A Wart On The Family Name

Robert F. Kennedy is hoping to win the Democratic nomination next year for president.  Truth be told, I am more qualified than he is to run for president, for I am at least an honest person.  Robert Kennedy is trading on the family name and in the process is tarnishing that name.  The world thinks of the name “Kennedy” and they think of the late President Kennedy who was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963.  And they think of the late Attorney General, senator, and presidential candidate Robert (Bobby) F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on June 6th, 1968.  But if Bobby’s son has his way, he will place a permanent stain on the legacy left by those two men.

The odds of Kennedy actually beating President Biden in the primary are slim-to-none, and surely he realizes it, but for some reason he has decided to throw his hat in the ring anyway, as have so many on the Republican side of the aisle who have zero chance for success.  Robert Reich believes that when Kennedy loses the primary, he will launch a third-party candidacy, damaging President Biden in the general election.

Kennedy is a rabid anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who has claimed that the reknowned infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci was orchestrating “fascism.”  He has often invoked the Holocaust in his speech, claiming that victims of that horror had more freedom than people in the U.S. today.  He claimed that Anne Frank had more freedom for “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did.” He later apologized for that remark, but words once spoken are never truly erased, for they reflect the true thoughts of the speaker.

Kennedy has found kinship with none other than Twitter’s Elon Musk, who hosted a two-hour conversation with him on Twitter Spaces.  It was a mutual admiration society, from what I’m told, with Kennedy licking Musk’s boots, at one point comparing Musk to colonists who died during the American revolution in order to give “us our constitution.”

I find it concerning that Kennedy has rallied more support than I would have thought possible among Democrats.  Around 20% say they would definitely support him, and a concerning 64% say they would consider supporting him.  Granted, that is not a winning number, however with 517 days left until the election (17 months), a lot can happen.  The media and others seem to want to continually focus on President Biden’s age, and heaven forbid that he trip over a sandbag that never should have been on the stage anyway, for then he is deemed to be incapable, incompetent, and any number of other derogatory adjectives. (I tripped over my own pants leg this morning while out watering the flowers … does that make me mentally incompetent???)

Among his numerous conspiracy theories are that he claims to believe it was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that killed both his uncle and his father, not Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan.  In fact, he has advocated for Sirhan Sirhan’s release from prison.  At one point he claimed that Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had somehow paralyzed 496,000 children in India during a polio vaccine trial.  In the past 23 years, there have been exactly 17 cases of vaccine-derived polio in India … not 496,000, not even close.  And, naturally, he claims to be convinced that Bill Gates was implanting microchips into patients through the Covid vaccine … in fact, he was largely responsible for starting that falsehood.

Robert Reich has even more to say about this Kennedy in his latest piece …

Make no mistake. Junior has nothing whatever to do with his father – who stood up for economic and social justice (and for whom I worked in the late 1960s).

The younger RFK is a right-wing nut case.

He plans to travel to the Mexican border this week to “try to formulate policies that will seal the border permanently.”

He wants the federal government to consider the war in Ukraine from the perspective of Russians.

He doesn’t support a ban on assault weapons and blames the rise of mass shootings in America on pharmaceutical drugs.

He attacks Biden as a warmonger. He charged on Musk’s broadcast earlier this week that Biden “has always been in favor of very bellicose, pugnacious and aggressive foreign policy, and he believes that violence is a legitimate political tool for achieving America’s objectives abroad.”

You can read the rest of Reich’s column here.

I still can’t understand why Kennedy is running as a Democrat, since his ideas align much more with the Republicans than with the Democrats.  I sincerely hope that Democratic voters are intelligent enough to stick with the tried and true and not be lured by the Kennedy name.  John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Sr. would die of shame, seeing how this man has abused their name … if they weren’t already dead, that is.

♫ Hey Jude ♫ (Redux)

I have been meaning to redux this one since sometime in March, and hadn’t gotten around to it yet.  Last time I played it a couple of years ago, I included a new version comprised of not only the Beatles, but including Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sting, Phil Collins and more.  After I posted it, Clive did some research and found that this was part of a larger project, a benefit concert called Music for Montserrat.  According to Wikipedia …

Music For Montserrat was a benefit concert held on 15 September 1997 at the Royal Albert Hall. The event was organised by Sir George Martin, former producer for The Beatles and founder of Associated Independent Recording, to raise funds for the Caribbean island of Montserrat after a major volcanic eruption by the Soufrière Hills volcano earlier that year.

