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 few days ago, a faction of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) praised the murder of two Israeli Embassy employees last week outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. while demanding the release of Elias Rodriguez, the man responsible for killing the pair and describing him as a "political prisoner."
Democratic Socialists of America seek to democratically transform our society and reject vigilante violence. We condemn the murder of Israeli embassy workers. Any statement otherwise is not the stance of DSA.
Nonsense.
If it is not the stance of the DSA, then why does it permit the Liberation Caucus affiliate within its organization?
If the DSA truly rejected anti-Semitic terrorism against Jews, it would root out those who support anti-Semitic terrorism against Jews in the name of the DSA from its ranks.
Pressure also ought to be brought to bear against the likes of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani who remain members in good standing with the Democratic Socialists of America. Why do they associate with an organization which tolerates those who praise the killers of Jews?
Sadly, those days are gone and will never come back.
Nevertheless, the DSA should be shamed for tolerating anti-Semitic terrorism and so should elected officials who see fit to retain their DSA memberships.
Now the Oilers and Panthers will have a Stanley Cup rematch starting Wednesday night in Edmonton.
The fact that no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup for 32 years looms large. But given the current political climate in Canada as a result of a Florida Man coveting it as the 51st state and the fomenting of Alberta separatism by Premier Danielle Smith in the wake of the Liberal re-election last month, this Stanley Cup takes on a whole other meaning.
Should the Oilers triumph, it will boost not only Canadian pride but boost Albertan pride in Canada. There will be no Western alienation to be found despite the efforts of the provincial government.
While long retired from acting, Swit was fairly active on social media. Last month, she paid tribute to one time M*A*S*H co-star Patrick Adiarte following his death. Adiarte appeared as Ho-Jon during the show's first season. Only last week, she wished Gary Burghoff (who played Radar O'Reilly) a happy birthday. With Swit's passing, Burghoff, Alan Alda, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr are the last surviving cast members of M*A*S*H.
In her early years as Major Houlihan, Swit's portrayal of her was that of a manipulative, unsympathetic antagonistic figure. But as the show evolved, her portrayal became gradually more compassionate, nuanced and well-rounded while retaining some of her antagonistic disposition. This became apparent with her interactions when Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan) replaced Lt. Colonel Blake (McLean Stevenson). While Major Houlihan tried to undermine Blake at every possible turn, Potter became something of a father figure
However Swit presented Major Houlihan, she was the female center of arguably the most important American TV show of the 20th Century and more than held her own with the boys. R.I.P.
Albag was permitted to contact her family who promptly alerted Israeli officials. She was allowed to proceed with her vacation an hour later.
This was so bloody stupid and unnecessary.
How could our systems indicate Albag was still a hostage when she was freed four months ago?
If Albag was still listed as a hostage, then how many other of the living hostages might face similar problems should they see fit to visit this country?
I wonder if this country can survive the idiots who run it. Then again, we're the idiots who put them there in the first place. This is the government we wanted and now we're getting it.
This evening, I went to the Somerville Theatre where I attended a special screening of The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough and David McCallum and directed by John Sturges. The screening is part of the Somerville Theatre's F*ck the Nazis series.
The Great Escape resonates in 2025 for several reasons.
For me the most touching friendship from the movie was the one between Pleasence's Lt. Blythe and Garner's Lt. Hendley. Blythe is a forger who is going blind. When Blyth is informed by squad leader Roger Bartlett (played by Attenborough) that he cannot be part of the escape, Hendley stands up to Bartlett and tells him in no uncertain terms that Blythe is not blind as long as he is around and that he will be part of the escape.
The audience was quite bemused by the devil-may-care attitude of Captain Hilts (played by McQueen) for his frequent failed escapes and willingness to accept solitary confinement for weeks at a time with a ball and glove to keep him company. Then there was the daring motorcycle chase sequence.
They were perhaps most moved by Charles Bronson's performance as Lt. Welinski, a Polish RAF officer in charge of digging the tunnels despite his claustrophobia. I suspect many in the audience remember Bronson best as Paul Kersey in the Death Wish movies and other action films and may have been caught by surprise by the vulnerability he displayed in his performance as Welinski. There was an audible gasp when the power went out in the tunnel during an air raid as he was trying to escape and a genuine sense of terror which followed. A big cheer arose when Welinski successfully escapes.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I heard spontaneous cheering for the raising of the American flag during the POW's Fourth of July party. I have seen the American flag booed and viewed with disdain. But in this particular context, the American flag was raised in defiance of the Third Reich. In seeing the flag displayed in this manner, I think there is also a hope that it will one day stand for something good again when ICE stops arresting American citizens for the color of their skin.
