party at the end of May. My plan was to take a short break between jobs, and find another closer to my home because gasoline had reached $3/gallon and was rising.

I was unemployed for 6 months because the economy's collision course became apparent shortly after I left my last job. I was persistent and found employment, but not before I got some huge projects done around my property.

In September, my grand niece, Ali, died from injuries she sustained in an auto accident. She was 19. My family has been devastated and stunned for the past 3 months. I expect Christmas will be a subdued celebration this year. For the past two years our Christmases have been dampened by the loss of my mother and the loss of two of our grandchildren in a plane crash.

Loss is part of life. As much as we can celebrate our gains, we must be able to absorb our losses and move on. It's not an easy road, but little in life is.

In July, we took on two Border Collie pups, named them Mick and Keef, and have enjoyed every minute of their companionship. They bounce around and cause mischief like pups do. Life is just one big wrestling match. They've run a wild rabbit down from behind and killed him -- something that I was never expecting to see. They aggravate the horses, chase the cats and in general stir a dust wherever they go, but they're very affectionate and lovable too.

We rode Sunny and Dolly on trails 2 or 3 times per month from the Spring to the Fall. The summer was a little dry but stopped just short of a drought. I'm already working on next year's field prep. I built a shed adjacent to the west gable of the barn and expanded the pasture forward about 50 feet on the west side of the lot. The shed's sheltering my farm implements and a trailer right now. I plan to build walls for it next year.

Lynard and Skynard are doing well. They aren't much for catching mice. In fact, I've trapped at least 10 mice myself in the barn, and I haven't seen any evidence that they've killed a single mouse. So there you have it.  Life in the cruising lane.

The band has done fairly well. We've played about a dozen gigs this year and have one scheduled for New Year's Eve. We've learned several cover tunes we've never played before.

I began to listen to some old demos I laid down about 20 years ago. Some, I'd forgotten completely even existed. I think I'm going to play some of these demos for the band and see if they might be interested in recording again.

My son-in-law is out of the Army now so my daughter Rachel and her family including three of my grandchildren are home now. My son Josh announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Stacey.

The election was a pain in the ass, but the right guy won the big office. The country has a long way to go to dig out of the mess that so called free enterprise has permitted thousands of swindlers to bilk out of millions of working class citizens attempting to invest in the future. Bush and his hacks wanted to privatize social security. Think of the disaster that would have created. He'll be gone in a month, and I don't think that's soon enough. I'm hoping the new guy will do better.

In all, a good year ending well for me.

12/13/08

I've taken a job delivering meals to the elderly and disabled. It's a very strenuous job and requires absolute focus to accomplish correctly and without incident. It's a privately owned mom and pop operation that covers 59 counties in Ohio. I deliver to homes in 9 or 10 counties. This is similar to the meals on wheels program, but ours is a broader program design to provide staples for a week or more. The reason this company exists at present is because of a program developed to assist elderly and disabled citizens. The program is funded by Ohio and is vital to maintaining a standard of living for most recipients. This company warehouses and distributes food staples to thousands of citizens unable to provide for themselves adequately.

Of course there's a learning curve to a job. I took notes on my directions as I rode the route. Used a gps unit for the first time. It's been like cramming for a huge exam. A lot of rules and regulation along with driving through challenging terrain and weather conditions to provide basic sustenance is a real brain squeezer, but probably the biggest impact this position has had on me are the clients.

Most are elderly. Some have done fairly well in life and either they or their families can supplement a social security stipend with private savings to keep the elderly person in a secure domicile designed to facilitate use by seniors. Those that exist in that group that are too healthy for assisted living or rest homes and live independently in retirement communities or high-rises. Others have done well enough to remain in their homes and contract someone to build a proper wheelchair and gurney accessible ramp. The final group are toughing it out in trailer parks, section 8 apartments, or homes in disrepair.

I'm leaning on 60. I'm fast approaching that elderly stage in my life. This is an amazing revelation to me to see how these folks exist. Most of them live alone having outlived their spouses and friends. Some find new friends in these communities and socialize. Some stay in their rooms watching tv with only Dr's visits, visits from case managers or nurse's aids, and various others including me as distractions. These old folks are my parents' age group, the WWII generation. Many smoke excessively even under Dr's orders to quit. I've seen some of them with oxygen tubes in their noses puffing away, but still hanging on.

About 1/2 of them have a dog or more. One of the things we carry are dog snacks similar to Milkbone treats. Cargo pants are perfect for this job. For many, their pets are their only source of companionship and are their closest friends. A small act of kindness toward their pets is always well received.

So I'm about to get an education in my future options as an elderly citizen.

I've been trying some of the meals. We can eat anything out of the warehouse as long as we consume it in the break room. It's all palatable. Fairly basic fare. Pretty good selection on the menus. Menus are diet specific. As the dude said in the Woodstock movie, it's not steak and eggs or anything, but it's good food, and we're gonna get it to ya; however, recipients have steak options and egg options so I assume they could team them up if they desire.

It's four days per week. Consumes almost all of my waking hours during those days. Very demanding in every aspect, but rewarding as well. It's a solid job with a three day weekend.

11/21/08

I've been absolutely amazed by the reaction of a lot of those who I call crybaby conservatives. I think the moniker conservative is really a misnomer. They're redneck bigots who use the name conservative to disguise their malice. The easiest way to identify these maggots is when you hear them say, "I'm not racist, but..." and then they commence to spew some twisted logic that they feel somehow supports their position. I've heard that phrase come out of just about every Clear Channel talk show host.

There's a guy on my street who has been flying his flag at half mast and upside down since the election. I've seen him walk by the flag a number of times so I know he didn't put it that way by accident. I've met him and spoke to him so I know he's not blind. He's being a crybaby about the election.

I haven't approached him about it. To me, flying the international signal of distress for any reason other than a life or death situation is a desecration of the flag. My neighbor has lined himself up with those who burn the flag. Why? Because he's a crybaby.

I didn't like Bush II and I thought the country missed the boat big time when he was selected for office. I wasn't happy about it, but this is still my country right or wrong. When he stood on ground zero and declared that those responsible for the destruction of those American lives would pay, I said, go get 'em George just the same as I would have said if that had been Al Gore standing there.

I didn't display subversive bumper stickers or call talk shows to vent my disappointment with the election results. I know that this country has another election in four years. I figured that the country would come to its senses by then. They didn't, but I didn't desecrate the symbol that so many heroes have put their lives on the line to uphold.

I heard on the radio that the Clear Channel folks are doing just fine. They don't think this economic slump is all that bad. If course, I'll fall back on the old phrase that it's a recession until it comes to you, then it's a depression. That will happen to them when their advertisers begin to feel the pinch of the recession. The first thing a business does to save costs is cut the fat, and advertising is considered fat by most businesses in trouble.

For more than 10 years, republicans have been in the majority in Congress. When the democrats clamored for compromise on any matters, they were summarily dismissed by the repubs. Now that the republicans are in the minority, guess who's asking for compromise? It's always the party in the minority that wants compromise. Hopefully this congress will find a way to work to their strengths. Liberals typically have the best ideas, and conservatives typically figure out the best way to implement those ideas. It's a formula that has worked well in this country for a couple of centuries until the extremists in the republican party began to work their intolerance into partisanship. The lines between the parties became so distinct that no one from either side would listen or even consider engaging in constructive debate. It's been unhealthy for the U.S. and I think it's one of the principle reasons that our economy is sliding away.

Morale among the citizenry of this country is a huge factor in our success. If we feel that we're not getting a fair shake, we don't feel like taking a chance on anything. We simply hunker down and await some sign that we can relate to. Barack Obama has been a glimmer of hope for most of us. No matter who decides to stay in their bunker for the duration of his term, the rest of us might just decide to take a chance.

11/04/08

I've been spending a lot of time outdoors lately. I've been building a lean-to type shed onto the western side of my barn. I've never built anything from the ground up in my life, but there I was scheming a way to get this shed built. It is part of my plan for a winter turnout pen for my horses.

For two years now I've built small pens out of corral panels so that I could give my horses an opportunity to eat some grass in the winter and early spring months while I keep them off pasture. The usual procedure in this part of the country is to release horses onto pasture from April or May until November or December. In winter months, you pull them off pasture and keep them in their stables or in a confined pen so that the pasture has a chance to recover from spring/summer grazing. After I pull my horses off pasture, I drag or score the ground in the main pasture to break up piles of manure and gently scuff the ground. Then I spread fertilizer, usually manure, and finally I seed.

I own about 5 acres of property. 4 acres is fenced for pasture. I cut out about 1/4 acre for a winter release pen from the pasture. This a pen directly behind the barn where we allow our horses to get out and play while we clean their stalls. This year I've bought a couple dozen corral panels to form a pen for the horses. My goal is to be able to permit the horses to roam the release pen or seek cover in the stables if they choose. I built a release pen from regular field fence, but Dolly kept getting her leg hung up in the fence because she continues to challenge her boundaries when she is no longer on pasture. She leans over the fencing to eat whatever grass is on the other side and eventually steps through the fence and gets her leg caught up in the wire fencing. After coming home and finding her hung up in the fence, we've had to keep them in their stalls until we're home to keep an eye on them. This year I'm going to form the release pen from corral panels in hopes of a better result so that we can allow our horses the additional room the release pen affords to come and go.

Corral panels are structures made of tubing that are at least 5ft tall. They are sometimes termed as "temporary fencing" because they are portable. The panels I have are 12ft long and 5 ft high, weigh about 50 lbs., and I can transport them by hand from place to place to form a fence structure. The ones I purchased lash together with chains and form a tall fence that Dolly has never challenged no matter where I've placed them in the yard or pasture.

However when the horses are taken off pasture, their behavior changes and they are capable of some quirks, like getting hung up in fencing attempting to challenge the tighter boundaries that have  been set for them in order to allow the pasture to recover.

In past years I've been building temporary pens to release them in various parts of the yard so they can have some live grass to eat during the time they're off  pasture. This year, I've decided to fence in a portion of the yard and another segment of the pasture for a permanent winter pasture that will be close to 1/2 acre in size. This small enclosure is directly adjacent to the release pen behind the barn. I will only turn them out in this pasture one day a week or so, and only while the weather is relatively dry. This small winter pasture will give us an easy way to allow our horses to eat some grass and provide them a break from the hay staple that we provide for them throughout the winter months.

The shed I'm building will form part of this enclosure with it's western wall. It's roof line is 21ft. by 18 ft and will store my horse trailer and other machines under cover for the winter. I've never tried to build anything like this. It's an entirely new experience for me.

10/26/08

As they try to sort out the financial crash and the stock market continues to lose value, hundreds of scam artists are on the loose. It was just revealed that the Republican congress of 2000 with the consent of Alan Greenspan permitted long term checks and regulations on Wall street to be lifted and that precipitated the circumstances that lead up to the crash.

I'm not surprised. In 2000, the lame duck congress still had some of the worst legislators in our history mucking up everything for the working class with no one even trying to keep a lid on what they did. So they pulled regulations that kept the market from becoming an all out gambling scheme, and the paperwork shell game began.

Now that the market has crashed and continues to slump, accusations are flying about with a lot of finger pointing. Still no one has been brought up on charges even though millions of working class Americans have been bilked out of their retirement savings. Jobs are being eliminated due to the economic slow down. Banks are closing or being bought by larger banks. Thousands of homes are empty with little chance of being sold.

Every day the outlook gets gloomier, yet a core group of so called conservatives think that a Republican senator can lead us out of the mess that republicans created.

As time goes by, Obama continues to widen his lead over McCain. This can only mean that some positive change is imminent for the nation. It also appears the  democrats could pick up even more seats in congress and locally.

10/12/08

Sometimes things hit home. The financial crisis has many members of my family unduly stressed. The tight job market, the rising cost of fuel, food and services is taking a toll on everyone I know. Over the past two weeks, the stock market has tumbled to its lowest mark since before 911. Bush II is like a small cat in a large litter box trying to cover up whatever smells, but what ever he does to cover one pile, some other smelly mess turns up. There doesn't seem to be an end to it.

Wall street is collapsing. Lenders are going bankrupt. Folks' life savings are disappearing. Home values are down. All those institutions that we felt safe with for so many years have proved to be vulnerable to greed and corruption.

Yet no one has been brought up on charges. Millions of investors have been swindled, conned and misled. The entire global economy is teetering on depression. Yet no one is being held accountable for this series of crimes. This seems to be the day of reckoning, but the only ones who will have to pay up are the victims of these crimes. The rich are going to walk away from this with all of the funds they've bilked from millions of trusting souls.

Clear Channel nazis are instructing their listeners to remain calm and ride it out. Of course that's what so called investment counselors were saying eight years ago when the market's so called worthy investments were proving to be susceptible to crooks like Enron's executive's. Cooking the books became an acceptable art form. Faking profits was a daily practice. Balance sheets and quarterly reports were deemed absolute proof of a company's liquidity even if their bank accounts didn't reflect it.

Now the paperwork system itself is being called into question and small investors are pulling out of the market in droves. The stock market was boasting record highs just about a year ago. Despite its manic fluctuations, it seemed as if all was secure on Wall street. That's what the media was saying all along. Investment counselors were snorting and shaking their heads when I told them I didn't want to be associated with the stock market in my investments as few as two months ago.

Not that I'm any kind of investment guru. I just don't trust most businesses to make sound decisions. Too many bottom liners at the top who are afraid to get their hands dirty but are more than willing to take huge paydays from companies that won't pay their workers fair wages and won't offer a decent benefit package. Who says that some executive that has almost no investment in a corporation should receive millions in compensation while their workforce is living below poverty level?

These are rules that the rich have made up. Opulence gained on the breaking backs of wage earners is just their form of social Darwinism. As Reagan said, if you want more money, get a better job; it's no one's fault if you don't advance yourself. Of course this discounts the fact that most of those high paying jobs are afforded to family or cronies of those who control a company's interests. Merit in the workplace rarely gets anyone an atta boy let alone a promotion at nearly all companies.

Instead of overinvesting in the market, I've kept my savings in interest bearing accounts. We own some defensive stocks, and they're doing well enough given the current climate. We're not getting rich by money standards, but we don't measure value in that sense.

I believe being rich has more to do with getting yourself into position to maintain some security no matter what happens around you. We've attained that position through a lot of hard work and an investment strategy centered around self sufficiency and not some tower of paper that could go up in smoke during a fluctuation in the market.

This financial crisis has been a long time in the making. Those who saw it coming have been swept aside or silenced by the jeers of those who were getting rich off of investment schemes. Of course those who caused the problem: investment brokers, loan officers, credit managers and mortgage brokers aren't getting any of the blame. In fact, they've hidden themselves so deeply under the paper trail that it's likely none of them will be brought to the surface.

It's the poor and working class that will be held responsible for this crash. The fact that the money managers are the real culprits is simply being ignored. I'm not surprised. The line that's coming out of Clear Channel is that too many people got involved in the stock market who had no idea what they were doing.

My line of thinking is that there were a lot of people investing other peoples' money in risky and even foolish schemes that have failed. Those whose money was invested are screwed. Those who invested the money simply shrug their shoulders, take a commission, and walk away unscathed.

Only in America. 

10/09/08

After watching the presidential debate night before last, it became quite clear to me just how much two years of campaigning can wear on the candidates. Instead of an open and spontaneous forum like the town hall style of debate is supposed to be, it was a showcase of just how programmed and robotic the two debaters had become over the months of intensive stumping and interviewing. Their responses were simply talking points and bits from their stump speeches.

Of course they're coached and counseled to a fault. Any small grouping of words that come out wrong, like "lipstick on a pig" will be smeared all over the press as an attack on an opponent because of some vague reference made to a line in a speech of that opponent. So every word is carefully gleaned and chosen in these debates. The candidates are too tired to think. They're too stressed to be genuine.

This was especially apparent in the case of McCain whose age is apparent in his mannerisms. Though Obama was stoic and monotonous in manner, McCain looked like he was on the verge of collapse with forced smiles and tomahawk gestures while delivering his prepared responses. They were walking around, but both were stiff legged and and a bit stoop shouldered.

Not that I feel sorry for them. They asked for this.

It looks more and more like Obama's going to win by a landslide. He continues to pull away in the polls. The Clear Channel nazis are becoming more desperate sounding and their plaintive squawks and "end times" prophesies ring hollow as the people of the U.S. finally gain their senses.

Can Obama wreck the U.S.? Did Nixon? Did Bush II? The founders made provision for the president to only gain limited power. Fortunately, the electorate puts enough level headed individuals in congress and the supreme court to maintain some sense of order when madmen win the presidential election.

Reagan was sick with Alzheimer's for most of his final term. Yet the right wing praises his performance as president as something that was God sent. Over and over this country dodges the bullet. If Obama is incompetent, the system will either flush him out or cancel him out in much the way it has with Nixon and Bush II.

My gut tells me that a young man with a non traditional upbringing may be the very person to lead us out of the morass that Bush II and his cronies have allowed us to back into. Evangelicals think the world is about to end. Conservatives have proved themselves to be the biggest hypocrites of all. So called budget hawks have led us into the largest deficit in our history.

It is indeed time for change.

10/06/08

Yesterday, I was listening to the ball game on the radio when they had a halftime newsbreak. Clear Channel owns the broadcasting rights of the two pro sports teams here so I had one of their stations tuned in. As they told about various shootings occurring in the area and car crashes, another news item sprang up.

Apparently the vermin had decided to crawl from beneath their rocks and to begin an all out assault on Obama. McCain trails in every poll now, and here in Ohio he's behind by 7% with the margin widening every day. The economy is swiftly sinking, the war in Iraq drags on, and Bin Laden and the Taliban continue to thrive in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

From the outside, this country must seem almost impotent, and as our once mighty stature quakes and crumbles from under the pressures of bad business practices and worse policy decisions, our uncertain future has to be very unsettling to the international community. Electing a younger man with fresh ideas seems to be the right choice for us as it was with Clinton vs. Bush and then Dole. So the right wing evangelical nazis are pulling out all the stops and their attack mechanism will be set at full throttle with some of the nastiest lies and distortions flying across the airwaves that any of us have ever seen.

As McCain continues to lose ground, the republicans are grasping for any sign of victory. For some unknown reason, they claim that Palin won the debate with Joe Biden. To me, it sounded more like a discussion, with little argument and almost no confrontation. They each continually repeated the policy of their respective running mates and little else.

Palin tried to come off as folksy and grounded in the challenges that face the so called Main St. constituents. The fact that she didn't make any huge gaffs or stumble on any questions as she had for the previous week or so in interviews, gave republicans reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Some have claimed that she has "command of the issues" which is pure baloney. The fact that she could spend an hour in discussion without stammering or rolling her eyes simply means that she was coached intensively.

Biden spoke from experience and his answers were fluid and confident. Palin was better than expected, and anxious to show off her new found skills of memorization and condescension. To me, there was no clear winner in the so called vp debate. As I've stated, it was more of a discussion with each of the candidates simply repeating the talking points of their parties. No one hit the so called home run that clear winners seem to do in these debates.

Though Palin is characterized as a "pitbull" in politics, she seems to me like a pomeranian yapping behind a sidewalk fence: making a lot of noise, but never really making a difference. Biden is the smooth politico with decades of experience at honing the craft of speech. Two different styles with no winners or losers, just a chance to speak about the stances of Obama and McCain on various issues.

But the republicans are claiming victory. They're grasping at anything at this point, The attacks are going to become vicious. The lies are going to get bigger. Distortions will become astronomical. All in the name of politics, this has become considered to be business as usual at election time.

So called political action groups will buy commercial time on tv and radio stations to disseminate their vile untruths in a manner that the major candidate can disavow any connection to the ads.

Hopefully most of the voters in the U.S. will be able to remember that McCain has been complicit and supportive of all of Bush's programs. When it comes to economic issues, he's buddied up with some of the worst money people there are including Charles Keating. He's fought against any reform in health care as well.

Despite his record, McCain claims to have the solution to all of our problems including health care and economic reform. His solution is more of the same. Let the markets play out and all will be well in the end.

My feeling is that the only way that we can get our economy to right itself, is to force it to do so by government intervention. I'm not talking only at the federal level either. States, Cities and other localities are going to have to get involved to turn this trend in the right direction.

What's happened is that the rich have made a lot of risky and poor investments using the money of the working class.  With the permission of pension fund administrators, wealthy wall street investment firms bought mortgages in packages. Many of these mortgages had been granted under marginal and even unrealistic terms to first time home buyers who were lured into homeownership by scruple less brokers and lenders. When wall street bought these packages, another market was founded called swaps which were like insurance against loan defaults. The reason they were called swaps was because they weren't backed by capitol, they were simply a piece of paper that was posed as a security measure for risky investments made by bankers and other security firms. In other words, swaps were supposed to be insurance, only the crooks who sold these swaps wouldn't call it insurance because if they did, they'd have to prove that there was a capitol reserve to pay off defaulted loans.

When the sub prime mess boiled to the surface, the "swap" holders tried to cash in, but the people they bought these swaps from simply said that they didn't have the money to cover the loss, and since there was no government oversight, no one could do a thing about it.

This is what the market has done with all of the wealth that they've been entrusted to invest on behalf of working folks. Not only are people losing their life savings, we're going to have to pay off these defaults with tax monies.

Yet the republicans and the nazi pundits are saying regulation isn't the answer. Somehow the market will magically repair itself and in ten years it'll be like nothing happened. The Securities and Exchange Commission have been stealing their paychecks for decades now. The one agency that could have put this right has never intervened.

Some speech given by an undersecretary of the Treasury isn't fair warning. There are noted economists that could have sounded a plaintive alarm, but for some reason, if they did, they were hushed by the overwhelming cacophony of poopoos by Wall Street proponents and lobbyists in the administration, congress, and on the air.

So my question remains: who is going to jail for this? Is the only recourse we've got is to shrug and say okey dokey? As we watch our savings get squandered by con artists and scammers, will we be left powerless to employ any form of retribution? The theft of billions and even trillions of dollars will simply be written off and repaid by taxpayers?

Obviously, the likes of McCain, who has hobnobbed with these scam artists, won't take any form of action to prevent a repeat performance. He'll pay it lip service, but in the end, he'll do nothing.

McCain doesn't do well under pressure. He cracked while he was a POW in Vietnam and taped a confession that put hundreds of his fellow prisoners in mortal danger and sent a message to our troops that he felt all was lost. I don't think he's up to the challenges that are going to confront the president this term.

10/02/08

Today would have been my dad's 85th birthday. He was a Navy communicator in the Pacific in WWII. He was a Goldwater conservative.  I have never agreed with my dad's politics though. He didn't care. "It takes all kinds" he always said. He felt that a diversity of political viewpoints was always the best way to arrive at a good solution when it came to government. "Conservatives and liberals need each other, a balance is necessary." He was someone I will always regard as a standard of excellence in my life.

Tonight I watched the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. My mind has been made up about a choice of tickets, but I know that there are a lot of undecided voters out there who will watch this debate and some will make their choice based on this debate. My view is probably biased, but I want to get a good look at Palin in case her ticket happens to win.

Biden is a seasoned politician who didn't require a lot of coaching. His delivery was smooth and convincing. His answers succinct. His message undeniable.

Palin was more about talking points. She wouldn't separate the positions of her ticket from the policies of the Bush administration.

At one point she clumsily attempted to pull a Ronald Reagan tactic by dodging the question and speaking "directly" to the American people. Reagan was a veteran actor and gifted speaker and was quite convincing when he diverted his attention from the debate with Carter. Palin is a one term governor and former beauty pageant contestant with little finesse whose attempt to follow Reagan's example only reinforced the notion that she had no real answers of her own.

She did, however, come off smoother than she has in impromptu interviews. When she's off the script she comes off as ditsy and uninformed, in this debate, she showed that she can memorize well. 

No one scored the "home run" that is so sought after in these debates. The Bush administration has performed so poorly that all Palin could do was try to change the subject whenever Bush was brought up.

Obama's lead continues to grow despite the plaintive cries of the Clear Channel nazis that taxes will go up and freedoms are going to diminish. McCain's attachment to Bush is inexcusable and undeniable.

Palin was brought up from the minor leagues because major leaguers like Powell and Rice wouldn't get involved in this losing cause. Palin's attempts at running with the big dogs only further confirm that she should have stayed on the porch.

9/30/08

It appears that the house of cards that is our financial system is crumbling. First the word was that we'd seen a record number of foreclosures on homeowners mortgages. Then we hear that most of our financial institutions are dependent upon the success of the mortgage market because most of them had invested in it. Now we're seeing huge banking institutions going broke and being bought up by larger banks. Insurance companies are wavering as well.

Of course the nazi propagandists at Clear Channel are blaming the borrowers. No one is blaming the billionaires who pushed to change the lending system to the point where it's allowed something like this to happen. No one is being charged with any crimes, no one is in trouble except the U.S. taxpayer.

Bush II came up with a "bailout" plan that his own party doesn't really like nor do many democrats. Congress voted it down yesterday. Then the DOW went on a selling spree finishing nearly 800 points down.

I don't know if we're looking at financial ruin or not. I've tried to safeguard my savings, but if the entire system crashes, no one knows what's going to happen.

These many years of cutting off the body to save the head in the form of outsourcing jobs, selling off companies, and borrowing from foreign investors has left the U.S. in a very vulnerable position. Never have we been so dependent on foreign investment and imports than now, and never have we been in such a poor position globally as far as our relationships with our allies.

Bush has been a curse on this nation.

9/27/08

I watched most of the presidential debate last night. McCain seemed irritated that he had to stand up there and explain himself. Obama seemed more informed than I expected he'd be.

With the collapse of the financial markets and the economy potentially sinking into an abyss, McCain really knows that he's in deep trouble due to the fact that Bush is from the same party.

There's no talk that anyone is going to be brought up on charges concerning the financial malaise. All those who got rich from the swindles they purveyed aren't going to be penalized a penny. It's the taxpayers that are going to get saddled with putting the economy back online.

How'd it get derailed? Greed. Pure and simple.

Clear Channel nazis are blaming the mortgage problem on the buyers saying that the lenders were just "doing their job." Seems to me that the same defense was put forth at the Nuremberg trials. Actually, the lenders weren't doing their job if doing your job means taking care of a customer without liability to your company.

If a family that can afford an $85,000 home on a conventional fixed rate loan, why would anyone go to the trouble to find financing for that family for $175,000 home? Yet that's what happened time and again. These families, many first time buyers, were led to believe that they could afford these homes and after a few years could refinance after they'd accumulated equity in the property.

When the market value of real estate dropped, these families defaulted.

Many in the real estate and financial fields are saying that they have been seeing this collapse coming for a long time.

Really?

Now exactly who is to blame for this collapse, and why isn't anyone going to go to jail over this?

9/25/08

Well, George Bush II gave a speech last night about why the federal government has to bail out just about every financial institution in the U.S. His speech was short for him: less than 5 minutes. He seemed to know way too much about the financial collapse that the U.S. is undergoing.

Most said he did a good job of explaining why the collapse occurred. He should. He was part of it. Some said he looked like a deer in the headlights. Some said he didn't sell the solution. I think he looked like he was giving a deposition. Guilty as charged. Sort of like "Honest Maury, there aint no way I'm baby daddy."

Well in this case he is baby daddy. Not only has he hobnobbed with the perpetrators of this series of crimes, he's personally benefitted from the schemes that hundreds of con artists have pulled. They've all gotten rich from swindling the poor and lending institutions out of billions.

The criminals who caused this aren't going to be held accountable. Though they've all taken home huge commissions knowing that about half of those they've qualified for those "funny" loans will default, and most of them have, they're not going to have to answer any questions, pay any fines or do any time. So now the fed has stepped in, thanks to George Bush II, and sanctified the greed and crimes of these scum.

That's because Bush is one of them. He's taken money from all of them in his quest for power.

The Clear Channel nazi hate machine is already placing the blame for this crash on the poor. They say people were buying homes that were way out of their price range. That may be true, but what they're not saying is that those poor folks, who for the most part were first time home owners, were advised to do so by the perpetrators of the confidence game that the taxpayers are going to be saddled with resolving.

People who thought that they could be proud first time home owners are now being evicted from those homes because they are unable to maintain the mortgage payments, utility bills, taxes, insurance and all else that comes with home ownership. They were led to believe that it was just fine for them to take out a variable rate loan, or an "interest only" loan to purchase a big beautiful new house in a safe and thriving neighborhood instead of buying a more affordable existing home in another neighborhood that is just as safe but didn't carry the prestige of the one that the new home did. Lending institutions were amicable because Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac were encouraging them to loan money to first time home buyers.

Now the U.S. taxpayer is going to have to make sure that the very perpetrators of these crimes are saved.

My dad told me that money is power. I'm seeing that what he said is absolutely true. Bush took the money from the financial con artists, and now he's going to take care of them since the chickens are coming home to roost on all the mortgage swindles that this group of his supporters have been involved in.

9/19/08 (late)

The phone lines are intact again. I've been able to reach the internet. The a/c is working, and yes all the conveniences I take for granted are fully operational once again. The grid has been patched together again and now the folks around here will settle into their easy chairs, drink cold beer and eat hot homemade food once again and in less than a week, this blackout will be but a distant memory.

Microwave chimes will cheerfully alert the hungry masses that their meals are ready for consumption. Gasoline will flow like magic nectar from self serve fountains. Groceries will be displayed in bountiful array, and ice will be dispensed on weekends and holidays.

9/17,18,19/08

Wow.

This past Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, the day started out much like any other. I haven’t been working since the end of May, but I’ve been doing repairs and improvements around the house and property. One such improvement was to cut down the yard I have to mow by building a fence to expand the pasture. Basically what I’ve done is cut in an extra ¼ acre or so for a winter turnout space. I’ve been setting posts for that project for more than a week and Sunday morning I set the final two posts, and as I worked on those posts in the late morning, the wind began to pick up.

That’s not all that unusual. This place is relatively windy anyway and we’ve seen many days where the wind sustains at more than 20 mph for 8 or ten hours. Anyway, I finished up at about 1p.m., washed up, and sat down to watch the Bengals play the Tennessee Titans. About 15 minutes into the game the power failed. Power failures are rather common as well. The longest in recent memory has been about 4 hours that occurred last summer when a motorist knocked a pole down.

As we shut off and disconnected various appliances, the wind began to pick up.  I looked outside and saw that our lawn furniture was resting against our vehicles and our trash cans had been blown over which had happened before, but when I opened the door to retrieve the items, I was nearly forced off of the porch by the wind. So I gathered the lawn furniture and set it on the leeward side of the house along with the trash cans as twigs and leaves flew past me bouncing off of the garage and house. At that point I was beginning to believe that this was no ordinary wind storm.

We keep two Border Collie pups in a pen outdoors, and one of the projects I’d just completed had been a sturdy shelter in the pen to provide the pups with a relatively safe spot for them to go during inclement weather conditions. A rather large gum tree and a tall cedar provide shade and shelter for the pups as well, but I was concerned about the pups’ safety as the wind storm began to intensify and the giant trees swayed and bent. Several large limbs had fallen from the gum tree and bounced off of the shelter with no harm done, and the pups were trying to sleep in the shelter as the gusts howled through their pen.

So I turned my attention to our two horses that were out in the pasture. Instinctually, our horses had turned away from the wind, had "backed up" to the storm, and were lowering their heads as the wind flung leaves, dust, and trash past them. I tried to convince them to follow me to the barn, but they wouldn’t budge. The pasture is to the north of the barn so they would have to follow me against the wind, and that was contrary to their nature. So I rushed to the house and got an apple. I returned to the pasture and showed the horses the apple which convinced them to follow me to the barn. I secured the horses in their stalls and brought out a folding chair to ride out the storm in the barn.

Gale scooted a lawn chair into the corner of the pups’ shelter and sat there while the wind gusted up to 86 mph (@130 kph) for more than two hours. The door to the hayloft in the barn broke off at the latch and was swinging wildly in the gusting wind so I took some baling twine and tied it shut. A new roof had been installed on the barn so I was anxious to see how it would survive, and it remained intact. Several shingles flew off of the roof of the house and wires were swaying violently, but all held fast with only minor damage.

We didn’t know it at the time, but Hurricane Ike which had just devastated the Texan Gulf coast and flooded much of that state and surrounding area had traveled north as a dying tropical storm, and when it got to the Ohio valley, it became regenerated to a category 1 storm. It was Ohio’s first hurricane in 108 years. As I spoke with my neighbors we'd guessed the storm to be Ike, and that was confirmed as we tuned in our car radios to hear the weather analysis of what had happened. Nearly 800,000 homes and businesses were without power. Our local service provider, Duke Energy, had sent most of its repair crews to the Gulf coast to aid in the restoration of services there not thinking that the hurricane would affect much damage in the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky region.

Just after dusk that evening, the storm had passed. Fallen trees, limbs, and poles had severed power and communications lines over an area of 3000 square miles. This would turn out to be the most widespread and longest lasting blackout for this region that anyone alive could recall. Many folks were blocked into their homes or had narrowly escaped death or injury. In all, 4 deaths were attributed to storm damage. Property damage is likely in the tens of billions.

In the twilight of that evening, the pups and I patrolled the fence line that enclosed the pasture. The wire fence was intact, but a strand of electric fence I’d installed across the north edge of the pasture had been damaged by the wind so I disconnected the controller. As we continued to survey the fence on our way back to the barn, I remembered how I’d felt that the coming of Ike would be a good thing because we could use the rain; but in all its fury, the storm hadn’t left a drop of moisture.

I released the horses to the pasture, put the pups in their pen and began to form a strategy about how to deal with the lack of electricity. As the light faded to darkness, we found flashlights, matches and candles. When my stomach began to growl, I remembered the Coleman camp stove we had stored in the upstairs closet along with several other camping items like tent lights and a lantern. 

Of course when something like that happens, it’s only natural to believe that the situation will be resolved in a matter of minutes or hours at the most, but as I listened to the radio reports, it became apparent that repairs to the power grid were going to be at least another day away.  Duke Energy crews had to be turned around from their drive to the Gulf coast and brought back to the area to effect repairs. Duke had produced a radio spot that urged its customers to “have patience” and stay away from fallen lines and the repair crews.

