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Campaign for Liberty…
another Ron Paul endeavor just getting off the ground. What ya waitin' for?
Now, there's change you can believe in!
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Those who want former President George W. Bush imprisoned, drawn and quartered or just gutted on national TV have expressed outrage at President Barack Obama's reluctance to unleash the hounds on his predecessor.
They can't understand why Obama won't join them in prosecuting members of the Bush administration for condoning torture or other abuses of human rights in the so-called "war on terror."
We may have an answer. Obama doesn't want to send Bush to the slammer because he plans to use some of the same abuses in his own war on terror.
Don't look now but the candidate of change may have turned into the President of more of the same.
In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently, Obama nominees endorsed continuing the C.I.A.'s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone.
The administration has also embraced the Bush legal team's arguments that a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees should be shut down based on the "state secrets" doctrine. It has also left the door open to resuming military commission trials.
And earlier this month, after a British court cited pressure by the United States in declining to release information about the alleged torture of a detainee in American custody, the Obama administration issued a statement thanking the British government "for its continued commitment to protect sensitive national security information."
These and other signs suggest that the administration's changes may turn out to be less sweeping than many had hoped or feared — prompting growing worry among civil liberties groups and a sense of vindication among supporters of Bush-era policies.
When you add these indicators to Obama's growing list of broken promises and flip-flops, it looks more and more like that the great black hope is turning out to be just another political whitewash.
At this point, the Obama Greek Chorus usually rises up in righteous indignation with the usual mantra that "hey, give the guy a break. He's only been in office a few weeks."
Maybe so, but in those few weeks Obama has reneged on his promise to keep lobbyists out of his administration, appointed a number of scandal-tainted Washington old-timers to key posts and talked the bipartisan talk while walking the partisan walk. Now we see he may want to treat the Consitution as toilet paper — just like Bush.
Am I disappointed? Damn right I am. Am I worried that we've been had? Yep. Obama's decision to continue many of the flagrant abuses of the Bush cabal is an act of treason not only to the Americans who put him into office but also to the Constitution he swore to uphold.
If Obama does not reverse the abuses of the Bush adminsitration when it comes to treatment of prisoners then neither he or the Democrats can claim any moral or high ground when it comes to pursuing Bush or others involved in such abuses.
If Obama continues to operate under the same cloak of secrecy that marked the Bush administration he is no better than the former President when it comes to disgracing the Constitution and nation.
Since becoming President, Obama has not shown any willingness to roll back the many abuses of the rights-robbing USA Patriot Act. He did vote for some rollbacks as a Senator but also voted to reauthorize the act which — in itself — raises questions about his commitment to protecting the rights of Americans.
So far, Attorney General Eric Holder has played lip service to questions on torture, defining waterboarding as torture but leaving the door open to employ "aggressive interrogation techniques" against prisoners in the future.
This is not change. It is not a new hope for America. It is simply the same old political bullshit.
A word of advice to the Obama choir. Your shrill defense of anything he does sounds more and more like the GOP's rabid defense of Bush's abuses of power and disregard of the Constitution during his first term. Many of Bush's die-hard supporters later regretted their steadfast defense.
Obama has said he will make mistakes but continuing Bush's abuses of human rights from the "war on terror" is more than a mistake. It's treason and should be treated as such.
(Updated at 2:21 p.m. to add additional thoughts)
Campaign for Liberty…
another Ron Paul endeavor just getting off the ground. What ya waitin' for?
Now, there's change you can believe in!
"Never stop questioning." Einstein
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. – The Who
Hear Hear!
I love all of the sentiments expressed about this essay, but the question is…what does "We The People" do about these travesties of pre-election promises, and now acts of treason by our young new president?
Kleenex, anyone?
We accept it sheepishly as we always do. We've pretty much been conditioned to do accept that politicians will make promises to gain votes, and then not follow through on those promises.
That liberals like me are disappointed (to put it mildly) in Obama does not, in any way, exonerate, excuse, exculpate or explain the rampant lies and debauchery of the Bush years. And even if Obama asymptotically approaches the malevolence of Bush or his soul brotha' McCain, it's almost impossible to imagine how he can top Bush on History's Most Degenerate list. Even if Obama does nothing, which is basically what we've seen so far, that's still far better than digging the hole as deep, as wide and as fast as possible, which was and is the GOP course. Things aren't any better, but at least we've stopped digging.
Wasn't that the whole basis of Obama's campaign? To undo what Bush had done? Does the word "change" ring a bell?
Merely sitting in the bottom of the metaphorical hole would mean he's just happy he didn't have to do the digging, but he's cool with the work that's been done. Besides, he's just digging with a different shovel now. Bush just passed the baton in the final leg of this relay race to the bottom.
The power brokers that used to be almost strictly in the republican party have been working for a foothold in the democratic party for some time . I believe that they realized that the strategy of pandering to southern whites , right wing religious types and other assorted wingnuts was beginning to backfire . If you notice , the entire leadership of the democratic party is now controled by the DLC ( the republican wing of the democratic party ) Reid , Pelosi , Hoyer , Emanual etc . Liberals have been marginalized to the point they have little say and no power . I am also convinced that a lot of the seemingly inaffectivness of the democratic leadership is on purpose . They feign helplessness and allow themselves to be blocked at every turn , never making the republicans actually stand up in the chamber and read the phone book or other such nonsense that the public would soon lose patience with . They never use their power to force good legislation , instead they just cave while wringing their hands about how helpless they are because of this 60 vote farce and so on . That certainly didn't seem to block the republicans from passing all sorts of bad legislation , but the democrats just can't seem to get it together, yeah , right . What I believe to be the reality is that we now have two conservative ( corporate run ) parties , one thats out front and one that pretends to be the opposition , kind of good cop , bad cop . They simply don't want the public to figure this out for fear of a successful third party emergence , so the democrats keep talking a good game , the republicans keep whining about how liberal the dems are while corporations and kleptocrats are calling the shots . Point , has anyone heard anybody speak of trust busting , which we desperately need . These huge , powerful corporations are an anathema to a democracy , Teddy Roosevelt well understood this . Point , heard much about single payer health insurance ? Point , how about campaign finance reform ? Point , how about breaking the conservative stranglehold on the media ? Almost all outlets are now owned by a few very conservative corporations who have literally turned it into a propaganda machine that force feeds us infotainment , nonstop rightwing blather and little else . Hell , they have even neutered PBS and PBR with the exception of a couple of programs , corporate sponsers have done that work . Point , why hasen't Obama moved to reverse the disasterous bush , or better yet reagan tax giveaways to the rich that leave the middle class bowed and the treasury broke ? Anyone heard any mention of restoring " Glass- Steagal or other good regulation that was gutted or disguarded ? It worked fine for 70 years so why not simply restore it ? So here we sit , watching the likes of little Timmy Geithner and Larry Summers two of the jokers that paved the way for this mess enlisted to fix it , I won't be holding my breath . The only one that's missing is Phil Grahm and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Obama suddenly decided he would be just the guy for some cabinet post . If I seem a bit cynical , well , I am . I voted for Obama with my fingers crossed , hoping for the best , but really a vote against Mccain as much as anything . It does appear that we may be screwed , Pretty much everything we are allowed to see and hear filtered and shaped by the corporate media who along with other oligarchs seem to be in firm control of both major parties , so yep , we just very well may be screwed .
A couple of points, if I may.
As long as we continue to buy into the left vs right hegelian exercise in distractive discourse the stranglehold these "opposing" parties have on our citizens will only get stronger. It is virtually impossible to break right now.
There was plenty of talk here and elsewhere about the need for third party involvement, and they went all but ignored. Those of us, myself included, were continually and habitually "shown the door" when we failed to buy into the Obama hype.
We were summarily ridiculed for even hinting that anyone should consider a third party vote.
We were told that serious discussion could wait until Obama was safely in office. Well he is now, and I see neither hide nor hair of any of them. You voted for Obama, and you have the audacity to complain now that we should have had more third party ideas?
I (and many others) was on this site daily trying to shout through the cocophony of Obama worship and expose the false paradigm, trying to make the very points that you make here today, using much the same language and analogies. There is no right vs left or conservative vs liberal. It's all a show.
There is only us vs them.
It's nice to see that you finally realize this, but you're about four months late.
Deja, my hope was that we would at least stop digging the hole. Now, I am not so sure.
This is what happens when we elect some one we don't really know.
Griff, I'd like to quote your opening comment from your last posting. I might add…well, I have tears in my eyes. You are soooo right on!
"As long as we continue to buy into the left vs right hegelian exercise in distractive discourse the stranglehold these "opposing" parties have on our citizens will only get stronger. It is virtually impossible to break right now."
We the People have been sucker punched by the "dueling parties ideologies" for so long that our eyes are so swollen shut from this complete nonsense, and we're incapable of seeing the truth.
We the People have been sucker punched by the "dueling parties ideologies" for so long that we've been brain damaged to the point where logic and reason no longer travels through our synaptic connections.
Right, Left, Conservative, Liberal, Republican, Democrat…are words or terms, if you will, no longer stand for their original meanings.
We all know that our government and leaders have been systematically usurped by "corporations", hence we have Corp-Congress, Corp-Bureaucrats, Corp-Executive Branch, …etc, etc….which in effect makes our government a privately owned subsidiary of "The Corporation".