Perhaps what resonates the most about The Great Escape more than 60 years after its release and 80 years after the events which inspired it occurred is that there is no guarantee that defiance and resistance will succeed. In fact, there is a very good chance such efforts will end in failure and in turn result in the loss of life, possibly your own. Nevertheless, in the face of evil, defiance and resistance must be deployed as an obstacle to its triumph.
In its ongoing vendetta against Harvard University, the Trump Administration announced it was prohibiting the Ivy League institution from enrolling foreign students.
As I argued last month, the Trump Administration isn't interested in combating anti-Semitism but rather "more to do with ending DEI, limiting the presence of international students on campus and, above all else, hiring academics who tout the Trump Administration line." I also argued the endgame is Trump ultimately being named President of Harvard University in addition to being President of the United States and Chairman of the Kennedy Center.
At least where it concerns international students, the Trump Administration isn't merely content to limit their presence. It wishes to eradicate their presence altogether.
While there are foreign-born students at Harvard who harbor anti-Semitic views, there are plenty of homegrown anti-Semites at Harvard and, for that matter, in Trump World.
With all of the anti-Semitic hatred directed at Israel in this country since October 7, 2023, it was only a matter of time when a pro-Hamas apologist was going to kill Jews on American soil.
It happened last night in Washington, D.C. in front of the Capital Jewish Museum where a gunman shot and killed two people. As it turned out, the two people were employed at the Israeli Embassy. Sarah Milgrim, who was born in this country, and German-born Israeli born Yaron Lischinsky were engaged to be married. They were attending an event at the museum sponsored by the American Jewish Committee.
Naturally, there are those who are making excuses for Rodriguez's actions such as Rabbi David Mivasair who wrote on X:
They claim "simply for being Jewish" bcz they must deflect from the reality that this young couple was murdered bcz they worked in the embassy of a country committing livestreamed genocide -- devoting themselves to its relations with the US, which maintains that genocide.
No, schmuck!!! Rodriguez deliberately targeted a Jewish gathering. Of course, Rodriguez had no specific way to know he shot two Israelis, but I have no doubt he delights in having done so. But Rodriguez would have exclaimed that he did it for Palestine and Gaza whether the people he had shot were from Israel or from Illinois. The murder of any Jew would have accomplished his mission.
Naturally, I fear this will not be the last such incident of this kind where Jewish institutions are targeted either by Palestinians or those who are in "solidarity" with them.
I also feel a certain horror that this occurred at an event sponsored by the American Jewish Committee. In December 2023, I attended an event at a synagogue in Newton with the theme, "In Plain Sight: Anti-Semitism in America".
Whatever the case, Jews must live our lives in America out in the open. Anything less and we live on our knees. Yes, this entails a certain amount of risk. But we cannot cower to Palestinians and their apologists who believe violence against Jews is acceptable. The same can also be said for far-right white supremacists.
Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky had their whole lives ahead of them - marriage, children, grandchildren. Now that has been snuffed out by a man who did so in the name of Palestine and Gaza. How many more will see fit to follow the path of Elias Rodriguez? And who among us will stop them? And who among us will see fit to call out Palestinians and their apologists who refuse to condemn these acts?
Of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to confront pro-Palestinian anti-Semitism. The wrong way is to arbitrarily detain and deport people as has been done by the Trump Administration. You just create martyrs that way. The right way is to demonstrate why anti-Semitism is an evil which can spread like wildfire whether one was born in Palestine or in Palatine and for Americans to shun anti-Semites in whichever form it takes.
An exasperated Ramaphosa at one point said, "I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you." To which Trump replied, "I wish you did. I would take it." Indeed, if Ramaphosa had bequeathed Trump with a plane then perhaps he would have been spared the public scolding. But how many planes does Trump want? As many as he can take evidently. Trump is a man who has everything and yet always wants more.
Yet it must be said that while Trump's allegations of genocide against South Africa are false, so too are South Africa's allegations of genocide against Israel. On the contrary, it is Hamas which seeks to carry out genocide against Jews and eliminate Israel from the face of the Earth.
Of course, none of this justifies Trump's allegations against the South African government. After all, Trump is convicting the South African government on the wrong evidence. When it comes to Israel, the same can be said of South Africa.
