August 2022 - Page 4 of 7 - Ramblin' with Roger

Salman Rushdie attacked at Chautauqua

doomsday prophesying

As utterly horrific as the savage attack on author Salman Rushdie was, it was also shocking WHERE it occurred.

The Chautauqua Institution, 17 miles northwest of Jamestown in southwest New York State, has been, since 1874, “a community of artists, educators, thinkers, faith leaders and friends dedicated to exploring the best in humanity. Whether it’s your first time visiting or your fiftieth, our promise is the same: Wisdom will be gleaned. Memories will be made. Life will be enriched. Positive change is your charge.”

For instance, week 7, August 6-13, was Interfaith Lecture Theme: Home: A Place for Human Thriving. “‘Home is where the heart is’ is a sentiment that has been repeated for over a hundred years, known to mean where our loved ones are. In reality, it is also the place wherein ‘family’ in many forms and contexts is created, wherein each member can thrive if the nurturing elements of shelter, security, caring, nutrition, and felt love are present. In this week, we will look at the essentiality of ‘home’ from multiple perspectives and insights and perhaps to see more clearly into our own lives and histories.”

I know many people IRL who have attended CI multiple times and were refreshed by the experience. It was a place my wife and I thought to travel this summer, except that plans for sending the daughter to college were more complicated than anticipated.

Kelly, who’s been to Chautauqua Institute, wrote of the assailant about “a learned hatred in service of a small god.” Quite accurate. “I have never been able to wrap my head around the idea of God–a being so vast and powerful as to be able to create the entire Universe–nevertheless being apparently so thin-skinned as to be offendable by anything some being says, thinks, writes, or does down here on Earth.”

Hate does not take a vacation

This. Warner Bros. Discovery Condemns Threats Against J.K. Rowling Made in Wake of Salman Rushdie Attack. “The Harry Potter author received a death threat on Twitter after showing her support for Rushdie.”

Add to this all the threats of political violence, particularly in the United States. WAY back in October 2021, Rachel Kleinfeld documented the phenomenon.

“From death threats against previously anonymous bureaucrats and public-health officials to a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor and the 6 January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, acts of political violence in the United States have skyrocketed in the last five years. The nature of political violence has also changed. The media’s focus on groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and Boogaloo Bois has obscured a deeper trend: the ‘ungrouping’ of political violence as people self-radicalize via online engagement.”

Worse, “ideas that were once confined to fringe groups now appear in the mainstream media. White supremacist ideas, militia fashion, and conspiracy theories spread via gaming websites, YouTube channels, and blogs, while a slippery language of memes, slang, and jokes blurs the line between posturing and provoking violence, normalizing radical ideologies and activities.”

Political violence

In the past week, I’ve read or watched The Hill: “Pro-Trump backlash to FBI search fuels concern over political violence.” PBS News Hour: “Assessing threats of political violence and rising extremism on the far-right.”

And The Atlantic: What Comes After the Search Warrant? Why August 8 may become a new hinge point in U.S. history. “This country is tracking toward a scale of political violence not seen since the Civil War. It’s evident to anyone who spends significant time dwelling in the physical or virtual spaces of the American right. Go to a gun show. Visit a right-wing church. Check out a Trump rally. No matter the venue, the doomsday prophesying is ubiquitous—and scary.

“Whenever and wherever I’ve heard hypothetical scenarios of imminent conflict articulated, the premise rests on an egregious abuse of power… I’ve always walked away from these experiences thinking to myself: If America is a powder keg, then one overreach by the government, real or perceived, could light the fuse.“

Freedom

Rafia Zakaria wrote an opinion piece on CNN: Salman Rushdie has risked his life for decades; US must stand up against censorship, too. “The horrendous attack on Rushdie, an author who has been a champion for free speech and intellectual freedom by putting his life on the line, should be a lesson to the people of his chosen country. Stifling freedom of expression isn’t justified — whether it’s the extreme action of an ayatollah condemning an author to death for his work or book bans by zealots who believe that America can only be made ‘great’ again by furthering the cause of white supremacy.”