We do have two primary factions in government who are fighting for the controlling interest in "lobbyist, special interest, and related corp resources" that feed their egos, power, and pocketbooks.
What we're witnessing doesn't have a damn thing to do with the general welfare of the citizens of the U.S.A. It has everything to do with the welfare of the U.S. Corporations of America (and other Nation's Corporations) who contribute to the reciprocal game of powerism and wealth hording.
Yep, here I go again…crying the same old same old. I'd like to say that I'm sorry for repeating this crazy, wild belief that our government no longer belongs to "We the People"…but, I can't.
Thanks Griff.
You have made an excellent point, Griff. I voted for McCain as a protest vote.
I realized during the primaries my vote didn't count. Hillary actually had more votes, but somehow Obama came out with more delegates with the DNC's gerrymandered system. Despite Hillary winning PA and TX with a 5 point margin, Obama walked away with two thirds of the delegates for each state.
Despite numerous reports and accounts of cheating at the caucuses, nothing was ever really reported in the main stream media. The fix was in. Didn't anyone find it the least bit odd, that Obama always won the caucuses?
I can honestly say, I hope for the best. So far, I am feeling less than encouraged.
Unless and until there is a viable third party candidate, I am not sure I will vote again. After all, it doesn't really matter all that much, does it?
Thanks JimC for your spot-on "state of the disunion" rant…! : )
Don't feel so bad about voting for Obama. My wife and I were sucked in too by his silver-tongued oratory. Based on his insider appointments to date and the questionable bill that Pelosi and Reid engineered without Obama taking them to serious task, I'd say we're due for an endless stream of this "emergency" legislation during the next few years with each plea being more intense while there's little to show for the vast expenditures except headline news about how billions are being pilfered or outright stolen by crooked federal, state and local pols and their patron contracting firms.
Meanwhile; unemployment, foreclosures,tent cities and breadlines will get ever longer finally degenerating into rioting and escalating crime in the major cities and decaying suburbs filled with squatters,roving bands of gang bangers and meth heads stripping materials from foreclosed properties. The end result will be that many folks will get to enjoy the secret camps constructed by Halliburton et al. courtesy of the Bushista's reign of (t)errors.
We've been had by these republicrat bastards both sides of the aisle playing us for suckers. I'm now convinced that no election process or feelgood initiatives can change anything. They, the shadowy controllers, have now moved the U.S. into their "endgame" play.
Carl Nemo **==
I actually considered McCain momentarily for that same reason – a protest of Obama. A fleeting thought, but that's how sick I was of the ridiculous hype. I couldn't bring myself to do it though, but I certainly can't blame a gal for doing it.
Here in NY we had McCain and Obama representing the Establishment. We also had Nader, Barr, and McKinney. I voted for Barr, but instantly regretted not voting for McKinney, just to prove I'm not racist.
And people think that vote fraud is strictly a Republican endeavor. Vote fraud favors the Establishment choice, regardless of party. Last time Bush had to win because Gore wasn't fit for the part, and neither was Kerry.
This time was custom-made for the "outsider". I doubt they had to go to such lengths in the general. Obama was pretty much a shoe-in.
You're welcome, but I do regret being a little harsh toward Jim in my comment. It's very difficult for me to witness what's happening when I saw it coming a mile away and was unable to really do anything about it.
McCain was a status quo promise of more of the same, or worse. A complete waste of time that would provide zero expectations of improvement. A close examination of his character, integrity, and honesty should make this obvious to the talented brain power I've observed opined on this site.
Obama was a hope, a desire for change. Even his lack of experience was refreshing since we all know that the more ingrained the politician is in DC, the less focus he/she has on the people. Though I've heard that the Obama administration was going to hit the ground running, it isn't running quick enough for me. But I attempt to remain patient, difficult as it may be, so that I don't succumb to Griff's total state of loss. I'm not far from there, and I struggle with contemptuous cynicism and utter futility. I doubt I will sustain another political bitch slap.
What confuses me about the brilliance of those I read on this site, is the delusion that a third party is the answer. I predict, without any hesitancy, that should you get your third party candidate elected. you will end up just as frustrated as you are about all the modern day presidents we've experienced to this day. You still have to recruit from the human race, and you still have to deal with those that own them.
This is probably the last election I'm willing to participate in. I hope Obama can excel expectations. If he doesn't, rather than sink to the pits of inducing endless discouragement, I'm going to enjoy the sunshine, laugh with those I love, travel, and leave the politics to the rest of you. It is uncertain how much time we have to do these things in this wonderful economy that the politicians and corporations have served up. Good luck!
Grif , I didn't feel you were harsh at all , I was however a bit puzzled at your reply . I think I may have not been clear in my post , I am not , nor was I ever sold on Obama , I simply saw him as the best choice of the two , crossed my fingers and hoped for the best . I would love for a serious 3rd party candidate to get some traction , I didn't feel Cynthia Mckinny was that person , her appeal was extremely limited and she had no chance what so ever of even making a good showing . I also see her as a bit of a flake and her running mate was a joke . As to your comment about liberal /conservative not meaning anything anymore , I thought thats what I said , obviously I wasen't clear . I am an FDR , Nader , Kucinich minded liberal , I am quite aware that the democratic party is no longer the liberal party , I believe I covered that point , though obviously not with shining clairity . I feel that we are now trapped in a true catch 22 . We have the choice of corporate controled candidate A or B . I had concerns from the beginning about his ( Obamas ) vague or pseudo liberal positions , not to mention his close ties to Chicago university economists , that place is a hotbed of economic loony toons . I also wish more disillusioned liberals , thinkers , socialists , pinko commies , Naderites, hippies , whatever you want to call them , people who believe that the governments job is to represent the rights and welfare of the people would start raising hell with him . Back to my catch 22 statement . If Obama bombs , well what then ? Vote for the republican , I think not , 3rd party ? OK , show me a viable candidate . By viable I don't even mean someone who will necessarily win , just make a decent showing , thats all , that can articulate the liberal position ( sorry , I know you hate the term , but it's the only one I know ) . You may know we had a similar situation in the late 1800's early 1900's when both parties were completely controled by big business Teddy Roosevelt bucked the system and Wilson hated it but was side tracked by other issues ( a war and a stroke ) . The corporate grip wasen't broken until an election in the early 1900's ( the date escapes me at the moment ) when the socialist party won almost 30% of the vote and scared the hell out of the establishment . The democratic party saw the light and adopted most of their planks , thus forming the modern democratic party and setting the stage for FDR . The American socialist party then pretty much died out as its members moved to the democratic party . we have slide back into the same situation , we need such an event again , but you have to have a decent candidate , one who can't be dismissed as " fringe " or " moonbeam " . There is also the problem of the media , conservatives understood that if they controled it they controled te message and could shape public opinion . There is a constant drumbeat of conservative commentary , the news has turned into complete pap and it's getting worse . I mention PBR and PBS , they used to be one place you could get real news and commentary , seen Washington Week lately ? You control the media you control the message , you control the message and you can shape enough peoples views to control period . The republicans understood this when they did away with the " fairness doctrine " and you can see the result .
You make an excellent point " that should you get your third party candidate elected. you will end up just as frustrated as you are about all the modern day presidents " . There is another problem that is mostly overlooked . Lets say we did rise up and elect a 3rd party candidate , what then ? The congress and senate wouldn't let him do anything , but would certainly work like mad to make damn sure he was a complete failure . Plus , how do you think our corporate controlled media would react to such a candidate if one started to get traction ? They would either give him no coverage at all or spin it to discredit him , or both . This media thing is the gorilla in the room , the trogen horse , the malignancy in the brain of our democracy . Listening to Obama dismiss reinstating the Fairness doctrine in some form or other made my blood run cold . A leader that truely wanted to restore our democracy would have made that the first order of business . He has to realize that in order to restore both our economy and political intellect these huge ( to big to fail ) corporations all need to be broken up , unless they are , we are done for .
One more quick point on some of your comments . If you want to post a protest vote why in the world would you vote for Bob Barr , Ron Paul or " my god " Mccain ? The only difference between Pauls or Barrs positions from bushes are they want to do everything bush did but faster , jesus people , think about it , read what these guys positions are , their " ideas " ( I use the term loosely ) are a corporate wet dream . And Mccain , he's like bush without the mental clairity and sound reasoning . If you want to protest write in Batman or something , think how you would have felt if you had woke up wednesday morning to be welcomed by the news of the election of president Mccain ( and vice president Palin ) , boosted to victory by the " protest vote " in a close election . At least with Obama we probably won't get another puritanical , grunting , knuckle dragging conservative placed in the supreme court just itching to drag us back to the middle ages , I would vote for him for that reason alone.
Some good points Jim. There would be serious intrinsic and extrinsic problems that would evolve with a 3rd party president. And there's no question as to how the efficacy of our Congress might be should there be another party vying for power and control of the resources that currently fuel our politicians and bureaurocrats.
Third party solution is…well, just not viable for a couple of reasons that come to mind.
Can't we clearly see that a party is a party is a party? They all require a machine to backbone its survival.
It's all about who controls a party that defines the allegiance of the members who represents the party.
There is no moral compass in politics.