For its part, Hamas is delighted and have welcomed their statement against "the Zionist plans aimed at genocide and displacement."
Let me zero in on one passage in the joint statement:
Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.
So, what exactly would Canada, U.K. and France consider a proportionate response?
Let me put it another way. Do the Canadian, British and French governments recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization or are they in favor of keeping Hamas in power in Gaza? They cannot have it both ways. Should they choose the latter then they are prepared to accept another attack by Hamas upon Jews. Israel cannot accept that option.
I mean they organize a large-scale terrorist attack resulting in the murder of Jewish and non-Jewish civilians at a music festival and on kibbutzim. Those who weren't murdered were taken hostage, raped and mutilated.
And yet the world has chosen to chide Israel for fighting back. This includes the so-called civilized world - Canada, Britain, France and, yes, the United States.
Hamas kills Israeli civilians and takes them hostage, but it is Israel which is now the international pariah.
How long will it be before Canada, Britain, France and the United States recognize Hamas and revoke its status as a terrorist organization?
Whatever the case, in one way or another, Hamas will get away with murder and eventually achieve its goal of launching as many October 7th style attacks as it takes until Israel is destroyed.
Hamas is sitting pretty, and Canada, U.K. and France are providing the furnishings while the U.S. looks the other way.
Actor George Wendt, best known for his portrayal of the beer loving bar patron Norm on the NBC sitcom Cheers, passed away today at the age of 76.
If one watched TV in Canada and the United States during the 1980s and early 1990s, chances are you watched Cheers and got a laugh or two from Norm Peterson as he chugged down the beers from his favorite stool in the bar.
When Norm entered Cheers, the patrons would erupt in unison, "Norm!!!" While Diane (played by Shelley Long) was part of the series, she would follow by calling him "Norman".
Someone from the bar would ask him how things were, and Norm would come up with a deadpan one-liner. My favorite was when one of the bar patrons asked Norm how life was treating him. Norm retorted, "Like a baby treats a diaper." I probably heard that line 35, perhaps 40 years ago and I still use it from time to time.
After Cheers went off the air 32 years ago today, Wendt starred in the short-lived The George Wendt Show which only lasted six episodes. He would turn up in movies like Spice World and even played a murderer on one of the latter-day episodes of Columbo. It's a difficult episode to watch in part because Wendt was miscast and Rod Steiger chewed up so much scenery as a mob boss that he ought to have been the killer. Of course, there's nothing wrong with an actor trying something different. Sometimes it works but a lot of the time it doesn't.
At Cheers, everyone knew Norm's name. And with it, everyone also knew George Wendt. R.I.P.
Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images
True to form, neither President Trump nor Vice-President Vance have the common decency to wish President Biden well following his cancer diagnosis.
Instead, both men suggested Biden was less than forthcoming about his cancer diagnosis. Of course, neither man has any evidence to suggest that Biden was diagnosed with cancer more than 72 hours ago. But since when have facts ever gotten in either Trump or Vance's way?
Trump said of Biden's cancer, "I'm surprised that the public wasn't notified a long time ago because to get to Stage 9, that's a long time."
Because there was nothing to tell anyone. There is also no such thing as Stage 9 cancer. But again, Trump never lets facts get in the way of an argument.
Whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job. You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with the recognition that whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president ‒ I don't think he was able to do a good job for the American people.
This is entirely disingenuous. Regardless of Biden's health, Vance would tell us he didn't think Biden was doing a good job for the American people. Kamala Harris is in good health. Vance told her to go to hell. The fact is Biden's cancer diagnosis came to pass just under four months after he left office. So Vance is being his usual cheap self.
Good, decent political rivals wish the other well when they are in poor health and that is the end of it. The fact that Trump and Vance are incapable of wishing former President Biden well without editorial comments demonstrates they are men without goodness or decency.
At the same time, I am also saddened that it has taken a cancer diagnosis for anyone to spare a kind word for Biden. In recent days, we have been treated to headlines about Biden's alleged mental decline while in office with the release of Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's forthcoming book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.
In view of this diagnosis perhaps Biden did not have the good health or stamina necessary for a second term in the White House. Nevertheless, from where I sit, on his worst day, Joe Biden is a better President than Donald Trump on his best day. Biden presided over the longest stretch of unemployment below 5% since the 1960s. In the last 41 months of his presidency, unemployment was 5% or below.