The concert was arranged and produced by Martin, and starred many iconic British and American rock musicians such as Phil Collins, Ray Cooper, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Midge Ure, Arrow and many more, all of whom had once recorded or produced on the island. A DVD was released with the most famous songs from the concert, such as “Your Song”, “Layla”, “Brothers in Arms”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Money for Nothing”, “Yesterday”, “Hey Jude”, and “Message in a Bottle”.

Proceeds from ticket sales and DVD copies went towards restoration and support of the island. The concert raised £1.5 million.  Proceeds from the show and DVD were used for immediate relief and also helped fund the building of a new cultural centre in Montserrat. On its completion in 2006, George Martin gifted the centre to the local community, which is still in operation today.

Somehow, knowing that makes the video even more meaningful.  But about the song …

Released in 1968, Paul McCartney wrote this as “Hey Jules,” a song meant to comfort John Lennon’s 5-year-old son Julian as his parents were getting a divorce. The change to “Jude” was inspired by the character “Jud” in the musical Oklahoma!

Says Paul McCartney …

“John and his wife Cynthia had divorced, and I felt a bit sorry for their son, who was now a child of a divorce. I was driving out to see the son and Cynthia one day and I was thinking about the boy whose name was Julian – Julian Lennon, and I started this idea, ‘Hey Jules, don’t make it bad, it’s gonna be OK.’ It was like a reassurance song.

So that was the idea that I got driving out to see them. I saw them and then I came back and worked on the song some more. But I like that name, Jude.”

And according to the all-grown-up Julian Lennon …

“Paul told me he’d been thinking about my circumstances, about what I was going through and what I’d have to go through. Paul and I used to hang out quite a bit – more than Dad and I did… There seem to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing at that age than me and Dad. I’ve never really wanted to know the truth of how Dad was and how he was with me. There was some very negative stuff – like when he said that I’d come out of a whisky bottle on a Saturday night. That’s tough to deal with. You think, where’s the love in that? It surprises me whenever I hear the song. It’s strange to think someone has written a song about you. It still touches me.”

At the time of its release, it was the longest song ever released as a single.  Hey Jude was a number-one hit in many countries around the world and became the top-selling single of 1968 in the UK, the US, Australia and Canada.

Hey Jude
The Beatles

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don’t be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain
Hey Jude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na

Hey Jude, don’t let me down
You have found her, now go and get her (let it out and let it in)
Remember to let her into your heart (hey Jude)
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in
Hey Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you
Hey Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na, yeah

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you’ll begin to make it better
Better better better better better, ah!

Na, na, na, na-na-na na (yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (Jude Jude, Judy Judy Judy Judy, ow wow!)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (my, my, my)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (yeah, you know you can make it, Jude, Jude, you’re not gonna break it)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (don’t make it bad, Jude, take a sad song and make it better)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (oh Jude, Jude, hey Jude, wa!)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (oh Jude)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (hey, hey, hey, hey)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (hey, hey)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (now, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (Jude, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (yeah, make it, Jude)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)
Na, na, na, na-na-na na (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude
Na, na, na, na-na-na na
Na-na-na na, hey Jude

Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Hey Jude lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

♫ Uptown Girl ♫ (Redux)

Yesterday, when I played a song by Barry Manilow for my friend Carolyn, a couple of people, including Carolyn herself, mentioned Billy Joel and I started thinking that it’s been a while since I’ve played a Billy Joel song.  Turns out, I’ve already played four of his this year, and we’re not even halfway through the year!  Still, by that time, I had Billy Joel on my mind, so I decided to play this one that I haven’t played since back in 2019!  I like the rhythm, like the video, like most everything about it and I hope you will, too!


Released in 1983, Uptown Girl was conceived on an occasion when he was surrounded by Christie Brinkley, Whitney Houston and his then girlfriend Elle Macpherson.

“The song was originally called ‘Uptown Girls’ not ‘Uptown Girl.’ I know its associated with Christie but when I started to write that song I had recently divorced prior to meeting her, all of the sudden I’m a rock star and divorced. All these women were going to go out with me.”

He married supermodel Christie Brinkley less than two years after this song was released, but he wasn’t even dating her when he started writing the song.  Joel also said that the song was inspired by the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  He and Christie divorced after just nine years.