Creating a third party doesn't guarantee that its allegiance won't be to the very same special intterest as the two parties who now rob, pillage, and rape it's constituents.
Jim, Jim, Jim…
Ron Paul is a Libertarian, for God sake. He's an Austrian economist for his and YOUR sake, no less. He's a man who would remove the government control of your life and financial health if he could, for ALL our sakes… and you call him a corporatist. HE's NOT. Ron Paul is all about liberty… the REAL kind.
THAT is why I voted for him.
Almandine , yeah , he's a nice guy too . I have a friend at work that was a Paul supporter . He listens to some right wing loon Alex Jones who backed Paul . So you really believe selling off the national parks to the highest bidder , privatizing the highways and roads , he also wants to make abortion illegal , taking all regulations of corporations , removing pretty much all environmental regulations , doing away with minimum wage , most work place regulations and on and on and on leaving all these thing to the " magic of the market place " is a good idea ? Well , I guess we'll just have to disagree . These aren't wild insinuations either , I've both heard him spew forth this nonsense both in interviews and have been to his website . It's simply amazing how little about his " ideas " his supporters really know or how little thought they've given to what the results of such policies would be . But , no sweat , if he ever did actually did get serious consideration there would no doubt be a huge WTF does he want to do moment and he would implode anyway , so go ahead support him if you like , he's harmless , crazy , but harmless .
Jim – Don't forget he would privatize money too. Yeah, I know – you don't see how that could happen.
As for the other stuff, the point would be to get govt out of most of it – and, yes, let the transactions in the marketplace decide the winners and the losers – financially speaking. Regulation would be less necessary in an honest-to-God free market, as the crooks would be discovered much, much faster and treated much more appropriately – right now. Financial crime and punishment would once again be able to function as it ought to.
The issue of why govt would divest itself of some assets – OUR assets, by the way, has to do with the funding neded to maintain them. At present we don't have any money… and that is why our National Parks, for example, are in such a state of disrepair. Ditto for other infrastructure… and look at the amount alloted for rebuilding in the current spendulus bill… peanuts. All this govt management of all our societal needs seems necessary to most – but when I look around it appears that the management ought to be fired for incompetence. How is it that such a wonderful [societal support] system as we think we have and need is doing such a lousy job?
The only fly-in-the-ointment I see for moving to a system of individual responsibility is the current quality of our people. One-fourth of high schoolers drop out before graduating, a great number of folks think the govt is or should be the only source of making it on a daily basis, and hardly anyone is without significant debt. We have become The Great Society of learned helplessness. I have faith, however, that once it became clear that everybody had to make it on their own, using their own initiative and decision-making, they'd pull up their Big Boy panties and get on with it.
If not??? Look around.
HaHa. Good luck. You can't teach those with no desire to learn. The simple fact is that we have so much invested in the two party system that any excuse will do when defending it, regardless of the number of times it has betrayed us. We simply don't believe in ourselves anymore nor do we believe in free markets or liberty. The government has to control every aspect of our lives, we're simply not intelligent enough to handle our own affairs.
As Plato once wrote…"Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehoods school. And the one man that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool."
Or Dresden James…"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic."
The lies have been sold, the people have bought them, and the rest of us are fools and lunatics. Let's hope they get those bridge projects going quickly, soon we'll all need a place to live under or jump off of.
"The lies have been sold, the people have bought them"… much like frogs in water brought slowly to boil.
The ongoing practice of Reactionism has been a slow, lingering death for America. But like most cancers, they slowly but surely kill their victims.
Almadine , I for one don't wish to live by the law of the jungle . This magic of the market place stuff has been tried before many times and always leads to the same result . The more powerful and corrupt wind up in control slowly moving the countries wealth and power to themselves . The idea that they will somehow self regulate has never worked and never will . All one needs to do is read the history of the early 20th century and or the late 19th or the 16th , 17th or pick your favorite to see what happens under such an arrangment . The top few get filthy rich , hoard wealth and resources , use their riches to stack the legal system to maintain control and form a kleptocracy . It's just a shame that we have to keep going over this well trodden path again and again always with the same result . Expanding on your logic , if your house catches fire it should be your responsibility to put it out etc etc . You may also have noticed ( or maybe not ) that the first ones running to the government with their hands out were the rich when their little schemes blew up in their faces yet again . The amount the ( personal responsibility ) crowd gets in various handouts from the government is vastly more than the whimpy poor could ever imagine . This personal responsibility stuff seems to be forgotten when it's their ox being gored , sounds great until it's you or your family starving or without shelter . It's also hard to come up by your bootstraps if some powerful enity wants the boots and straps for himself . Again , this stuff isn't new , read some history about what happens with unregulated greed is allowed to rule , if you want to live in such a system , fine , but parden if I pass .
Bob Barr is not a Libertarian. He's a very conservative Republican who stole the nomination at the Libertarian convention. This can happen in smaller parties. A certain segment thought that it was better to compromise their principles and nominate someone who just might win. Bad choice. He does not well represent Libertarian principles.
That off my chest, voting for a third party candidate is IMHO the best way to vote our way out of the current mess. If enough people will do that then the momentum will naturally build. Just see what Ron Paul managed to accomplish.
I like Carl Nemo see similarities between Obama and Jimmy Carter. When Jimmy Carter was President he was constantly sabotaged by the right-wing. George Bush Sr. actually arranged for the US hostage in Iran not to be released while Carter was President to make him lose his reelection bid, part of the infamous October Surprise
The good people Obama picks, like Bill Richardson, are chased away as Obama is constantly pressured to pick establishment insiders like Hillary. John Conyers and Patrick Leahy proposed a Truth Commission to uncover all the mounds of Cold War dirt, but activists said "No." Nothing should be exposed without prior agreement that Bush and Cheney belong in jail. Somehow the Truth Commission comments can no longer be retrieved at Capitol Hill Blue.
Obama is constantly being pressured in an establishment direction, while those who disagree are kicking him and helping him trip instead of helping him resist the pressure. Or else cheer him which doesn't help him resist the endless pressure to conform.
Once a lot of people demanded change. Now they cheer instead of helping or else kick him to help him fall.
The dirt is far deeper than even shill critics realized. The Mafia was part of the Allied effort against Hitler. During War II, Communists were the best fighters against Hitler, and the best antifascist spokes people in the media. The fact they were at first slow to oppose Hitler due to the Hitler-Stalin pack, made them better able to convey the message that now all Americans oppose Hitler. During World War II, the Teamsters Union was turned over to the Mafia to stop a wartime strike. Then during the Cold War the Entertainment Union was, as well, to kick the Commies out. During Contra-gate, drug runners would routinely whisper "I'm on your side" if they were ever caught, sometimes bluffing and sometimes with credentials of some sort to back the bluff up.
Let's find ways to help Obama do more instead of condemning him from all directions. I want to find ways to help him do better now, instead of cheering what he does when he is no longer President like I do Jimmy Carter.
Jimmy Carter does a great job with Habitat for Humanity.
As for Obama, I want the best for him, since he is America's CEO, it is in all our best interests that he succeed.
That said, he still needs to be held accountable. That is our job as citizens.
The stimulus bill was a piece of crap. Sure there is good stuff in it.
There is also a lot of bad stuff in it. The electronic medical records is hugely expensive, is a nightmare for patient privacy.
Eventually, as Tom Daschle put it. "the most expensive care is in the last year of life……..Doctors will have to stop thinking of themselves as solo practitioners" if one gets too expensive, some bureaucrat gets to tell a doctor to follow the recipe. Obama is all for this. Taxpayers are spending $400 million on this. Pardon me, I DO NOT want Big Brother in my medical records.
Secondly, he is closing Gitmo, but is sticking to Bush administration's stance on torture. He is also denying constitutional rights to detainees.
Same crap. Different name. Change you can believe in.
Why and the hell doesn't someone file charges against the Bush Administration for screwing the American people out of billions of dollars. That is the only thing the Bush Administration was about, screwing people out of their money.
And now it appears that Obama was a status quo candidate as well, regardless of what he said while campaigning.
Well Jim, call it what you will… but the brush you're painting with seems like a pushbroom to me. History will show almost a complete lack of free markets, those being mostly circumscribed in breadth and time long ago. There has certainly been no generalized free market in this country since the start of the 20th century… the end of which can be traced to the creation of the Fed and its inflation-rich control of our system… except for the 1920-21 minor depression that the market righted because the govt butted out. We've been going mostly downhill ever since. Thus, on balance, except for the vision of "liberty" that free markets ordain, how would we know anything as to how they perform? The violence of govt intervention, in contrast, is well understood.
All in all, though, that vision of liberty is something worth unfettered allegiance – something much more compelling than cradle-to-grave subjugation at the hands of those who would program your every move and desire… in the name of what?
I suggest you ask any Russian, Chinese, North Korean, or other such "subject" how they feel about wealth and power. I believe you'll find they disagree with your premise. Even Putin, himself, said at the G7 meeting that America would rue the day it decides to embrace Socialism more than it had at that moment.
Why do you think that was?
Bush was just a tune up for what's coming…
I fear you are absolutely correct Almandine.
