Former Socialist, Former Republican, Former Contributor to The American Spectator, Former Resident of Canada, Back in Boston Area After Stints in New York City & Atlanta, Current Mustache Wearer & Aficionado of Baseball, Bowling in All Its Forms, Cats, Music & Healthy Living
A St. Louis native, Shannon excelled in baseball, basketball and football especially the latter at the University of Missouri. However, Shannon would sign with his hometown Cardinals as an outfielder prior to the 1958 season and make his MLB debut in 1962.
Shannon would play in three World Series (1964, 1967 and 1968) while earning two World Series rings in 1964 and 1967. During this period, Shannon moved from right field to third base to make room for New York Yankees legend Roger Maris. Shannon hit at least one home run in each of the three World Series. Sadly, his passing comes only 48 hours after the passing of Dick Groat who was his teammate on the '64 squad and two and a half months after the death of teammate and fellow broadcaster Tim McCarver.
Shannon's playing career abruptly ended after the 1970 season after contracting nephritis which nearly ended his life. In 9 seasons with the Redbirds, Shannon collected 710 hits for a lifetime batting average of .255 with 68 HR and 367 RBI. In 1972, Shannon joined the Cardinals' radio booth partnering with the legendary Jack Buck until his death in 2002. Shannon then became the Cardinals lead broadcaster until scaling back his work to home games in 2016. In 2021, after 50 seasons in the booth, Shannon retired.
In 2020, Shannon contracted COVID-19 and never fully recovered. However, Shannon took the COVID therapeutic Regeneron and had a Cardinals fan to thank for it. R.I.P.
He announced that he’s running again in 2024, and I think that we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden you really are counting on a President Harris, because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely.
Should America be crazy and foolish enough to return Trump to the White House, he would be 82-years old at the end of his second term. Does Haley also believe Trump will die within the next five years? It is worth asking because the only way Nikki Haley will ever become President of the United States is if Trump picks her as his running mate and dies while in office.
Frankly, I doubt Trump would pick Haley as his running mate. Given her vacillation towards the defeated former President, he does not view her as sufficiently loyal. Trump is far more likely to choose someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene to be his number two. In which case, if it's a choice between Kamala Harris and Marjorie Taylor Greene then Harris looks awfully good.
With all that said, I think Biden will be re-elected next year (and if Congress doesn't thwart the certification of the election) will serve a second full term.
While Springer was the son of Holocaust survivors, an attorney, worked on Robert F. Kennedy's ill-fated presidential campaign, was a Cincinnati city councilor and mayor and a TV journalist, he would become most famous and most prosperous for hosting a TV talk show which regularly featured brawls in between salacious sex stories.
Yet people forget that when Jerry Springer launched into syndication in 1991 it was a serious, sober, thoughtful talk show which intelligently discussed the issues of the day. Springer resembled a younger Phil Donahue. The problem was that few people watched. Donahue's day had passed having been supplanted by Oprah Winfrey several years earlier.
By 1994, what sobriety that had existed on Jerry Springer was gone and never to return. Yet this says as much about us as it does Springer because this is what people were interested in watching. My Dad said that people (including himself) were interested in watching because the people who appeared on that show made us feel better about our own lot in life. While there might be a kernel of truth to that I think it also demonstrates how unserious we can be. Although Springer's politics were liberal, a case can be made that one can draw a straight line between Jerry Springer to America electing Donald Trump to be our President. Trump's presidency isn't possible without The Apprentice and The Apprentice isn't possible without Jerry Springer.
I leave you with a brief excerpt of what Jerry Springer was like when it first aired. Assuming it would have been permitted to remain on the air, one can only wonder what the country be like today had the show remained serious and sober. R.I.P.
While Groat was standout basketball player at Duke University and played briefly in the NBA for the Fort Wayne Pistons, he would become one of baseball's premier shortstops during the 1950's and 1960's primarily with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals despite having very little power or speed.
Groat began his MLB career with the Bucs in 1952 finishing tied for third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting with Eddie Matthews of the Boston Braves. After missing two seasons for military service, Groat focused exclusively on baseball after 1955 and would form the best double play combination in the game with Bill Mazeroski.
In 1960, Groat would win the NL MVP en route to the Pirates' first World Series title in 35 years. In addition to a World Series ring, Groat won the NL batting title with a .325 average. Prior to the 1963 season, the Bucs traded Groat to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Don Cardwell. While Cardwell had a serviceable stint in Pittsburgh, Groat very nearly won his second NL MVP finishing runner up to Sandy Koufax in his first year in a Redbirds uniform with a career high 201 hits while leading the NL in doubles with 43. In 1964, Groat would earn his second World Series ring once again at the expense of the New York Yankees. That season, Groat would also be selected to his eighth NL All-Star Team.
This evening I went to the AMC Theatre opposite Boston Common to see Big George Foreman.