This charted at #1 in Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, and #3 in the U.S.

Uptown Girl
Billy Joel

Uptown girl
She’s been living in her uptown world
I bet she’s never had a backstreet guy
I bet her mama never told her why

I’m gonna try for an uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am

And when she knows
What she wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind

She’ll see I’m not so tough
Just because
I’m in love with an uptown girl
You know I’ve seen her in her uptown world
She’s getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She’s got a choice

Uptown girl
You know I can’t afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She’ll understand what kind of guy I’ve been
And then I’ll win

And when she’s walking
She’s looking so fine
And when she’s talking
She’ll say that she’s mine

She’ll say I’m not so tough
Just because
I’m in love
With an uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am

Uptown girl
She’s my uptown girl
You know I’m in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I’m in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I’m in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I’m in love
With an uptown girl

Songwriters: Billy Joel
Uptown Girl lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

A Chilling Comparison

Things creep up on us, often unnoticed.  For instance, we age but it happens so gradually that we don’t really notice until one day when we look in the mirror and wonder who that ol’ hag is and how she got in here.  Winter turns to spring and spring turns to summer while we gain 1-2 minutes of daylight each day, but we don’t really notice it on a day-to-day basis … just one day we realize that we’re not turning the lights on until 9:00!  How did that happen?  Other things can creep up on us too, often without us really noticing.  Blogging friend Ten Bears has written a post … mostly an excerpt from a book I read several years ago … that I really, really hope you will take a few minutes to read (the post, not necessarily the book, though I highly recommend it, too!) because every word is so spot on, so thought-provoking, and so very relevant to where we are today here in the U.S.  Here is a short excerpt, but please … his post is short, just over 500 words … do take the time to read it all.

Milton Mayer writes in his book They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-1945 not overnight, incrementally, like the legendary slow boiling of frogs.

“You see,” my colleague went on, “one doesn’t see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow. You don’t want to act, or even talk, alone; you don’t want to ‘go out of your way to make trouble.’ Why not?—Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty.

And the rest can be found at Ten Bear’s blog, Homeless on the High Desert

And pay special attention to his final paragraph …

Thank you, Ten Bears, for this truly thought-provoking and insightful post.

♫ I Write The Songs ♫

Well, it seems my two co-directors cannot agree about Barry Manilow.  One of them, Carolyn, suggested Manilow’s I Write the Songs, while the other, Clive, threatened to sick up if he had to listen to Manilow.  And then my friend Ryinger ringed in and suggested Copacabana!  So much to consider, yes?  So, I considered all viewpoints, listened to Copacabana … a song I’ve always liked, but never really bothered to listen and contemplate the lyrics & meaning before.  I opted out of that one, and then reviewed Manilow’s record in the UK … not a very impressive set of charts for him, I must admit.  And after much pondering and listening to a variety of Manilow’s songs, I settled on the one Carolyn originally suggested!  Why?  Well, I’m not gonna please Clive, nor likely any of my UK friends, with ANY Manilow song, so I might as well play what I want, and frankly, I Write the Songs is one of my top favourites of Barry Manilow’s music.  And so, that’s my reason/excuse for tonight’s song!  Now if somebody would get Clive a bag …

According to SongFacts …

This was written by Bruce Johnston, who is a member of The Beach Boys. The song is sometimes erroneously rumored to be about Brian Wilson. Johnston cleared this up when he told us: “The Captain & Tennille were the first artists to record my song ‘I Write The Songs.’ I never wrote ‘I Write The Songs’ about Brian Wilson. I wrote it about ‘where music comes from’ (for me, music comes only from God). My song has nothing to do with Brian! I admire Brian Wilson’s great melodies and, as a member of the Beach Boys, I’m singing these fantastic songs in concert year after year.”

Teen heartthrob David Cassidy released a successful version that was a single in England and hit #11 on the UK charts. Clive Davis, who was in charge of Manilow’s record label, heard Cassidy’s version and had Manilow record it.

This won a Grammy for Song of the Year. The Beach Boys never won a Grammy – after winning this, Johnston became the only member of the group to get one until Brian Wilson’s “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” was awarded Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2005.

From the liner notes of The Complete Collection And Then Some…: Manilow was originally reluctant to record this song, saying to Arista Records chief Clive Davis, “This ‘I Write The Songs’ thing Clive, I really don’t want to do it.” Manilow says his worry “was that the listeners would think I was singing about how I write the songs, when it was really about the inspiration of music. Clive understood, but didn’t think it would be a problem. ‘Besides,’ he told me, ‘You DO write songs!'”