I live in a rural area, so many of my neighbors own generators that they activate when the power fails. For the next two and a half days, generators droned their stalwart songs as they provided temporary service to their owners. I had a ¼ beef in my chest freezer that I learned was going to be safe for at least 48 hours without power. The front door freezer on my fridge could keep things frozen for about 18 hours and the fridge was good for about 8 hours. We had plenty of food on hand, and we decided to eat the perishables first saving the dry and canned goods until last.

We had water at the faucet, but we decided to use a water conservation method. We filled several large containers in case we needed fresh drinking water and took “shipboard” showers that first night. After that, we used as little water as possible making sure that our dogs, cats and horses had water to drink as well.

Nature wasn't entirely unkind. Temperatures were very moderate with highs averaging around 70 deg. F and lows around 50 deg. F with not much humidity in the air. This enabled us to work and sleep in relative comfort, but we soon found out that all of our chores around the house and property needed to be completed by nightfall.

Cel phone service was up the entire time, and we were able to contact our friends and family to find out that all were doing well given the circumstances. The wireless generation of communications devices had proved its value in this situation.

Our animals provided many respites from the temporary lack of modern convenience. The pups were rowdy and playful, demanding attention from us. Our horses amazed us with their grace and beauty and seemed ready to show their appreciation for our care during the times of duress. The feral barn cats, though traumatized by the storm, came out of hiding and allowed us to reassure and feed them. Our house cat was equally traumatized and didn't eat well for a day or so, but eventually we were able to soothe her enough to get her back on her normal feeding schedule. 

We rushed through the next day to get necessary things accomplished like picking up fallen limbs, inventorying available survival items, and restoring our property to normalcy. None of our large trees had fallen. There were some medium sized limbs lying about and one of the smaller trees had split at a fork. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my property had sustained very minimal damage from the wind.

One of my neighbors told me that a small shopping area about 4 miles east of our street still had power. I drove to the grocery there that morning and was pleasantly surprised to see that the manager had the foresight to bring in ice by the skid load. I returned home with pet food and essentials like wine and beer and of course, ice. Later in the day I went for a second batch of ice and happened into a rather anxious situation where 50 people were waiting in line to get ice. The ice truck driver asked the policeman who was standing security at the door to preside over the distribution of the ice. Apparently, at a previous stop, he opened the doors to his truck and folks began to grab the bags of ice and run without paying for them. We all waited patiently and politely, and soon after, we had our ice.

As night fell, our animals had been fed, we were cooking thawed chicken tenders on the camp stove along with thawed peas and corn by camp lanterns' light as well as later dining and drinking wine by candlelight. Then I pulled out my guitar and sang songs I thought I’d long forgotten.

The next morning, Tuesday, Gale went to work, and as it turned out, she stayed for her entire shift. I went to find ice and to see how extensive the damage was to the power grid. As I drove along one of the rural roads I saw six large utility poles that had been snapped in two by the storm with the upper potions dangling by the wires just inches from the ground. In other places I saw that trees were leaning on the poles or wires and some limbs were dangling from wires in other places. Huge mature trees had been uprooted in some spots and simply snapped in two in others. Barns had lost their roofs or siding. Silos were toppled, signs twisted or flung from their moorings, houses had lost shingles or siding, but in spite of the damage, the area had held up well under the stress of hours of sustained high winds and gusts.

I visited my son’s home and found that their electric had been restored. There was minor damage to his house, but nothing to be alarmed about. Power was restored in some spots but not others, and groceries and gas stations that were open were overrun with customers. On my way home, I stopped at a gas station near an interstate where there was a waiting line. The manager of the station had taken yellow caution ribbon and ran it across one of the entrances directing everyone to enter from the other side of the lot. A fellow in a pickup truck drove through the tape and up to one of the pumps. At that point, the manager closed the station, shutting down the pumps and informing the pickup driver that the police had been called. So I left that station though I was getting fairly low on gas.

Later that day I found a station that was closer to home. The manager had parked employees’ cars to block one entrance and directed customers to form a line to enter from the other side. Everyone complied and soon we were driving away with the gas that we needed. At 7:30 that evening, Sept 16, the electric power was restored to my street.

As I write this more than 96 hours after the storm commenced, power has been restored to our street, cleanup is well under way, but our land phone lines aren’t connected yet. We are cooking all the food that we could save from the overhead freezer compartment on the fridge that we had placed in coolers and iced down to preserve the food for later.

The product of the big bags of chicken we saved are chicken salad and chicken and noodles. From the rest we've made coleslaw, chili, and shrimp cocktail. The beef in our freezer was preserved by the kindness of my neighbor who allowed me to plug my freezer into his generator, and I'm already in negotiation for a generator of my own.

I've heard that more than 200,000 homes haven't had power restored yet. I'm sure that many who live in the hurricane belt will read this with less than sympathetic comprehension. We haven't been under any real stress here in Ohio. I guess what has got most of us bewildered is that we're supposed to be trading off our annual winter weather for their annual tropical storm siege. The fact that we're not prepared for wholesale disaster at this time of year stems from the fact that we haven't seen an occurrence like this in more than a century.

Is this the result of global warming? Are we entering the "end times?" Who knows for sure? No one, I'm certain. I know I'm going to stay as prepared as I can from this point forward. Not that I was caught without a reasonable level of means to survive and recover, but there are essential aspects of our existence that should be able to be sustained to protect my person, my family, my pets and my property such as heating, refrigeration, a sump pump, fresh water supply and safety lighting.

Once again, I'm reminded just how weak the electric grid is in this country. Nearly all businesses grind to a halt while the grid is down. Computers are the tool of commerce these days. Hand written invoices can be inaccurate and inventories are much more difficult to maintain without a computer. Most young folks aren't sufficiently schooled in basic math to be much help when the computers are down.

Lack of electricity stops the oil industry as well. Without gasoline, this country cannot maintain commerce. Gas pumps need electricity to pump the gas. Perishables spoil, shelves remain unstocked, factories are idle, water cannot be provided, phone service becomes unavailable, crime is almost indefensible for many, and what ensues is anarchy.

Several decades ago, there was a movement to place electrical wires underground. Utility companies have fought this change because it is much easier to simply string lines from poles than it is to fish them through an underground conduit. Many communities have buried utility wires because they feel that utility poles are unsightly. My brother lives in such a community, and his electric service was uninterrupted after the storm. Though buried lines are more difficult to service, they are also more secure from the effects of natural forces like wind and ice and less likely to sustain damage of any sort.

It seems to me that lack of foresight has never been an issue in this country, it's lack of willingness to remedy an issue by government and industry that stifle these ideas. An entire industry of denial has sustained itself on talk radio for nearly two decades now. The disrepair of our economy, ecology and defense are all due to the fact that the scare tactics of the far right have effectively deceived enough of the public to keep us from facing the true challenges before us.

The answer to ending attacks on the U.S. is to strengthen the defense of our borders. There have been two attacks on the U.S. in the past 15 years. Both have come from within this country. Much of the funding for those attacks has come from a wealthy Saudi born terrorist named Osama Bin Laden. G.W.Bush stood at the scene of the second attack and pledged that those responsible would pay. Rumors have abounded that Bin Laden is in poor health and at times, it's rumored that he's dead. Then he makes a video talking about current events in the U.S. and other places.

G.W.Bush used the attack in New York City, and on the Pentagon as an excuse for nation building in Iraq whose people were in no way responsible for the attack on the U.S. even though Bush lied and declared that Iraq had indeed been part of the scheme. Billions of dollars and thousands of young lives have been spent in Iraq which is approximately 1000 miles from the headquarters of Bin Laden on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

Before the dust had settled from 911, a Republican majority in Congress muscled The Patriot Act through to Bush reasoning that the cause of the attack on the U.S. was due to our freedom, not our lack of defense. So as the country was busy picking up the pieces from 911, the Patriot Act was enacted to legalize unauthorized wiretapping, internet surveillance, and scrutiny of bank transactions, as well as airport security, and increased search capabilities at border checkpoints.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service got a pass on 911. Many of the hijackers on the 911 flights were on international terrorist watch lists. Most were known to be living in the U.S. and associating with those international terrorists. Most had working visas, and some had expired visas. Yet the INA did not hold those individuals accountable for the expired green cards nor did they attempt to expel any of the known terrorists.

So instead of overhauling the INA, Bush and his thugs pushed through the Patriot Act which amounted to little more than an authorized witch hunt. The terrorist cells in the U.S. won't likely attack through the airline system again. They attempted to bring down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1993 by using the popular method of the day which was a bomb filled truck piloted by a suicidal operative. When that attempt failed, the next cell devised a new strategy which was to commandeer jetliners and destroy the buildings from the top down. This strategy couldn't have succeeded if the INA had been doing the job it was supposed to be in charge of maintaining.

Why the INA failed us remains a mystery, and it will likely always be a mystery because instead of the government blaming itself for its failings as it should have, it pointed the finger at a government it was angry with, started a half-assed search for the villain who admits financing the attack and lastly, penalized the citizens of the U.S. who the government felt were to blame because we possessed too much freedom.

Now as the people of New Orleans are returning from their flight from yet another hurricane, Katrina looms in their minds as yet another failing of the U.S. government whose own Army Corps of Engineers had recommended upgrades of levees two decades before Katrina. Temporary levees held as Gustav blew through the region and New Orleans dodged a bullet this time. People who live in the Delta region are terrorized every time a major storm enters the Caribbean Sea, yet the government hasn't responded sufficiently to reasonably secure their homes and lives.

That's how I feel that the occurrence of Hurricane Ike in the Ohio valley will be swept under the carpet. Power and phone lines will be repaired and folks will resume their day to day living and won't even regard what's taken place by the end of the year. Though reasonable remedies can be employed by the power, phone and cable companies to prevent such a recurrence, it's likely not going to happen because the culture of denial will work studiously to stop it.

The nazis at Clear Channel are already beginning their "stop your whining already" position even though 15% of the region still doesn't have electrical power. The fact that Duke Energy has purchased a huge amount of advertizing time on their stations has already begun to have an effect on their stance. They're already saying that we didn't have it as bad as other places have had it under the same circumstances. So that grain of truth will be enough for them to reference hundreds of lies to defend the position of doing nothing to remedy the causes of this protracted blackout.

In the end, we'll have learned nothing from this experience as a community. A simple matter of burying cables can prevent something like this from occurring again, but the culture of denial will convince most of us that such an undertaking is too expensive and time consuming. 

9/12/08

I refrained from posting yesterday. I might have said in this blog that my mother was on a plane when 911 occurred. She was flying from Minneapolis to Columbus, Ohio when the jetliners hit the towers and the Pentagon. When the plane went down in Pennsylvania there was a blurb that other flights are probably in danger as well. After a frantic search for her by myself, my aunt and my stepfather, she touched down in Columbus oblivious to the attacks that had taken place because they'd not been informed during their flight.

Seven years later, our country is in a more vulnerable position now than we were on 911. The Bush administration has isolated this country from its friends. Our borders continue to be largely unguarded. We have wasted billions prosecuting a war in Iraq that has had no impact on terrorist activities in the middle east.

The fact that Bush and his thugs have never taken out Bin Laden is especially disturbing. Had they found and prosecuted Bin Laden, I believe the wind would have been taken from the sails of his terrorist network. Instead, Bush gave the hunt for the planet's chief terrorist a second billing to going after Sadam Hussein who was a big mouthed despot that Bush's father had failed to silence.

We haven't been attacked since 911, but I believe early in the next administration, Al-Queda will strike again here in the U.S.

Why do I think that? The initial attack on the World Trade Center was in 1993 shortly after Clinton took office. He appointed his cabinet and staff, including federal law enforcement chiefs and major assistants. It was during the transition that the WTC was attacked in 1993. The attack was unsuccessful the first time, but eight years later, as Bush was replacing Clinton's staff, the second attack occurred. We are now approaching the election and the appointment of a new cabinet and staff.

Our most vulnerable system is the electrical grid. A well placed explosive can take down nearly all business on either coast and throughout the midwest and south. Without electric, most businesses will grind to a halt. I feel, with some certainty, that more sleeper cells exist here in the U.S. only in deeper cover than the last group. They're most likely families who dress like Americans, hold more than entry level positions and have been accepted by their neighbors.

This group is likely more dedicated and focused than the last.  In many ways, we are less prepared for an attack than we were the last time.

9/10/08

So the Palin charm is already beginning to wear off. Her shrill voice, oratory inexperience and haughty demeanor are already beginning to take hold on audiences nation wide. Once the harsh and abrasive mannerisms sink in, I think the electorate will see that this person is little more than an opportunist.

It's rumored that she carried on an affair with her husband's former business partner and that the disabled child she's pimping is the progeny of that affair. That wouldn't surprise me. It's like republicans to come on as goody two shoes and turn out to be the town tramp. She tries to come across as a working mother with a cel phone in her purse and a buck knife on her belt, but in reality she's the kind of nazi who as mayor attempted to force the city librarian to destroy books owned by the city's public library because Palin found those books offensive.

Again there's no reason to believe she should be a real factor in this election. It's McCain/Obama no matter how much they push this woman's face into the spotlight. 

9/09/08

Much is being made of this Sarah Palin person who is McCain's running mate. She's bloodthirsty enough to be attractive to the nazis and Tim McVeys that populate the Clear Channel airwaves. They say she has experience which is true on a very small scale. It's kind of like saying someone who runs a gas station can step in as a CEO of a major oil company. All she's doing to this point is speaking in platitudes, oh she's adamant about right to life etc., but she's pimping her youngest child's disability, her oldest daughter's pregnancy and she's appealing to the so called ultra right wing "hockey moms" that she's the quintessential working mom. This is a lie of course, but she's doing what they do in American politics: she's telling them what they want to hear.

I keep getting a feeling that there is something very unseemly about this woman's past that remains just under the surface. I may be wrong, but when nazi talk show hosts express the fear that no one comes forward with anything bad about Palin's past, it leads me to believe that something's out there, and they know it.

The main thing that the democrats must do at this point is to isolate McCain, his views and his voting record from Palin, after all, he'll be the one in power, not Palin. She'll have one of the most powerless jobs in Washington for at least four years unless she's as bad a shot as Cheney.

McCain on his own is a sitting duck. The dems need to start taking aim at the right candidate and try to make that stick in the minds of voters.

9/06/08

Last night I watched a women's panel show on one of the PBS digital stations. The subject was Sarah Palin. Of course I watched with some interest. There were female panelists from both sides of the political isle. Some of the subjects covered were how Palin came to power by going up against the republican establishment in Alaska after a term as mayor of a town and one in the state legislature. She's served 20 months as Governor of Alaska. Her qualifications are borderline, but her advocates say that they're adequate.

The opposition says that her limited experience in that remote area is so far removed from the mainstream lifestyle most U.S. citizens experience that it hasn't given her a realistic view of the country's entire citizenry. They pointed out that Palin voted for the so called Bridge to Nowhere, earmarked the funds for other projects and then voted against its completion. She's advocating drilling for oil in the controversial ANWR region. She also reinstated, against a federal ban, aerial hunting of wildlife and reinstated a bounty on wolves.

There are photos of her standing beside kills she's made while hunting. To me, most forms of hunting are viable methods of wildlife population control as well as valid recreation for hundreds of thousands of responsible enthusiasts across the nation. Hunters have preserved and restored habitat, have conducted game censuses, and have enabled migratory species to thrive. Hunting is older than civilization, and in my opinion, if pursued responsibly, should continue unabated throughout the U.S. and the world for that matter. Some of my best friends and friendliest acquaintances are avid hunters and harvest many types of game every year.

Aerial hunting of wildlife is as indiscriminate as spotlighting deer, dynamiting fishing holes, shooting down declawed cats and bears on hunting ranches, or the trainside buffalo hunts of the 1800s. Good hunting is done by wit and stealth where the animal has equal footing. Granted, in Alaska, some hunters can become prey to the large animals that roam the tundra, but that is the allure for many who go there.

What Palin has done is reinstate a barbaric form of hunting to increase tourism. Those who don't have the nerve or stamina to take on Alaska's game on equal footing can now just hop in a plane or helicopter with a guide, chase down big game from the air, take as many shots as they want at the game, and claim the prize without any hunting skill, knowledge of the habits of the species, or respect for the habitat of that species. In short, it's a guaranteed trophy for the non hunter, who not only won't eat the meat they've harvested, they contribute nothing except hunting fees to the preservation of habitat.

The bounty on wolves places them in the category of a pest species again. This practice is what decimated the wolf population in the first place and caused them to be included in the endangered species roster. In my home state of Ohio, a coyote can be shot on sight. There's no bounty, but there's also no season. Of course, that's easier said than done. Even baiting stations are no guarantee that the wary and stealthy coyote will come into the open long enough for a clear shot by a land owner protecting his stock and pets as well as preventing the spread of rabies and other communicable diseases in densely populated areas.

Palin's enactment of the bounty on wolves and reinstatement of aerial hunting shows that she's learned nothing from her experience as a hunter. Obviously her time tracking, sighting in and harvesting game has fallen on blinded eyes and deafened ears.

Her association with the evangelical movement is likely the reason for this. Evangelicals are a doomsday cult who believe that the world is in its "end times." They don't care about preserving the environment because they believe the world's about to end. They're unconcerned about overpopulation because they think that 1/3 of the world's people will be pared down by famine, pestilence, and war. Speaking to evangelicals about preservation of the environment is met by glazed over stares and shoulder shrugs. They are no more concerned about the ecology than they are about birth control.

Palin is McCain's final connection to the far right wing of the republican party. He's spent his entire career distancing himself from that wing of his party. He was disavowed by his party when he ran against G.W. Bush in the primary. Bush's hate machine even started a rumor that McCain had fathered a black child during the South Carolina primary. Now Bush says McCain is the right man for the job.

Palin was offered up to McCain by the evangelicals. She's right-to-life, anti environment, anti gun control, and has a pit bull mentality toward her adversaries. She's worthy of a very close look because McCain is 72 right now and if he were to be elected to a second term, he'll be 80 if he lives through that term. McCain's health is somewhat questionable, though he seems well enough for now, his past health problems could indicate that he could face health issues during his term as president.

In that case, Palin would be his successor. Despite the fact that her qualifications are dubious, it's obvious she's prepared to kick her family to the curb to satisfy her ambition, and I believe that indicates that she's got some serious emotional baggage. 

9/04/08

Last night, Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech. Apparently she's regarded to be an aging beauty queen. She doesn't appear to be anything special looking to me. She was runner up for miss Alaska about 25 years ago, but you can't really tell it now. Anyway, her nomination has played out like an episode of Springer or Maury.

Despite the fact that no one from the democrats has spoken a disparaging word about the fact that Palin's 17 year old daughter is in her second trimester without a husband, the republicans have become extremely defensive about the subject. It was Palin's campaign that used Palin's status as a mother as a qualification for the vice presidency so the press followed up on it as they normally would. So the Clear Channel nazis are feigning outrage about any comments or insinuations that Palin has a communication problem with her daughter or that her daughter is basically easy.

Anyway while Palin gives her speech baby mamma and the presumptive baby daddy sat in the VIP box looking very smug because their fornication has been sanctified and authorized by the governor of their state, the evangelical community, and the republican party. 

It doesn't matter. At this point, it's come down to the campaign ads which will determine who wins the presidency. If the choice was purely on substance, Obama would win going away. Sadly, substance has little to do with elections any more. The 2000 election showed that winning the vote won't necessarily win the election. The 2004 election showed that heroism in combat can be disregarded and even denigrated by a group of sour grapes vets who claim to have known how the hero "really" got his medals.

So it's not about substance and never will be. The economy is in terrible shape, but the republicans won't mention it because it was their president and congress that caused this recession. Instead, they're going to concentrate on getting out the negative vote. They will scare, coerce and claim that a vote for democrats is a vote for Satan, and they'll never even try to put up their ticket's merits because there are so few. What McCain did 40 years ago has little bearing on what he can do as president. His close association with convicted felon Charles Keating, one of the slipperiest con men ever, will never be brought to light because the republican propaganda arm will be too busy shouting about Obama's supposed association with anarchists and terrorists.

They'll tell the gun control lobby that Obama's going to disarm everybody. They'll say he's against prayer in school, they'll  say he's for going easy on criminals, they'll say he's in league with the enemies of this country, they'll say that abortions will increase and church attendance will wane, in short, they'll say anything to scare folks into voting against Obama.

In reality, McCain has little to offer except more of the same, his choice of running mates indicates that. He'll say anything to placate the nazi propaganda machine that will now go to work to keep Obama from victory in November.

Sadly, soundbytes rather than substance will do more to sway voters.

9/03/08

So now the Clear Channel nazis have begun to whine about McCain's vice presidential choice. Her name is Palin and she's been the Governor of Alaska for less than one term. When she was nominated, or rather, designated, by McCain as a running mate, his/her campaign explained that her time in the Alaska state legislature, and her term as governor showed she had political experience and then they claimed that Palin's experience as a mother of 5 and running a household also qualified her to be a heartbeat away from the most powerful position on the planet.

So the press has been looking at her espoused qualifications as they would anyone else's, and lo and behold, Palin's oldest daughter has gotten herself knocked up. Now no one really cares about her kid getting pregnant at 17. That happens in mansions, subdivisions and trailer parks all over this country, but for the campaigns to hold up this woman's personal life as a qualification for the second most powerful office in our country kind of flies in the face of anyone who is seriously looking at the candidates' ability to lead.

Okay so she's an average mother. So what? Does that give her an edge as a leader. My thoughts are, no way.

Once again, McCain has demonstrated his inability to make good choices in a pinch. I've heard that Palin was McCain's fourth or fifth choice for the vp spot. I've also  heard that he'd asked Powell, Rice and some others to run with him, but the truth of the matter is that the entire republican party is running from him. No one wants to sail on this sinking ship. So he picks an iffy candidate like Palin who is carrying a ton of baggage into the campaign.

There's an odds-on betting line that McCain kicks this broad to the curb.

8/27/08

Today's my 59th birthday. Back when I was in my 20s, I didn't think I would make it to this point in my life. My natural parents are gone. I have one stepparent left alive and she's not doing all that well. I'm in relatively good health, so's my wife. My kids seem to be doing well enough. I'm still between full time jobs, but I'm finding some work here and there to keep my ego and bank account propped up.

I got a call from my foster daughter yesterday wishing me a happy bd. I'm not sure if anyone else will remember. It doesn't matter. I remembered, and I guess that's a blessing all in itself.

Watched some of the Democratic convention last night. It's interesting how regular folks can get in front of a national audience and speak their minds. Most of them aren't very good speakers. Point is: they're speaking to the converted. Are they going to reach the undecided? Probably not. That's up to the candidate and his staff.

McCain's complicity in the madness that Bush imposed upon the citizenry of this country is being downplayed by Clear Channel's nazis. Bush brought them tax cuts, they say, but somehow the next guy is going to have to raise enough money to keep the government running because while he initiated tax cuts, Bush pursued wars on two fronts.

Of course the revisionists are hard at work trying to downplay the almost irreparable harm Bush, Cheney and their thugs have brought upon this country's economy and overall security. As long as this country is economically stable, we will remain secure. That's a fact. Bush and his loony cronies have wreaked havoc on the economy by enacting ill advised tax cuts and by ignoring the massive illegal immigration into this country which is the principal cause of 9/11. Instead of making moves to secure our borders, Bush prosecuted a war against the sovereign and non-aggressive state of Iraq.

The military's morale is at an all time low. Reservists who have served two or three tours in Iraq or Afghanistan are war weary. Enlistments are almost non-existent. Re-enlistments are down.

The economy is in a state of shock because of the unreasonable rise in fuel prices and the decline of the real estate and automotive markets.

The republicans can't win on the issues. Their hate machine will simply scare the electorate into voting in another poor example of a president. Why are they afraid of Obama? Because he's black and he has an opinion.

But despite all of that, happy birthday to me.

8/26/08

Here's the trick. John McCain hasn't had to do anything. The republican attack nazis are doing it for him. McCain is absolutely the weakest candidate the republicans have put up for election in 50 years. No one is touting McCain's achievements. No one's saying he's a leader. He's none of that. He's lost election campaigns already and only won this one by default.

His entire presidential campaign is focused on running down Obama. Period. No issues. No intelligent debate. Nothing but badmouthing garbage from the Clear Channel nazis and other "conservative" scum that crawl out from under the republican outhouse thinktanks and spew their swill to the utter delight of the gutter minds atop the republican party and the evangelical right wing.

Fear and hate is all they can sell. The fuel of the McCain campaign is misinformation about the opponent. No substance. Nothing to vote for, just something to vote against. That's exactly how Reagan, Bush and Bush II were voted in.

I don't think the race is that close. From the tone of desperation that the republicans are sounding on a daily basis, McCain is hapless enough to blow the election anyway. I'm sure they're telling McCain to remain low key, don't make any more mistakes and allow the smarmy lies about Obama to win the day.

One lie that's being promulgated about Obama right now connects him to the Weather Underground, an anti-Vietnam War group, which has been defunct for nearly 40 years. A former member of the Weather Underground is a neighbor of Obama's and a campaign meeting was scheduled at that guy's house. The guy had served a prison sentence, was paroled, is gainfully employed and now lives peacefully among his neighbors as a contributing member of the community.

Yet the lie equates Obama with terrorists. As I've said, these scum will stop at nothing, and the more McCain stumbles, the nastier the attacks on Obama will become. These scum will not be restrained by the truth, and no one on the so-called "moral" right will call for an end to the attacks. These people hide behind their religious hypocrisy and wrap themselves in the flag espousing "true" patriotism, but when this form of treason is committed against the electoral process, they simply refuse to take responsibility for it.

So there you have the McCain campaign in a nutshell: lies and irresponsibility.

8/22/08

So I've been watching the tv commercials for the presidential candidates. What does McCain stand for? Other than bashing Obama, not much. There's one commercial running down Obama for the entire time, and at the end, McCain says he approves the message. This simply indicates that the republican propaganda machine is in full swing again.

Once again the Clear Channel "conservative" nazis are out to scare the electorate into voting in another lousy president who could be worse than George Bush II if that's possible. They're not looking out for the country, they're looking out for the money that's in their own wallets. For the most part, they're the ones who have promoted buying of SUVs and rebuilding of muscle cars. Now they're saying don't get rid of them. Why? Because they all own those vehicles and they don't want to see their devaluation. Their agenda is as self serving as it can be. Besides, their concerted attacks on Obama are simply a way for them to reinforce the racist intent of their overall message. Don't vote for Obama because he's black. I believe that about 20% of white males registered to vote in the U.S. won't vote for Obama for that very reason and the white supremists at Clear Channel are attempting to expand upon that number.

Another charge against Obama is that he lacks experience. Based on the media spin that's generated today, JFK would have been cast in the same light. Obviously leadership isn't a matter of experience. George Bush I is a prime example of the failure of experience to enhance that characteristic. JFK is an example of how charisma and overall understanding of the real issues are what can usher this country into an era of prosperity.

Then they're saying $4 a gallon for gas? What's the big deal? Of course those who say that are making more than 6 figures and are likely driving vehicles loaned to them by a sponsor. Those same Clear Channel nazis and the Tim McVey types that call in to their shows have been hammering on hybrid drivers more more than a decade now. Now they're harping that global warming is a figment of Al Gore's imagination, you know, Al Gore, the Nobel Prize winner. The same Nobel prize that was awarded to the likes of Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr. is now being denigrated by the Clear Channel nazis as just another "liberal" trick designed to misinform the public. It doesn't matter to the Clear Channel nazis that the Nobel committee is populated with the most respected scientists on the planet.

Also there's a serious denial that a recession is in full swing here in the States. Well, it is. The housing, construction, and automotive markets are in a stage of depression. The job market is as flat as I can ever remember it being, and Bush along with a complacent republican congress, including McCain, are to blame for all that's coming home to roost now. Clear Channel's hosts proclaim that companies who export their workforce to third world nations are just doing good business. They've also claimed that unauthorized immigrants are at least working for a living which makes them somehow better than those who are legally on relief or disability. This inverted logic is so widely disseminated by these jackals that many believe it's becoming mainstream thought.

In this presidential election the choice is clear: McCain means more of the same Bush mentality at the top, and Obama stands for striking out in another direction.

Obama makes more sense in so many ways.

8/20/08

I just got a lesson about my cel phone provider Verizon. I opened an account with them in 1997 when the company was Cellular One. Verizon took over Cel One a few years later and there was some confusion at that time, but it all got straightened out in a couple of weeks. Three years ago we wanted to add our grandson to our account and they began a new contract at that point. I'd started a separate account for my mother in 1999 and everything had gone well with that for years until they decided to discontinue analog service. So at that point we switched mom to our account, and they required we start a new contract. Apparently they deleted my name from the account then.

So yesterday my phone began to act up and I went down to the store to get it swapped out. I find out at that time that my name is no longer on the account, in fact, I'm not even a registered user anymore so I can't fix a phone on an account that I've been paying without incident for more than eleven years. The account was changed to my wife's name without my knowledge or consent three years ago. Some dweeb at the Verizon store did that change to get the sale.

When I asked the smartass store clerk I saw today how it got changed, she said that she couldn't discuss the account with me. So I called Verizon's national number, and they gave me the same response stating they had no record of my name ever being on the account and weren't going to talk to me about it.

So that's the kind of absurd customer service they give at Verizon. They simply blot you out at their convenience and refuse to discuss it when you ask why.

8/15/08

Well it had to get to this. John McCain is pimping is religious beliefs as a reason he should be president. I guess Jerry Hagee has appointed, or rather anointed, McCain as the "hand of God" as if George W. Bush hadn't been enough of that already. Any religious person who says that a president isn't doing exactly what God intended is a hypocrite. According to most religions, God's plan is always in motion.

So I guess it means that Obama isn't religious enough to be a good president. Abraham Lincoln was a very spiritual individual, but he wasn't an avid church goer. He read the bible, prayed, and espoused a deep belief, but he wasn't religious in a traditional sense. He is considered to be the greatest of all of our presidents.

As for me, religion just doesn't work. I have several reasons for feeling this way.

1) The second class status afforded to women. This is true in nearly every religion. Obviously Muslims relegate their women to object status. Though women can worship in the sanctuaries of most Jewish and Christian temples, men are expected to become the family and spiritual leaders as well as the chief breadwinners (Tim 2 9-15). Even Jesus admonished his mother publically (John ch2 .3,4) and though he was kind to all, he didn't have a single female apostle.

2) There is no reference to the evils of slavery in the Bible or the Koran. In fact slaves are counted as proper possessions throughout both books. Religious people try to justify this as well.

3) Homophobia has been justified in most churches. My reading of the Bible finds that this is due to statements by Paul to the Romans taken out of context. When Paul addressed the Romans about homosexual conduct, his reference was to the court of the mad Emperor of Rome, Caligula. Paul expressed his disgust at the public orgies that were taking place and warned those Christians in Rome not to follow that example. Not only did Paul find the conduct disgusting, the general citizenry found it so as well. Eventually, the Army staged a coup, assassinated Caligula and put Claudius in his place. Additionally, many references to David were made to compare or even rival him with Alexander the Great (whose sexuality was androgynous), even down to the intimate relationship that David had with Jonathan. 

All of this along with the rampant pedophilia, charlatanism, and outright thievery that exists within the Catholic and other churches has turned me off to church going altogether.

I have read the Bible -- every word -- and I find it hard to accept the interpretations that are most widely espoused. For instance, Christ told the Pharisee Nicodemus that he would have to be born again in the spirit to be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Then Christ went on to say, don't get hung up on being born again literally, but see it as a spiritual awakening. I believe Jesus said pretty much the same thing to everyone he spoke to, but He spoke to their individual cases. He told the woman at the well that she'd have to confess her past to her village to follow Him. He told the rich man that he had to give up all his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. Yet the verse from John 3.3 is quoted repeatedly as if Jesus was addressing everyone (also, He says Man, what about women?)

To me, the New Testament tells us that God speaks to us in terms that we as individuals understand. The question is whether we are ready to listen. The individuals Jesus spoke to were ready to listen.

McCain will wear his religion on his sleeve. What's he got to lose? He's way behind in the polls.

Apparently Obama's religion aint good enough.

8/12/08

I finally tore down and burned the rickety shed that was next to my barn. It's been an eyesore since we've lived here. Surprisingly it was put together rather well. It was bolted and bracketed through oak supports and at one time probably served its purpose well. The wood was all water soaked and useless. I could teeter the entire structure by pressing on the front door jam. So I took it down last week and burned it. That's the only building I'm getting rid of on this property. In its place I'm going to construct a lean-to shed on the west side of the barn to house my implements and eventually to build a new tack room that will be part of the expansion I'm planning for the barn beyond the shed I'll be constructing this year.

Cecil has another horse he wants us to take, but I won't take it until I have a stall built for it. That won't take place until after I get the west shed finished. The final touch will be another 12 ft shed that will be built across the north side of the barn that will include a loafing shed, a new stall, and another loafing shed constructed specifically for grooming, fitting tack, and saddling up the horses for rides.

On the political side, Obama's leadership skill has come into question without those who question those skills putting up McCain's leadership qualifications. As I said, the republicans aren't going to talk about McCain because there's not much that they can talk about. They're going to make this campaign about Obama if they can. As far as Obama's leadership skill, well, his campaign success shows me enough about that. McCain keeps firing and reshuffling his campaign which also tells me a lot about McCain's leadership.

I've also read that Paris Hilton has proposed a workable solution to the energy crisis. She said that we should allow some limited drilling offshore with strict environmental guidelines, encourage alternative energy production, and offer tax breaks to automakers for producing hybrid cars. Hey, I'm for it. Someone asked how it could be funded, I don't know, how did Bush's war get funded after his tax cuts? I think we all know that our great grandkids are going to pay for Bush's cuts in revenue. So what the hell, let them deal with the deficit while we spend our economic stimulus checks. 

