Tales of the Progressive : Affecting Scene at Keegan's Pub- A Cautionary Tale to One and All in this Nanny State

One afternoon in the month of June, 2008 , a lady in deep mourning, followed by a little child, entered one of the fashionable saloons in the city of Chicago ( Keegan's Pub 10618 S. Western Ave. 60643) The writer happened to be passing at the time, and prompted by curiosity (only of course), followed her in to see what would ensue. Stepping up to the bar, and addressing the proprietor, she said:—

"Sir, can you assist me? I have no home, no friends, and am not able to work."

Bernard Callahan glanced at her and then at the child, with a mingled look of curiosity and pity. Evidently he was much surprised to see a woman upright and without drool spilling from her maw over the bar and . . . in such a place, begging, but, without asking any questions, gave her some change, and turning to those present, he said:—

"Gentlemen, here is a lady in distress. Can't some of you help her a little? Dig you cheap - - - -ing Yanks? You, Carroll, out with the First Communion Money!"

All twenty robust and handsome men cheerfully acceded to the request, and soon a purse of two dollars was made up and put into her hand.

"Madam," said the gentleman who gave her the money, "why do you come to a saloon? It isn't a proper place for a lady, and why are you driven to such a step?"

"Sir," said the lady, "I know it isn't a proper place for a lady to be in, and you ask me why I am driven to such a step. I will tell you, in one short word," pointing to a bottle behind the counter labelled "whisky,"—"that is what brought me here—whisky. I was once happy, and surrounded with all the luxuries wealth could produce, with a fond, indulgent husband. But in an evil hour he was tempted, and not possessing the will to resist the temptation, fell, and in one short year my dream of happiness was over, my home was forever desolate, and the kind husband, and the wealth that some called mine, lost—lost, never to return; and all by the accursed wine cup filled with the golden drops of John Jameson Irish Whiskey -available in easy to carry home or around the back alley pints at Tom Gibbons' Town Liquors. You see before you only the wreck of my former self, now when I was Cheerleader for Mount Carmel I was something and had the tightest a$$ and a rack of knockers on me that made Father Christmas look like Bill Clinton on Viagra, now homeless and friendless, with nothing left me in this world but this little child - little Meghan Rivers-A - Babylon - Joyce - Carroll -Oates ( me and Mr. Oates had real literary pretensions picked up at University of Chicago);" and weeping bitterly, she affectionately caressed the golden curls that shaded a face of exquisite loveliness. Regaining her composure, and turning to the proprietor of the saloon, The Handsome and Energetic Beranrd Callahan she continued:—

"Sir, the reason why I occasionally enter a place like this is to implore those who deal in this deadly poison to desist, to stop a business that spreads desolation, ruin, poverty, and starvation. Think one moment of your own loved ones, and then imagine them in the situation I am in. I appeal to your better nature, I appeal to your heart, for I know you possess a kind one, to retire from a business so ruinous to your patrons.

"Do you know the money you take across the bar is the same as taking the bread out of the mouths of the famishing? That it strips the clothing from their backs, deprives them of all the comforts of this life, and throws unhappiness, misery, crime, and desolation into their once happy homes? O! sir, I implore, beseech, and pray you to retire from a business you blush to own you are engaged in before your fellow men, and enter one that will not only be profitable to yourself, but to your fellow-creatures also. You will excuse me if I have spoken too plainly, but I could not help it when I thought of the misery, the unhappiness, and the suffering it has caused me."

"Madam, I am not offended," he answered, in a voice husky with emotion, "but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have said. Now take your ----ing Narrowback Tee totaling ___ the ---- out of my bar! I have two kids, eight homes, three Condo and in no small way due to these hulking guzzling morons who would eat a wet bar rag if I did not keep it on this side of the trough! Take your split-tail Stir-about Robber with you!"

"Mamma," said the little girl—who, meantime, had been spoken to by some of the gentlemen present—taking hold of her mother's hand, "these gentlemen want me to sing 'Little Bessie Smith' for them. Shall I do so?"

'The Feck They Do!' shouted Mr. Callahan but all the beefy red-faced men who had been soaking beers and shots under their skins for hours affirmed the request for the Golden Angel to Sing her little heart out!

They all joined in the request, and placing her in the chair, she sung, in a sweet, childish voice, the following beautiful song:—

"Out in the gloomy night, sadly I roam;
I have no mother dear, no pleasant home;
No one cares for me, no one would cry
Even if poor little Bessie should die.


Yeah, you're a down and dirty blues man
Look-a-here
You play blues on blue guitar
According to the news man
As far as blues goes you a star
I'll admit you gettin' down there
But I'm down much deeper then you are

Yeah, you sing those songs of sorrow
But to me you just don't sound real
You say you're down enough to borrow
I must be down enough to steal
Now the blues ain't what you're singin'
The blues is what I feel

You tell me your love light is dimmin'
And how your old lady cheats
You go backstage with all the women
While I go back out on the street
Well, you know that you're a winnner
And you tell me you were born to lose
But please, please, please, don't tell me about the blues

You tell it like you're barefoot
And you're wearin' those hondred dollar shoes
Yeah, you can shuck and jive me all you wanna
But please, please don't tell me about the blues

Yeah, you tell me you a poor man
While you flashin' those ruby rings
But on a million dollar tour
Man, you can flash more than a goddamn thing
But it's me who's payin' my dues
So please, man, don't tell me about the blues

'Yeah, Kid Sell It!'

"Oh! if the temperance men could only find
Poor, wretched father, and talk very kind;
If they would stop him from drinking, then
I should be very happy again.
Is it too late, temperance men? Please try,
Or poor little Bessie must soon starve and die.
All the day long I've been begging for bread;
Father's a drunkard, and mother is dead."

The game of Buck Hunt was left unfinished, the Hustlers thrown aside, and the unemptied glass remained on the counter for about a nano second and then got sucked down with reckless abandon by each and every booze sluice crowding the bar; all had pressed near, some with pity- boozy beaming eyes, entranced with the musical voice and beauty of the child, who seemed better fitted to be with angels above than in such a place.

'Dis Yer Kid, Hickey? Nah. . . not ugly enough!'

The scene I shall never forget to my dying day, if ever I live that long, and the sweet cadence of her musical voice still rings in my ears probably because I have not taken a Q-Tip to each of the Wax-Vaults (Hey, there's hair guarding them - lots of it) on the right and left of my noggin, and from her lips sunk deep into the hearts of those gathered around her.

With her golden hair falling carelessly around her shoulders, and looking so trustingly and confidingly upon the gentlemen around her, the beautiful eyes illuminated with a light that seemed not of this earth, she formed a picture of purity and innocence worthy the genius of a poet or house painter - probably an off-duty Chicago Fireman.

At the close of the song many were weeping; peeing in their pants as well for fear of someone buying a quick one while they were in the $hithouse taking a leak, men who had not shed a tear for years wept like children, which is easy with skin-full of booze. One young man who had resisted with scorn the pleadings of a loving mother, and entreaties of friends to strive and lead a better life, to desist from a course that was wasting his fortune and ruining his health, now approached the child, and taking both hands in his, while tears streamed down his cheeks, exclaimed, in deep emotion:—

"God bless you, my little angel. You have saved me from ruin and disgrace, from poverty and a drunkard's grave. If there are angels on earth, you are one! God bless you! God bless you!" and putting a note into the hand of the mother, said:—

"Please accept this trifle as a token of my regard and esteem, for your little girl has done me a kindness I can never repay; and remember, whenever you are in want, you will find me a true friend;" at the same time giving her his name and address.

Taking her child by the hand she turned to go, but, pausing at the door, said:—

"God bless you, gentlemen! Accept the heartfelt thanks of a poor, friendless woman for the kindness and courtesy you have shown her." Before any one could reply she was gone.

A silence of several minutes ensued, which was broken by the proprietor, who exclaimed:—

"Gentlemen, that lady was right, and I have sold my last glass of whisky at the current prices, because the ----ing City is Taxing Me to Death and the Smoking ban is doing ---- all good!; That and the bum checks you bastards write! If any one of you want any more you will have to go elsewhere or dig deep for cash! Out with the coin, lads!"

"And I have drunk my last glass of whisky, for . . . the next one, two, three seconds - Yo, Bernard, A Tullamore Dew and Smithwick's Chaser . . . the Kid's Mom was Hot ! I'd Do her!" said a young man who had long been given up as sunk too low ever to reform, and as utterly beyond the reach of those who had a deep interest in his welfare.

'You Couldn't!' was the universal reply. All smiled with assent. Home I strode renewed.

Do Sign the Pledge!

Against Liquor

Recognizing in alcoholic beverages a deadly enemy to the delicate functions of the human system, a menace to the home, and their use as a drink an outrage against society, the State and the Nation, I hereby promise to not only abstain from them myself, but to use my influence against their manufacture, sale, and consumption.