I had wondered if a film could be grand enough to capture George Foreman's life. Fair or not, the boxing film genre has been a staple of American cinema for nearly half a century largely thanks to the Rocky and now Creed franchises not to mention the Jake LaMotta biopic Raging Bull starring Robert DeNiro and Ali with Will Smith.
Yet Foreman's life is an epic story - movie or no movie. I remember his comeback vividly. When he first came back in 1987, Foreman was ceaselessly derided and mocked for having the temerity to climb back in the ring. But by the time he fought Evander Holyfield in 1991, Foreman had gained more than grudging respect. While Foreman lost by unanimous decision, he held his own and stood in his corner between rounds. That would have been good enough on its own, but to knock out Michael Moorer more than three years later to regain boxing's world heavyweight championship at the age of 46 more than 20 years after he lost it is otherworldly. If one had written such a script before Foreman actually accomplished the feat would have got one laughed out of the theatre for life.
As for the theatre this evening, there were fewer than half a dozen people in it. For me, the more space the better but it isn't much of a business model for a film much less a theatre chain. Notwithstanding these conditions, Big George Foreman goes the distance and does so primarily on the shoulders of Khris Davis. Like DeNiro, Davis both gained and lost 50 pounds to play Foreman at various stages of his life. Davis also captures the subtlety of Foreman's voice as he goes from angry young man to affable middle aged pitch man. It also doesn't hurt to stand shoulder to shoulder with Forest Whitaker who played Foreman's trainer Doc Broadus.
Despite going the distance, Big George Foreman lost a couple of rounds by casting Sullivan Jones and Matthew Glave as Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell, respectively. They were caricatures. I think there was also a missed opportunity to deploy Ali other than the man who had beat Foreman in Zaire in 1974. When Foreman first came back in 1987, it was just over five years after Ali had last stepped in the ring and the effects of Parkinson's had taken their toll. A scene with Ali in that condition would have given younger audiences a better sense of what Foreman was up against.
Nevertheless, George Foreman's life in the ring, out of it and then back in is a story well worth telling. As such I hope audiences will get ringside seats to see Big George Foreman.
Israel has spent the past day commemorating its 75th anniversary.
While Israel has a great deal to celebrate as the world's only Jewish state, I cannot help but wonder if Israel will reach its centennial in 2048.
Of course, Israel has been under constant external threat from the day of its independence when it was attacked by 6 Arab armies. It remains under external threat from Iran both directly through the prospect of a nuclear and indirectly through Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. Then there is the ongoing disdain by the United Nations. Notwithstanding improved relations with its Arab neighbors in recent years via the Abraham Accords (the only significant foreign policy accomplishment during the Trump Administration), recent overtures between Saudi Arabia and Iran are a worrying development.
Yet for all of the external threats Israel faces and will continue to face, the greatest danger to the Jewish homeland comes from within. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been steering the country towards authoritarianism through his efforts to strip the judiciary of its independence. Thus far Israeli civil society has been preventing him from carrying out this agenda. The fact there is a broad opposition to these measures across the ideological spectrum speaks well of democratic discourse in Israel.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu is determined to embrace the kind of nationalism on display in Hungary and in India which has the effect of stifling civil society and its ability to peaceably dissent. Even if Bibi does not succeed perhaps his successor will especially if it is the likes of Itamar Ben-Gvir or some other demagogue. And in so doing will play right into the hands of anti-Semites abroad on both the Left and the Right.
Of course, I am trying to imagine Israel's future in 25-years from now. It is difficult enough to predict Israel's future in a quarter of a year from now never mind a quarter of a century. In three months from now, it is entirely possible that Netanyahu's right-wing coalition could collapse, and Israel could hold its sixth election since 2019. In which case, Israel might more closely resemble 1980's Italy than 2020's style authoritarianism. Nevertheless, Israel's economic, medical and technical achievements of the past 75 years cannot be taken for granted if it is overshadowed and overcome by a sudden event which leads to permanent political instability.
The New York born Belafonte, who spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. After serving in the U.S. Navy in WWII, Belafonte became immersed in New York's theatre scene and befriended Sidney Poitier. While Poitier found success on the silver screen, Belafonte gravitated towards music and became among the first African-Americans to enjoy mainstream success during the 1950's and 1960's. Among Belafonte's hits were "Banana Boat (Day-O)", "Jamaica Farewell" and "Islands in the Sun".
Belafonte would become an influential figure in the Civil Rights Movement and was an early champion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In later years, Belafonte became associated with the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, his efforts against world hunger through his organization of We Are The World and his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
In later years, Belafonte courted some controversy for his support of Communist dictators such as Cuba's Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. He was also a vocal critic of President George W. Bush during the War in Iraq and was particularly harsh towards Secretary of State Colin Powell and then National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice. In 2005, Belafonte drew criticism when speaking of Powell and Rice erroneously claiming, "Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich."