I must admit that I’m very nervous. The only good news is that maybe global warming will do us in first. (Too cynical?)

August rambling: Fill the hole with water

Rebecca Jade; Central Warehouse; woke

epithet-hierarchy-1 — from Wrong Hands: https://wronghands1.com/2022/08/05/epithet-hierarchy/

The secret history of the U.S. government’s family-separation policy

What is punishment for?

The Republican Party now has embraced the mindset of Timothy McVeigh

Why djt is PANTS ON FIRE wrong to suggest Obama personally kept 33 million pages of documents

Guide to every excuse Republicans have made for djt’s theft of documents

Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $49.3M Over Sandy Hook Lies; does he know what perjury is?

The West Wing: Fill The Hole With Water

Dr. Oz Gets Skewered In ‘Wizard’ Parody

White Southern Evangelicals Are Leaving the Church

How the Central Warehouse became Albany’s albatross. Chunks of the building facade fell onto railroad tracks, disrupting Amtrak service running west of Albany for four days. Check out a Flickr photo album of the building.

Hank Green: The Biggest Climate Deal in History Almost Didn’t Happen

Climate Migration: California fire pushes a family to Vermont

Chimps digging wells shows learned behavior that may help amid climate change

Unpicking the link between smell and memories

Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

Life After Death by Powerpoint (Corporate Comedy Video, 2010)

Human nature

Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole Have Spent the Past 23 Years Reading to Each Other

David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, died at the age of 89. The 60 Minutes interview (2013).

Pat Carroll, Emmy-Winning Actress and Voice of Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Dies at 95.

Roger E. Mosley, Actor on ‘Magnum, P.I.,’ Dies at 83

Anne Heche, 53, Declared Brain Dead Following Car Crash

Vin Scully reads a grocery list

John Green – Liberty Leading the People: How Revolutions Turn

‘Batgirl’ Star Leslie Grace Responds After Film Is Shelved, Calls Herself “My Own Damn Hero”

DC Will Have 10-Year Plan Akin to Marvel’s Playbook, Says David Zaslav; Reset Adds More Confusion

Art v. History: John Adams, 1776 and Hamilton

The most beautiful cities in the world and it’s Chester, England that’s No. 1

Stony Creek ruins in rural Caswell County, NC

What are Neekerbreekers? | Creatures of Middle-earth

Wiley Wallaby Licorice

Clampdown

Florida’s Un-Civic Illiteracy Program

Jamestown, MI, just voted to defund its public library over refusing to censor LGBTQ authors

WI school district bans pride symbols and preferred pronouns

Don’t Call Them Conservatives

Health

Monkeypox and Mental health: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

NYS Health Department says hundreds of people may be infected with the polio virus. Polio? WTH.

Adults ages 50 and older infected with COVID-19 are 15 percent more likely to develop shingles within six months of the diagnosis than people who weren’t infected, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases. That likelihood increases to 21 percent among older people hospitalized due to COVID.

COVID Increased Racial Learning Gap

Allergic to cold

In a Landslide Victory, Kansas Chose to Trust Women

Why You Should Put on Sunscreen Before You Go On Vacation

I guess I don’t know what WOKE means. An article entitled Et Tu, Brute? Cracker Barrel’s Menu Goes Woke is about the restaurant recently announcing that “it is including artificial meat in its menu, thus annoying its conservative customers.”

