Aquarian Weekly
12/17/14
REALITY CHECK

James Campion

CONVENIENTLY INVISIBLE AMERICA
Or CIA – Our National Apathy Over Dirty Little Secrets

In April of 2009 this space said all it was going to say about the United States and torture during those wild and woolly years after 9/11 when, as warned by this space in the autumn of 2001; the “gloves would be coming off.” This is how it works around here. You don’t like it, wear a helmet or go back to your Instagram and Twitter. No, in the wake of this latest report on our national ugliness, I only mean to bring agonizing perspective, or, if you will, pour a bucket of ice water on your white-hot outrage.

But our been-there-done-attitude comes from our study of human nature (and by “study” I mean living for over a half century, most of it confronted with this miserable shit and having the forum to share it) that and if it wasn’t fixed then, it ain’t getting fixed. It’s like all this whining about this president having too much power, when the expansion of that power has been growing since Andrew Jackson in 1831.

Time to wake up and smell the steaming-hot helping of feces.

When I was a kid in the mid-70s’ – 1975 to be exact – there was some hubbub about the Central Intelligence Agency that at first rocked the core of our moral construct as a country and then kind of petered out, as is our wont. This was the end of innocence, as if the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy assassination, the murders of Selma, the riots on campuses, Viet Nam (yes, damn it, I am evoking Nam again – how do you write anything about the CIA without mentioned that colossal massacre?), the shootings at Kent State, the Weather Underground, Watergate, Patty Hearst, etc. had not been enough to shake us from our Pollyanna slumber.

It began with the Church Committee, named after a rakish 54 year-old liberal Democrat from Idaho, who had an unassailable hatred of the CIA and set about uncovering some of the most heinous crimes ever perpetuated around this globe by a single unit outside of the Nazi Party.

Most of what we know and openly accept today as business-as-usual for the spy unit of our federal government was a bit of a shocker for some in the 70s’. For some odd reason, there wasn’t much talked about concerning the CIA after WWII. This was the Cold War, and people, I guess, accepted the whole thing as some kind of intrigue novel meets James Bond – kind of romantic, sort of dangerous, and full of weird gadgets like shoe-phones and pens with poison tips or a gas-fog corsage. We all saw Get Smart; funny, paranoid, inside-baseball stuff.

Then the Church Committee started to peel back the layers of our stinking onion and boy was it a big deal.

For awhile. We hadn’t discovered the Fonz yet and KISS had yet to break it big.

Through five administrations representing both parties, the CIA literally ran amok; unchecked and unflinching: Assassination attempts of foreign leaders, including Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, the Diem brothers of Vietnam, Gen. René Schneider of Chile and the solicitation of the Mafia to kill Fidel Castro. There was also the little nugget of the “HTLINGUAL” program, a warrant-less infiltration of the U.S. Postal Service – in other words since the early 1950s until 1973, the CIA routinely and aggressively opened the mail of American citizens, and in many cases actually stole packages and personal correspondence with no repercussions or even a blurb in the Something Examiner. Chances are if you used the USPS to communicate in any way from 1951 to the early 1970s’ and it went missing or you never received it, there is a very good chance it was absconded by the CIA.

Chill Alert: This was before it was legal. The 2001 Patriot Act took care of that annoying detail.

Of course, after some ooohh-ing and ahhh-ing, the backlash started, wherein many in the government and the Gerald Ford White House began shutting down the investigation due in part to executive order and “national security” concerns (the usual stuff), protecting the lives of hired murders around the globe to save face and keep the engines moving. Those who still kept JFK in the sainted category were appalled and fought back, and, well the whole Nixon thing is well-documented, so we’ll leave that abomination to the annals of history for now.

What was not known through the Church Committee, but would later be revealed through leaks and books quoting “hidden sources” was the spectacular list of actual assassinations of world leaders, bloody and bloodless coup de tats and other insane shenanigans by this tax-funded rogue enterprise.

These included, and would later come back to haunt in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan), Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, East Germany), Central America (El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua) and South America (Argentina, Guyana, Venezuela), overthrows of governments and instituted puppet regimes of despotic factions in Iran, Syria, Guatemala, Tibet, South Viet Nam, Brazil, Chili, Argentina. Some of the most hideous mass murderers in the recent history of our planet were ushered in and supported by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America.

We are responsible for – and if by “we” I mean we are somehow attached to this as we are attached to say, something LeBron James does since you are a Cleveland Cavs fan or you wave a flag every time something goes right around here, then I guess you are somewhat culpable for this crap, but I digress – such luminaries as the Shah of Iran, Jorge Ubico, and Augusto Pinochet, among others. Do yourself a favor when you’re done reading this; look up the legacy of these gentlemen and then get worked up over torturing a couple of hundred suspected terrorists.

It will be hard to up your dander.

So what is Campion saying here? What is his angle; the usual, sure this is horrible, but we have done much worse and likely are still doing much worse? Am I siding with Dick Cheney? Do I have such contempt for this country I would just come to the conclusion that we are somewhere in the ballpark of evil and I’ll just finish writing this, throw my hands up and go have a beer and a stogie?

Well, yeah, sure. I guess.

Some of the most hideous mass murderers in the recent history of our planet were ushered in and supported by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America.

But that is too simple. I only mean to bring up that the CIA’s mere existence is the issue (an existence that continued long after 1975 for some truly bizarre and abhorrent behavior), not its latest in a long line of “crimes”. Why do I put quotes around it? Am I trying to be cute or do I not think that defecating (how many times can I possibly use excrement as metaphor? Answer: four times) on the conventions of international war that was the legal umbrella for the Nuremberg Trials is a serious stain on our national soul?

Excuse me, I need a cigar and a beer.

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Aquarian Weekly
4/16/14
REALITY CHECK
 

James Campion

 

MONEY, CORRUPTION & THE FREE THINKER PRINCIPLE
Some men worship rank, some worship heroes, some worship power, some worship God, & over these ideals they dispute & cannot unite–but they all worship money.
– Mark Twain

 Believe none of what you hear and half of what you believe.
– Something Benjamin Franklin heard in a French whorehouse and repeated at a Philadelphia beer garden
This week the Supreme Court further removed the shackles for wealthy donors to
contribute as much as they wish for political candidates, building on the momentum of the Citizens United ruling of 2007. The decision was 5-4 right down the line of political ideology, five conservative to four liberal judges, which is telling since this has been an issue for high-profile Republican donors like the Koch brothers that have turned quid pro quo cash deals into an art form. However, the dissent by liberal judges is disingenuous since Labor Unions routinely make up the preponderance of big money donations across the country in outrageous sums, and have been long before the Koch brothers knew how lucrative buying congressman could be.

Be that as it may, the following sentiments will not be going down the ideological slippery slope of hypocrisy wherein you have the Right whining about liberal media and the Left bitching about FOXNEWS. This is indeed about the First Amendment and the right to support any candidate of your choice with how you choose to do it. It is also about the realities of this republic, which was colonized, founded and manipulated since day one by money.

Firstly, taking the freedom of speech angle, it is unconstitutional to put limits on a citizen’s voice in the political process. For corporations, big money donors or whatever the fuck Citizens United is, this is the avenue in which they can impart said voice. If this were a true democracy, which it is not, never has been, and was never considered as such by our mostly rich framers, then, of course, there would be an issue with the rest of us (or at least those of you without a weekly column) that have no real voice beyond the ballot box. This is why, despite my abject mockery of TEA Party rallies and the 99-percent protests, there is a real desire for the rest of us to “be involved” without having a boatload of money to invest in our civic interests.

But that does not change the fact that if you have dough, you should be able to spend it how you like, within legal boundaries, which, as stated, should not preclude the First Amendment.

Of course money corrupts the system, just like bad journalism, idiot pundits and kowtowing to the lowest common denominator, which is by far the very essence of this nation’s lasting legacy.

Those opposed to this argument will shout that the system is circumvented by a collected few, which is as American as your mom’s apple pie and steroid abuse. From the shipyard of Boston Harbor to the railroads moguls of the Midwest and the pile of feces printed daily by Randolph Hearst and the tentacle reach of Big Oil, the influence of cash is our heritage. It kicked the English out, eviscerated the natives, ripped off the French, Dutch, Spanish and Mexicans, burned the South to the ground and ended slavery, smacked the Kaiser, toppled Hitler and eventually bankrupted the Soviet Union. It is what got us into Viet Nam and Iraq, elected a Kennedy and bribed Florida judges to put G.W. in office. It is our political pedigree.

Arguing about this now is like suggesting that red, white and blue is not quite right for the flag.

And don’t talk about corruption, which is where all this capping of donations started in 1974 when Dick Nixon blew up the entirety of the executive branch. Like the sallow ruins of 9/11 and whatever crazy shit happened thereafter from illegal jailing and wiretapping, covert wars and the vice president shooting a man in the face over quail meat, Watergate unleashed a torrent of silly overreactions that put a lean on our Bill of Rights that I strongly believe the Supreme Court corrected, whatever its political motivation.

