Someone In Her Life
Jerry Crackhouse @HaroldBingo Azealia Banks needs someone in her life who loves her enough to change her Twitter password against her will. ~ here is a cut and paste from another chat about phones…something peeps like to talk about … i got a flip phone at a yard sale for four dollars, six or seven years ago i buy a twenty dollar time card every three months i am going to use that set up as long as it lasts … modern life … i will probably break down and get one someday but there is a certain luddite pleasure in holding out….. the irony of calling myself a luddite because i have a flip phone instead of a smart phone technological foot dragging is not what it used to be ~ lets reserve the #fword for insertive sexual activity ~ ” tens of thousands of conservatives are showing up at southern anti lgbt rallies” Do you have a link for that? I googled that phrase, and did not get anything. ~ @DarkTumbIr @TooMessedUp I don’t like #Jesus because anger comes easily once again I break my promise to my self It’s a constant battle. ~ This is one way that VHS is better than DVD or digital download. ~ If a snake offers you an apple…. ~ woke or broke? ~ It would be better if one spoke, while the other listened. It does not matter which one is which. ~ Articles like this focus on white people who don’t want black people, and ignore the white people, and black people, who don’t like white people. There are also latin, asian, etc. people….especially the etc. people … who have their own ideas of what an attractive person is. ~ the line about Ronald Reagan was that he did not dye his hair, that he was prematurely orange ~ @whitman632 Without religion repression would be impossible. ~ @unclejoestalin That’s what you think ~ Let the Arabs and Persians kill each other, while Israel eats popcorn. ~ IGWT appeared on coins during the War Between the States. ~ until I saw this tweet I did not know they existed ~ I prefer to say “dispute the belief, love the believer.” Let the Christians do the hating. ~ We all could be free and shrink if we only had the fulfillment to be truly happy and the ego to wisdom our .guts ~ The article describes “Eric”, a mixed race person in Atlanta. He says that people, whose profiles say “no asians”, hit on him, saying that he looks white. This is rather suspicious. I think saying “no asians” is more common to California, where there are a lot of asians. I don’t think I have ever seen any Georgia person say “no asians”. . ~ This article impresses me as clickbait. It feeds on concerns about racism to make money. That is something to be offended by. ~ i am working on a poem about the election i am listening to the RISK podcast the lady is telling story about having cancer i pause the show to go take a piss and get more coffee do i want to listen to rest of the show? ~ So I heard the rest of the show. I won’t do a spoiler, but I am glad I finished the show. Meanwhile, I saw some changes to make in the poem. Those improved the final product. If one person listens to this week’s RISK, this message will be worthwhile. ~ I have very little, outside of the color of my skin, in common with FLDS. Maybe we need a new way to classify people. Two wrongs do not make a right. ~ @ConnerHabib fifteen part tweet-a-thon might have been easier to read if you had posted it in reverse order -maybe twitter is wrong medium ~ @chamblee54 @ConnerHabib fifteen part tweet-a-thon might have been easier to read if you had posted it in reverse order -maybe twitter is wrong medium @ConnerHabib Thanks for the tip on how to tweet! Since you have 33,930 less followers than me, I could really use your help! ~ We noticed you still have ad blocker enabled. By turning it off or whitelisting Forbes.com, you can continue to our site and receive the Forbes ad-light experience. ~ Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it’s really you sending the requests, and not a robot ~ private prison sues state if it is not kept full ~ this doesn’t add up ~ “There is no way to peace, peace is the way” ~ bowie dj ~ @thetweetofgod is dead ~ history quiz ~ White Americans are nearly as blind to their racism as ever before ~ ‘No Blacks’ Is Not a Sexual Preference. It’s Racism ~ Quick Discrimination Index ~ 36 year-old DESTROYS 29-year-old millennial who “ripped” 25-year-old Yelp employee who got fired after complaining about her salary ~ freezer door ~ How -Splain Became Our Most Meaningless Suffix ~ baaaa ~ Did Donald Trump just retweet a famous Mussolini quote? ~ 16 Things White People Need To Stop Saying To People Of Color ~ pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Post Racial America
It is a cliche among certain pundits that this is not “Post Racial America.” No one seems to know what PRA would look like. PRA might be less noisy, with fewer odors, than the current model. The opinion that we do not live in PRA seems unanimous. After PG heard the denial of PRA one too many times, he began to wonder something. Who said America is Post Racial?
