Is There a There There?

We have a new administration with Pres. Obama with the opportunity to leave partisanship behind. Media outlets have the power to frame our view of events. Why am I surprised to see the headline in the LA Times, about Pres. Obama pressuring Republicans on the “stimulus” package? Pres. Obama urges action pushing for a quick vote so the public won’t find out what it is and what it’s not. It’s a pork bill larger than anything in our history. If only having a conscience were popular. There could be an incentive to be honest. As it is, our representatives see little use in being conscientious other than to cover their rears. It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic. What can we expect? Partisanship sells newspapers and feeds the hungry.
With great lament, I peruse my dusty memories of a childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, with all its iconic bureaucracies, promising so much and providing a sense of permanence to my myopic view of the world as a youngster (11-17). The UN, CERN (CERN is impressive) and many other organizations offer a presence that serious work is being done there on serious issues that only those with extensive educations in prestigious institutions have the capability to understand. We see the limos, manuevering flagship cars, some built in the countries represented. We stand on our tip toes or peer through darkened glass to catch a glimpse of magnanimous dignitaries.
I live in the USA now. My illusions have long since dissolved as we see public officials time after time simply ignoring paying their taxes or collecting small percentages of immense sums termed “bonuses” for some nebulous consulting fee; business as usual. There are far too many skeletons in various closets of both parties to be able to be transparent without a very painful adaptation period, one which just will not happen. The first place to have transparency would be Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac balance sheets exposed: Yeah, sure. As we saw with the worldwide meltdown, the house of cards called an economy is a very delicate balancing act. And now we’re in the awkward position where the government has distorted relative values, bailing out some and not others. Forget the bill, eliminate taxes for awhile and bring incentives to work back. Step up to the plate, Mr. President.

College Culture

The local College radio station alarmingly uttered the concern that a recently won piece of liberal real estate was on the verge of being “Privitized”! The irony that activist college students use “power to the people” as a mantra is hilarious. Capitalism created higher education to grow the economy and culture. Government intervention in the process distorts the relative values of the services.
When President Obama promises that education will be available to everyone, even “undocumented workers”, the service of paying for this education becomes distorted, since teachers have invested varying amounts in their educations and compensation is negotiated. Incentives disappear when the government mandates, especially if no one gets a failing grade to protect people from low self esteem. Where’s the incentive to excel in this case? In many cases, Government workers don’t need to go to what private industry calls “acredited schools”, because they adapt to the lowest common denominator and, in effect, dumb down the education to eliminate the threat of failure. The “Bailout” package underway works towards this colorless world. The people who created it have been put in the position of fixing it. They, elitists, think we are incapable and in need of their greater “wisdom”. They are pushing the stimulus package because they have no idea that we are still operating on the coat tails of capitalism, and that’s why the margin of safety exists that obscures the results of socialist policies which have been underway insidiously since the first welfare check was written. They wish to limit CEOs’ incentives, but some don’t even pay their taxes or feel they need any limitations put on themselves. There is a varying time lag in effect from policy choices made of months if not years. Similarly, if this path is 100% victorious (a paradox), it would take years to get back to our current position. Hindsight is always 20/20. It will take years before the majority has the luxury to look back in hindsight at the present to see what and when steps were taken that resulted in a critical mass that changed our Country.
Before the “Boston Tea Party”, the British wanted the colonists to only accept certain tea sellers i.e. they were distorting the market with mandates. The colonists wouldn’t put up with it, and here we are: Land of the free and home of the brave?

Out of the Clouds of Utopia.

I wonder what all those poor sheltered Bush haters are going to do when their great hope is illuminated with the harsh truths of our current situation? President Obama is very bright and even, at times, appears to be in disbelief himself with his grave responsibility and opportunity to tackle the greatest challenge of our time. But he has real decisions to make now, the kind that made Bush very unpopular. There are many dems that feel he’s just a swaggering politician, not presenting the change he promised.
We’re not privy to the horrors that President Obama has discovered since he’s been exposed to secure information. “Gitmo” is to be closed, but “renditions” (sending prisoners to their country of origin without access to details of their detention) is to remain in effect under the Obama administration; an indication of an understanding that a level of restraint is necessary. The decisiveness to close Guantanimo prison so resolutely appeared reckless since a fully informed decision apparently was of secondary importance to a campaign promise.
The sloppy accounting practices of Geithner and Daschle (60 staffers and $83k per month for consulting) don’t sound like a change we can believe in. But Geithner speaks Chinese and he and his father are old friends of Henry Kissinger, so what’s a little $45k of back taxes? And now Daschle has withdrawn as “Health and Human Services Director”. Pay for play is more subtle in DC than in Illinois. In the words of Mark Stein, “How much in back taxes are you willing to pay to be in the Obama Cabinet?”
The left seem patient about their own cabinet members’ moral compasses, because their entrenchment at emotionalism aimed at Bush primarily was for entertainment value. The Right needs its own acerbic cartoonist to ridicule the characters entering Obama’s cabinet.
“Revolutionaries” may not consider themselves as such other than that they have established a comfort level whereby they have an arrogant certitude that the former President was a complete buffoon. Any group with common interests tends to lull themselves into a false moral sense. In their mutual support for each other the group-think can be such a narcotic that the possibility that another point of view may actually be correct can easily be ignored without follow up consideration, owing to a group comfort level.
When are the tides going to shift as the reality of the Obama Presidency gets out of the clouds of utopia?