Manilow says he was concerned about coming off as a gigantic egomaniac, but that he liked the song so much he decided to record it. He adds, “Whenever I heard the song in public, I felt the need to run to everyone who was listening and say, ‘You know, I’m really not singing about myself!'”

Interestingly, the David Cassidy version did make the UK charts at #11, but Manilow fell short there, not even charting in the UK and charting in the U.S. at #1 and in Canada at #3.

I Write the Songs

Barry Manilow

I’ve been alive forever
And I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music
And I write the songs

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

My home lies deep within you
And I’ve got my own place in your soul
Now when I look out through your eyes
I’m young again, even tho’ I’m very old

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

Oh, my music makes you dance and gives you spirit to take a chance
And I wrote some rock ‘n roll so you can move
Music fills your heart, well that’s a real fine place to start
It’s from me, it’s for you
It’s from you, it’s for me
It’s a worldwide symphony

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I am music and I write the songs

🌈Then They Came For Me

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
     Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.


No matter how many times I read this poem, written by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller, I never fail to be moved by the words.  Niemöller penned this in 1946, at the end of WWII, the end of the Holocaust that took more than 6 million lives.  It is engraved on a plaque at the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston, Massachusetts, and is known worldwide.  The poem speaks volumes and should serve as a warning to people all around the world today.

I have shared this poem before, used it in different contexts, for it seems that “they” are always coming for someone.  But today, the fourth day in Pride Month, I am especially moved to share it for it seems many people, groups, politicians, and religious leaders are coming for the LGBTQ community.  Our friends, our neighbors, our family … are being vilified, even threatened with their very lives if they dare to be publicly proud of who they are.

In addition to coming for the LGBTQ community, “they” are coming for women, for people of colour, for Jewish people.  Apparently in “their” eyes, the only people who have a right to be proud are white, Christian, straight males.  The rest of us are the dirt beneath their feet.  If we hide in our closets, wear camouflage in hopes of not being noticed, if we do not speak out against the atrocities being committed against the LGBTQ community and others, then perhaps we will be overlooked and allowed to exist.  For now.  Until someday …

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

♫ Do It Again ♫

I liked the Beach Boys okay when I was in my teen years but was more caught up in the Motown sound and to me the Beach Boys were … I dunno … too light, maybe?  I worked full-time from the time I turned 13, so never had time to become a part of the beach crowd … that might have made a difference.  That said, they did some songs that I loved, like Good Vibrations, Kokomo, Sloop John B, etc.  Until last night, though, I don’t think I had ever heard of this song, Do It Again, although it did chart at #20 in the U.S.  But, my team of directors, after a bit of discussion starting with Manilow, then Whitney, finally settled on this one for me to play today!  😊  Thanks, guys … despite my teasing, I do like it … you done good!

According to SongFacts …

Mike Love sang lead vocals and wrote the words for this celebratory track that takes a nostalgic look back at his days of sun and surfing. Love told us that the lyrics were inspired by a surfing safari with some of his old high school buddies, and were autobiographical. He explained: “I went to the beach with my friends and we went to the surfing spot down at a place called San Onofre, down near the Marine Corps base down south. And it was such a beautiful day and the waves were great. And then of course one of the great things about the beach is it attracts good looking girls. [Laughing].”

Love had the concept and most of the lyrics before Brian Wilson added the instrumentation. He recalled to us: “I came back and we sat down at Brian’s piano, and we banged that song out in maybe 15 minutes, something like that. I had the concept and the lyrics in mind, and he just got a good groove going on the piano.”

Love told us that it was the Beach Boys’ engineer at the time, Stephen Desper, who came up with “that really interesting” drum effect heard at the beginning of the track. Desper created it by blending the original sound with that of one drum strike being repeated four times. The engineer recalled: “I had commissioned Phillips, in Holland, to build two tape delay units for use on the road (to double live vocals). I moved four of the Phillips PB heads very close together so that one drum strike was repeated four times about 10 milliseconds apart, and blended it with the original to give the effect you hear. Everyone liked the sound and credited me with adding to the commercial success of the single. Whether or not that was true, I don’t know, but it put me in the engineering seat for many years.”