Mr. Google has 119 million answers to the question “who said america is post racial?” The short answer is nobody. The closest thing on the front Google page is an NPR commentary from January 2008. This was the early stages of the BHO run for the White House. The commenter said that the election of a dark skinned POTUS might usher in a post racial era in America.
This piece will not have any fresh opinions about race relations in America. That subject has been worn out elsewhere. If someone finds it to their advantage to denounce “racism”, there will be an audience. The truth is, very few people have ever said that America is Post Racial. This is a repost. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Keep The Promise III
PG decided to heat some rice before it went bad. To go with it, he opened a can of grapefruit sections. As he was putting down the can opener, the phone rang. It was a brief survey, sponsored by Keep the Promise III, a “super pac” that supports Ted Cruz.
Are you likely to vote in the Georgia Primary on Tuesday? Are you a Democrat, Republican, or Independent? What age range are you in? To answer these questions, you push a button on the phone. This means pulling the receiver off your ear, and finding the appropriate button.
Which of these candidates are you likely to vote for? The five remaining Repub candidates (Cruz, Rubio, Trump, Carson, Kasich) were mentioned, along with a number to push for each one. Hitlery and BS do not exist in this poll. If you are undecided, you can press 6.
Are you sure you are undecided? The names and numbers are given to you again. Then, each of the funky five was rated. If you have a very favorable opinion of Mr. Candidate, push one. If you have a very unfavorable opinion of Chris Crook, push five. At this point PG started to worry about the rice on the stove. He put the phone down, and went to turn the burner off. Just to be fair, he gave the candidate being rated at this time a five.
What issue is the most important to you? Push one for defeating terrorism and ISIS, push two for second amendment rights, etc. Repealing Obamacare and abortion/right to life were mentioned. There was no option for none of the above. PG did not answer this question.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The Color Of My Skin
Some times you see something, and realize that you are being pushed over a line. Today’s straw, landing on the camel’s back, was a meme. It has pictures of a statesman-like BHO, and a goat smiling BS. The text was white comic sans letters, on a black background. “Regarding those who call Obama an illegitimate president because his father was born in Kenya, Bernie Sanders replied: “No one asked me if I was a citizen or not, and my dad came from Poland. Gee, what’s the difference? Maybe the color of my skin.” The comment was from a Las Vegas town hall meeting. Some things that are said in Vegas need to stay in Vegas.
No one denies that white people and black people often do not get along. Few deny that there is systemic inequality. The connection of “birther” speculation to systemic inequality is tough to see. Of course, the definition of racism is elastic, and can fit whatever situation the observer wants to critique.
Are we helping the cause of racial tranquility by making comments like that? Yes, it is foolish for “birthers” to whine about a birth certificate. But entertaining followers in a town hall debate does not mean you are going to be able to govern. Maybe BS should focus on his economic fantasies, and quit scoring cheap shots about racism.
On a lighter note, some have noted the Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders have a first name that starts with the same letter. Has this ever happened before? The answer is yes. It has happened twice, with John Tyler preceding James K. Polk, and Abraham Lincoln followed by Andrew Johnson. There have also been two times where three presidents in a row had first names starting with the same letter. These teams were James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Jason Whitlock And Shaun King
There was a radio show yesterday. The actors were Jason Whitlock & Shaun King. It was tough to listen to. The two actors interrupted each other, and engaged in ad hominem arguments. At one point Mr. King, whose ethnicity is disputed, shouted “I’m blacker than you.” In twitter messages, Mr. King called Mr. Whitlock a “Tom ass bastard” who “will coon for cash.”
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton got media attention before Super Bowl 50. Mr. Newton had a spectacular season, leading the Carolina Cougers to SB50. On the other hand, Mr. Newton seems to be a bit of a “hot dog.” “I’ve said this since Day One, I’m an African-American quarterback that scares people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to.”
In SB50, Denver beat Carolina. It was an ugly, defense dominated game. A week later, Mr. King published a story with dirt on Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. As Mr. Whitlock sees it, trashing Mr. Manning was revenge for Denver beating Carolina in the SB50.
If true, this is ugly. The idea seems to be that a team with a black quarterback was whipped by a team with a white quarterback, so you get even by publishing dirt on the white quarterback. It is also stupid. Mr. Manning didn’t play that well in SB50. It was the Denver defense that shut down Cam Newton. If you are going to get revenge, it should be against the Denver defense. The only problem is that they are not well known names, and will not get the attention that bashing Mr. Manning will get. Nor witll it fit the racial narrative … of eleven starters on the Denver defense, ten are black.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. Some of the pictures are from ” the morality play “Heaven Bound,” staged by the Big Bethel African Methodist Choir, at the Atlanta Theatre (23 Exchange Place), Atlanta, Georgia, August 1937.”