During an appearance on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders claimed that more Democrats don't speak out against Israel because they fear AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee):
Sanders began by stating the following about the situation in Gaza claiming, "I happen to believe what is going on in Gaza right now is horrific, that we are seeing children right now as we speak starving to death. Massive malnutrition."
If this is true, then what are the numbers? Owing to flawed methodology, bias and plain old bigotry the claims are quite dubious. More to the point, they are inflammatory. The Jews are starving children to death!!!
Speaking of dubious and inflammatory, here is what Sanders claims about Democrats and AIPAC:
Why do you think more Democrats are not speaking out on that issue?
If you speak up on that issue, you'll have SuperPACs like AIPAC going after you in the same way Elon Musk goes after Republicans.
If AIPAC is as omniscient as Sanders claims it is, we would not have had an Iran nuclear deal under Obama. Nor do I think AIPAC would be able to prevent a new Iran nuclear deal under Trump.
Sanders' claim is also dubious because it implies that all Democrats sincerely oppose Israel and only do so because of AIPAC. The truth is there are Democrats who are as passionate in their support of Israel (i.e. Ritchie Torres, John Fetterman) as those who are passionate in its denunciation (i.e. Bernie, AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib).
Sanders' claim that AIPAC prevents Democrats from speaking out against Gaza is just another way of saying 'Jews control America'. The fact that Sanders himself is Jewish makes it all the more shameful. Attitudes like those expressed by Sanders are going to get Jewish institutions targeted for vandalism and Jews targeted for violence. Shame on him!!!
This evening, I ventured to the Somerville Theatre to take in a screening of the documentary Secret Mall Apartment.
From 2003 to 2007, a group of artists in Providence, Rhode Island, led by Michael Townsend (a one-time drawing instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design) surreptitiously assembled a living space in the bowels of the Providence Place Mall.
Originally done as a protest against the construction of the mall itself which opened in 1999 and gentrification around the mall which caused Townsend to lose the space he used for art and music, the living space would become a labor of love, a center of comradery for the group and, with it, a grudging acceptance of the mall itself.
Townsend and his cohorts spent much of their time engaging in tape art in an official capacity at the Hasbro's Children's Hospital and in guerrilla style art paying tribute to those who died in the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing and the 9/11 attacks. The secret apartment was a source of joy amid the sorrow which surrounded their art.
Given the amount of material Townsend and company smuggled into the space while regularly triggering security alarms, it is remarkable they went years without being caught although they did have encounters with mall security. Although Townsend had an ability to talk his way out of a situation, the group attributed their longevity to white privilege arguing that if a group of black and brown people had encountered mall security the outcome would have been a lot different possibly ending with lethal violence.
Ironically enough, the Providence Place Mall is considering converting some of its space into apartments. Yet another case of life imitating art. However, in the case of Michael Townsend life is art and art is life.
Hyde was at the helm of the Orioles since 2019 presiding over two 100-plus loss seasons in 2019 and in 2021. But by 2022, the Orioles had a winning record and would own the best record in the AL by 2023 although they would be swept by eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALCS. Baltimore reached the post-season last year but were swept in the AL Wild Card Series by the Kansas City Royals. The Orioles went 421-493 under Hyde over 6½ seasons.
The Orioles have undoubtedly been MLB's biggest disappointment thus far. While both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Colorado Rockies have also undergone managerial changes this month, those involved bad teams that were already bad. The Orioles were expected to contend again in 2025. Hyde had been named AL Manager of the Year in 2023. Less than a week ago, Hyde received assurances from GM Mike Elias that he had his back. Now his back has a knife in it.
The O's are 10 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East. I think a lot is being asked of Mansolino and I'm not sure if he alone can fix things at Camden Yards.
I am a person of Jewish heritage. I lost a good portion of my extended family in the Holocaust. Because of that I believe it’s my obligation to stand together with people who are facing a genocide.
Whatever claims to "Jewish heritage" Miller might have, her use of the word genocide is both defamatory and inflammatory.
In so doing, Miller is willfully promoting hatred against Jews by raising a flag of a people whose motto is "From the River to the Sea".
When one raises a Palestinian flag in front of a government building, it means the endorsement of the destruction of Israel, and by extension, the Jewish people.
Thus, Providence raising the Palestinian flag is anything but providential.
Perhaps. But I suspect if a member of Providence City Council were to try to erect a swastika flag, Smiley would be singing a different tune.