You Shouldn’t Store Leftovers in Your Hotel Mini Fridge

MUSIC

Judith Durham, the voice of the Seekers and Australia’s first global pop queen, dies at 79. Kumbaya; Sinner Man

Olivia Newton-John, Australian Songstress and ‘Grease’ Star, Dies at 73. Let Me Be There; Magic

Coverville: 1409– The Grateful Dead Cover Story II and 1410 – The Olivia Newton-John Tribute

K-Chuck Radio: Judith, Archie, and Olivia, three voices of Australia

Peter Sprague Plays Drive My Car featuring Rebecca Jade; in fact, Live(ish) at SpragueLand, Episode 30- Peter Sprague Plays The Beatles — Day Tripper, w Rebecca Jade

Thoughts and Prayers – Randy Rainbow

Joe Hisaishi and Summer

Peter Sprague Plays You Make MeWant To Sing, featuring Kate Sprague

Words by Tennyson

Now You Has Jazz – Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong from the film High Society (1956)

Who Wants To Live Forever – Queen, from Highlander

Robert Russell Bennett’s arrangement of Camelot by Lerner and Loewe

Bolero– Maurice Ravel

Bohemian Rhapsody – Brian Hull

Now I Know

Why 1984 Debuted in 1983 and The Danger of Posting Selfies and How to Sell a Stolen Plane and Why Winnie the Pooh Makes for a Bad Soldier? and How a Ouija Board Can Protect You from a Lawsuit and How to Mint Extra Tips? and How to Feed Your Penguin

Magical Journal for Sunday Stealing

fire

The Sunday Stealing this week is Magical Journal. Do you believe in magic?

1. What’s the best beach or lake day you can remember?

I had torn the nail of the big toe of my left foot when I was about 12. The family went down to Jones Beach, on the south shore of Long Island. I’m not much of a beach person, but I did wade in the water. The saltwater did a remarkable job in healing the nail.

2. Describe your ideal picnic lunch

I’m pretty flexible. Bread that you tear apart. Cheeses of various types. Fried chicken and deviled eggs -the mother and child reunion. Lemonade. Grapes.

3. What flowers are in your bouquet?

Tulips, which we planted one very warm December 1. Lilacs: we had a bush next to our house growing up. Beyond that, whatever.

4. Silly ways to pass the time during a snowstorm

Whatever “silly” things one could do are not coming to me. If I’m snowed in and have things to read and, ideally, some music, I’m fine. With the right people, I’d play cards and/or board games.

5. The most beautiful house you’ve ever visited.

I suppose one of the Newport mansions.

6. Best place you ever dined

When we were on our honeymoon vacation in Barbados in 1999, we could dine at one of three or four establishments as part of our all-inclusive package. All of the food was fabulous.

7. How many layers to your ice cream sandwich?

Sandwich, ice cream, sandwich. What more does one need?

8. Pretty things, which are faux patent leather

Literally, I have no idea.

9. What is the best way to eat chocolate?

Is there a bad way to eat chocolate? I always thought that fondue was wonderfully decadent.

Uni

10. Describe your unicorn’s special magic

The daughter of one of my oldest friends had a large stuffed unicorn. She, the daughter, thought that my daughter ought to have her unicorn. And it became so. Here are my daughter and Uni back in 2010.

11. All the fruits in your fruit salad

Blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, and mac apples.

12. Describe the soil, grass, trees, flowers, and rocks in your magical forest.

I think we started with perfectly fine soil, grass, et al., but we’re wrecking it.

13. The lyrics which move you the most are:

NUMEROUS. Here are the first that came to mind:

And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time
– Wichita Lineman by Jimmy Webb

14. What are the best sauces in the world?

Hollandaise, sweet and sour, and marinara are the first to come to mind; there are probably plenty of others.

15. Write a haiku about nature

Climate change is real.
Droughts, fires, floods, catastrophes.
We must act right now.
[Yes, I checked: fire can be one syllable or two]

Songs by Sid Jacobson

With Louis Stallman

Here are some songs by Sid Jacobson. Jacobson, as you might know, was, per Wikipedia, “managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics.

“Jacobson was also known for his late-career collaborations with artist Ernie Colón, including such nonfiction graphic novels as The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography.” Here’s a piece by Mark Evanier after he died recently at the age of 92.