Name______________________________

Address___________________________

Date______________________________
Against Tobacco

Acknowledging smoking, chewing, or snuffing tobacco to be always detrimental to the human system, an enemy to perfect health and happiness, and an offense against good form and respectable society, I hereby express myself against the use of this vile poison. I shall also endeavor to discourage its use among my friends and associates.

Name_________________________

Address______________________

Date_________________________

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." I Cor. 3:17.

"Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the[Pg 391] kingdom of God." I Cor. 6:9, 10.

Chicago Tribune - Letting Go: Like a Fatman in Sweats or Porky Girl in a Muumuu

Cal Skinner, ( click my post title for Cal's Caveat) a svelt gentleman himself, has issued a warning - The Chicago Tribune has let itself go - like the tabloid rag the Chicago Sun Times, The Tribune has given up doing sit-ups, push-ups, wind sprints and stair climbs and allowed the waves of amber blubber to palunk over the waist band and onto the floor.

The Journalistic equivalent to Dunlap's Disease - when the belly done lops over the belt! Behold the fleshy folds and waves above!

Now its outer deportment matches the editorial cellulite - 'larding the lean earth!'

Denver Hellas! Meet Zorba the Geek!

OOooooPPPah! Winfrey!
Getting all Hellenic for Thusday now that Mount Obama is featuring a Greek Temple! You can NOT make this stuff up!

Ooooooppp-ah!

"All of them, my son. It's a great sin to say this is good and that is bad." -- "Why? Can't we make a choice?" -- "No, of course we can't.". . . The aim of man and matter is to create joy, according to Zorba – others would say ‘to create spirit,’ but that comes to the same thing on another plane. But why? With what object? And when the body dissolves, does anything at all remain of what we have called the soul? Or does nothing remain, and does our unquenchable desire for immortality spring, not from the fact that we are immortal, but from the fact that during the short span of our life we are in the service of something immortal?
N. Kazantzakis speaking through Alexi Zorba - Zorba the Greek

'I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.'
Barack Obama the Doric God of Denver is Zorba the Geek!


Winfrey!

On the Denver Parthenon: Obama's Olive Hat

Chorus: DNC Nutbags; MSNBC; Daily Kos; Huffington Post; Moveon.org; The guy who sleeps in the Amana Refrigerator Packing Case along the Tracks at 113th & Rockwell - Chicago, IL; Obama Acolytes everywhere)

With loyalty we lead you; proudly go,
Night's childless children, to your home below!
(O citizens, awhile from words forbear!)
To darkness' deep primeval lair,
Far in Earth's bosom, downward fare,
Adored with prayer and sacrifice.
(O citizens, forbear your cries!)
Pass hitherward, ye powers of Dread,
With all your former wrath allayed,
Into the heart of this loved land;
With joy unto your temple wend,
The while upon your steps attend
The flames that feed upon the brand-
(Now, now ring out your chant, your joy's acclaim!)
Behind them, as they downward fare,
Let holy hands libations bear,
And torches' sacred flame.
All-seeing Zeus and Fate come down
To battle fair for Pallas' town!
Ring out your chant, ring out your joy's acclaim!
(Aeschylus -Libation Bearers)

ANTIPHON: (All the rest of us)

'America is Voting for John McCain!'

Trust Teachers, Not Test Scores - The Pink 'I Had and Abortion' DNC Smart Wear 2008 - No Wonder the Convention is a Trainwreck!

The Public School Lobby which has helped disinterested parents to destroy American Public Education while still screaming for more tax-payer dollars to waste, has a delegate black felt Cat In the Hat style hat for their loudmouths - TRUST TEACHERS, NOT TEST SCORES!

Every time I think that the bar has been raised on stupid, the Progressives who control the Democratic National Committee move it up a few more notches.

Here in Illinois there is another stick-up artist threatening to keep kids out of school on opening day - to Save the Children! Meeks gave the Kids a Get out of School Free Pass; now, what happens when the truant kids are hurt - or worse?

Get Rev./Senator Meeks needs one of them Hats! He is the Cat - Put on the Hat!

Check it out - white, black, red, yellow and pinkish Liberals!

DENVER -- It was pretty easy to figure out that Monica Stonier cares about education, that Johnnie Patton supports more energy conservation and that Ruth Rudy wants the party to unify behind presidential nominee Barack Obama.

You could see it in the hats they were sporting on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

Stonier, a 32-year-old delegate from Vancouver, Wash., had covered a large Dr. Seuss hat with black felt and written in white, "Trust Teachers, Not Test Scores" on one side and "Teachers for Obama" on the other.

"I think this is a great place to get a little attention on what No Child Left Behind is doing to our kids and to our teachers," the instructional coach and former middle school teacher said. "We don't have the innovative thinking we need."

If these Tax addicted junkies would go into rehab for a few weeks ( Jonesing is Bitch!), or were in the least bit interested in Real School Reform - with Accountability for Teachers at the Top - they would get behind Real School Choice - Vouchers.

Nothing else will help.

Ayers/Obama Papers Open: An Exposed Nerve on the Tooth of Hope

This will be an Exposed Nerve for Barack Obama until well past his defeat at the polls in November.

Here's How I See This Playing Out! Kurtz is nosing through the papers now and will have come up with some plums by PrimeTime Tonight! Watch Tubby and Butch ( Olbermann and Maddow) explode on MSNBC.

1. Billy Ayers recruited Obama for the Annenberg Chicago Challenge

2. ACC became a conduit for the flow of Federal $$$ into the 'The Chicago CPS Reform' laundry

3. Obama did what he was told - watch them memos

4. Obama gets rewarded with an appointment to the Woods Fund & etc.

5. Billy Ayers is Mephistophilis to Obama's Faustus - 'I'll burn my books' is now obstruction of Justice and a Federal Beef

6. The Balsa Wood Spined politicians ( especially Daley will get smeared by the revelations)

7. Walter Annenberg like most gangsters offspring embraced free market capitalism - however, the foundations their wealth amassed are run by Leftists - witness MacArthur in Chicago; Joyce and Woods Foundations.

8. Obama will lose by a minimum of 40 States - No Hope here, Bub.

9. He will lose his Senatte seat.

10. The Progressives will rat out each other and survive Obama's downfall - 'They Mount, They Shine,Evaporate and Fall!' - that's how they roll.

BTW - Chicago Tribune and AP already slathering whitewash onthe story.

U of I at Chicago opens Ayers records
Associated Press
10:28 AM CDT, August 26, 2008
CHICAGO - The University of Illinois at Chicago has opened records from a nonprofit organization Barack Obama served on that's linked to former '60s radical William Ayers.

Those records include 140 boxes of documents from a school reform group called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which Ayers was instrumental in starting and Obama chaired in the 1990s.

Ayers teaches at the university. He has a controversial past that some supporters of Republican John McCain want to highlight because of his past work with Obama.

Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, began reviewing the records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge on Tuesday. The group was awarded nearly $50 million by a foundation in the 1990s to help reform city schools.

John McCain: Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. - The Best of Illinois in Denver

His political ambitions eclipsed by newly elected Senator Barack Obama of Illinois at the 2004 Democratic Convention, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. went back to work.
I have given Congressman Jackson more than a few tickles here on the Blog - read by tens of people, but I am impressed by his work-ethic, intelligence, drive and good sense. If his Dad had half of his son's talents and good sense, he would be drawing a pension as America's First Black President. Bill Clinton would have remained Governor of Arkansas. Barack Obama would be doing real estate deals in Chicago.

Congressman Jackson gave the best speech of Illinois contingent represented at Denver. Congressman Jackson made a solid context driven case for Barack Obama, without the rhetorical garnish.

On the day President Johnson submitted the Voting Rights Act to Congress, he said, "At times, history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom."

So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was at Appomattox. So it was in Selma, Alabama. Tonight, I would like to add: and so it shall be in Denver, Colorado, with the nomination of Barack Obama to be President of the United States.

What a remarkable thing it is that the man who came to this convention four years ago as the keynote speaker is returning this year as our party's nominee. But for those of us who've known Barack over his decade in public office in Illinois the yearning for change, the hunger for unity that he's tapped into across the country has a familiar ring.

I remember when Barack first decided to run for the United States Senate. He'd had a remarkable career in the state Senate, reaching across the aisle to put a tax cut into the pockets of working families, to expand health care for more children and parents and to take on the lobbyists who had so much influence in Springfield.

But despite this record, most in Springfield didn't take his candidacy all that seriously. The party establishment was skeptical of this young leader from the South Side. They didn't know what to make of a man like Barack, with a father from Kenya, a mother from Kansas and a funny name that few could pronounce. They didn't see how this former community organizer could possibly defeat candidates with more money, more name recognition and more backing from "all the right people."

. . . But here's what I also know. I know that while America may not be perfect, our union can always be perfected. I know what we can achieve when good people with strong convictions come together around a common purpose. And I know what a great leader can do to help us find common ground. America, we need such a leader today, a leader who can heal the wounds of the last eight years, a leader who knows that what unites us is greater than what divides us and that America is at its strongest when hard work is rewarded and all of our dreams are within reach.