But Nixon gave corruption a bad name. His ravenous paranoia stripped us of our right to have to actually see past the fantasy campaign ads and Super Pack machinations and realize that Citizens United is made-up shit concocted by the dickless to feel important, and do our due diligence as citizens, like ignoring Tipper Gore’s dream of having society parent our children by putting a goddamn sticker on everything. As if a record called “Kill The Cops” needs a warning. Or even merits one, since it is not actually killing cops, just singing about it. And all that awful crap about not being able to burn a piece of cloth because it happens to be designed as an American Flag. Next you’re going to have people suggest Bill O’Reilly shouldn’t be allowed to go on the Today Show and demand every American kid be force-fed Judeo-Christian principles without being smacked with a rubber mallet.

Of course money corrupts the system, just like bad journalism, idiot pundits and kowtowing to the lowest common denominator, which is by far the very essence of this nation’s lasting legacy. Everything can corrupt given the proper circumstances, and sometimes it is welcomed corruption. Lord knows George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, Salvador Dali, Alice Cooper, Woody Allen, Mark Twain, H.L Mencken, Hunter S. Thompson, Edward Hopper corrupted me, and I am a better man for it.

It’s called free thinking. Try it sometime. Turn off the radio and podcasts and politically manipulated television stations and put down the signs and toss away the cute slogans and corrupt yourself.

Then maybe you won’t be so threatened by everyone else’s corruption.

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Aquarian Weekly
3/12/14

BUZZ Feature

by James Campion

 

A SONGWRITER’S CYBER SHOWCASE
Welcome One & All To Dan Bern’s Cyber Showcase                               

If you put me in a box, make sure it’s a big box. – Dan Bern “Jerusalem”

“If I was to stage a theme show of my songs, say, around girl’s names; what would you put in there?” Dan Bern asked over Indian buffet near lower Lexington Avenue last September. He had been staying in New York for longer than usual and we made haphazard plans to get together and chat on-and-off the record, take in a film, walk the streets, smoke cigars, and, as Dan likes to say, throw a few back. I did not hesitate to make suggestions from his vast catalogue of material: Of course, “Marylyn” from the first record, Fleeting Days’ “Jane”, “Monica” (about Seles, not Lewinsky), “Sister” – not really a girls’ name, but a beautiful one about his only sibling from 1998’s Fifty Eggs, the stirring, “Estelle”, and suddenly we were off and running.

“Exactly,” he smiled.

Later, as a collection of unreleased tunes for a planned album filled out the street sounds penetrating his modest suite at a downtown hotel that was framed by crudely beautiful renderings on the walls painted by his four year-old daughter, Lulu, Bern began to build on the idea. “I could see maybe renting out space off-off-Broadway and putting on shows based on song themes; a different one every night.”

There was no arguing that he, more than anyone this side of Randy Newman, could pull it off. For over 20 years now, Dan Bern has been writing songs (along with books, poems, and kid’s stories) with a reckless abandon – some of them even composed on demand for fans to help defray the costs to get this bulging phalanx of tunes out to the public and still others for the films Walk Hard, Get Him To The Greek and friend, Jonathan Demme’s Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains. Pressed to count them all, Bern will first insist he cannot, but will eventually acquiesce with a sighing, “Okay, over a thousand.”

Yup, Bern writes songs like most of us read the paper or peruse the Internet. It is almost a daily routine. He breathes, plays tennis, enjoys a bike ride, loves his family, and writes songs. Since 1997, this prolificacy has resulted in 14 studio albums, two live, five EP’s, a collaborative song-cycle adapted from the letters, essays and poems of the Western folk legend Everett Ruessand, and a collection of children’s songs; the second volume is already done and is brilliant and another country-flavored record is poised.

Suddenly, here was Bern imagining, even scheming a place for this disparate group of melodic brothers and sisters, heroes and despots, celebrations and protestations to go – one place, as if, well, as if a Theme Park.

Bern brought the “theme” idea up again a few weeks before leaving for the West Coast in early December, citing several reoccurring slices-of-life to his canon; pop culture, politics, history, literature, family, tennis, baseball, travel, etc., along with the obvious subjects available to any songwriter; love, loss, protest, and inner revelation.

“My first thought was, ‘That fucking Campion! That’s not in the rules!’ Then I thought,’ Eh, I’ll do it.’”

Once back in L.A., he was inspired by an online concert his friend and sometime collaborator, Mike Viola had hosted on the web site, stageit.com, wherein artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Indigo Girls, Plain White T’s, Jason Mraz, Jimmy Buffet, Sara Barreilles Better Than Ezra, and Ingrid Michaelson, among many others create backstage, in-house podcasts to interact directly with fans. It seemed Stage-It was the perfect vehicle for the “theme” idea, and it did not take Bern long to begin fashioning a one-man show around not only his moving, hilarious and poignantly striking music, but sprinkled with his razor-sharp wit, and officially call it “Theme Park”.

“All of my song subjects are so far afield, and with my songbooks here, I can pretty much pull from everything I’ve ever written and come up with set-lists,” Bern said from his L.A. abode over the phone in mid-February after he had a couple of Theme Park shows under his belt – the first theme, Football, broadcast the week before the Super Bowl included such luminary musical numbers as “Namath, Mantle & Me” (written when he shared a similar knee injury to the ailing stars), “Who Gets Serena?” (an imagined double-date between the Manning brothers and the Williams sisters) and “O.J. Simpson” (you know) and the second, Love, for Valentine’s Day featuring his unique sentimentalities displayed in “Love Makes All the Other Worlds Go Round”, “My Love is Not For Sale” and “I Need You” among others.

“I’m doin’ stuff I wrote this fall mixed with stuff I wrote 20 years ago mixed with stuff people know from the records, and its focused and it feels like a new thing.” Bern says, as he excitedly previewed a third one coming up for President’s Day.

So without much prompting, I had to “tune in” or more to the point, login to see it.

I became a member of Stage-It the day of the show, which was simple using Paypal, and since Bern mentioned more than twice I could “set the price, and in my case, it’s a dime”, I did, but went for broke at an outlandish $2.50. He informed me of the opportunity to “tip” the performer, as if he were playing in a downtown subway.  “I started offering these little perks for top tipper,” said Bern. “For the Super Bowl one I signed a football jersey, and for the Valentine’s one I gave away Henry Miller’s Wisdom of the Heart, and for the Presidents Day show, I painted three presidents, (Lincoln, Nixon, and LBJ) and in honor of the Winter Olympics, I’ll give them to the top three.”

At 9:00 PM Eastern, there was Bern, captured by his MAC camera, nattily attired in a suit and tie (very presidential) and welcoming his audience with a very theme-y Theme Park theme song. Then he immediately launched into a toe-tapping ditty called “Weird Little Thing”, which playfully recites the bizarre coincidences between Lincoln and Kennedy’s time in office (not the least of which both were initially elected 100 years apart, to which Bern lyrically warns whoever is elected in 2060 better keep on his toes).

The humble USB mic did the trick, as the intimacy and immediacy of the performance was striking. I have seen Dan and hundreds of musicians ply their trade in every possible venue, from cramped clubs to upstairs lofts, garages to Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall (including Bern), but this is far different;  personal and interactive. As Bern played, viewers started messaging, the comments floating up on a stream to his right. Interspersing pithy comments, one spot-on imprecision of LBJ, and displaying his original paintings auctioned off to the “top tipper”, Bern was in his element and the fans loved it.

It was during a brief introduction to the next song as having been written as something of a dare that I realized my own request would make the show. As is my tradition, when invited to such ad hoc events, and knowing Bern’s ambitions run deep, I emailed him earlier that day to pen a song about William Henry Harrison, who infamously died 32 days into office from pneumonia thanks to his refusing to wear a coat on a bitterly cold and rainy Inauguration Day. “That kind of story is ripe for a folk song,” I wrote, unsure if even he could pull it off.

Sure enough, he did.

“Hey, a challenge is a challenge,” Bern said when I called to thank him the next morning. “My first thought was, ‘That fucking Campion! That’s not in the rules!’ Then I thought,’ Eh, I’ll do it.’”

Bern rounded out the 50 minute set (it was only scheduled for a half hour) with nine more songs, his haunting introspection of Lee Harvey Oswald in “Marine and Me”, a couple of verses of Tom Waits, “On The Nickel” (“…even Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel over there”), and his 2004 call for candidacy in “President” were the highlights.

Then, just as quickly as he popped up, he was gone.

“It’s weird for me, because when I do this show online, although I’m home and not in a club, I still feel that post-show glaze,” says Bern. “It could really grow into a bi-weekly thing for me, but it’s really the gravy, because if I finish touring and then come home and go a week or two without a show, it’s like arrrrrrrr. And to have something like this to focus me – getting the set together for that show’s theme and then doing the thing, and it’s only seven o’clock and your done – its kinda great.”

The experience, which began percolating in New York a few months back as a kind of local cabaret act, became a reality on the other side of the continent and has suddenly gone global. Some members of the audience were from Greece and all points abroad.

“The theme idea along with wanting to stay focused for 50 minutes of playing has allowed me to get 11 to 15 songs into each show, and by getting my paintings in there and being able to play more often to a larger audience beyond touring, it’s just a cool way to do all the things I like to do, and never leave my house.”

But one wonders when Bern does go back on the road, which he will this spring with dates already set to begin here on the East Coast in March and crisscross back to Los Angeles, before heading to Holland in April and returning for another week of gigs around New York in May, will Theme Park live on?