Well Almandine , I'm not really sure what the Nth Koreans , Chinese or Russians have to do with anything . Why don't you ask the Dutch , French , Germans or Netherlanders instead , they refer to our brand of capitalism as " savage capatialism " as does most of europe . As far as the statement " History will show almost a complete lack of free markets," I'm not sure what or whose history you're talking about , but it certainly isn't ours . Almost from the creation of our country we've had almost unbridled free markets , what we lacked until around the late thirties was a middle class . Until then or at least from the begining of the industrial revolution markets were practically unregulated as were working conditions and corporate behavior in general . So I can only infer from your post that you are in favor of simply allowing our wonderful multinational corporate kleptocrats rape and pillage at will . Most civilized countries have figured out that is at best a very bad idea , at least from the prospective of the bottom 99% of us . If you really think that is just a nifty idea perhaps you should move to Mexico . Their system has kind of moved in that direction , there are a few very wealthy families that control pretty much everything , everyone else scrambles for the crumbs , it may be your idea of nervana .
This sort of looks like the bad cop/good cop thing where if someone is abused for long periods of time they will blindly follow anyone that gives them the faintest glimmer of hope.
The lengths to which Socialists may go toward control of their societies, in general, can be seen in those 3 countries; their dismal financial fortunes result from that central control. Historically abysmal. As for the Western Europeans, I lived in Britain for awhile and have traveled extensively over the last 20 years throughout the countries you name, as well as the others over there. With few pockets of exception, the standard of living here in the US is well above that in those countries. If those places seem so hot, maybe you should move…
The upshot is that Americans enjoy the highest standard of living anywhere… and as the old saying goes, if it is so terrible here, why people are clamoring to get in – scrambling for crumbs and all? Even in these hard times the emigration lines at terminals and airports are not busy with folks returning to the promised land after a mere visit in this hell hole.
The so-called free market of which you speak is a myth – the tax code alone is 3.4 million words – and filled with such abominable crap as can be found here:
which is responsible for at least one of the current problems we face with executive compensation in corporations, etc.
It is much the same for tax breaks to corporations that offshore their operations or import cheap labor to compete with qualified US citizens, just to name a couple more political quirks. Thus, until we take care of the crooked politicians, the Fed and its criminal cabal, there will be NO free market to speak of in the US. It may look all rosy, but OUR CROOKS AND BANKERS are the cleverest.
Ditto for FANNIE MAE and FREDDIE MAC – the two government-sponsored-corporations MANDATED by Congress to loosen loans requirements so people who could not realistically afford to buy houses were allowed to anyway. Regulation, my friend… nothing free about it.
More??? How long have they paid farmers not to farm? Think that's free? Etc, etc, etc…
No. I'm not looking for a nervana [sic] in which the crooks pillage, at will, and the rest of us reap the crumbs… but I am looking for a move to economic principles that will establish a system based on sound money and a market mechanism that will get us out of this debt-based mirage (er, morass) we think is the only way our financial system can possibly be. If that's what you call Savage Capitalism… so be it.
asdasd asd
Very cool apasp. Can you tell me where to download the Help files? Apparently they didn't make it during the install process, so it won't load them. Thanks!
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Yep, we've been had, though it comes as no surprise to me. I wonder where all the rabid Obamanoids are now. You know, the ones that insisted a McCain presidency would be a continuation of the Bush administration, and Obama would bring new ideas and a new direction for America. The ones that insisted we all vote for Obama for our own good. The ones that shouted down any opposition as being racists and haters with all the rationality of trained monkeys.
I thought I heard the new administration promise to park the old trash truck, dump it, rummage through to find what stinks and then fumigate it.
Damn hearing isn't what it used to be and my eyesight must be failing too as I'm sure these political promissory notions were shouted from the rooftops and exist somewhere in print. (No doubt soon to be blacked out by the CIA in all pertinent documents).
This situation must be fallout from the auto industries failure.
Our chief in charge of government sanitation has opted to get behind the wheel of the same steaming pile of crap his successor created, refuse to check the load or under the hood, and is hell bent to drive us off the cliff of Moral Ethics in government.
Now that's some kinda change. HACK!
While it's evident that the Bush war policies are still alive and well, and it does appear that there's been no immediate action by Obama to eliminate or revise these policies…I don't know if we can call the game on Obama's actions as Commander In Chief just yet.
I think what most complaints revolve around thus far with Obama's few weeks in office is that everybody has an opinion about the time-tables…or priorities that Obama has placed on achieving some positive actions or results for some of the most diffcult tasks in our nation's history.
I've ranted and raved about Obama's choices for his Cabinet posts. Actually, I've criticized him in so many ways, I can't count at them all at the moment.
But, with all he has going on with the economy…which was something Bush sure as hell didn't do anything about in his departing days…how in the hell can, or better yet, why would Obama even want to try formulate knee-jerk-overnight-solutions regarding policies related to very complex problems associated with the two wars that are blazing? We have tens of thousands of troops whose lives are at stake.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to see expedient action taken on a number of points that Doug posted.
But, the president doesn't have enough hours in a day to take on all that's emerged since he announced running for president.
I do have to give thanks to the Universe that McCain isn't in the presidency. Bagezzzzus, what a hell of a mess that we all would be in. We would all want to move to China.
Congratulations, Doug, on seeing the light of day. The items mentioned in your column today are precisely why I voted for Cynthia McKinney.
A great rant Doug Thompson and in my case you are preaching to the choir! I'm really disappointed with this guy and it seems we've been had again.
My unsolicited advice is for folks to simply prepare themselves on an individual basis for their ultimate survival in the seemingly grim times to come.
Our two-party duopolistic system is summarily broken and I see no way of fixing it shy of outright revolution. The ballot box doesn't have the power to change things when both sides of the political equation ultimately report to the same shadowy controllers; ie., Bilderbergers, Tri-Laterals, CFR's, the foundations, corporations et al. all facilitated through their deep pocket lobbyists and high level contacts. The press in this country and the world at large has been compromised for a long time and this being the case will ensure that "we the people" will always lose at this game as it seems so now.
Our new president doesn't seem to realize that simply delegating authority to a bunch of former insiders who all in some way have been instrumental in our national demise will not implement change.
Supposedly he made 510 promises on the campaign trail; far too many as far as I'm concerned. In order for him to accomplish the greater majority of them, then he'll have to micro-manage the details of government which would be a daunting task especially since he would have to massage so many different personas to get them to cooperate. Here's a link to site that is keeping track of his campaign promises to date.
Quite possibly President Obama is basically a good man who sees infinite possibilities for America; ie., an idealist who wants "team players" at his side and has high hopes of achieving his goals. The shadowy movers and shakers evidently groom people like him so they can inject them into the political scene for holding action purposes until their flagship party; ie., the Republicans can make it back to the White House. I believe President Jimmy Carter is an example of this phenomenon.
I'm not looking for him to fail, but it seems on some of these most important issues such as torture, the war on a noun; ie., terror and the continued erosion of our remaining freedoms etc., it will be business as usual or worse.
Carl Nemo **==
Your first clue was that he voted for FISA. He had a paper thin resume and what was on it, was nothing remotely indicating change.
When I would ask people what impressed them about Obama, it was his books, his demeanor. Never his past policies. O that's right. He didn't HAVE any.
And now you are all so shocked.
Bless your hearts.
That's right about FISA. As I said at the time, that bill did not need his support to pass, but he voted yea nonetheless. A not so discrete thumb in the eye to his faithful, who proceeded to simply ignore it or rationalize it away.
Big surprise. All the "major party" candidates we were given a choice to vote for were all globalist/corporatist stooges. So imagine that any of them would continue the same globalist/corporatist course that we've been on since the creation of the Federal Reserve. Democrat or Republican, it's always going to be torture, spying, and a global imperial agenda.
My country this of thee
Sweet land of property
Of thee I weep
Land where New Orleans died
Land of secret torture flights
From every phone and email spy
Let business rule
Hell Fire…Hugo Chavez didn't even want to be remotely associated with, or be like George Bush – why would Obama?
I've not in anyway been a stumper for Obama, but come on. Gezzz, George Bush is probably wishing that he isn't him… as narcissistic as Bush is.
Obama is 'Establishment'. If you support and vote for the establishment you get more of the same. If you truly want change, support the heck out of people and parties that are outside of the establishment.
I'm still naive enough to have hope for the electoral process, that is, if we (the voters) can get and keep control of it.


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subset: commoncrawl


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The three hour and two minute slugfest featured four lead changes, 25 combined runs and 27 combined hits. Four Lee hurlers walked eight batters and hit five other Warriors with pitches. The win sends Lee (50-10) into a winner's bracket matchup with No. 3 seed Embry-Riddle (Fla.) tonight at 9:30 p.m. EDT.
"It certainly wasn't what I expected," admitted coach Mark Brew. "I think our hitters are carrying a chip on their shoulders. They have watched as our pitchers command a lot of attention this season."
Lewis-Clark State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly by senior catcher Kyle Blackwell, but Lee immediately answered back with six runs in the top of the second, taking advantage of a Warrior error to jump-start the rally.
Unfazed, the Warriors fought back from the four-run deficit and placed their own six-spot on the board in the bottom of the third to retake the lead 8-6. Smith lost his command in the frame, hitting two batters to force in one run and walking home another.