Given Obama's inability to close the deal with America, John McCain's rising tide of confidence in his leadership among Americans, and Congressman Jackson's talents and abilities 2012 could be the Year of Jackson.

Billy Ayers and the Double Secret Files Open Today - Should Be a Radical Peek at Hypocrites!

From This Morning's Tribune:

U of I at Chicago readies to release records
By DEANNA BELLANDI | Associated Press Writer
5:30 PM CDT, August 25, 2008
CHICAGO - The University of Illinois at Chicago prepared for Tuesday's release of 140 boxes of documents from a nonprofit organization Barack Obama served on that is linked to former 1960s radical William Ayers.

The university on Monday posted a detailed index of the records from the school reform group, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, that Ayers was instrumental in starting and Obama chaired in the 1990s.

Ayers, who teaches at the university, has a controversial past that some supporters of Republican John McCain want to highlight because of his past work with Obama. Ayers helped found the Weather Underground organization that took credit for a series of bombings, including nonfatal blasts at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol four decades ago.

Obama's campaign has started airing a television commercial to try to counter an ad by an outside group that focuses on the Democratic presidential candidate's ties to Ayers.

Click to read the rest. Here is what John Murtagh, a survivor of a radical bombing linked to Billy Ayers and his Weathermen - 'youthful high-jinks' to insulated children of privilege:

In February 1970, my father, a New York State Supreme Court justice, was presiding over the trial of the so-called “Panther 21,” members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of February 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. (Today, of course, we’d call that a car bomb.) A neighbor heard the first two blasts and, with the remains of a snowman I had built a few days earlier, managed to douse the flames beneath the car. That was an act whose courage I fully appreciated only as an adult, an act that doubtless saved multiple lives that night.

I still recall, as though it were a dream, thinking that someone was lifting and dropping my bed as the explosions jolted me awake, and I remember my mother’s pulling me from the tangle of sheets and running to the kitchen where my father stood. Through the large windows overlooking the yard, all we could see was the bright glow of flames below. We didn’t leave our burning house for fear of who might be waiting outside. The same night, bombs were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn. Sunlight, the next morning, revealed three sentences of blood-red graffiti on our sidewalk: FREE THE PANTHER 21; THE VIET CONG HAVE WON; KILL THE PIGS.

For the next 18 months, I went to school in an unmarked police car. My mother, a schoolteacher, had plainclothes detectives waiting in the faculty lounge all day. My brother saved a few bucks because he didn’t have to rent a limo for the senior prom: the NYPD did the driving. We all made the best of the odd new life that had been thrust upon us, but for years, the sound of a fire truck’s siren made my stomach knot and my heart race. In many ways, the enormity of the attempt to kill my entire family didn’t fully hit me until years later, when, a father myself, I was tucking my own nine-year-old John Murtagh into bed.

Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family’s life, there was never any doubt who was behind it. Only a few weeks after the attack, the New York contingent of the Weathermen blew themselves up making more bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse. The same cell had bombed my house, writes Ron Jacobs in The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground. And in late November that year, a letter to the Associated Press signed by Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers’s wife, promised more bombings.

As the association between Obama and Ayers came to light, it would have helped the senator a little if his friend had at least shown some remorse. But listen to Ayers interviewed in the New York Times on September 11, 2001, of all days: “I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” Translation: “We meant to kill that judge and his family, not just damage the porch.” When asked by the Times if he would do it all again, Ayers responded: “I don’t want to discount the possibility.”

Though never a supporter of Obama, I admired him for a time for his ability to engage our imaginations, and especially for his ability to inspire the young once again to embrace the political system. Yet his myopia in the last few months has cast a new light on his “politics of change.” Nobody should hold the junior senator from Illinois responsible for his friends’ and supporters’ violent terrorist acts. But it is fair to hold him responsible for a startling lack of judgment in his choice of mentors, associates, and friends, and for showing a callous disregard for the lives they damaged and the hatred they have demonstrated for this country. It is fair, too, to ask what those choices say about Obama’s own beliefs, his philosophy, and the direction he would take our nation.

At the conclusion of his 2001 Times interview, Ayers said of his upbringing and subsequent radicalization: “I was a child of privilege and I woke up to a world on fire.”

Funny thing, Bill: one night, so did I.

John M. Murtagh is a practicing attorney, an adjunct professor of public policy at the Fordham University College of Liberal Studies, and a member of the city council in Yonkers, New York, where he resides with his wife and two sons.

MSNBC - Obama Propaganda Mill - Eddie Rendell Says so, Milky 'HA!' Tubby and Butch You are Noted!

Michael Calderone reports on Pennsylvannia Governor Ed Rendell's remarks that outted MSNBC- The Tool Shed!

MSNBC - Is, Has been, continues to the Official Propaganda Ministry of the Obama Campaign.

Milky Matthews and Keith Olbermann and his twin Rachel 'Butch' Maddow openly shill for Obama - no big deal. It helps McCain.

The sad thing is that MSNBC gutted the Democratic Party by doing the Progressive Wings work. Hillary R. Clinton was hurt by MSNBC in this fratricide:

August 24, 2008
Categories: MSNBC

Rendell: Obama coverage was embarrassing

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was supposed to give “closing remarks” during this afternoon’s Shorenstein Center-sponsored panel discussion with all three Sunday show moderators — NBC’s Tom Brokaw, ABC’s George Stephanopoulous and CBS’s Bob Schieffer — but instead, he opened up a can of worms about bias in 2008 election coverage

"Ladies and gentleman, the coverage of Barack Obama was embarrassing," said Rendell, in the ballroom at Denver's Brown Palace Hotel. "It was embarrassing."

Rendell, an ardent Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter during the primaries, now backs Obama in the general election. Brokaw and Rendell began debating campaign coverage, including the on-air comments by Lee Cowan, and when MSNBC came up, Rendell went after the cable network.

“MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign," Rendell said, who called their coverage "absolutely embarrassing."

Chris Matthews, Rendell said, "loses his impartiality when he talks about the Clintons.”

At that point, PBS's Judy Woodruff, who was moderating the moderators event, said: "Why don’t we let Governor Rendell sit down."

That was met with applause from the crowd of big-time media figures, which included Arianna Huffington, Gwen Ifill, Al Hunt, and Chuck Todd.

Woodruff allowed Brokaw to respond, and in defending the network, he said that Matthews and Keith Olbermann are "not the only voices" on MSNBC.

'68 Re-Enactors Keeping It Real; Keeping It 'In The Streets!' Where'sthe PortaJohns?

Folks who want to add a dimension of 'other world' to their lives find meaningful weekend entertainment as Re-Enactors - living the dream on the weekends and at gatherings through the summer. There Are of course Revolutionary War Re-Enactors, Civil War Re-Enactors, WWII Re-Enactors, and now gathered in Denver for the DNC 2008 - 1968 Re-Enactors! Depends and PortaJohns did not attend the 1968 Democratic Convention - leave them at home! Cops acn't eve use 'Night Sticks' anymore -'Them's for More Than Parades, Rookie!' Make Do!

Debra Sweet, national director of The World Can't Wait/Drive Out the Bush Regime, said many would-be protesters have been "demobilized" by Democrats' thus-far unfulfilled promises to wind down the war. She also blamed "the police state" for suppressing Sunday's crowd.

Jackson said the city has prepared for protests on a par with Chicago in 1968 and Seattle in 1999, which resulted in widespread violence and arrests. Chicago's Democratic convention in 1968 is best remembered for its police crackdown on demonstrators, as is Seattle's World Trade Organization conference in 1999.

Click My Post Title for the full Magilla!

So You Want to Be A Re-Enactor?

The first thing you will need to do is choose the side you will fight for, or if a civilian impression might be what you want to do. I would highly recommend actually finding the unit you wish to join before buying anything! Most units will have a person in charge, or at least a list, to instruct new recruits on what to purchase and where to purchase it. If you go out and buy a lot of equipment that is not right for the particular unit you will be representing, you will have wasted a lot of money. Hopefully, you will want to be as authentic as possible and wearing a uniform or carrying equipment that is incorrect will ruin your impression.

http://www.cwreenactors.com/recruits.htm

For Authentic '68 Street Theatre Please Note Well:

There are two ways to apply the term "wannabe hippies". One is a derogatory meaning, that they try to look and act like hippies but really don't have a clue as to what it's about. To them it's just a fashion statement, nothing more.

Then there's the more positive meaning, indicating that the person(s) wants to be a hippy, but just hasn't learned and experienced enough yet to truly understand where we are coming from. These individuals are attracted to various elements they've seen and are really turned on to the underlying message. These people will soon join the new generation of hippies, which is a very real phenomenon.