“Oh, I’m gonna keep doin’ ‘em,” Bern insists. “I can do a Theme Show anywhere, the hotel room or I’ll come out to your place and we’ll do it.”

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Aquarian Weekly
2/12/13

REALITY CHECK

James Campion              

 

THE BEATLES – THE WEEK – THE LEGACY

In the early 90s’, Babe Ruth biographer Kal Wagenheim told me the only way to describe the Bambino’s effect on the game of baseball and America at large during his first few tumultuously historic years in New York pinstripes would be to say it was like he had been dropped from another planet. “There had been nothing like him before or since,” he said. “No one could remember what the game or American sports were like before Babe Ruth arrived on the scene. He changed everything.”

For my money, this is as close as anyone has come to framing The Beatles arrival on American soil half a century ago this week.

Like Ruth, there was no lead-up to The Beatles in New York City on the second week of February, 1964.

How could there be?

Much of The Beatles image; the four cheerfully pasty, monochromatically dressed mop-topped British lads, was a hodgepodge of German art-house nihilism drenched in a transsexual sheen. At first glance, it was if the four figures were equal parts of a whole – what Mick Jagger once described as “the four-headed monster that went everywhere together.” The Beatles were a moving pop sculpture, a walking billboard of patent waves and cheeky smiles; on stage the rhythmic bouncing and bobbing of heads and the choreographed bows became inseparable from the music.

Beatles music was also odd. A jangling echo-saturated guitar assault launched upon primitive foot-stomping drums adorned with high-pitched semi-accented voices, as if mimicking normal cadence between all the “oohs”.

This was more than Sinatra, more than even Elvis. The Beatles were a thing. This weird inexplicable force of nature; seemingly fabricated, built in a lab somewhere to perfectly capture the intangible drift of hope.

In England, where Beatlemania had exploded through the previous summer, the copycats, both amateur and professional, already abounded, but in the States there was barely minor curiosity. Beyond a three-minute report from an American news organization that autumn smarmily mentioning some outlandish behavior by European youth over a caterwauling guitar band, The Beatles were a footnote by late January of ’64, when the band’s fifth single, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” bounded onto the Billboard charts at a modest #45.

Everyone in the growing organization that was The Beatles, including their wide-eyed genius of a manager, Brian Epstein, sent from central casting as king-maker deluxe, had any clue as to what awaited them at New York’s Kennedy Airport (ironically named after the fallen president scarcely two months in the grave, grieved by a nation starving for a little silly foreign distraction).

New York, much like the four Beatles home, Liverpool, was a port town, an artery of cross-culture and, perhaps more than any city in the world, always a hive of “happening”. It did not take long for “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to torch the charts, and by February 7, the day The Beatles walked out on the tarmac to hundreds of frenzied kids and a phalanx of grizzled Gotham reporters, it was #1 with the proverbial bullet. John Lennon (23), Paul McCartney (22), George Harrison (20), and Ringo Starr (24) were babes in the woods in age and experience – they had never been outside of Europe before – but their time on the rough road from late 1960 through the red-light district of Hamburg playing endless sets of American R & B music prepared them well for the onslaught.

And here’s the kicker; The Beatles were good, real good.

This was a well-oiled machine; no Memphis “aw, shucks” trucker or pristinely coached turtle-necked pop idol. From the harried ad hoc press conference at the airport, where they deflected questions with one-liners and breezy repartee, The Beatles drew the adoration, worship and envy of a considerable portion of the American public. It was an organic template for the modern roll-out of pop stars for ensuing generations, which culminated on the most watched live program in the nation.

Forty-eight hours on American soil, after all the hoopla and mobs in front of the Plaza Hotel and a swirl of photo shoots and half-assed radio “interviews”, arguably the most influential and time-altering few minutes in the history of human communication occurred on the Ed Sullivan Show. In less time than it takes to boil water, The Beatles performance of “All My Loving” (viewed by a record for the time of 73 million) ambushed an entire generation, set alight the British Invasion, and legitimized the heretofore idiotic notion that rock and roll would be anything other than a teen fad.

Before February of 1964, rock and roll, the last truly original American youth movement (its children being Rock, New Wave, Punk, Rap, Hip-Hop, etc) was on life support. Its founders and heroes, Elvis Presley (the army), Chuck Berry (jail), Buddy Holly, (dead) and Little Richard (religion) had gone away. Pop music was mired in bland, white, corporate creations, interrupted briefly by the brilliance of Phil Spector and Barry Gordy’s machinations, but mostly a plastic wasteland.

Before February of 1964 the art of pop songwriting was practiced in smoke-filled cubicles deeply tucked away in monolithic brick and mortar castles like the Brill Building, controlling the force and message of teen angst, lust, and yearning to challenge the status quo and find a voice.

Before February of 1964 this free-form expansion of cultural mayhem known as the Sixties seemed resigned to fight the battles of Civil Rights, sexual revolt, and youthful upheaval to the angry folk brilliance of Bob Dylan.

And here’s the kicker; The Beatles were good, real good. And soon this thing would take us all on a wild ride over six years, 12 studio albums, 13 EP’s and 22 singles. Each one was, without exception, really, really good. Crazy good. Scary good. Along the way this thing changed everything (Babe Ruth style), in fashion, experimentation (both sonically and chemically), business, mass communication, and culture.

It remains an element all its own, this Beatles, this thing, that for all intents and purposes began for America here in New York City in early February, 1964.

Fifty years ago, The Beatles came, saw, and conquered like no one or nothing since. To think of what mattered to us in 1964 being as relevant and nostalgic and passionate as this continuing movement is today is laughable.

John Lennon famously said, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.”

He and his band made sure we didn’t forget that notion ever again.

*Dedicated to my friend, Lisa Geller, born the day this all went down.

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Aquarian Weekly
7/3/13
REALITY CHECK

James Campion

DOWN GOES DOMA
Along with Prop 8, Supreme Court Ends Latest Era of Legal Discrimination

Although Congress has great authority to design laws to fit its own conception of sound national policy, it cannot deny the liberty protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

– Justice Anthony Kennedy

Unconstitutional.

Of course.

The Defense of Marriage Act, a nifty piece of legislation which disallowed a segment of taxpaying citizens access to the Bill of Rights, is now dead and buried. DOMA, as it is most popularly referred to, was another in a long line of “laws” heaped upon the public by the government to strip us of our civil liberties, as in the now debated Patriot Act. Only this one insidiously singled out a segment of society, denying them access to systems put in place to protect spouses and their property and dignity.
Justice Kennedy expounds; “DOMA’s principal effect is to identify a subset of state-sanctioned marriages and make them unequal. The principal purpose is to impose inequality, not for other reasons like governmental efficiency. Responsibilities, as well as rights, enhance the dignity and integrity of the person. And DOMA contrives to deprive some couples married under the laws of their State, but not other couples, of both rights and responsibilities.”

Amen.

The fact that DOMA was ever formed, voted on, passed, and signed into law is an abject embarrassment for the length of breath of this republic and it is lucky for this country and the people in it that 84 year-old Edith Windsor stood up and said, “What?” Motivated by over 300 grand of estate tax she wouldn’t have had to pay if not for these goofy laws saying she couldn’t marry a woman named Thea she’d lived with for four decades simply because he was not a man named Theo, Windsor became this era’s Oliver Brown.

Upon announcing incredulity with silly laws, Brown v. The Board of Education put a spike through serration, which is a nice word for saying “state sanctioned discrimination” or “legal bigotry”. People like Windsor and Brown make all of our hollow talk about Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and haughty spouting about the U.S. Constitution being our Bible, which is all correct, can now rest easier that a little more of  us are allowed inside the freedom boat, protected against social tyranny.

The great irony of an abomination called the Defense of Marriage Act is that it was designed and presided over by a Speaker of the House and signed into law by a president, both of whom had routinely made sport of cheating on their spouses (Newt Gingrich, twice divorced, and Bill Clinton’s well-documented misogyny). Although it never quite seriously explained why two of the most powerful men in America would not be more of a “threat” to the sanctity of marriage than an everyday citizen who deserved the same chance to shit all over their spouses. The answer was always that people who make an open mockery of this institution are less a stain on marriage than two people of the same sex.

And that’s the rub.

It is selective moralizing.

We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights to safeguard against such nonsense.
And that’s apparently what opponents of this obvious and way overdue Supreme Court ruling don’t get. They get all uppity and defensive saying, “Oh, if we defend traditional marriage we are called bigots!” Well, yes, if you are only applying this glorious worship of an institution to one segment of society then it is the very definition of discrimination, and this is only practiced by bigots. Hence, you are a bigot.

Of course, they muddy the whole thing by calling themselves traditionalists, which is old hat for people trying to deny rights they enjoy to other citizens, whether it’s the Irish owning land or Jews allowed access to certain institutions or women voting or African Americans eating at a diner below the Mason Dixon line. “This is the way it’s always been done,” they say. “Why are you going around changing stuff?” The other day talk show host Rush Limbaugh couched his derision on the ruling by actually saying out loud that “things are going along just fine and then the gays say, ‘Hey we want to be able to marry’ and then its madness.”

Yes, can you imagine waking up one day and realizing your height keeps you from getting a driver’s license? And when you say, “Wait a minute!” Some sanctimonious nitwit says, “Take it easy, buddy, things are fine the way they are. This is how we do it and have always done it.” I bet you would take it like a good citizen and realize that tradition is far more important and you’d run out and get yourself a bike.

