Chamblee54

1016-1020 – Lets Talk About, the path journal from last week, is now online. … The walk today was a change from last week. I did 1.07 miles in 39:53, with no foot dizziness. The first show was EP:65 – Q&A Show on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked.
Darryl was talking about being a Christian. DC: “The central thing that I try to keep in view at all times is the is the the need for humility.” This is one thing I agree with. Many of the louder Christians are ego driven. They BELIEVE, and will yell in your face if you are not impressed. This is an emotional, sensitive issue. … DC: “I love talking about this stuff.” Just be sure that the people around you want to listen. To be fair, my listening to the show was voluntary.
The second show was A Noble Beast on The Truth. “Jason has a werewolf problem, and he needs eight weeks of therapy to get his career back on track.” Jason’s werewolf rehab was a new-agey thing, with a “mantra” that says “I am not a monster, I am a noble beast.” The story was entertaining, and could be thought provoking. Pairing it with Darryl’s comments made for some uncomfortable comparisons with the behavior of “some Christians.”
The Truth is hosted by Jonathan Mitchell. On August 10, 2020, @yourpaljonathan sent out this tweet. “I was angry, frustrated, and frankly embarrassed to read a letter from a Black employee of PRX who was not treated with the respect that she deserved while working there. I don’t work for PRX, but they are the company that owns Radiotopia, which distributes my show.” The number one complaint by the BEOP was that Kerri Hoffman, the CEO of PRX, touched her hair. Chamblee54 wrote about this controversy. 081120 081620 030523 081324
1017-1051 – This was a saturday morning. I did 56:17, with no foot problems. The first show was 100 Objects #20: AA Sobriety Chip on 99% Invisible. This turned into a history of AA, told from a woman’s POV. All the familiar AA sayings were repeated. The show quoted Frederick Douglass as saying that if there was no alcohol, there would be no slavery. DuckDuckGo says “No results found for did frederick douglass say “if there was no alcohol, there would be no slavery” … This was the confluence of two of my nerd hobbies, listening to podcasts and debunking quotes.
The second show was Christiane Amanpour on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. Christiane Maria Heideh Amanpour is fun to listen to. Unfortunately, we all know that a free press is important, and that the Trump regime does not see it that way. CMHA did not say anything new.
1018-1122 – The walk today was uphill and downhill. I did 39:06, with nuisance level dizziness. The show today was the rest of Christiane Amanpour on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso.
SF: “On an episode last year, you mentioned or you alluded to the one time you issued an apology on air and you quote, “Deeply regretted it.” And I want to play the time I could find.” CMHA: “Oh, shoot. Okay.” SF: “Why are you saying, “Oh, shoot.” CMHA: “Because I know this is going to be highly political and controversial.” … SF: “Did CNN commit journalistic malpractice?” CMHA: “I think that’s a little bit overboard, but I understood people’s emotions at the time.” … CMHA: “You don’t want to get to a place where China looks like the adult in the room. And that’s where we are right now.”
1019-0841 – The walk today was early. In the space of a few weeks, we have gone from too hot to wearing a hat and gloves. I was only able to do 35:00, with mild dizziness. The entertainment today was The JFK Papers That Weren’t on Deep Cover. John Reznikoff deals in collectibles. For $500, he can sell you a spark plug from Barack Obama’s first automobile. One day, a trusted friend gave him documents about an affair between John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. The documents were “verified” and sold for a large sum of money. Then someone discovered a zip code in the return address, of a letter written in 1961. Zip codes were introduced in 1963. There were other issues with the documents. The trusted friend went to prison for mail fraud.
1020 – Today’s walk was a perfect storm. The weather was nice, my feet had no problems, and I didn’t have to hurry up to go somewhere. I walked for 54:51. The show today was Monty and Libby in Love (The Bisexuals, Part 6) on You Must Remember This. I always enjoy a new episode of YMRT. Unfortunately, today’s episode included long descriptions of movies I have never heard of, much less seen. (At the end of one segment, YMRT said that it was Monty Clift’s last romantic role. The commercial to immediately follow was for California Closets.)