Gay Marriage And The KKK
It seems as though the United Dixie White Knights is opposed to gay marriage in Alabama. The article in The New Civil Rights Movement credits blog superstar Joe.My.God. with breaking the story. JMG reports he was “Tipped by JMG reader Fred.” UPDATE If you go to the UDWK site, you will see this message:”The UDWK disbanded 12/29/2015 this site will continue to be a voice for the White American Patriot. Stay Tuned!”
As could be predicted, facebooker are gleefully posting stock photos of klansmen, and making snarky comments. The opposition of UDWK is seen as another selling point for the benefits of gay marriage. After all, if the Klan is against something, then you need to be for it.
The fact that the issue of marriage is being decided in federal courts is not discussed. Marriage has always been a legal construct. The states and the federal government are fighting over who gets to regulate marriage, which usually does not end well for the states. The acronym IANAL is useful. Maybe arranged marriages, involving cattle, are the tradition to follow.
One wonders why “the Klan” even bothers. They are a national joke. They get less respect than the Westboro Baptist Church. If they say something, the media gleefully reports and distorts. It is almost as if someone hacked into the UDWK site, in an effort to make them look bad. If you look at the rhetoric, grammar, and spelling of the document, you might come to that conclusion.
If you want to see the UDWK statement, you get a screen: “Adult Content Warning ~ The site uniteddixiewhiteknights that you are about to view may contain content only suitable for adults.” You have two choices: “I would like to proceed to the site. ~ I do not wish to view this page.”
In it’s report, The New Civil Rights Movement mentions “The statement, to which we will not link.” TNCRM story is sponsored by LGBT Family Planning, and How To Remove Dark Spots, Watch Shocking Presentation. Stories about the KKK are good for getting people to look at paid advertising.
Last summer, a report circulated: KKK Raising Money for Police Officer Who Shot African-American Teen. “The South Carolina-based New Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan says its Missouri chapter is raising money for the still unidentified white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, 18, who was scheduled to begin college classes this week.” This report was used to discredit Darren Wilson, while the investigation was ongoing.
During this weeks Klan sighting, a followup appeared to this story, KKK Disowns KKK Fundraiser for Darren Wilson “The fundraising email is actually in violation of the traditional Klan constitution, according to another Imperial Wizard, Frank Ancona. Ancona leads the Traditionalist American Knights, one of the largest branches of the KKK, approaching 10,000 members in the lower 48 states. Their headquarters are in Missouri.
The KKK is split into many smaller subdivisions, explained Ancona, and often times, banished members of a larger branch will attempt to start their own. Ancona believes this is the case with Murray, who is not even known to the Traditionalist American Knights. (Murray is Imperial Wizard Chuck Murray, of the New Empire Knights.)
“He basically made up his own name,” Ancona said, explaining that Murray may not even be on his birth certificate. “We are a registered organization. We have a charter with the state… Half of them don’t have the rituals for our ceremonies.”
Ancona worked with senior members of his organization to attempt to find Murray and confirm his connection to the larger group, but they could not. “No one has ever heard of the guy, I talked to the older members of our group,” he said. “There are other legitimate Klan organizations, but this group here sprang out in the last year or so I don’t believe he has any members. I think it’s just him.”
Additionally, Ancona believes Murray’s fundraising effort is a scam, because technically, members of the Klan cannot speak with the media, let alone solicit their help with raising donations. All members sign an agreement that forbids conversations with the press. Only highly vetted officials interact with reporters, and even then, interviews are rare.”
The KKK has historically been a secret society. Is posting a manifesto on the internet, and leaking it to Joe.My.God., the way things are done in the internet age? Is the UDWK a glory seeking fringe group? Maybe the post is a false flag operation, designed to build support for gay marriage.
In case anyone is confused, this repost does not support the KKK. Nor will there be the ritual denunciation that anti-racists seem to feel obligated to make. It is just an effort by a slack blogger to make sense of a few things that defy explanation. The pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The rally was held July 14, 1939 at Stone Mountain.