Unfortunately the first definition is the prevailing one, used to put down those who really aren't interested in what hippies really think and aren't interested in rejecting the existing system, just in looking the part because it's cool. They usually realize their mistake by the time they're in high school. Yes, this is a teenybopper phenomenon and is totally meaningless in the scheme of things.

But the Next Generation of Hippies, is indeed real, and important. And their numbers are growing daily. They are idealistic and committed to changing the world, even if only by changing themselves, as you wish to do. Yes, that is the first step.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Ghandi

Authentic Hippies and Their Enemies - To Be Like Them You Must Will To Be Them:

Famous Hippies, Friends and Enemies.

The following list of people includes those who influenced or were part of the hippy movement as well as those who sought to repress it. Some of these outstanding individuals have devoted much of their lives to causes that benefit everyone. Many have suffered as a result of their beliefs and actions. We list some musicians here, but for more music go to the Hippy Music with a Message chapter!

Agnew, Spiro: Vice President during Nixon's reign, he antagonized almost everyone, but especially liberals with his pompous verbal ranting. He claimed the antiwar movement was the work of "an effete corps of impudent snobs." He survived a bribery scandal but was convicted of income tax evasion. He was forced to resign much to everyone's delight. Recently declassified FBI files show Agnew did receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks as Governor and Vice President.
Baez, Joan: Singer, songwriter, antiwar activist, called the "Queen of Folk". Joan was arrested for her participation in antiwar rallies, and her ex-husband David Harris spent several years in jail for draft resistance.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh: Also know as OSHO. Controversial Indian guru who had a large American following. In his ashrams (communes) in Poona, India and Oregon he taught liberation through the release of personal inhibitions. His methods included gestalt therapy and sexual freedom. Cult members showered wealth upon Rajneesh and he had dozens of Rolls Royces.
Brand, Stewart: A hard working, future looking hippie who blends philosophy with activism. Brand produced the Whole Earth Catalog, The Trips Festival, founded The WELL, the Point Foundation, Global Business Network, the Long Now Foundation, the Co-Evolution Quarterly. He's on the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Browne, Jackson: Songwriter, singer, record producer, activist. Browne is a prolific songwriter and has written tunes for The Eagles, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as several very successful solo albums like The Pretender, Running on Empty, and Lives in the Balance. He also was involved in organizing rock concert fundraisers for the anti-nuclear movement.
Bruce, Lenny: As a standup comedian in the '50s, Lenny felt nothing was sacred. So he joked about racism, drugs, homophobia, nuclear testing, and abortion. What made him famous was his unmitigated use of profanity. He was arrested many times, for obscenity and narcotics. He paved the way for others to exercise free speech, and inspired just about every comic since.
Burroughs, William S.: Beat author wrote autobiographical books like "Junky" and "Queer" about his life as a drug addict, murderer and homosexual. His controversial, cut-up style "Naked Lunch" is his most famous work. Burroughs' thing was personal freedom. To him this meant breaking all the rules, which he did whenever he could. Burroughs' talent is undeniable. Despite (or because of?) being a junkie, he was able to convey what it's like to be living on the dark edge of reality. His intake of all sorts of drugs obviously inspired some people to experiment. Many beats and hippies can relate to Burroughs' life situation as a social outcast from mainstream American society (remember much of this happened in the 50's). Burroughs wrote about those things that no other writer of his time (except Allen Ginsberg) would consider suitable subjects. Indeed the publishing and subsequent banning of Naked Lunch turned into a landmark case for free speech in America. Burroughs influenced many around him including other authors and musicians.
Captain Beefheart: Singer, songwriter, sculptor and painter. Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), has had an unusual musical career making very strange music. His extraordinary vocal range includes a deep raspy voice as shown on Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats".
Carlin, George: Comedian. George Carlin turned us on with his "Let's Get Small" routine. He pushed the envelope with his "Seven Dirty Words" and ended up in court on obscenity charges. He's still doing his shtick, and stirring up controversy.
Cassady, Neal: The inspiration for Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's On The Road and The Dharma Bums, Neal linked the beat generation with the hippies by joining Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters on their Bus trip across the U.S. (as the driver!) in 1964. He was part of the famous "Acid Tests." Neal sought the freedom of the open road and could rap endlessly in stream of consciousness style about everything.
Castaneda, Carlos: An Anthropologist at UCLA, Carlos wrote a series of books about the shamanic tradition of the indigenous people of Mexico. His apparently first hand accounts of life as a sorcerer's apprentice ignited decades of controversy as to their reality. His portrayal of himself as a bumbling student of Don Juan, the powerful brujo, are now literary classics. The journeys he took on the path of the warrior through the world of spirits inspired many to seek out what lies beyond our perceptions. His books include: A Separate Reality, Tales of Power and The Eagle's Gift.
Chavez, Caesar: Chavez was the charismatic leader and founder of the United Farmworkers Union. He championed the underpaid, underrepresented migrant farm worker. Chavez organized the five-year grape boycott. Chavez helped to inspire Chicano activism of the 1960s and 1970s, combining the lessons of the civil rights movement and nonviolent protest with Mexican-American traditions and values.
Cheech & Chong: Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong hit it big with their comedy act on several recordings and movies. Their stoner humor made us laugh hysterically, particularly when we too, were stoned. By laughing at them, we laughed at ourselves and for awhile life seemed less serious.
Cleaver, Eldridge: Author of Soul on Ice, written during his nine years in prison. After his release he joined the Black Panthers and became their Minister of Information. Involvement in a gun battle forced him into a seven-year exile.
Coyote, Peter: Actor, author, member of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, one of the original Diggers. His new book Sleeping Where I Fall, tells of his days in S.F.
Cronkite, Walter: Uncle Walt was considered the most believable broadcaster in U.S. history. In 1968, he broke the code of neutrality among major newscasters, by opposing the Vietnam War in a national television broadcast. His integrity is still unquestioned.
Crumb, Robert: Famous cartoonist of the '60s and '70s, Crumb introduced the world to his somewhat depraved, yet humorous visions via Zap Comics, Mr. Natural, and Fritz the Cat. His inspired and unique style captured the essence of the times. Always the social critic, Crumb used his art to convey the anti-establishment sentiment that swept the country.
Dass, Ram: also known as Dr. Richard Alpert. Author of Be Here Now and Grist for the Mill. Worked with Timothy Leary at Harvard on LSD studies. Alpert was so changed by the ingestion of LSD, he left his post and wandered through India, where he met his Guru and changed his name. Finding enlightenment he returned to write several books and do the lecture circuit.
Davis, Angela: Radical black teacher at UCLA. She was dismissed from UCLA in 1969 due to her radical politics. She was a Black Panther and made the FBI's most wanted list in 1970 on false charges. She became an icon as an intelligent, outspoken radical young black woman.
Donovan: aka Donovan Leitch. With his song "Mellow Yellow", Donovan made the music scene in the '60s. His sensitive voice, spacey lyrics, and unusual arrangements evoke a very hippie feeling. Other hits include Sunshine Superman, Hurdy Gurdy Man and Wear Your Love Like Heaven.
Dylan, Bob: Dylan exploded on the music scene in Greenwich Village in the early '60s. His blend of rock and folk ballads took everyone by storm, and in turn inspired just about every rock musician who was to follow in his footsteps. His early songs "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They are A-Changin'" took the protest song and gave it an edge.
Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: Gilbert Shelton's popular comic about the adventures of three stoned out hippies.
Ferlinghetti, Lawrence: Poet, publisher and owner of the City Lights Bookstore in North Beach, San Francisco. Part of the beat scene in San Francisco, Ferlinghetti published Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem "Howl" in 1957, which landed him in jail, but lead to a landmark decision upholding free speech.
Fonda, Jane: Actress daughter of Henry Fonda, Jane made a name for herself as a political activist when she married Tom Hayden, one of the Chicago Seven. Jane was also outspoken and made a controversial trip to Hanoi, North Vietnam during the war. Now married to CNN creator Ted Turner.
Gandhi, Mahatma: Once a lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi came to India and fought British oppression through the pioneering use of non-violent protest. His methods were adopted in the '60s by the civil rights and antiwar movements. The confrontative, yet passive techniques are now the standard for peaceful protest.
Garcia, Jerry: Musician, songwriter, artist. Jerry was a founding member of the Warlocks and Grateful Dead. His varied musical influences including Blue Grass, Rock, and Jazz enabled him to establish his own genre of music. With the Dead, the ultimate hippie band from San Francisco, he became a cult figure and was worshipped by fans. His laid back attitude and lifestyle was a sharp contrast to the lives of many egotistical rock stars. For thirty years Jerry Garcia and his faithful band brought hallucinatory music to their legions of fans.
Gaskin, Stephen: Stephen gained famed for his Monday night classes at San Francisco State where he talked about hippy values. When he took to the road his students followed and soon there was a caravan of wandering gypsies, 400 people in 60 vehicles. He eventually settled down with them and started The Farm, an ongoing Tennessee commune which pioneered organic and alternative methods of agriculture, education and social interaction.
Ginsberg, Allen: Controversial Beat poet from the '50s who wrote about following your instincts and free love. "Howl" (1956), is one of Ginsberg's most famous poems. Along with his friends Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, he helped define and document the activities of the Beat Generation. Ginsberg was active in the anti-war movement appearing at rallies and also the Human Be-In. Ginsberg is credited with coining the term "Flower Power".
Graham, Bill: Rock impresario whose Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and Fillmore East in New York highlighted the best rock acts of the sixties including the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, the Jefferson Airplane and more.
Gregory, Dick: Comedian, author, black activist survived more than 100 hunger strikes to protest discrimination, the Vietnam War, and drug addiction. His autobiography "Nigger" sold a million copies. Lately he is involved in promoting nutritional solutions to world hunger.
Grimshaw, Gary: Very prominent graphic artist well known for his posters and flyers of rock bands that passed thru Michigan in the late 60's-early 70's. His body of work reads like a who's who in the 60's music/counter-culture scene.
Guthrie, Arlo: Son of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie, Arlo made a name for himself with his record Alice's Restaurant. Arlo's folk rock style combines protest and storytelling.
Harrison, George: Beatle, musician, activist. George was responsible for bringing the eastern influence into the Beatles. He got them to meditate with the Marharishi, use sitar in their recordings, and gave the group a more spiritual focus. George has been active in many causes including the Concert for Bangladesh which tried to raise funds for the flood victims.
Hayden, Tom: Political activist, one of the Chicago Seven, ex-husband of Jane Fonda. Now he's a congressman from California.
Havens, Richie: A unique style of rhythm guitar combined with his passionate vocals makes for an unforgettable experience. At Woodstock he sang 'Handsome Johnny' and 'Freedom' to open the event.