On balance, however, Belafonte did a great deal of good during his near century on this Earth. Most people who remember him today remember him with joy and I shall do the same. Here is a sample of that joy when he performed "Day-O" on The Muppet Show in 1978. R.I.P.
I think it's very clear we are going to have a Biden vs. Trump rematch in 2024. Despite being under indictment, no one holds a candle to Trump in the Republican Party much less is prepared to give him any heat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn't ready for prime time and no one else in the GOP remotely presents a threat to Trump's dominance.
So long as this state of affairs prevails it is equally clear that Joe Biden is a moral person and Donald Trump is an immoral person. President Biden has spent his time in the White House governing for the benefit of all Americans whether through his efforts to get Americans vaccinated against COVID, passage of the infrastructure bill, health care and climate initiatives plus student debt relief while defeated, former President Trump spends most of his time talking about himself with the desire to seek vengeance on those who dare to differ from him should he return to the White House by hook or by crook.
This is not a tough call.
Still, I harbor no illusions. This will be a hard-fought campaign with Biden needing to make sure he can hold onto the states he gained in 2020 (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona) while keeping a close eye on states like Nevada and New Hampshire (particularly those who might be sore about the impending change to the scheduling of the New Hampshire Primary) and perhaps a possible opening in North Carolina.
While I am confident that Biden can once again defeat Trump, I do worry about a Republican House or Senate disregarding the will of the American voter and creating a constitutional crisis over non-existent, but persistent claims of voter fraud.
Hopefully Americans will have the good sense to choose to maintain Democratic control over the Senate and return control of the House to Democrats, so we need not worry about such mischief. Even so there remains the possibility that Trump will once again summon his devotees to Washington D.C. to prevent Biden from taking office for a second time. The fact that is a possibility is all the more reason to make the case that America has a choice between Biden or bust.
If that is the case, then don't expect Fox News to let up on claims of fraud during the 2020 election and continue their revisionism of the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Carlson was a proponent of both claims as well as the anti-Semitic white replacement theory which is phrased as the "great replacement theory". In which case, this tells me that Goldberg has got the goods on Carlson and Fox News simply got tuckered out. Otherwise, a lot more heads would roll other than Carlson's although there has been speculation that Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro might be on the way out. Still, the fact the host of their highest rated primetime show walked the plank first leads one to believe this is about his personal conduct rather than what he has said on the air.
Of course, Fox News is taking the risk of alienating a substantial segment of their viewership. Should Carlson find his way to Newsmax or OANN then he could take a bite of their prime-time ratings. Again, this is one of the reasons why I expect Fox News will continue its 2020 election and January 6th rhetoric but just use different voices.
Hours after Fox News announced it was cutting ties with Carlson, Don Lemon announced that he had been fired from CNN. Lemon's relationship with CNN has soured in recent months after a thoughtless comment regarding GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley not being in her prime at her age and subsequent allegations of poor treatment by Lemon towards female staffers. Back in October, Lemon had been moved from prime time to the morningamid declining ratings. Unfortunately for Lemon, his ratings fared even worse in the morning. Given the accusations of sexism leveled against Lemon, I wonder if he will counter with legal action alleging discrimination of the basis of race and sexual orientation.
As with Carlson, I expect Lemon will be back somewhere. Perhaps he'll reunite with fellow CNN exile Chris Cuomo at NewsNation. Meanwhile, CNN will continue to be in search for an identity that will draw an audience with newscasters who won't make the news.
I guess today is a good day to be an MSNBC viewer.
When I awoke this morning that Australian entertainer Barry Humphries, best known to the world by his alter ego Dame Edna Everage or simply Dame Edna, had passed away at the age of 89.
Humphries largely retired from performing about a decade ago but would make sporadic appearances. If Republican legislatures throughout the country have their way and Humphries had lived to grace our shores once more it would have been unlawful for Barry Humphries to perform as Dame Edna. Somehow the Dame Edna: The Royal Tourmanaged to take place without corrupting the youth of America. The cruelty and stupidity of the Republican Party knows no bounds.
Three days ago, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) which represents the majority of Canada's civil service employees went on strike.
I first learned of this through the Facebook page of a childhood friend in my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. News from Canada generally doesn't generate a lot of interest in the U.S. with some notable exceptions such as the so-called truckers' convoy from early 2022. I do, however, pride myself on keeping tabs on what is happening in my home and native land, but the fact that I found out about a significant national story through a Facebook page is a reminder of how far removed I've become of life north of the border. I have lived in the United States for over 23 years and have not set foot on Canadian soil since August 2014. Eventually this will have to be rectified, but that is another story for another day.