After YMRT ended, I listened to nine minutes of Episode 328: Fat Liberation at Harvard Medical School (with Brad Polumbo) on Blocked and Reported. I used to follow @brad_polumbo on x, until he pissed me off with his many opinions. @brad_polumbo shows @Kalshi Partner in his profile.
1021-1134 – The walk today was physically great, and mentally confusing. I did 57:13, with no foot dizziness. The first show was Dr. Paul Conti, MD on Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. Paul Matthew Conti is a very smart man, who had some clever things to say. “You know, if we’re just going to polish the hood when when there’s a problem in the engine, why do we expect we’re going to get somewhere?” … “If you’re too afraid to look at it, then it doesn’t matter how many mirrors are around because your eyes are closed.” (These points are copied almost verbatim from the transcript, without the ums and you knows of normal conversation. PMC has said these things before.)
It very quickly became a case of a good message delivered by a so-so medium. PMC is the descendant of Italian immigrants. He talks fast, with a subdued yankee accent. He delivers these glib psych-industry platitudes that can sound good to some people. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people today. This is a case of noting the time on my phone, and maybe listening to the rest of it later. … The second try was not much better than the first. I deleted the show quickly.
The second show was Fall Colors on Low Light Mixes. Sometimes words only cause more brain damage. Instrumental music is the way to go.
1022-1022 – That does not happen very often. It is October 22, at 10:22 am. … Today was a great walk. I did 42:09, with no foot problems. I could have done more, but it is grocery day, and I need to be at a stopping point by 1045 ish.
The show was Stewart Copeland on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan. I knew that Stewart Armstrong Copeland talking to William Patrick Corgan was going to be fun. With a youtube transcript available, I knew there would be reams of clips. This is a two edged sword. It is fun to have the talent speaking in their own voice. Unfortunately, transcripts are full of ums and you knows, which need to be edited out. It is usually worth the effort. I wonder how many of these quotes on my notepad are going to make it into this journal, before I say fuckit and do something else.
SAC: “When you’re a film composer you don’t want to be wearing snakeskinned pants when you’re doing basically a job interview with Oliver Stone.” … At some point, there was this private school with some famous parents. They got the musicians together in a band called the Grateful Dads. One of the players was Gene Simmons. As it turns out, Mr. Simmons is “a student of Old Testament theology. So there’s the bass player from Kiss and the drummer from The Police backstage arguing Old Testament theology.” … SAC: “Well, I you know, while I was there, I went to visit the concentration camp because I feel it’s my duty as a German to really have my nose rubbed in our history.” And I went to the opera, but you know, I saw the first act, but I’m just not an opera fan. So, forgive me, but I went home. I wait a minute. You preferred a concentration camp to my opera. Thanks a lot, pal.”
For more information on why I go walking everyday please read The Path Journal. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media picture in November 1940. “One of the Schulstead children reading funny papers. Aberdeen, South Dakota”
©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah

1002-0926 – Military Waste And Corruption, last week’s path journal, is now available wherever you get your nonsense. … The walk today went very well. I did 41:40, with no foot problems. The show was Starring Jean Harlow as Libby Holman (The Bisexuals, Part 3) on You Must Remember This. “While riding a crest of Broadway stardom – and in a serious romance with a woman – Libby is pursued by Zachary Smith Reynolds, the reckless, emotional teenage heir to the Camel tobacco fortune. Just months after their marriage, at the close of a drunken party, Reynolds is dead of a gunshot wound to the head. Was Libby responsible?” The scandal happy press had a good time with this story.
1003-1023 – The walk today was around the block. I went to the end of the street, over one block, and came back. The foot dizziness kicked in at the furthest distance possible from the house. The dizziness went away, and I walked for 1:05:28.
The first show was Colm Tóibín Reads Tobias Wolff on The New Yorker Fiction Podcast. An army lifer keeps having boyfriends, and somehow stays out of trouble. I may go back and try listening again, but this story was not working for me today.