It was Lewis-Clark State starter Nylund's turn to make an early exit in the fourth inning, exiting with arm tightness after giving up a two-out walk to Danny Canela to load the bases. Designated hitter Corey Davis cleared them with a triple down the right-field line to greet reliever Garrett Wilson as the Flames regained a 9-8 advantage.
"Corey's triple was huge and got us back in the lead for good," noted Brew. "Canela was great at the plate all night. I'm proud of the way our guys hung in there when the leads kept slipping away."
That lead widened to 10-8 in the fifth on a mammoth home run by Lee first baseman Karsten Strieby, his third of the season. The solo shot cleared the fence in straightaway center field. Canela helped stretch the margin with a two-run homer in the sixth and the Flames added an insurance run in the seventh when Brandon Rader singled and scored on Brady Renner's double.
Canela paced the 16-hit attack with two singles, a home run and four RBIs. Josh Silver also had three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored. Strieby had a single to go with his homer. He tallied twice. Davis also had a base knock to go with his triple.
Derrick Pitts and Rader joined the two-hit club, while Brady Renner walked twice and was hit by a pitch. He scored four times and added an RBI with his double. Cameron Brewster had an infield hit that produced an RBI.
Junior Keegan Yuhl (4-1) was the winning pitcher. He worked four innings and allowed five hits, two earned runs, struck out five and walked two. "Keegan gave us exactly what we needed," praised Brew. "He helped us finally take control against a very good Lewis-Clark hitting team."
Andy Hillis came on to pitch the final two innings. Sal Arena (1-4) was charged with the Warrior pitching defeat.
The 10-team World Series field will be trimmed to six before the Flames take the field tonight. Memorial Day play begins at 3 EDT when Missouri Baptist and Rogers State (Oka.) battle to stay alive. At 6 p.m. it'll be another loser's out game when Northwood (Texas) and Lewis-Clark State tangle.
Before the No. 2 seed Flames take Harris Field, No. 1 seed Faulkner (Ala.) will face The Master's (Calif.)
Lee and Embry-Riddle have faced-off seven times over the years and the Flames hold a 5-2 advantage. In World Series play, coach Mark Brew's team whipped the Eagles 10-7 in 2010 and 7-4 in 2011. The two squads did not meet in last year's Series.
"Embry-Riddle once again appears to have great pitching and will most likely send a lefty (Stetson Nelson) to the mound against us," said Brew. Nelson, a sophomore transfer from Winthrop University, is 8-2 overall and owns a 2.03 ERA.
"They (Embry-Riddle) have struggled on paper offensively this year, but the offense was clicking for them late in game one of the Series and it looked pretty good to us," said Brew as he viewed the scouting report.
Senior right-hander Jose Samayoa will get the start for the Flames. Samayoa is 10-1 overall with a 1.76 ERA. "We need a good performance out of Jose and our pitchers need to do a better job of attacking the zone than we did against LC State.
"Offensively, I am hoping we can continue our quality at-bats and production at the plate," the coach added. "We must also be able to defend against Embry-Riddle's short game which they are really good at executing. It should be another great game."
The Flames spent spend a busy Sunday. They were up early to attend the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes service then traveled to Clarkston, Wash., for their seventh straight church service at Clarkston First Baptist.
The team paid a visit to the Lewiston Rodeo Roundup Grounds for a great lunch and fun time. The lunch was hosted by Brad Cannon, Lee's team host and team honorary coach for the sixth consecutive year.


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The "twangcore" and "Americana" boom of today owes a large debt to the shaggy twangers and no-hit wonders of yesteryear -- this section looks at the hippiebilly and stoner bands and a few odd, random artists from the 1960s, '70s and early '80s, back before there was anything called "alt-country." This page covers the letter "F"
The Fabulous Rhinestones "The Fabulous Rhinestones" (Just Sunshine, 1972)
Produced by The Fabulous Rhinestones & Michael Lang)
This one's added as more of a "buyer beware" listing: if you like early '70s groove and boogie rock, go for it, but if you're mainly into country-rock and twang, this is definitely too rock'n'roll for you. The Rhinestones get mentioned in connection to early country-rock because guitarist Kal David was previously in the Illinois Speed Press, a country-tinged band with Paul Cotton, who joined an early lineup of Poco. But this album is pretty strictly hippie-era heavy-rockand funky jam-band R&B, good for what it is, but not very country. Steel player Ben Keith plays on the record's lone acoustic tune, "Big Indian," and electric blues legend Paul Butterfield blows harp on the opening track. They recorded two other albums, which I guess I'll check out if I get a chance, and I'll let you know if they ever got any twangier...
Family Lotus "Rendezvous" (Full Circle, 1979)
John Fahey - see artist discography
Fat City - see artist discography
Fast Flying Vestibule "Union Station" (Rolling Donut Records, 1976) (LP)
Dick Feller - see artist discography
Fence Walker "Feels Right" (Perdue Recording, Inc, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Dean Elliott & Jim Perdue)
A modestly accomplished band from Amarillo, Texas who made this album just as the alt-country "Americana" scene was gathering steam, though they seem to have been totally outside the popular wave of college-rock twang... I think their real roots were in rock'n'roll, since they start each side of this LP out with more rock-oriented numbers -- the surf-garage tinged "Feels Right" and the bar-band boogie of "Dear John" -- but then they devote themselves to twang, though they don't seem to be as comfortable with country, and it sounds a little awkward. The vocals are also iffy -- if you've heard folks like Dusty Chaps or Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, then you'll know what territory I'm talking about... I wouldn't say these guys were as distinctive as those better-known bands, but it's a similar vibe. Possibly the most interesting tracks are a couple of songs about their experiences as an obscuro-band, Archie Young's rambling "Gone Again," and the more rockin' "Dream And Watch It Grow," which kind of reminds me of Seattle's fabled Young Fresh Fellows... These guys probably could have made a better rock record than twang, but it was nice of them to give the country thing a try. Apparently the band continued to jam together through the early '00s, though it looks like this was their only album.
Jim Ferguson "Slow Down The Pace" (Jim An I Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Sharon K. Doherty & Jim Ferguson)
Ultra-indie DIY honkytonk country from Garden Grove, California (in Orange County, near Anaheim...) Ferguson wasn't the world's greatest singer, nor was this the world's greatest band, but he gets major points for taking it seriously, for writing good songs and for being more than a decade ahead of the crowd, recording the kind of rough-edged amateur twang that the "Americana" scene would become known for in the 1990s. There are several really good songs on here, including "Cold Woman" and "The More I Try," all sung with an admirable amount of twang. Anyone out there know if he recorded anything else, or was this it?
Mike Finnigan "Mike Finnigan" (Warner Brothers, 1976)
(Produced by Jerry Wexler)
Keyboard player to the stars, Mike Finnigan is perhaps best known as a rock, pop and R&B player, and for his work with rock and pop elite such as Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton, and Crosby Stills & Nash, but he also had a country side, as heard in parts of this funky, eclectic album, which has Texas fiddler Johnny Gimble and picker Pete Carr as part of an impressive studio lineup. At the time, according to the liner notes, his day jobs were backing Maria Muldaur and Dave Mason, and Muldaur sings on here as well... Mostly it's a white soul album -- I'm reminded of Bill Champlin on several tracks -- but songs like "Mississippi On My Mind," "Southern Lady" and "Misery Loves Company," there's a subtle bit of twang. The Stamps Quartet provides some Southern gospel backup, ala the Oak Ridge Boys... Mostly this is to slick and pop-oriented for me, but it's a good slice of eclectic '70s musicmaking, for the more AOR-oriented among us.
Firefall "The Greatest Hits" (Atlantic, 1992)
I suppose I am obliged to mention the super-slick Top 40 'Seventies band Firefall, which is perhaps really more of a "soft rock" band, but certainly had a respectable country-rock pedigree. Singer Rick Roberts was in an early lineup of the Flying Burrito Brothers (as was drummer Mickey Clarke) and co-founder Jock Bartley was briefly in Gram Parson's backup band, the Fallen Angels, as well as Chris Hillman's post-Burritos band in the mid-'70s. Et cetera, et cetera. Anyway, there was some residual twang, or at least an acoustic sensibility underneath their slick pop hits, though I suspect many twangfans will find a lot of their material pretty noxious, the very epitome of whiny '70s wimp-rock. (Though I have to confess I still have a positive Pavlovian response to some of these oldies, though I won't say which ones... I have to keep a few secrets!) At their best, they were Crosby Stills & Nash knockoffs (like on "It Doesn't Matter," the first track on their first album...) At their worst, as heard on the later tracks of this best-of collection, they played some truly awful, tepid, heartless, semi-synthy stuff, kind of like Toto, but not even that good. Their early-'80s decline was not a pretty thing. So, yeah, part of the country-rock story, but not as interesting as, say, Pure Prairie League.
Fire Mountain Militia "Edge Of The Night" (Thunder Lizard) (LP)
Flatbush "Driver's Dream" (Bush League, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Flatbush & Jerry Bruno)
One of the premiere country-rock bands from Cleveland, Ohio during the late 1970s... These guys apparently broke up in 1981, not long after recording this album...