This is the third time Canadian civil servants have gone on a national work stoppage. The first time was in September 1991. I remember this one vividly as I had just moved to Ottawa to begin my freshman year at Carleton University. The strike lasted one week before the Tory government of Brian Mulroney passed back to work legislation. A couple of personal notes. First, the President of PSAC at the time was a man named Daryl Bean who would get to know a bit in 1995 when I was involved with the late Alexa McDonough's successful bid for the federal NDP leadership. I later became a PSAC member by virtue of being a public sector employee in the late 1990's first with Statistics Canada and then later Revenue Canada.
Public sector workers in Canada would go on strike again in October 2004. At the time, there was a Liberal minority government headed up Paul Martin. This time around there was no government intervention as PSAC and the Treasury Board reached a negotiated settlement.
What is unclear is when the A's will move to Vegas although the stated goal is for this to happen no later than the 2027 season. The lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season but it is doubtful a new stadium in Vegas will be ready for the 2025 season. Needless to city, the City of Oakland is none too happy about this development and is probably disinclined to extend the lease. I think it would be more likely that the A's will play in a facility in or near Las Vegas on a temporary basis until the new stadium is ready to be opened.
The move is not a surprise considering the NFL Raiders also moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 while the Golden State Warriors of the NBA moved from Oakland to San Francisco the year previous. The A's had called the Oakland Coliseum home since 1968 but has fallen into disrepair and is barely suitable for feral cats much less people. There have been attempts to build the A's a new stadium, but the city was no more interested in getting this done for the A's than they were for the Raiders much less the Warriors which had won three NBA championships in the years leading up to the move across the Bay.
Of course, it hasn't helped matters that the A's have dismantled the team which is likely on track to lose 100 or more games for a second consecutive season. A's fans had been planning a "reverse boycott" on June 13th to show their support for the team, but with today's Vegas announcement all bets are off.
The truth of the matter is the A's have always been baseball's vagabonds. Las Vegas will become their fourth stop in a trek which had made its way west from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland. The Philadelphia A's had been owned by Connie Mack who also managed the team for 51 of the 54 seasons they were in the City of Brotherly Love. The team was either very good or absolutely terrible. Between 1910 and 1914, the A's won four AL pennants and three World Series titles. But after Mack dismantled the team, they endured seven consecutive last place finishes in the AL between 1915 and 1921 losing 100 or more games five times. The A's would rebound during the middle of the roaring 20's and won three consecutive AL pennants between 1929-1931 winning the Fall Classic in 1929 and 1930. But by the mid-1930's their losing ways returned. During the last two decades in Philadelphia between 1935 and 1954, the A's had 11 last place finishes in the AL.
In 1955, the team was sold to Arnold Johnson who moved the team to Kansas City. But Johnson was an associate of New York Yankees owner Dan Topping and the A's were essentially treated like a Triple AAA affiliate of the Bronx Bombers acquiring the likes of Roger Maris, Clete Boyer and Ralph Terry for little or nothing in return. After Johnson's sudden death in 1960, the team was sold to Charlie Finley.
Despite his commitment to keep the team in K.C., Finley couldn't wait to get the hell out and tried to move the team to Louisville, New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee and Seattle without success until the owners finally allowed him to move the team to Oakland prior to the 1968 season. The A's never enjoyed a winning season during their 13-year tenure in Kansas City.
Their fortunes would change in Oakland where they won five consecutive AL West titles between 1971-1975 along with three consecutive World Series titles between 1972-1974. While Finley drafted many good players like Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers, he didn't want to pay them. With the advent of free agency, Finley dismantled the team and by 1979 the team was back to losing 100 games a season.
The A's returned to their winning ways under the ownership of the Haas family reaching the postseason during the strike shortened 1981 season and then won three consecutive AL pennants between 1988 and 1990 winning the World Series in 1989 during the infamous Earthquake Series against their Bay Area rival San Francisco Giants.
Since 1995, the team has undergone ownership changes thrice. None of these ownership groups have been willing to spend money or keep players on a long-term basis. The "Moneyball" philosophy of longtime GM Billy Beane helped somewhat. Between 2000 and 2020, the A's have reached the postseason 11 times including 7 AL West titles. Unfortunately, the A's only reached the ALCS once during this period back in 2006 when they were swept by the Detroit Tigers.
The A's have now actually been in Oakland longer than they were in Philadelphia. But it would seem big league sports are not viable in Oakland. Perhaps in a few years there might be minor league baseball in Oakland once time has healed the inevitable wounds.
Meanwhile, Vegas will add its third major sports team. Before the Raiders arrived Vegas in 2020, the NHL expanded there with the Golden Knights back in 2017. Can the NBA be far behind?
One other question. Will they still be called the Las Vegas A's or Athletics? I hope so for the sake of continuity and lineage. But if Rob Manfred can put a ghost runner on second during extra innings, expand the size of the bases and install a pitch clock then he could permit the team to change their name once they arrived in Las Vegas. I wouldn't bet against it.