8/08/08

Our local congressman, Steve Chabot, has been under fire lately. He almost lost the last election to a former Cincinnati councilman John Cranley. As usual, Cranley argued the issues, and the republicans put on one of the fiercest fear campaigns ever citing that Cranley was a tax and spend liberal. Of course they omitted the fact that Chabot had voted for every increase in spending Bush requested. Chabot squeaked by, but I don't think he'll go back again.

Chabot's career has been very under the radar for the most part. He says he's always fighting to save the taxpayers money. I don't know how that could be. Chabot's a rubber stamp for the Bush administration. That's the same Bush administration that took a budget surplus and turned it into the largest deficit in this nation's history. Chabot has signed on to everything that Bush has asked for.

The only real distinction Chabot's career has produced is that he was one of the lamebrains that decided that it was okay to throw away money attempting to remove President Clinton from office for some personal indiscretions. That of course was a sad waste of tax monies. Clinton's offense, if you want to call it that, was nothing close to impeachable and after a closed door session with the woman who was caught up in the middle of the witch hunt, congress dropped the charges. The only true result of Clinton's impeachment was that every school child in the U.S. was educated about the meaning of oral sex. We have Chabot to thank for that.

Now a television commercial cites that Chabot has voted to reduce taxes for the big oil companies. Right now, big oil is undergoing a major public relations challenge. They're under the gun for the huge increases in the price of gasoline at the pump. It's not surprising that Chabot is being pointed out for complicity in this. He's the quintessential Reaganista. A lot of big talk about keeping the country on the right path while running up huge taxpayer debt, authorizing a war against a non-aggressive nation, and imposing his personal "morality" on the citizenry.

Chabot's a pro gun, anti birth control politico with a line of crap about being the taxpayers' friend, but his claims are hollow. He's just another Bush minion who doesn't deserve reelection.

8/04/08

So the polls now show that McCain has pulled even with Obama. For the first time in decades, the democratic candidate has more money to spend than his opponent, but the dems are allowing the McCain campaign to smear their candidate without much in the way of reprisal.

The public seems content to settle for soundbytes rather than substance. The fact that McCain stands for continuation of current failed policy doesn't even enter in to the debate.

This election isn't about McCain. It's about Obama. That's what the republican propaganda arm, Clear Channel radio, has been spewing since the candidates became apparent. Does the electorate think the country's ready for a young black president? Does this guy have the qualifications to lead?

Never mind that McCain's long term in congress hasn't prepared him for the top job any more than it did for John Kerry. According to Clear Channel radio, John Kerry's combat medals were bogus and his many terms in the congress couldn't possibly prepare him to lead the country as well as a former governor who had ducked the draft by slipping into the National Guard ahead of a waiting line.

It doesn't matter that one year ago Clear Channel had opposed McCain on nearly every issue. Why does it count that McCain is referred to as the "closest thing to a democrat in the republican party" by the Tim McVey types that call in to Clear Channel stations?

McCain has been revamping his image to show that he's the kind of a bitter old man that the evangelical right wing can trust to impose his will upon the electorate regardless of the electorate's opinion-- just like Bush. He's beginning to kowtow to the "conservative" social reformists who favor stepping on the rights and privacy of others in the name of "liberty."

In other words, McCain is more of the same.

But as I've said, this election is all about Obama. The republican machine has put Obama on the defensive which, to be honest, makes him appear weak. Perhaps Obama's campaign will wake up to the fact that they aren't running against McCain, they're running against Bush and the republicans who populated the congress during the five years following 9/11/01. That includes McCain.

McCain needs to explain himself concerning his record in congress. I believe his position shifts on many key issues should be brought to light. His position on unauthorized immigration stinks. The fact that he backed Bush without question concerning the invasion of Iraq smells worse. In the case of McCain, the skeletons aren't in the closet, they're in plain sight.

8/02/08

Yeah the nasty republican machine has begun to roll again. They have the weakest presidential candidate that anyone can imagine. Though John McCain has a good record in serving the government, he's not an inspiring figure. Republican ads aren't touting McCain's attributes, they're simply attacking the opponent, Barack Obama. By all estimates, Obama leads in every state and McCain, though rising in the polls, has trailed considerably throughout the campaign.

What Obama must do is avoid addressing the charges that the attack ads allege and continue to address the issues. The republicans know that their greatest weakness lies in the debate of the issues. McCain favored escalation of the war in Iraq. Obama opposed it.

The violence in Iraq has been subsiding for a couple of years. A bipartisan committee investigated the Iraq situation in 2006, and concluded that since the U.S. had already blundered into Iraq, the best way to end the war was to increase U.S. troop presence in Iraq. McCain sat on that committee and signed on to the recommendations.

The added troop strength, called "the surge", has quelled the violence considerably. There is real talk of removing our troops from Iraq now both from republicans and democrats. Both claim that their parties' stances helped that to happen.

It seems to me that the Iraqis have simply tired of foreign troops occupying their nation. They've helped remove foreign Al-Qeida operatives from their country and have found ways to quiet the violence among their own tribes in hopes that U.S. troops will leave Iraq.

McCain has promised to prolong Iraqi occupation. Obama promises to bring the war to a quick conclusion.

Obama opposed escalation in Iraq in 2006 but so did most of the country. The Bush administration had mishandled the war from it's inception, and no one trusted them to get it right under any circumstances. The results had been bloody and fruitless to that point in time.

Republicans now claim that McCain's position in 2006 has brought the Iraq conflict to its present stage of near conclusion. Democrats claim that Obama's position was what caused the present calm in Iraq. I believe they're both right.

The Bush administration had run out of ideas and the facts about the attack on the Iraqi people were coming to light. Bush had lied repeatedly about the reasons we assaulted that sovereign nation and his administration was in a damage control mode and of course the Clear Channel propaganda arm was busy revising the facts and bending the truth to support Bush's ineptitude.

Despite their efforts to conceal Bush's tragic blunder, the tide of opinion was turning against the Bush administration. The congressional election had resulted in a democratic landslide that had removed the republican majority. At this point, Bush's options on the Iraq war had run out so he decided to follow the recommendations of the committee that McCain had sat on rather than face an all out battle with congress for funding of the war.

For the first time since 2001, honest debate of the issues was beginning to take place at the federal level in 2006. Bush and the republican congress had ruled the U.S. with an iron fist labeling all opposition as traitors. The patriot act had stripped citizens of basic rights. Our borders remained relatively unprotected while Bush and his thugs waged war on the Iraqi republic.

Bin Laden remains at large to this day. Nearly seven years since he funded and encouraged the attack on U.S. soil, Osama Bin Laden remains free to train and fund terrorist operatives throughout the globe. Whenever rumors of his demise become too prominent, Bin Laden releases a video discussing current affairs in U.S. politics.

The sad reality is that the Bush administration has been the most divisive force imposed upon the people of the U.S. since the Nixon administration. The Bush regime has succeeded in isolating the U.S. from our long standing allies and trading partners while further encouraging our dependence on foreign labor and materials to conduct business here at home.

As jobs are outsourced and goods are brought in from China and other countries that exploit and otherwise brutalize their labor forces, a steady flow of unregistered immigrants have crossed into our country and established themselves as the premier entry level work force. This, of course, is due to the greed of those in top income brackets who the Bush administration knows are their true constituents.

These ongoing policies have eroded the U.S. economy to the point that many fear we are on the verge of collapse. While I think we're far from collapse, I do think that the country needs to move in a more positive direction on all fronts.

Republicans are hoping that the short term interests of the electorate, like the price of gasoline, will win the day for them. It has for the past eight years. The results speak for themselves.

Democrats say it's time to look at the long term, and that short term interests must be set aside temporarily so that we can put ourselves in a better position to face the challenges of the future. In other words, they're banking on a policy of reform to win the day. In reality, this is an extreme long shot.

McCain represents more of the same policies domestically and internationally. Obama represents change. At this point in time, I'm all for change. Maintaining the Bush regime's course of missteps is insanity, and that's what McCain represents to me.

Expect to see commercials charging Obama with favoring flag burners, gun control, abortion rights, illegal immigration, reduction of military strength, disregard for national security, limiting police powers, reduced sentences for criminals, and repression of religion in public schools. This is all nonsense, but republicans and their backers have never been restrained by the truth.

Despite their weakness on the real issues that face us, the republicans expect to scare the electorate enough to get their guy elected. Hopefully we've learned our lesson about that.

7/26/08

Well here we go again. I tune in the radio to see if there's a ballgame going on and the news says that the guy who authored the "Willie Horton" commercial that slammed Michael Dukakis back in the 1988 presidential campaign has decided to crawl out from under his rock with another negative campaign ad against Barack Obama.

Apparently John McCain's campaign is so weak and so poorly executed, that they can't seem to run on the merit of the candidate. This is no surprise because Republicans are typically inept. The first Bush will go down as one of the worst presidents we've ever elected because he failed to recognize that the U.S. economy was sliding into a recession under his watch, and he had blatantly lied when he told the people that he wouldn't raise taxes. Of course his bad record has been eclipsed by his son.

But all the pundits can say is thank God we didn't have Dukakis in office when the Persian Gulf conflict broke out. Of course they can say anything about someone who never made it to the office, and continue to ignore the crippling blunders of the candidate they supported. That's what they do on the radio these days: lie and smear for ratings.

Negative campaigning began during Reagan's run for president against Jimmy Carter when the now infamous "flip-flop" commercial distorted Carter's record. Of course when Fritz Mondale ran against Reagan four years later the ads were all about "going back to the failed Carter" ways.

Republicans tout Reagan as a great president of course omitting the fact that he was responsible for arming the Taliban and the Iraqi army who our Armed Forces have been fighting for the past seven years. His economic policies were aimed at keeping the rich in the money and shifting the tax burden onto the middle class. The effect of this failed policy was that working class households that had been able to subsist on a single income were forced to become dual income homes. Stay at home moms became a thing of the past in nearly all American homes. The latchkey kid was born, the family began to disintegrate, and teenage suicide rates began to rise to epidemic proportion in two income homes.

Of course, republicans are never stifled by the facts. It's lies that keep them in the money so they continue to invent new and shiftier ways to manipulate and distort the truth. Somehow the facts about Reagan have been buried in the past which doesn't surprise me in the least.

So another round of negative campaigning designed to polarize the electorate will ensue for this election. Obama has been pulling ahead in the polls. McCain is a lot like the second Bush, every time he gives a speech, his numbers go down. His campaign resembles, in a lot of ways, the Eugene McCarthy campaigns: all fluff and little substance.

But the republicans aren't going to try to get people to vote for their candidate. Their candidate sucks.

Republicans' only hope is to get folks to vote against the opposition, in this case, Obama. Republicans admit they don't particularly like McCain. He's very wishy-washy on his positions. He's compromised with the most "liberal" senators and representatives during his term in Congress.

He was shot down over North Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war in the 1960s. His war record is beyond reproach, but so was John Kerry's, and that didn't keep the Republican smear machine from attacking the record of a decorated combat veteran. The fact that McCain wasn't a very good pilot (and for that reason got shot down) is going to escape notice. Thousands of pilots flew sorties over North Vietnam and only a few were shot down by surface to air fire. McCain is among that group.

Was he a war hero? I don't think he looks at it that way, but that's all his campaign can brag about without dragging out his liberal voting record and his position shifts. Whenever they put up a weak candidate who can't get any momentum going on their own, like Reagan and both Bushes, the kamikazes begin to appear on the airwaves. Of course this is always done in a manner so that the candidate (in this case McCain) can disavow any connection to the ads.

Obviously, Republicans can't win on the issues. They've just backed a two term president that will go down as the worst in our history. Bush 2 was elected by negative campaigning and of course by fixing the vote in his brother's state.

The republicans realize they can't win without at least a respectable portion of the black and latin vote. How are they proposing to break the lock Obama has on these voters? They're going to lie and exaggerate Obama's "position" concerning law enforcement on street gangs. It's a paid advertisement so it doesn't have to be true or based on anything but innuendo. Don't think the media will police these ads. They're as greedy as it gets, and the dirtier the campaigns become, the more money they stand to make from these sleazy ads. So expect to be pounded with these nasty lies until election day no matter what channel you watch or listen to.

Negative campaigning is designed to put the opposition on the defensive. I think the best way to combat negative ads is to rise above the din, stick to the issues, and continue to show the people of the U.S. that you have their interest at heart. That's how Bill Clinton won twice.

7/24/08

I took my truck in for service at a local Ford dealer. They have a valet service. I talked to the shuttle driver as he took me home. He was a fill in on the shuttle. A few people are on summer vacation so he's been called upon to drive the shuttle until those on furlough return. His usual job is to check in and verify new car inventory. He told me that sales weren't good lately. Service is down too. I didn't ask about parts. Some dealers are doing alright. They tell me at my old work that things are going very well for them. I'm happy for them, but I think that their plans to move will hurt in the long run.

I heard that two local Ford dealers are shutting down and that a third will be as well. It's sad that those associated with one of the former "big three" are being set upon by hard times. The price of fuel is affecting every form of business in the U.S.

Lawns are growing longer before they're cut. I find myself planning to consolidate my trips before I leave home. I tried a cordless trimmer for my lawn. Sounded like a great way to save on fuel costs, but the unit was not well constructed and tore up along a fence line. I was able to put it back together, but I soon realized that the unit has serious limitations. So I wound up buying a 2 cycle unit that really blasts the tall weeds.

The price of gasoline hovers around $4 per gallon. Commuters are forced to deal with a cut in pay. Businesses are charging "fuel surcharges" as an excuse to raise their prices to compensate for the run away petroleum situation.

Now that real estate is in it's first recessionary phase since the 1930s, it seems there's no light at the end of the tunnel. The instinct is to cut our losses and head for the hills.

I'm thinking that steady as she goes is probably the best course to take at this time in history. While the Wall Street rats are jumping ship, and the pundits are pointing fingers at everyone but themselves, those of us who have shown responsibility and courage through the ups and downs are going to have to hold steady while the rest flail in hopelessness and despair.

Yes, the privileged, those that have earned their position in life (and those that haven't), will use this economic downturn as an opportunity to acquire even more wealth. Those who panic in these times provide that opportunity for the wealthy; but those of us who hold tight and stay the course, will, in the end, prove to be the ones who benefit the most from the responsible behavior that we've exhibited in the past and continue into the present.

I'm still looking for work. I've always been able to find work even in the worst of economic times. I'm a good man, and I think that shines through with most folks. So I'm not going to panic, I'll stay the course, keep my chin up and make the most of it.

That's about all the clichés I can apply to it.

7/22/08

The certainty of aging is fast becoming a reality in my life. I've worked hard all my life. Sometimes I've held more than one job. I didn't mind it all that much.

Working a job has been a harsh reality in a lot of ways. For some reason people expect more from me than others. Perhaps it's my vocabulary. Maybe it's the outside achievements I've gained along the way. No matter where I've worked there was always someone who felt they had a leg up on me though their position in life was no less precarious than mine.

Many made more money than me. Some were in better health. Others' health failed. Some went broke. Some died.

Life's been pretty good for me in most ways. I'm clever enough to find decent work. I work hard too. My health is good. Even now I feel I can accomplish more than most younger people in a physical sense, and I have good reason to feel that way.

I've made good enough money to live a good life, provide for my kids, and set myself up for an easier way to go through the autumn of my time here on earth. Unless something drastic takes place, I'm not going to have to work past traditional retirement age. Truth be told, I don't want to.

But as I said, aging is upon me. I'm going to be 59 on my next birthday. I've long since buried my parents. Many of my friends and contemporaries have passed away or are in poor health. I look my age.

So finding a job is going to be much harder than it ever has been. I'm not on a pension. I'm not retired. It's very hard for someone to understand why a person of my age is voluntarily unemployed. No matter how well qualified I am, I will be looked upon as temporary help simply because I'm so close to retirement age.

I don't need to make a lot of money, but that won't matter to most. Having me as a steady and dependable worker for the next 5 or 6 years doesn't appeal to most prospective employers. They'd rather go through 4 or 5 younger people over the next 6 years than have the position filled by someone as advanced in age as I am.

It's just another challenge to me. I'm not going to hang my head and worry about it too much. I'll keep plugging and eventually something will turn up. That's how it's been in the past, and I have no reason to believe it won't happen again.

7/19/08

The heat is becoming stifling around here. The promise of brown/blackouts lingers as businesses have geared their operations around a healthy electric grid. The infrastructure  of the electric grid has been fragile since the 1970s. Early in this decade the entire east coast was blacked out because a bird shorted a transformer in Cleveland. In my opinion, if this country has a soft underbelly, the power grid could be the most vulnerable spot.

If the electrical grid fails, a good deal of businesses have backup systems on their computer networks, however few have kept themselves prepared for the hand written world that ensues when the grid fails. Sales, purchases, dispatch and basically all logistical routing depend on operating computers these days. Once electrical power is shut down, the business of this country nearly grinds to a halt.

The alternative energy movement of the late 1970s was squashed by the Reaganite conservatives, dismissed as silly and unnecessary. For the following two decades, it seemed that oil, coal, and natural gas could be furnished in unlimited supply. The country ran smoothly using these fuels. CAFE standards were lifted and the SUV became the vehicle of choice for most families.

Instead of developing safe and efficient ways to dispose of the waste from nuclear power plants, nukes were taken offline or converted to coal fired facilities. Natural gas, a byproduct of the oil and coal industry, has long been touted as the best method for cooking and it's widespread use in home heating has kept many homeowners at the mercy of available supply. Along with home heating oil, the consumer was lulled into a false sense of security about this nation's energy independence.

Any and all who stressed the importance of fuel efficiency or energy economy were characterized as wacko hippie types who had a problem with the American way. When Jimmie Carter stood up for energy independence, his message was undermined by oil companies lowering prices. Programs inspired by the Carter administration encouraging the development of alternative fuel sources were scrapped by the Reaganistas.

Windmill technology long employed throughout the world was nearly ignored in the U.S. Wind farming is a reality in certain parts of our country, but it's chief criticism has been aesthetic in nature. Of course, in the 1990s, cel phone towers were erected nearly everywhere with almost no complaint. Obviously consumer priorities have driven those choices.

What's incredible to me is that now that gasoline and energy prices have begun to skyrocket, conservatives are shouting for the need for alternatives like it's their idea in the first place. Everyone's in a hurry to develop alternative energy sources.

Imagine that.

7/17/08

CityBeat has filed suit against all who have "threatened" them in a letter that was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer that asked CityBeat to stop putting ads for "adult services" in their paper. As is stated earlier in this blog, Citizens for Community Values, a local nazi organization, is behind the letter, but police and some others have signed on as well including Cincinnati's largest publication, The Enquirer.

So CityBeat has filed suit claiming that they're being "scared" by those bully groups. This sounds really humorous to me considering the bully tactics they've employed to chase their competition out of business. Because they were somewhat larger than Everybody's News and Artspike, they simply went to the advertisers of the smaller publications, underbid the ads and eventually drove the other guys out of business. In the case of Artspike, they interviewed the editor/publisher and then ridiculed him and the publication in their article.

If they'd had any sense at all, they would have been able to understand that if these small publications had been able to thrive, more advertisers would likely have been available to all of them, but CityBeat decided to drive their competition out of the market, and in doing so, wound up in a head to head with The Enquirer who has deeper pockets and a broader audience.

The fact that CityBeat is publishing adult services (strippers/prostitutes) ads is evidence of their flagging business. In the latter days of Everybody's News, the adult ads were just about all the little publication had for support. The reason these ads are attractive is because the services are willing to pay cash up front. If CityBeat goes down, it's likely that these services will invent their own way to advertise in print and online.

Why doesn't CityBeat just drop the ads? Because they can't. The demographic of their readership isn't attractive to other legitimate advertisers like restaurants or even my former radio station WAIF.

Of course they've shot themselves in the foot in the case of WAIF after publishing a nasty diatribe about WAIF's supposed substandard broadcasting and organizational practices. Using former programmers who had been released from WAIF for misconduct, they "addressed" the alleged FCC violations and rules of order concerning Board of Trustees meetings -- all of which CityBeat had no facts to back their story with. Subsequent investigation by the FCC proved CityBeat's accusations to be unfounded. WAIF handled CityBeat's lies with grace and verve by simply rising above the din and carrying on its message of inclusion and hope for the community at large.

Now CityBeat's squirming like a senator caught soliciting sex from boys in a public bathroom. I've noticed that CityBeat has reappeared in Kroger stores after a long absence, but there's rarely a copy available, and two stores I've been in recently have had the CityBeat sticker removed from the rack and all the copies thrown in the trash can outside. This is a tactic that's long been employed by the CCV along with gluing the pages of books they don't like together at bookstores and so forth.

Soon advertisers will be leaving CityBeat and the ego trip will come to a grinding halt for Fox and Bockrath. They've had a pretty good run, but crapping on the kitchen table makes it impossible to eat there.

In reality, CityBeat's pimping the moment. The only real recognition they've received in the past 14 years has been this letter. So now they're going to milk the moment by filing suit. They're claiming their First Amendment rights are being violated by this "threat." They're suing for the "implication" of action against them by the parties who signed the letter.

Why don't they drop the ads? Because they can't. They depend on the revenue because The Enquirer is slowly but surely luring all of the legitimate advertisers away.

This is testament to the continued weakening of the newspaper business in general. This heartless cannibalization will continue until the species has made itself extinct.

CityBeat's suit is a last ditch tactic, an act of desperation to try to save their little publication  from the big bad wolf at their door. Too bad their paper is made from sticks and straw.

7/16/08

Barack Obama was in town yesterday addressing the NAACP convention here. McCain's in today. Black's are overwhelmingly in support of Obama no matter what their party affiliation. They want to see blacks represented in the top office for the first time. Obama beat out Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. She would have been the first woman to take the office. John McCain was the head of a list of no name Republicans who ran this time. Bush has so decimated the Republican rank and file that no one wants to follow him as the Republican nominee.

McCain picked up the endorsement of Jerry Hagee the fire-and-brimstone-earth's-gonna-end-devil's-gonna-git-ya right wing evangelistic Bible thumper who damn's our asses to Hell on a daily basis. So McCain's got that going for him. Just about everyone else except the sourpuss anal retentive Clear Channel radio hosts are with Obama too.

I voted for Obama in the primary, and I'm looking forward to voting for him in the fall. Not that he'll change anything, I just want to throw the bums out of office for at least one term until they figure out another way to scare the majority into voting Republican again.

The damage is done. Bush has successfully pushed the middle class into bankruptcy. The best investment that anyone can make, real estate, has diminished in value during Bush's term. He has just driven this country into a recession, we're teetering on the brink of a depression. The only reason it's happened is because Bush pushed us into an unnecessary war that we couldn't afford because he had enacted tax cuts.

The result has been the largest deficit in this nation's history. This has resulted in financial instability for the government and that in turn brought on a downturn in consumer confidence so the economy has slowed and continues to slow to a crippling pace. In the mean time the mortgage industry is being faced with tens of thousands of loan defaults and foreclosures. The value of real estate has plummeted so there's no way they can recover the loss. Developers are stuck with empty houses. Many banks are in deep trouble after posting record profits in 2007.

What will happen will be the wealthiest in this country will take advantage of the misfortune of the middle class and use this as an opportunity to consolidate the wealth of this country to the pockets of the very few so that only wealthy and working poor will exist in the U.S. The middle class will become extinct. That will be the legacy of this administration. Bush basically finished off what Reagan started in the 1980s.

The war on Iraq continues and the dead are secretly retuned to "protect the privacy of families" so that the everyday wage earner doesn't get too upset about the protraction of this war. Congress has been in session for two years and haven't passed a single piece of legislation designed to bring the conflict in Iraq to a conclusion.

I say let's get rid of all of them and start over again, and keep doing that until we get someone in place that can turn this bus around.

7/06/08

"...anyone who opposes the President is guilty of treason..." -- Donald Rumsfeld 9/12/2001

The Bush revisionists are hard at work these days. The propaganda arm of the Republican party, Clear Channel Radio, is trying to affect damage control from what has turned out to be the most inept and corrupt administration in the history of the U.S.

Revisionists claim that the president - the most powerful person on earth - has little power to make change or set policy. Those same revisionists credit Ronald Reagan with making huge changes and "saving" our country. Of course Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's for most of his term, and his wife along with the rest of his administration carried out policies that they felt necessary to save us from ourselves. The only real legacy that the Reagan administration has left behind is indiscriminate drug testing of private citizens for no established reason.

What makes these revisionists sound so foolish about Bush is that they purposely omit the fact that George W Bush had nearly dictatorial power for more than 5 years. After Rumsfeld's comments on 9/12/2001, Congress was afraid to fart without the administration's consent.  The Bush administration ran roughshod over the principles that have made this country the greatest and most powerful nation on the planet with only nominal opposition from Democratic stalwarts like Ted Kennedy. The election in 2002 left the Democratic party in a distinct minority and the country was essentially working under a one party system. This is evidenced by the fact that Bush didn't veto a single act of Congress until 2007. That sad series of events lasted until 2006 when the Dems won Congress in a landslide.

From September 2001 until January 2007, Bush ran this country completely into the ground building the largest deficit in the country's history. The Clinton administration had handed Bush a budget surplus and a secure nation. For some unknown reason, the Bush administration ransacked all the positives left to them from the previous administration. Secure in the misconception that George W Bush was acting as the "hand of God" the Christian right wingers urged Bush to enact ridiculous policies meant to punish all disbelievers, and Bush delivered on much of what they wanted.

Disregarding warnings from the previous administration about Bin Laden, and an FBI report that enemy cells were indeed stateside and planning an attack using commercial jetliners, the Bush administration plowed ahead with their faulty agenda emitting a stream of misinformation designed to cover their miscalculations and missteps.

When the attacks took place on 9/11, the nation looked to Bush for leadership. What we got was absolute corruption of power. The attacks on Afghanistan were supposedly designed to trap and bring the purveyors of the 9/11 attacks to justice. The world was with us at that point and joined us in our effort. However, we began to apply torture to our captives in an effort to gain information, and world opinion began to turn against us.

Then Bush and his thugs decided it was time to attack Iraq. They lied about why we needed to devastate Iraq. They lied about how the Iraqi people would accept our efforts. They sent in our troops with inadequate equipment and inadequate numbers to carry out a successful mission. The battle plan set forth by commanders was undermined by Rumsfeld.

The U.N. resoundingly rejected our argument for the invasion of Iraq. U.N. inspectors had been in Iraq for more than a year and had found no evidence of a nuclear program. They'd found no evidence of terrorist training camps either. The Bush administration simply said, "we don't need permission from the U.N. to carry out a preemptive strike."

There was no nuclear program in Iraq. There were no terrorist training camps. There were only lies from Bush's lips.

The invasion of Iraq has been a tragic debacle set into motion by a power-mad administration who had no business making such critical decisions on their own. Once again this is evidenced not only by the attack upon the Iraqi people, but the arrogant disregard of the victims of Katrina and the abrupt devastation of this nation's economy and its future.

So many lives have been adversely effected by these fools, and yet, Clear Channel continues to defend the record of this administration.

7/04/08

It's the 4th of July. It's raining here which should make the holiday safer for fireworks.

I'm glad we're getting the moisture this year. Last year we were on the leading edge of a drought that is still effecting livestock -- especially horses -- in this area. Like last year, we have all of our hay put up.

I'm supposed to be working on another stall for a third horse which is a niece to Sunny and Dolly, but my heart's not in it. We've got a fairly perfect situation right now. Our barn's the right size. Plenty of pasture for my two horses and we can remain within our means to maintain this place. For some reason people around us think we've got life too easy this way. So they've decided that we need some added stress to break up our ideal circumstance.

Gale's father Cecil has a foal that he had bred two years ago. That was his doing, but now he wants to retire from the horse and mule business. So in order to cut down his herd he's calling on us to take the horse he named after our granddaughter Sidney who died suddenly in the summer of 2006. This horse, because of the coincidence surrounding her, has become a sentimental objective for Gale, and now, I've been saddled with the responsibility of creating a space for this third horse though we don't have a rider or equipment enough to even take her for a ride with us.

This is extremely impractical and borders on irresponsibility. We're going to have to put out money for another trailer, a saddle, blankets, bridle, feed, bedding etc. and I'm wondering where it's all going to come from.

But that's the American way. Always test your happiness. Don't believe that you can be content with what you have or where you are in life. I think that this philosophy has brought the U.S. to where it is today. Strained resources, neglect of the environment, and selfishness have put this country on the edge of collapse. Even the aid we've given to others has been self serving. We've given up on France because they didn't feel beholding to the U.S. after World War II. In reality, there's no reason that they should. We couldn't have stopped German aggression without France -- or England -- or the U.S.S.R. -- and that's a fact that is lost on most of us in the U.S.

The United States helped those other countries because it serves our own interests. Not because we were doing someone a favor. France was the first country to stand up and say we don't owe you for helping yourselves, and that makes sense to me.

So I'm feeling less patriotic than betrayed by my country's government these days. After Vietnam, I thought no one could lead us into another fruitless conflict, but somehow Bush and his thugs have succeeded in doing just that in Iraq. Bush stood at Ground Zero and promised the people of the U.S. that those responsible for the attack would pay. Every so often, Bin Laden does a new video, talking about current events, and looking very triumphant in doing so. It has to be heartening to his followers to see that the once great U.S. has exhausted so much of its resources to corner that villain, and yet he's evaded capture or retribution for more than seven years.

The Bush regime used the attack in New York City to justify the sacking of Iraq and its people. Now they admit their mistakes in Iraq, but rationalize that now that we've destroyed the order and structure of the Iraqi nation, we have a responsibility to rebuild there.

Once again, we are serving our own interests. Iraq is sitting on the largest oil reserves on the planet. The U.S. will establish a military presence there and won't relinquish that grip for decades to come. We can't be content to be the most successful society in history. We have to overextend and inflate our holdings until the bubble bursts.

6/28/08

The election is in full swing now. Obama vs. McCain isn't going to be too exciting. Both are your basic political pabulum. McCain being the "nice" republican is showing the extreme right that he's got their back after having a record of deal making with the most liberal politicos in the country. He has said that he wants to maintain the status quo in all aspects of the failed Bush administration's policy including the invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq who had made no aggressive moves toward the U.S. to provoke the attack.

Obama is the first gen-x candidate. His record is undeterminable because his career has been so short. He has a substantial early lead which is usually the sign of a certain loser come election time because every misstep he makes will be broadcast worldwide and amplified out of proportion.

Then of course, there's the Republican propaganda arm on the radio who have already characterized Obama as a Bolshevik and a terrorist sympathizer. This form of irresponsible broadcasting is fostered by none other than Clear Channel Radio - formerly Jacor - whose "talk" format consists of cutting off any articulate opposition that call in to their shows and encouraging the ranting of surly rednecks who appear to be mostly unemployed paramilitary Tim McVey types.

Soaring gas prices continually cripple this nation which was already in the midst of a downward economic spiral thanks to the Bush administrations ineptitude. Despite the repeated warnings of informed experts, fluctuations in the oil supply have caused panic with both the suppliers and consumers of petroleum driving the price of oil products to record highs. Anyone who has paid attention can't be surprised by the price at the pump. Informed experts have been stressing the need for fuel efficiency for more than three decades.

So the "surprising" rise in petroleum prices has caught the public with its pants down. SUVs have been the overwhelming choice of transport for narcissistic "soccer mom" families for at least a decade though the fuel supply has shown signs of interruption since the 1970s. Anyone stressing fuel efficiency has been shouted down and characterized as liberal environmental extremists on talk radio. So this "gas crunch" has been brought on by a full speed ahead mentality fostered by malicious misinformation provided by Clear Channel's hacks who are more concerned with selling advertising than they are with responsible broadcasting.

Those same stations that claim that they stand firmly on the "moral high ground" air ads from casinos and online gambling enterprises which flies in the face of the so called Christian right that they claim to represent on the air.

So once again, this election will be based on lies and hypocrisy instead of the real  issues that are facing this country. This country's stand on abortion, gun control, and flag burning haven't changed no matter which political party is in control, but that doesn't seem to matter to the pundits whose blather is based upon fear and ignorance instead of truth. No matter what happens, or who is in charge, these profiteers simply point a finger at anyone besides the candidates they've supported in the past.

Another noteworthy incident is more on the local front. A small publication called CityBeat has taken money from adult services for some time now. If you read down this blog, you can read my take on the ruthless business tactics that CityBeat has employed in the past to not just beat out their competition, but to destroy it. Now CityBeat is in a face-to-face showdown with the largest publication in the Cincinnati area, The Cincinnati Enquirer. The Enquirer is as ruthless or more so than CityBeat when it comes to hoarding advertising dollars and stomping out their competition.

The latest development in this showdown is the Enquirer's complicity in a request by the nazi organization Citizens for Community Values that CityBeat cease publishing ads for adult services. So CityBeat has tried to shield itself behind the first amendment of the Constitution and claim that their rights have been violated. This of course is nonsense. The first amendment doesn't apply to ads that encourage lawless behavior any more than it protects someone who yells fire in a crowded theater.

CityBeat prints these adult ads because those services are willing to pay cash up front -- not because they believe in doing the right thing.

Well CityBeat calls for a rally on Fountain Square and puts on their best wounded bird costume to proclaim that they will never relent and will stand for all that's right and good despite attacks against them while poking holes in the air with their finger. That's all for show because if other larger  advertisers begin to back away from CityBeat, they'll drop the adult ads immediately and proclaim that they're doing it for all the right reasons.

I personally think its truly funny that CityBeat is scrambling like they have while under attack. If you read in this blog, CityBeat launched an uninformed and unwarranted  attack on WAIF about a year ago. They used former programmers whose bad behavior had caused their exclusion from the station as so-called experts for the cover story CityBeat issued during the attack on WAIF. The worst example they used was Lynn Wilson who had provoked a fistfight between a programmer and a guest at the station which ended up in an arrest of the programmer in WAIF's studios.

So when CityBeat started looking for friends as they squirmed under the finger of the religious right, they had to look outside the alternative community that they claim to be a part of and who do they wind up with? None other than the scurrilous clowns that broadcast on Clear Channel. Good luck with that John and Dan.