Sure.

I guess things were going along just fine until some moron invented a radio, huh?

And I know she’s silly and cannot really be taken seriously outside the geeks at CPAC, but the other day when Michelle Bachmann, who would not have been able to publicly voice political opinion, never mind cast a ballot, less than a century ago, stands on the capitol steps as a senator and derides this law on the basis of Biblical law, which openly frames women as nothing more than livestock, is beyond absurdity. Not sure she realizes how much of a metaphor for this ruling she’s truly become. Hell, if Moses or George Washington showed up to her little speech yesterday, if they could ever stop choking, both men would have wondered what bizarre joke was playing out by having a woman legislator speaking to a crowd of people she was not serving soup to.

Look, traditionalists and Bible thumpers won’t get it. This is their thing. And this is why we have a Bill of Rights and a Constitution, to protect us from those who don’t get it, which brings us to the second Supreme Court ruling, California’s goofy Proposition 8, an excellent example of why leaving civil liberties up to the vagaries of state laws is also thorny. Having people vote whether, say, people with blonde hair can have kids is dangerous. And lawmakers? Well, we’ve already seen how that goes on the federal level. Right now in Texas the state legislature and its governor are trying to make it legal to shoot women on the way to get a pap smear. Something like that. I can’t tell.
Most laws in Texas end up allowing the shooting of someone or something. It’s hard to fathom what those preciously colorful idiots are doing down there. It’s like “the weird kid in the basement” state.

And so, regardless of all the other junk and flaws and spectacular hypocrisy that we’re straddled with around here on a daily basis year after fuck-awful year, we have a very proud day in the American experiment; the fantastic Don’t Tread on Me, “Give me liberty or give me death” and “All men are created equal” part that seems to perfectly rear its beautiful head when some generation or segment of our society decides what another can or can’t do.

This is going to be one hell of an Independence Day at The Desk.

Yee-Ha!

 

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Politics 2022 | Politics 2021 | Politics 2020 | Politics 2019 | Politics 2018 | Politics 2017 | Politics 2016 | Politics 2015 |

Politics 2014 | Politics 2013 | Politics 2012 | Politics 2011 | Politics 2010 | Politics 2009 | Politics 2008 | Politics 2007 and earlier

Politics

• KIDS ARE FINE – PARENTS ARE FUCKED 5/24/23
• SCOTUS AT LOWEST EBB & DEVOURED BY SCANDAL 5/10/23
• FIGHT FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT 5/3/23
• THE WISCONSIN STORY 4/12/23
• “WOKE” – A STUDY IN DEFINITION 3/22/23
• THE REASON FOR FOX NEWS 3/15/23
• A CASE FOR SECESSION 3/8/23
• RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE ONE YEAR OUT 3/1/2023
• FIRST AMENDMENT CRISIS IN FLORIDA 2/15/23
• REPUBLICAN OBSESSION: FEDERAL ABORTION BAN 1/18/23
• MR. MCCARTHY YOUR CHICKENS HAVE ARRIVED & ARE PRIMED TO ROOST 1/11/2023

Politics 2022

• TRUMP: THE WEEK THAT WAS 12/28/2022
• REPUBLICAN TERRORISM 12/21/22
• RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT 12/4/22
• THE GEN Z WAVE & THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL POLITICS 11/23/22
• WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS WINS! 11/16/22
• LAST WEEK TO MIDTERMS FOLLIES 11/9/22
• NEW JERSEY VOTERS: PROTECT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 10/26/22
• THE CRUEL DUMBNESS OF RON DESANTIS 9/28/22
• DON’T BE FOOLED – ALL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WANT ABORTION BAN 9/2/22
• REPUBLICAN HYPOCRISY 101 8/24/22
• PUT PRO-CHOICE TO A VOTE EVERYWHERE 8/10/22
• DONE WITH REPUBLICANS – A STUDY IN FUTILITY & FASCISM 7/18/22
• WHAT THE ROE? 7/6/22
• INFLATION TRAIN = POLITICAL PAIN 6/8/22
• KILL U.S.A. 6/1/22
• UH-OH 5/11/22
• RON DESANTIS IS DEFINITELY NOT A CLOSET TRANSGENDER COMMUNIST MEMBER OF THE KKK INSPIRED BY MEIN KEMPF 4/27/22
• DEATH RATTLE BATTLEFIELD 3/23/22
• PUTIN’S FANCY CLUSTERFUCK 3/9/22
• “LEGITIMATE POLITICAL DISCOURSE” WEEK 2/16/22
• THE RUSSIA THING… AGAIN 2/2/22

Politics 2021

• REGARDING THE TIK TOK 12/17 NATIONAL SCHOOL THREATS 12/18/2021
• THE POLITICS OF CHOICE 12/8/2021
• FUN WITH FACEBOOK 11/3/2021
• NEW JERSEY CHOICE FOR GOVERNOR IS SIMPLE 10/27/2021
• ALL EYES ON THE COMMONWEALTH 10/20/2021
• CALIFORNIA SCHEMING 9/15/2021
• WOMEN IN BONDAGE 9/8/2021
• AFGHANISTAN – THE BIG FAIL 8/25/2021
• GOVERNORS BAWL 8/11/2021
• SUDDEN REPUBLICAN ABOUT-FACE ON VACCINES EXPLAINED 7/28/2021
• THE OVERRATED CRIME NARRATIVE 7/14/2021
• ERIC ADAMS NEEDS TO BE THE NEXT MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY 6/30/2021
• THE JOE BIDEN BIPARTISAN FANTASY 6/16/2021
• IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOW A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION? 6/9/2021
• VACCINES, CDC, & THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS 5/19/2021
• THE NOT-SO CURIOUS CASE OF LIZ CHENEY 5/12/2021
• BIDEN AT THE CENTURY MARK 5/4/2021
• LOW BAR ANOMALY 4/28/2021
• AMERICA: THE VIOLENCE PROBLEM 4/21/2021
• LET’S TALK FILIBUSTER 3/31/2021
• ANDREW CUOMO ON THE BRINK 3/17/2021
• THE POLITICS OF MONEY 3/10/2021
• THE LONE STAR STATE DISASTER 2/24/2021
• THE REAL VICTIMS OF “THE BIG LIE” 2/17/2021
• THE GREAT VOTER MIGRATION 2/10/2021
• AND SUDDENLY… THE NEW GUY 1/27/2021
• TO PURGE OR NOT TO PURGE 1/20/2021
• TREASON, MOB RULES & THE FINAL DAYS OF DONALD TRUMP 1/13/2021

Politics 2020

• LEGAL WEED NEW JERSEY 12/23/2020
• EXPLAINING THE TRUMP COUP & GOP POLITICAL TERRORISM 10/21/2020
• THE FINAL RECKONING OF AN AMERICAN ENEMY 11/25/2020
• THE PREDICTABLE OUTCOME OF THE 2020 ELECTION 11/18/2020
• DONALD TRUMP IS FINISHED 11/7/2020
• RESISTANCE IS LEGION 11/2/2020
• DISQUALIFY 10/28/2020
• SENIOR CITIZEN EXODUS 10/21/2020
• THE PREDICTABLE GRAND PIVOT 10/14/2020
• THE WEEK TRUMP GOT COVID-19 10/7/2020
• R.I.P. WOMEN’S RIGHTS, HEALTHCARE, REFORM 9/30/2020
• BANKRUPT AGAIN 9/23/2020
• DONALD TRUMP’S GRAVEST SIN 9/16/2020
• ANGUISHED CRY OF THE WOUNDED BANSHEE 8/22/2020
• THE BEAUTY OF CANCEL CULTURE 9/2/2020
• THIS IS NOT 2016 8/22/2020
• THE KAMALA HARRIS FACTOR 8/15/2020
• VOTE! 8/8/2020
• TRUMP & RUSSIA – THE LAST CHAPTER 8/5/2020
• TRUMP POLICE STATE 7/29/2020
• THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE 7/11/2020
• WILLIAM BARR’S CRIMINAL SYNDICATE 7/1/2020
• THE UNTOUCHABLE TRIUMVIRATE 6/22/2020
• “PSYCHOPATH WITH A BIBLE” 6/10/2020
• ERIC GARNER IS GEORGE FLOYD IS MURDER 6/3/2020
• GET OUT THERE AND SAVE THE DAY 5/13/2020
• STATES’ RIGHTS REVERSAL IN THE AGE OF MADNESS 4/22/2020
• TRUMP IS FAILING CRISIS TEST 4/15/2020
• HOW MUCH LONGER? 3/25/2020
• CORONAVIRUS: DONALD TRUMP’S KATRINA 3/18/2020
• THE LAZARUS WEEK 3/11/2020
• FASCISM 101 2/26/2020
• THE BERNIE PROBLEM? 2/20/2020
• IMPEACHMENT FOLLIES 1/29/2020
• AMERICA ALONE 1/16/2020
• THE IRAN MISTAKE 1/8/2020