On a personal note, I find this act more than discomfiting. When things went south in Atlanta four years ago, I did make an effort to stay in the area. However, my preference was to return to the Northeast and focused my attention on three cities - Boston, New York and Providence. The latter mainly because my close friend and former roommate Christopher Kain resides there. I did land an interview with a law firm's Providence office, but nothing would come of it.
The raising of the Palestinian flag won't prevent me from visiting Christopher in the future. However, it does diminish my perspective about Providence.
It marks the first time a Boston team has been beaten by a New York team in a playoff series since the Yankees bested the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS.
Unlike that calamity, I don't feel so bad about this setback.
For starters, the Knicks have not won the NBA Finals since 1973 during the days of Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and future U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.
The Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals starting next Wednesday. While the Knicks haven't won a NBA title in over 50 years, the Pacers have never won a NBA title though they did win three ABA titles including in 1973.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have also never won a NBA title. The Twin Cities haven't celebrated a basketball championship in over 70 years when the Lakers called Minneapolis home.
The Timberwolves will either face the Denver Nuggets or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets won the NBA Title two years ago but it is their only championship in their combined ABA-NBA history which goes back to 1967. The Thunder have not won a NBA title since 1979 when they were known as the Seattle Super Sonics. Needless to say, Oklahoma has never won a championship in any of the four major sports.
While I am disappointed the Celtics lost, I won't lose sleep over whoever triumphs in the NBA Finals even New York.
Unfortunately, because Rose bet on baseball while managing the Reds during the late 1980's, he was banned from MLB and rendered ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet, following my visit to Cooperstown in 2012, I noted that Pete Rose is there if you look close enough:
I also didn’t realize that Pete Rose is in the Hall of Fame. Oh, you won’t find him in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery on the main floor. But you will find Charlie Hustle on the 3rd Floor where he is acknowledged as Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader. Rose has also played more big league games than any other player who stepped onto the field. This fact is acknowledged with a cap he wore during his half-season with the Montreal Expos in 1984. Yet I am under no illusions that Rose will ever have a plaque on the main floor.
I don't think this state of affairs will ever change. If baseball is not prepared forgive "Shoeless" Joe Jackson of his transgressions more than a century after the fact, Charlie Hustle stands no chance.
Well, now Charlie Hustle and "Shoeless" Joe have their chance. To me, the injustice isn't that they aren't in the Hall of Fame, but that the Baseball Writers of America and the Veterans Committee weren't allowed to vote for them. The sin of gambling was more verboten than the sin of using performance enhancing drugs.
What displeases me, however, is the manner in which it was done.
There is no question that this would not have happened without the intervention of President Trump. This troubles me for two reasons. First, I don't think the federal government should tell MLB how to run its affairs - right or wrong. Second, given that Trump was at the center of this about face, we have to conclude that Manfred made this decision under duress.
Manfred made the decision on the basis of the fact that Rose was dead and thus "cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game." While Rose has been dead for less than 8 months, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson has been dead for nearly 75 years. I highly doubt Manfred suddenly had an epiphany.
Manfred met with Trump at the White House about a month ago, but did not reveal the meeting until a couple of weeks ago. Aside from discussing Rose, the two also discussed "Manfred’s concerns over how Trump’s immigration policies could impact players from Cuba, Venezuela and other foreign countries." Here is what jumped out at me:
Manfred did not go into details on his discussion with Trump over foreign-born players other than to say he expressed worry.
“Given the number of foreign-born players we have, we’re always concerned about ingress and egress,” Manfred said. “We have had dialogue with the administration about this topic. And, you know, they’re very interested in sports. They understand the unique need to be able to go back and forth, and I’m going to leave it at that.”
I think I know exactly what Manfred was worried about. I'm sure that Trump basically told him, 'Either you reinstate Pete Rose, or all foreign-born players will be asked to leave the country.' Or perhaps he limited the edict to players from Latin American countries which comprise about 25% of all active MLB players.
Let's remember that Rose has been banned from baseball for more than 35 years while the 1919 Chicago Black Sox have been banned for more than a century. There is no way MLB would have undone the ban unless Trump intended to impose harm upon the game.
For all intents and purposes, MLB has been nationalized and brought under state control, or more precisely, the control of the White House. Whatever MLB's flaws, this state of affairs is fundamentally unAmerican. Of course, the same could be said for most of the Trump Administration's actions over the past four months and for the foreseeable future.