The folks at WAIF have been under attack since that small community station was founded in the 1970s so the attack by CityBeat was like so much water off of a duck's back. CityBeat is languishing in self pity, and I find it laughable.

5/26/08

I haven't done a blog post for quite a while. A lot of stuff going on. The company I've been working for has just been sold to a corporate entity. I had already given my notice to leave on the 30th of May, and four days after my notice they announced the sale. The new company is taking over on the 29th and I'll be leaving then.

I'm glad I didn't get involved with this new company. It seems they get away with treating their employees like indentured servants. the first thing they did was spring a drug test on the employees. They told the managers that pay rates will be adjusted (down, I presume) and the location is going to change in about 6 months which will wreck the walk in traffic for at least 6 months.

I never liked corporate owned firms. Employees are just numbers. If the numbers don't result in profit, the employees get replaced like game pieces. I worked in corporate firms for more than 20 years and in privately owned firms for more than ten, and private firms are much better in most ways because the owners know who the employees are.

But large corporations are buying out the small fish and soon the only place to work will be for a group of anonymous drug nazis, who cut your pay, wreck your ability to maintain a profit, and then blame you for their loss. It's a case of cutting off the body to save the head over and over. The large paydays a handful at the top receive are never determined to be detrimental it seems, and when the chips are down, they begin the devour one another at an incredible rate and as that happens a lot of collateral damage is reigned upon the employees.

I'm glad I won't be a part of the nasty feeding frenzy that long term co-employees get into as they attempt to jockey for recognition within the corporation. I've seen it, and it's sad.

No, I'm having a party next Saturday. Then I'm going to look for work.

1/15/08

Haven't posted in awhile. Been very busy trying to catch up, but as usual, just when I think I can get some slack, up jumps another issue or challenge.

Right now, the writer's strike has stifled any creativity in the form of tv and motion pictures. It's probably a good thing that I've been so busy and otherwise preoccupied because I haven't seen or heard a lot of tv, movies and new music. I'm just now catching on to John Mayer. Reruns of last year's series and sitcoms are brand new material for me. 

I saw the movie "300" for the first time yesterday which was quite good. I've been reading some of Xenophon's works lately, hadn't seen any videos since Gale suffered me through Brokeback Mountain. I made sure to go to the video store with her this time to avoid another chick flick extravaganza.

Anyway the movie about the 300 Greeks who stopped the Persian Army at Thermoplae, though exaggerated in its viewpoint, is just another reminder of how a small force with a sound plan and a ton of nerve can determine the course of history for millions. In my reading of Xenophon, I've learned that it's generally accepted that in antiquity at least, the Greeks made the Persians their bitch on the battlefield. So anyway, I enjoyed the movie.

John Mayer's Continuum has been a pleasant surprise for me too. It's rare that I hear new music that really moves me. Amyway I really like the album. It's got good songwriting, mature arrangements and heart -- now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Haven't Written a lot lately. That's why I wanted to get this down.

11/04/07

Last night, I played a benefit with the Loco Yokels.

It was for a guy named Jerry who was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

He'd reached his 50s, had done well for himself in life, and was coming to a place where he could kick back and really enjoy the fruit of his love and labor.

Four years ago he began to show symptoms, went to the doc, and came home with the grave news.

An ALS diagnosis is a death sentence. Jerry might not see the end of this year.

His family and friends came together and put on a very productive benefit to raise funds for Jerry's extended care that his health insurance won't cover. My guess is that they may have raised something in 5 figures, but 5 figures wouldn't keep Jerry in a professional facility very long.

Somewhere in my semi-professional career, after my compositions had been summarily dismissed at the professional level, and I was gigging for part time income to supplement my fulltime paycheck; I asked myself where can I take it from here?

I never could have imagined that my path would eventually meander into such a genuine expression of support and love. Jerry's family reached out, and the community responded.

We were part of that response. Our band's drummer, Mike, has known Jerry for most of his life. He asked Larry and me if we'd care to play this benefit.

Jerry is a leader in his community--a good guy who didn't deserve a streak of bad luck, but nothing could save him from it. The family and friends who populated that room last night were living proof of Jerry's wealth, and I said so. Those words must have rung hollow for him.

The band sounded good. I made some clunkers, but overall, we kept the party going.

There was a first band too. Jerry's son Adam's band played for 2 hours. They were young, college-aged, and had a swagger about them that I enjoyed a great deal.

This expression of joy is the kind of thing keeps a beat down relic like me from losing all perspective.

God bless you Jerry.

8/15/07

I haven't posted on this blog in awhile.

A lot has happened in the past 8 months.

I just got back from North Dakota yesterday. I went to ND to attend to some matters concerning my mother's estate. I met with a number of friends, relatives and associates of my late mother and her late husband. I've inherited a portion of Mom and Earl's land and I stopped long enough to check its condition and make some arrangements for its use. I also had some business matters to attend to in Southwestern North Dakota.

My daughter Rachel announced that she is pregnant with her third child. Her husband Chris is in the Army, and her announcement has been clouded somewhat by Chris' receiving orders for redeployment to Iraq for his second tour after a very short stateside assignment.

My son Josh and his girlfriend Stacy are expecting as well.

I've been in the process of training my horse Sunny. I've been thrown off twice so far, but we've hired a trainer and Sunny and me are making progress a ride at a time.

I haven't done much in the way of creative writing lately. I wrote and added the "Extreme Barn Makeover" page on this site, but not much else. I really need to get back to writing.

12/27/06

Good evening and welcome to a special edition of Chimes of Freedom. Tonight will be the final show that I will be broadcasting on WAIF.

I have explained the reasons for my leaving in previous shows.

It is simply that my life continues to change, and circumstance, not issues, is the only reason for my departure.

There are a number of thanks that are called for at a time like this.

First, I want to thank you, my listeners, for tuning in during the Chimes of Freedom and the Electric Church. You are the real reason that these shows have flourished for the past eight years.

Next I want to thank Kitty Carson for bringing me in to the WAIF organization. I met Kitty along with Cynthia Dye at a poker run that I was covering for City Beat. We all got to meet the headliner, Lonnie Mack, and after the event, Kitty invited me to sit in on one of her shows. Thus began my tenure at WAIF as a volunteer.

I want to thank Eric Slade for making my shows a part of Hometown Hifi's rotation.

Also I want to thank Mark Elstun for his guidance and encouragement throughout my journey here at WAIF.

Other names I want to mention are:

Michael Wood

Raymond Imlay

Scott Kaeff

Michael Riley

Chris Comer

Dr. Charles Stewart

Olubanjo Adigun

the list goes on,

(but I don't want to sound like Jim O'Brian's acceptance speech.)

I've made a lot of friends here. It's like that in an all volunteer organization of good people who can constructively articulate divergent viewpoints by means of radio programming.

WAIF as it is right now, is a bastion of excellence and enlightenment when compared to the wasteland of banal mercenaries, dim philosophers and heartless philanderers that overwhelmingly inhabit the commercial radio airwaves in Cincinnati.

I leave knowing that the station is in capable hands.
This organization is resilient and despite attacks from without and within, WAIF has survived as this city's only on air voice that continues to address the issues and concerns of the community at large.
It's been great for me here.
I believe I've been a part of the best radio in Cincinnati.
I've only presented two shows featuring two artists: Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
whose incredible catalogs of music are grossly underrepresented on the air.
This is the best I can do with radio.
Pass along some of what I know
and share my personal collection with all of you.

I hope you've enjoyed these shows like I have.

I haven't tried to do anything fancy here.

These artists don't need any help.

Again I want to thank everyone.

The number here is 513-749-1444

Tonight's listener appreciation night, but I won't be taking too many  requests because I've got this show fairly planned out.

I'd love to hear from you.

Okay, here's the show.

Many of us know that one of the biggest hits Hendrix had was a cover of Dylan's All along the Watchtower.

Tonight I'm going to start with playing both versions of not just Watchtower, but two more Hendrix covers of Dylan tunes.

After that, I'm going to play a mix of both Hendrix and Dylan.

songlist:

Like a Rolling Stone - Hendrix at Monterey

Like a Rolling Stone - Dylan at Carnegie Hall

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Dylan at Carnegie Hall

Drifters Escape - Dylan - John Wesley Harding

Drifters Escape - Hendrix - South Saturn Delta

All Along the Watchtower - Hendrix - South Saturn Delta

All Along the Watchtower - Dylan - John Wesley Harding

One More Cup of Coffee - Dylan - Desire

Masters of War - No Direction Home

Drivin' South - Radio One

The Man in Me - The Big Labowski soundtrack

Electric Church Red House - Jimi Hendrix: Blues

Chimes of Freedom - Dylan - No Direction Home

Little Wing - Purple Set vol 3

Watchin' the River Flow - Bob Dylan's Gr. Hits vol II

Them Changes - Hendrix - Band of Gypsys

Thunder on the Mountain - Modern Times

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

callers:

Mark Elstun

Troy

Rick

Larry B

Dave

Foxy Lady

special guest:

Eric Slade, who came to the studio to wish me well and to let the listeners know that Dylan and Hendrix will still be represented on Hometown HiFi. We discussed the possibility of my returning for a special presentation next year. I can't see it happening, but I'm not eliminating the possibility either.

11/29/06

Good evening and welcome to the Electric Church, the show all about Jimi Hendrix.
Tonight will be the final Electric Church of 2006, and this will also be the final Electric Church that I will host on WAIF.
The opening song, Jimi's acoustic version of "Hear my Train a Comin' " was the first tune of the initial show that I hosted solo on Thanksgiving Day 1997 which I called Hendrix 101. The show was an effort to bring the audience up to speed concerning the entire career and catalogue of Jimi Hendrix.
At that point in time, I was a plug in programmer and was doing some holiday programming and some cohosting of other shows like Scriptus Live and Wierd Waves.
On my initial Hendrix program, my buddy Scott Kaeff stopped in and helped me get acclimated to live programming.
Raymond Imlay also stopped to lend a hand.
That's the way it is here at WAIF.
It's a community effort.
I continued to do some spot progamming for awhile.
Michael Riley and Chris Duplace were still programming Crosstown Traffic in the Hometown HiFi rotation.
Crosstown Traffic was a terrific showcase of Jimi's music and an on air treat for all of us Voodoo Children.
I happened to be working in the WAIF office when Michael Riley phoned Mark Elstun to give notice of his leaving.
Mark was the station's program director at the time, and Michael told Mark that he was retiring from programming which left the Hendrix spot in Hometown Hifi open.
I've been collecting Hendrix for 39 years.
My collection is among the largest private collections of Hendrix.
It's the show that I could do with authority.
I asked for the time slot, and got it.
I've been programming this show for eight years now.
I hope my presence on the air has brought some enlightenment and entertainment to at least a few of you.
I've tried to make the music the show, and not me.
My presence on this show has been incidental in comparison with the vital message that Hendrix related in his brief lifetime.
In short, Jimi's music matters.
Not only because there has never been a greater guitarist,
but he demonstrated how all of us could cut through
the invisible barriers and stumbling blocks that society imposes through fear and ignorance. Jimi threw that yoke off.
He made the big time even though he was strange and unconventional.
Jimi said he played either very loud or very soft.
He couldn't see any reason to play anywhere in the middle.
Nothing run-of-the-mill about Hendrix.
Same with listeners.
You either love Hendrix or you don't care for him at all.
There's no middle ground.
I've been told that Hendrix will be alive and kickin' on Hometown Hifi from now on.
They're not sure how they'll format the change, but Hendrix will continue to play a big part on Hometown Hifi
as he has on WAIF since it's earliest days.
So, without further jawing from me:
tonight's Electric Church.
Maestro, if you please.

songlist:

Hear my Train a-comin' - Blues

Message to Love - Band of Gypsys

EXP - Axis: Bold as Love

Up From the Skies - Axis: Bold as Love

Crash Landing - Band of Gypsys bootleg

South Saturn Delta - South Saturn Delta

Hey Baby - First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Rainy Day Dream Away/Still Raining Still Dreaming - Studio Mix

Love or Confusion - Radio One

Little Wing - Purple Box set vol 3

1983 - Voodoo Child

3rd Stone from the Sun - Are you Experienced?

Voodoo Child (slight return)

Them Changes - Band of Gypsys

Like a Rolling Stone - Purple set vol 1

Red House - Purple box set vol3

Fire - Radio One

Ezy Rider - Band of Gypsys bootleg

callers:

Mark

Blair

Foxy Lady

Troy

Larry

11/22/06

 Welcome to the Chimes of Freedom, the show all about Bob Dylan.
Tonight I'm going to open this show with an announcement.
This will be the second to last Chimes of Freedom that I will host on WAIF.
Next week will be the final Electric Church that I'll host here as well.
I will be leaving this time slot and the station effective midnight December 27th.
This decision to end my tenure here as a programmer and volunteer at WAIF has come after many months of soul searching,
However, many events that have occurred this year have pursuaded me that it's time to move on.
I have relocated to northern Butler County which has made travel to and from my home to WAIF impractical.
In addition, my family has suffered several huge losses this year including the death of my mother in early spring,
and then a plane crash last summer that claimed the lives of two of my grandchildren.
Given these events, I feel an urgency to spend more time with my family.
It is for these and no other reasons that I have decided to leave.
It has been a great honor for me to be associated with all of the fine folks here at WAIF.
The board of Trustees, and the staff at WAIF have brought this station along very nicely in recent years.
We have moved from the dank undercroft of the Alms to a really nice building
on a piece of property that WAIF now owns free and clear.
Though WAIF trustrees, staff and programmers come and go for one reason or another,
the message has remained constant:
to offer a radio voice to divergent points of view.
Though there are a gaggle of former programmers who are currently voicing displeasure with the way this station is being run in the puny publication CityBeat,
know this:
those former programmers have each excluded themselves from this organization by the folly of their own action.

I will always support this station as a listener and as a member
and I urge you to do the same.

Okay, enough about me.
On with the show.
The number here is 513-749-1444.
Give me a call to talk or make a request.

songlist:

The Times They Are a-changin' - Love and Theft comp. disc

Rollin' and Tumblin' - Modern Times

All Along the Watchtower - Dylan and the Dead

Sweetheart Like You - Infidels

Chimes of Freedom

Positively 4th st. - Gr. Hits

Blind Willie McTell - Bootlegs Vol iii

Buckets of Rain - Blood on the Tracks

The Man in Me - Big Labowski

Thunder on the Mountain - Modern Times

My Back Pages - Gr Hits vol ii

Like a Rolling Stone - Highway 61 Revisited

Lay Lady Lay - Hard Rain

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

Saved - Saved

Frankie and Albert - Good as I been to You

Ring Them Bells - Oh Mercy

Girl from the North Country - 30th anniv.

Ballad of a Thin Man - Real Live

Drifter's Escape - John Wesley Harding

Days of 49 - Self Portrait

Every Grain of Sand - Shot of Love

Maggie's Farm - Bringing it all back Home

callers:

Foxy Lady

Paul

Sally

Troy

10/26/06

Chimes of Freedom (from hand written notes)

My computer's acting up tonight. haven't got a lot to talk about. The election's around the corner as if you didn't already know by the nasty ads on tv. It's vote for me because the other guy sucks. Same political crap: fear tactics, name calling, finger pointing. It's fairly sordid.

I do think it's time to restore balance in our government. The two party system aint all that, but it's the only chance that our system has at this time. Yeah, I'm going to say that it's time to get some democrats back in office so at least there will be some reasonable debate on our behalf.

But here, at WAIF, it's all about Bob Dylan until midnight. Bob's hard at work on tour. He's doing a concert in Lincoln, Nebraska tonight.

songlist:

Rollin' and Tumblin' - Modern Times

Tonight I'll be Staying Here with You - Nashville Skyline

Bye and Bye - Love and Theft

Highway 61 Revisited - Real Live

Slow Train - Dylan and the Dead

Blowin' in the Wind - 30th anniv. performed by Stevie Wonder

This Land is your Land - No Direction Home

With God on our Side - Live at Carnegie Hall 1963

Like a Rolling Stone - Gr. Hits

Forever Young - Planet Waves

Most Likely You Go your Way and I'll Go Mine - Blonde on Blonde

When the deal Goes Down - Modern Times

She Belongs To Me - Self Portrait

Saved - Saved

Jim Jones - Good as I Been to You

Shelter from the Storm - Blood on the Tracks

Frankie and Albert - Good as I been to You

callers:

Foxy Lady

Coleen

Kevin

Blair

Steve

special guest:

Tommy

9/27/06

Well,
tonight's program is going to be fairly easy for me here on the Chimes of Freedom.
Bob Dylan released Modern Times on August 29th which is a cd of all new material.
Ten tunes to be exact.
So this show pretty much planned itself.
In addition to the new cd, when I purchased Modern Times, I was given a companion cd which is a recording of Bob Dylan's Theme Time that's being broadcast on XM radio and I'll be playing segments from that as well. This theme is baseball which goes along with Bob's touring of minor league ball parks.
There will be some time a little later that I'll play requests, but for now, let's listen to Modern Times by Bob Dylan.

Songlist

I Shall Be released - Gr.Hits VolII

You aint goin' nowhere - Gr Hits VolII

Thunder on the Mountain - Modern Times

Spirit on the Water - Modern Times

Rollin' and tumblin' - Modern Times

When the Deal goes down - Modern Times

Someday Baby -  Modern Times

Workingman's Blues #2 - Modern Times

Beyond the Horizon - Modern Times

Nettie Moore - Modern Times

The Levee's Gonna Break - Modern Times

Aint Talkin' - Modern Times

Take me out to the Ball Game - Baseball Theme Time cd

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - Love and Theft

Cold Irons Bound - Time out of Mind

Down in the Flood - Masked and anoymous

Callers

Kevin

Val

Troy

Blair

8/30/06

You are listening to the Electric Church. This is the show that's all about Jimi Hendrix. Every time there's a fifth Wednesday, I come to WAIF and do this show. I'll tell you a little about myself.

I am the Ezy Rider and I program two segments of Hometown HiFi. On the fourth Wednesday of the month I program Chimes of Freedom which is the show that's all about Bob Dylan. Yesterday Bob released his first all new album in 5 years called Modern Times so next month's show should be really exciting.

Whenever there's a fifth Wednesday in a month, like tonight, I program the Electric Church which is all Hendrix.

Why do I program an all Hendrix show?

Well I've been collecting Hendrix for more than four decades now. I bring a segment of my collection here to do this show.

Actually I'm talking more than I usually do so now I'll shut up and let the music do the talking.

Songlist:

Burning of the Midnight Lamp - Radio One

Hear My Train a-comin' - Woodstock

Ezy Rider - Band of Gypsys bootleg

God Save the Queen - Bootlegs

Are You Experienced? - Are You Experienced?

Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) - Blue Wild Angel

Rainy Day Mix - Legend Studio mix

Drivin' South/Sgt Peppers - Bootlegs

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Purple set Vol 2

Johnny B Goode - Purple set Vol 3

Voodoo Child (slight return) - Purple Set Vol 3

Spanish Castle Magic - Live at Winterland

Crosstown Traffic - Electric Ladyland

I don't Live Today - Sacred Sources Live Forever

Rock Me Baby - Monterey

Up From the Skies - Axis Bold as Love

Little Wing - The Jimi Hendrix Concerts

Night Bird Flying - First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Midnight Lightning - South Saturn Delta

Power to Love - Band of Gypsys

Electric Church Red House - Blues

Callers:

Troy

Graham

Dave

Steve

8/23/06

Good evening and welcome to the Chimes of Freedom. This is the radio show that's all about Bob Dylan. For those of you who haven't listened to Chimes of Freedom, what I do on this show is play a lot of Dylan's music and try to give updates about Bob's ongoing career.
Bob's recording and performing career has spanned more than five decades, and he's still going strong. His most recent tour brought him to Lexington Kentucky on August 8th. I didn't get the chance to see the show, but I'm sure a great time was had by all and that Bob's band was cookin' as usual.
Bob's first new cd release in five years called Modern Times will be available on August 29th and we've got that to look forward to..
So there's plenty of excitement going on in the world of Bob Dylan.
Tonight, the Chimes of Freedom radio show is what's going on about Bob in Cincinnati.
I invite you to call me at 513-749-1444 and place a request, maybe talk about Dylan, or just let me know you're out there.

Songlist:

The Times They are A-changin' - Live at Carnegie Hall

Girl from the North Country - 30th Anniversary

You Aint Goin' Nowhere - Gr.Hits Vol II

License to Kill - Infidels

Talkin' John Birch Blues - Bootlegs Vol I

One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) - Blonde on Blonde

Livin' the Blues - Self Portrait

Solid Rock - Saved

Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again -Blonde on Blonde

Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Dylan & the Dead

The Man in Me - Big Labowski soundtrack

Every Grain of Sand - Shot of Love

My Back Pages - Masked and Anonymous

Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie - Bootleg Vol I

Song to Woody - No Direction Home

This Land Is Your Land - No Direction Home

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bringing it all Back Home

7 Deadly Sins - Wilburys vol III

One More Cup of Coffee - Desire

I and I - Is it Rolling Bob?

I Can't Get You Off of my Mind - Timeless

It Aint Me Babe - Real Live

Callers:

Joe

Kevin

Troy

Leonard

Bill

Blair

7/26/06

Good evening and welcome to the Chimes of Freedom which is the show all about Bob Dylan. I play a lot of Dylan, take some requests and in general have a discussion about Dylan from now until midnight.

The professional career of Bob Dylan is now in its 5th decade, and Bob shows no sign of slowing down. His website into has what looks like could be the cover of a new release, but that's speculation on my part. Hopefully it's all new stuff, that would be exciting.

Right now Bob's touring minor league ballparks like he has for the past three years. On the 15th of August, he'll be in Lexington at Applebee Park which isn't too bad a drive if you get a chance to see him.

Besides a tour, September 25th a new Broadway musical called "The Times They Are A-Changin'" will begin public previews. The musical is conceived by Twyla Tharpe and set to the music and lyrics of Dylan.

So Bob's career keeps going, his influence continues to expand and the impact that his music has had on the entire artistic community continues to be realized.

So I'll be here until midnight. Give me a call at 513-749-1444 to make a request, talk about Dylan, or just say hello.

Songlist

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstock II

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat - No Direction Home

Forever Young (1) - Planet Waves

I Shall Be Released - Gr. Hits Vol II

Forever Young (2) - Planet Waves

Gotta Serve Somebody - Dylan and the Dead

The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) - Gr. Hits Vol II

Ring Them Bells - Oh Mercy

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall

Shelter From the Storm - Blood on the Tracks

Handle with Care - Traveling Wilburys

In the Summertime - Shot of Love

This Land is Your Land - No Direction Home

With God on our Side - Live at Carnegie Hall

If Not for You - Gr. Hits vol II

It's all over now Baby Blue - Gr.Hits vol II

Hurricaine - Desire

Is your Love in Vain? - Street Legal

Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - Hard Rain

Oh Sister - Hard Rain

Dirt Road Blues - Time out of Mind

Callers

Foxy Lady

Matt

Dave (liked the Wilburys)

Blair

Chris

Dave (Colerain)

 Kevin

6/28/06

Chimes of Freedom

No excuses for not saving my notes.

I didn't print them out either.

So I had to adlib on the show based on the notes I'd written but not printed out-- forgotten and neglected on my computer.

My computer did a restart overnight and Frontpage didn't save the doc like word does.

I hadn't saved it either.

It's gone.

I talked about the fact that it was the first Chimes of Freedom of summer 2006. I talked about the wealth of summer programming that had come into WAIF because the school who we share frequencies with is out for the summer. So WAIF goes full time in the summer.

New shows and programmers fill in the schedule in the summer. Some of the shows ultimately help fill out the roster at WAIF. It's an all-volunteer organization that stresses inclusion and dialogue. 

Summer shows are a great way to become a part of WAIF. We're looking for (I just hit "save") those who can present a show that represents a divergent point of view getting no airtime elsewhere.

You have to put together a show proposal and present the programming committee with that proposal. Once approved, you have to show up on time and do an organized show every week or join a rotation type show like I have with Eric Slade on Hometown HiFi.

I started out as a volunteer for a couple of years and then the slot in Hometown Hifi opened up and I asked for it. I did my first Electric Church show in Sept. 98.

Anyway, I lost my notes.

This is the best I can do now.

I did write down the songlist and callers.

songlist:

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - Love and Theft

In the Summertime - Shot of Love

Summer Days - Love and Theft

If not For You - Gr Hits Vol II

Queen Jane Approximately -Dylan and the Dead

Shelter From the Strom - Hard Rain

Like a Rolling Stone - Self Portrait

Diamond Joe - Masked and Anonymous

I Can't Get You off of My Mind - Timeless

This Land is Your Land - No Direction Home

The Man in Me - The Big Labowski

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall

Froggie Went a Courtin' - Good as I Been to You

One Too Many Mornings - The Times They Are a Changin'

My Back Pages - Masked and Anonymous - Magokoro Bros.

Mutineer - Enjoy Every Sandwich

It Aint Me Babe - Gr Hits

Like a Rolling Stone - Masked and Anonymous - Articolo 31

One More Cup of Coffee - Masked and Anonymous - Sertab

Song to Woody - Bob Dylan

Golden Loom - Bootlegs Vol III

Mr. Bojangles - Dylan

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstock 94

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

callers:

Kevin (Colerain)

Foxy Lady

Troy

Dave

Chris

Kevin (Middletown)

5/31/06

Welcome to the Electric Church. This is the show all about Jimi Hendrix. Tonight is going to be a departure from the usual fare. As I sat with the Foxy Lady over the weekend, I started to spin some of my old vinyl. I wound up playing several Hendrix albums and thus came up with the idea for this week's show.

I usually take requests, but tonight will be an exception. I'm going to make all of the selections for this evening's show.

From now until midnight, I'll be playing nothing but sides of vinyl albums that have been in my collection for most of three decades, and many have been there longer. I'll warn you, many of these albums have been up all night partying, have had stuff spilled on them, and have been left on the turntable for indeterminate amounts of time. In other words, they've stood the test of time, some better than others. So it's likely you'll hear some crackling and popping during tonight's show, but I did want to play for you the albums that moved me the most back in the 60s and 70s.

Myself, and many like me created the ongoing market for Jimi's work.

Believe it or not, many of Jimi's albums were on the bargain tables for almost ten years after his death. There were many "new" releases after Jimi's death too. A loyal legion of Hendrix devotees purchased these posthumous releases and kept the market and interest in Hendrix alive.

The only mainstream success Jimi realized were singles from his first and third  albums. The rest of his catalogue was played for awhile on album oriented rock stations, but none of the mainstream hit stations picked up on what Jimi was releasing to any degree.

Only those of us who understood the importance of his body of work continued to buy in numbers. The hits stations ignored all but two of his songs: those being Purple Haze and All Along the Watchtower.

Foxy Lady and Fire were minor hits but, for the most part, Jimi's catalogue of wonderful material was ignored. For many years, this station was the only radio outlet in Cincinnati for the extended  Hendrix catalogue. The show was called Crosstown Traffic and it was a staple of Hometown HiFi for over 25 years until 1998 when the Electric Church took the timeslot.

Other than that, the mainstream media ignored Jimi's body of work, but his records kept selling. Many of the records I'm going to play tonight are posthumous releases put together by producer Alan Douglas. I could talk about Alan Douglas further, but that's another show.

Many Think Douglas screwed with the mixes too much even inserting studio players to dub over the parts of Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox and some others. As I said, that's another show. Point I'm making is: Alan Douglas was able to convince Reprise Records and later, MCA records, that Hendrix had a viable market. He was right of course.

Though Douglas' productions were highly criticized, some were wonderful as many of you know.

I'm also going to play sides of those albums that were released in Jim's lifetime.

Anyway, it's an all vinyl night at the Electric Church. The Foxy Lady is in the house and this is our 20th wedding anniversary.

The party is getting started so get comfortable grab your favorite beverage and smoke 'em if you got 'em because the Electric Church is about to fire up the airwaves.

songlist

The Cry of Love Side 1

Freedom

Drifting

Ezy Rider

Night Bird Flying

My Friend

Hendrix In the West side 2

Johnny B Goode

Lover Man

Blue Suede Shoes

Voodoo Child (slight return)

The Jimi Hendrix Concerts side 2

Stone Free

Are You Experienced

Band of Gypsys side 2

Changes

Power of Love

Message to Love

We Gotta Live Together

Electric Ladyland side 1

.....and the gods made love

(have you ever been to) Electric Ladyland

Crosstown Traffic

Voodoo Chile

callers

Blair

Troy

Juke Box

Ross

Mark

5/24/06

During this evening's Chimes of Freedom, I got an immediate response to the notes I read over the air about a recent series of articles and published letters concerning WAIF's status as a viable radio station and not for profit organization. It seems my listeners are surprised by the force of my reaction, but they all sympathize with my position.

The publication launching this "investigation" is none other than CityBeat who I've been associated with for the past ten years or so. I'm on a first name basis with the editor, John Fox, and at first, I was surprised to read the obvious belligerence of tone, omission of fact and slanted context that their articles contained.

They chose to interview a number of former programmers of WAIF who, by their own actions, had caused the Board of Trustees at WAIF to remove them from the air and from the organization. In two cases, the programmers who were removed from the station were involved in violence that occurred at the station.

So the articles come off as a vendetta of sorts.

Why? I asked.

WAIF is an all volunteer organization and is run by a handful of dedicated volunteers. I did two years in that intense circle of volunteers. There's a lot of work to be done at the Board level, and damn few in the organization who will take the time to do that work. Most in the organization whine about the things that aren't being done while sitting on their own hands. Board members are constantly under fire from programmers for lack of action on this or that, or too much action on this instead of that, but that is the nature of a purely democratic organization like WAIF. It goes one way for awhile and then turns around goes back the other way. The classic yin-yang of a volunteer organization that is driven forward by the power of its message of acceptance and inclusion.

Not many will do the nuts and bolts type work that needs to be done at the Board level, but I'm told that this is typical of all volunteer organizations. Because of this fact, WAIF is rather loosely run, behind schedule on improvements, and would seem disorganized to any outsider who took a close look inside.

Despite it's apparent lack of organization, WAIF has moved forward because of the power of the message that the station has purveyed for more than three decades. Careful stewardship has kept the organization solvent.

Two years ago, WAIF purchased its own building after almost 30 years of renting space in the basement of the old Alms Hotel which had become a section 8 residence. The slum lords had permitted the property at the Alms to deteriorate and many nights, raw sewage dumped onto the floor in the station's back hall.

The purchase of real property has been a huge leap forward for WAIF. The financial state of WAIF has never been better. Over the most recent years the Board has been cutting back on expenditures and investment that hasn't been directly involved with running the station.

One of the casualties of this frugal approach at WAIF was print advertising. Over the years WAIF has spent tens of thousands of its funds with CityBeat who for awhile published the station's newsletter and carried ads for the station. Since WAIF has stopped buying print ads, CityBeat has lost interest in the station, and though WAIF received several awards during the period we advertised with CityBeat, we haven't been spoken of much in CityBeat for a few years.

As I point out on the Legend page of this site CityBeat has locked horns in a one on one battle with the area's largest publication, the Cincinnati Enquirer. Every ad dollar that the Enquirer is taking with its Cin Weekly publication, is not available to CityBeat.

In the past, CityBeat crushed its competition. Small publications like ArtSpike, Everybody's News (where most of the CB staff came from in the beginning) and XRay Cincinnati where targets of CityBeat's crack sales staff who went directly to the advertisers of their competitors and undercut ad prices.

Eventually, CityBeat stood alone as Cincinnati's only "alternative" publication. Then the Enquirer decided to fill the void left by CityBeat's ruthless campaigns to stomp out its competition.

The Enquirer scrapped its old Weekend magazine, and struck a newer, younger approach in Cin Weekly. In other words, The Enquirer is out for CityBeat's ad dollars. Each of them has leased the "free publication" space in the various bookstores. No other "free" publications can be left in the "free" rack by the crapper. It's either CityBeat or Cin Weekly, never both, and never any other free publication as well.

So the fur is flying, and it's a real cat fight.

In the midst of all this catty behavior is an advertising draught from WAIF to CityBeat.

The recent articles in CityBeat attacking WAIF, are nothing more than thug journalism. WAIF doesn't buy ads from them, so WAIF's not paying for protection from CityBeat. In short, CityBeat's roughing up WAIF to force us to buy protection from them.

Thus my comments of 4/24/2006 concerning this matter on my Chimes of Freedom radio show:

Good evening and welcome to the Chimes of Freedom.

Not much going on with Bob right now.

He wound up his recent tour May 6th.

There aren't any new releases scheduled.

I guess the only thing that's really happening with Bob right now is this show.

WAIF is under attack, but that's nothing new.

Shallow and silly individuals have attempted to take this mighty little station down since its beginning in 1975.

This time it's a small and meaningless entertainment publication that's after WAIF.

No one I know actually reads that rag.

Citybeat wallows in its own misperception of self importance.

Their attempts at relevance are laughable.

Of course the large corporate stations would chew them up, spit them out, demand an apology, and get one.

It would take some real guts to take on a larger station, but the truth about this particular publication is that it is being run by cowards and sycophants.

How Reaganesque of them to pick on one of the smallest stations in this market for a so called "tell all" article.

By the way, it's the same publication that called Kabaka Aba a clown in the article they wrote about him just days after his death and just days before his funeral.

Seriously, CityBeat needs to get a life.

Anyway, WAIF will persevere, and I’ll be doing the Chimes of Freedom show until midnight.

Give me a call at 513-749-1444 to place a request, talk about Bob, or just to let me know you're out there.

Songlist

All the Tired Horses - Self Portrait

Are you Ready? - Saved

Lay Down your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall

With God on our Side - The Times They are a Changin'

Dignity - Unplugged

Idiot Wind - Hard Rain

I Shall Be Released No.10 - Another Side of B.D.