Politics 2019

• NOT ALL REPUBLICANS ARE FOR TRUMP 12/11/2019
• GORDON SONDLAND – THE HUMAN CARPET BOMB 11/27/2019
• THE BILL TAYLOR ANGLE 11/20/2019
• GOP, THE RULE OF LAW & THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY 10/30/2019
• PRESIDENT TERRORIST 10/23/2019
• DOES DONALD TRUMP WANT TO BE IMPEACHED? 10/9/2019
• GAME SHOW HOST + PRESIDENCY = IMPEACHMENT 10/2/2019
• HATRED ON PARADE 8/21/2019
• POWER TO THE JERSEY PEOPLE 7/17/2019
• THE MORAL LOW GROUND 7/3/2019
• THE MEXICAN FLIP OFF 6/19/2019
• BOB MUELLER’S PRIMER IN PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE TRUTH-TELLING 6/5/2019
• ESCLAVE IN UTERO 5/22/2019
• HOW BAD CAN TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS BE? 5/15/2019
• TIME FOR MUELLER TO SPEAK 5/8/2019
• TRUMP GUILTY OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE – NOW WHAT? 4/24/2019
• THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF THE PLANET & THE MERRY HUMAN VIRUS 4/17/2019
• FINAL WORD ON MUELLER REPORT & OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE 4/10/2019
• TO THE BALLOT 4/3/2019
• CABLEVISION MONOPOLY & THE MORAL IMPERATIVE 3/27/2019
• ENOUGH WITH FOX NEWS 3/20/2019
• TRUMP vs KIM II 3/6/2019
• WHERE WE ARE ON WEED 2/27/2019
• NATIONAL EMERGENCY FALLOUT 2/20/2019
• THE NEW LEFT 2/13/2019
• THE DELUSION FACTOR 1/16/2019
• THE WALL – A SURREALIST PERSPECTIVE 1/2/2019

Politics 2018

• GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH – 1924 – 2018 12/12/2018
• THE RUSSIAN BANK PHASE – SUDDENLY WHITEWATER 12/5/18
• MID-TERM ROUNDUP 11/14/2018
• ALT RIGHT UNDERGROUND – A PERSPECTIVE 10/31/2018
• #FEMINIST 10/10/2018
• I LOVE POLITICS 10/3/2018
• CATHOLIC CHURCH’S ONGOING CHILD RAPE PROBLEM 9/5/2018
• TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2018 – THE DAY THE RAVEN TAPPED FOR MR. TRUMP 8/21/2018
• WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE PRESIDENT COMMITTED TREASON? 7/25/2018
• EXPLAINING “ROE v. WADE” IN THE AGE OF STUPID 7/11/2018
• THE KIM JONG-UN SHOW 6/20/2018
• THE LOST CHILDREN OF AMERICA 6/13/2018
• THE UNITED TRUMP OF TRUMP 6/5/2018
• THE FIGHT TO LEGALIZE WEED IN NJ CONTINUES 5/30/2018
• IT’S UNCLE RUDY TIME…IT’S UNCLE RUDY TIME! 5/2/2018
• EXIT STAGE RYAN 4/18/2018
• I’M OFFICIALLY BORED OF CRAZY TRUMP 4/11/2018
• THE HALF-ASSED STEEL TARIFF 3/14/2018
• THE FIGHT FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA 3/7/2018
• ALL THE PRESIDENT’S CRIMINALS 2/28/2018
• GENERATION DEAD 2/21/2017
• RUSSIA IS WINNING 2/7/2018
• THE IMMIGRATION SMOKESCREEN 1/31/2018
• TIME FOR ATLAS TO SHRUG 1/10/2018

Politics 2017

• WELCOME BACK TO CORPORATE LAND 12/20/2017
• ROY MOORE + ALABAMA = SENATE 12/13/2017
• THE TAX REFORM SHUFFLE 12/6/2017
• MIXED MESSAGES – ELECTION DAY 2017 11/15/2017
• ELECT PHIL MURPHY – LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN NJ 11/1/2017
• CAVEAT EMPTOR 10/17/2017
• JIMMY KIMMEL & THE NEW AGE OF CELEBRITY POLITICS 9/27/2017
• THE HILLARY DELUSION 8/20/2017
• RADICAL CAUCASIAN TERRORISM 8/23/2017
• THE “DADDY LOVE ME” NUCLEAR STAND-OFF – 2017 8/16/2017
• THE UNSINKABLE ACA 7/26/2017
• CITIZENS OF NEW JERSEY UNITE AGAINST GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSION 7/12/2017
• COMEY SPEAKS 6/14/2017
• DONALD TRUMP: STUPID, GUILTY OR BOTH? 5/17/2017
• THE TRUMP CENTURY MARK 5/3/2017
• WHEN AN ARMADA IS NOT AN ARMADA 4/26/2017
• THE TRUMP DOCTRINE 4/19/2017
• OUT LIKE FLYNN 4/5/2017
• HEALTH CARE: HERE WE GO AGAIN 3/15/2017
• MORE FUN WITH THE RUSSIAN THING 3/8/2017
• OUT LIKE FLYNN 2/22/2017
• SORRY…NO “DO-OVERS” 2/8/2017
• “ALTERNATIVE FACTS” 2/1/2017
• GROUND RULES FOR DONALD TRUMP COMMENTARY 1/25/2017
• JOE COOL…OUT! 1/18/2017

Politics 2016

• A SEASONAL WISH 12/24/2016
• IN PRAISE OF THE DAILY SHOW (THE BOOK) 12/21/2016
• NEXT UP – OUST CHRISTIE 12/14/2016
• PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP – AN EXPLANATION IN TWO PARTS 11/16/2016
• THE BALLAD OF DISTRICT FIVE 12/7/2016
• FINAL THOUGHTS ON ELECTION 2016 11/9/2016
• SCOTT GARRETT’S INTIMIDATION MACHINE VERSUS ME 11/2/2016
• SCOTT GARRETT NEEDS AN ASS KICKING 10/26/2016
• AFTER TRUMP 10/19/2016
• THE JOKE’S OVER 10/5/2016
• TIME FOR CHRIS CHRISTIE TO GO TO JAIL 9/28/2016
• THE GARY JOHNSON FACTOR 9/14/2016
• MADAM SHOO-IN: DAILY CRISIS 9/7/2016
• ISIS – THE END IS NIGH 8/31/2016
• THE LAST GASP FOR CITIZEN TRUMP 8/24/2016
• NEW YAWK, NEW YAWK 8/17/2016
• REVENGE OF THE POLITICIANS 8/3/2016
• THE TRUMP SHOW 7/27/2016
• HYPOCRITES & SORE LOSERS ON PARADE 7/20/2016
• NOW…IT’S OVER 7/13/2016
• WHY BERNIE SANDERS MATTERS 6/1/2016
• DONALD J. TRUMP, REPUBLICAN NOMINEE – WTF?? 5/11/2016
• WHAT’S THE POINT OF TED CRUZ? 5/4/2016
• THE GREAT REPUBLICAN LIE ON ABORTION 4/3/2016
• MADAM SHOO-IN – THE SEQUEL 3/23/2016
• CIVIL WAR! 3/9/2016
• MYTH BUSTER IN CHIEF 3/2/2016
• THE SCALIA BOMB 2/24/2016
• MISTAH CHRISTIE HE DEAD 2/17/2016
• EXPLAINING BERNIE SANDERS 2/10/2016
• THE NAKED EMPEROR VS THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN 2/3/2016
• WHY DONALD TRUMP MUST BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE 1/27/2016/2016
• GUNS: MONEY, POLITICS & HYPERBOLE 1/13/2016

Politics 2015

• MASS SHOOTING IN SAN BERNADINO 12/9/2015
• APRES PARIS LE DELUGE 11/25/2015
• THIS REVOLUTION ‏‏‏IS TELEVISED 11/11/2015
• SYRIA – A BIG MISTAKE 11/4/2015
• THE SOUND OF THE BARREL’S BOTTOM BEING SCRAPED‏‏‏ 10/28/2015
• A HOUSE DIVIDED‏‏‏ 10/14/2015
• SYRIA & THE MID/DLE EAST EITHER/OR THEORY‏ ‏‏‏ 10/7/2015
• JOE COOL DOMINATING‏ ‏‏‏ 9/16/2015
• WHITE GUY WRITING ABOUT #BLACKLIVESMATTER‏ ‏‏‏ 9/9/2015
• A NEW TWIST ON WEEKLY SHOOTING ‏‏‏ 9/2/2015
• MEDIA, MONEY & DONALD TRUMP‏‏‏‏ 8/26/2015
• PLANNED PARENTHOOD & MADE-UP SHIT‏‏‏ 8/12/2015
• UBER VERSUS NYC ‏‏‏ 7/29/2015
• THE IRAN DEAL AND THE SECRET WAR ON ISIS‏ ‏‏‏ 7/22/2015
• EQUALITY…OF COURSE ‏‏‏ 7/8/2015
• FLAGS ARE BULLSHIT ‏‏‏ 7/1/2015
• WELCOME (BACK) TO THE JUNGLE ‏‏‏ 6/17/2015
• GOODBYE PATRIOT ACT ‏‏‏ 6/10/2015
• ELIZABETH WARREN UNLEASHED ‏‏‏ 5/27/2015
• BALTIMORE IS BURNING ‏‏‏ 5/6/2015
• IRAN: SO FAR AWAY‏‏ 4/29/2015
• MADAM SHOO-IN PART II‏ 4/22/2015
• INDIANA DREAMIN’‏4/8/2015
• MIDDLE EAST BLOOD JUGGLES ‏ 4/1/2015
• THE EQUALITY OF HATE ‏‏  3/18/2015
• WHERE THERE IS NO THERE…THERE 3/11/2015
• THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE CLASS ‏ 2/11/2015
• 114th CONGRESS ‏  1/21/2015
• JE SUIS CHARLIE 1/14/2015