Hendrix, Jimi: The greatest guitar player ever. Jimi could coax sounds from his axe that no one had ever heard before. His guitar mastery has impressed every great musician since. His on stage persona and charisma is unmatched. Jimi gave legendary performances at Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and the Fillmore. He died at the peak of his career. Jimi was a great soul who soared so high he was able to take us along for the ride of our lives.
Hoffman, Abbie: Co-founder of the Yippies. Author of "Steal This Book." One of the Chicago Seven. Outspoken advocate of anarchy, Abbie challenged authority every chance he could. By his outrageous actions he tried to highlight the hypocrisies inherent in the system.
Hoffman, Albert: Sandoz company scientist who inadvertently discovered the mind transporting properties of LSD.
Hoover, J. Edgar: Infamous Director of the FBI who kept an enemies list in the '60s. Included just about everyone active in the counterculture, even politicians and musicians. If your name was on that list, the FBI was spying on your activities. Hoover ordered many illegal acts to fight the antiwar, black power, and other movements that sought change and a redistribution of power.
Huxley, Aldous: Author of the famous science fiction novel, Brave New World, and the ground breaking Doors of Perception, Huxley explored the inner realms of the mind. His thirst for the insightful psychedelic experience led him to LSD, which he ingested as he lay on his deathbed.
Joplin, Janis: Blues singer extraordinaire. Janis could belt out the blues like no one else. Her performances at The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock were legendary. With Big Brother and the Holding Company they blew everyone away with their psychedelic blues. Cheap Thrills, their debut album featured a classic cover by Robert Crumb and the hits Summertime and Ball and Chain. Janis' grief stricken life came to an end with a drug overdose in 1970.
Kerouac, Jack: Beat author wrote "On the Road" and 'The Dharma Bums', about the freedom of living each day as it comes. He inspired a whole generation to get backpacks and take to the road. His beat friends Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady appear in his works. Kerouac coined the term "Beat Generation" to describe his friends and the phenomenon.
Kesey, Ken: Famous author, Merry Prankster, Ken wrote: "Sometimes a Great Notion" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." His famous Acid Tests were the first LSD parties with music and light shows. His legendary 1964 psychedelic cross-country trip in a brightly painted bus inspired many hippies to do the same.
King, Martin Luther: Leader of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King was a firm believer in non-violent protest to achieve the goals of integration and economic, political and social equality for all people.
Krassner, Paul: Humorist, founding member of the Yippies, and publisher of the Realist newspaper, he's been called the founder of the underground press.
LBJ - Lyndon Baines Johnson: He became President of the United States upon the death of John F. Kennedy. Was elected in 1964 and served another four years. This Texas democrat was responsible for the buildup of forces in Vietnam and was in office during the bloodiest fighting. Along with the next president, republican Richard Nixon were considered the epitome of the government run by the military-industrial complex that prospered during the Vietnam war. These two presidents highlighted the generation gap as they found it impossible to see the world from a youthful perspective.
Leary, Timothy: The psychedelic guru, acid impresario, prolific author, unchallenged hero of the free your mind movement. "Turn-on, tune-in, and drop-out." Those words inspired a generation to experience the mind-expanding capabilities of LSD. Leary's determination to experiment and turn on people got him kicked out of Harvard and Nixon called him "The most dangerous man in America."
Lennon, John: Beatle, poet, artist, activist, singer, musician. One of the great figures of the 60s. Controversial, he once said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus (he was right at the time). He sang about love and peace and his music inspired millions. He was murdered outside his apartment building in 1980.
Leopold, Aldo: Naturalist, conservationist, author of "The Sand County Almanac," a classic in ecology. He helped found the Wilderness society and wrote about preserving the 'balance of nature'.
Maharaj-ji: Also know as Neem Karoli Baba. Famous Indian guru who established over 100 temples in India. Thanks to Ram Dass, his disciple, many westerners made the pilgrimage to visit this holy man.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Famous guru to the Beatles, Beach Boys, and other famous personalities. First everyone went to visit him in India, then he bought his teachings to the U.S. Emphasizing the power of meditation, he drew a huge following among the hippie generation.
Manson, Charles: Convicted along with his followers of the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and the La Biancas. Manson had created his own cult out in the California desert. In his warped mind, he believed that John Lennon's song "Helter Skelter" was a call to war and mayhem. He used mind control to get his followers to do whatever he wanted. He is still serving his life sentence.
Marley, Bob: Rastaman supreme. The charismatic Bob Marley and his band the Wailers burst onto the music scene in the early 70's bringing Reggae into the world. His music about love, Jah (God), freedom and equality touched so many people and inspired many hippies to become rastas.
Max, Peter: Hippie artist famous for album covers, movies, paintings, advertising. His colorful, flowing style graphics had a great influence on art in the 60s.
McGovern, George: Democratic candidate for president in the 1972 elections. He lost out to Richard Nixon. McGovern was supported by liberals and hippies. We can only wonder, what might have been...
McKenna, Terence: Ethnobotanist and author of the book Food of the Gods, about organic psychedelics. Terence is a popular speaker and visionary who likes to focus on discovering our place in the universe, our reason for being here, and the future of mankind.
Mitchell, Joni: Famous Canadian singer, composer and songwriter. Joni's excellent vocal range is evident in music that varies from folk to blues to rock to jazz. One of the great songwriters, her constantly evolving style has resulted in varied success on such albums as "Blue", "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" and "Mingus". Most famous for writing the song "Woodstock" which CSN made into a hit.
Morrison, Jim: Poet, anarchist and debaucher, Morrison was a passionate, if somewhat psychotic visionary. See the psychedelic shaman section for more about Jim.
Mountain Girl: Aka Carolyn Adams. One of the Merry Pranksters. She lived with Ken Kesey, and had his child, then married Jerry Garcia.
Nixon, Richard M.: Republican President of the United States from 1968 until his resignation in 1973, after the Watergate scandal led to an impeachment vote. Nixon provoked the anger of hippies with his dirty tricks, refusal to deal with protesters peacefully, ordering the spying upon leaders of the antiwar, black power and other counter cultural movements, as well as the deeds of his cronies.
Owsley: Owsley Stanley, also known as Bear, manufactured LSD for the first acid tests in San Francisco in the 60's. Colorful Owsley acid is legendary for its purity. Bear was also the original soundman for the Grateful Dead.
Pryor, Richard: Considered the black Lenny Bruce, Pryor was famous for his standup comedy and movies replete with four-letter words. His humor attacked racial stereotypes. His crack cocaine addiction nearly killed him.
Rubin, Jerry: Co-founder of the Yippies, one of the Chicago Seven. He and Abbie Hoffman pulled outrageous stunts to poke fun and make serious statements about our society. One such stunt was throwing dollar bills onto the floor of the NY Stock Exchange, disrupting trading as brokers got down on the floor to pick up the money.
Russell, Bertrand: British philosopher, anti-nuclear and antiwar activist, logician, essayist, and social critic. In 1954 he condemned the Bikini H-bomb tests. A year later, he and Albert Einstein, published the Russell-Einstein Manifesto demanding the curtailment of nuclear weapons. He was the founding president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1958 and designed the Nuclear Disarmament Symbol, now called the "peace symbol."
Shankar, Ravi: Famous sitar player from India. He wooed the crowd with his mastery at the 1967 Monterey Pop festival and got a very long standing ovation and thus became a legend. He taught George Harrison how to play the sitar in 1966.
Simon, Carly: Singer and songwriter once married to James Taylor. Carly had hits with "You're So Vain", "Anticipation" and 'That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be".
Smothers Brothers: Famous comedians and musicians of the 60s, Tom and Dick Smothers had a top rated TV variety show until it became too controversial and was canceled by CBS. Seems they spoke their minds too often, usually protesting the Vietnam War, police brutality and racism.
Sinclair, John: A dude from Michigan who got put in prison for ten years for selling two joints to an undercover cop. His conviction was overturned thanks mainly in part to John Lennon and seven others who organized a movement to set him free. Lennon even wrote about him in a song: "It ain't fair, John Sinclair..."
Snyder, Gary: Beat Poet, Buddhist, professor. Snyder is perhaps most famous for influencing Jack Kerouac and the Beats and turning them on to Buddhism.
Spock, Dr. Benjamin: His baby book was The Bible to mothers of the hippy generation. He was against spanking children, and his non-violent stance carried over when those same children were sent to war. He spoke and marched at many peace rallies and counseled draft evaders. For this he was sentenced to two years in jail.
Steinhem, Gloria: Feminist author, founder of Ms. Magazine.
St. Marie, Buffy: Singer, songwriter, activist. Since the early '60s, Buffy has been writing protest songs about war ("Universal Soldier"), Indian Rights and the Environment. Her song "Up Where We Belong," sung by Joe Cocker, won an Academy Award.
Taylor, James: Singer, songwriter. Taylor's "Sweet Baby James" album was a big hit. He was married to Carly Simon.
Tiny Tim: Famous for his one hit record, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." With his shrill falsetto he became a cultural icon of the hippy movement. Popular but unattractive, the mini-ukelele playing Tim eventually found love, Miss Vicki, and got married.
Twiggy: English model who made being anorexic popular in the '60s. Twiggy modeled the latest colorful, psychedelic fashions on her extremely thin boy like frame. Her slender build, big sad eyes and short haircut set her apart from other models of the day. Today she is an actress and has filled out a bit.
Warhol, Andy: Pop artist supreme, Andy was a scene himself. He took the icons of popular culture and turned it into art. Some of his most famous works feature Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe. Andy filmed several low budget films of questionable quality including: Trash and Frankenstein (in 3D).
Wavy Gravy: aka Hugh Romney, Merry Prankster, Hog Farm leader, clown, Acid Test Graduate, and so much more. A person who embodies the hippy spirit especially helping his fellow man. Now a flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. At Woodstock '69, the Hog Farm helped feed the assembled multitude. Wavy Gravy announced from the stage, "What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000."
Winwood, Steve: Talented songwriter, singer, keyboardist, Steve played with Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith before going on to a successful solo career. Steve was also a session man and sat in with Hendrix and B.B. King
Yogananda, Pramahansa: Founder of Self-Realization Fellowship, guru, author. Yogananda taught Bhakti (devotional) Yoga and has quite a following. His book "Autobiography of a Yogi" is very inspirational.
Young, Neil: Canadian musician got his big break writing and singing with Buffalo Springfield. His popularity soared when he teamed up with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Neil went on to produce his own great solo recordings including After the Gold Rush and Harvest. Neil's style ranges from hard rock, blues, folk ballads to country. His heavy rock is credited with inspiring grunge music. Some call him the grandfather of grunge. His slightly off key vocals don't appeal to everyone, but when he's singing with CS&N, he fits right in!
Zappa, Frank: Famous musician from the 60's and 70's. His group The Mother's of Invention's first album, entitled "Freak Out" was very popular and way out, even for it's time. Zappa's music was a very wild, creative, but dissonant satire on society. Zappa coined many expressions and became a icon of the lack of respect for the establishment. A popular college poster from the 60's showed Zappa with his long, wild and stringy hair sitting naked on a toilet. The title was Phi Zappa Crappa. Frank's children Dweezil (son) and Moon Unit (daughter) have dabbled with music too. Despite Zappa's outward persona, his real personality was far different and at one point he became a vocal opponent against drugs.