The song was originally entitled “Rendezvous.”

The song charted at #1 in the UK, #3 in Australia & The Netherlands, #10 in Canada, and #20 in the U.S.

Do It Again

Beach Boys

It’s automatic when I talk with old friends
The conversation turns to girls
We knew when their hair was soft and long
And the beach was the place to go

Suntanned bodies and waves of sunshine
The California girls and a beautiful coastline
Warmed up weather let’s get together
And do it again

With a girl the lonely sea looks good
Makes your nighttimes warm and out of sight

Been so long
Hey now
Hey now
Hey now

Well I’ve been thinking
‘Bout all the places we’ve surfed and danced
And all the faces we’ve missed
So let’s get back together and do it again

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Brian Wilson / Michael Love

Do It Again lyrics © Irving Music Inc., Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co Inc

Rethinking 2024

I’ve read and heard many a commentator say that they hope Trump wins the Republican nomination in 2024 because they believe he’s the candidate least likely to be able to beat President Biden.  Hmmmmm … I wondered.  I made the mistake in 2016 of underestimating the fools who would fall under Trump’s spell, and I’m trying hard not to make the same mistake again, but … with all Trump’s baggage — not the least of which is having the distinction of being the only president to be impeached twice — it does seem as if he would be the least likely Republican to pose a serious threat to Biden.  And then I came across Frank Bruni’s column in the New York Times from Thursday and admittedly there are some things I haven’t been considering.  Take a look … see if you agree with him …


Do not underestimate Trump’s chances — or the damage he’d do with a second term

By Frank Bruni

01 June 2023

Did we learn nothing from 2016?

That, you may recall, was when Donald Trump’s emergence as the Republican presidential nominee seemed like some cosmic joke. Some cosmic gift. Oh, how Democrats exulted and chortled.

Donald Trump?!?

Hillary Clinton could start working on her inauguration remarks early.

Or so many of us thought. We got “American carnage,” two impeachments and a deadly breach of the U.S. Capitol instead.

And yet some Democrats are again rejoicing at the prospect of Trump as his party’s pick. They reason that he was an unproven entity before but is a proven catastrophe now and that his troubles with the law, troubles with reality, egomania and megalomania make him an easier opponent for President Biden, who beat him once already, than Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott or another Republican aspirant would be. Perhaps they’re right.

But if they’re wrong? The stakes of a second Trump term are much, much too high to wager on his weakness and hope for his nomination. The way I size up the situation, any Republican nominee has a decent shot at the presidency: There are enough Americans who faithfully vote Republican, lean Republican or are open to a Republican that under sufficiently favorable circumstances, the party’s candidate wins. And the circumstances in November 2024 are neither predictable nor controllable — just as they weren’t in November 2016. If Trump is in the running, Trump is in the running.

So I flinch at thoughts and remarks like those of Senator Debbie Stabenow, the Michigan Democrat, who told Politico in late April: “Trump’s obviously an extremely dangerous person who would be very dangerous for the country. But I’m confident that President Biden could beat him.” She added that “politically, for us, it’s helpful if former President Trump is front and center.” The headline on that article, by Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris, was “Dems Relish Trump-Biden Rematch.”

The headlines on other reports that month: “Why a Trump-Biden Rematch Is What Many Democrats Want in 2024” (The Wall Street Journal) and “Trump or DeSantis? Democrats Aren’t Sure Who They’d Rather See Biden Face in 2024” (NBC News).

Granted, those three articles appeared before the Washington Post/ABC News poll that shook the world. Published on May 7, the survey gave Trump a six-point lead over Biden in a hypothetical matchup and showed that voters regard Trump, 76, as more physically fit and mentally sharp than Biden, 80.

Over the weeks since, I’ve noticed a muting of Democrats’ confidence that Biden can roll over Trump. But I still hear some of Biden’s supporters say that they’d prefer Trump to, say, DeSantis, who can define himself afresh to many voters, or to Scott, whose optimism might be a tonic in toxic times.

And I worry that many Democrats still haven’t fully accepted and seriously grappled with what the past seven years taught us:

There is profound discontent in this country, and for all Trump’s lawlessness and ludicrousness, he has a real and enduring knack for articulating, channeling and exploiting it. “I am your retribution,” he told Republicans at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year. Those words were chilling not only for their bluntness but also for their keenness. Trump understands that in the MAGA milieu, a fist raised for him is a middle finger flipped at his critics. DeSantis, Scott, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley — none of them offer their supporters the same magnitude of wicked rebellion, the same amplitude of vengeful payback, the same red-hot fury.