Distrust Of Power

The downtrodden are merely well worn tools used by the skilled politician to appeal to many shallow pockets, predetermined by habit to open their hearts (and wallets) to give to their fellow man, for a sense of relief that they have done their part, and for their efforts, a small carrying fee is attached by their benevolent government.
What is it about liberal (liberated?) writers and their obsession with the downtrodden? How many times have I turned on the radio to NPR and heard about the downtrodden or prisoners’ dilemmas?
The key is that they do not trust power. We find it incomprehensible when hearing about a twisted comparison between the downtrodden Palestinians under the thumb of the Israelis. We can understand why Jews don’t trust power. The West also, contemporaneously, senses an incongruity to Israel’s military response, due to the practically infinite patience we see as Israel appears to put up with so much violence perpetrated against people. From our detached vantage point, we can have a sense of denial that there ever will become a true breaking point for the Israelis.
The Palestinians have been effective in launching rockets into civilian areas for so long that the Western psyche has been deadened to the day to day news in Israel. The West can draw parallels with the ongoing debate in this country as to whether or not “make believe” television violence has an effect on our youth. There is no comparison! The low rumble of consistent violence has lulled those in denial of the reality that the rockets and suicide bombers cause real damage to innocents and their way of life, marred as it is by random acts of terrorism. Subsequently, the very real response of Israel to a “disproportionate” attack on Gaza engenders a reaction on the desensitized Westerner, who, incomprehensively, sympathizes with Palestinians for the apparent imbalance. Yet, evil Palestinians purposefully use their neighbors, Mosques and families as shields that they can use by extension against westerners for sympathy through worldwide press! The blind denial was, as I say, incomprehensible until I realized the distrust of anyone with power, which has morphed into unlimited “sustenance” for the Hollywood film industry.

Musical Cafe rocks!

I've been a camera guy for Musical Cafe for awhile, but, I admit, it's been awhile, with excuses like the holidays (excuses!). Just look at what a great experience it is! This New Year I'm going to make sure I drop those excuses and get back with it!

Pat Metheny , Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius

Then there was when Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays joined Joni for a tour that I caught up in Portland Oregon. I believe the scenery here looks like The Greek in LA. Jaco Pastorius left The Weather Report to join them on the same tour that here looks like The Santa Barbara Bowl. Like a Black Crow flying in a blue sky..... That tour spoiled me for awhile.

Early Musical Influences

This afternoon I was listening to a local blues & jazz radio station. The DJ was playing some choice music from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band from the “East Meets West” album mastered in the late 60s. Around 1970, I spent some time at The Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, Ca. listening to the Paul Butterfield’s Band play, since they were there often There were influences of sitar in some of Elvin Bishop’s and/or Mike Bloomfield’s scales as well as minor and major scale runs. I noticed the counterpoint of major to minor scales for tension and release. Later on I noticed the same technique used by Jerry Garcia in his long jams.

What impressed me after all these years was how accessible the music sounded. It had a raw energy that was always appealing, brought soulful blues to the coast and helped to inspire a generation of musicians. I would keep the style of the music in mind when playing my guitar, jamming with friends often after classes and on weekends while in College.

My style included many influences over the years. I used a few open tunings since I learned Stephen Stills, Joni Mitchell (plus) and blues slide for practice. I was in a fusion band during my college years with a clarinet and piano player, while I also worked on Bach's Brandenberg concerto with flute and piano and thrown in there somewhere was a sitar effect in another genre of guitar using an open "E" tuning a la John Fahey and later Leo Kottke, with the base "E" dropped down an octave to approximate a droning sound. Blues was my mainstay with some Jorma Kaokonen thrown in, from The Jefferson Airplane

It was sad to see many years ago The Golden Bear had been closed.