The Georgian Terrace Ballroom
The Georgian Terrace hotel used to have an adjacent ballroom. The building opened as the “Lucky Strike”, featuring “Duck Pin” bowling. At some time, it became a 1300 seat ballroom. It was not the grand ballroom, where events for the premiere of “Gone With The Wind” were held. As time moved on, the ballroom became a music performance hall. PG saw shows there under four different business names. After the Agora Ballroom closed, the building was vacant, until a fire August 30, 1987. The site of the ballroom is now occupied by an annex of the Georgian Terrace Hotel.
The first show PG saw at this facility was in 1972. The name of the business is forgotten, as is the act that performed. A band, comprised of people PG went to high school with, played before he got there.
In 1974, “Big Time” promoter Alex Cooley opened “Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom”. (Alex Cooley died December 1, 2015.) The first show that PG saw was Dr. John The Night Tripper. A few months later, Capricorn artists Cowboy played, with a vulgar New York band named Mercury opening. Gato Barbieri played at the Ballroom, with PG wondering how people could dance to that type of music.
Several major acts appeared at the Ballroom, mostly without PG in the audience. KISS played there in 1974, and photographs from backstage are in the embedded video. In April of 1974, Steely Dan was across from the Fox. In the summer of 1974, The Tubes played a week at the ballroom, with another heavily hyped show. On January 23, 1976, The Patti Smith Group played at the ballroom.
In 1975, Bruce Springsteen was on the covers of Time and Newsweek, and was recieving a promotional push unlike anything seen before. He played a show at the ballroom that summer, with a generous press party in the balcony. (At one unforgettable show Alex was caught off guard by a Bruce Springsteen request. “He asked if we could shut down the cash registers because they were making too much noise!… That’s the only time I ever did that.” Alex admits.)
PG attended two shows in 1975. Mckendree Spring opened for Fanny, while PG drank too many bourbon and cokes. In November of 1975, Juice Newton opened for Hot Tuna. Miss Newton seemed to be a bit pale, and performed “Get drunk and screw”. Hot Tuna was amazing. They went on stage at 10:55, and played, without a break, until 2:50. The drummer wore a shirt, mother fucking hot tuna. Few would argue that night.
In autumn of 1977, some brave soul opened a place called “The Ballroom” in the space on Peachtree Street. One night, PG went with some friends to see an act, Happy the Man. There seemed to be a bit of chaos in the management of the facility. The Great Southeast Music Hall loaned a few microphones for the show. When the show was over, PG walked out to a car, whose motor was running, with the driver asleep inside.
In the summer of 1978, the ballroom opened as The Agora Ballroom. Apparently, there is a music hall in Cleveland with that name, and they opened branch facilities around the country. There were some shows that PG did not attend. Todd Rundgren opened the facility August 19, 1978. On October 2, 1979, The Clash played. Pictures from the crowd appeared on an album by the band. On December 2, 1981, U2 made their Atlanta debut.
A few weeks after the opening, PG won tickets to an all Texas show. Marcia Ball opened, and a bored PG went to a neighborhood bar to drink beer. PG returned later, and stayed long enough for the singer with Asleep at the Wheel to ask the crowd, Are you stoned?
In November of 1978, PG called a radio station, and asked to be put on the guest list for Talking Heads . (For Talking Heads, and three links in the following paragraphs, the link is for a previous Chamblee 54 post about the show.) The first six people he called were busy, but the last one agreed to go. On the bus going home, a group of black men started to make unfriendly comments. At the next stop, a black friend of PG got on the bus, and went to talk to him.
A few weeks later, Tim Curry made his United States debut. Some record company invested a lot of money in him, and supplied him with an outstanding band. PG was wandering around the balcony after the first show, and saw Tom Waits sitting at a table. The bodyguard said no, that’s not Tom Waits, it is just someone that looks like him. At a bar, after the show, PG was raving about what he had seen, when a lady came up to him. What color are your eyes? They are brown, because you are full of shit. Soon, the 23 Oglethorpe was taking him home.
Somewhere in the haze of 78 and 79, Ultravox brought their synthetics to the Agora. A local band, First Blood, was more entertaining as the opener. PG drank a very large can of Foster’s beer, and floated through the proceedings. After the show, PG was invited to a party in Candler Park. On the way there, there was a horrific car crash on Ponce de Leon. At the party, friends of First Blood dissected their performance, between lines of coke.
One night, PG was enjoying drink specials at a neighborhood bar. He took a break, walked over to the Agora, and saw a few minutes of a show by Freddie Hubbard.