I knew of Jacobson from The Black Comic Book, done with Colón, which I wrote about here and here and here and here.

Evanier listed songs purportedly written or co-written by Sid Jacobson. I double-checked and discovered that the first one listed, Put A Ring On My Finger by Les Paul and Mary Ford, #32 pop (Columbia), was listed as written by Joe Meek. It must be a pseudonym, though, for The Top Pop Singles book put out by the late, lamented Joel Whitman lists Louis Stallman (LS) and Sid Jacobson (SJ) as songwriters.

Indeed most of Sid’s songs were LS/SJ. Jacobson appears to be the lyricist. The two were the co-founders of Shell Records. At least a couple of songs on the label, written by the duo, charted.
The Yen Yet Song – Gary Cane and His Friends (LS, SJ), #99 pop in 1960
Yogi -The Ivy Three (LS, SJ, Charles Koppelman), #8 pop, #22 RB in 1960. A member of The Ivy Three co-wrote the song. I mentioned it here since the song was part of my father’s 45s collection when I was growing up.

More songs

I’ve Come Of Age – Billy Storm (LS, SJ), #26 pop in 1959 (Columbia). The melody is from Tchaikowsky’s 5th symphony, 2nd movement
Wonderful You – Jimmie Rodgers (LS, SJ), #40 pop in 1959 (Roulette). B-side of Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario (#32 pop); researching this, I came across info re: an Italian EP containing this song which has to be one of the most provocative covers of 1960

You Don’t Know Girls – Kathy Linden with Joe Leahy’s Orchestra (LS, SJ), #92 pop in 1959 (Felsted)
Anniversary Of Love – The Caslons (LS, SJ), #89 pop in 1961 (Seeco)
A Boy Without A Girl – Frankie Avalon (Ruth Sexter or Ruth Sexton, SJ), #10 pop in 1959 (Chancellor)

(At) The End (of a Rainbow) – Earl Grant featuring the orchestra of Charles “Bud” Dant (Jimmy Krondes, SJ), #7 pop, #16 RB in 1958 (Decca); great vocal
Don’t Pity Me – Dion and the Belmonts (LS, SJ), #40 pop in 1959 (Laurie)
Oh Annie Oh – Gene Pitney (LS, SJ) apparently did not chart
You Took My Love – Clarence “Bad Boy” Palmer and The Jive Bombers (LS, SJ), #36 pop, #7 RB in 1957

Searching the Mar-a-Lago compound

poor stewardship

The news that the FBI executed a warrant to search djt’s Mar-a-Lago compound was welcome news to those who believe in democracy and the rule of law. Of course, there has been a lot of speculation and even disinformation about this.

Rolling Stone reported that djt asked associates if they thought his phones were bugged. Newsweek said the raid resulted from a “confidential human source,” citing government sources.

Since late April, the source says, “a federal grand jury began deliberating whether there was a violation of the Presidential Records Act or whether President Trump unlawfully possessed national security information. Through the grand jury process, the National Archives provided federal prosecutors with copies of the documents received from former President Trump in January 2022. The grand jury concluded that there had been a violation of the law, according to the Justice Department source.

“In the past week, the prosecutor in the case and local Assistant U.S. Attorney went to Florida magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in West Palm Beach to seek approval to search Donald Trump’s private residence. The affidavit to obtain the search warrant… contained abundant and persuasive detail that Trump continued to possess the relevant records in violation of federal law and that investigators had sufficient information to prove that those records were located at Mar-a-Lago—including the detail that they were contained in a specific safe in a specific room.”

The FBI informant must be someone very close to djt, according to former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who didn’t even know there was a safe at the compound. Who is the mole inside Mar-A-Lago? teased The Lincoln Project.

A bad habit

He has a habit of mishandling records destinated to the National Archives. The Washington Post “reported that the former president’s habit of shredding documents… meant to be preserved… was so ‘relentless that Trump’s team implemented protocols to try to ensure that he was abiding by the Presidential Records Act.’