If Trump threatened Manfred in the manner suggested, I wish Manfred would have told him to go fly a kite and to shove it. But that isn't Rob Manfred nor for that matter Roger Goodell, Adam Silver or Gary Bettman nor for that matter the owners of any professional sports team in this country.
For all the things that have disappointed meabout MLB over the past five yearsor so, its surrender to the Trump Administration might be the worst thing of all - even if it does result in Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson being inducted into Cooperstown.
The long and the short of it is that a bad man did a good thing in bad faith. President Trump undid a wrong by committing a greater wrong.
This evening, I attended a screening of the documentary Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Boston's Seaport District.
It was the first time I've ever been to an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema anywhere. It has a format in which you dine in the theatre while also strictly enforcing no late admissions, no talking and no cell phones during screenings.
Hung Up on a Dream: The Documentary began with a montage of YouTube reactors providing reviews of their 1968 landmark album Odessey & Oracle as well as reactions to the big hit from that album "Time of the Season."
Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone said he wasn't sure if the band was "lucky or unlucky." Oh, they were most definitely lucky.
They were lucky in the circumstances under which they met, crafted their music, earned a recording contract, debuted with the smash hit "She's Not There" becoming one of the most popular bands of the British Invasion.
It isn't to say that there weren't difficult times. Like many other of their contemporaries, they earned a pittance if they were paid at all. The Zombies would end the 1960's with a number one hit in "Time of the Season" but by this time the band had broken up and several of its members were working regular jobs including Blunstone. To make matters worse, there were fake Zombies bands making public appearances lip-syncing "Time of the Season". One of these bands included future ZZ Top members Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.
But the good times outweighed the bad times for The Zombies. Its four surviving original members - Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White and Hugh Grundy get on reasonably well with no litigation disputes amongst them. Paul Atkinson passed away in 2004 but would become a highly respected record executive.
The group would have a second act this century when the opportunity presented itself to play Odessey & Oracle in its entirety. On a personal note, I had the opportunity to attend one of those shows in Boston at the Wilbur Theatre 8 years ago this month. These shows gave The Zombies an opportunity to pass on their musical legacy to a new generation of fans while also earning reverent treatment from the likes of Dave Grohl, Post Malone and Haim. All the surviving members expressed gratitude that they were able to have another chance to play music and to have it resonate across generations culminating in their induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. In this respect, they were not hung up on a dream. They got to live it.
Sadly, all things do come to an end. After the film was completed in 2023, Rod Argent was forced to retire from touring after suffering a stroke last summer. Despite this setback, Argent and company give the sense they are content with their lot in life. For this reason, I was able to leave the theatre with a smile.
Should this come to pass then the Trump Administration has guaranteed that Hamas will launch more October 7th inspired attacks against Israeli civilians as they have long promised.
Hamas will destroy Israel, and the Trump Administration is going to let it happen.
President Trump is no friend to Israel, no friend to the Jews.
Yet whatever may come, I am glad that Edan Alexander is no longer in the hands of Hamas and is now free to live his life as he chooses even if those choices don't come easily.
The fact the Trump Administration is accepting a gift with an estimated value of over $400 million leads me to believe that it will soon bestow Hamas with diplomatic recognition and leave Israel out in the cold.
The Rockies also fired bench coach Mike Redmond while elevating third base coach Warren Schaeffer to the role of interim manager for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Black was hired by the Rockies prior to the 2017 and guided the team to back-to-back NL Wild Card berths in 2017 and 2018. However, the Rockies have not had a winning season since and, regardless of who is in the dugout, are on their way to their third consecutive season of 100 or more losses.
Black finishes his tenure in Colorado with a record of 544-690. He previously managed the San Diego Padres between 2007 and 2015. His overall managerial record is 1193-1403.
Meanwhile, Schaeffer has spent his entire professional career with the Rockies organization. Schaeffer played six minor league seasons in the Rockies organization from 2007 through 2012. He then remained with the organization as a minor league coach in 2013 before his first minor league managerial assignment in 2015. In 2022, Schaeffer made it to the big leagues as part of Black's coaching staff.
Now, the Rockies have given him the opportunity to manage the worst team in baseball with a good chance of being let go by the organization he has faithfully served for nearly 20 years. Such is the life of a baseball man.