Yes, I also once opened wrong car door. It happened in late 1991. This would have been few months after I left Thunder Bay to attend Carleton University in Ottawa. I lived in residence during my freshman year. One Sunday afternoon, I was going to visit family in nearby Nepean and was waiting to be picked up by my Uncle John.
I opened the car door, get inside the passenger seat and start talking to Uncle John only to realize it is not my Uncle John. It was the father of one of the freshmen who lived across the hall from me. As with later incidents in going to the wrong address, I profusely apologized and all concerned had a good laugh about it.
Doing such a thing in this day and age, particularly in this country, could have cost me my life or at the very least resulted in some grievous harm. We make honest mistakes without the intent of causing harm to anyone. But there are people who view honest mistakes as declarations of war and when armed are prepared to respond with deadly force despite having no justification.
In the grand scheme of things, the chances of being harmed going into the wrong address or the wrong car are small, but it is yet one more thing we must think about in a country where we are already balancing precipitously on pins and needles.
A Stanford graduate where he played both baseball and basketball, the 6 foot 6 righty was drafted in the 18th Round of the 1974 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox in 1974. Frost would make his big league debut with the Chisox towards the end of the 1977 season. His first two big league starts were against the California Angels. So effective was Frost against the Angels that they would acquire him prior to the 1978 season along with fellow pitching prospect Chris Knapp and catcher Brian Downing in exchange for slugger Bobby Bonds, pitcher Richard Dotson and outfielder Thad Bosley.
After spending the 1978 season going back and forth between the majors and Triple AAA, Frost would have a breakthrough season in 1979 with the Halos. Angels fans might bemoan the fact the team hasn't been in the postseason in nearly a decade. Entering the 1979 season, the Angels had yet to make a postseason appearance of any kind since their debut in 1961. Frost was a big part of changing that as he and Nolan Ryan each had 16 wins that season as the Angels would win the AL West title. Over 239.1 innings pitched, Frost posted a 3.57 ERA and 12 complete games. The Angels would fall to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS in four games with Frost being shelled by the O's in Game 2 giving up 5 runs in 1.1 IP against that year's AL Cy Young winner Mike Flanagan.
However, it appeared Frost was on the verge of becoming one of the premier pitchers in the American League. Unfortunately, Frost sustained an elbow injury and was ineffective for the Angels in both 1980 and 1981. Frost would sign with the Kansas City Royals as a free agent in 1982 but his fortunes did not improve. He would be back in the minor leagues in 1983 splitting the year with the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations. Frost's professional career was over at the age of 30. In 99 appearances (84 starts) over 5 seasons, Frost went 33-37 with a 4.10 ERA with 222 strikeouts and 174 walks.
Although there are variations in each of these shootings (notably with the homeowner in New Mexico being killed), the common denominator here is that paranoia strikes deep and homeowners are prepared to shoot first and ask questions later. There is a deep distrust in this country which goes beyond race, age, gender and occupational status.
Also but for the grace of G-d go I. On two occasions in my life, I have gone to the wrong address. The first time this occurred in Toronto in the late 1990’s. I was in town attending a conference and staying at the home of a friend. When I returned one evening, I accidentally went into the house next door which was identical to one where I was staying. I immediately conveyed my apologies and the people inside were good natured about it. The second time occurred in 2006 in Boston shortly after I moved into a basement apartment on The Fenway. One night, shortly after moving in I accidentally went into the apartment next door which was also identical up to and including the layout of the floor plan. My key even worked and lo and behold I surprised an Asian couple. Again apologies were conveyed and my transgression was once more forgiven.
Today, there’s a very good chance I might not have been so fortunate. Life in most parts of the world can be nasty, brutish and short at the best of times. At least where the United States is concern there is a greater volatility and violence now than there was 15-20 years ago. I don’t know the political affiliations of the homeowners in New Mexico, Missouri and in upstate New York, but we are far more receptive to conspiracy theories than we used to be. Consequently we are more fearful and more fear means more guns with more people willing to use them at the slightest provocation. While no one has a monopoly on virtue only one political party embraces conspiracy theories while encouraging people to arm themselves. What we have seen in less than a fortnight is one of Trumpism’s tragic legacies.
Fox News knowingly made false statements about Dominion Voting Systems' machines flip Trump votes to Biden. As such, I must admit that I would like to have seen Dominion Voting Systems' libel lawsuit against Fox News go to trial and possibly see the likes of Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have to testify under oath. Still, defamation is among the hardest things to prove in civil court and the Canadian based Dominion would have to prove that Fox acted with malice and with reckless disregard for the truth and there is no guarantee Dominion would have prevailed.
However, Fox News is not out of the woods yet. There is still pending libel litigation by Smartmatic Voting Systems which has also sued Fox News personalities Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro along with former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. The suit is being brought for $2.7 billion. A spokesman for Smartmatic stated, “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.” Does this mean Smartmatic is going to go to trial even if Fox offers them $1 billion?