The second story was Quincy Jones: True or False? His Wild Life and the Stories Behind His Wildest Claim on Disgraceland. Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was a talented producer and arranger. He was also a piece of work, with a lot of inconvenient opinions. This episode is mostly based on an interview that QDJ gave to GQ. This post will cut out the middleman, and quote from the source … unless the paywall gets in the way. Another problem is the nagging suspicion that QDJ is full of shit.
“When you’ve been a dog all your life, God gives you beautiful daughters and you have to suffer. … Frank (Sinatra) was always trying to hook me up with Marilyn Monroe, but Marilyn Monroe had a chest that looked like pears, man.” … GQ: “And then in the first proper meeting you had in Hollywood, the producer walked in, saw you, and walked out again?” QDJ: “Yes, he did. And he went back into the other room and said, ‘I didn’t know Quincy Jones was a Negro.’ Truman Capote, that motherfucker, he called [director] Richard Brooks up on In Cold Blood and said, ‘Richard, I don’t understand why you’ve got a Negro doing the music for a film with no people of color in it.’ And Richard Brooks said, ‘Fuck you, he’s doing the music.’ Richard was tough.” (Jake Brennan, the voice of Disgraceland, did a Truman Capote imitation when he told this story.)
“You think racism is bad now, you should try the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s. Vegas in ’64 was fucked-up. That was why Frank had Mafia bodyguards for everybody in Basie’s band and me. Lena, Belafonte, Fats Domino, they used to play the main theater for $17,000 a week, used to have to eat in the kitchen. Couldn’t go in the casino. Had to go to a black hotel across town. In ’64! You can’t even imagine that. But if you’re black, that’s what you get used to in America.” … “No, I wouldn’t talk. Talk about what? I’ve seen him shooting in his testicles, man. Because heroin’s a strange drug. Ray (Charles) all of his veins were dried up and black, and he’s shooting himself in the testicles, man.”
“In early 1969, Steve McQueen called Jones and asked him to go and see a rough cut of Bullitt. Jones brought along his hairdresser, a man named Jay Sebring, and after the movie, they made plans for later that evening. “He said, ‘I’ll meet you at Sharon’s, because I’ve got some stuff for your hair,’ I was losing my hair.” But Jones didn’t go. “I forgot about it,” he says.” … Naturally, this was the night when Sebring and Sharon Tate were murdered by the Manson Gang. This is an awful lot of six degrees stuff, and some of it is tough to believe. “They say coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
The dgl episode discussed Michael Jackson stealing of songs on the albums QDJ produced. These comments were apparently in Vulture magazine, behind a paywall. “In an interview with Vulture in 2018, Jones stated, “I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff … The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come.” … If QDJ was producing the records, wasn’t he a participant in this thievery?
1004-1009 – The walk today was wet. I did 38:00, with no foot dizziness. I was trying to have a headache, and passed on the canned entertainment. The shows will be there later. It was drizzling most of the walk, progressing to light rain on the last lap. My attempted headache felt better when I was through with my walk.
1005-1026 – Today’s walk was spent dodging black walnuts. It is the season for the obnoxious green grenades to fall out of the tree. I gathered a bucketfull before starting the walk. At the end of my first lap, there were three more on the ground. … The walk went smoothly. I did 1.10 miles in 40:50 with nuisance level dizziness.
The entertainment today was #27 Enemy: The Germans’ War, ep. 3 – The Fighting Man on The Martyr Made Podcast. Darryl Cooper is in top form, telling the story of Communist revolution in 1919 Bavaria. Germany, and the rest of Europe, was in bad shape after the end of the war.
The part I listened to today mainly dealt with the Bavarian Soviet Republic. In 1919, a group of Communists took over Bavaria. They were soon kicked out of power. There was a great deal of fighting and bloodshed. Many of the revolutionary leaders were Jewish, which caused its own set of problems. This is a greatly condensed version of what happened.