Down in the Flood - Masked and Anonymous

Watchin' the River flow - Gr. Hits vol II

Don't Think Twice - Gr. Hits vol II

All Along the Watchtower - Dylan and the Dead

Just like a Woman - Blonde on Blonde

It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Bringing It All Back Home

I Believe in you - Slow Train Coming

The Ballad of Ira Hayes - Dylan

Simple Twist of Fate - Blood on the Tracks

In the Summertime - Shot of Love

Neighborhood Bully - Infidels

This Land is Your Land - No Direction Home

Satisfied Mind - Saved

Callers

Blair

Foxy Lady

Leonard

Troy

Kevin

Dave

Steve

4/26/06

Good evening and welcome to the Chimes of Freedom radio show. This is the show that's all about Bob Dylan. We come to you this blustery spring evening from the new improved studios at WAIF. Every time I come into this place some change or improvement has taken place. Folks here at WAIF are constantly working to improve our signal path to you whether it be over the airwaves or on the internet. This is a dynamic organization dedicated to the idea that a majority vote doesn't mean that minorities should be left behind.

For 30 years, WAIF has been the lone voice crying out of the darkness. As the radio waves become clogged with redundant commercial programming and banal talk formats, WAIF has offered up a divergent fare of unique and informative shows that speak to those who have no other on air representation. We have programs presented in seven languages. We have programs about gay and lesbian issues. When it comes to music, we have every kind of music that you can think of and a lot more that you wouldn't consider if it weren't presented right here at WAIF. 

Twice a year we ask our listeners to get involved in our station by becoming members. For just $15.00 you can become a member at WAIF.

Songlist

Visions of Johanna - No Direction Home

Only a Pawn in the Game - The Times They Are a Changin'

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall

Slow Train - Dylan and the Dead

License to Kill - Infidels

To Be Alone With You - Nashville Skyline

I was Young When I Left Home - Companion disc to Love and Theft

Arthur McBride - Good as I been to You

Standing in the Doorway - Time out of Mind

The Man in Me - Soundtrack The Big Lobowski

Tangled up in Blue - Real Live

Woogie Boogie - Self Portrait

When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky - Bootlegs vol III

Tombstone Blues - Unplugged

Solid Rock - Saved

Tough Mama - Planet Waves

Down in the Flood - Masked and Anonymous

Lay Lady Lay - Hard Rain

One More Cup of Coffee - Desire

My Back Pages - Gr. Hits vol II

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

Callers

Foxy Lady

Blair

Troy

4/8/06

My mother passed away April 3rd, 2006. It was somewhat surprising because she was a tough customer and we felt she'd be around for many years to come. Despite what we had thought, she never recovered from my stepdad's passing. We buried her today. Here is the eulogy I read at the service:

Remembering Jeanne A Wagner

This is probably going to sound strange to some of you, but my mother was born on a Greyhound bus when she was 38 years old.

I’m not even sure where the bus was going, but that Greyhound was carrying my mother not only to her destination, but to a destiny.

In the beginning, her name was Audrey.

She was the second child of Ben and Pauline Myer, and they christened her Audrey Jean Myer.

She was preceded in life by her sister Phyllis and followed by a younger brother, Ben.

Polly and Ben Myer instilled a solid background of Christianity and economic pragmatism in their children.

Mom and Phyllis were just one year apart in age, and from childhood they formed a lifelong bond of friendship, love and understanding that only the closest of sisters could ever experience.  

My brother Bill and I would be Audrey Jean’s only children.

For the first half of her life, Audrey Jean Myer searched for a defining purpose; and it must have seemed to her that she would never find it.

She was a restless spirit experiencing stormy relationships with Bill’s natural father, my natural father, and a real estate salesman from suburban Columbus.

It seemed that nothing could tie her down, and when she reached her mid thirties my mother’s path continued to meander from job to job and apartment to apartment.

The one steady source of love and encouragement that my mother could rely upon was my Aunt Phyllis who will always be known to Bill and me as Aunt Sissy.

My mother and Aunt Sissy were the proverbial pair that could beat a full house. 

Many are the days that Bill and I spent playing in the yard with Aunt Sissy’s children Robin and Nick while Mom and Aunt Sissy cleaned house and gabbed over a pot of tea.

My mother was a meticulous housekeeper and an uncompromising organizer, and yet, despite her crowded schedule and closeness to her family; my mother still seemed restless while she lived in Columbus. She even changed her name to Jeanne A. Liggett.

Then she took that bus ride.

As it happened, a North Dakota farm boy named Earl Wagner took the seat beside her on that bus.

Every year before he married my mother, Earl bought a 30 day bus pass that permitted him to take any Greyhound to any destination in the U.S. for an entire month. It was his way of getting away from the farm and seeing the world beyond the western Dakota prairie.

Mother was either going or coming from visiting a friend.

Call it karma, fate, or divine intervention, but some cosmic force was on hand when those two individuals met on that bus.

They never told me what they’d talked about, or even how long the bus ride turned out to be, but the meeting of those two souls changed Mother’s and Earl’s lives for the remainder of their days on Earth.

As providence would have it, they began a 40 year relationship on that bus.

When Mom reached her destination, Earl handed her his address and said, “If you’re ever in Richardton, North Dakota, look me up.”

I remember Mom laughing as she related the story of the farmer from North Dakota to Aunt Sissy. “Like I’ll ever be in North Dakota,” she quipped.

But there was something about that bus ride that got Mother to thinking.

Sometime later, Mom wrote a letter to Earl and asked if the offer was still open.

He sent her a plane ticket.

They were married two weeks later and came back to Ohio to retrieve Mom’s belongings.

 What Earl couldn’t have realized was that he was unleashing a powerful force on the North Dakota landscape.

Earl’s farm was precariously close to receivership when Mom arrived. Earl had considerable knowledge of agriculture, but little business acumen. Mom studied the farming techniques of the most successful farmers in the area. She convinced Earl to streamline his operation and concentrate his effort on a cow/calf enterprise. She kept the books, tracked prices, clipped coupons, kept house and made life as easy as she could for Earl as he followed through on the plan Mom had devised.

Six years later, Mom and Earl owned that farm outright.

Mom and Earl were nearly inseparable.

Mother had finally found that fulfillment that she’d sought.

Except for Mom’s annual visit to Ohio, she and Earl went everywhere and did everything together.

They were each other’s savior, and their relationship should remain as an example for all of us.

Aside from her life on the farm, she was an accomplished author and was always a cinch to win the Thanksgiving turkey in the annual writing contest for the Dickinson Press or the Richardton Merchant. She was published hundreds of times in local and regional publications.

She also had a political side and championed causes for farmers and seniors in North Dakota earning recognition from the Governor of North Dakota and such notables as Fritz Mondale and Al Gore.

Reflecting upon the remarkable life of the mother, the wife and the woman, Jeanne A. Wagner, this short tribute hardly scratches the surface of her accomplishments.

 I’m reminded of a story my mom related to me some years ago.

My father’s parents died in 1953 and after his father’s death, the family farm was willed to my dad, his brother and two sisters. My dad wanted to buy his parents’ farm and applied for a loan in order to purchase the property from his brother and sisters. After going through the application process, my parents were declined the loan. When they asked why, the loan officer told my dad, “Your wife’s a city girl. She’ll never make it on a farm.”

She always laughed when she told that story.

obit

3/29/06 Electric Church Radio Show

Good evening and welcome to the Electric Church Radio Show. This segment of Hometown Hifi is presented every time there is a fifth Wednesday in a month which occurs four or five times per year.

For me, the Electric Church is a special treat because I get to spend the next two hours presenting the music of the most influential guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix. The Electric Church is definitely a party atmosphere so grab your beverage of choice, make yourself comfortable, smoke 'em if you got 'em, because the one and only Jimi Hendrix will be wailing on his axe until the midnight hour.

On the Hendrix news front, Gibson Custom Guitar Shop has gotten into the pimp Hendrix business. The Gibson Shop has worked up a new model called the Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V. The new model Flying V is being offered through Guitar Center stores.

I wasn't able to pull up any specs on it, but it appears to have two humbucking pickups, a rosewood fingerboard, a lever style whammy bar. setup and of course the classic flying v design.

And here's the best part: this model's list price is $12,300 but if you act now, you can get this Hendrix flying v for the low low price of $7999.99. And you'll get a certificate of authenticity from the chief pimp of Hendrix paraphernalia, Janie Hendrix. I suppose that some of you are rushing over to Guitar Center as I speak.

Ridiculous isn't it?

The fact is: Hendrix' preferred electric guitar was the Fender Stratocaster. Not to say he didn't own other instruments. He plays a Fender 12 string acoustic in the 1972 Jimi Hendrix bio movie.

I've been studying Hendrix for over 40 years now. I've viewed hundreds of hours of video and close to a thousand photos as well as listening to hours of Jimi's recordings. The only record that exists of Jimi playing a Flying V is at the Isle of Wight concert, and he exchanges that for a Stratocaster for the second half of that show.

So anyway, that's what's new on the Hendrix merchandising front.

I do this show because I love the music of Jimi Hendrix.

That's my only purpose.

So on with the Electric Church. Give me a call if you want to make a request, have a conversation about Hendrix, or just to let me know you're out there listening. The phone number is 513-749-1444 or you can email the show at ez-e-rider@att.net.

songlist

Johnny B. goode - Purple Set 3

Message to Love - Band of Gypsys

Manic Depression - BBC Sessions

Hear My Train a comin' - Live at the Fillmore East

Belly Button Window - First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Rainy Day Jam - Studio Mix

Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) - Blue Wild Angel

Power of Soul - Band of Gypsys

Little Wing - Purple Set 3

My Friend - First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Electric Church Red House - Blues

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Electric Ladyland

Up From the Skies - Axis: Bold as Love

Love or Confusion - Radio One

Pali Gap - South Saturn Delta

Cherokee Jam - Voodoo Child

Woodstock Improvisation - Woodstock

Villanova Junction - Woodstock

Ezy Rider - Band of Gypsys Bootleg

callers

Foxy Lady

Matt

Blair

Troy

Chris

3/22/06 Chimes of Freedom Radio Show

Welcome to the Chimes of Freedom radio show. I am the EZY Rider and as usual, I show up here every fourth Wednesday of the month to do this segment of Hometown HiFi from 10PM to midnight. Chimes of Freedom is all about the music and the man, Bob Dylan. So stay tuned for the next two hours, and I'll be laying Dylan out there for all of you.

This month, there is a fifth Wednesday, and as most of you know, that means the Electric Church will be holding court next week in this same time slot. The Electric Church is the show that features the music of the most influential guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix. Yes, we'll be spinning Hendrix for a solid two hours next week so you won't want to miss that.

Tonight it's the Chimes of Freedom and we're doin' up Dylan until midnight this March 22nd.

This is the second full day of spring and it looks like we've made it through the winter, and now here's the spring. The winter storm of the century that was predicted for yesterday kind of fizzled. It still gets cold, but the sun's around longer every day and soon enough the summer sun will be sweating our brows and tanning our bodies.

Bob is out on tour already. Dates for his spring/summer tour are posted at bobdylan.com. He hasn't booked around here yet, but seeing as he didn't come around here last year, I'm fairly confident that he'll be somewhere close this time around. Sure would be good to catch him this year.

Until then, this show's going to have to do so stay with us, give me a call at 513-749-1444 to make a request or just to let me know you're out there listening over the airwaves or streaming on the net. It's always good to hear from all of you. You can also email me at ez-e-rider@att.net

songlist

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

I Can't Get You off of my Mind - Timeless

All Along the Watchtower - Dylan and the Dead

It's alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding - 30th Anniversary

Most of the Time - Oh Mercy

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall 1963

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - John Wesley Harding

Shot of Love - Shot of Love

Catfish - Bootlegs Vol. III

Mr. Tambourine Man - Bangladesh

I Shall Be Free No. 10 - Another Side of B.D.

This Land Is Your Land - No Direction Home

Talking World War III Blues - Freewheelin'

Sugar Baby - Love and Theft

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You - Nashville Skyline

With God On Our Side - Live at Carnegie Hall 1963

Shelter From The Storm - Blood on the Tracks

Lay Lady Lay - Hard Rain

Watching the River Flow - Gr. Hits Vol II

It Hurts Me Too - Self Portrait

John Brown - Unplugged

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

callers

Foxy Lady

Blair

Dave

Troy

Matt

Nina

3/11/06

Well, Gale and I are moved. We no longer reside in Mt. Healthy. We have a 5 acre property just outside of Millville, Ohio about 20 miles from our previous address.

One acre of the new place is the house and grounds. The rest is a large fenced meadow with an older barn that's in need of repair. There are several large ash trees around the property and when it rains really hard, an intermittent stream flows through our back yard away from the house.

Here's what it looks like from the front

And the back

and from back in the field

The place is on a hill so we can see for miles if we look to the south, west, and north.

Anyway, we're moved.

I kept a journal as we made the move so I'll share it with you.

MOVING

3/5/06

15 years is a long time to live in one place. That’s how long my wife and I had been in our last house. It’s a great house: lots of room to spread out; but even with all that room, we need even more space to fulfill a lifelong dream for both of us which is raising horses. As a confirmed putterer and ham fisted fixit guy, my compulsion has been to save anything if I think I’ll ever use it. Household items in disrepair, parts from long discarded units, and certain remnants of past passions have been quietly salvaged and stashed in the basement and garage when they became available because of failure of the original units.

Once in awhile my wife would remind me what a mess “my” areas were becoming because of the compilation of “junk.” I’d mutter something about cleaning up and slink away.

It’s not just recently collected stuff either. I’ve carried some of it from place to place for over three decades. Old bowling balls, golf clubs, softball equipment, along with various gadgets and building materials compiled over a decade and a half have waited silently for their next mission or outing.

Mostly these pieces remained on a remote shelf or hidden in a box where I’d placed them in case I ever needed them. It seems that when I remember certain of these items, I couldn’t always find them, but when I can find them and incorporate a small piece into a project, I proudly present the finished item to my wife and show her the one small useful tidbit I’d gleaned from my untidy collection.

The impact of how much of this stuff I’d saved over a decade and a half came in the form of a revelation over the past two months. You see, we’re in the process of moving. I’ve been packing the garage and basement for most of two months. Much of my time has been spent going through my precious stash of incomplete, inoperable and obsolete gear.

Every week I’ve left huge mounds of these items on the curb for collection. Some of it has been entire units. Lawn mowers, an old computer, bicycle parts, paint cans, and stuffed garbage bags have been hauled away to the land fill.

There are those who cruise the neighborhood on collection day pulling items from the curb and placing them in their cars or trucks presumably to add to their collections. I’m pretty sure they got some of my stuff.

Despite my tossing so much, I’ve moved close to a ton of this stuff to our new home. I’ve filled my station wagon no less than forty times bringing this stuff from our old house.

As it turns out, not all of it is mine. You see, when I packed this stuff, I realized that my wife has a collection of her own. Most of her collection is in the form of house wares which she believes to be useful. Regift items, curtains, framed pictures and the like have been stored on a forgotten shelf. While I’ll admit that I’ve kept more stuff than she has, her collection is considerable.

So between her and me, and after tossing out about a half ton of stuff, I figured we’ve acquired somewhere around forty station wagon loads of things we haven’t touched for at least five years; and we hadn’t moved a single piece of furniture or anything else that is currently in use until yesterday.

Of course, after this move, we’ve both vowed that this will be our final address. If in my old age, I’m no longer able to care for this house and property, and I’m forced to leave, I’m never going to move this stuff again.

Which brings up the question: I wonder what my collection will bring at auction?

3/6/06

Go ahead, beat me.

That’s what I said: just beat me.

I’d rather put up with that than move again. It’s been eight weeks of packing and organizing my household, and I’m still not finished. I’ve had little to no time to myself. Every waking moment has been used at my job, fulfilling obligations, or working on this move.

Our old house isn’t sold yet. We’ve been working on it. There’s still some of our stuff left there, not much, and everything at this new house is stacked in boxes and crammed in corners. I’m 56, and I figure I’ll have this place shaped up by my birthday in six months. After moving for two months, I’m about to give in to the thought that I’m probably too old for this.

Somehow the memory of traveling light as a bachelor, ready to up and move on a moment’s notion, has faded. I’ve stopped discarding the unnecessary items. My life is driven not so much by needs, but includes wants as well, and that’s reflected in my overstuffed collection of possessions.

3/7/06

A 26ft. rental truck didn’t move everything. I had one day on Sunday with that rig and got most of our stuff. The band showed up and the guys were a tremendous help on Sunday. Not only did we fill the 26ft. truck, they all filled their pickups, but there’s still some stuff left. When I saw that we were running out of room in the vehicles, I prioritized the items that were going to require two people or more to move. When we left, the garage floor was still covered with items in boxes.

As soon as we got to the new address, the fellas found the case of beer that was in the fridge and took a break. Eventually we got things unloaded and stacked most of the household stuff to the ceiling in the front room. We were able to distribute some items in particular rooms. The biggest challenge we faced was getting a queen size box springs up the set of stairs to the second floor master bedroom. We figured out how to remove the banister on the staircase and the rest fell into place. After a nice meal of chili and sandwiches, the guys left us to sort through the chaos that our house had become.

Yesterday I went back to work after 5 days of moving. My arms, legs and back are aching, and my hands are swollen; but the job’s not finished. Hopefully we’ll get everything out of the old address before the open house this coming Sunday. We’re cleaning the place from top to bottom and finding small items left behind as we do.

Our grandson said “there’s a lot of history in that house” when we told him we were moving from our old address. He’s absolutely right.

Our old address represents a turning point in our lives. Our grandkids love that house. We loved it too and it was our home for 15 years which is longer than either of us had ever remained at the same address. We think someone will walk into that house, just like we did, and know that it’s the right place for them.

The house at the new address is slightly smaller but on a much larger parcel of land with a barn and a detached garage. It will be perfect for horses.

We’ll need to unpack first though.

3/8/06

Today, the dishwasher will be installed and the phone company is going to put in some jacks. Slowly but surely, this household is reestablishing itself with a lot of work on our part.

Last week, our friend Mike helped me move our appliances and set them up. Our friends have come to our rescue dozens of times during this move, giving of their time unselfishly and never mentioning repayment. I am humbled by my friends’ and loved ones support, encouragement, and devotion of time. I am blessed, praise God.

I have to go back to the old address and continue to mop up over there as we untangle our possessions from the move at the new address. In all this has been an exhausting exercise. Keeping in motion over an extended period of time should be second nature to a four time marathoner, but I’m fairly gassed about now and each day I have to force myself to continue this move.

Technically, the move is over when the old address is cleared out, but we’ve got so much to do here, it won’t be over for at least the next three or four months. The basement at the new address is piling up with boxes full of those items that we rarely used, the garage is stacked up with similar items, and yet, this is fast beginning to look like a home for us. Even the cat seems to be settling in.

This place is a fulfillment of a dream for us as was the previous address. We have progressed despite the odds, our personal missteps, and the events that have stacked up against us. I’ve read that life is a series of decisions and the outcome is determined by the direction you choose each time you encounter a crossroads. I’ve stumbled and fallen along the way. I’ve been faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in my path, and yet I’ve always managed to move in the right direction by my own will or by providence. I’m not much of a believer in fate or luck, but I do believe that a divine force will guide you if you ask for help. Sometimes the way is painful and even brutal, but that’s what makes us stronger in the end.

Whenever I get to feeling really down about this move, I stop and look around at our new place and know that this is worth the struggle.

3/9/06

I think I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I stopped by the old address last night and picked up a few things. I’ve got a lot going on right now, including our taxes, but with all that’s happening, I’ve had to postpone and even procrastinate. I began to reassemble the entertainment center last night and we freed up a couple of comfy chairs to watch the big tv. We’ve been sitting on lawn chairs and watching the small portable we use in our bedroom so last night was a treat.

The band’s lead guitarist has arranged a guys night out tonight so I’ll be going with them. Tomorrow, I’ll be back at making this move happen.

3/10/06

Last night the lead guitarist from my band treated the band to a show featuring guitar ace Joe Bonamassa. It was a great time and Joe was better than I expected he’d be.

I really needed a break from the move, but tonight, I’m right back to it. I’m borrowing the company truck and going to the old address to retrieve what’s left of our stuff. Tomorrow, we go back and clean and paint and straighten the old place for the final time.

3/11/06

I emptied the old place last night sticking our stuff in the garage or in the basement here. Today I left work and started working on the old place. I fixed the banister and put rubber treads on the staircase that leads to the second floor. Then I painted that stairwell. I swept out the basement and garage and shampooed the carpets on the main floor while Gale washed out the cabinets and appliances. Just before we left, we said a prayer of thanks for leading us to that house and for all the good things that had taken place there. It’s a good house and I know someone will come to love it as well as we did.

Now to unpack and organize all this.

__________________________

2/22/06

Welcome to Chimes of Freedom the show all about Bob Dylan's music. Tonight I've got a few things to talk about, but I must admit, I'm dealing with a very tight schedule right now so I hope you'll excuse me if I just play a lot of music tonight.

Just to remind you at tax time that WAIF-FM is a 501c organization so donations are tax deductible, and that's good this time of year. Charitable contributions are great ways to divert your money from the hapless war machine that is our government.

So donate to WAIF and stick it to the man. It's a win-win situation.

Call me at 749-1444 if you want to become a member of WAIF or if you just want to make a request or talk about Dylan, that's alright too. I like to hear from you if you're listening to this show.

Now on with Chimes of Freedom.

Songlist:

This Land is Your Land - No Direction Home

Wigwam - Self Portrait

Tangled up in Blue - Blood on the Tracks

Simple Twist of Fate - Blood on the Tracks

If you gotta go, go now (or else you got to stay all night) - Bootlegs Vol 2

Tryin' to Get to Heaven - Time out of Mind

Forever Young - Planet Waves

A Hard Rain's a gonna Fall - Concert for Bangla Desh

Lay Lady Lay - Nashville Skyline

Saved - Saved

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

North Country Blues - Carnegie Hall 1963

Black Diamond Bay - Desire

Political World - Oh Mercy

Down the Highway - Freewheelin'

The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest - John Wesley Harding

Slow Train - Slow Train Coming

Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - Hard Rain

With God on our Side - Unplugged

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - No Direction Home

Every Grain of Sand - Shot of Love

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

Callers

Blair

Foxy Lady

Kevin

Dave

So call me at 513-749-1444 to place your requests.

1/25/06

Yes, you're listening to The Chimes of Freedom. It's the show all about Bob Dylan.

I am the EZY Rider and I'm here for the next two hour segment.

This is the first show of 2006. We had a great time in 2005 bringing this show to you. I've said it before, but I want to say how great it is to be able to talk with a lot of you while this show progresses. I learned a lot about Dylan from many of you. When I first took on this segment of Hometown HiFi, I was a Dylan fan to the extent that I appreciated his accomplishments, I loved his songs, but let's face it, for the most part, Dylan is an acquired taste. He's not the kind of vocalist or guitarist that a lot of young artists emulate in style. He's rough around the edges so most music teachers wouldn't point to Dylan as an example of a great vocalist or guitarist. He's most famous as the greatest living songwriter, and that's how I saw him until I began to program Chimes of Freedom.

I've immersed myself in as much Bob as I can. I've read books, articles, reports and accounts along with researching his discography and personal history, but I'm a real newbee compared with a lot of you folks who call in. Some of you have been this far into Dylan for decades.

I've seen Dylan perform live on four occasions, and as I've said, in the beginning, I was appreciative of Bob's songwriting, but each time I saw him, I began to understand his high level of musicianship as well.

I've learned that Bob Dylan is one of the best musicians alive. He is certainly among the greatest songwriters of all time.

So I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been bringing me along in my endeavor to explore this phenomenon named Bob Dylan. Welcome to the Chimes of Freedom. I'm going to stop talking and put some music through the air now. Give me a call at 513-749-1444 with your requests, comments, or conversation. I'd love to hear from you.

songlist

The Times They are a Changin' - 6 song promo Live at Carnegie Hall 1963

Gotta Serve Somebody - Slow Train Coming

One More Night - Nashville Skyline

Tonight I'll Be staying here with You - Nashville Skyline

Tombstone Blues - Unplugged

Down Along the Cove - John Wesley Harding

Ballad of Hollis Brown - 6 song promo Live at Carnegie Hall 1963

One More Cup of Coffee - Desire

Never Say Goodbye - Planet Waves

Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues - Bootlegs Vol 1

I can't Get You off of my Mind - Timeless

Til I fell in Love with You - Time out of Mind

Just Like a Woman - Gr. Hits

The Mighty Quinn - Self Portrait

Meet Me in the Morning - Blood on the Tracks

Forever Young - Planet Waves

Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues - Bootlegs Vol 1

Mutineer - Enjoy Every Sandwich

In the Summertime - Shot of Love

Po' Boy - Love and Theft

Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat - No Direction Home

When I paint my Masterpiece - Gr. Hits Vol II

What Can I do for You? - Saved

7 Deadly Sins - Wilburys Vol III

Jim Jones - Good as I been to You

Slow Train - Dylan and the Dead

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

callers

Foxy Lady

Troy

Michael

Bob

Dave

Kevin

12/28/05

Chimes of Freedom

Good evening and welcome to Chimes of Freedom. We’ve pulled right up to the end of this year 2005 and there’s no stopping us now. Sunday, the earth will have completed yet another circuit around the sun, and we’ll start counting days all over again.

Tonight I’ve brought a lot of Dylan, and as usual I’ll start playing what I want to hear until you call and tell me what you want to hear. Then we’ll listen to that.

Well I guess the biggest news in the land of Bob Dylan is that he is about to launch his own radio show on XM radio.

I’m guessing at least some of you know about subscription radio. Like cable tv, you pay a monthly fee and you get to listen to their digital radio broadcasts all over the U.S. and in much of the globe.

I believe that subscription radio is a boutique item that will be quickly replaced by an internet service. With cel phones and digital satellite connections, the internet is currently accessible from just about anywhere on the globe for the price of an internet service. It’s an improving technology, and with the advent of the dvd entertainment system in many automobiles, it’s only a matter of time before automotive systems will be streaming pay per view audio and video from the internet. I also believe that the internet is the future for television.

Anyway, subscription radio is the current rage. Only certain radio stations have maintained any integrity in their programming. Radio is a business so business runs radio.

Giant conglomerates have pounced upon massive portions of the broadcast radio spectrum in an effort to consolidate the effort put forth to coerce the listener to accept their narrow point of view. Automated playlists and centralized programming cut down the number of staff needed to operate a station. Outside of a few engineers and a half a dozen live programmers, these stations literally run themselves.

Radio has become such a vast wasteland because of the weakness, greed, arrogance and intolerance of those who control it. They’ve gone so far as to sick the Federal Communications Commission on each other.

Except for a few islands of sanity, like here at WAIF, broadcast radio has pretty well shot itself in the foot.

It seems that these subscription radio services are serious about the quality of their product unlike the twerps who are running most of the free air broadcasts. So now people are willing to pay for a subscription to a quality radio service. Beyond that, those service providers are willing to pay enormous sums to huge stars like Dylan, David Bowie, Snoop Dog, and of course the quasi comedian Howard Stern.

So Dylan is going to have his own show on XM subscription radio beginning in March.

Songlist

When you gonna wake up - Slow Train a comin'

The Times they are a changin' - Unplugged

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall

This Land is Your Land (Live version) - No Direction Home

Song to Woody - No Direction Home

House Carpenter - Bootlegs Vol I

Highway 61 revisited - Woodstock II

Ballad of Ira Hayes - Dylan

Girl from the North Country - Nashville Skyline

Shelter from the Storm - Hard Rain

Hurricaine - Desire

Watchin' the River Flow - Gr. Hits Vol II

Desolation Row - Highway 61 Revisited

Property of Jesus - Shot of Love

In Search of Little Sadie - Self Portrait

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

Are You Ready - Saved

Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Dylan and the Dead

Callers

Foxy Lady

Troy

Dave

Kevin

11/30/05

Electric Church

Welcome to the Electric Church. You are listening to WAIF 88.3FM in Cincinnati. I am the Ezy Rider and I am in the house for this segment of Home Town Hifi.

2005 is entering its final month tomorrow. The holiday season is upon us. For many of us, it’s a season of cheer.

So tonight, as usual, the party atmosphere is in full bloom. Yes it’s that time again. The Electric Church is in session. For the next two hours, I’ll be bringing you the music, the magic and the mojo of the inimitable Jimi Hendrix.

Of course this is the time of year when giving gifts is the tradition for many of us. Our household is no exception. Of course I’ve done some online shopping and I’ve subscribed to the official Jimi Hendrix mailing list.

The Hendrix family has been in the business of pimping Jimi’s career for a little over ten years now. When they obtained the intellectual property of the Hendrix legacy from its previous handlers, they started out to set the record straight and to make all of Jimi’s genuine studio and live recordings available to the public. To their credit, they have done so. Having said that I believe they’ve really started to overdue it.

Every year for the past five years, not only do I get the official Hendrix full color brochure of all the Hendrix gear and paraphernalia, but I get about 60 emails per year reminding me that they are pimping Hendrix gear and music.

Anyway, it’s great to be here and now I’m done talking. I have to come back for station ID and that, but from this point forward, it’ll be nothing but Hendrix until midnight.

Songlist

1983 (A Merman I should Turn to be) - Electric Ladyland

Woodstock Improvisation - Woodstock

Villanova Junction - Woodstock

Spanish Castle Magic - Radio One

Changes - Band of Gypsys

God Save the Queen - Bootlegs

Midnight Lightning - South Saturn Delta

Gypsy Woman - Woodstock (complete performance)

If 6 was 9 - Purple box set Vol 1

May This Be Love - Are You Experienced?

Catfish Blues - Blues

Dolly Dagger - Blue Wild Angel

Little Miss Lover - Purple Set Vol 2

Rainy Day Dream Away/ Still Raining Still Dreaming - Mix from Electric Ladyland

3rd Stone From The Sun - Are you Experienced?

Johnnie B. Goode - Purple Set Vol 4

Power of Soul - Band of Gypsys bootleg

Little Wing - Purple Set Vol 3

Come on Pt1 - Electric Ladyland

Callers

Troy

Mike

Matt

11/23/05

Chimes of Freedom

Well here we are on Thanksgiving eve 2005. This is the third Thanksgiving eve for the Chimes of Freedom, and it’s been my pleasure to bring this segment of Hometown HiFi  to you here on WAIF every fourth Wednesday. Of course we have a fifth Wednesday next week so the Electric Church will be rolling in for two hours of the inimitable Jimi Hendrix.

Tonight, it’s Chimes of Freedom featuring the music of Bob Dylan.

I have a bit of news about the show. Chimes of Freedom has its own web address now: it’s www.chimesoffreedom.us. If you go to that web address, it will take you directly to the show’s webpage which it shares with the Electric Church. Once there, you can read up on the shows, and for more information on specific shows, you can click on the Blog link, and if you scroll down, you’ll find songlists and comments from each of the shows dating back to 1999.

About two weeks ago, the Foxy Lady and I went to one of our favorite book and music stores where I found the Self Portrait disc and by chance I walked past a display featuring the new No Direction Home dvd and Scrapbook, and I was able to snag a complimentary six song promo cd. So I’ll be playing a lot of stuff from those two releases.

We’re here for two hours of Dylan tonight so get your snacks, your beverage of choice, get comfortable, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, and I’ll be spinnin’ Dylan until midnight.

Songlist

The Times They Are a Changin' - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

The Boxer - Self Portrait

Dink's Song - No Direction Home Soundtrack

I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know - Self Portrait

Ballad of Hollis Brown - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

I Want You - Dylan and the Dead

Boots of Spanish Leather - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

Living the Blues - Self Portrait

I Can't Get You off of My Mind - Timeless

Lay Down Your Weary Tune - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

The Man in Me - Big Labowski soundtrack

North Country Blues - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

Blue Moon - Self Portrait

The Times They Are a Changin' - Bootlegs Vol 1

With God on our Side - 6 song Promo CD Carnegie Hall 1963

Minstrel Boy - Self Portrait

Pressing On - Saved

Never Say Goodbye - Planet Waves

The Mighty Quinn - Self Portrait

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstock '94

Most of the Time - Oh Mercy

Days of 49 - Self Portrait

Cool Dry Place - Traveling Wilburys

Little Sadie - Self Portrait

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

In Search of Little Sadie - Self Portrait

Callers

Foxy Lady

Ray

Troy

Kevin

Dave

Jed

11/12/05

Indiana Uglyfest:

Midwest Uglies Strike Back

Attendees: left to right

Karl Vaughn, Paul Bower, Michael Hicks (stinky) Grandon Westlund (Bass Kahuna), Jarod Hummer (bigdumbanimal), me (oldfclefer) 

The uglyfest is a manifestation of the bass player’s online community at the http://www.uglybassplayer.com forum. Uglybassplayer.com is a community of bassists who understand that by and large the bassist is the forgotten musician in many bands. The vital role of the bassist is often overlooked by the general public and even many other band members in certain situations. A pair of online entrepreneurs known to the uglies as Slade and Webmaster (Webby) parleyed the unique circumstances surrounding bassists into the forum that many of us now call home when we’re online.

The uglyfest was born and began to take shape as a resultant byproduct of the forum. The concept of the uglyfest was originated by a group of ugly bassists from Colorado who gathered just to meet one another and put faces and voices on those with whom they’d been exchanging ideas, tips and wisecracks on the forum.

Because of the good natured concept of the forum, and the sense of fellowship of its members, the uglyfests were a great success, and the Colorado uglies began to find other reasons to gather: for instance, at a particular member’s gig or at a concert. Many of us who didn’t live near Colorado had discussed such a gathering, and the idea that uglies from other regions of the U.S. should come together continued to float around the forum with no results until the Indiana Uglyfest came up.

Grandon Westlund (Bass Kahuna) had moved from Colorado in the early summer of 2005 and had taken up residence in a northern suburb of Indianapolis. His experience with previous uglyfests in Colorado, and the resultant fellowship of those gatherings, was most likely his primary motivation for volunteering his home for the Midwesterners.