Flatland Band "Plainly Scene" (Golden Rope, 1983)
The Flatlanders - see artist discography
The Flying Burrito Brothers - see artist discography
Foggy Bottom "Foggy Bottom" (Real Earth, 1979) (LP)
Blaze Foley - see artist discography
Footloose "Country In The City" (Mudhen 1981) (LP)
Fool's Gold "Fool's Gold" (Asylum, 1976)
(Produced by Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Glyn Johns & John Stronach)
These guys were, literally, Eagles knockoffs: with Glenn Frey as a co-producer, they frequently slide into smooth, mellow group harmonies that will be very familiar to fans of The Eagles. There's a definite Southern California country-rock vibe, as well as a strong strain of pure '70s AOR, which isn't surprising, since their main gig was working as Dan Fogleberg's backing band. They cover a couple of his songs, and Fogleberg co-wrote a third with members of the band; guitarist Joe Walsh also appears on here, playing lead on the first track. This is very soft, very familiar-sounding music, airy, gooey, mildly bland 'Seventies stuff, and even though this band never made its mark as a solo entity, folks who like classic soft-pop of the era will dig this disc. There's a little bit of legitimate twang in here, too -- piano player Doug Livingston also adds some nice pedal steel throughout, and they squeeze some mandolin in there as well.
Fool's Gold "Mr. Lucky" (Columbia, 1977)
(Produced by Keith Olson)
Jim Ford "Harlan County" (Edsel, 1997)
Jim Ford "The Sounds Of Our Time" (Bear Family, 2007)
Jim Ford "Point Of No Return: Previously Unissued Masters, A Lost 45 & Rare Demos" (Bear Family, 2008)
Jim Ford "Big Mouth USA -- The Unissued Paramount Album" (Bear Family, 2009)
A tantalizing set of material from one of the odder characters on the 1970's twang scene. Songwriter Jim Ford was a pal of funk-soul pioneer Sly Stone; he played on some Sly & The Family Stone albums, as well as other iconic rock and pop records, but he nurtured an abiding love of country music, and wrote some truly stunning original twang-tunes. He must have had some interesting personal quirks, though, because there is a string of unissued demo material for projects on a number of labels. Maybe the major-label "suits" just weren't ready yet to have some hippie longhair crash the Nashville party, but for whatever reason, Ford faded from the scene and wound up living off the radar, ending his life in obscurity, in a trailer home up in Northern California. In his home was a treasure trove of demo tapes, unissued masters, and a handful of singles that had been issued over the years. Some of it is really great stuff, well-sculpted country songs, often with a novelty twist, as well as some dips into sunshine pop-era rock and soul. This disc, along with the Capitol Album collection below, overlaps with earlier Bear Family releases, but that doesn't detract from their value: if you're hearing of Ford's work for the first time, then these discs will be a real treat. Check it out!
Jim Ford "The Unissued Capitol Album" (Bear Family, 2009)
The Four Guys "Right On!!" (NRS, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Col. Dave Mathes)
Sunshine pop and folk-pop vocals from a quartet who were "just as much at home on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry as they are on the Las Vegas Circuit..." (as the liner notes proclaim...) Although several Nashville studio stalwarts such as Weldon Myrick, Jerry Shook and Junior Huskey play on these sessions, there's precious little twang -- it's more of an example of how pop sensibilities bubbled under the surface of Music City. This vocal group originally hailed from Ohio, but found work backing various stars in the mid-1960s and early '70s, including gigs with Jimmy Dean, Charly Pride and Hank Williams, Jr., and many others. This edition of the band featured tenor Gary Buck, a former gospel singer with the Stamps Quartet who apparently came up with the idea of recording an album and eventually became the group's featured vocalist, as they adapted the gospel quartet style into a pop-country sound similar to what groups such as the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama were developing around the same time. At this point, though, the Four Guys sounded more like the Kingston Trio, and despite a long tenure in Nashville and Vegas, they never quite hit the bigtime. Gary Buck left the band and tried his hand in several music business roles before starting an evangelical ministry and concentrating on Southern Gospel rather than secular stuff; the other guys -- notably Sam Wellington -- kept the band going for decades despite an ever-changing lineup. Among several Stamps Quartet alumni, the Four Guys also briefly included Dave Rowland, who swiftly moved to a solo career as the leader of the vocal group Dave & Sugar.
Elkin Fowler "...And Then Came Bubba" (Columbia, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston)
I haven't heard this one yet, but I figure what with the Bubba reference, it's worth mentioning here. Sounds like an odd one: apparently Fowler was a musical partner with future "Gong Show" host Chuck Woolery in a short-lived pop-psychedelic band, and when that group broke up, Woolery tried his hand at commercial country, while Fowler went in more of a folkie direction. Folks say he sounds pretty Dylanesque on this album, which kinda makes sense with him working with Columbia producer Bob Johnston. Not sure how much twang is in this album, but they recorded it in Nashville, with a bunch of the usual suspects in the studio... When I finally track a copy down, I'll give you a full report.
Ken Fowler & The Hurricane River Band "Ken Fowler And The Hurricane River Band" (Ozark Sound Studios, 1978) (LP)
Garland Frady "Pure Country" (Countryside/Elektra, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Nesmith)
A nice one! And well named. Baritone Garland Frady had a minor hit with "The Barrooms Have Found You," but barely cracking into the Top 100 on an indie label led, inexorably, to cult status. The rugged-voiced Frady is backed here by Michael Nesmith and The Countryside Band, which was an echo of Nesmith's First National Band, assembled to be the house band for his fledgling Countryside label. This was one of only two records released on Countryside, the other being a solo set by steel guitarist Red Rhodes. Speaking of pedal steel, this album is packed with lots of fancy riffs, prominently mixed into a remarkably rootsy, honkytonk-oriented album. On almost all the tracks, J. G. O'Rafferty plays steel, though Red Rhodes and J. D. Maness also play on one track apiece, with Rhodes providing some tasty licks on a more-countrified cover of "Teach Your Children," one of several tracks that give a nod towards the early '70s country-rock scene. Thematically, the song dovetails nicely with the lone song written by Grady himself, "The Barrooms Have Found You," in which a father laments his kid going nuts and partying a little too hardy after turning 21. The rest of the songs reflect a diverse repertoire, with tracks by Johnny Cash, Casey Kelly, a Dave Loggins oldie, Buzz Rabin and Jesse Winchester, as well a countryfied cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." All in all, a pretty strong album, sounding sort of like Dave Dudley doing a semi-hippie session. Also on board are fiddler Byron Berline and Linda Hargrove working in the background as a rhythm guitarist... If you see this one, snap it up. It's nice and twangy... Apparently this was Frady's only album from the 1970s; a couple of decades later he reemerged and released at least two more albums in the 1990s, passing away in 2004. This first album sure is a nice legacy!
The Frank & Woody Show "Damn The Luck" (1978)
(Produced by Bruce Bendinger & Billy Culhane)
A local band from Tucson, AZ, fronted by Frank Manhardt and Woody Janda... They sound a whole lot like their Arizonan contemporaries, Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, though with a slightly less biting wit. (In fact, you can see one of the bandmembers wearing a "Disco Sucks" t-shirt in a photo on the back cover, so they were probably all buddies...) Anyway, back to Frank and Woody... This is another one of those time-capsule hippie country albums, oozing with hard-won authenticity... you can definitely imagine them having their fair share of beer bottles tossed at them in a bunch of desert roadhouse bars, and practically hear the whoops of delight from their longhaired fans as they sang novelty songs like "Damn The Luck" (with the cheerful refrain, "...what the f***"). There are some hot licks and a couple of resonant songs, but mostly this is a pretty sloppy, jokey album -- a nice keepsake for those who were actually there and a great snapshot for those of us who weren't.
The Frank & Woody Show "Wrapped Up In The Fun Of It" (Key Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Smith)
Their second album was a much slicker production - they were really trying on this one, and though they're almost a little too smooth, they have some nice tunes. The first big contrast with their first album is how they cleaned up the language on the Tex-Mexish title tune: this time around they hint at a swear word -- and I'm sure they must have sang it in their live shows -- but when it came time to make the album, the rhyme went, "...wrapped up in the fun of it/refusing to give a bit..." which is kind of wimpy, but whatever. This disc is best remembered for the topical novelty song, "One Less Jogger On The Road," which got a lot of airplay at the time... Other winners include the fantasy number, "If I Ever Get Rich" and their cover of "Your Time's Coming," which was co-written by Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein. Guest musicians include stringband revivalist Jay Ungar playing fiddle and mandolin on the title track, and local Tuscon legend Shep Cooke plays some really pretty guitar, sitting in on one of his own songs, "Forever." Most of the songs are Woody Janda originals, and although his vocals were a little iffy, the album's charming: these were real guys making genuine DIY country.
Ron Fraser "I'm Gonna Sing My Song" (Granite, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
The Fraternity Of Man "The Fraternity Of Man" (ABC, 1968)
(Produced by Tom Wilson)
This short-lived psychedelic band was definitely not strictly country-oriented, but they recorded one of the great classics of the hippie-country genre, the loopy, zonked-out novelty gem, "Don't Bogart Me" (aka "Don't Bogart That Joint My Friend"), which was prominently featured in the stonersploitation film, Easy Rider. The song is pretty funny, and features one of pedal steel player Red Rhodes' best and most memorable performances. The Fraternity was made up of various Frank Zappa cohorts, including some guys who were in Lowell George's early band, The Factory, as well as Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Given this pedigree, it's not surprising that they played an ecelctic, adventurous mix of rock and psychedelic blues-rock, though "Don't Bogart Me" -- which was later covered by Little Feat -- certainly gives them a great alt-twang legacy as well. They recorded one other album, Get It On, in 1969, then went their separate ways.