It was about this time that Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill got into the picture. As you may have heard, Darryl said that WLSC was the “real villain” of WW2. People who don’t like Darryl were quick to repeat this comment as loudly as possible. Ad Hominem attacks are an essential part of Hasbara. You criticize the Israeli war machine at your peril.
To quote from a previous chamblee54 piece: “Just a month before Hitler was discharged from the German Army, in March 1920, Winston Churchill had published that editorial … called ZIONISM versus BOLSHEVISM A STRUGGLE FOR THE SOUL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. … “the international Jews were engaged in quote a worldwide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization. There is no need to exaggerate the part played in the creation of Bolshevism and in the actual bringing about of the Russian Revolution by these International and for the most part atheistical Jews.” … WLSC would go on to be a fervent supporter of Zionism, and opponent of Communism. “… as colonial secretary in the 1920s, Churchill took steps that enabled 300,000 Jews to emigrate to Palestine … As prime minister, in 1941, he proclaimed that “I was one of the authors” of Zionist policy. Indeed, among the lengthy catalogue of criticisms of Churchill was that “He was too fond of Jews.”
1006-1026 – The walk today was picking up. I did 1.72 miles in 55:35. I went one of the routes around the block, with a detour to the railroad tracks. I saw some trash on the road, and picked it up. You can wish into a bag, or you can pick up trash, and put it in another bag. Which bag will get full first?
The show today was more of #27 Enemy: The Germans’ War, ep. 3 – The Fighting Man on The Martyr Made Podcast. Darryl is talking about what is left of the German Army in 1920. They are putting down Communist forces in Bavaria and Latvia. The woman you show mercy to is likely to kill you. After a while, the soldiers respond accordingly.
0930 – The walk today was the first one of the fall where I wore long pants. I am going to miss all those cargo shorts pockets. I walked for 36:00 with no foot dizziness. The show was Episode 326: The Case That’s Shaking Cornell—and the Internet on Blocked and Reported. Jesse and Katie were talking about the Cornell Seven. I soon realized that I was no longer interested in that topic.
1008-1044 – Today’s walk was not as long as it could have been. My feet were working great, but I had to cut the walk short after 37:00 to take my brother to the grocery store. The first podcast was 329: Does Claude Have Charisma? on Conspirituality. Conspirituality is a great name for a show. It turned out to be debunking of alternative ideas. I would like to know who is financing Conspirituality. I only listened to 13 minutes, including the many commercials.
The second show was EP:64 – The Permanent Crisis on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked. Scott and Darryl are just talking shit, which is not their best work.
DC: “One thing that pisses me off about terrorists is they ruin everything good. … I was reading about all the radicals back in the 60s. The first ones who started bombing buildings like the weathermen, you know how they got their dynamite? They went down to a construction supply store and said, “Sir, I’d like a crate of dynamite.” And they’re like, “Oh, sure. Here you go.” And they just drove home with a crate of dynamite. We could have had crates of dynamite like over the counter if it wasn’t for those guys. They just ruin everything.”
When I am on the path, I use Samsung notes to dictate comments. It turns out that my dollar store earbuds have a lousy microphone. The device had another problem, which I noticed today. If you click on a button, you get a spanish keyboard, instead of the english one. It turns out that if the device is set for spanish typing, your dictated notes will be in the spanish alphabet, which is really weird. “The Horn of Africa is ready to explode” came out as “The horno de África se ve tu explode.”
For more information about my morning walk, please read The Path Journal. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Jack Delano took the social media pictures in November 1941. “ Boyd Jones eating his breakfast, Greene County, Georgia” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah

0918-1036 – Cultural Revolution, the path journal from last week, is up. The walk today was a new week. I did 50:05, with no foot dizziness. The first show was the rest of Vicki Lawrence on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan. … WPC: “Well, thank you so much. Hope you had a good time.” VL: “Thank you. That was quick and easy. Its not like going to the dentist at all.”