Politics 2014

• VIVA LA CUBA! 12/24/2014
• CONVENIENTLY INVISIBLE AMERICA 12/17/2014
• I CAN’T BREATHE‏! 12/10/2014
• FEAR OF A BARACK PLANET‏ 11/12/2014
• NEW JERSEY: HOME OFFICE TYRANNY 11/5/2014
• FINAL OBSERVATIONS – ONE WEEK OUT 10/29/2014
• ROB ASTORINO UNPLUGGED 10/15/2014
• OBAMAWAR 9/25/2014
• HERE WE GO AGAIN 9/10/2014
• FEARGUSON, U.S.A 8/27/2014
• ‏AUGUST 8, 1974 8/13/2014
• CONTEMPLATING GAZA 8/6/2014
• ‏THE AGE OF POLITICAL INERTIA 7/22/2014
• CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AT 50 ‏ 7/9/2014
• IN PRAISE OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH (AGAIN) ‏ 6/25/2014
• TIME WARP ‏ 6/25/2014
• VA SCANDAL: OUR IMPRINT, OUR LEGACY, OUR SIN ‏ 5/29/2014
• ROB ASTORINO TAKES THE STAGE 5/21/2014
• NO CURE FOR STUPID 5/7/2014
• BUNDY RANCH SOLUTION: FREE-FOR-ALL IN NEVADA 4/30/2014
• DESPERATE DEMOCRATS LOWBALL STRATEGY 2014 4/24/2014
• MONEY, CORRUPTION & THE FREE THINKER PRINCIPLE ‏ 4/17/2014
• RELIGIOUS NONSENSE & THE LAW ‏ 4/2/2014
• CRIMEA: THE RUSSIAN SHEEP THEOREM ‏ 3/26/2014
• MY FRIEND…THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK? ‏  3/12/2014
• THEOLOGY OF SCIENCE ‏ 2/26/2014
• PRELUDE TO IRRELEVANCE 2/5/2014
• LAST CHANCE POWER DRIVE 1/15/2014

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Politics 2013

• NELSON MANDELA – 1918-2013 12/11/2013
• THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS AT 150 11/19/2013
• IT CAME FROM NEW JERSEY 11/13/2013
• AFFORDABLE CARE ACT I – SHIT BALLS 10/29/2013
• HAMMER TIME FOR JOE COOL 10/16/2013
• THE HOUSE DIVIDED PRINCIPLE 10/9/2013
• VLADIMIR PUTIN: SATIRIST 9/18/2013
• BOONDOGGLE UPDATE 9/11/2013
• SYRIA – JUST SAY NO 9/4/2013
• STOP & FRISK 8/21/2013
• EGYPT: DEMOCRACY, RELIGION & THE NEW DIVIDE 7/24/2013
• GRAPEFRUIT CIRCUS BLOWS THROUGH TOWN 7/17/2013
• Down Goes DOMA – 7/3/2013
• EVERYTHING IS DISEASE – 6/28/2013
• EDWARD J. SNOWDEN & GLENN GREENWALD: HACKING INTO HYPOCRISY – 6/19/13
• The Self-Perpetuating Gorge Of Power or How The IRS Becomes Hal 9000 – 6/3/13
• How I Learned To Stop Worrying & The Love The Shield Law – 5/29/13
• Second Term Jinx – Obama Style – 5/22/13
• Be Careful – 5/1/13
• The Lessons of Boston – 4/24/13
• Springtime For North Korea– 4/17/13
• Supreme Decision – 4/3/13
• Holy Land Obama – 3/20/13
• Sequester Diary – 3/2/13
• Joe Cool Budget/Guns/Immigration/Education Tour – 2/27/13
• Life (And Death) During Perpetual Wartime – 2/13/13
• Tobacco, Booze & Firearms – An American Love Story – 1/23/13
• Guns & The American Experiment – 1/16/13
• Tax Hikes, No Deal & The GOP War – 1/9/13

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Politics 2012

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• Thanks For Next To Nothing – 11/21/12
• Joe Cool Stomp II– 11/14/12
• Countdown Election – 11/8/12
• Women, Women, Women – 10/31/12
• New Ball Game – 10/17/12
• Obama Slumber Party– 10/10/12
• Train Wreck Romney – 9/26/12
• The Show Part II – 9/12/12
• The Show Part I – 9/5/12
• A-Riteway Construction Must Be Stopped – 8/29/12
• The Paul Ryan Factor – 8/22/12
• Convenient “Free Speech” – 8/15/12
• What Is Mitt Romney Afraid Of? – 7/25/12
• Last Word On The Independent Vote – 7/18/12
• Supreme Cop-Out – 7/4/12
• What’s The Deal With Attonreys General? – 6/27/12
• The Summer Of Obama – 6/20/12
• Recall Bust – 6/13/12
• The Defiant Capitlaist Returns – 5/23/12
• Welcome To The Funhouse – 5/18/12
• GOP Lockdown – 5/2/12
• The Buffett Rule? – 4/25/12
• Revenge Of The Nerds – 4/11/12
• Health Care On Trial – 4/4/12
• Look Away Dixie Land – 3/28/12
• Super Dud – 3/14/12
• Dear Mista Christie – 3/7/12
• The Frontrunner Shuffle – 2/29/12
• The Israel Threat – 2/22/12
• A Question of Secular Faith – 2/15/12
• Joe Cool Carries The Two – 2/1/12
• South Carolina Mudsling – 1/25/12
• Citizen Romney – 1/18/12
• Hawkeye Hoodwink – 1/11/12

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Politics 2011

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• Congress Circa 112 – 1/12/11
• The Echoes Of Tucson In The United States Of FantasyLand – 1/19/11
• The Joe Cool Comeback Rally – 2/2/11
• Cairo: Egyptian Experiment In Anarchy – 2/9/11
• The Tea Party Man – 2/16/11
• While You’re Away – 2/23/11
• Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – 3/9/11
• The Cake Has Been Taken – 3/16/11
• The Ides Of Libya – 3/30/11
• Countdown To Compromise – 4/6/11
• Opening Act – 4/13/11
• Osama & Out – 5/11/11
• Vox Schizophrenia – 6/1/11
• Weinergate – 6/15/11
• The Courtship of Chris Christie – 6/22/11
• One Vote – 6/29/11
• Debt Ceiling Showdown – 7/13/11
• Bring It On – 7/20/11
• Averting The Crisis That Wasn’t – 8/3/11
• S & P vs. U.S.A. – 8/17/11
• The Joe Cool Double-Reverse Hail Mary– 9/14/11
• Class Warfare, Job Creators & Other Myths – 9/28/11
• GOP Vacuum – 10/5/11
• All Hail The Super Committee! – 11/23/11
• The Ron Paul Factor – 12/21/11

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Politics 2010

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• 2010: Year of the Faux Revolution – 1/13/10
• Barack Obama’s America: Year One – 1/20/10
• Mr. Brown Goes To Washington – 1/27/10
• We The People – 2/10/10
• The Independents Sweepstakes – 2/24/10
• Health Care Summit? – 3/3/10
• The Curious Case of “The Al Qaada 7” – 3/17/10
• Health Care U.S.A. – 3/24/10
• Ten Lies About Health Care Reform – 3/31/10
• With Friends Like These… – 4/14/10
• Tax Day Speech 2010 – 4/21/10
• G-R-E-E-D – 5/5/10
• Arizona Calling – 5/12/10
• N.J. Faux Revolution 2010 – 5/26/10
• Exit Stage Left – 6/23/10
• G.I. JOKE – 6/30/10
• Victory For Liberty & Justice For All – 8/11/10
• Grand Old Party – How Big Is Thy Hammer? – 9/8/10
• The Money Season – 9/22/10
• Democrats Circle The Wagons – 10/13/10
• March of the Crazies – 10/27/10
• Elephant Avalanche – 11/10/10
• Politics Of The Tax Cut – 12/8/10
• Citizen Health Care – 12/29/10

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Politics 2009

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• Mr. Burris Goes To Washington – 1/14/09
• So Long Captain Shoo-In – 1/21/09
• The Change Express – 1/28/09
• Vox Stimuli – 2/11/09
• The Great Leap Of Faith – 3/4/09
• Outrage Squared – 4/1/09
• Anarchy In The U.K. – 4/8/09
• Dawn Of The Ace Age – 4/15/09
• Last Words On The United States Of Torture – 4/29/09
• The Century Mark – 5/6/09
• The Sins Of Pakistan – 5/27/09
• Dinasaurs On Sixth Avenue – 6/3/09
• The Allah Stomp – 6/24/09
• The Healthcare Shuffle – 7/29/09
• Stupidly, Stupidly, Stupidly… – 8/5/09
• “Un-American Is Un-American – 8/19/09
• Last Temptation Of Obama – 8/26/09
• Edward Moore Kennedy – 9/2/09
• Hopeville In Autumn – 9/16/09
• The Race Illusion – 9/23/09
• Afghanistan: The Original Quagmire – 10/7/09
• Solutions (Sort of) For National Health Care – 10/14/09
• Rob Astorino: Friend & Colleague in the Land of Scum – 10/29/09
• Foul Nectar of the Beatdown – 11/11/09
• Fort Hood’s Sociological Backlash – 11/18/09
• Collectivism on Parade – 11/25/09
• Health Care Finale – 12/16/09