http://www.hippy.com/article-170.html

Dig It!

Obama/Rezko/Davis/Cullen Davis Gate: It Cost Taxpayers Millions of Dollars, Swings One Way,Falls Off and Killed Curtis Cooper

Neither the Chicago Tribune nor the Sun Times ( because Tim Novak is not on the story) made the connection to Barack 'One House'Obama to Tony Rezko and Allison Davis, a white guy termed 'Mayor Daley's link to the African American Community.'


Allison Davis is 'Mayor Daley's link to the African American Community.' No other links, associations, reachers-out, heads-up guys, liasons, or friends in the African American Community - Allison Davis. Allsion Davis is the go-to-guy whenever Mayor Daley needs a link to the African American Community.Not Senator Barck Obama.
Not Ike Carothers. Not Jackie Heard.Not Elzie Higginbottom.Not Dempsey Travis.

Nope Allison Davis. Allsion Davis who was Barack Obama's Law Boss. Back in April of 2007, Tim Novak was on the story and should continue to be on the story for STNG, but they want this tale to fade. Here is what Tim Novak, the only real newsman on the Sun Times, had to say about insulated Progressive lawyer Allison S. Davis.

When Barack Obama took a job at a small Chicago law firm in 1993, the first name on the door of the firm was Allison S. Davis.

Five years later, having left his Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland firm, Davis invested in Antoin "Tony'' Rezko's final government-subsidized, low-income housing project, state records show, in a deal handled by Davis' former law firm.

Davis and Rezko also went into business together, building upscale homes in the booming Kenwood neighborhood where Davis lives. The legal work on those deals was also done by Davis' former law firm, where Obama was working.

Davis, 67, and Rezko are still business partners "in a technical sense,'' Davis said in an interview, though he added, "There's nothing going on in the last couple years.''

He said he didn't recall how or when he met Rezko, a businessman and political fund-raiser under indictment on federal charges that include demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state pension investments under Gov. Blagojevich.

While Davis was running the law firm, he was also a board member of the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp., a not-for-profit company that hooked up with Rezko's Rezmar Corp. on tax-supported projects to rehabilitate apartments for low-income tenants. Davis' firm handled the legal work on those housing deals.

Davis has long been an influential member of the Woodlawn community just south of the University of Chicago. His father was the university's first African-American professor. Since 1991, Davis has been a member of the Chicago Plan Commission, appointed by Mayor Daley, a friend.

Four years ago, Blagojevich appointed Davis to the Illinois State Board of Investment, which controls state pension funds -- one of a series of appointments the governor made at Rezko's request.

Tim Novak

Novak says that Davis's Pa was African American? Guess I was mistaken! Must be true - Davis ain't a white guy then. Pictures never really tell the story. Surface value journalism is also misleading. Get Novak back on the case.

Yep, Tim Novak on a story is like Sterling on Silver. He is such a pitbull that he could dig up my dreams ( don't go there, Tim).

Instead, to make any sense of the non-investigation into the death of Curtis Cooper by our propaganda journalists we need to flip to the New York Post.

Here is a piece that considers the Davis/Rezko/Obama connection important.

In October 1998, Obama wrote city and state officials, urging them to give Rezko $14 million to build an apartment complex outside of Obama's state Senate district. The Chicago Sun-Times noted last year that Obama's request included 855,000 in "development fees" for Rezko and for another developer, Allison Davis, who happened to be Obama's old law-firm boss. Obama's spokesman said it was just a coincidence that the state senator wrote letters to obtain millions of dollars for his two longtime friends. ( emphasis my own -because . . .gee, isn't that kind of a red-flag?)

In fact, Obama was a dependable ally of subsidized developers in the Legislature, giving Rezko and others broader help as well. In "The Case Against Barack Obama," I identify and parse six housing bills with which Obama was closely involved. A few examples:

* In 2001, Obama cosponsored a bill allowing developers to sell state tax credits to others and pocket half of the proceeds.
* In 2002 and 2004, he was chief cosponsor of a bill to authorize a rent-subsidy fund giving "grants . . . directly to developers" of low-income housing. Seventy percent of the money was earmarked for the Chicago area.

* Obama cosponsored the Illinois Housing Initiative Act of 2003, which required the governor to develop a plan for more low-income housing and "provide[d] for funding for housing construction and rehabilitation and supportive services."

* In 2003, Obama voted for the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, which required Illinois municipalities to make 10 percent of their housing units "affordable" (by definition, this included subsidized housing). This forced 46 communities just outside of Chicago to create more than 7,000 new "affordable" units - a huge boost in demand for area developers. The bill also provided loopholes for developers to circumvent local ordinances and regulations.

