I’m a retired, straight white man living debt-free in an affluent Boston suburb. I’ll be fine in Trumpworld II … right?
Author: DOuG pRATt
A Democracy Self-Destructs
Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” is no more. “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” should be removed from the Statue of Liberty.
“Basket of deplorables” is an odd turn of phrase, but Hillary was right. So was Obama when he said, “They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Fright Night II — The Election
Will the criminal con man be sent back to the White House to complete his destruction of American democracy? To calm my nerves on this very scary night, instead of following the election results I’m doing what I did before Halloween, watching The Munsters on the Universal Monsters Channel.
Rhapsody in Blue State
Long before she was elected the mayor of Boston, I met her when she was the maid of honor at my nephew Michael’s wedding. Here she is in her side gig, performing “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Boston Pops.
Tull’s Prog Rock Progression
I first saw The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in abbreviated form on a LaserDisc release. Filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in December, 1968, only a few weeks before he started filming the Beatles for what became Let It Be.
I especially enjoyed Jethro Tull’s “A Song For Jeffrey”. Ian Anderson, in a fearlessly eccentric performance, was 21 here. Drummer Clive Bunker could almost be mistaken for Mick Fleetwood.
Tull’s first five albums, through Thick as a Brick, were a near obsession for me in high school. The fourth, Aqualung, was the big breakthrough. Tracks from Aqualung continue to be heard on American Classic Rock FM stations.
It’s a shame the first three Tull albums aren’t more widely played, because they clearly show Anderson’s rapid musical progression. Fortunately, they’ve been made conveniently available as official YouTube playlists.
This Was
Stand Up
Benefit
Elec-tion-tricity
This is a first for me, posting with my phone over the cellular network. The power is off here, due to a long-delayed utility project in the center of town. Scheduling work on this election day shows some very poor judgment.
Update: I’m using my phone as a wi-fi hotspot for my laptop PC, which is something I have done before. The power is supposed to be on by 10 AM and it’s 8:30 now… and just a few minutes later it’s back.
You know how people get with giant lottery jackpots? “You can’t win if you don’t play” is their logic. But on election day those same people have the attitude, “Why bother? My vote doesn’t count.”