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Politics 2008

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• Iowa: What Happened? – 1/9/08
• New Hampshire: Same Old Song & Dance – 1/16/08
• The Heart & Soul Of Party Politics Part I – 1/23/08
• The Heart & Soul Of Party Politics Part II – 1/30/08
• And Then There Were Three – 2/6/08
• Goodbye Super Tuesday – 2/13/08
• Independence Rules – 2/20/08
• Cheesehead Victory Lap – 2/27/08
• The Emperor’s New Factory Girl – 3/12/08
• The Democrats Are Burning – 3/19/08
• The Speech – 3/26/08
• The Party vs. The Machine – 4/9/08
• Iraq – The New Iran – 4/16/08
• Confession Of An Elitist – 4/23/08
• Keystone Kop-Out – 4/30/08
• Let’s Make A Deal – 5/14/08
• The Great Divide – 5/21/08
• Will The Real John McCain Please Stand Up – 5/28/08
• Fuck Scott McClellen – 6/4/08
• Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie – 6/11/08
• 18 In ’08: Part I – 6/25/08
• 18 In ’08: Part II – 7/2/08
• Obama In The Uphill Part I – 8/6/08
• Obama In The Uphill Part II – 8/13/08
• Open Letter To Barack Obama – 8/27/08
• The Rocky Mountain Shill – 9/3/08
• Hurricane Palin Steals Thunder From RNC – 9/10/08
• The Total Eclipse Of McCain – 9/17/08
• Welcome To The People’s Republic Of America – 10/1/08
• Power To The People – 10/8/08
• Joe Cool Down The Stretch – 10/22/08
• GOP R.I.P. -10/29/08
• What’s Worth Voting For -11/5/08
• An Open Apology To America – 11/12/08
• Beggars & Choosers – 12/3/08
• Oh Nine: Year Of The Guilty – 12/31/08

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Politics Archive

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• On The Trail Of A Kidnapped Journalist – 6/96
• Bill Bradley Letter – 8/10/99
• RAGING AGAINST THE MACHINE: Political Pit Bull, Pat Buchanan Takes Off The Kid Gloves in His Grass Roots Run for President – 1/26/00
• Cheap Garments And Lesser Words On Super Tuesday – 3/22/00
• Castro, Baseball And The Great Divide – 4/26/00
• The Giuliani Dilemma – 5/31/00
• The Ballad Of Rick Lazio – 6/7/00
• The Great Debate On Debates – 7/19/00
• The VP Factor & Other Boring Political Summer Tales – 8/9/00
• Georgetown On The Floor – 8/16/00
• Joseph Lieberman & The Great Leap Of Faith – 8/23/00
• Tinsletown Looney Tunes – 8/30/00
• The New Gore Rules – 9/20/00
• Taking The Pulse Of America – 10/11/00
• Notes From The Campaign Fringe – 10/18/00
• Deconstructing Hillary – 10/25/00
• Last Tango In Ghostland – 11/1/00
• Surviving The Great “System” Anal Probe – 11/29/00
• Ten Lies About The 2000 Presidential Dispute – 12/13/00
• Requiem For A Lightweight – 12/20/00
• Spoils From The Victor – 1/3/01
• Exile On Ecology Street – 1/24/01
• So Long To Bill Clinton – Minister Of Fun -1/31/01
• Help Wipe Out Federal Clemency In Our Time – 3/7/01
• Anatomy of a Tax Cut – 3/21/01
• Campaign Finance For An Elightened Age – 4/11/01
• The China Syndrome – 4/18/01
• War is Hell & Other Exclusives – 5/9/01
• The FBI & Timothy McVeigh – 5/23/01
• Oilmen To The Rescue – 5/30/01
• Broken Heroes On Highway 9 – 7/4/01
• Song of the Bloated Hyena – 7/11/01
• Desperately Leaking Condit – 7/18/01
• Stem-Cell Redux – 8/22/01
• Last Word On Lying Sacks of Shit – 9/5/01
• Casualties Of War – 11/6/01
• How The Bruised Apple Was Won – 11/14/01
• Israel Under Siege – 12/12/01
• A Georgetown Christmas – 12/26/01
• Remembering Uncle Rudy, King Of New Gotham – 1/2/02
• What Now? – 1/23/02
• Inside Enron – 2/20/02
• Battle Line America – 3/6/02
• The Dick Cheney World Tour – 3/20/02
• Curbing The Insane & Other Sober Judgments – 4/24/02
• Introduction To Parenting In A Predatory Environment – 5/8/02
• A Conversation With Ani DiFranco Part I– 5/15/02
• A Conversation With Ani DiFranco Part II – 5/22/02
• The Blame Game – 6/5/02
• Courts A-Go-Go – 7/3/02
• A Mid-Summer’s Night Standoff – 7/17/02
• Bare Knuckle Jungle – 7/24/02
• All Together Now…Recession!! – 8/7/02
• NYC – One Year Later – 9/11/02
• Mid-Term Madness – 10/2/02
• Senator Quitter Or The Ballad Of A Gutless Swine – 10/9/02
• The Big Olympic Lie – 11/13/02
• A Georgetown Christmas – 12/25/02
• Selective Heroism – 1/29/03
• The Price of Safety – 2/5/03
• Propaganda 101 – 2/19/03
• The Bill For Rebuilding Iraq – 2/26/03
• The Blessed Right of Dissent – 3/5/03
• Abandoning Reason at the Fort – 3/12/03
• Ten Lies About The US Invasion Of Iraq – 3/26/03
• Post Mortem For War Coverage – 4/9/03
• Victory Mandate & Other Silly Claims – 5/14/03
• Bear Hunt Madness – 5/21/03
• The Homeland Security Shuffle – 5/28/03
• Final Answers From The Roadmap to Peace – 6/18/03
• A Sober View From The Trenches – 7/23/03
• California Schemin’ – 8/6/03
• Georgetown In Cali Part II -9/17/03
• Georgetown In Cali -9/10/03
• Schwarzenegger & The Left Wing GOP
• Anarchy In Bushland – 10/29/03
• Harbinger of the Flower People – 12/3/03
• Why Howard Dean Cannot Win A General Election – 12/17/03
• The Chunk Of Puke Principle – 12/24/03
• Primary Palaestra – 1/21/04
• DogFight Revisited – 1/28/04
• New Hampshire Fallout – 2/4/03
• The “Real” Super Tuesday Hammerlock – 2/11/04
• Last Word On WMD’S – 2/18/04
• Bigotry & Gay Marriage – 3/17/04
• The Denizens of Politics – 4/14/04
• High Stakes – Bad Breaks – 4/21/04
• Man Overboard – 5/19/04
• The Georgetown Factor – 5/26/04
• The Georgetown Factor Part II – 6/2/04
• D-Day – 60 Years Hence – 6/9/04
• You Say You Want A Saudi Revolution? – 6/30/04
• The Edwards Factor – 7/14/04
• The Mediocre Elite Arise – 7/28/04
• G.I. John Digs In – 8/4/04
• Running Scared – 8/11/04
• Cornered GOP Beasts Throws Ugly – 8/18/04
• Ralph Nader’s Last Stand?– 8/25/04
• Notes From The Cesspool Part I – 9/1/04
• Elephants On Eighth Avenue – 9/8/04
• Notes From The Cesspool Part II – 9/15/04
• Kerry In Neutral – 9/29/04
• Half-Truths & Sound Bites – 10/6/04
• No Rest For The Desperate – 10/20/04
• Why George Bush Must Go – 10/27/04
• Second Term Madness – 11/10/04
• Exit Stage Arafat – 11/17/04
• The Iron Fist Principle Part I – 12/8/04
• The Iron Fist Principle Part II – 12/15/04
• Manifest Destiny Made Easier – 12/29/04
• Malpractice Lunacy or Medical Tyranny – 1/19/05
• In Bush We Trust – 1/2/05
• Torch Song of the Money Wise – 1/9/05
• Liberal Bias In The Media – 3/16/05
• Condee Spins Eternal – 3/23/05
• Deconstructing The Constitution – 3/30/05
• We Want Bolton – 5/4/05
• GOP Gridlock Part 1 – 5/11/05
• GOP Gridlock Part 2 – 5/18/05
• Deep Throat – A Tribute – 6/8/05
• Caveat Emptor – 7/6/05
• The “Karl Rove Is Innocent” Favor Rendered – 7/20/05
• Open Letter To Fidel Castro – 7/27/05
• Senator Rodham Meets The Bride Of Uncle Rudy – 8/17/05
• Journalism In A Vacuum – 8/31/05
• The Big Desperate – 9/14/05
• Solutions For OPEC Price Gouging – 9/21/05
• Tom Delay – Road Kill – 10/12/05
• A View From The Barricades Part I – 10/26/05
• A View From The Barricades Part II – 11/2/05
• The Chief Executive’s New Clothes – 11/30/05
• When Good Ideas Are Executed By Dumb Asses – 12/7/05
• The Song & Dance Man Revisited – 12/14/05
• Surrealism Safety Brigade – 12/21/05
• Invisible & Paralyzed – 12/28/05
• Judging Alito – 1/25/06
• Hooray For Hamas! – 2/8/06
• Dick Cheney – King of All Media – 2/22/06
• President On Trial At Local High School – 3/22/06
• Mr. Mojo Sinking – 4/5/06
• Viva Le Cheap Labor – 4/12/06
• Scooter’s Song – 4/19/06
• Iran Crisis Is A Fraud – 4/26/06
• Praise Be To Oil Barons – 5/10/06
• The NSA Tapes – 5/24/06
• The Democrats Are Finished – 6/21/06
• Al Qaeda Shell Game – 6/28/06
• Unreliable Sources – 7/19/06
• The Israeli Defense Force Summer Tour – 7/26/06
• Dogpile On The Loons – 8/2/06
• The Lieberman Experiment – 8/16/06
• Middle East Solutions – 8/23/06
• Ching-Ching, Cash In On Tragedy! Part 1 – 9/20/06
• Ching-Ching, Cash In On Tragedy! Part 2 – 9/27/06
• Midterm Elections Dilemma – 10/11/06
• Senatorial See Saw – 10/18/06
• A House Divided – 10/25/06
• Conservatism Vs. Fundamentalism – 11/8/06
• Dems Sweep, GOP Weeps – 11/15/06
• Punchline Iraq – 12/13/06
• Gerald Ford? – 1/10/07
• Challenge To The 110th Congress – 1/17/07
• Dead Man Talking – 1/31/07
• War vs. Occupation – 2/14/07
• Bush -1 Democrats – 0 – 3/7/07
• A Reluctant Guide To Campaign 2008 Part I -3/14/07
• A Reluctant Guide To Campaign 2008 Part II -3/21/07
• Frat House Fracas – 5/16/07
• Independence ’08 – 6/13/07
• The Nifong Chronicles – 6/27/07
• Song Of The Dying Whale – 7/11/07
• The Blame Game – 7/25/07
• Pot & Kettle Revelations – 9/12/07
• Four Corner Petraeus – 9/19/07
• The Hillary Machine – 10/31/07
• Expatriate Windfall – 11/7/07
• 30 Days To Pay Dirt – 12/5/07
• Mitt Romney: Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell – 12/12/07