Despite their abhorrent behavior, Fox News is going to continue to peddle lies, if not about the 2020 election, then about January 6th among many other things. Because there will always be people who will believe what they put out there at face value. As with Trump, Fox News proves you can fool some of the people all of the time.
At this point, the only recourse available to Walker's family is a civil suit against the Akron Police Department. While Walker's family will likely get some measure of recompense, I don't think it will do much to deter the behavior of the Akron Police Department or any police department from engaging in such aggressive tactics and escalating situations where it concerns African-Americans in the future. One only need look at the beating death of Tyre Nichols by members of the Memphis Police Department this past January. Sadly, other police involved deaths are sure to follow just like mass shootings.
The question now is if we will see any violence in Akron tonight and over the next few days.
However, "Jews Against DeSantis" is a campaign by IfNotNow, a group which is virulently anti-Israel and frequently describes Israel as an Apartheid regime. Indeed, IfNotNow issued a statement on Twitter following the incident which read, “We’re making clear that DeSantis is an antisemite whose actions and policies both support Israeli apartheid and put Jews in danger."
Their juvenile antics notwithstanding, by defaming Israel, IfNotNow not only deflects from the question from DeSantis' association with anti-Semites and draws attention to their own anti-Semitism towards Israeli Jews. IfNotNow is an unserious organization who could become a serious problem if they are viewed as representative of the views of American Jews.
It was 10 years ago today when two terrorists inspired by al Qaeda detonated two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three people. The two perpetrators later shot and killed a M.I.T. police officer before one bomber was killed and other was captured in nearby Watertown.
The Boston Marathon by tradition is held on Patriots Day which is observed in Massachusetts and in Maine (as Maine was once part of Massachusetts). Patriots Day observes the beginning of the American Revolution when the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.
In the years I had this day off I would either attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park which always commenced at 11 a.m. and then watch the Marathon or I would take a train to Concord to visit Walden Pond and Minuteman Historical National Park. Ten years ago, I chose the latter plan, and it might very well saved my life. As it turned out, my mother in Thunder Bay, Ontario knew about the bombings before I did and called to see if I was alright.
It is all well and good to be Boston Strong, but we cannot truly remember such a heinous act unless we acknowledge why it happened. While such attacks have receded in recent years, nevertheless, a critical mass of the Muslim world is perfectly happy to wantonly kill civilians in order that we submit to their will including among some Muslims who live in the United States. Of course, imposing "Muslim bans" are immoral in principle and unworkable in practice. After all, one only need an internet connection to transmit ideology. We must remember this when it happens on U.S. soil the next time be it tomorrow, in 10 years from now or in 100 years from now. Let us not pretend otherwise.
This decision was made in retaliation for the Missouri Library Association's lawsuit against the state in conjunction with the ACLU over a measure banning books in public school libraries including books about The Holocaust.
It remains to be seen if the Missouri Senate, which is also controlled by the GOP, will follow suit. But if they do and if Republican Governor Mike Parsons signs the budget into law without funding for public libraries then there will be legal action as public funding is guaranteed for public libraries under the Missouri State Constitution, Article IX, Section 10:
It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to promote the
establishment and development of free public libraries and to accept the obligation of
their support by the state and its subdivisions and municipalities in such manner as may
be provided by law. When any such subdivision or municipality supports a free library,
the general assembly shall grant aid to such public library in such manner and in such
amounts as may be provided by law.
Yet by seeing fit to eliminate public funding for libraries, Missouri Republicans draw attention both to the importance of public libraries as a public good and to their cruelty and foolishness as was the case with their counterparts in Tennessee.
One can only hope either Missouri Senate Republicans or the Governor will throw the book at their House counterparts. If not then they will be as much of a national embarrassment and a laughingstock as their Tennessee brethren.
The question is how vigorously Lee will see to it that red flag laws are passed. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (the same man who led the charge to expel Democratic legislators Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from the state legislature) dismisses red flag laws as gun confiscation. This is nonsense because a person facing gun confiscation would have their day in court. But Sexton strikes me as the sort of fellow who like too many Republicans is not amenable to reason.
Let me put it another way will Governor Lee fight as vigorously for the implementation of red flag laws as he did for the banning of drag shows? A red flag law will save lives. Banning drag shows won't.
What this tells me is that Bibi's right-wing coalition government has a very weak bench. The fact that Bibi did an about face and brought back Gallant indicates no one else in the coalition is capable of overseeing Israel's military. This is not a comforting thought, nor does it inspire confidence that Bibi fired Gallant in the first place.
So let's say Gallant helps restore order. Then what? There remains the issue of Israel's judicial independence. Does Gallant back off? Do Bibi and Gallant agree to disagree? Or will their differences resurface with Bibi firing him again? If Bibi fires Gallant again then would he, heaven forbid, give Itamar Ben-Gvir control of the military on top of the police? If that came to pass then Netanyahu would sink even further in the polls than he has already and perhaps his coalition would collapse forcing Israel's sixth election in four years.