In early 1979, the B 52s were on the verge of stardom. (Here is a nifty feature about the Atlanta local music scene in those days.) The opener for the 52s was The Brains , yet another talented band that never made it big. At the table next to PG, a lady wore a dynamite World War Two army uniform.
Later in 1979, Ted Turner had an idea for a TV show, “Live at the Agora”. The first show was filmed in Atlanta, and featured Graham Parker and the Rumor. If they ever show that film again, and you see a crowd shot, that is PG wearing a white T shirt, with a white Agora iron on logo. Parker was a great musician, who had the misfortune to look like Big Bird’s nerdy little brother. If Graham Parker had looked like Bruce Springsteen, he would have been a superstar.
In March of 1980, Lene Lovich came to the Agora. About a year later, Spirit played on Peachtree Street. The show was sponsored by a radio station, and tickets were $2.96. Despite the low price, and high musical quality, the balcony was closed, and only about a hundred people were at the show. PG thought this was odd, but little surprised him by this time.
The last show that PG caught at the Agora was The Ramones. Joey and the pinheads were past their prime, with only two original members playing. It was an all ages show, with alcohol served in the balcony. Downstairs was a festive party, with costumes and enthusiastic high school kids. The balcony was the same rock and roll drunks you had seen for years. The Ramones would have made a great oldies band, if they could have quit dying. This is a repost, with pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Mardi Gras
It is fat tuesday again. For someone who lived most of his life in Georgia, it is just another day.
In 1990, PG went to carnival. He rented sleeping bag space in a house on Marigny Street, just outside the quarter. It was like nothing he had ever seen.
This was 14 months after PG quit drinking. If he had life to do over, he would have gone to Mardi Gras first. He did feel good about going through that much drinking without being tempted to participate.
By the end of the Rex Parade, PG was getting tired of the whole shebang, Mob scenes of drunks, in costume, can get old. PG has not been back.
Two years later, the Grateful Dead was playing at the Omni, and the camp followers were in the parking lot. PG would go on his lunch hour and observe. A young lady walked by, and PG said Happy Mardi Gras. She gave him a string of beads.
Five years after that, PG had a boss from New Orleans. He looked like the Grinch who stole Christmas. He also hated Mardi Gras. PG did not know this, and greeted him Tuesday morning with a cheerful Happy Mardi Gras. If looks could kill, PG would have dropped dead. This is a repost, with pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Ventriloquism for Dummies
We had to have the garage door repaired. The &%&%&% repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a ‘large’ enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one &%&%&% made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, ‘Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.’ I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, ‘NO, it’s not.’ Four is larger than two..’.
My daughter and I went through the #$#$#$’s take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, ‘you gave me too much money.’ I said, ‘Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.’ She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said “We’re sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.’ The clerk then proceeded to give me back$1 and 75 cents in change.
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it’s safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, ‘What on earth are blind people doing driving?
My daughter went to a local @#@#@#@ and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for ‘minimal lettuce.’ He said he was sorry, but they only had iceburg lettuce.
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, ‘Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?’ To which I replied, ‘If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?’ He smiled knowingly and nodded, ‘That’s why we ask.’
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn’t understand why her system would not turn on.
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to ‘downsizing.’ Our manager commented cheerfully, ‘This is fun. We should do this more often.’ Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealer ship to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. ‘Hey,’ I announced to the technician, ‘its open!’ His reply, ‘I know. I already got that side.’
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: ‘Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don’t think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.’ This repost, has pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Bernienomics
@BernieSanders “I got into politics not to figure out how to become President. I got into politics because I give a damn.” The old tweeter sent this message December 11, 2015, at 4:42 pm Sanders Standard Time. At last glance, it was retweeted 25,901 times, and liked 44,263 times.
What exactly is a damn? When you give one, do you gift wrap it? The dictionary says that damn is a verb, meaning “condemn to a punishment or fate; especially : to condemn to hell.” Giving a verb is not good grammar. Damn is considered a mild profanity, which adds polemic punch.
History gives us a second opinion. “In 1665, Aurangzeb, or Abul Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Mohammad Aurangzeb. (A real mouthful of a name!) was the emperor of the Mughal empire. He ruled from 1658 until his death in 1707. Aurangzeb had coins minted in precious metals as well as copper. The copper denominations were one Dam and one half Dam.”
At some point after the invention of the copper dam, Great Britain conquered the Mughal empire. By this time, the dam was not worth twice as much as a half dam, but not much otherwise. According to some unverified sources, British soldiers would say that something was not worth a dam. Or maybe, they said they would not give a dam. Somehow, the profaning n was added, and a saying for apathy entered the english language.