The second show was Who Gets to Tell the Story? on What’s Ray Saying. Dr. Ray Christian is a Black man, with a lot of stories to tell. Ray discussed the question, who decides how Black people’s stories are told? Ultimately, it comes down to money and power. The people who have capital, and want a return on their investment, decide what stories are told.
0919-1109 – The walk today was perfunctory. It was another blah day, where I did 38:20 because I was supposed to. I did feel better when it was over, and my feet performed well. The first show was Why’s everybody going to Japan? on Search Engine. Tourists are going to Japan on vacation, and this show talked about it. After that got boring, I listened to Ed Asner on Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast. Eddie Asner (wikipedia verified birth name) is a Jewish man who played Santa Claus. Gilbert cackled a lot. We learned that Santa has jock itch.
0920-1035 – The walk today was overcast. I did 51:15, with no foot problems. The story was Sarah Anderson Reads “Dark Horse” on The New Yorker: The Writer’s Voice. The first line of the story: “In my mind, my father is fucking the horse again.” The tale goes downhill from that point. To be fair to Daddy, the story is told by the Daughter, who has a few screws loose herself. Whether Daddy and Claudia … the horse, named for Claudia Schiffer … ever actually did the deed is not known.
0921-1027 – The walk today was linear. I did 1.51 miles in 49:12, with no foot problems. The show today was Episode 324: Free Speech, Free Palestine, Free Macklemore, Free Ed Sheeran, Free Hobo Johnson, Free Podcast on Blocked and Reported. Catherine Ronan Herzog and Jesse Richard Singal were talking about current events, and said some stupid things. JRS: “I just think that makes it sort of difficult to allow for harsh criticism of Israel and people should be allowed to criticize Israel harshly.” RCH: “This is even if you don’t think that Israel has committed genocide, which I don’t. That’s not a word that I use. It’s a war, a war that was started by the other side.”
One of the major problems in these conflicts is rhetoric and propaganda. You can make an argument for anything. Whether it is true, or relevant, does not matter. The ongoing argument about the g-word (Genocide, not God) is just one more distraction. For the record, I don’t like the g-word either. I prefer war crimes, terrorism, atrocity, industrial scale homicide … the list is a thesaurus away.
Recent revelations about the Lavender program make this point even clearer. Israel is collecting data on Gaza residents, and scoring them on the likelihood of Hamas involvement. Israel then bombs the residences of suspected Hamas members, and kills the women and children at the same time. Maybe you can add moral abomination to the list of crimes perpetrated by Israel. … If Israel is so good at monitoring the lives of Gaza residents, why were they surprised on October 7?
CRH: “And I think that in liberal circles, the kind of circles that you’re in …” Nitpickers will say that she meant you’re in, but since Katie is an apologist for the atrocity-happy Netanyahu regime, I am going to go with urine. … CRH: “One thing that I do appreciate about what he did in addition to taking his million dollars and putting it towards building more Hamas tunnels …”
0922-1036 The walk today was an equinox. Summer is FINALLY over, at least on the calendar. I did 48:00 with no foot dizziness. The show today was EP:62 – Special Guest: Bill Buppert, on Iran on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked. Darryl and Scott sometimes have guests to relieve the repetition. Mr. Buppert talks about how having too much oil money spoiled Saudi Arabia, resulting in a lousy army. … Darryl talks about this one ship that everyone praised, until their air defenses went kaput. It turns out that nobody knew how to maintain the equipment, but told superiors that they did. Meanwhile, SH adds “I think we’re all probably better off if I butt out of this conversation.”
0923-0811 The walk this morning was a level playing field. I had to take Mac to the marta station, and decided to walk in that neighborhood. This first order of business was the men’s room at walmart. After that, I took a level path for a couple of blocks. A level surface of wood and concrete is dramatically different from my normal rough path on a hill. As a result, I did 1.62 miles in 48:24.
The first show today was the last part of EP:62 – Special Guest: Bill Buppert, on Iran on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked. Stories of military waste and corruption never grow old.