Mass shootings have become such a frequent occurrence in this country that they feel like another day at the office. So long as elected officials refuse to address the problem in any meaningful way it is only a matter of time before something like this will happen at your office, the grocery store, movie theater, holiday parade or your child's school. Those elected officials who do try to address the problem find themselves expelled from the state legislature as was the case in neighboring Tennessee although this has backfired. While these legislators will return to their old jobs the odds they can pass meaningful gun control legislation is none to none.
Of course, bad things can happen anywhere at any time to anyone. But it seems that where it concerns guns bad things are more likely to happen in the United States than anywhere else. With that we will see what tomorrow brings.
Their returns are on an interim basis until special elections can be held in their district within the next 100 days. But all things considered their election is more likely than not - unless someone is truly determined to keep them out by force.
The expulsion of Jones and Pearson by Tennessee Republicans was so fundamentally unfair that they have managed to create a generation of lifelong Democrats while alienating a critical mass of Republicans already sick and tired of Trumpism.
Of course, it will be difficult for Jones and Pearson to get much done at the legislative level on gun control or much of anything else given the GOP's supermajority. But perhaps this supermajority will be short-lived. Republicans will probably continue to control the legislature for the foreseeable future, but a significant segment of Tennessee voters have now been convinced this level control is neither desirable nor healthy.
One would hope this would teach Republicans a lesson, but in the age of Trumpism the GOP does the same thing expecting to get different results. In this particular case, the result is Republicans have turned both Justins into rising stars.
Although not a household name, Bairnson played lead guitar on several significant hits during the mid to late 1970's as well as the early 1980's. Bairnson first gained note with his work for the Scottish band Pilot with its international hit "Magic" which was produced by Alan Parsons. Within a couple of years, Bairnson along with David Paton and Stuart Tosh would join The Alan Parsons Project. Bairnson had notable guitar solos on songs such as "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" and "Eye in the Sky".
Bairnson also participated in the Parsons' side project Keats which featured Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone. While with The Alan Parsons Project, Bairnson also collaborated with Kate Bush on her first few albums most notably contributing the guitar solo at the conclusion of Bush's debut single "Wuthering Heights".
I leave you with Bairnson's solo on The Alan Parsons Project 1982 hit "Eye in the Sky". R.I.P.
Republicans failed to oust a third Democrat Gloria Johnson by a single vote. It ought to be noted that Johnson is white while Pearson and Jones are African-American. Needless to say, there must remain a suspicion race played a role in their expulsion.
What Republicans have done is succeeded in turning Pearson and Jones into martyrs. Their profile will be raised exponentially, and their voters will enthusiastically re-elect them to their old seats. The question then is would the Republican supermajority refuse to seat them. At this point, I put nothing past Republicans in this regard as they disregard the will of the people when it is contrary to their own.
In the meantime, one wonders if Pearson and Jones will seek relief from the courts to get their jobs back. One must further wonder if the protests will turn from gun control to representative democracy.
1. Like It Or Not, Marjorie Taylor-Greene is a Legitimate Political Force in This Country
There have been complaints in some quarters that this interview legitimizes Marjorie Taylor-Greene. Like it or not, Marjorie Taylor-Greene is a legitimate political force in this country. MAGA love of MTG rivals that of Trump. If not for her, Kevin McCarthy isn't the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Despite calls to ignore her, that horse has left the barn and now is the time to corral her or, at the very least, demonstrate to the country how she is way out of control.
2. Lesley Stahl Got MTG to Agree With The Statement "The Democrats Are a Party of Pedophiles"
Because 60 Minutes interviewed MTG, Lesley Stahl was able to get her to agree with the statement, "The Democrats are a party of pedophiles." adding, "They support grooming children." After Stahl challenged her statement, MTG dug in further:
Democrats, Democrats support, even Joe Biden, the president himself, supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children.
While there is a far too large segment of this country which support MTG's sentiments, it doesn't represent a majority of the country. A great many independents and even a few Republicans would say, "That woman is out of her fucking mind!!! She should not be allowed near our nuclear codes."
3. MTG: Name Calling Doesn't Bother Me; Also MTG: All They've Done is Call Me Names
Aside from calling Democrats pedophiles, it is clear from this interview that Greene lacks the temperament to yield political power and was on the defensive for much of the interview.
It isn't to stay MTG didn't try to keep up appearances. She claimed, "I don't let name calling bother me or offend me. I just don't."
But when Stahl challenged MTG about calling Democrats pedophiles, she made it very clear she was bothered and offended:
Well, I would ask the same question of the other side, because all they've done is call me names and insult me non-stop since I've been here, Lesley. They call me a racist. They call me anti-Semitic, which isn't true. I'm not calling anyone names. I'm calling out the truth, basically.
MTG's relationship with the truth is about as tenuous as of defeated former President Trump.