Trump’s basic political orientation and the broad strokes of his priorities and policies may lump him together with his Republican competitors, but those rivals aren’t equally unappealing or equally scary because they’re not equally depraved.

He’s the one who speaks of Jan. 6, 2021, as a “beautiful day.” He’s the one who ordered Georgia’s secretary of state to find him more votes. He’s the one who commanded Pence, then his vice president, to subvert the electoral process and then vilified him for refusing to do so and was reportedly pleased or at least untroubled when a mob called for Pence’s execution. He’s the one who expends hour upon hour and rant after rant on the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him — a fiction that’s a wrecking ball aimed at the very foundations of our democracy. His challengers tiptoe around all of that with shameful timidity. He’s the one who wallows happily and flamboyantly in this civic muck.

There are grave differences between the kind of threat that Trump poses and the kind that his Republican rivals do, and to theorize a strategic advantage to his nomination is to minimize those distinctions, misremember recent history and misunderstand what the American electorate might do on a given day, in a given frame of mind.

I suspect I’d be distraught during a DeSantis presidency and depressed during a Pence one. But at least I might recognize the America on the far side of it.

Wear Orange Day — A Day Late!

Although I initially wrote this post in 2021, this is the 2nd year in a row that I nearly forgot until reminded by our friend Larry over at Just Drive, Will You who posted yesterday, on the actual day, reminding me — and now I’m a day late!  But, better late than never, right?   Today, I think this post, this National Day, is more relevant than ever, given that gun violence, and especially mass shootings, have become the norm, not the anomaly.


I typically make fun of all the ‘national days’ … I mean, there are some thoroughly ridiculous ones like National Lima Bean Respect Day, National Rat Catcher’s Day, and National Talk In An Elevator Day.  However, there are a few of the national days that are worthy of being honoured, and today is one such day:  National Gun Violence Awareness Day, also known as Wear Orange Day.  I’ve made no secret of the fact that I hate guns and would happily see every last one of them destroyed, so it should come as no surprise that I’m writing about this day.

Until a few days ago when a dear friend emailed me about this day, I was not even aware of it … which likely means that most people are unaware.  Raising awareness is the goal of this day, and I aim to do my part to help raise that awareness.

On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student from the south side of Chicago, marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s childhood friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday. Now, it is observed nationally on the first Friday in June and the following weekend each year. In the years since, participation in Wear Orange has increased tenfold.

In 2020, #WearOrange trended nationally on Twitter with over 150,000 Americans taking part along with more than 300 corporate and nonprofit partners such as Viacom, Levi Strauss & Co., Postmates, Amalgamated Bank, the American Academy of Pediatrics, AFT, and HRC, and some of the most impactful thought and culture leaders in the country—including President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris, Julianne Moore, Laura Dern, Jason George, Pearl Jam, and 25 individual sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Bruins, and the Washington Mystics. More than 100 buildings and landmarks lit the skyline orange across 40 states + DC, including a record 11 stadiums and arenas, while grassroots volunteers hosted more than 270 virtual events in all 50 states plus DC.

According to the Everytown website:

“In 2023, the 9th National Gun Violence Awareness Day will fall on June 2, the first Friday of the month. That will kick off Wear Orange Weekend on June 3-4, which will feature virtual and in-person events across the nation. From the south side of Chicago, to community organizers in Queens, to students around the country, we will come together to wear orange and demand a change.”

Miss Goose and I were talking and we thought that neither of us owned a piece of orange clothing, but then … I remembered that we both have Hallowe’en t-shirts that are orange with jack-o-lantern pattern on the front, so if you see someone wearing a Hallowe’en shirt this weekend, don’t be surprised!

In case you don’t think that guns are a serious problem in the U.S., here are a few facts to make you stop and think …

  • The U.S. gun suicide rate is 10 times higher than that of other high-income countries.
  • The US firearm homicide rate is 24.9 times higher than in other high-income countries.
  • The US firearm suicide rate was 9.8 times higher than in other high-income countries.
  • 7% of all firearm deaths occurred in the US.
  • 7% of women and 98.1% of all children killed by firearms were in the US.
  • Firearm homicide rates in low-gun states were 13.5 times higher than other countries.
  • On average, eight youth are killed by gun violence in the U.S. every day. Another 32 are shot and injured. Mass shootings are on the rise, averaging 11 each week in 2021.