“That process involved ‘aides from either the Office of the Staff Secretary or the Oval Office Operations team [coming] in behind Trump to retrieve the piles of torn paper he left in his wake,’ and then painstakingly ‘jigsawing the documents back together, using clear tape.’ One person familiar with the matter told the Post the National Archives staff was ‘stunned at how many papers they received from the Trump administration that were ripped,’ calling it ‘unprecedented'” and unpresidential. Illegal too!

The reason this is such a big deal is that djt and the Republican Congress boosted penalties for “mishandling classified docs to spite Hillary Clinton” over her damn emails. The Daily Show ripped over the GOP’s Hillary Clinton hypocrisy “in a video that highlights Trump’s allies ‘talking about Hillary’ while showing FBI agents entering Mar-a-Lago.”

Unfair, unfair!

Of course, many Republicans reflexively have come to djt’s defense, even Mike Pence. Kevin McCarthy, who will become speaker of the House if the GOP takes control, said he would launch an immediate investigation of the DOJ: “Attorney General Garland … clear your calendar.”

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) calls “The FBI’s raid on President Trump’s Florida home…a dark day in American history. The political weaponization of the FBI and Department of Justice is an actual threat to democracy. There must be an immediate investigation and accountability into Joe Biden, and his Administration’s weaponizing this department against their political opponents – the likely 2024 Republican candidate for President of the United States.”

But what’s concerned me is countless online threats of violence and “civil war.” It is something we should not ignore.

FBI head Christopher Wray bewailed threats to law enforcement. For instance, a Jan. 6 protestor, armed and decked out in body armor, tried to breach a security screening area at an FBI field office in Cincinnati, OH, just yesterday. After an hours-long standoff, the gunman was killed.

CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan posted a graph, noting the ‘big spike in tweets referencing ‘civil war’ right after the news of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago broke” the night before.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) “posted audio of a violent death threat against him and his family. The Congressman is married, and the couple has three children. The speaker in the audio also calls for ‘all Democrats’ to be killed and ends with a call for ‘Trump 2024.'”

“Republican extremists went into overdrive with their violent online rhetoric—”This. Means. War.” “When does the shooting start?” “Summertime was made for killing fields.'”

A Christian Right Expert Explains Conservative Outrage After FBI Raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. They believe ‘God Anointed Him’:

Absurd

Red State, a rightwing online magazine that I won’t link to, wrote that Whether You Like It or Not, You’re Now a Part of The Resistance. “One big difference between conservatives and leftists is that, for the most part, conservatives want the smallest amount of contact with government possible as they go about their lives.” Like not ratting out people who seek information about abortion; yeah, right.

“On the other hand, progressive leftists want the government involved in every single aspect of our lives and are willing to spend every waking moment working to achieve that goal. Instead of volunteering and being a part of community organizations, progressives spend their time protesting and agitating for the government to be in charge of everything. And when they’re not protesting and agitating, they’re scouring social media to see which of their neighbors is possibly engaging in wrongthink and trying to make their lives miserable.” The last sentence, in particular, is jaw-dropping.

Finally

“Attorney General Merrick Garland said he ‘personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant of the former president’s residence.” The Department of Justice has filed a motion to unseal the search warrant and the itemized receipt of what was taken from Mar-a-Lago. This should, but probably won’t assuage those who believe djt has been persecuted. Will djt’s lawyers even allow for the release?

I won’t even get into djt’s appearance at “the New York Attorney General’s Office” to plead the fifth Amendment. Attorney General Letitia James is investigating “his real estate pricing practices. Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen told Congress in 2019 that his former boss would increase what he claimed his properties are worth when attempting to arrange credit and decrease their value for tax purposes.”

Finally, a little satire: Feds Seizing Documents at Mar-a-Lago Unable to Find Trump’s Health-Care Plan. “It’s got to be around here somewhere,” one F.B.I. agent