4. Trump Thinks MTG Should Run For The Senate in 2026
It is an interesting comment on Trump's part because MTG has made no secret of her desire to be his VP nominee next year. As loyal as MTG has been to Trump perhaps Trump would rather have her run for Senate because having Greene on the ticket would take away the spotlight from him. Between her present position in the House and being Trump's VP pick, I don't think MTG is inclined to run for the Senate. Jon Ossoff would be a formidable opponent and given the antipathy of many Georgia Republicans towards Trump that antipathy would likely extend to MTG. However, MTG might be more amenable to a Senate run in 2026 if Trump loses in '24 while Democrats regain control of the House.
5. Lesley Stahl Ought To Have Focused More on January 6th
Last night, I went to the Shubert Theatre in Boston to attend Arlo Guthrie's first public performance since early 2020. Later that year, Guthrie had announced his retirement from touring following a series of strokes and some performances which he felt were not up to his standards.
I generally have mixed feelings about these conversational formats as the interviewer generally makes long-winded statements often failing to ask a question. However, Santelli was for the most part unobtrusive.
The evening began with a claymation video of Guthrie's "The Motorcycle Song" which Guthrie said "seemed funny at the time." Much of the conversation in the first half naturally centered around his relationship with his father Woody Guthrie. Given that his Dad was ill most of his life what he learned about him came through his interactions with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Ramblin' Jack Elliott. However, when Guthrie heard "This Land is Your Land" at a school assembly and didn't know the words his Dad did teach him the chords and lyrics.
While this was fascinating, I found the conversation about his mother Marjorie Guthrie far more interesting. She was a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham gave Guthrie her blessings to start her own dance school teaching her methods. For a time, Guthrie's mother taught dance at Indian Hill in Western Massachusetts and young Arlo came along though he was told to go play in music out in the woods. However, after "Alice's Restaurant" came out he suddenly became a "famous alumni".
Guthrie added that his mother was the most organized person he ever knew which meant he had to keep his room clean and could never quite do it to her satisfaction. However, she also had the wisdom to tell Bob Dylan to take young Arlo to the Newport Folk Festival even if much of his attention was focused on Joan Baez (as was Arlo's). She also collected every scrap of paper both Woody and Arlo ever wrote a note. Across the street from the Shubert Theatre is the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame which is currently showing, "Arlo Guthrie: Ramblin' Son" Exhibit. Guthrie admitted he hadn't seen it. "Why would I want to see it? It's my stuff," quipped Guthrie.
When Santelli asked Guthrie about his Newport Folk Festival appearance, the success of "Alice's Restaurant" and the subsequent movie, he described it as "the end of me as I knew me." As for the song itself, given that it is an 18-minute spoken word piece there came a time that he grew tired of performing it night after night and so he would retire it for a decade or so before playing it again. As for the movie, while the story in the song is a true most of the events in the movie are not true. It would be 20 years before Guthrie saw fit to do any acting again.
The evening was not devoid of music. Guthrie did play an instrumental, an abridged version of "This Land is Your Land" and closed the show with Pete Seeger's "My Peace". On the question of performing, Guthrie told an anecdote about convincing Seeger to do a show with him at Carnegie Hall. Seeger told him, "Well, I'm not sure. I don't play as well as I used too and I don't sing as well as I used too." To which Guthrie replied, "Well, your audience doesn't hear as well as they used too." Seeger did the show. The point was not how well Seeger played. The people were just glad to see Pete Seeger. Just as the people were happy to see Arlo Guthrie even if some audience members kept asking, "Where's your guitar?"
What struck me most was Guthrie's outlook on life. He no longer felt the need to understand everything and was content to appreciate the wonder of things. Most of these wonders could be found home outside his home in Western Massachusetts. Having my spent my 50th birthday at June Millington's home in Western Massachusetts, I could understand the wonder of what he was speaking and could visualize it. "Life is incredible," said Guthrie.
In retrospect, I do wish I had gone to see Guthrie in concert years earlier when he could do a full show while telling funny stories. Perhaps the opportunity for that could come. Given that he is likely to confine himself to performing in the Northeast there is always the chance he could share a stage with another artist, be it one of his surviving contemporaries or a newer artist and spend an evening performing folk music. So long as life is incredible then it is possible.
As with Nikki Haley, I have no illusions that Hutchinson is going to be the Republican nominee. But by calling upon Trump to step down he is giving Republican voters a chance to show what level of discontent, if any, they have with Trump.
If Hutchinson polls at 1% or 2% in Iowa or New Hampshire, then we know there is no room for anti-Trump sentiment in the Republican Party even if indictments by the DOJ and the Fulton County DA follow. However, if Hutchinson gets 20% of the vote in Iowa and New Hampshire then we have something to talk about. A critical mass of the Republican Party voters will have shown they want to move on from Trump (though not necessarily Trumpism).