Oh yeah, my friends, this country has a serious gun problem.  Some who love their killing toys have misinterpreted what the Founding Fathers intended when they wrote the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution … NEVER did they intend for people to own weapons not even heard of back in their day that can kill hundreds of people within a minute or two.  NEVER did they intend for every person to carry a gun everywhere they go, even to the grocery store or to church.  And NEVER did the Founders intend us to use those weapons to simply randomly kill people because we did not like the colour of their skin, what they wear on their head, where they came from, or because we were having a bad day.

The United States is literally the laughingstock of the world for our gun policies, or should I say lack of gun policies.  No, wearing an orange shirt today will not change that, but it is one step in raising awareness that guns in America are one of the biggest problems we have, one of the biggest hurdles to our safety, our lives.

To the gun nuts, I say this:  NO, the Constitution does NOT give you the right to own an AR-15 or AK-47, it does NOT give you the right to own an arsenal, and it does NOT give you the right to intimidate innocent people by carrying your gun into schools, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc.  You do NOT have a right to leave that gun unsecured where your child may get it and cause heartbreak.  You do NOT have a right to be in my presence with that damn blasted piece of machinery.  Period.  My right to safety and life in this case supersedes your right to have that gun attached at the hip.

No one is immune to gun violence, as proven by the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School last month that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.   So far this year 17,965 people have lost their lives to guns, and last year a total of 44,363 people were killed by guns in the U.S.  So far, I have yet to hear of that “good guy with a gun” that the National Rifle Association claim exists, but every single day I hear of a lot of bad guys with guns … people who should never have been allowed to own a gun.

So, if you own an orange shirt, wear it this weekend to show your support for human life, to demand change in gun laws, to demand action.

♫ Just The Two Of Us ♫

I have a few requests I’ve been planning to play for the last several days, but songs just keep popping into my head that I really, really want to play now, so … I give in to myself sometimes!  I’ll get around to the requests soon, but for now, let’s have us some Bill Withers, shall we?


Grover Washington was a very respected Jazz saxophone player who died of a heart attack in 1999. Bill Withers is a songwriter and vocalist responsible for songs like Lean On Me and Ain’t No Sunshine. Withers sang lead on this, but it was credited to Washington and appeared on his album.

According to Withers …

“I’m a little snobbish about words, so they sent me this song and said ‘We want to do this with Grover, would you consider singing it?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if you’ll let me go in and try to dress these words up a little bit.’ Everybody that knows me is kind of used to me that way. I probably threw in the stuff like the crystal raindrops. The ‘Just The Two Of Us’ thing was already written. It was trying to put a tuxedo on it. I didn’t like what was said leading up to ‘Just The Two Of Us.'”

When Withers went in to record his vocals, it was the first time he met Washington. They were rarely together when they recorded this, and they never got to know each other very well. Withers admired Washington because Grover did the first cover version of any song he’d written – an instrumental version of Ain’t No Sunshine that appeared on his first album.

Just the Two of Us
Bill Withers

I see the crystal raindrops fall
And the beauty of it all
Is when the sun comes shining through
To make those rainbows in my mind
When I think of you sometime
And I wanna spend some time with you

Just the two of us
We can make it if we try
Just the two of us
(Just the two of us)
Just the two of us
Building castles in the sky
Just the two of us
You and I

We look for love, no time for tears
Wasted water’s all that is
And it don’t make no flowers grow
Good things might come to those who wait
Not for those who wait too late
We gotta go for all we know

Just the two of us
We can make it if we try
Just the two of us
(Just the two of us)
Just the two of us
Building them castles in the sky
Just the two of us
You and I

I hear the crystal raindrops fall
On the window down the hall
And it becomes the morning dew
And darling when the morning comes
And I see the morning sun
I wanna be the one with you

Just the two of us
We can make it if we try
Just the two of us, just
(Just the two of us)
Just the two of us
Building big castles way up high
Just the two of us
You and I

(Just the two of us)
(We can make it, just the two of us)
(Just the two of us)

Songwriters: Ralph Mac Donald / William Salter / William Harrison Withers Jr.
Medley: Just the Two of Us lyrics © Bleunig Music, BMG Rights Management