Initially, the Indiana Uglyfest was Bass Kahuna’s (Grandon’s) idea. He suggested to the rest of the uglies that he’d be willing to host a Midwestern Uglyfest at his new home in West Lafayette, Indiana. The idea caught on, and the date was set for November 12, 2005.

Kahuna is a luthier and the founder of GW Basses. GW manufactures custom basses and several uglies have purchased Grandon’s beauties. More information about Grandon’s business can be found at http://www.basskahuna.com

On the uglybassplayer forum, Grandon answers even the most technical questions with élan and detail. His knowledge of the electric bass is obviously fired by a deep love and respect for the instrument. He had earned the adoration of the Colorado uglies who helped him to make the move to Indiana. Those of us in the Midwest were more than happy to become part of the regional gathering that was Kahuna’s brainchild.

I responded almost immediately to Grandon’s post on UBP. The Colorado uglyfests looked like so much fun that I wanted to encourage others from different regions to gather as well, and when Grandon suggested it, I jumped at the idea. Grandon set the date, and the wheels began to turn.

I live in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio which is less than 20 miles from the Ohio/Indiana border. I-74 is about 2 miles from my house and would take me to within 50 miles of Grandon’s place.

I called him on the 11^th to see if there was anything that he wanted me to bring. We had PMed one another concerning P.A. equipment, and I had offered to bring mine, but he had found some to use.

So I packed my rig and basses and headed west on I-74 for a day of uglyfest with the one and only Bass Kahuna a few other fellow uglies.

I loaded the ugly Buick for the trip.

It took me about 3 hours to find Kahuna’s home. He lives about 40 miles northwest of Indianapolis near the city of Lafayette which is the home of Purdue University. As it turned out, I got turned around on the interstates in Indianapolis and wound up on I-65 which was actually the shorter way to get there from my home (damn Yahoo maps). I had to stop and get directions a couple of times, being a clueless Buckeye and all, but the friendly folks in Indiana were happy to help an old ugly find his way.

Once I got into Lafayette, I was able to contact Kahuna who gave me the final directions to his home.

The Kahuna family reside on a four acre partially wooded lot which is nestled on a hillside not far from the banks of the Wabash River. Their home is larger than average, and very cozily situated along a country lane not too far from Lafayette. When I arrived, I was greeted by BigDumbAnimal (Jarod Hummer) and the Bass Kahuna (Grandon Westlund) who helped me get my gear to the downstairs room where the uglyfest was held.

Indiana Uglyfest

First off, I want to thank Grandon and Cheryl Westlund and their family for opening their home to us and welcoming us in such grand fashion. The Westlunds are obviously still in the process of organizing their house and grounds from their recent move, but they accommodated us with grace and class. The Colorado uglies have always held Kahuna in high esteem, and Grandon is obviously a class act; but that is due in large part, I think, to the support of his loving and understanding family.

The room where we set up was appropriately colored brown. Brown carpet and brown paneling silently tolerated our brown notes as we began to jam soon after my arrival. Our stinky for the day was Michael Hicks who hammered out a tremendous beat for us to groove upon as the jam commenced. Another local ugly who was on hand was Karl Vaughn who joined in the jam along with Bigdumbanimal and me. Kahuna was in and out, joined the jam for a few moments, but was obviously preoccupied with getting a meal ready for the gathering uglies. Soon, we were joined by yet another local ugly named Paul Bower.

Bigdumbanimal Jarod Hummer playing his ESP 4 wire. His rig rocked!

Bigdumbanimal is a great ugly. He built his own six string fretless bass and brought along his ESP 4 wire as well. He is a natural on the bass instrument. He told me that he doesn’t know a lot of songs, but he knows a lot of riffs. He had no problem picking up on any of the jams and started quite a few. I was impressed that this young ugly was able to show me some stuff by greats like Wooten and Sheehan.

Karl Vaughn. His rig, though small, cut through the mix.

Karl Vaughn’s energy and openness cut right through the brown mix. He launched into every jam with enthusiasm and drive. He had a small pedal board of stomp boxes and the least equipment of all of us, but he kept up with the jam with apparent ease.

Mike Hicks. Something stink around here?

Equally impressive was the stinky Michael Hicks. His energy drove our jams, and in typical stinky style, got us through some rough spots.

Strung upside down lefty Paul Bower's Rick sounded fantastic.

Paul Bower was awesome. I’m an old school ugly, and Paul’s precision and ability to improvise impressed the hell out of me.

Bass Kahuna Grandon Westlund just flat out grooves.

Bass Kahuna is the epitome of ugliness. He has nearly flawless technique, and his knowledge of gear and vast experience are evident in the apparent ease with which he performs even the most complex passages on the bass.

UGLYBURGERS

Then Kahuna rang the dinner bell and stood aside as we stampeded up the stairs and set upon a luxurious layout of food that included the now famous uglyburgers which consist of beef, bacon and cheese ground together and shaped into patties. We ate our meal outside on the deck and swapped stories for about an hour.

mmmmmmm.... Uglyburgers

Never get between an ugly and his burger

Kahuna digging up some spices for the meal

We ate out on the deck and swapped stories (some real whoppers, too!).

Let me say that the egos were either checked at the door or didn’t exist in the first place. It doesn’t matter which, it was among the most pleasant conversations I’ve ever had with musicians. In reality, we didn’t know each other from Adam, but we carried on an exchange of ideas and stories as if we’d known each other for years. What a great group of people.

                 Kahuna showed us some of his recent projects.                             This bass an an old Eko EB0 knock off that he's going to supe up.

Turns out my Kramer is the evil twin to Paul's XL8

Paul's rig sounded awesome.

Kahuna's gear. Damn.

Jammin'

After the meal, we retired to the downstairs to get down to some serious jamming.

Bigdumbanimal kicked off the jam, and I was amazed at the level of play of all the uglies and the stinky. I joined in for a few of the jams, but I stopped and listened for most of it.

In all, the jams were nothing short of totally awesome, and I was really happy to be a part of them. Nothing but low end and stinky: it doesn’t get better than that.

Head for home

Then the time had come to leave. We helped each other load up our gear and thanked the Westlund family for allowing us to hold the uglyfest in their beautiful home. Just as I was about to leave Helstar (Mike Orr) pulled in the drive. It was really good to meet him, and we made tentative plans to meet up at a Freekbass concert in the near future.

Helstar Mike Orr

In all, the Indiana Uglyfest was more than I had expected that it could be. It was a true honor to meet the individuals who attended, and to be welcomed into the home of the great Bass Kahuna and his lovely family. Before I left, Kahuna and I spoke of the next Indiana Uglyfest. Oh yeah, I’m there.

10/31/05

Gale and I stand at the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct 30th, 2005. Gale ran the 8k race while I ran the 26.2 mile Marine Corps Marathon.

Yesterday (10/30/05) I completed my forth and, possibly, final marathon. I have run one marathon per year for the past four years. The first two I ran were the 2002 and 2003 Flying Pig Marathons which were held here in my hometown of Cincinnati. The third that I ran was the 2004 Columbus (Ohio) Marathon, and the one I chose to run this year was the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. As a former Marine, I had set my sights on this particular race four years ago when I first made up my mind to begin running marathons.

The Marine Corps Marathon is a very organized event. Hundreds of Marines handed us water and fitness drinks along the course. As we crossed the finish line dozens of Marines offered high fives and congratulations. Everyone's spirits were very high as the race progressed and at the finish. It is a great experience and a race I would recommend to anyone who is serious about marathoning. 

Of course, we didn't go to Washington for the race only.

We arrived Washington D.C. on Thursday Oct. 27th and checked into our hotel. That evening we went to the hotel's lounge which featured a great three piece band (keybords/singer, drummer, bassist) named Tyris who had a superb bassist named Max Koteen. When we first got there, Max was playing an upright bass and later he played a 6 string  ZON electric bass. Having seen my Uglybassplayer shirt, he came to our table and spoke with my wife and me during his break. He was a very nice guy and had some great bass gear. Anyone who wants to know more about Max should go to www.maxkoteen.com

Friday and Saturday we did some sightseeing of the memorials on the Mall and took the subway throughout the city and its suburbs for the first time in our lives. We checked out an art display at the Smithsonian and walked around Arlington Cemetery as well.

Ultimately race day came on Sunday Oct 30th. Gale ran the 8k while I ran the marathon. She did very well in the 8k while I, frankly, struggled to complete the marathon. Of course a marathon is a 26.2 mile course, and those who intend to finish must train relentlessly for at least six months and restrict themselves to a proper diet to be able to complete such a race. I'm very focused, but I didn't make all of the necessary sacrifices and concessions to my lifestyle that I should have made.

I have spoken of the value of woodshedding (personal practice) and discipline to achieve a level of competence in terms of musicianship, and running a long endurance race like a marathon requires the same type of self discipline and time on the jogging trails in order to be able to complete such a race.

I logged about 1000 hours of training on the trails, ate a good diet, but apparently my body is telling me that I'm barely up to the challenge that a marathon presents. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to run another marathon or just continue to run in shorter races like 5k, 10k and half marathons; but I talk like this every time I complete a marathon so who knows what I'll do in the future after my blisters heal and the soreness goes away?

Chimes of Freedom 10/26/05

Tonight I'm going to start up where I left off on the soundtrack to No Direction Home, the film by Martin Scorsese about Bob Dylan's life, music and career that concentrates on the years 1962 to 1966. I left of at Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues.

If you have any requests, I'll plug them in as the show progresses. If I finish the soundtrack I'll be playing some other selections as well.

Give me a call at 513-749-1444 or email me at ez-e-rider@att.net  to make your requests or if you want to discuss the show or talk about Dylan.

Songlist:

Desolation Row - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Highway 61 Revisited - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Leopard skin Pillbox Hat - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Visions of Johanna - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Ballad of a Thin Man - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Tangled Up in Blue - Bootlegs Vol 2

Watchin' the River Flow - Gr. Hits Vol II

The Times They Are a changin' - Unplugged

Like A Rolling Stone - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Senior (Tales of Yankee Power) - Street Legal

Lonesome Day Blues - Love and Theft

Frankie and Albert - Good as I been to You

Solid Rock - Saved

No Time to Talk - Street Legal

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Little Wing

Jane

Mike

Kevin

Dave

"Andy and Barney"

Chimes of Freedom 9/27/05

For the last two nights, I’ve been viewing “No Direction Home,” a Martin Scorsese film about Bob Dylan’s life from 1962 to 1966. In a word, I’d say this documentary is amazing.

The style is approximately the same as one of Scorsese’s previous films “The Last Waltz,” but instead of chronicling a single event, “No Direction Home” documents the series of events that took place in Bob Dylan’s early career focusing on 1962 to 1966, but it begins when Dylan first got into music.

Dylan characterizes himself as a musical expeditionary when he speaks of his earliest days. He even admits to swiping a number of rare and irreplaceable records from a collector that Dylan had befriended.

He talks about his first days in New York, meeting Woody Guthrie, and his early touring days with Joan Baez and others.

Bob explains that the songs he wrote at that time were not protests but simply his expression of how things appeared to him at that place in his life. The film closes with an explanation of Dylan's motorcycle accident which was significant because Bob stopped touring for eight years after he recovered.

The film employs a technique first made prominent in the Beatles “Anthology” where an interview takes place, but the audience only hears the answer never the question. The question is always implied by footage that leads up to the film’s interview segments.

I believe “No Direction Home” is Scorcese’s best film making.

Hopefully, PBS will keep this in rotation for a little while so everyone can view it at least once. It’s a great film and worthy of consideration for all of the major awards.

Tonight, I have the soundtrack from the Movie, and I’ll be playing selections from that. Give me a call at 513-749-1444 or email me at ez-e-rider@att.net to let me know you’re out there and to place a request if you want.

Songlist:

When I got troubles - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Rambler, Gambler - No Direction Home Soundtrack

This Land is Your Land - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Song to Woody - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Dink's Song - No Direction Home Soundtrack

I was Young when I Left Home- No Direction Home Soundtrack

Sally Gal  - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Don't Think Twice - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Man of Constant Sorrow - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Blowin' in the Wind - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Masters of War - No Direction Home Soundtrack

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - No Direction Home Soundtrack

When the Ship Comes in - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Knockin' on Heaven's door - Unplugged

Mr Tambourine Man - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Chimes of Freedom - No Direction Home Soundtrack

It's all Over Now Baby Blue - No Direction Home Soundtrack

She Belongs to Me - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Maggie's Farm - No Direction Home Soundtrack

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Tombstone Blues - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues  - No Direction Home Soundtrack

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Mom

Bill

Dave

Eric

Electric Church 8/31/05

Good evening and welcome to the Electric Church. This is the show all about the music and life of Jimi Hendrix. Of course, we foster a party atmosphere during this show and I’ll try to honor any requests that you call in or email. To call in, the phone number is: 513-749-1444. To email the show, the email address is: ez-e-rider@att.net. If you don’t have any requests, give me a call or an email just to let me know you’re out there. Again the number is: 513-749-1444 and the email address is: ez-e-rider@att.net.

I want to give a shout out to the Foxy Lady who is celebrating her birthday tonight. Our schedules are a little crowded this week so we’re going to celebrate her birthday properly this weekend. Anyway, happy birthday Ms. Foxy.

Also, I want to shout out to any of the ugly bass players who might be streaming this show from various parts of the planet. UglyBassPlayer.com is an online forum and resource for bass players that I frequent almost daily.

Of course I did the Chimes of Freedom last Wednesday, and quite a bit has happened since that show. In fact, this has been a great week. My birthday was on Saturday, and over the weekend, the Foxy Lady and I attended the FUNK festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana where we had the opportunity to meet and speak with the festival’s founder and headliner, Victor Wooten. For those of you who don’t know, Victor Wooten is considered by many to be the finest bassist on the planet and has been acknowledged to be one of the greatest of all time.

Victor was great to talk with and consented to pose for a photo with the Foxy Lady and myself. You can read all about our weekend on the Blog page of my website at http://www.awaywithwords.us/blog.htm.

Well, enough of my talking. I’ll get the PSAs and Promos out of the way and let the music do the talking.

Remember, you can call me at 513-749-1444 or email me at ez-e-rider@att.net

Songlist:

You Got Me Floatin' - P.M. Dawn - Stone Free: A Tribute to J.H.

Are you Experienced - J.H. Concerts

Rainy Day Dream Away/Still Raining Still Dreaming - Legend Studio Mix

Look Over Yonder - South Saturn Delta

Machine Gun - Blue Wild Angel

Intro to Izabella - Woodstock

My Friend - First Rays of the new Rising sun

Johnny B Goode - Purple Box Set vol 4

Power of Soul - Band of Gypsys

Little Miss Lover - Axis: Bold as Love

Day Tripper - Radio One

Red House - Purple Box Set vol 3

3rd Stone from the Sun - Are You Experienced

Manic Depression - Winterland

The Things I Used to Do - The Things I used to Do (with Johnny Winter)

Voodoo Child (slight return) - Electric Ladyland

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Jim

Blair

Troy

Josh

Brian

Matt (Bruce's hero)

FUNK Festival 8/27 & 28/05

On my 56th birthday 8/27/05

Left to right--Gale, Victor Lemonte Wooten, Me

It was a birthday I won't forget.

The FUNK (Friends uv Music and Knowledge) festival was held in Bean Blossom, Indiana about 80 miles due west of my home in southern Ohio.

I didn’t go to the FUNK festival with the intension of meeting Victor Wooten, but when the cards fell into place, I stepped up and introduced myself.

I got to meet Victor thanks to Helstar (Mike) on the UBP forum who posted a thread about the FUNK festival a couple of months ago. I decided to check it out.

Turns out it was happening on my 56^th birthday, August 27^th, 2005, and I wanted to go.

I ran the idea past Gale and she wasn’t too keen on the overnight camping aspect at first, but finally agreed. I purchased tickets on the net and they arrived at our house about 3 days later.

Friday the 26^th, we gathered up our camping gear, and the next morning we headed due west about 80 miles through the pleasant Indiana countryside to Bean Blossom, Indiana which is about 5 miles north of Nashville, Indiana in beautiful Brown County.

Bill Monroe Music Park is an ideal setting for an outdoor festival. Principally a Bluegrass park, there’s plenty of camping available at the park, and lots of rooms in nearby Nashville for the less adventurous.

We got there at about 10:30AM (11:30 our time) found a campsite and set up our tent. Next we went out walking. From my perspective that place was an Eden. Thousands of beautiful women (including Gale) with no makeup and I was walking on clouds and lapping up every bit of the eye candy.

I’m the world’s worst at carrying a camera so I have only one picture from the day or so we spent there.

When we walked toward one of the smaller stages we saw Victor Wooten jamming with a number of other bassists. We stopped and listened, and when the music stopped, Victor announced that several talks on nature were about to commence.

The first talk was Victor himself giving a talk about the connection between music and nature, and his belief that music is a language like English.

Then they had a fire making demonstration where the guy did it “Quest for Fire” style with a stick, a grooved plank and a bow.

As the fire demonstration continued, Victor stepped to the side of the stage and that’s when I approached him.

I have met a half a dozen individuals who have achieved global recognition. Most were athletes, and many of them are very guarded, even standoffish when introduced to strangers. Victor is the most approachable individual of world renown that I have ever spoken with. On that day, anyone could have met and talked to Victor Wooten.

Victor said in his nature/music talk that he and his naturalist partners have a message, and they feel that the best way to spread the message is one person at a time. After speaking with him and watching him with others, I’m convinced that he means it.

At any rate, there I am standing in the presence of an individual who is recognized as one of the greatest ever to pick up a bass. I’ve played bass for 40 years. I know bass. I have my heroes: Jaco, Rick Laird, Barry Oakley, Bill Wyman, Jack Bruce, Billy Cox; but I told Victor that he has the most command over the instrument of any that I’ve ever seen. He is recognized as the best alive today. Possibly there are others who have equal or greater talent, but they’re not acknowledged in the same light as Victor Wooten. At this point in time, Victor Wooten is the bass king, and I’m just a bass jester.

As it turns out, Victor had just conducted a Bass Camp in "the hills of Tennessee." He was obviously very tired, and the FUNK festival was the culmination of a ten day stretch where Victor hadn't gotten enough rest. The bassists he was jamming with were participants in the Bass Camp. They had come with him, and all of them were volunteering at the festival.

Victor spoke of spreading the message about nature and conservation one person at a time. I know now that he really believes in that. When he was done onstage, I walked up and began to talk to him.

My impression of Victor Lemonte Wooten is that he is one of the sweetest, most sincere, and unassuming individuals I have ever spoken with. I hope nothing ever changes that in him.

It was probably unnecessary, but I pimped the fact that it was my birthday and asked if I could get a picture with him. He gladly obliged, and asked how old I was. I told him, and he said, "Wow, a 56 year old bass player, I hope I get to be 56."

Looking at him, and the genuine nature in which he’d spoken about his future, I replied in my most reassuring and fatherly tone, "I think you're going to be alright. You don't seem to have that anger and angst that a lot of my heroes who died young had. I think you'll live well past 56."

"You think so?" he asked.

"You're so incredible," Gale said, "you'll be fine."

He said that it was different to talk to someone about that, "Most people say that I'm not as tall as they thought I was."

I told him that physical stature meant little to me. "You're a giant," I said, "You have more command over the bass instrument than anyone I've ever seen." I don't think he could know that I have seen literally thousands of bassists in my 56 years.

Then we posed and a young woman took the photo with my camera.

 That afternoon a violent rainstorm pummeled the park for about an hour and set the band schedule off by an hour. When we got to the main stage area, Mofro was finishing up their set.

Next was Keller Williams. If you’ve never seen this guy, don’t miss him if you get the chance to see him. He is incredible. He did all of the instrumentation himself by playing samples he made on the stage while we watched. He’d play a bass line and loop the sample, keyboards and loop the sample and on. It’s hard to describe, just take my word for it, he’s worth the price of a ticket. He’s got a DVD available on his website too.

About 10pm fog began to set in.

Victor and his band (which included his brothers Reggie and Futureman Roy) jammed for a solid two hours. Vic played most or all of the songs from his new CD Soul Circus and mixed in some Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. It was a great show. Well staged and very high energy.

Halfway through the set, the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you, but the stage lighting and music cut through it.

I can’t get much more into detail about the show because I was about 12 beers in the bag by then.

Anyway, it was a great show, we had a great time, and I got to meet the finest bassist on the planet.

Throughout Saturday’s music, all of the musicians kept saying that they didn't know any music by Bill Monroe. "It sure is a beautiful park though," Keller Williams sang to us.

Anyway, the last thing I did on Sunday morning before we left was to take my acoustic/electric bass over to the small stage where I'd met Victor. Some of the Bass Campers were jamming, and I asked if I could sit in, and they let me. They told me to kick off a jam so I told them I wanted to teach them a Bill Monroe song. I played and sang a verse of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," and we all jammed on it for a couple of minutes. Someone at the FUNK festival had indeed played a Bill Monroe tune in his park. After that, we headed home.

One hell of a birthday for an old bassist who hasn’t caught many breaks in this lifetime.

Reflections on my 55th year

I’m 56 today. This has been a good year for me at 55, but some sad things have happened too.

 The best thing that has happened is the birth of my daughter’s second child and the 8^th grandchild for us. She weighed in at 6lbs 14ozs. Mom and Faith are fine.

Then there’s the trip we took to Costa Rica in February. Stunning scenery in one of the finest places on the planet, Costa Rica abolished their army in favor of a national police force and focused their resources on health care and education in the early 1950s. CR now leads the region in prosperity i.e. dependable utilities, safe water, 6% unemployment, lowest crime rate. We also visited war torn and slowly recovering Nicaragua while we were in the region, and among other great adventures, we stared into the mouth of an active volcano. I attempted to surf (for the first time in 35 years) at the beach in Tamarindo, CR. We traversed the upper canopy of a tropical forest in body harnesses that were hooked on steel cables. It was a very rewarding vacation for us.

 I was laid off from my job in construction equipment parts only to find a better position making better money back in my old field of automotive parts.

 I completed my 3^rd marathon (in 3 years) in Columbus, Ohio in October 2004.

 The worst thing to happen was the sudden death of my stepfather Earl Wagner. My mother is attempting to make the transition from 40 years of married farm life with Earl to whatever life she chooses for herself from here on.

Chimes of Freedom 8/24/05

Welcome to the Chimes of Freedom: the radio show that’s all about Bob Dylan. Tonight will be the final Chimes of Freedom for this summer. Of course next week is the 5^th Wednesday of this month so we all know what that means: that’s right, right here in living color on WAIF, the Electric Church will close out the month of August, and we’ll have our usual wild ride during that one. In the mean time, we’ve got Dylan coming at you until midnight.

Of course the big buzz about Bob is the upcoming film about Bob’s life and music from 1961 to 1966. Also a DVD version will be released on Sept. 20^th followed by the released of The Bob Dylan Scrapbook which will be bundled with  Vol 7 of the Bootleg series and a bonus CD of 6 tracks. The film will be aired on PBS beginning September 26^th and 27th.

Before all of that, the soundtrack CD will be released on August 30^th. So a lot of excitement coming down around Bob in the month of September and we’ll be back on September 28^th to talk about it on the next Chimes of Freedom.

We’ve got a great show in store for you tonight so go grab your favorite beverage, turn up your radio, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

We’ll try to honor all requests for Bob Dylan’s music. You can reach us at 513-749-1444, or email me at

ez-e-rider@att.net.

Songlist:

Mozambique - Desire

I want you - Dylan and the Dead

The Man in Me - Soundtrack from The Big Labowski (thanks Troy)

Can't Wait - Time out of Mind

Bob Dylan's 115th Dream - Bringing it all back home

Mutineer - Enjoy Every Sandwich

Pretty Peggie-o - Bob Dylan

Something there is about You - Planet Waves

Down in the Flood - Masked and Anonymous

What Good Am I? - Oh Mercy

Lay Lady Lay - Hard Rain

One More Night - Nashville Skyline

You Took my Breath Away - Traveling Wilburys

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Blonde on Blonde

I and I - Are we rolling Bob?

Girl from the North Country - 30th Anniversary

Masters of War - Real Live

John Brown - Unplugged

A hard Rain's a Gonna Fall - The Freewheelin' BD

Drifter's escape - John Wesley Harding

Precious Angel - Slow Train Coming

Desolation Row - Highway 61 Revisited

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Mike

Troy

Chimes of Freedom 7/23/05

Good evening and welcome to the Chimes of Freedom Radio Program. Today we’re getting a bit of a cool down after a hot spell. They tell us another warm up is just around the corner, but tonight we’ll just kick back and listen to some great tunes from the world’s premier songwriter, Bob Dylan.

There’s a big event about to take place on the Dylan front. In case you haven’t noticed, PBS is advertising a special that they will be running on their American Masters series.

It’s called “No Direction Home” and is directed by Martin Scorsese who also directed “The Last Waltz” and most recently the “Blues” series on PBS.  The entire film is narrated by Dylan and is the first feature length film on Dylan’s life.

Along with the film, there will be a double CD soundtrack (Dubbed as Bootleg No.7) which will contain key songs in the film and some unreleased records from the period of 1961 to 1966. The soundtrack is slated for release August 30^th.

The Bob Dylan Scrapbook 1956 to 1966 will also be available which will have many rare photos and a 45 minute CD.

All of this comes on the heels of Dylan’s very successful autobiography “Chronicles.”

I know most of you are going to catch this as it airs on PBS, and I’m certain that it will be followed by a DVD release sometime in the near future.

So we’ve got all of that to look forward to, but tonight, we’re here to play Dylan for the next two hours, and that’s what I’m going to do.

Give me a call at 513-749-1444 and make a request or just say hello.

Songlist

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You - Gr.Hits Vol 2

Foot of Pride - Bootlegs Vol III

Dirt Road Blues - Time Out of Mind

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

Slow Train - Dylan and the Dead

Heart of Mine - Shot of Love

Girl from the North Country - Freewheelin'

Boots of Spanish Leather - The Times They are a Changin'

Ballad in Plain D - Another side of BD

When He Returns - Slow Train Coming

Tomorrow's a Long Time - Gr. Hits Vol 2

Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat - Blonde on Blonde

Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues - Bootlegs vol 1

Tweeter and the Monkey Man - Traveling Wilburys vol 1

You're gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Blood on the Tracks

Most of the Time - Oh Mercy!

All Along the Watchtower - Unplugged

I Can't Get You off of my Mind - Timeless

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Highway 61 Revisited

Dignity - Unplugged

Arthur McBride - Good as I Been to You

Bye and Bye - Love and Theft

John Wesley Harding - John Wesley Harding

Positively 4th street - Gr.Hits Vol 1

Callers

Anthony

Foxy Lady

Troy

Bill

Email

jmturner

Electric Church  6/29/05

Good evening and welcome to the Electric Church.
We are doing nothing but Hendrix until midnight tonight so settle in, grab one of your favorite beverages, smoke 'em if you got 'em, and lay back and groove on the next couple of hours.
We are fast coming up on the 4th of July weekend and here's wishing everyone the very best and a safe Independence holiday. Hopefully this show will help you get a running start on the extended weekend.
I've got some news from the Hendrix front, and as usual the party is on when the Electric Church is on the air at WAIF.
I will be taking requests by phone at 513-749-1444 and
by email at ez-e-rider@att.net.
On a related subject, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will be playing in Louisville tonight. If some of you are coming home from the show, give me a call and let me know how it went off.
Until then I'm going to let the music do the talking.

I spoke some about a 100 watt Marshall amp head that was purchased used by a guy named Rich Dickinson in September 1971. It has been authenticated to be the exact amp that Jimi used at Monterey. To read more about it go to www.marshallamps.com

Also the 1973 documentary called "A Film about Jimi Hendrix" has been released on DVD. You can read about that at www.jimihendrix.com

Songlist:

My Friend - First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Can You See Me - Jimi plays Monterrey

(Have you ever been to) Electric Ladyland - Purple box set Vol 2

Them Changes - Band of Gypsys

Catfish Blues - Purple box set vol 2

Dolly Dagger - Blue Wild Angel

Long Hot Summer Night - Electric Ladyland

Electric Church Red House - Blues

Are you Experienced? - Are You Experienced?

Fire - Sacred Sources Live Forever

Purple Haze - Woodstock

Woodstock improvisation - Woodstock

Rainy Day Dream Away/Still Raining, Still Dreaming mix

I don't Live Today - Sacred Sources Live Forever

Ezy Rider - Band of Gypsys Bootleg

If 6 was 9 - Purple box set vol 1

Little Wing - Purple Box set vol 2

God Save the Queen - Bootlegs

Burning of the Midnight Lamp - Radio One

The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice - South Saturn Delta

Angel - Companion disc to the book Voodoo Child

Hear My Train a Comin - Blues

Callers

Foxy Lady

Mr Elstone

Doug (tonebender)

Troy

Emails

James

Doug

Chimes of Freedom 6/22/05

Well here we are, June 22, 2005. At this position in the orbit, the days are longer than at any other time. Of course yesterday was the solstice. It was also the full moon. I don't know if that means anything special. I'm sure someone believes that this occurrence of sun/moon interplay in our view is something very significant. One thing's for sure: today is the first full day of summer. I hope it was a great one for you. I hope this show caps off the day well for you.
Tonight we're offering the usual fare. Dylan, and nothing but Dylan for two hours. We do that every fourth week of the month here on WAIF here on Hometown HiFi.
Of course any of you who tune to this timeslot know that next week is the fifth Wednesday of this month which means the Electric Church will be holding session right here on WAIF-FM Cincinnati. Yes, next Wednesday same time, same station, we'll play two hours of Jimi Hendrix and nothing but Jimi Hendrix.
Tonight we're playing Dylan. Give me a call at 513-749-1444 and let me know you're out there. I'll be taking requests all night.

Songlist

Can't help Falling in Love - Dylan

Tell me that it isn't True - Nashville Skyline

In the Garden - Saved

Angelina - Bootlegs Vol 3

Step it up and Go - Good as I been to You

Man in the Long Black Coat - Oh Mercy

Man of Constant Sorrow - Bob Dylan

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Highway 61 Revisited

If You See Her Say Hello - Blood on the Tracks

Changing of the Guards - Street Legal

Summer Nights - Love and Theft

In the Summertime - Shot of Love

Man of Peace - Infidels

Tombstone Blues - Real Live

The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest - John Wesley Harding

One More Cup of Coffee - Desire

Man Gave Names to all the Animals - Slow Train Coming

Inside out - Travellng Wilburys vol 3

Oxford Town - Freewheelin'

Diamond Joe - Masked and Anonymous

Can't Wait - Time out of Mind

Gates of Eden - Bringing it all Back Home

My Back Pages - Gr Hits Vol II

One too many Mornings - Hard Rain

Callers

Foxy Lady

Chimes of Freedom 5/25/05

Well, it’s the end of a very beautiful day here in Cincinnati—a lot of sun and blue sky. Hard to beat that.

Tonight we’re taking requests. I’ve brought along a lot of Dylan, and it’s a great day so give me a call.

I’d like to talk about a few of Bob Dylan’s bass players. Dylan has had a lot of great bassists working for him over the years—among them, some of the greatest of all time. Dylan’s penchant for surrounding himself with the world’s finest musicians has played a huge part in his long lived success.

One of the first bassists to play a recorded track with him is George Barnes who was a mainstay session guitarist for hundreds of top name acts. George’s Guild prototype guitar can be heard as accompaniment on some of the great hits of all time. He’s on top 10 records by the Four Seasons, Sam Cooke, most of the Phil Spector sessions of 50s and 60s, Jackie Wilson and Brenda Lee. George Barnes played bass guitar on Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice.”

Rick Danko was the bassist for the Hawks who became The Band. The Hawks were Bob Dylan’s first touring band. Dylan basically took them over from their jobs backing Ronnie Hawkins. Dylan’s relationship with The Band is legendary, and Rick Danko was very much a part of the success of that relationship. He is on over a hundred Dylan recordings. The Band had several hits of their own and Danko’s bass and vocals were very much a part of the unique and recognizable sound for which The Band is now known.

Rob Stoner played bass and sang for Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review in the mid seventies and recorded three albums with Bob. He is also known for his bass and piano work on Don McLean’s “American Pie.”

Tim Drummond played for Dylan’s touring band from 1979 to 1982. During that time, he appeared on three of Bob’s album releases. One of the most sought after bassists in the world, Tim has played for Conway Twitty; James Brown; Neil Young; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Jimmy Buffet and J.J. Cale in addition to Dylan.

Dylan’s current bassist, Tony Garnier, has played well over 1500 concerts with Bob Dylan since 1989. He has also played with The Band, Levon Helm & The Barn Burners, Tom Waits, Robert Gordon, Asleep At The Wheel, Lucinda Williams and many more.

Songlist:

Dignity—Unplugged

Most of the Time—Oh Mercy

Lenny Bruce—Shot of Love

New Pony—Street Legal

Moonshiner—Bootlegs vol.I

Song to Woody—Bob Dylan

Just Like a Woman—Blonde on Blonde

I threw it all Away—Nashville Skyline

I can’t get you off of My Mind—Timeless

7 Deadly sins—Tr. Wilburys vol.3

Mutineer—Enjoy Every Sandwich

I and I—Is It Rolling Bob?

Don’t Think Twice it’s Alright—Freewheelin’

Baby Let Me Follow You Down—Last Waltz

Forever Young—Last Waltz

Hurricane—Desire

Highway 61 Revisited—Real Live

When You Gonna Wake Up—Slow Train Coming

Midnight—Companion disc to Masked and Anonymous

Cold Irons Bound—Masked and Anonymous

A Satisfied Mind—Saved

Callers:

Chris

Foxy Lady

Blair

Troy

Bill

4/27/05

A very good evening to all. Welcome to the Chimes of Freedom. Tonight I have a special guest. Yes, the Foxy Lady is in the house.

It seems that the cool weather wants to hang on a little while, but that will pass soon enough. The summer concerts will be in full bloom, and Bob will be on tour for most of this year. So far, the closest he will come to Cincinnati will be Louisville. He will be appearing at Louisville Slugger Field along with Willie Nelson on June 29^th.