How much is a dam/damn worth? To people living downhill from the lake, a dam is valuable. As for the numismatic value of an ancient copper coin:“By looking at both catalog values for copper Dams minted in the Mughal calendar year of 1075 (Western date 1665) … we can provide the following very approximate values for copper half-Dams and Dams minted in the name of Aurangzeb: worn: $4, average circulated: $7, well preserved: $30.”
Getting back to BS, he probably used the conventional meaning of GAD, which is that he cares. Or maybe, he meant that he gives a dollar. If current economic trends hold up, the dollar might not be worth a dam. The welfare state proposals of BS, according to the admittedly biased Wall Street Journal, would cost $18 Trillion. This would effectively double the national debt. If we get mixed up in another war, or if a nuclear power plant blows up, another few trillion might go down the tubes.
Only the most deluded Bernoids expect college tuition to be free in 2018. BS is talking a good game, but most people know his pants are on fire. One person who is offended because BS won’t step up the lies is Ta-Nehisi Coates. If reparations are added onto free college tuition, then the value of the dollar might go below a half dam. Pictures for snowstorm Saturday are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The Narco State Rag
This feature was written July 13, 2010. The situation in Afghanistan is little better. If we leave, the country falls into chaos. If we stay, we spend money we don’t have. It is a bitch.
Some people euphemize bitch by saying that something is a bear. Across the frontier from Afghanistan, the Russian bear is dealing with a heroin epidemic. Some say the United States suckered the Soviet Union into invading Afghanistan in 1979. The disastrous war that followed led to the fall of the Soviet Union. We are still dealing with the karma.
Tom Dispatch has an audio feature about Afghanistan, and the many unanswered questions about our war there. We invaded Afghanistan to get revenge for 911, and looked for a reason later.
At the 3:06 mark on the tape, when Tom makes a comment Afghanistan being a narco state. PG had a flash of understanding about the reason behind this war. This may even have been powerful enough to ignore the reports about a terror strike in September 2001, and let 911 happen.
The rumors of CIA involvement in drug trafficking are wide spread and long term. When planes went to Central America in the eighties to bring arms to the contras, they came back to the United States loaded with cocaine. There are stories of collusion with the government in Cuba. There are many, many more stories about connections between the US government and the drug trade.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, they cracked down on the poppy farmers. Much of the raw opium for heroin/morphine/opium is grown in Afghanistan. This was not a pleasing for the CIA.
Could it be that the real reason for our involvement in Afghanistan is to ensure the flow of narcotics into the hungry world? This would be a big cash cow for the CIA, although not enough to justify the amounts of money being spent on the conflict.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
One Diamond Two Believers Four Monkees
JoemyG-d has been running videos of number one hits lately. Today, the numero uno is from 1966. It is by the Monkees, called “I’m a Believer”.
PG always liked the Monkees. They were the twelve year old’s band when he was twelve years old. There was an article in the Saturday Evening Post about the “Pre Fab Four”, and a classmate of PG said that he was disillusioned. Certainly no one was confused about the made for tv nature of the band. The rumors…which turned out to be true…said that the Monkees did not play the instruments on their debut album. Still, a seventh grader is easily amused, and the show was fun to watch.
“I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond, aka the Jewish Elvis. Mr. Diamond played guitar on the Monkees version of IAB. (Michael Nesmith does a convincing imitation in the video. It is not known if he was wearing the green hat.)
IAB is part of the rock tradition of misunderstood lyrics. PG thought that Mickey said he “needed sunshine on my brain”. PG did not learn the truth for many years. One afternoon, he heard a band on the radio do IAB, and the lyrics were understood. What the song really said was, “when I needed sunshine I got rain. “
This is a repost, with pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The video in the original post is no longer on youtube, but there was no shortage of replacements. The video used today is one PG remembers from the TV show.
The other video, with unfortunate sound, is from the second year of “The Monkees”. PG did not like Mickey Dolenz with frizzy hair, and quit watching the show. 13 is a year older than 12. The fall of 1967 found PG as an eighth grader, or “subbie”, at a grungy high school. This was the first year after Lynwood Park High School closed. A few people were not happy about integration.
The other video has the word believer in the title. (The middle of the word believer is LIE.) One afternoon, the disc jockey at WQXI said he was tired of playing that stupid song by the Monkees. Before long, the Monkees were replaced by the Partridge Family.
Chamblee54 
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