After voting for this measure (it passed narrowly), Obama then cosponsored a new bill that moved up its implementation by more than a year.

These and the other Obama-backed bills helped make millionaires of Rezko and other slum developers at taxpayers' expense. The developers - including his former law boss and an adviser to his current campaign - reciprocated, together giving and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Obama's campaigns.

To sum up: Obama got them subsidies to build. He secured them a steady income of government rent subsidies. He arranged special tax credits and abatements for them. He backed measures that increased demand for their services, and helped them legally circumvent local laws.

Perhaps Obama acted with only the poor in mind. Yet some of his developer friends weren't so conscientious - especially Rezko.

Notably, Rezko's company claimed that it lacked the funds to heat one of its 11 buildings in Obama's state Senate district from December 1996 to February 1997. But Rezko still managed to write a $1,000 check to Obama's campaign fund on Jan. 14. That month, his tenants shivered as 19 inches of snow fell on northern Illinois.

With his early and large investments in Obama, Rezko helped the Democratic nominee get to where he is today. Obama, meanwhile, helped Rezko with his legislative work and his letter-writing. Given this close working relationship, the Obama-Rezko land deal is far less surprising.

David Freddoso, a political reporter for National Review, is the author of "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate."

All this stuff is out there for us paper readers at Kean Gas Station each morning. The people who Medill snobs think are too stupid to matter. Well, listen up! We have jobs, families, lives, interests and activities that bring people together. We share thoughts and opinions. Millions of us! We read and we remember what we read. We also control the impulse to buy a paper - we just might glance at it without buying it while we have coffee and crullers. That's revenue denied to you dopes. Guerilla Theatre as the Hyde Park Mafia might opine.

And Obama worries about John McCain's Houses. McCain is a Tightwad! I have raised ranch and a thirty year mortgage and the number of homes in possession really upsets me!

Hell, the cheap bastard! If I shared Cindy McCain's money, with her say so of course, I'd have houses in Peotone, Martinton, Braidwood, Coal City, Custer Park and Papineau, Illinois as well as Sidona,AZ - but I guess that it is a dry heat there.

Obama can stand some heat - Dry, or Wet, Obama will not get any heat form the Cupcake Mules slinging ink for Chicago papers. Tim Novak is a pitbull and he can bring the heat!

John McCain: McCain Has Killed Kittens, Pushed Blind Cripples in Front of Buses and Predicted an Obama 15 Pt. Bounce! Meanest Man Alive!

John McCain is Mean! He called a boy who merely asked him a question, 'a little jerk!'

Keith Olbermann has named John McCain 'Worst Person' in the World and coming from a troubled fat boy who shudders throughout the day when repressed memories of his days as a lonely boy himself surfaced like bubbles in a tepid water-filled bathtub - toying tearfully with a dog eared Rocky Colavito from Topps and preparing for his next un-pantsing at the hands of loutish athletes, that means something; Keith knows. The bullied become bullies.

I imagine John McCain lifts pads of butter at Denny's across this great country of ours and smears railings in nursing homes and the odd men's door knob. Of course, only after asking the Denny's waitress for a chilled glass of dehydrated water -'Yes, Sir, Senator!'

I see the Senator Glad Wrapping toilet seats after serving guests gallons draft beer hundreds of yards from the house.

No doubt a proffering of delicately fried Tortilla Chips, marshaled around a festive Guacamole dish filled with Wasabi and garnished with intricately cut limes, cilantro, and diced tomatoes would be ideal for those Press Barbecues.

But this week, Senator John McCain crossed the line! If the 18th Century artist William Hogarth could have witnessed McCain's vile act, he would have engraved cuttings for a Fifth Level of Cruelty ( Stage One -small animals; Stage Two - villainy and robbery; Stage Three Murder and Seduction; Stage Four Cruel Perfected and the Fifth Senator John Sidney McCain!

McCain told one of the pencil neck geeks at Huffington Post that he expects the Obama Campaign to take a 15 Point Bounce after the Democratic Convention. ( Click my post title for this shameless act of cruelty.

My God, Sir! These are Half-wits,with whom you are having sport! You, Senator are . . . I'm sorry I can not go on!

But it is damn funny! What's next asking a room full of nuns, 'Is there anyone I have not slept with here today?' Telling a blind kid 'Hey look at that Sunset!'

Asking Keith Olbermann, 'Getting Any?'

Tribune Updates the Cullen Davis ( Dad was Obama's Law Boss) Complicity in Boy's Death

The Tribune updated its story on the death this summer of Curtis Cooper and the complicity of the property managers United Property Advisors (UPA)that is raking in millions of dollars from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).

Yesterday's article deftly stepped around the 'alleged' crumb in the unhappy accident that caused Curtis Cooper's death - Cullen Davis.

Cullen Davis, like William Ayers, is the wee lad of a well-connected Lefty Dad, who has his own bundle of problems with the Feds.

Yesterday, I posted a rather piquant prose philippic that noted the obvious and glaring side-step around Cullen Davis and his well-juiced Dad.

The Tribune locked Mayor Daley into the tale, which makes sense, but seemed to give a complete pass to Allison Davis. Allison Davis, who is very white, was made to appear to be Mayor Daley's African American link to the community. Rather, Allison Davis, who is very white, was Barack Obama's Law boss.

Allison Davis is a member of the Progressive Apparatus of lefty lawyers, journalists, activists, and opportunists who get a pass from the Medill School of Journalism for peccadilloes, wallet-liftings, fund-miss appropriations and other Lefty high-jinks. Let's see if the Trib gets hot-under the bra on this story, though it may lead to the conviction of 'a licensed attorney and real estate broker bringing visionary and strategic leadership to Urban Property Advisors (UPA) plus a number of companies and ventures impacting change in urban environments:'Cullen Davis. Shucks, if the Tribune wants you to suffer - you suffer! Ask George Ryan. If a piece falling off a truck and killing six children can be made to prosecute and destroy the Governor of Illinois, how high the moon? Unless, of course the Medill Industry demands a pass for Progressives.

Today the Tribune added a bit more to the horrific tale of little Curtis Cooper's Death. They included Cullen Davis, who is very white but served as an aid to Rep. Danny K. Davis - no relation I presume - which is only fitting and should have been in the first paragraph of yesterday's feature.

Here is the thing. The Tribune had no problem linking this little boy's death to Mayor Daley - a very wholesome villain to MSM -but blanched at pointing out the very powerful connection between Allison Davis/Tony Rezko and Senator Obama. Why is that?
Tim Novak the only real newsman of the bumptious Chicago Sun Times has been a pitbull with his buckers sunk deeply in cheeks of the Progressive paragons - Obama/Rezko/Davis.

Credit where due - the Trib threw us a bone this morning:


UPA is run by Cullen Davis. His father, Allison, also has been an official with the firm, according to state records. Cullen Davis also declined to comment because of the pending lawsuit.

HUD inspectors reported that the conditions of the gates worsened over the last two years, records show. In 2006, the problem was judged to be of midlevel severity, with a rating of 2 on a scale of 1 to 3. The level was raised to 3 in two subsequent inspections, in April and December of last year.

Under HUD's inspection system, housing authorities are required to immediately fix problems regarded as pressing health and safety concerns, such as exposed wiring and blocked fire exits. Inspectors found many such violations on their last visit to the Cabrini-Green Rowhouses and gave the project a score of 30 points out of a possible total of 100—a "very bad score," Hanson said.

The condition of the gates, however, was not marked as life-threatening and thus did not require immediate repair. Hanson said HUD's computer software, in use for about 10 years, does not allow problems with gates or fences to be designated as life-threatening.

Even though it was not required to fix the gates immediately, the CHA should have made sure they were repaired, said Eleny Ladias, director of technical services for HUD in Chicago. "It's up to the housing authority. They're required to follow up with those type of repairs."

CHA officials said non-emergency items needing repair usually are "addressed by the property manager." They declined to comment on whether the broken gates were ever fixed.

UPA got the contract to manage the rowhouses where Curtis Cooper lived at the end of 2005, taking over from a resident-run management group. Residents have been critical of the firm's work, and some said the gates have long been in bad shape. "The gates were raggedy as hell," said Sherri Montgomery, a lifelong resident of the rowhouses.

After the accident, UPA posted signs warning children not to play on or near the gates. "It's too damn late," said Clayton Wade, Curtis Cooper's father. "The baby's dead."

lcohen@tribune.com

solkon@tribune.com

jgrotto@tribune.com

Like the Ayers/Obama papers held hostage at Cement City, better late than never.

Whenever I am near a Progressive Do-Gooder, I throw both hands over the Left check of my ass to protect my wallet.

Whenever a Progressive Do-Gooder gets near poor people, they rake in millions, properties get boarded up, and people die.