The war rages on in Iraq.

The economy continues to falter.

The President and his cronies are continually exposing their lack of sense and scruples.

It’s becoming harder to make sense of anything going on in this country.

All the more reason to go out of your way to catch great artists like Bob and Willie in concert.

Tonight we’ll be taking requests so give us a call.

Songlist:

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bringing it all Back Home

Trouble - Shot of Love

Tomorrow Night - Good as I been to you

Song to Woody - Bob Dylan

Dignity - Unplugged

Ballad in Plain D - Another Side of B.D.

4th Time Around - Blonde on Blonde

Pressing On - Saved

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

My Back Pages - Another Side of Bob Dylan

Political World - Oh Mercy

Rainy Day Women #12 + 35 - Unplugged

She Belongs to Me - Gr.Hits Vol II

Ballad of a Thin Man - Real Live

Honey just Allow Me one more Chance - Freewheelin'

I and I - Is it Rolling Bob?

New Blue Moon - Traveling Wilburys

Mutineer - Enjoy Every Sandwich

I can't get You off of My Mind - Timeless

Tryin' to get to Heaven - Time out of Mind

You aint Goin Nowhere -Gr Hits Vol II

Callers:

Martha

Pamba

Troy

Joni

3/31/05  Electric Church

Good evening everyone. As promised, tonight, it’s the Electric Church. As many of you know, I feature the music of Jimi Hendrix until Midnight. That’s right, two hours of the most influential guitarist of all time.

Also, I don’t do a lot of talking because I prefer to let the music speak for itself.

I’m in a party mood tonight so I’m liable to play all of my favorites unless some of you have some specific requests that you’d like to hear. I try to honor requests on the Electric Church because it’s about the only time that anyone on the radio actually explores the full scope of Jimi’s creative talent.

So crack open your favorite beverage, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em and get your groove on because you’re about to hear some of the most powerful music ever performed. Welcome to the Electric Church.

Songlist:

Are You Experienced? – Are You Experienced?

You Got Me Floatin’ – Axis: Bold as Love

Catfish Blues – Radio One

Rainy Day Dream Away/ Still Raining Still Dreaming Mix – Electric Ladyland mixed at Legend Studios

Can You See Me? – Jimi Plays Monterey

Star Spangled Banner – Woodstock

I Don’t Live Today – Live Forever

Angel – Companion disc to the book Voodoo Child

Power to Live – Band of Gypsys

Izabella – Woodstock

1983 a Merman I should Turn to Be – Electric Ladyland

Moon turn the Tides – Electric Ladyland

My Friend – First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Stone Free – Smash Hits

Little Wing – Disc 3 purple box set

Red House – Disc 3 purple box set

Drivin’ south – Radio One

Message to Love – Band of Gypsys

Ezy Rider – Band of Gypsys Bootleg

Pali Gap – South Saturn Delta

Hear my Train a Comin’ (acoustic) – Blues

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Chris

Matt

Troy

Bill

Little Wing

3/23/05  Chimes of Freedom

The more I see of this Republican nightmare, the more I’m convinced that the lunatics are running the asylum in Washington.

Tonight I’m in a political mood. I’m not going to sit here and pontificate or posture. Lord knows there’s enough of that going on. The oil companies are on the verge of getting a pass from Congress to search for oil on previously undisturbed public lands. The Republican-led Congress is readying legislation that will reinstate the military draft. Bush and his thugs won’t rest until they’ve ransacked the Social Security fund. While all this is going on, Congress has put up a smoke screen that includes a hearing on professional athletes taking steroids (as if that’s new!) and has passed a resolution condemning a husband’s right to end the long suffering of his unresponsive and dying wife. How many young lives have these same politicians sent to their death in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan? This congress has permitted record deficit and unchecked fiscal irresponsibility at the federal level. Am I the only one who sees what’s really taking place here? These are some devious and malicious types in our government.

I could go on for hours about this. I’m in that kind of mood.

Yes, I’m in a political mood, but I’m not going to take it out on all of you. We’re doing Chimes of Freedom tonight so let ‘em ring!

Give me a call to make a request or just to say hey.

Songlist:

Chimes of Freedom - Another side of B.D.

Political world - Oh Mercy

Hard Times - Good as I Been to you

Only a Pawn in Their Game - The times they are a changin'

I shall be Free - Freewheelin'

Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again- Bonus disc with Masked and Anonymous

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bootlegs Vol. 2

Down along the Cove - John Wesley Harding

Love Sick - Time out of Mind

Maggie's Farm - Hard Rain

Shelter from the Storm- Blood on the Tracks

Inside Out - Traveling Wilburys vol 3

Covenant Woman - Saved

My Back Pages - 30th Anniversary Celebration

Mutineer - Enjoy Every Sandwich

Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Unplugged

Dirt Road Blues - Time Out of Mind

Forever Young - Planet Waves

High Water - Love and Theft

Masters of War - Real Live

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstck II

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

callers:

Foxy Lady

Blair

Ed

Lee

Troy

Bill

2/23/05 Chimes of Freedom

Just blew in from Costa Rica over the weekend: one week in paradise eating too much, drinking too much, and sharing such a great time with the Foxy Lady. So I’m feeling right repaired at the moment: tanned, rested, and ready—so to speak. So give me a call, and I’ll try to honor your requests tonight.

Songlist:

Baby let me Follow you down—Last Waltz

I don’t believe you (she acts like we never have met)—Last Waltz

Forever Young—Last Waltz

Baby let me follow you down—Last Waltz

Million Miles—Time out of Mind

Spanish is the Loving tongue—Dylan

Highway 61 Revisited—Highway 61 revisited

Mutineer—Enjoy Every Sandwich

Hard Times—Good as I Been to you

Cold Irons bound—Masked and Anonymous

The Devil’s Been Busy—Traveling Wilburys vol 3

House of the Risin’ sun—Bob Dylan

Shelter From the Storm—Hard Rain

Mississippi—Love and Theft

As I went out on Morning—John Wesley Harding

True love tends to forget—Street Legal

Walls of Red Wing—Bootlegs Vol 1

Watchin’ the River Flow—Gr hits vol 2

I and I—Is it rolling Bob?

Solid Rock—Saved

I can’t get you off of my Mind—Timeless

Shooting Star—Oh Mercy

Shot of Love—Shot of Love

Don’t Fall Apart on Me tonight—Infidels

Satisfied Mind—Saved

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Blair

Winston

2/20/05

 Just spent a week of an all-inclusive vacation at the Grand Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica 2/12/05 to 2/19/05.

The first thing I want to say about this vacation is that it was remarkable in every aspect. We went places that we’d never dreamed of before. We did things that one can only do in such a setting.

Now we’re baaaack! and literally tanned, rested, and ready to book another vacation like that! We are still marveling at all the things we did and what we saw. We took a side trip to Nicaragua on Monday, tried to surf at Tamarindo on Tuesday, and did a jungle canopy tour on Friday. Just being at the hotel, eating great food, drinking as much as we wanted, soaking up the sun, lounging on the beach, and taking walks through the luscious countryside of Guanacaste was enough rest and recuperation to get us through the rest of the grey and gloomy days of winter in Cincinnati.

1/26/05

The year 2004 wasn’t a particularly good year for me. Not to say that it’s the worst I’ve been through, but still, in all, I’m glad that it’s behind me. Some good folks didn’t make it to the end of 2004 and in the end, I was still standing (which surprises me to some extent.) Anyway, we’re in 2005 now, and I’m doing what I can to look forward to the future.

Tonight I took requests, and when no one was calling I played what I wanted to hear.

Songlist:

The Times they are a-changin’ – Gr. Hits

Mutineer – Enjoy every Sandwich

Girl From the north Country – 30^th Anniversary

Jim Jones – Good as I been to you

Like a Rolling Stone – Bootlegs Vol 2

Positively 4^th St. – Gr. Hits

All along the Watchtower – Dylan and the Dead

I Shall Be Released – Gr. Hits Vol 2

Queen Jane Approximately – Highway 61 Revisited

Cold Irons Bound – Masked and Anonymous

John Brown – Unplugged

Watching the River Flow – Gr. Hits Vol 2

Most Likely you’ll go your way and I’ll Go Mine – Blonde on Blonde

Where Teardrops Fall – Oh Mercy

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Dylan and the Dead

Shelter from the Storm – Blood on the Tracks

Sara – Desire

Nashville Skyline Rag – Nashville Skyline

Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues – Bootlegs vol 1

Hazel – Planet Waves

High Water – Love and Theft

I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine – John Wesley Harding

Dirt road Blues – Time Out of Mind

License to Kill – Real Live

It’s all over now Baby Blue – Bringing It All Back Home

Callers:

Art

Troy

Foxy Lady

Craig

Matt

Bill

12/29/04 Electric Church

Tonight on the Electric Church, I’m going to feature the music of the Band of Gypsys. In case you’re not aware of the Band of Gypsys, they are: Buddy Miles on drums, Billy Cox on bass, and Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Hendrix formed this band in late 1969 as a departure from the style and structure that he’d developed with the Experience. The Band of Gypsys played together for about six weeks. I feature their music every year when the Electric Church falls near New Years because the recorded performances of the Band of Gypsys occurred at the Filmore East on New Years Eve 1969 and New Years Day 1970. Of all the Hendrix I’ve heard, the Band of Gypsys remains the most intriguing and interesting to me, and most of my favorite Hendrix tunes were played by the Band of Gypsys. In the past, I have fashioned shows entirely of the music of the Band of Gypsys, but tonight, I’ve brought along a lot of stuff, and I’ll honor as many your requests as I can in addition to playing lots of The Band of Gypsys. So as usual, I’m going to stop talking and get to the music.

As a side note: Chimes of Freedom was cancelled last week because of the extreme weather conditions, but we'll have the Chime back on line on the fourth Wednesday of January--weather permitting!

songlist:

Rainy Day Dream Away/Still Raining Still Dreaming-from Electric Ladyland mixed together at Legend studios

Who knows - Band of Gypsys

Machine gun - Band of Gypsys

Changes - Band of Gypsys

Power to Love - Band of Gypsys

Message of Love (Message to love) - Band of Gypsys

We gotta live together - Band of Gypsys

Spanish Castle Magic - Winterland

Ezy Rider - Band of Gypsies (bootleg)

Beginnings - Woodstock

My Friend - First Rays of the Rising Sun

If 6 was 9 - Purple box set disc 1

Little wing - Purple box set disc 3

Bold as Love - Purple box set disc 2

Red House - Blues

Drivin' south - Radio one

Hear My train a comin' - Blues

Burning of the midnight lamp - Radio one

callers:

Bon

Foxy Lady

Brian

Troy

Matt

Doug

Bill

Don

11/24/04 Chimes of Freedom

Well here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving Day. A bit of hedonism as the days of the year grow darker, a time for families to have a feast and congregate, an excuse to commune with loved ones.

Tonight we’ve got two solid hours of Bob Dylan’s music and some news about what’s going on in the land of Bob. I’ve got something that was just released and I’ll be taking requests. So settle in, gather up your favorite beverage, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, and here we go.

On November 16^th, Rolling Stone magazine announced its choice was Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” for the top song of its “500 greatest songs of all time.” “Like a Rolling Stone” beat out such greats as the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”

November 19^th, bobdylan.com announced the release of “The Rose and the Briar” a book with a companion CD that chronicles the development of the ballad in America. Written and compiled by Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus it includes Bob Dylan’s rendition of “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.”

November 20^th, Experience Music Project interactive music museum in Seattle opened Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966. It is the first time that any museum has dedicated practically all of its resources to present an in depth exhibit of this sort concerning the life of Bob Dylan. I think that’s a shame. Given the influence and inspiration that Bob has provided to the popular music world and the world in general, it’s pretty much a travesty that it’s taken over 40 years for something like this to happen. Props to Experience Music for leading the way on what’s been a long time coming.

Songlist:

All I really want to do – Gr.Hits Vol.II

Worried blues – Bootlegs Vol.I

1 more cup of coffee – Desire

The Times They Are a Changin’ -  The Times They Are a Changin’

Shelter from the storm – Blood on the Tracks

Black Crow Blues – Another Side

Down the Highway – Freewheelin’

Mutineer – Enjoy Every Sandwich-The Songs of Warren Zevon

Sweetheart Like You – Infidels

Like a Rolling Stone – Unplugged

It aint me Babe – Real Live

Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts – Blood on the Tracks

Watching the River Flow – GrHits Vol.II

Can’t Help Falling in Love with You – Dylan

Nashville Skyline Rag – Nashville Skyline

I want You – Gr. Hits Vol.I

Queen Jane Approximately – Highway 61 Revisited

On the Road Again – Bringing it all back home

Gotta Serve Somebody – Dylan and the Dead

I Can’t Get You off of my Mind – Timeless

Cold Irons Bound – Masked and Anonymous

We better Talk this Over – Street Legal

Where are you tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat) – Street Legal

Callers:

Sharon

Don

Lily

Rachel

Ben

11/22/04

On Nov. 11^th, Gale and I flew to North Dakota for my stepfather’s funeral. My mother was, understandably, shaken, but she’s very strong, and, I’m confident, she’ll recover. My brother Bill drove from Texas and was there as well. We all came together on Thursday and buried Earl on Friday. The Northern Lights appeared Thursday evening and danced across the horizon as we pondered the death that changed our lives forever. My mother was up most of the night and told us that the Aurora Borealis became even more intense as the night progressed. We mused that perhaps it was a salute to Earl. I’d like to think that’s true.

The ceremony was simple and elegant. Everything went as Earl had planned it. It was beautifully clear and sunny, but the cool wind tossed our hair and chilled us through and through. A hundred or so showed up for the service in Dickinson, and about half that turned up for the graveside service in Mandan. Before we left Dickinson, a drill team from the local American Legion fired a three shot salute to their fellow veteran. We buried him in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan which is situated on a hillside in view of the Missouri River and nearby Bismarck.

We had two meals that day: lunch in Dickinson and dinner in Mandan. At each meal we met many who were friends and relations to Earl and my mother. Now Mom has to go it alone, and for now, she’s remaining in North Dakota, but plans to move here soon.

Intended to be a way to divert our attention from the sad occasion that we had just endured; my mom, my brother, Gale and I took a trip to the Badlands in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park near the Montana border in North Dakota the next day—Saturday. The nearest town is called Medora. It’s right next to I-94. There’s a lot of reference to Teddy Roosevelt around there because the time he spent in the Dakotas inspired him to found the National Park Service when he became President.

How do I describe the Badlands? Well, I told Gale that it is a geological phenomenon, which as far as I know, has occurred nowhere else on the planet. I offered this description after seeing the Badlands in books and knowing that it was a hideout for outlaws and renegade Indians. When we got the park; I wasn’t surprised to see that I had understated the spectacular work of nature that stretched out before us.

If I had to describe it, I’d say: imagine 85,000 acres of a half mile wide slab of Neapolitan ice cream melting unevenly leaving thousands of parfait structures standing like giant pink, white and brown-striped anthills. Of course it’s mostly sand, rocks, and hearty plant life located in a semiarid region, but it is populated which richly diverse natural denizens like bison, mustangs, mule deer, elk, prairie dogs, wolves, pumas, and all the flying and crawling creatures indigenous to that area. Take into consideration that it’s as big as almost everything in the American west turns out to be, and you’ve got the badlands.

Of course it’s far beyond what I can describe to you on the page, but we were sufficiently impressed to promise ourselves a return trip in the future.

We returned to Cincinnati on the 14^th, the end of a bittersweet journey. Though we had really liked North Dakota and its friendly inhabitants, coming home was just that. The next day we were back to work. I will always remember Earl in a kind light because he and my mother were so good together, and she was everything to him until the day he passed on.

obit

WAGNER Earl F. Wagner, 73, Richardton, ND, died Tuesday, November 9, 2004, at his home south of Richardton. Earl's funeral service will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday, November 12, 2004, at LADBURY FUNERAL SERVICE, Dickinson, with Rev. Bill Wagner officiating. Interment will take place at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, at 3:00 p.m. CST, Friday. Military honors will be provided by the Veterans Drill Team following the service. Earl Frederick Wagner was born on March 21, 1931, on the farm that he has spent his entire life. He was the son of Herbert C. and Maurine (Brightbill) Wagner. He was raised south of Richardton, having attended the Springville School District and graduating from Taylor High School in 1948. Earl was a farmer through and through, loving every aspect of farm life. The time that Earl spent in the United States Army was the only time not spent on the farm. Earl married Jeanne (Myer) Liggett on December 10, 1965, at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dickinson. Earl is survived by his wife, Jeanne; two step-sons, Ronald Liggett, Cincinnati, Oh, and William Liggett, Tyler, TX; one sister, Alice (Leonard) Schweistal, Faribault, MN; two step-grandchildren; one step-great, granddaughter; and the two exchange students that had come to live with them, Maria Elena Lascano de Calvache and Jeanne V. Calvache, Quito, Ecuador. He was preceded in death by his parents, and one brother, Clarence.

11/09/04

My stepfather, Earl, passed away today. He and my mother had made a life together in North Dakota for nearly forty years. Earl was a native of North Dakota. A large man of German descent, he was a farmer, and an honest and decent person. He and my mother had met on a bus ride in the mid sixties. Earl, being from rather humble beginnings, had simple tastes, and once a year he'd buy a Greyhound 30 day bus pass which permitted him to ride anywhere in the U.S. on a Greyhound for the price of the pass. That's what he did for a vacation. On one of those rides, he met my mother. Mom and Dad had divorced in the late fifties and she had taken the bus to see a friend when she wound up sitting next to Earl. They hit it off very well, and when they parted he gave her his address and told her to look him up sometime. My mom has always been a hard worker and she had a job as a legal assistant that she needed to get back to in Columbus. My brother had joined the Army and I was staying with my dad so mom wasn't tied to much of anything in Ohio except her job. After a couple of months, they made contact and she flew out for a visit. The next time I saw her, Earl was with her, they were married, and they had come to Ohio to pick up her things. They've been together ever since.

Earl's 700 acre farm was close to failing when he and mom got together. The two of them worked hard and focused their efforts on a cow/calf operation which became very successful. They were able to pay off their mortgage and make a number of improvements on the property and the equipment. They retired from farming about 6 years ago. Both of them were aging, and they had become successful enough to live out their days on the fruits of their labor. Earl's savvy as a farmer and Mom's business acumen complimented each other perfectly. They had a true partnership built on love and respect for one another.

On September 11, 2001, my mother was on a plane bound for Columbus, Ohio to visit her sister. After I saw the tragedy at the World Trade Center taking place, I called Earl to ask if he had heard from Mom. Being on mountain time, he had gone back to bed after dropping Mom at the airport. Earl and I spent the next two hours frantically searching for news about her flight. As it turned out, she arrived safely, but Earl was genuinely shaken as was I.  

As I said, Earl passed away today. He'd been hospitalized for an infection in his leg and was recovering at home. The doctor had instructed him to wear a leg brace for awhile, but Earl, being the man that he has always been, felt that he didn't need it. He got home from the hospital and set about doing some chores around the farm and apparently fell and hit his head. When he didn't come to the house after a reasonable time, mom went out to look for him and found him after he'd passed away.

Earl and I never had a lot to say to each other. I learned to respect him as time went along. I'm thankful that he was good to my mother. I'm grateful that she found a life with him that she couldn't find here in Ohio. They've been together for a long time. In spite of our limited relationship, I will miss him.

Now Mom wants to spend her remaining days here in Ohio with her family. So we're making arrangements for that to happen. Gale and I are going to North Dakota for the funeral and to make arrangements to bring mom back in the near future.

10/27/04 Chimes of Freedom Radio Show

Well, we're fast approaching Halloween. Everyone is getting out the costumes and scary sound effects. It is a festive time of year. Some folks dress their houses up pretty much like it's the Christmas season. Of course scary movies are featured at theatres and video stores. Though most kids trick or treat with strict supervision and law enforcement voluntarily scans the confections for foreign objects, the entire Halloween experience has changed little in the past two decades. The onset of autumn and then winter reminds us in many ways of our mortality and Halloween is one way that we deal with our fear of the ultimate proof of that mortality--which is death. What is more certain than death? Nothing. What is scarier than death? For most of us, nothing.

It is the unspoken menace that haunts our existence and as a reminder of the ultimate outcome of our lives. Whether it be by terrorist attack, in combat, by starvation, by murder, by accident, by disease or simply because the body expires from overuse, abuse, or misuse; the certainty remains that we all have to die sometime.

And yet death is the greatest of all uncertainties. No one knows what becomes of us after we die. The Bible and Koran tell us that if we follow the teachings of the Prophet or Messiah and all the sages, we will survive death and live forever in paradise with all of the saints. Still a measure of faith is required to buy into that.

There are occurrences that, at least for me, put my life into perspective. Like tonight, there's a total eclipse of the moon taking place. Knowing that, helps me to realize just what a tiny speck in the universe that we occupy. It's all so massive, I can almost understand why we have so much trouble with the brevity and limits of our finite existence.

As for me, I've chosen to live my life without an overwhelming fear of death even though the evidence of our inevitable demise permeates our society on television, the movies and the internet. I was disappointed that I hadn’t made plans for a plane ride right after 9-11. I refuse to live in fear.

What are my fears?  Well, that changes every day. Right now, my greatest fear is that our dim-witted president should continue in office for another four years spewing his bold-faced lies, killing our young people for no good reason, and embarrassing us with his missteps.

Which reminds me, Michael Moore was in town today. It’s good to see someone handing the right wing a dose of their own medicine. Go get ‘em Mikey!

I suppose I could get really political for this show, but let's face it, just about all of us have made up our minds who we're going to vote for. The important thing is to vote. I intend to vote for the furtherance of liberty. I believe that I owe that to all of those who have sacrificed and given their lives to protect and preserve our right to vote.

But tonight, there is no election so let's relax and enjoy the next two hours listening to the work of one of my all-time favorite artists, Bob Dylan. Also there's no trick or treat tonight, but I'll be passing out treats in the way of requests.

songlist:

Chimes of Freedom - Another Side of B.D.

Big Yellow Taxi - Dylan

Honey Just Allow Me one More Chance - Freewheelin'

Ring Them Bells - Oh Mercy

Love Minus Zero/ No Limit - Bringing it all back Home

A Satisfied Mind - Saved

Restless Farewell - The Times They Are a Changin'

Down in the Flood - Masked and Anonymous

I'll be your baby Tonight - John Wesley Harding

Sittin' on top of the World - Good as I been to You

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstock '94

Neighborhood Bully - Infidels

She Belongs to Me - Gr.Hits Vol.II

Wallflower - Bootlegs Vol.II

One too many Mornings - Hard Rain

Changing of the Guards - Street Legal

Mozambique - Desire

Meet me in the Morning - Blood on the Tracks

Slow Train - Slow Train Coming

One More Night - Nashville Skyline

License to Kill - Real Live

Obviously 5 Believers - Blonde on Blonde

I was young when I left Home - Love and Theft Companion disc

Dirt Road Blues - Time out of Mind

callers:

Foxy Lady

Troy

Don

10/18/04

I ran the Columbus Marathon yesterday. I didn’t feel particularly well when I woke up the day of the race. I had a headache, and I was feeling some gastronomical discomfort. I had awakened at about 2:30 A.M. and ate a small meal of a Snickers Marathon Bar and a container of Gatorade. I’m unable to eat within two hours of physically exerting myself because it causes an allergic reaction and can put me into anaphylactic shock. That happened to me on a run once in 2002 and landed me in the hospital. So I eat long before I start a race.

Anyway, I didn’t feel too good yesterday morning. That usually doesn’t mean anything because I’ve showed up at several races feeling lousy and have set personal records—but those have been shorter races. A marathon is a different type of race.

I’ve run three marathons so far which has permitted me to be able to keep up with my goal of running one per year since 2002. The main thing about a marathon is that it’s like no other race because it takes on a life of its own as the race unfolds. If you stub your toe in the beginning of the race, it becomes an annoying injury for the final ten miles. Every small ache and pain that you felt before the race becomes a decisive factor in your performance during the race. Each marathon has been a unique and dramatic experience for me and yesterday’s was no exception. I felt bad at the beginning and that didn’t improve as the race took place. I was able to run for the first half of the race, but when I got to the midway point, I realized that I was about finished. I had serious doubts whether I could finish the 26.2 miles. I had over 13 miles to go, and I felt like I was out of gas. One part of me was saying, it’s no shame to drop out, but another, more annoying part of me was saying, baloney, you’ve been training for six months, and you can finish this if you have to walk from here to do it. That’s what I did. I walked from the halfway point and finished.

There is something that has happened to me every time I’ve run a marathon. Somewhere between 12 and 15 miles into the race, a depression, like a dread or exasperation, comes over me. I’ve almost broke down and cried during these spells. In the previous two marathons it subsided after a couple of miles, but in this race, it kept reoccurring almost to the finish line. I don’t know what causes this feeling to happen but it has only occurred in the marathons I’ve run. I think it may be a symptom of overexertion, but as I’ve said, I’m not sure. I know it’s something I have to deal with, and so far, I have. One thing that helped me as I was struggling through this race was that I passed very close to the cemetery where my grandparents and my aunt and uncle are buried. I was born in Columbus, but nearly all of my family no longer lives there. My grandparents have been gone a long time and my dear aunt passed away just two years ago. I imagined them sitting in lawn chairs alongside the road cheering me along as I passed. My father built broadcasting towers along the route as well, and I felt the presence of my family which helped me through the tough moments.

Overall the race was a great experience for me, my wife Gale, and our 10 year old grandson Drew who has run several 5k races with me. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus which, as it turns out was the nerve center for the Columbus Marathon. The exposition was held at the Regency so we didn’t have to leave the hotel. There were a lot of interesting booths, and I got to meet some very interesting people including John Bingham (known as the Penguin) who is the guru for the back-of-the-pack runners like me. Drew loaded up on all the freebees and looked like a miniature Santa Claus carrying his giant bag of free stuff out of the expo.

We found a great restaurant called the Flat Iron Grill which is about a block east of the Regency at 4^th and Nationwide. It’s kind of a small place, but the food and the atmosphere are wonderful, and it turned out to be another pleasant surprise for us. We had tried Max and Erma’s and Damon’s restaurants which are on Nationwide as well, but we were told that the wait would be an hour and a half. So we walked a little farther and found the Flat Iron. They didn’t have a table, but they were able to seat us at the bar (much to Drew’s delight). The staff was very attentive and once they discovered that I was running the marathon, they had several questions for me. The food was excellent and was prepared right in front of us by the chef who visited with us and instructed Drew to eat his vegetables.

The next morning I ran and walked the race. Gale and Drew were waiting for me near the finish line and Drew ran the final 1/4 mile with me and we crossed the finish line together. I confided to him that I thought I wouldn't finish the race. "Well, you did!" was his response. I was able to take advantage of the late checkout time at the Regency so I could take a shower before we made the trip home. I’m glad I ran that race, and I may run it again next year, but for now, I’m going to kick back and have another beer!

ELECTRIC CHURCH 10/13/04

Well, the politicos are in a name-calling contest they call a debate. The largest grocer on the planet claims that they can't afford health care or time-and-a-half for their workforce so the food and commercial workers have just voted to strike. The world seems like it's going over the edge every chance it gets.

Hey, I've got an idea!

Let's wrap ourselves around some Hendrix and lay back and groove on this rainy evening.

Tonight I'm going to explore the making of Electric Ladyland.

Jimi Hendrix’ brief life ended just weeks before he became twenty eight years old. At the end of his life, he had been recording professionally for about 4 years. Six albums of original Hendrix recordings were authorized to be released in the U.S. during his lifetime. They were:

Are You Experienced?  

Axis: Bold as Love

Electric Ladyland

Smash Hits

Band of Gypsys

And

Monterey Pop Festival

All of these recordings stand on their own merit, but for my money, Electric Ladyland stands apart as Jimi’s crowning technical achievement in the studio. That is what I want to present to you tonight. I’d like to take the first hour or so of this show to play some recordings of Electric Ladyland’s songs from Jimi’s personal recording notebook to illustrate them as they were in the developmental stage. Also, I’ve brought along a few alternative takes of those songs and a special presentation of two of the songs that appear on Electric Ladyland. So I hope you’ll bear with me.

After Are You Experienced? and Axis: Bold as Love were released, Jimi’s production contract with Chas Chandler had expired. Chandler tried to urge Jimi to sign again, but Hendrix wanted to move away from the short “singles” format that Chandler preferred to record. Jimi wanted to build a concept album and elected to produce and maintain control over the project himself. Hendrix, along with engineer Eddie Kramer set about creating the album that Jimi had conceived at least on paper and in his personal demos.

Chandler had preferred to maintain the group of Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell and Hendrix on the recordings so that they could replicate the sound of those recordings while they were playing in concert. Hendrix didn’t feel the need to do so. He understood that the rock business has, for the most part, been built around the original studio recordings, and that live appearances are only celebrations of those recordings. Jimi felt that he didn’t need to restrict his recordings to a format that he could present in a live setting. Many guest appearances adorn the musical scope of Electric Ladyland including Chris Wood and Steve Winwood from Traffic, Jack Cassidy from the Jefferson Airplane, Mike Finnigan, Freddy Smith, and Larry Faucette from the Serfs, studio icon Al Kooper, and Jimi’s longtime friend and future member of the Band of Gypsys, Buddy Miles.

Jimi’s departure from Chandler’s form and the diversity of musicians and musical style resulted in a collage of sonic textures and dynamic forms connected by an underlying theme of one who is traveling through a wonderland of sound and poetry. Electric Ladyland stands as one of the great works of art of the twentieth century, and in the minds of many, it changed the face of music forever.

Tonight we’re going to explore the making of Electric Ladyland.

At this point, I am about to present Rainy Day Dream Away and Still Raining Still Dreaming as they were originally recorded in a single take. Thanks to the fine folks at Legend studio for helping me put this together on a single disc. First, lets talk about how it was put together.

 While working on their album at The Record Plant studio, the Serfs were overheard by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was down the hall, working on Electric Ladyland. He was so impressed by the young band from Kansas, that he invited Mike Finnigan on organ, Freddie Smith on saxophone and Larry Faucette on congas to play on two songs.

"It was all done in one take," Finnigan recalls. "It was like an eight-minute jam. We just kind of made it up. Jimi split it into two songs and overdubbed some vocals later on." The track also features Buddy Miles on drums.

Songlist:

Have you ever been (to Electric Ladyland) - Disc 2 Purple Box Set

And the gods made love- Electric Ladyland

Have you ever been (to Electric Ladyland) - Electric Ladyland

Crosstown Traffic - Electric Ladyland

Voodoo Chile Blues - Blues

Little Miss Strange - Electric Ladyland

Long Hot Summer Night - Electric Ladyland

Come on (part 1) - Electric Ladyland

Gypsy Eyes - disc 2 Purple box set

Burning of the Midnight Lamp - Radio One

Rainy day Dream Away/Still Raining Still Dreaming - Studio Disc

1983: A Merman I should turn to be - Companion disc to the book Voodoo Child

Moon Turn The Tides -  Electric Ladyland

House Burning Down - Electric Ladyland

All along the Watchtower - South Saturn Delta

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Disc 3 Purple Box Set

If 6 was 9 - Axis: Bold as Love

My Friend - First Rays of the New Rising sun

One Rainy Wish - Axis: Bold as Love

Purple Haze - Woodstock

Driving South - Radio One

Villanova Junction - Woodstock

callers:

Foxy Lady

Rising Tiger

Troy

Larry

Deb

One Rainy Wish was dedicated to Charles

9/3/04

Last night, the Electric Church didn't take place because of a systems failure at WAIF's transmitter. This particular failure is something that happens all too often at the station. The first time that I became aware of this problem occurred about five years ago on a Friday, and that Sunday we investigated and found out what had caused the station to leave the air for almost 72 hours. As it turns out, the station has an Achille's heel in the form of a circuit breaker that is located in the hallway at the Alms where our former studio was located and our transmitter remains. There are two electrical services that are running to our transmitting devices. One of them is wired to the circuit that I've mentioned and once in awhile, the breaker gets tripped for one reason or another and down goes the station. I've been informed that since we've moved our studios that the management at the Alms has been reluctant to permit our personnel to enter the building for any reason. We lease the tower and transmitter space from a local cellular company who has access to the building, but their visits to the Alms are infrequent, and it's almost impossible to coordinate with their personnel to access our transmitter while they are there. For the past two years or so, one of our programmers has been living in the Alms and whenever this circuit went down, he'd trip the breaker for us, but he has moved so now WAIF has no one inside the Alms to remedy the situation. The WAIF Board should be addressing this problem soon, first to correct the circuitry that supplies power to our transmitter, and then to seek another location for our equipment and leave the Alms altogether.

As for the Electric Church, I will be airing the show on October 13th, and we may be taking the format to a monthly show on the second Wednesday of each month on a permanent basis, but that's yet to be determined. So if you were looking for the show last night, hang in there, and I will be airing it in two weeks. 

9/28/04

Issue #2 of Legend is now on the Legend Webpage, and I'll get it to various locations this week. Three new contributors submitted to this issue and two from Issue 1 so it seems to be catching on rather nicely.

On the Loco Yokel front, I've had long conversations with Mike and Larry and we've decided to keep the band together and at least rehearse on a regular basis. As long as we're having fun, and no conflicts in schedules or otherwise arise, I think we'll keep it going indefinitely. 

9/22/04 CHIMES OF FREEDOM RADIO SHOW

Tonight is the autumnal equinox, and the fall of 2004 is about take place. Not that I’ll be particularly sorry to see this year go. Some nice things have happened this year, but not as far as most of the media is concerned. Let’s see what they’ve been talking about. Florida has been host to three hurricanes in a row and there are three more storms looming in the Atlantic that could wind up there soon. Americans and other civilians are being captured and brutally executed in Iraq. The death toll of American fighting personnel has reached 1000 in the war against the Iraqi people.