Freda And The Firedogs "Freda And The Firedogs" (Plug Music, 2002)
(Produced by Jerry Wexler)
This beloved early '70s Austin band featured piano and vocals by Marcia Ball, a youngster from Louisiana who became a core member of the Texas indie scene, initially testing her chops in the hippie twang style, but eventually finding modern blues to be more her thing. This album was recorded in the early '70s as part of a tentative deal with Atlantic Records, but wound up getting shelved for over three decades. There are a lot of country and blues cover tunes, but also an original spark that would resurface in Ball's solo career, which wasn't long in coming. Sadly, this archival reissue album is, itself, many years out of print and not available in any other form. But what goes 'round, comes 'round. It'll be back.
Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones "Spiders In The Moonlight" (Rounder, 1977) (LP)
Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones "The Resurrection Of Spiders In The Moonlight" (Frederick Productions, 2007)
This is a digital-era reissue of Frederick's 1977 Spiders album, with a few bonus tracks added on...
Free Beer "Free Beer" (Southwind, 1975)
Free Beer "Highway Robbery" (RCA, 1976)
(Produced by Alan Lorber)
The singing, songwriting trio of Sandy Allen, Michael Packer and Robert Caleb Potter are augmented by a few studio musicians, including steel guitarist Dan Daley, and some guy on bongo drums. But even with a few 'Seventies affectations, this is a pretty pleasant country-soft pop set, with a few too-lofty arrangements, but overall a reasonably earthy set with a cheerful cowboy-poet undercurrent. Occasionally they lapse into disco-tinged AOR (as on the breezy "Uptown Lover") but fans of easygoing country-rock will enjoy this album. All but one of the songs were written by the bandmembers -- apparently they didn't write together, but they had a lot of original material to work with.
Free Beer "Noveau Chapeau" (1977)
Free Beer "Best" (Iris Music, 2011)
A best-of collection drawing on the three albums listed above... Nineteen tracks in all; seems like a pretty generous selection!
Free Creek "Summit Meeting" (Charisma, 1973)
(Produced by Earle Doud & Tom Flye)
This late-'60s/early-'70s mega-supergroup had some tiny bit of twang in there, along with a whole lot of rock and blues, with rock royalty and studio stalwarts such as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Keith Emerson, Todd Rundgren and Harvey Mandel joined by roots-oriented artists such as Chris Darrow, Dr. John, Bernie Leadon, pedal steel player Red Rhodes and Linda Ronstadt singing lead on a couple of tunes. More of a dino-rock/jam-band record, but might worth checking out for the more adventurous twangfan as well...
Kinky Friedman - see artist discography
Raymond Froggatt "Cold As A Landlord's Heart" (Castle, 2003)
Here's an odd one. In the mid-1970s, English rocker Raymond Froggatt was instructed by his label to "go country," presumably because his spacy psychedelic meanderings weren't selling well... As Froggatt confesses, he didn't have any innate interest in country music, or much experience playing it, but he did as he was told, and the results were quite nice. In 1978 he went to Nashville to record Southern Fried Frog, an album that has become a minor cult classic of British alt-country... I didn't have high expectations for this 2-CD set -- which includes copious examples of both his rock and 'billy sides -- but I picked it up on a lark, and now I am quite delighted at the discovery. To his credit, Froggatt took the work seriously, and discovered what many rockers fail to recognize: country is an exacting art form, one that demands real craftsmanship and feeling, both of which he was able to develop as he explored the format. While there are few outright "classics" on here, several songs snuck up on me, and are tunes that would work well in sets of either classic or alternative twang. The rock stuff is a little less enthralling, but if you wanted to give this guy a fair shake, this collection will really fill the bill. Worth checking out.
Steven Fromholz - see artist discography
Frummox "Here To There" (ABC-Probe Records, 1969)
(Produced by Dick Weissman)
The legendary "lost" debut album from Texas singer-poet Steven Fromholz, recorded as a duo with Dan McCrimmon... This album predated and anticipated much of the Texas indie/outlaw music to come, showcasing an interesting variety of styles, with only a little outright country, balanced by a lot of the same kind of poetic musings that Townes Van Zandt championed around the same time. Side One opens with "The Man With The Big Hat," a latter-day cowboy story-song that anticipates songs like Guy Clark's "Desperadoes Waiting For A Train," albeit sung in an earnest-folkie hootenanny style reminiscent of the Kingston Trio, et. al. The album's centerpiece is "The Texas Trilogy," a series of keenly observed vignettes about a small Texas town in decline -- losing its younger residents to the lure of bigger cities, and no longer has scheduled train stops as it did year ago. Work, love affairs, pregnancies and retirements are examined with a forgiving eye, and a clarity and plainspokenness worthy of Studs Terkel. The Trilogy is a well-deserved landmark in Americana music... From there he shifts into the psychedelic "There You Go," which has a funky hillbilly rap vocal that reminds me of John Hartford; the album closes with a couple of softer folk numbers that are closer in feel to Tim Hardin or Tom Rush -- as a folk-and-country period piece, this album holds up well, with some songs clinging to the sound of the early '60s and other tracks, notably the Trilogy, that are remarkably forward-thinking. Guest musicians include Eric Weissberg and Artie Traum, with "Jeff Walker" (Jerry Jeff, I'm assuming?) pitching in with "head help," whatever that meant. An interesting record, definitely worth checking out.
Frummox "Frummox II" (Felicity, 1982) (LP)
The Funky Kings "Funky Kings" (Arista, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Paul A. Rothchild)
A pretty dismal AOR/soft-pop album that's notable to alt-country fans for the presence of steel player Greg Leisz and songwriter Jack Tempchin, who wrote "Peaceful Easy Feeling" for the Eagles. Tempchin also apparently wrote "Slow Dancing (Swaying To The Music)" which is included here in its original (boring) version, a song that became a big hit for Johnny Rivers the following year. Also in the band was Jules Shear, pre-solo career, adding his voice and a few songs to this undistinctive, bland '70s pop album. Despite the country talent (including some Nashville side musicians) this album has very little twang, and is probably one you can skip.
Richie Furay - see artist discography


text:
Originally published Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 12:00 AM
41 most memorable Sonics
Following are the 41 most memorable Sonics — the players and coaches we've cheered as well as the broadcasters who became icons and a longtime trainer and a lovable furry mascot we'll never forget.
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Sonics are history after 41 years.
Following are the 41 most memorable Sonics — the players and coaches we've cheered as well as the broadcasters who became icons and a longtime trainer and a lovable furry mascot we'll never forget. It wasn't easy compiling this list, but it was a fun stroll down memory lane.
1. Lenny Wilkens
Guard, 1968-72; coach, 1969-72; 1977-85
Hall of Fame player made three straight All-Star appearances as a Sonics guard. Hall of Fame coach led Sonics to consecutive NBA Finals, including 1979 championship.
2. Fred Brown
Guard, 1971-84
"Downtown" is the purest shooter in team history. The captain of the championship team played each of his 13 NBA seasons for Sonics and ranks second in games and points.
3. Gary Payton
Guard, 1990-2003
Nicknamed "The Glove" for his defense, but he's the Sonics' all-time leader in points, assists and three-pointers. Named to the All-NBA team in nine of 13 years with Sonics.
4. Jack Sikma
Center, 1977-86; assistant coach, 2003-07
Franchise's top center played nine seasons here and appeared in seven All-Star Games. Sonics' all-time leading rebounder and third in scoring.
5. Shawn Kemp
Forward, 1989-97
"The Reign Man" is best remembered for his high-flying, powerful dunks. He peaked when the Sonics went to the NBA Finals in 1996, averaging 23.3 points.
6. Gus Williams
Guard, 1977-84
"The Wizard" was the most exciting player in Sonics history, spent six years with them and was a key to the 1979 title team. Two-time All-Star with Sonics.
7. Nate McMillan
Guard, 1986-98; coach, 2000-05
Only Fred Brown and Gary Payton played more games in Seattle than "Mr. Sonic." Second in career assists and steals, 212-183 as a coach before leaving for Portland.
8. George Karl
Coach, 1992-98
The winningest coach in franchise history was 384-150 during the regular season, and guided the Sonics to four division titles, to the playoffs seven times, once to the Finals.
9. Spencer Haywood
Forward, 1970-75
Challenged NBA's underclassman rule and became first Sonics star. Four All-Star Games in 4 ½ seasons; season marks of 29.2 points, 13.4 rebounds are Sonics records.
10. Dennis Johnson
Guard, 1976-80
MVP of the 1979 Finals, averaging 22.6 points in win over Washington. Played four years in Seattle; two-time All-Star and all-defensive first-team selection.
11. Tom Chambers
Forward, 1983-88
A torrential scorer, he averaged 20.4 points during five seasons. As an injury replacement, was MVP at 1987 All-Star Game at Kingdome, scoring 34 points.