Now unlike the two Quebec referendums held in 1980 and in 1995, any referendum held in Alberta would have to be done under the auspices of the Canada Clarity Act. Passed in 2000, it gives the House of Commons the authority to determine if the provincial referendum had a clear question passed a clear majority. If those thresholds are met, then the province would have to enter into the negotiations with the Canadian government regarding the terms of secession while taking into account the views of other interested parties such as Canada's Aboriginal peoples. It would also require a constitutional amendment that would need the approval of 7 out of 10 Canadian provinces representing at least 50% of the population.
So, what would be the question in the Alberta referendum? Would it be for independence? Or would it be to join the United States? In other words, to partially achieve President Trump's dream of a 51st state on Canadian soil.
Whatever the question might be, and the conditions required by the Clarity Act, it is unlikely Alberta would leave Canada. So why would Smith set these events into motion? For her own political ambitions.
Smith began her political life as a Tory then defected to the Wildrose Alliance eventually becoming leader of the Wildrose Party and also the leader of Alberta's official opposition after the 2012 Alberta provincial election. Two years later, Smith and several members of the Wildrose caucus crossed the floor and rejoined the Tories under the leadership of Jim Prentice and Smith was rewarded with a cabinet portfolio.
However, Smith was unsuccessful in winning a Tory nomination in the 2015 provincial election. It was just as well as the Tories went down to defeat at the hands of Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP. But Smith would bide her time in talk radio.
In 2022, Smith would reemerge winning the leadership of the United Conservative Party following the resignation of Jason Kenney as Premier following his handling of COVID. Smith campaigned against COVID measures and in support of legislation called the Alberta Sovereignty Act which for all intents and purposes allows the province to unilaterally disregard federal legislation it deems to be unconstitutional or infringes upon its sovereignty. However, the act has not yet been tested though this could soon change.
Now fast-forward to the present with Smith now pushing for a referendum the day after the Liberals won their fourth consecutive Canadian federal election. As stated earlier, this push is to advance Smith's political ambitions. Specifically, I believe this ambition is to become the leader of Canada's Conservative Party and Prime Minister of Canada.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Tories increased both their seat total and their popular vote under Pierre Poilievre, he could not do the same in his own riding. By the good graces of an Alberta Tory MP, he will run in the wild rose province. But the by-election is yet to be called and until Poilievre resumes his duties as leader of the Official Opposition, Smith can use this time to steal his thunder. No doubt an Alberta referendum could complicate things for Poilievre.
With that said, should a referendum be held, I think Smith will nominally claim she is in favor of remaining in Canada. Should Alberta voters reject separation or union with the United States then she could claim that Albertans have reaffirmed they want to stay in Canada, and she just wanted to give Albertans a voice. However, if a referendum passes, she can use the vote to justify the imposition of more demands upon Ottawa.
This brings me back to Poilievre. Should another federal election be held between Carney and Poilievre and Canadians re-elect the Liberals both out of fear of President Trump and out of fear of Alberta leaving Canada then Poilievre is done politically thereby giving Smith the opportunity to run for the Conservative Party leadership.
It would be reasonable to ask that if Canadians fear Trump and the prospect of Alberta separation then why would Canadians for a Conservative Party led by Smith? Well, there's a reasonable chance that by the time Smith would run in a federal election as the leader of the Conservative Party, Trump could be out of the White House. I'm also sure that Smith is banking upon voters having fatigue with the Liberals and souring upon Carney.
As much danger as Canada faces from President Trump in the short term, the greater danger might very well be from within in the long term. And for what? So that Danielle Smith, champion of Alberta and Western Canada, can reside in 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa?
This evening, I went to the Harvard Film Archive to take in a screening of the 1974 Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson.
Before the film started, a representative of the Harvard Film Archive made brief remarks noting that Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was only the fourth film Scorsese had directed having done so in between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. She further noted that Scorsese was hired at the behest of Burstyn.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore would live on in TV sitcom as Alice starring the late Linda Lavin. Several actors who appeared in the film also appeared on the TV series including Vic Tayback, Diane Ladd and Alfred Lutter who played Alice's son Tom in the pilot episode before being replaced by Philip McKeon.
In the cinematic version, Alice Hyatt (Burstyn) and her son Tommy (Lutter) are forced to leave their home in New Mexico after Alice's abusive husband Donald (Billy Green Bush) dies in a road accident. Alice's intent to move to Monterey, California but they are forced to stop in Phoenix where Alice finds work as a singer and pianist and is soon pursued by Ben (Harvey Keitel) who turns about to be even more abusive and violent than Donald.