BB: “Darryl, every year that general officer would come to Kabul to take over Afghanistan. He’d stand there with his hands on his hips and say, “I’ve got this.” And the only thing he’s got is his dick in his hand and he’s going to slam it into the cash register at the end of the year.” DC: “Let’s leave everybody with that image. I gotta go feed my chickens, and do some harvesting before it gets dark.”
The second show was Who Killed Roxanne? How a podcast helped solve a 44-year-old Louisiana murder on Gone South. A team of detectives and journalists were trying to solve a 40 year old case in Covington LA. As one segment came to a halt, the announcer said everyone involved was trying to get justice for Roxanne Sharp. The next thing you heard was an ad for Chumba Casino.
0928-1032 I was at a spirituality retreat from Wednesday to Sunday last week, and am getting acclimated to Georgia again. I was uncertain how the walk would go, but did 43:41 with no foot dizziness. There were no foot problems over the weekend, but my right knee got wound up in some positions that made me worry. The knee is doing fine today. Maybe I just need to let go, and quit worrying so much … famous last words.
The first podcast today was The Back Row on The Truth. You never know what to expect with a short story. The Truth has actors playing parts, instead of the omniscient author voice reading the script. This story was fun before the commercials, and became less interesting after the first lap.
The second show today was Episode 325: What’s The Matter With Seattle? on Blocked and Reported.” Jesse was absent, and Katie talked to two men from the Seattle media world. Katie refrained from saying things that piss me off. (see 0921 above) The show was fun to listen to.
0929-1119 – It was a great day for walking. I did 1.79 miles in 55:08, with no foot problems. My car is in the shop for routine maintenance, and I walked up to the old location of the garage. The show today was EP:63 – AQ at the UN on Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton – Provoked. It was just SH and DC, and they really didn’t say much new. DC just released a new episode, #27 Enemy: The Germans’ War, pt. 3 – The Fighting Man. I am morally obligated to listen. Just what I need … a five hour show, while the other shows I follow pile up. … The only problem with my walk was the reading glasses, in my pants pocket, breaking in half. Dollar store reading glasses are the best part of cataract surgery.
SH: “I’m really a bircher at heart on this stuff. I’m perfectly fine with getting out of the UN altogether.” Part of the hasbara process is demonizing anyone who does not support Israel slaughtering her neighbors. This is what is behind the trash talk about “amateur historian” Darryl Cooper. But then you hear quotes like this, and realize that Scott and Darryl might be, at least partially, serious right wingers. … The stuff SH and DC are putting out about the USA/IDF war machine is terrific. That does not change the fact there are a lot of things I disagree with them on. I probably would have hated SH and DC forty years ago.
DC: “A while back I was blasting on my noise cancelling headphones as I was doing something around the house. And I like to sing. I’m a terrible singer, but I like to do it. And I didn’t know my wife was standing right behind me doing something. And I’m singing this song in like a low guttural growl. I say “ he preaches salvation in the loins of women.” And she’s like, “What is going on here?” Singing with headphones on is a bad idea.
0930-1214 The walk went well. We are getting into the season where the late mornings are not as horribly hot. I walked for 48:56, with nuisance level dizziness on early laps. The show today was The Pet Cemetery Murders: Part 1 on Gone South. Dorothy Thompson owned a pet cemetery. She was also a piece of work, who was rumored to have killed several of her husbands. When it came Dorothy’s time to die, the body was found in Plaquemines Parish, the southernmost point of the Mississippi River. Corpses routinely turn up in the River there.
1001-1027 The walk today was cloudy. I did 44:00, with nuisance level dizziness. The show was The Pet Cemetery Murders: Part 2 on Gone South. The story of the Louisiana pet cemetery came to its homicidal conclusion. During a commercial break, a lady said “I only met Rick once, and he totally changed my life.” We were then invited to vote for Rick Jackson for Governor.
For more information on my walking habit, read The Path Journal. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marion Post Wolcott took the social media picture in March 1940. “Hired helpresting after day’s work on Upwey horse farm, South Woodstock, Vermont”
©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah