More on single-payer health care

To increase your chops in debating this issue, here is another resource.

Turning over the rock...

I have been just going crazy over the right wing trying to characterize the Obama administration as being a "Fascist" regime -- "socialist" was bad enough, but this takes the cake.

However, I realized that my thinking and current knowledge on the subject of fascism had dreadfully eroded since my "political science major" days as an undergrad. So I decided to restore/update my chops on this subject.

In pursuing that quest, I found the following site, which explains the subject perfectly. Applied to Obama - forget it! Applied to eight years of Bush - Yep.

Making me smile

Check it out.

I just love the little guy who can barely get his nose above ground-zero of his axe.

Get on board everyone!

Today, I heard that Senator Feinstein was making public statements to the effect that a health care bill with a "public option" will not make it through the Senate. If this is true it is bullshit. Accordingly, I just composed and emailed the following to MY Senator:

Dear Senator Feinstein:

I have been a long-time supporter of yours going back to seeing how magnificently you handled the horror of the assassination of Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone.

I am writing because I am very concerned to have heard that you are making public statements saying that the "public option" for health care cannot get enough support to pass through the Senate. This, in spite of the fact that polling shows the 72% of Americans favor it, and a majority says they would accept higher taxes to pay for it.

I have no idea how much money you are receiving from the health insurance industry, or how much you are being influenced by their lobbyists, but I would like to believe that the answer is "zero" on all counts.

You MUST show some courage now and support a robust public option that will compete with the insurance companies, but more importantly, will also provide decent health care to the almost 50 million who have no coverage at all. In fact, with your seniority, prestige, and power, it is your duty to step up to the plate and lead the charge.

I just turned 65 and I am now (as are you) in a single-payer system: Medicare in my case, and an even better system in your case. It seems to work really well, far better than the Blue Cross program I was in before. But my children and grandchildren cannot wait until they are 65! They need (and deserve as a fundamental right) a public option. And, it must be a true public option that is designed to compete head-on with the insurance companies as opposed to some watered-down "co-op" abomination.

Senator, PLEASE maintain my long-standing faith in your courage and wisdom. Rise to the occasion without fear of the insurance companies. Serve us all well at this critical time.

Your long-time constituent,

Tom Wilson

I encourage anyone reading this to send a similar email to his or her own Senators and Congress Persons. If you send it "as is" please say something like, "My friend, Tom Wilson, sent this to Senator Feinstein, and I totally agree with him" or words to that effect. Or, you can edit it to reflect your own thoughts more accurately. At this point we all know that we will never be able to get a "single-payer" bill through, but if we can at least get a single-payer public option passed, it will be the proverbial "foot-in-the-door" for a true single-payer system. (This is why the insurance company's are fighting the public option tooth and nail).

I'm in California where all my representatives are on board, except for Sen. Feinstein, so it's not so critical for me, and I've just done my part on that front. But for those of you in States where your representatives are not on board or are waffling, please take action of some sort to let them know that you DEMAND a bill that has a robust public option component.

Rant over,

Tom

Geography lesson?

Here is a little known fact: The Appalachian Trial actually winds its way through Argentina! See the following for verification of this strange geological anomaly.

Jing - How can you pass it up?

Because of the work I do, I need a top-notch, full featured screen capture program. I use "Snagit," which is the best I have found. However, it turns out that the creators of Snagit are marketing a FREE screen capture program for both PC and Mac: Jing. Here is how they explain it:

"If Snagit were a fancy SLR camera, Jing would be one of those compact point-and-shoot deals."

Anyway, if you need a great free screen capture program, download Jing here.

How can you pass it up?

Revolutionary Road & Gran Torino

I saw "Revolutionary Road" on DVD last night. What a great movie. It is a tough watch, but so worth it. The script was super, music perfectly composed and utilized, cinematography beautiful, and direction flawless. But the actors, top to bottom, were fabulous. DiCaprio and Winslet were amazing, and Michael Shannon as the "oh-so-wise-yet-fucking-crazy guy" certainly stole the scenes he was in, particularly the last one. I thought the movie was going to be good, but it was far better than I imagined. I went back and read the review by Mick LaSalle, the critic for our SF Chronicle, whose opinions and tastes usually track with mine; I had forgotten that he pegged the movie as his pick for the best film of 2008. Here is his review.

I also watched "Gran Torino," and was underwhelmed to say the least -- not one of Clint's better efforts. I can't pick out one particular fault. Let's just say that it was Clint trying to combine the "deep-down nice guy in spite of himself" (like Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets") with a geriatric Dirty Harry, topped off with the "aliens in America" theme of a host of movies depicting Mexicans/Arabs/Africans/ or other "foreigners" trying to assimilate in the good old USA. Better than the orangutan movies Clint made, but not by much.

Just sayin' ....

Waning Chops

Today, I am going to broach a delicate subject that cuts across all artistic disciplines: "waning chops." In more conventional speak: the deterioration of one's artistic skills to the point where his/her body of work is no longer being enhanced.
For this essay, I am only going to focus on music and musicians, but I believe the concepts migrate to other "arts" such as writing and "fine arts."

The best way to introduce this subject is to recount two personal experiences:

1. Oscar Peterson: I, and universally every friend and jazz fan I know, had nothing but praise to shed on this special soul. Let's face it, with the huge hands, and a huge, innovative jazz mind to go along with them, he was "Oscar" -- nuff said.

I saw him in person over the years, and always came away feeling blessed, having heard live what I heard on his records, only better, because it was live, and it was Oscar, still adding to his legacy.

But, the last time I heard him, at the famed Yoshi's right down the road in Oakland, I knew it would soon be over. I have perfect pitch (sometimes I hate it) and a legitimate critical ear, and Oscar was not making it that night. I have no doubt that he was still hearing it in his magnificent mind, but his brain-to-fingers connection was no longer fully functional. The runs were ragged, syncopation was slightly off, and even ballads lacked the subtle fire that Oscar had always delivered before. However, the gratifying aspect was that the savvy segment of the Yoshi's audience also knew it, and I could feel that the applause took on a different tenor than in times before -- respect rather than fervor.

A few months later, Oscar was dead.

2. Elvin Jones: Again Yoshi's. I heard him about 18 months before he contracted cancer and began dying. It was truly one of the great moments of jazz I had heard. He was into his late years, but still just drumming as he always had -- you couldn't take your eyes off him, or suppress a jazz-giggle over some of the riffs he was still inventing (even then) in his "old age." I was amazed and inspired.

Later, about a month before he died, I went to see him again at Yoshi's: That was the most painful experience I have EVER had at music gig of any sort. Before the set started, Elvin's wife came on stage and told the audience that he was dying and had only about a month or so of life left, but that he still wanted to play. This one really got me, because literally less than two years before, this "old man" had been kicking ass. As in the case of Oscar (above) I know that Elvin still heard it all in his head, but his body just failed him. It was wrenching, yet touching, to see. And the respect paid to him by the guys who were playing behind him was also poignant -- they knew his drumming was pretty horrible, but they played their asses off to cover him in every way possible. I just cried.

So, this raises the question for all of us when judging our chosen art appreciation: Is our hero just going down a different path (often pissing us off by doing so), or is he beginning to "lose his chops? On this subject here is a cool aside: You also have to take into consideration the "tools of the artistic trade." A vocalist (Tony Bennett ripping up Monterey Jazz Festival at age 80+) can keep his chops much longer than a trombonist -- just moving that slide the distances required will challenge a 20 year old, let alone a 70+ player.

There are individuals in this debate that constantly surprise and befuddle me. Number one has to be Dylan. Every time I think he has lost his chops, he turns around and takes a hunk of flesh out of me. Miles was that way too.

But in the end, there will come a time for all great artists when they lose their chops. Having witnessed this occurrence more and more as I age myself, I have imposed a promise upon myself NOT to praise a performance when the chops have faded. For instance, after that last Oscar performance I mention above, some younger people I was with who had never heard Oscar before were raving (a lot because they felt they were expected to [and I can't blame them, having been there in my 20's trying to impress an older person whom I admired]) and I realized at that moment that I had to be honest, yet not patronizing or dismissive. So, I simply said that I thought Oscar's genius had been on display, but that he no longer could translate it to his axe as he had been able to do in past times. And I referred them to one of my favorite Oscar solos from the great album he did with Milt Jackson in the 60's: Standing Tall, in particular "On Green Dolphin Street." [Here it is for those who have never heard it. I think this is one of THE greatest Oscar solos ever, and he did it with one hand tied behind his back, so to speak.]