The political season is in full swing. The presidential candidates are airing each other’s dirty laundry without meaningfully addressing the real issues that face this country like a failing health care system, a sputtering economy, unchecked illegal immigration, the probable reinstatement of the draft, or the ransacking of time and a half for overtime rules; and that’s without mentioning the present administration’s failure to successfully prosecute the undeclared war on terror.

So if you’re tired of the empty political debacle and television’s fall schedule isn’t exactly stimulating your intellect or your imagination, I’ll be here for the next two hours showcasing one of the finest talents ever to grace this planet, Bob Dylan.

I watched a PBS special about three weeks ago called, “John Lennon’s Juke Box.” The show was based around a unique portable record machine that played 45rpm singles. It was an odd looking machine that would play one record and then automatically file that record, select another, and play it. Artists like Sting, John Sebastian and Gary U.S. Bonds talked about the selection of music that Lennon had on his “juke box.” The music included old rock tunes from the 50s and early 60s, some R & B, and some other selections. The show also interviewed some of the other artists whose music appeared on Lennon’s machine. They were all surprised and honored to be among the selections that Lennon had spent his hard earned cash to obtain and had obviously spent some time listening and studying. The one Bob Dylan song that appeared on John Lennon’s juke box was “Positively 4^th Street.”

Songlist

Subterranean Homesick Blues—Bootlegs Vol I

Watching the River Flow—BD Gr.Hits Vol II

Tangled up in Blue—Sampler with Masked and Anonymous

Tweeter and the Monkey Man—Traveling Wilburys

You Aint Goin Nowhere—BD Gr.Hits Vol II

Song to Woody—Bob Dylan

It Aint Me Babe—Real Live

Shelter From the Storm—Blood on the Tracks

Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues—Bootlegs Vol I

Lenny Bruce—Shot of Love

Positively 4^th Street—Gr.Hits Vol I

Bob Dylan’s 115^th Dream—Bringing it all back home

We Better Talk this over—Street Legal

I and I—Is It Rolling, Bob?

Down the Highway—Freewheelin’

The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest—John Wesley Harding

Cry Awhile—Love and Theft

Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie—Bootlegs Vol I

I can’t get you off of my Mind—Timeless

The Times They are a-changin’—Unplugged

Highway 61 Revisited—Woodstock ‘94

Callers

Foxy Lady

Kitty

Troy

Andy

9/20/04

I ran the State to State Half Marathon yesterday. I must say, it's a nice race and one I'll be sure to run again. It started in Oxford, Ohio and ran out about 5 miles into Indiana about two miles then turned and came back almost the same way it went out. They held the course open for everyone to finish and everyone got a nice finishers medal. I kind of surprised myself. I've been training daily for the upcoming Columbus Marathon on October 17th. Though I've been fairly disciplined with my training, I harbored some doubts concerning my level of fitness. After making the turn in Indiana and coming back into Ohio, a young man was reading of the times as the runners went by. When he read mine, I asked him how many miles I'd run. He said "ten." I realized then that I had some push left in me, even at ten miles so I kicked it up a notch and began to pass many runners who were beginning to slow to a walk. In the next two miles, I passed about 20 runners. Anyone who has run a half marathon knows how strung out the runners get along the course. This race, many were clumping together in groups of four or five and I passed at least four of those groups and a few individuals. When I got back into Oxford I was facing a small upgrade that I tried to climb on the run, but I had to walk it.  When I reached the top, I ran to the finish line. As I've always said, "It's most important to look good at the finish line," and I did. I had run all 13.1 miles but 1/4 mile or so which gave me a good indication that my fitness is nearly where it will need to be for next month's marathon. Now, back to the grindstone to get ready for the 26.2 miler in Columbus....

9/18/04

I went to a Reds game on Thursday with my brother Mark and my good friend Mike. The Reds played the Cubs, and overall, it was a good time. The tickets were complements of my boss who has club level seats, and compared to the seats I've had at the other games I've seen from the view level, club level is spectacular. As I've blogged before, I'm acquiring somewhat of an attitude toward the Reds and their management. They have just re-signed their manager, Dave Miley, who from all accounts, is a nice fellow. I happen to believe that he leaves something to be desired as a major league manager. For one, he leaves his pitchers in too long after they get themselves in trouble. Secondly, the Reds are not playing aggressive baseball. Case in point: one of the Cubs' players named Rodriguez was absolutely tearing the cover off of the ball. He wound up hitting three homeruns and a double. Miley allowed his pitchers to pitch to this guy throughout the game and never once put the guy on base with an intentional walk. Point 2: I think it was the fifth inning when the Cubs' pitcher Kerry Wood faced the Reds' pitcher Hancock and nearly hit Hancock with three pitches. Where I come from, if you threw at one of my pitchers, you could expect that your next batter would get one in the ear no matter what the standings were or how many games are left in the season. Reds' pitching didn't so much as dust off a single Cubs' batter. After speaking with a less than enthusiastic John Allen on August 8th and seeing the lackluster performance of the Reds on Thursday, I'm convinced that they're not committed to winning or competing or anything other than collecting a paycheck. I may have attended my last Reds game.

9/12/04

I just finished a great weekend. Friday night we celebrated the 50th birthday of our great friend, Mike. He plays drums for the Loco Yokels and has been a bandmate of mine off and on for over thirty years. His wish to spend the evening with us playing music was conveyed to me by his wife, and we guarded our plans to surprise him on his birthday at a local pub that he frequents. Everything turned out really well, we were able to get set up, and he was really blown away. Most of the music we play is from the seventies and stuff we've played for decades so it was second nature to us to relax and party while we jammed on some tunes. Speaking of the 70s our friends from Rockduster sat in for a set at the party. The place was rockin' all night!

Saturday we played again at our friend Larry's pig roast. Larry is the other Loco Yokel, and he and I have played together for over 25 years. He and his wife Pam throw a get party and this year was no exception. Michael from Rockduster joined us on Saturday along with John, Essell and Cody and we jammed once again to a very enthusiastic crowd. Now if we could only get paid! :^)

I continue to train for the Columbus Marathon which will be happening in October. I'm running a half marathon next weekend.

9/4/04

The second issue of Legend is well under way. I should be able to publish it in a few weeks. I've been getting submissions from some of the writers that were included in Issue 1 plus some new writers. This is becoming more and more exciting as the publication gathers steam. When the submissions begin to flow with regularity, and the publication establishes itself, I'm going to pursue some advertisers.

A couple of guys from the old band have been getting together with me and we're rehearsing to play some parties that are coming up soon. I'm calling it Loco Yokels, but we'll see how far we carry the "band" concept. So far, it's just some old friends getting together and playing some tunes that we all know.

Chimes of Freedom  8/25/04

I began the show with “Highway 61 Revisited” from the Woodstock ’94 disc. I made mention that Dylan wasn’t at Woodstock, but that the local “classic rock” station had made mention of the anniversary of the event on August 15^th.

I talked about the new time-and-a-half rules that congress and the president had quietly employed while we are all distracted by the war on the Iraqi people and the flagging economy. The new rules have opened a giant grey area in the definition of occupations that qualify for overtime pay for time worked over 40 hours. I suggested that listeners check it out.

I received an email this week notifying me that Bob Dylan had participated in the reggae tribute to his music. He plays harmonica on most of the tracks and the final track is him covering his own “I and I” with Sly Dunbar and Robby Shakespeare among the studio musicians that are backing him.

I clicked on a link that took me to the website for the release and got this information from the news release link. Go to www.BobDylan.com for more information on this new release and some other great news and stuff connected to the one and only B. Zimmerman.

On a research note, I checked through all of the Dylan biographies and there is no mention of a meeting or a shared-stage that would have brought Marley and Dylan together. However, the liner notes of this disc state that Dylan attended a Marley concert as a member of the audience at the Roxy in L.A. in 1976. Marley covered Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” with the Wailers in 1966. In 1980 Marley praised Dylan’s publicly artistic move toward Christianity with the album “Saved” and the supporting tour.

Mostly the connection between the two would have to be termed spiritual and, had they met, I’m sure they would have been congenial and mutually respectful. As artists, they certainly knew of each other.  As rebels and spokesmen for the downtrodden, they certainly tread a lot of common ground.

The cover shot of “Is It Rolling Bob?” is a take off of “Bringing It All Back Home.” Of course, “Bringing Its…” cover features Dylan seated in the foreground holding a grey cat with a magazine on his lap, various blues albums scattered beside him and most prominently, his then manager’s wife, Sally Grossman, in a bright red dress sitting in the background in front of a fireplace mantle holding a cigarette. On “Is It Rolling’s….” cover it is artist Eric White’s depiction of Bob in the same scene holding the grey cat while rolling a handmade cigarette with reggae albums scattered to his side and a dreadlocked black woman sitting in the background in front of a mantle holding what appears to be a spliff. It’s pretty funny if you know anything about Bob and his long term relationship with the herb.

The music is well performed and recorded and, overall, I think it begins to outline the influence Dylan has had on the reggae genre as he's had on all music.

Songs

Highway 61 Revisited—Woodstock ‘94

Maggie’s Farm—Real Live

Bob Dylan’s Dream—Freewheelin’

I’ll be your Baby Tonight—Nashville Skyline

I can’t get you off of my mind—Timeless

A hard rain’s a-gonna fall---Bangladesh

It ain’t me babe—Another Side

House Carpenter—Bootleg series Vol I

Hurricane—Desire

Trouble—Shot of Love

I and I—Is it Rolling Bob?

I was young when I left home—Companion disc to Love and Theft

Hazel—Planet Waves

Shooting Star—Unplugged

Shelter from the Storm—Hard Rain

Disease of Conceit—Oh Mercy

You ain’t goin’ nowhere—Gr.Hits vol II

Cold Irons Bound—Masked and Anonymous

Outlaw Blues—Bringing it All Back Home

Dirt Road Blues—Time out of Mind

Callers

Foxy Lady

Jim

Patty

Larry

Troy

8/15/04

Finally got the first issue of Legend published. I'm very excited about this project. Now the real work begins. It's got some really great work in it. Check it out on the Legend page of this website.

8/8/04

I ran the Red's Run for Home 5k this morning along with my wife and grandson. It's a good event that ends up on the field at the new Red's stadium and helps them to gather money for the Reds' Community Fund which they use to help the needy. Anyway, it's quite a thrill for our grandson to run on the field at the end of the race.

While there, I ran into John Allen, who is the man in charge of the Reds. We talked about the race and agreed that it is a lot of fun. Then I asked him if "the boys" were going to make it into the playoffs. He wrinkled his nose up and said, "Its going to be tight. A lot depends on whether Larkin and Griffey stay healthy." I told him that the Cubs didn't look that good, and that the Reds could catch them. He didn't seem optimistic. I told him that we've got to have faith, and he shrugged.

After the conversation, I wondered why a man who has as much at stake in the success of the Reds as John Allen could afford to be as indifferent as he seemed to be about their season.

Looking at the new ballpark is confirmation enough that this community is behind the Reds. Isn't it time that the Reds got behind themselves and made the trades and player moves that it's going to take to get the team going in the right direction? Must we as a community rely on the health of two veteran players to get a team of 25 into the post season? Last year the front office dismantled the team in an effort to improve their chances to make the playoffs. Maybe it's time to dismantle the front office.

Chimes of Freedom 7/28/04

“Equality, I spoke their word as if a wedding vow.” Well the political season is upon us. It seems that now more than anytime that I can remember, this election is more about equality and justice for all. After watching the Democratic National convention for awhile, I was reminded of a song I heard at the Sting and Annie Lennox concert on Sunday. Sting sang his song “If I lose my faith in you” and the specific line is: “...you may say I've lost my faith in politicians. They all seem like game show hosts to me.” So instead of facing boredom watching the political circus on t.v., listen up to the Chimes of Freedom and we’ll get a little political for awhile and then get back to what we usually do.

On this date in 1975, Bob Dylan began recording his 17^th album, Desire. This album was a departure for Dylan in that it would mark the first time that Bob took on a writing partner. Jaques Levy was a theatre director and lyricist who had helped Roger McGuinn write some of the music for the Byrds seminal album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Dylan and Levy met just when Bob was starting to write the new album and Dylan expressed an interest to write with Levy. What resulted was yet another moment of brilliance in Bob’s recording career. Probably the most notable of the tracks from desire is “Hurricane” which is about Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a former middleweight contender who was imprisoned under dubious circumstances. Though “Hurricane” got most of the press copy and acclaim, the rest of the tunes are jewels as well. Tonight we’re going to play some tracks from Desire and we’ll be taking requests as well.

Songlist:

My Back Pages—Another Side

Only a Pawn in their Game—The Times they are a-changin’

Idiot wind—Blood on the Tracks

A Hard Rain’s a gonna fall—Freewheelin’

Forever Young—Planet Waves

Tangled up in blue—Real Live

Watchin’ the river Flow—Gr.Hits vol.II

Positively 4th st—Gr.Hits

Union Sundown—Infidels

The Wicked Messenger—John Wesley Harding

Blind Willie McTell—Bootlegs Vol.III

Summer Days—Love and Theft

I can’t get you off of my mind—Timeless

Cold Irons Bound—Masked and Anonymous

Visions of Johanna—Blonde on Blonde

What was it You Wanted—Oh Mercy

Hurricane—Desire

One More Cup of Coffee—Desire

Canadee-I-O—Good as I been to you

Callers:

Foxy Lady

Troy

Patty

Chris

Electric Church  6/30/04

I mentioned that the death of Al Hendrix late last year has thrown Al’s remaining children Janie and Leon into a court battle for the Hendrix Inc. fortune. Not surprisingly neither side is giving an inch. Janie’s put in a lot of work, but Leon feels that he's entitled to at least half of the earnings brought about by the hard work of his full-blood brother, Jimi. Janie claims that her work amassed the fortune as Jimi’s legacy had been beset by charlatans and shysters until she and Al won sole proprietorship of the estate in 1996. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Songlist:

Rainy Day Dream Away – Electric Ladyland

Electric Church Red House – Blues

Beginnings – First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Lover Man – Blue Wild Angel

Message to Love – Sacred Sources Live Forever

Fire - Sacred Sources Live Forever

I Don’t Live Today - Sacred Sources Live Forever

Come On - Electric Ladyland

Izabella – Woodstock

My Friend - Electric Ladyland

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Purple Box Set

Bold as Love - Purple Box Set

Burning of the Midnight Lamp – Voodoo Child

1983: a merman I should turn to be - Electric Ladyland

Johnny Be Goode – Voodoo Child

Star Spangled Banner – Woodstock

Hear My Train a Comin’ (acoustic) – Blues

Little Wing – Purple box Set

Night Bird Flying – First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Pali Gap – South Saturn Delta

Callers:

Mark from Withamsville

Troy

Matt who also signed up as a member of WAIF

Jim

Chris Comer

Foxy Lady

Chimes of Freedom   6/23/04

I made mention that Dylan appeared on the T.V. special “Apollo at 70” which was a tribute to the Apollo theatre in Harlem. Dylan sang the Sam Cooke song “A Change is Gonna Come” as a tribute to the late singer who had gotten his start at the Apollo.

Also during this show, I was informed that WAIF's internet audio stream was no longer functional. This was disappointing because I was beginning to acquire a small listening audience from the city of Tyler, Texas. Friends and acquaintances of my brother Bill had been audio streaming for a couple of months and I was getting calls from them during the show. WAIF depends upon it's listeners to become members of the station and financially support the programs that are presented there. I was about to solicit memberships from the Tyler listeners when the audio stream ceased. I sent an email to WAIF board member Michael Wood encouraging the board to do what it takes to resume the internet audio stream. I can only hope that they'll take action soon.

Songlist:

Blowin’ in the Wind – B.D.Gr.Hits

The End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys – this song has been playing on promos for the new Tom Hanks movie “The Terminal.”

Precious Angel – Slow Train Coming – played as a tribute to our lost friend Blanco

All Along the Watchtower – Dylan and the Dead

Bob Dylan’s Blues – Freewheelin’

Mr. Tambourine Man – B.D.Gr.Hits

Motorpsycho Nightmare – Another Side

Talkin’ John Burch Blues – Bootlegs vol I

Baby Let Me Follow You Down – Last Waltz

I don’t believe you (She act’s like we never have met) - Last Waltz

Forever Young - Last Waltz

Baby Let Me Follow You Down - Last Waltz

I Shall Be Released - Last Waltz

Highway 61 Revisited – Woodstock ‘94

Watchin’ the River Flow – B.D.Gr.Hits vol II

Knockin’ on Heaven’s door – Unplugged

One More Cup of Coffee – Desire

The Times They Are a Changing – Love and Theft bonus disc

Outlaw Blues – Bringing it all back home

Jokerman – Infidels

To Be Alone with You – Nashville Skyline

Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – Highway 61 Revisited

Shelter from the Storm – Blood on the Tracks

Callers:

Kat

Matt

Bill

Dave

Foxy Lady

Tom

Winston

Chimes of Freedom 4/28/04

First off, I want to thank Chris Comer for sitting in for me on March 31^st. We had an Electric Church scheduled, but I was called out of town on a family emergency which took me to the outback of North Dakota so naturally, I was unable to host the show. Chris was here, and from what I understand, did a fine job of filling in the time slot.

Also, I want to give a shout out to the Foxy Lady who is listening and to my bro’, Bill, who is audio streaming.

Tonight is Chimes of Freedom which is all Bob Dylan. We are taking requests, and as many of you already know, we are in the middle of our spring fund drive. If you call in a request, we hope you will pledge to the show because you are not just pledging to Chimes of Freedom, you are pledging to WAIF which is one of the few real choices that you, the radio listener, have outside the Clear Channel bandwidth.

Recently, Clear Channel stations have been fined repeatedly for infractions of the FCC code--mostly for obscene content that is presented at times when children could be listening. Over the years, Clear Channel stations have increasingly ignored the fact that some of its listeners could be offended by overtly sexual stories, jokes, interviews, and anecdotes and of course, they’re paying for it now.

Unlike Clear Channel stations, WAIF, as a responsible broadcaster, is considerate of the sensitivities of members of its audience. At the onset of each WAIF show, the programmers at WAIF read disclaimers which urge listeners who are offended by a show’s content to please tune away. I have never heard such a disclaimer read on a Clear Channel program.

Combine that with the fact that we have the only foreign language programming originating from Cincinnati, the best gospel shows in the city, the most divergent music shows, and the very best talk radio in and around the Cincinnati area, and you have more reasons than you can count to become a part of WAIF. That’s right, when you pledge and donate to WAIF, you become part of what radio is meant to be.

songlist:

Knockin' on Heaven's Door-Unplugged

Cold Irons Bound-Masked & Anonymous

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight-John Wesley Harding

Just Like a Woman-Concert for Bangladesh

I want You-Dylan and the Dead

Rainy Day Women #12&35-Unplugged

When I Paint My Masterpiece-Gr.Hits II

I Can't get You off of my Mind-Timeless

Masters of War-Real Live

Isis-Desire

Black Jack Davey-Good as I been to You

Tangled up in Blue-Real Live

Chimes of Freedom Radio Show 3/24/04

Bob Dylan didn’t play at the Woodstock festival. He was never booked to play there and didn’t go to the festival when it was staged in August 1969. In fact, the day that the festival began, Dylan and his family boarded the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 for a trip to England. His son Jesse had a minor accident while in port which prevented them from leaving on the QE2, but after a few days of establishing that Jesse was okay, Bob and his family flew to England for their planned vacation.

Dylan owned a house in the small city of Woodstock, New York. He had moved away from New York City because of fans stalking him and accosting him and his family on the street. Mainly due to Bob and a few other music celebrities taking up residence in Woodstock, the town became a tour stop—so to speak—for music fans who took the short bus ride from New York City to see where their heroes lived. Bob was becoming agitated by this influx of uninvited and sometimes rude guests.

In early 1969, a group of business people calling themselves Woodstock Ventures Inc. decided to stage a music festival that would capitalize on the notoriety of Woodstock. The people of Woodstock refused to allow the festival to take place in their town citing several incidents of violence and drug-related crime that had occurred at several festivals in California and other places. The Woodstock Festival was staged about 60 miles from Woodstock near the small town of Bethel New York on Yasgur’s dairy farm.

Bob didn’t care for the lifestyle of that generation’s so-called “hippies.” Dylan is a capitalist of the highest order and wasn’t given to throwing or attending wild parties or orgies or anything of that ilk. He has always led a family-oriented lifestyle and was fairly perturbed to learn that tens of thousands of festival patrons would be stressing the services and hospitality of the peaceful little town that he called home.

Many of the young people who attended Woodstock were under the impression that Bob, since was such a close neighbor, would at least attend the festival or walk on for a set. That was the farthest thing from Dylan’s mind. He had already been booked to play at the Isle of Wight Festival which took place on August 31, 1969.

Despite the fact that Bob was about 4000 miles away, Eric Clapton seems to remember seeing Bob at the Woodstock Festival.

Read Clapton story.

Clapton admits that he was on heroin at the time and so maybe that’s why his memory has faded.

1n 1994, Dylan was booked and played at the Woodstock ’94 festival.

songlist:

It's alright Ma I'm only bleeding- 30th anniversary

Everything is Broken - Oh Mercy

Moonlight - Reissue series sampler

I want you - Dylan and the Dead

I can't get you off of my Mind - Timeless

Highway 61 Revisited - Woodstock '94

Positively 4th Street - B.D.Gr.Hits

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine - John Wesley Harding

I and I - Real Live

Only a Hobo - Bootleg Series vol I

Tangled up in Blue - Blood on the tracks

Simple Twist of Fate - Blood on the tracks

You're a Big Girl Now - Blood on the tracks

Idiot Wind - Blood on the tracks

Isis - Desire

Shooting Star - Unplugged

Cold Irons Bound - Masked and Anonymous

Most of the time - Oh Mercy

Chimes of Freedom Show 02/25/04

Got a chance to see the newest Bob Dylan movie called "Masked and Anonymous." As I've pointed out before, the movie was not shown at a theatre in Cincinnati. It was shown in Louisville and Dayton, but not here. Anyway, it came out on DVD last week and I rented it the first day that it was available at Blockbuster.

The first thing that I want to say about this movie is that it looks like it was a lot of fun to make. A lot of big names are in this flick, and it looked to me like there could have been a lot of partying going on around the set.

The two principle parts--aside from Bob's of course--are played by John Goodman and Jessica Lange.  Jessica Lange is a fine actress who recieved an Academy Award for her stunning role in the 1994 film, Blue Sky. She is married to the actor/screenwriter Sam Shephard. She is also in the current film, Big Fish which has gotten a lot of favorable reviews. John Goodman is probably best known for his part as the burly and good natured husband in the sitcom Rosanne, but he has also played very funny parts in "Oh Brother, Where Art Though?" and "Raising Arizona" which are two of my favorite movies

"Masked and Anonymous" is set in a third world country that is in the midst of a civil war. Goodman and Lange play a couple of shady and money hungry concert promoters who are trying to take advantage of their country's misfortune by staging a benefit concert for the surviving victims of that civil war. Without revealing the plot, let me say that the headliner that they choose for this concert must be released from jail and rides the bus to the concert venue. The headliner is named Jack Fate; and is, of course, played by Bob Dylan. Fate is characterized as washed up and the benefit concert could be his final chance for his career to make a comeback.

Along with Goodman, Lange and Dylan, Val Kilmer is in the film playing a rather talkative animal wrangler. Jeff Bridges plays an obnoxious journalist whose wife is Penelope Cruz, and whose editor is played by Bruce Dern. Bob character's close friend and bodyguard is played by Luke Wilson.

At any rate, it looks like everyone was really enjoying making this movie.

This is not Bob's first appearance in a movie. Bob is a passable actor, but I'm sure is glad that he has a day job to cover his expenses. Still, he has made several attempts to act in and even make movies.

 Read piece from All Movie Guide

 Read Synopsis

 I read a blurb on the internet that said Bob is currently on the set of a new movie that is reportedly about his life.

 Anyway, Bob does have a day job and that's why we're here.

songlist:

Down in the Flood - Masked and Anonymous

Baby let me Follow you Down - The Last Waltz

I don't believe You (She acts like we never have met) -

The Last Waltz

Baby let me follow you down - The Last Waltz

I shall be Released - The Last Waltz

Shelter from the storm - Hard Rain

Gotta serve somebody - Dylan and the Dead

One more cup of coffee - desire

The times they are a changin' - bootleg Series Vol I

Cold Irons Bound - Time out of Mind

Talking World War III blues - Freewheelin'

Tweeter and the Monkey Man - Traveling Wilburys

Hard Rain - Concert for Bangla Desh

Maggie's Farm - Real Live

Most of the Time - Oh Mercy

Leopard skin Pillbox Hat - Blonde on Blonde

callers:

Winston (who claims that Shelter from the Storm is about Death.)

Foxy Lady

Matt

Don

Chimes of Freedom Radio show 1/28/04

Record pirating

Counterfeiting   and  Bootlegging

Counterfeiting is actually copying an available product. Probably the most publicized case involved Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Epic records claimed that over 2 million counterfeits of the "Thriller" album were produced and sold. According to Epic, counterfeiters not only copied and produced the vinyl disc, but they copied the cover and the labels that were on the disc itself. From most reports, the counterfeits were nearly as good as the original in appearance. Of course the sound quality was diminished as was the quality of the cover art, but it was good enough to pass as the original in the eyes of virtually every consumer. Cassette copying of available product was extremely widespread at one time. Many of these counterfeits were produced as unlogged product from legitimate record plants. These vinyl and cassette copies were then sold "out the back door" for a fraction of the price which enabled record pirates to offer a higher quality product. Most pirates were sold at record conventions, but many were sold to record stores who offered the counterfeits as legitimate merchandise, and sold them for retail.

The second form of record pirating is bootlegging. Traditionally bootlegs were, at least in the vinyl era, unavailable as legitimate product. Many were unauthorized recordings of concerts or outtakes of studio sessions or even demos that got into the hands of record pirates. Bootlegs were usually in plain sleeves and had blank labels with a brief description of the contents commonly applied with a rubber stamp or a crude printing method. The sound quality ranged from really bad to below average, but occasionally a decent bootleg with good sound would crop up in the stores. Advertising of these bootlegs was strictly word of mouth. As the years progressed, bootleggers began to work on improving the graphic design of album covers and record labels. Bootlegging has been going on and going strong since the mid sixties and still garners a share of the market.

In the digital era, bootleggers and counterfeiters have become quite sophisticated and many are fully capable of producing a fairly decent product. Most recently, the recording industry has focused on the unauthorized trading of MP3 music files on the internet which is another method of pirating.

Of course, the problem that the recording industry has with pirating is that no one in the recording industry gets paid for sales of pirated music and that includes the artists who are actually making the music. The only ones who make money from counterfeits and bootlegs are the pirates themselves and any dealers who sell their product.

The recording industry is doing what it can to prosecute record pirates, but the practice is so widespread that the impact of these prosecutions has been minimal.

Bootlegging, as a practice, is, for the most part, harmful; however, they did identify an aspect of the market that, until recently, was largely unexplored. That is, that there is a segment of the record buying public, typically an artist's most devoted listeners, who want to hear outtakes, demos and various live performances of their favorite artists. The recording industry has been very slow to tap this market but has begun to do so..

Perhaps the most effective approach to stifling the bootleg market has been for the artists and the industry to release all of the outtakes and demos from various recording sessions and, also to release quality recordings of concerts that have been released as bootlegs. In other words, they have released the same product in a quality and authorized format, and by doing so, they have all but eliminated the market for bootlegs.

Bob Dylan was among the most pirated artists in the world. His Bootleg Series has been heralded an effective method to stop the bootleg industry from pirating his music.

Electric Church show aired 12/31/03

This show was the radio debut of the Foxy Lady who assisted me by reading public service announcements and show promos. It was a good time and about the only way that we could spend the entire New Year's Eve together. Because it was New Years Eve, I focused on the Band of Gypsys whose seminal performances have been electrifying audiences for over three decades since their New Year's Eve/New Year's Day performances.

The Band of Gypsys was formed during a period in Hendrix’ life when he was contemplating a departure from the musical style that had sustained his career to that point. He had been touring for nearly three years with the Experience which was Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on Bass. The Experience was of course the band that he had put together in England while under the tutelage of his original producer Chas Chandler. Having broken from Chandler, Jimi felt that he needed to make a move as far as his band was concerned and dismissed Mitchell and Redding.

 That summer Jimi rented a house near Woodstock, New York and began rehearsing with a new group of musicians which would be called “Gypsy Suns & Rainbows.” During these rehearsals, Mitch Mitchell returned and along with Jimi’s longtime friend and Army buddy, Billy Cox on bass, this band performed at the Woodstock festival.

During the time that immediately followed, Hendrix seemed to be searching for a vibe that would carry him in a different direction in the future. In many ways, he felt that the Experience was somewhat played out. He began a relationship with Alan Douglas. Through Douglas, Hendrix, did some recording with Timothy Leary and the Last Poets along with Buddy Miles, a longtime acquaintance of Jimi’s who had played on Electric Ladyland. Miles claims that he suggested they put a band together at that session, and Jimi seemed receptive.

 At first Jimi and Buddy Miles rehearsed and did some sessions with bassist Billy Rich who was from Buddy’s band. Shortly after Jimi replaced Billy Rich with Billy Cox, who still ranks as one of the all-time great bassists, and The Band of Gypsys was born.

 34 years ago tonight The Band of Gypsys: Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, and Jimi Hendrix, first performed at the Filmore East. Four shows were on News Years Eve and New Years Day 1969/1970. Six songs were carefully gleaned from these performances by Hendrix and were released on Capitol Records to settle a contract dispute that Jimi had created by signing a paper early in his career.

 The original Band of Gypsys album is to this day the most powerful live performance ever released. Two years ago a sequel was released as Live at the Filmore East it too is packed with great moments. I’ve also brought some of the rehearsal tapes that have been released.

 The Band of Gypsys signified the departure that Hendrix was willing to risk his career to take. This is the sound of three friends, each one an accomplished musician, forming a cohesive, and transcendent sound that changed the course of popular music forever.

callers:

Ron Smith

Pamba

Little Wing

Angel

Astro Man

Scott Bodenstine

Chimes of Freedom show aired 12/24/03

Almost exactly 25 years ago, Bob Dylan became a Christian. Born to Jewish parents, Bob was raised to observe the tenants of that religion. In late 1978, soon after a bitter divorce from his first wife, Sara, and an ongoing struggle with his manager Albert Grossman, Bob had gotten to a point in his life where he felt isolated, and in some ways, stranded in his personal life. He expressed his feelings to some friends and among them was a young woman who attended the Vineyard Fellowship Church in Santa Barbara, California. The young woman arranged for two pastors from the Vineyard to meet with Dylan, and shortly after that first meeting, Bob began to attend the Church and later was baptized. He described his new found faith as “born again” and he began to evangelize to the audiences who attended his concerts.

He released two albums filled with songs espousing his faith. “Slow Train Coming” and “Saved” were a departure from the socially conscious and playful tunes he had written before. These two releases strike a more somber and steadfast tone than their predecessors, and Dylan relates his beliefs competently.

These releases were not well received by Dylan’s audience. One review in the Rolling Stone Magazine began with, “What is this shit?” Dylan’s sermonizing at his concerts and the religiosity of new his songs cost him a number of long term fans, and his career began a downward spiral that would last for almost ten years.

A quarter of a century later, many of Bob’s spiritual songs have been revisited on “Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan” which has been nominated for two Grammys including “Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.”

Tonight, we’re going to play music from those two releases and a few more songs that I feel are spiritual in nature.

Also, in the spirit of the season, I will honor as many requests for Bob Dylan tunes as I can.

callers:

Jim Bronzie

Foxy Lady

Joan

The Foxy Lady had one of those “0” birthdays. You know 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 6-0 and so on. We all reach those mileposts in our lives as time marches on. Really nothing to do about it but celebrate the occasion and move on, and that’s what we did.

We had a tremendous party for the Foxy Lady. Our families showed up—parents, siblings, children and even most of our grandchildren were there. Lover Man, Astro Man, Little Wing and all of the others showed up for the gathering.

I was able to convince a couple of my old bandmates to come together and we performed some tunes for the crowd.

Of course we put on a big feed.

Needless to say, the Foxy Lady was the stunning centerpiece of the fiesta.

Many of my friends and acquaintances seem to use their advancing age as an excuse to stop, well, living. It seems that when they reach middle age, many of them are ready to settle into a rocking chair and let life continue without them. The Foxy Lady and I just don’t see it that way. We run, hike, bike to stay fit and continue to try new things to keep sharp and current Neither of us is content to just let life slip away.

What’s this got to do with Bob Dylan? Well, Bob’s now sixty two years old. Many of his contemporaries have passed away or no longer perform on a regular basis. Bob keeps plugging away and stays on the road for most of the year. I’ve seen some of his performances in the past couple of years and he’s still rockin’ like there’s no tomorrow. Bob has not permitted his age to slow him down.

Recently, one of his most famous friends and collaborators, Johnny Cash, departed this life.

Tonight we’re going to look at what Bob has done in the recent past. He has a new movie called “Masked and Anonymous” and the soundtrack is now on sale. I will be playing all of the Dylan performances from that soundtrack.

Before I do that, I’d like to play one song as a tribute to the late, great, Johnny Cash. 

Perhaps the point in time that began Dylan’s most recent resurgence was his now legendary performance on MTV’s unplugged in 1996. The 55 year old Dylan wowed the young audience by simply performing his own tunes before the live audience with real instruments. At that time, many artists were programming their music electronically and the only performances of music that many youngsters had seen were in the form of music videos which were more like motion pictures and didn’t resemble actual performances. What Dylan had been doing for more than thirty years in 1996, was suddenly en vogue for the children of Dylan’s initial audience of the 1960s.

Of course Dylan had embraced the music video. In October 1993, RoIling Stone Magazine named Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” as #7 on its list of choices for all-time best music videos. What’s peculiar about that video is that Dylan had filmed the footage for the video in 1967. It’s release in the 1980s demonstrated its continued relevance even as technology continued to evolve in the music business.