From there, they migrate to Tucson where Alice finds work in Mel and Ruby's Cafe quickly pursued by David (Kristofferson). This relationship shows promise, but David is no better than Donald or Ben and Alice breaks off their relationship after he strikes her son. But David comes back to Mel and Ruby's Cafe to plead with her that he will change, and she takes him back thus perpetuating the cycle. Well, in that respect I suppose the storyline Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was nothing if not realistic. Yet, in many ways, I came away with the sense the lights were on, but no one was home.
Burstyn would win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. No disrespect to Burstyn, but her performance came off as artificial and contrived from my perspective. It is worth noting that among the actresses she beat for the Oscar was Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence which I saw nearly a year ago at the Brattle Theatre shortly before Rowlands' passing.
I will say that it is gratifying that many of the cast members in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore are still with us. Ellen Burstyn is 92, Diane Ladd is 89, Billy Green Bush is 89, Harvey Keitel is 85 while Martin Scorsese is 82. Jodie Foster and Alfred Lutter are still whippersnappers at 62 and 63, respectively. I would have to say their interactions were the best part of the film and wish the story had been centered on them.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is an unusual entry in Scorsese's cinematic resume. While worthy of observation, it is not his best work.
Yesterday, Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish born Tufts University student who detained by ICE in broad daylight on the streets of Somerville in late March, was released from custody by order of U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions.
Judge Sessions order Ozturk's release on First Amendment grounds:
There has been no evidence that has been introduced by the government other than the op-ed. I mean, that literally is the case. There is no evidence here as to the motivation, absent the consideration of the op-ed.
There is absolutely no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence. She has no criminal record. She has done nothing other than essentially attend her university and expand her contacts within the community in such a supportive way.
Judge Sessions also stated the case created "a very significant, substantial claim that the op-ed - that is that the expression of one's opinion as ordinarily protected by the First Amendment - formed the basis of this particular decision.
I know the Trump Administration wants to make an example of foreign students who they believe support Hamas by revoking their student visas or their green cards. But in so doing they end up turning them into sympathetic figures.
If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus -- we're not going to give you a visa.
Yet, at this point, neither Rubio nor anyone else in the Trump DoJ has specifically accused her of committing vandalism, harassing Jewish students or being involved in taking over campus buildings much less having direct involvement with Hamas.
If they have evidence and facts that Ozturk has done these things or worse (i.e. provide financial support to Hamas) then I will reconsider my opinion. But if they had this information then they would have already charged her with these offenses.
And yet the op-ed (of which she was one of four co-writers) formed the entire basis of her detention. Ozturk is probably a pro-Hamas, anti-Semite who I would avoid if I saw her on the street. However, harboring such views would not warrant the treatment to which she was subjected.
Unless Rumeysa Ozturk decides to vandalize Tufts University property, join a mob to harass Jewish students or provide material support to Hamas, the government should leave her alone.
For her part, Greene claimed she could have beaten Ossoff. I doubt this very much. If she could have beaten him, she would have run. I'm sure her internal polling had her underperforming against Ossoff as she is too much of a lightning rod for a significant segment of Georgians including Republican voters.
It is worth noting, however, that Greene did not rule out a gubernatorial bid. While I think her extremism might hold her back should she seek the Governor's mansion, she would not be challenging a Democratic incumbent as would be the case in the Senate race. If she runs for Governor, she will have name recognition and a big fundraising advantage over her Democratic competitor.
Given the fact that neither Kemp nor Greene are going to challenge Ossoff, this gives a wide lane to Raffensperger who I think would have a decided advantage over Ossoff.
I think Raffensperger would have a much tougher time trying to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination should Greene run for that office. Raffensperger was a profile in courage in refusing to be intimidated by President Trump's demand that he find 11,780 votes after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden and testified before the January 6th Committee. Yes, Raffensperger survived a primary challenge from Jody Hice in 2022. But Jody Hice is not Marjorie Taylor Greene. The fact is that the Republican Party in Georgia and beyond is far more representative of Marjorie Taylor Greene than it is of Brad Raffensperger.
In other words, if Raffensperger has the choice between soundly defeating Jon Ossoff for a U.S. Senate seat and losing to Marjorie Taylor Greene in a Republican gubernatorial primary, he is going to choose the former over the latter.
Of course, all of this is dependent upon Greene deciding to leave Washington.