John McCain: It's Biden! Obama Goes for A Man 'Greater Than Himself'

Taking a page from the John McCain playbook - and it is about time, Senator - Barack Obama has looked to the needs of someone other than himself - His tanking Campaign - over his own personal ambition and has chosen Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. I thought with all of the subterfuge and gadding about with the press these last few days, that Obama might select under-the-radar Sen. Jack Reed, but Obama head faked me - not too difficult. It has been All About Obama, but does not seem to be selling too hot these days. Obama needs an honest street brawler.

Senator Joe Biden is a great selection. Biden brings a wealth of seriousness to a Campaign identified by MTV-level thinking and life-style. Joe Biden knows how to bowl - out of the gutter. Well, sort of anyway.

My only beef with Biden stems from his willingness to carry the water of the National Organization of Women and the ACLU in their strident and un-American personal Borking ( a neologism coined in that time) of a Centrist legal scholar out of pure political necessity. Biden is still willing to play ball with the forces that fundamentally oppose all of his own strong virtues: Patriotism, Faith, Dignity, and Courage. The ACLU is group think. Joe Biden is better than that.

In The Bork Hearings, Joe Biden, who chaired Senate Judiciary hearings, came at Bork hard. It was an ugly chapter in American history.

Senator Ted Kennedy summarized the personal assault on Robert Bork:

"Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is -- and is often the only -- protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy... President Reagan is still our president. But he should not be able to reach out from the muck of Irangate, reach into the muck of Watergate and impose his reactionary vision of the Constitution on the Supreme Court and the next generation of American. No justice would be better than this injustice."

Doing the bidding of ACLU and the elites did Joe Biden no good. He himself was 'Borked' out contention for the Democratic Nomination. The Group think seemed to mistrust Biden's individualism.

Now, Joe Biden is needed to bring Catholics, blue-collar white voters and women back into belief that the forces of Group Think are not all that bad.

Unlike most Progressives, Joseph Biden is a street fighter, while they tend to be litigation terrorists and character assassins. Biden fights hard and comes at his opponent from the front. He does not give the enemy a head butt after a disarming smile. Say this for Biden - He told Robert Bork to expect an ass-chewing and the jurist was not ambushed:
LEAD: Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a Democratic Presidential contender, assured opponents of the nomination of Judge Robert H. Bork today that he would lead the fight against his confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a Democratic Presidential contender, assured opponents of the nomination of Judge Robert H. Bork today that he would lead the fight against his confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

The remarks were made at a private meeting this morning called by Mr. Biden to convey his position to leaders of civil rights groups, who are marshaling for an all-out battle to defeat the nomination.

Pete Smith, a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee, confirmed that Senator Biden ''intends to oppose the nomination and to lead the effort against it in the Senate.'' But the spokesman said the Delaware Senator ''does not plan to formally announce his opposition until he has a chance to spell out his reasons in detail in a series of speeches, which he plans to begin next week.'' Hearings Set for Sept. 15

The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over judicial nominations, and today Mr. Biden announced that hearings on the nomination would not begin until Sept. 15, almost assuring that the Court will have a vacancy when the next term begins on Oct. 5.

When told of the decision not to begin hearings until September, Marlin Fitzwater, the White House spokesman, said, ''We hope they will reconsider, because we would sure like to start the new term with a full Court.''

Mr. Biden's assurances that he will oppose the nomination represented an important shift by the powerful liberal Democrat that could add to pressures on uncommitted Senators, Presidential candidates and other prominent Democrats to take early positions on the Bork nomination. In the past, Mr. Biden has sought to avoid a politically and ideologically partisan approach to judicial nominations.

Some liberal and civil rights groups say that stopping Judge Bork's nomination will be their major priority of the Reagan era.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0DA1331F93AA35754C0A961948260


John McCain will have his hands full with Joe Biden, because unlike Senator Obama, Biden attacks from the front. The old fighter pilot's 'Neck on a Swivel' stance needs to be adjusted, because Joe Biden comes at you head-on.

Gate Crushes Boy Chicago Tribune Hides Obama Connection but Links Daley

That's Cullen Davis Folks - he's doing just fine. The little boy killed by the gate on the properties that are making Cullen richer never met Cullen. Cullen Davis has long resume for a young man - loaded with all kinds of do-gooder stuff. Cullen Davis never got mentioned in the Tribune story about responsibility for the death of little Curtis Cooper.


Click my Post Title for series of real articles by a real newsman, Tim Novak of the Chicago Sun Times that link Rezko client Obama and Allison Davis - Obama's Law Boss.

The Tribune just flashed a story about CHA complicity in the Death of a little boy this summer, when a rusted wrought iron gate crushed him to death. Little Curtis Cooper died at a property manged by Cullen Davis, son of Allison Davis, a lefty lawyer with thick ties to Obama.

The Tribune is in the tank for Obama. I am in the tank for McCain, but this piece don't cost you nothing.

The Tribune white-washes Obama's sordid support for Rezko/Davis/Ayers/ . . . any more do-gooder crooks that you can name? and saves the kick in the two things that Jesse Jackson wanted to cut off of Obama for Mayor Daley - not a guy that I would like to ever hear the words 'Pat Hickey is a great friend of mine' (which I won't) -because he MAY be treated as the bad guy du jour by the Progressives. He is after all a Daley - not a great one like his brother John, who happens to be one of the most genuine and authentically nice people I have ever had the honor to meet.

Here's the Tribune at its Candy Assed Best:

Inspectors for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported at least as long ago as 2006 that gates at the Cabrini-Green complex were damaged, falling or leaning. In their last report, in December 2007, they also said that "multiple" gates were "missing hardware" and that the defects were severe.

Six months later, 3-year-old Curtis Cooper died when one of the massive metal gates fell on him. A lawyer for the boy's family has alleged that the gate was dangling by one hinge because its two other hinges had rusted through.

After being alerted to the problem, it's not clear what steps—if any—the CHA took to get the politically connected firm managing the Cabrini-Green Rowhouses to fix the gates. Urban Property Advisors, or UPA, is run by the son of developer Allison Davis, one of Mayor Richard Daley's top allies in the African-American community.

In response to questions from the Tribune on Thursday, the CHA issued a news release Friday morning saying that the agency passed on the last report to UPA and that repairing the gates was not a priority because HUD inspectors did not designate the gates' condition as a life-threatening emergency.

Read the array of Tim Novak pieces for real story. Novak is the only real newsman at the tanking Sun Times

The Tribune just laid off forty plus people, but they put three reporters on this whitewash crap?

They do not even name the punk responsible - they let Daddy get the tune-up because Daddy is already singing an aria to the Feds. That's Cullen Davis Folks*! Cullen Davis!

Mr. & Mrs. Cooper, God Bless you in your grief and give guidance to your days without your little boy, Curtis.

Cullen Davis! Anything to add? Didn't think so. Tribune? How about a Harrumph?

Come off of it! You clowns calling the shots at the Trib have taken way too many pulls on whatever it is that you have in that Hookah.

*Cullen J. Davis, CEO, is a licensed attorney and real estate broker bringing visionary and strategic leadership to Urban Property Advisors (UPA) plus a number of companies and ventures impacting change in urban environments:
• CJD Investments, which identifies opportunities for acquisition of
undervalued properties in transitional neighborhoods.
• CJD Projects, which develops multifamily housing using complex
financial transactions, especially those involving a high degree of government interaction.
• CNS Projects, a company focused on the holistic development of
urban areas and currently has more than $35 million dollars in
value under development.
• Principal of Hallmark and Johnson Real Estate Management,
LLC, which manages condominiums and market-rate housing
across the Chicagoland area.
• Daveri Development Group, a partnership which develops
multifamily housing throughout the state of Illinois.

Mr. Davis is formerly an associate in the real estate department at the law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he represented developers, financial institutions, investment bankers and investor groups in connection with residential, industrial, office and retail properties. He also served as an aid for Congressman Danny K. Davis, a position which further grounded him in the intricacies of public and private partnership. Mr. Davis received a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University’s School of Law and a Bachelor’s Degree from Grinnell College. He is a certified tax-credit compliance specialist, a member of the Illinois Bar Association, and holds a variety of other professional memberships and certifications.

Mr. Davis, a native of Chicago, lives in the North Kenwood-Oakland community with his wife and has been a pioneer in that community’s redevelopment.

John McCain: I'm guessing Obama's VP will be Senator Jack Reed - if BO is as Smart as One Would Believe.

A buddy of mine just called: 'Hey smart ass! Who's Obama gonna pick for VP?'

Scratch, Scratch, Scratch - getting to like that so I stopped.

I say, 'Senator Jack Reed (D) of Rhode Island!'

She says,'No Effing Way!' ( Foul mouthed little Asian twist)

Pulling myself to my fullest height, I cock an eyebrow and rejoin, 'Money? Marbles? or Chalk?'


I got a feeling that Senator Obama will choose Senator Jack Reed or little old Rhose Island.

This guy would be a great choice. He is on some of the key Committees:

Appropriations
Aremed Services
Banking
Education

and he trotted along with Obama on the global tour.