Since then, I have always tried to be honest. If an aging "great" puts out something that shows a loss in chops, I will say so, because to do otherwise would be to degrade past achievements.

Thanks for putting up with my ramblings ...

T.

p.s. (after initial post).. Having just tested out my post, and listened to the "On Green Dolphin Street" link I have to give major props to Milt on vibes, and credit the smokin' rhythm section of Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums.

Janet is so correct!

In the last week or so we have had a doctor assassinated in his own church for acts he did that were totally legal under existing law. Moments ago, news of a multiple shooting by a right-wing extremist at the Holocaust Museum in DC just hit the Net.

Our new head of Homeland Security warned against just such right-wing extremism, but has taken immense flack for recognizing the threat, as chronicled in the following Wikipedia excerpt. A lot of people owe her an apology!

Right-wing extremism memo controversy

Napolitano was the subject of controversy after a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment report initiated during the administration of George W. Bush, entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,"^[20] was made public in April 2009. The report indicated several factors, including the election of the first black or mixed race President in the person of Barack Obama, perceived future gun control measures, illegal immigration, the economic downturn beginning in 2008, and disgruntled military veterans' possible vulnerability to recruitment efforts by extremist groups as risk factors for rightwing extremism.^[21][22]

On April 16, 2009, the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed suit against DHS on behalf of radio talk show host and political commentator Michael Savage, executive director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Gregg Cunningham, and Iraqi War Marine veteran Kevin Murray.^[23][24] Savage stated that the document "encourages law enforcement officers throughout the nation to target and report citizens to federal officials as suspicious rightwing extremists and potential terrorists because of their political beliefs."^[25]

Napolitano made multiple apologies for any offense veterans groups had taken at the reference to veterans in the assessment, and promised to meet with those groups to discuss the issue.^[20] The Department of Homeland Security admitted a "breakdown in an internal process" by ignoring objections by the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to an unnamed portion of the document.^[26][27]

While the American Legion reportedly criticized the assessment, Glen M. Gardner Jr., the national commander of the 2.2 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars, defended it generally, saying it "should have been worded differently" but served a vital purpose. "A government that does not assess internal and external security threats would be negligent of a critical public responsibility," he said in a statement.^[28]

Tom's handy TARP Quiz

Was confronted today with headline in the Chron biz pages trumpeting the news that 10 big banks were going to repay the federal bailout funds they have received, plus interest! "My," I thought, "this certainly seems out of character." So I investigated further. Now, you get to take my quiz:

The 10 big banks are just bustin' at the seams to repay the bailout funds because:

a) They deem it their patriotic duty to repay the public's money as soon as possible;

b) They want to boost the confidence and support of their shareholders;

c) They want to be free of limits on executive compensation that must remain in place as long as the bailout amounts are owed;

d) They want to avoid accruing interest that will eventually have to be paid.

I know this is really a tough one. (smirk, smirk) Good luck!

For the answer, you can read the entire Chron article.

Ciao,

~ tom

Life, death, and history...

I just pulled June 4 off my desktop History Channel daily calendar to reveal June 5: "1968: Bobby Kennedy Assassinated."

After reading the blurb, I started thinking about how the world and history would have been very different had Bobby lived and gone on to win the 1968 election.

That immediately twanged my brain to think of more immediate history. What if Al Gore had won the presidency in 2000? (He actually did, but that's another story).

I'll leave it to all of you to think about each situation, but suffice it to say that our world would be far different.

But the upshot of all of this is the clear, undeniable fact that a single person wielding the levers of power can truly change the course of history.

~ tom

Frank Rich gets to the truth...

Normally I do not simply refer you to a link with no comment. Here is an exception. Read it all -- please. We need to put immense pressure on these spineless congressional democrats!

~ tom