12. Bob Rule
Center, 1967-71
One of the original Sonics, he averaged 21.4 points during 4 ½ seasons. Suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in 1970-71 season, was traded to Philadelphia early the next season.
13. Bill Russell
Coach/GM, 1973-77
Former Celtics great took over as coach and general manager in 1973, and went 162-166 in four seasons, but guided the Sonics to their first playoff appearance in '74.
14. Dale Ellis
Guard, 1986-91, 1997-99
In seven seasons, "3D" scored 9,405 points, seventh on all-time list. His average of 27.5 points in 1988-89 is second-best (to Spencer Haywood) in Sonics history.
15. Xavier McDaniel
Forward, 1985-91
One of the great intimidators in franchise history, the "X-Man" provided brute strength and scoring. He's eighth in scoring and rebounding in team history.
16. Ray Allen
Guard, 2003-2007
Arrived in trade for Gary Payton, and was an All-Star each of his four full seasons with Sonics.
17. Detlef Schrempf
Forward, 1993-99; assistant coach, 2006-07
Although he was the third scoring option for most of his six-year Sonics career, the versatile forward made two All-Star appearances.
18. Lonnie Shelton
Forward, 1978-83
The final piece of the championship team, the power forward came to the Sonics as compensation when they lost free agent Marvin Webster to New York.
19. Kevin Calabro
Broadcaster, 1987-2008
Longtime Sonics broadcaster has become a Seattle icon because of his unmistakable voice, amusing narratives and clever phrases such as "flying chickens in the barnyard."
20. Paul Silas
Forward, 1977-80
Averaged fewer than six points in three seasons with the Sonics, but he was the glue of the championship team, a menacing enforcer who mentored Jack Sikma and Lonnie Shelton.
21. Rashard Lewis
Forward, 1998-2007
The one-time All-Star is in the team's all-time top 10 in three-pointers, points, rebounds, steals and blocks.
22. Ricky Pierce
Guard, 1990-94
Pure shooter did his best work inside the three-point line. He's the best free-throw shooter in team history (90.6 percent) and his average of 18.5 points ranks ninth best.
23. Michael Cage
Center, 1988-94
Rugged, square-shouldered big man led the Sonics in rebounding for three of his six seasons with the team. He's fourth on the team's career rebounding list.
24. Sam Perkins
Forward/center, 1992-98
Affectionately dubbed "Big Smooth," Perkins played six seasons with the Sonics, with the team making the playoffs each of those seasons.
25. Slick Watts
Guard, 1973-78
The unofficial "Sonics Ambassador" is just as popular in retirement as he was when he played five seasons for the Sonics and popularized headbands.
26. Derrick McKey
Forward, 1987-93
Taken ninth overall in the 1987 draft and selected to the all-rookie first team, McKey never maximized his potential during six seasons in Seattle.
27. Bernie Bickerstaff
Coach, 1985-90
Led Sonics to playoffs in three of his five seasons. Despite a 39-43 record, Sonics advanced to the Western Conference finals in 1987.
28. John Johnson
Forward, 1977-82
Before Scottie Pippen and Tracy McGrady, "J.J." was one of the NBA's first "point forwards." A capable scorer, he led the Sonics in assists for two of his five seasons.
29. Bob Blackburn
Broadcaster, 1967-92
Original "Voice of the Sonics" left in what he called a "forced retirement." Beloved broadcaster is famous for rapid-fire delivery and homespun tales.
30. Bob Weiss
Guard, 1967-68, assistant coach, 1994-2005; coach, 2005-06
One of the original Sonics, he played 82 games in the expansion season and coached 30 games of the '05-06 season. He also spent 11 years as a Sonics assistant coach.
31. Kevin Durant
Guard, 2007-08
Played just one season in Seattle and became the first Sonic to win the Rookie-of-the-Year award. The 19-year-old shooting guard couldn't prevent the Sonics from stumbling to a franchise worst 20-62 record, though.
32. Tom Meschery
Forward, 1967-71
One of the original Sonics. Ranks ninth in team history with 2,813 rebounds. Born Tomislav Nikolayevich Mescheryakov, Meschery was the first Russian in the NBA.
33. Paul Westphal
Guard, 1980-81; coach, 1998-2000
All-Star starter for the Sonics in 1981 had a disappointing run as head coach, compiling a 78-74 record after succeeding George Karl.
34. Vin Baker
Forward, 1997-2002
Second-team All-NBA his first year in Seattle, but his weight ballooned during the lockout-shortened 1999 season and struggles with alcoholism derailed his promising career.
35. Walt Hazzard
Guard, 1967-68, 1973-74
Seattle's first All-Star during the team's inaugural season in 1967. Averaged 23.9 points that year, which was seventh in the league in scoring. Later changed his name to Mahdi Abdul-Rahman.
36. Hersey Hawkins
Guard, 1995-99
The sharpshooting, ballhawking guard was the missing piece to a near-championship puzzle. Arrived in 1995 and helped the Sonics to a Finals appearance.
37. Frank and Sarah Furtado
Frank, trainer, 1974-2000; Sarah, executive assistant, 1970-96
The Sonics renamed their training facility the Furtado Center in 2001, in honor of the husband/wife team. Each worked 26 years for the team. Frank was twice named NBA trainer of the year.
38. Jim McIlvaine
Center, 1996-98
Controversial free agent who was given a $33.6 million contract after two unproductive seasons in Washington. His arrival upset Shawn Kemp, who wanted a contract extension, and led to the All-Star forward's trade.
39. Steve Scheffler
Forward, 1992-97
The gregarious towel-waving, high-fiving deep reserve was a fan favorite who saw action when the game was out of hand.
40. Desmond Mason
Guard, 2000-03
A dynamic guard with amazing leaping ability. He's the only Sonic to ever win a slam dunk title, claiming the trophy in 2001.
41. Squatch
Mascot, 1993-2008
The high-flying, slam-dunking daredevil of a mascot made his debut in 1993, replacing "Wheedle."
Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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Wife, mother of 4 daughters, and grandmother to soon to be six, (Oct '09)Hublet is father of 5, grandfather of 13, and great grandfather of 3, soon to be 4, (Oct '09)
We live on a farm, 20 plus acres in rural SE Missouri. We are still trying to be self sufficiant and we are almost there. We raise chickens for eggs and and we will be raising "Cornish X's " for meat. Our chickens are 'Free-Range", they run the house (outside of course) and help with the ticks and other nasty bugs, and yes, snakes. Currently we have 20 goats, does, a few of their babies, a buck and a whether (castrated male). Next batch of babies should be around Nov '09. Our goats are a mix of La Mancha, and Nubians for milk production and Boer, for meat, however we don't eat our goats, we sell them Their milk is wonderful and I just started making cheese. Also living with us are, 2 dogs, Sadie, 5 yo Black Lab/Golden Ret mix and Rosie, 3 yo Rottie/Akita mix. There are 3 cats who let us live with them, Tiger, 13 yo, Angel, 2 yo and the newest, Stinky, 1 yo +/- a month or two. Tiger has never been out, but Angel and Stinky are inside/outside kitties and help with keeping the rodents at bay. Trixie and Dixie are the two bunnies and I have no idea why we have them, other than the fact they needed a home. Currently we are raising 2 Angus steers, Sir Loin and T-Bone. One is for the freezer and one for profit. Rebel, a 30 year old Fox Trotter has retired here as well as us two humans. His days are spent grazing, napping and wading in one of the two ponds. Occasionaly he gets tacked up to give the grandskids a ride. We raise at least one pig every fall, but this year it will be 3, yikes! One for us, and one for hublet's youngest son. He and his wife and kids moved here in February. The third is for a friend, who sold us the steers. This year I would like to add to the mix some geese, ducks and a few turkeys. We have a garden every growing season and when we moved here 3 1/2 years ago we started an orchard. Oh, and finally, one of our ponds is stocked with catfish, well at least we threw them in 2 years ago. But no one fishes, maybe the snapping turtles got 'em. Now if I stocked the pond with lobsters, that would be a different story.
Besides farm "stuff", I love to cook and bake (no duh, why would I be here if I didn't), knit, I knit everyday, and sew. In my former life, I worked for clothing designers. I guess decorating my old stone farm house is a passion as well, along with refinishing antiques. My days are very full.
Hublet and I love to travel, however as of late we haven't had a chance because there was no one to watch the farm. Well for joy, son, wife and kids live here now, yea! Farm sitters! Favorite place to unwind, the Florida Keys.
Seafood, especially lobster, a great rare fillet, rack or leg of lamb and a perfect roast chicken. I even enjoy calves liver, but please, no tripe.
Most veggies I like especially butternut squash. Least favorite would be beets, however since growing them and roasting them, not half bad.
Love most fruits, partial to berries of all kinds, but do not like cantalope.
My mother's desserts are my favorites. She was a wonderful baker, pies, cakes, cookies and puddings. Nothing fancy, just very good.
I'm sitting here thinking about a favorite dish to cook. I don't have a favorite. I love the process of all recipes.
My family still requests any homemade pasta and tomato sauce.
No 4 star resaurants here in SE MO, so the favorite eatery would have to be my own kitchen, lol.
Thanks for stopping by and reading about me and my farm life.