Reality Check | Pop Culture | Politics | Sports | Music

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Pop Culture

• “PLENTY OF PRETTY VOICES WITH NOTHING TO SAY” – 4/20/2022
• KEROUAC CENTURY – 3/16/2022
• THE VONNEGUT CATHARSIS & THE PAIN OF WAR – 2/9/2022
• THE SWEET & SOUR MUSIC OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON – 12/15/2021
• THE POLITICS, CULTURE & SPIRIT OF SOUL – 7/21/21
• OUR MONSTER FIXATION – 4/14/2021
• THE GHOSTS OF HATE & FREEDOM – 2/12/2020
• AUGUST 15 – 18, 1969 – 8/14/2019
• AUGUST 9, 1969 – 8/7/2019
• JULY 20, 1969 7/24/2019
• THE DISHONEST ARTIST – 1/30/2019
• RESURRECTING LENNY – 12/19/2018
• STAN LEE – 1922 – 2018 – 11/21/2018
• TOM WOLFE – 1930 – 2018 – 5/23/2018
• THE GRADUATE at 50 – 4/4/2018
• IN PRAISE OF ENCOUNTERS – 1/17/2018
• THE SUMMER OF “ANNIE HALL” AT 40 – 7/19/2017
• APOLOGY SYNDROME 2017 – 6/7/2017
• WILL SOMEONE PLEASE HAVE SEX WITH BILL O’REILLY? – 4/12/2017
• IN PRAISE OF THE DAILY SHOW (THE BOOK) – 12/21/2016
• THAT METAL SHOW ON THE RUN – 3/16/2016
• IN DEFENSE OF EBENEZER SCROOGE – 12/23/2015
• UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF TWO MILLENNIA – 12/16/2015
• MISE EN DREAD – 2/25/2015
• THE SCOURGE OF BRIAN WILLIAMS & OTHER THINGS – 2/18/2015
• MIKE NICHOLS – 1931 – 2014 – 11/26/2014
• Southern Comfort Interrupted – 2/6/13
• In Praise of Vegan is Love – 8/1/12
• Make Way, Mick Jagger– 5/9/12
• 12 – 12/28/11
• South West Black Friday Revelations – 12/7/11
• Chasing The Center While Kickin’ ‘Round The Fringe – 11/2/11
• American Youth – Movement, Fad Or Voice? – 10/26/11
• #OWS – 10/12/11
• No, Thanks – 9/2/11
• Titans Out – 8/31/11
• We Suck (Apparently) – 8/24/11
• Rubert Murdoch – A Tribute – 7/27/11
• How I’ll Spend Judgment Day – 5/25/11
• Art of the Giddy Hangover – 5/4/11
• Okay…Donald Trump – 4/27/11
• Anglo-America On Parade– 3/2/11
• “Wizard Of Oz” Remake (No Shit) – 11/24/10
• Consumer vs. Cablevision vs. News Corp.– 11/3/10
• Free Speech Redux – 9/1/10
• Mosques, Slevin, Newt & The Nazi Pope – 8/18/10
• Happy Birthday Doctor Thompson – 7/28/10
• An Open Letter To British Petroleum – 6/9/10
• Jerome David Salinger – 1919-2010 – 2/3/10
• Ghost of Free Market Past – 12/23/09
• Woody Being Woody – 7/15/09
• Michael Jackson – 1958 – 2009 – 7/8/09
• What Is News? – 4/22/09
• Send In The Clowns – 3/18/09
• The Bogus Battle For Christmas – 12/24/08
• We’re All Fine – 12/10/08
• The Summer Of Survival – 7/23/08
• George Carlin 1937 – 2008 – 7/9/08
• Queen Of Vernon 1993 – 2007 – 1/2/08
• London Recalling – 11/21/07
• On The Road At 50 Part II – 10/10/07
• On The Road At 50 Part I – 10/3/07
• Mass Media Democracy – 9/26/07
• While We Were Away… – 9/5/07
• Decayed At The Desk – 8/8/07
• A Very Filthy Christmas – John Waters Interview – 12/12/07
• Michael Moore & His “SiCKO” Utopia – 7/4/07
• Free Paris Hilton – 6/20/07
• An Open Letter From God On Smiting Jerry Falwell – 5/30/07
• Kurt Vonnegut – 1922-2007 – 5/2/07
• NBC & The Network Rubber Neck – 4/25/07
• Of Villains, Victims & Vengence – 4/18/07
• Why I Should Be A Juror – 4/4/07
• Free-Trade Propaganda – 3/28/07
• Snow Day – 2/21/07
• Hot House Rising – 2/7/07
• Wishes For 2007 – 1/3/07
• “Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride” – 12/6/06
• The O.J. Simpson Cultural Mirror Strikes Again – 11/29/06
• CBGB – RIP – 11/1/06
• Warren Buffet For Sainthood – 7/5/06
• The Gueem – 1997 – 2006 – 5/31/06
• Speed Generation – 5/17/06
• Propaganda For Sale – Cheap! – 3/8/06
• Loony Toons – 2/15/06
• I Have A Dream – 1/18/06
• Rosa Louise Parks – 1913-2005 – 11/9/05
• BallBusting 101 – 10/5/05
• In Praise of Intelligent Design Verus Evolution – 8/10/05
• Eminent Domain & The Saga Of Zander The Bat – 7/13/05
• Legalize Marijuana Already – 6/15/05
• Peddling Morality In The Den Of Iniquity – 5/25/05
• Lay Off The Catholics – 4/20/05
• Parker Posey Stole My Car – 4/13/05
• Hunter Stockton Thompson 1937-2005 – 3/2/05
• Michael Jackson Is In Deep Shit – 2/16/05
• Dangerous Art Networked Daily – 12/22/04
• The Big, Bad Voices of Sarah Jones – 6/23/04
• Gonzo Goes To The Movies – 4/7/04
• A Debate Of Passion Part II – 3/3/04
• A Debate Of Passion Part I – 2/25/04
• Birth of the Cynical Age – 11/26/03
• The Sky Is Falling, By The Way – 11/5/03
• Rush Limbaugh, ESPN & The Craven Con – 10/9/03
• Gay Bishops & Other Modern Illusions – 8/13/03
• All Hail Ann Coulter – Champion Of The Dumb – 7/2/03
• The Birthing of History – 1/7/03
• Echoes of a Precarious Freedom (Lenny Part II) – 12/11/02
• Resurrecting Dirty Lenny Part I – 12/4/02
• “Your children are not safe anytime, anywhere…” – 10/30/02
• Four Decades – One Hundred Lives – 9/4/02
• The Bonzi Conspiracy – 8/21/02
• In Defense Of The American Bully – 6/26/02
• Holy Hell For Holy Week – 3/27/02
• The Raping Of ABC News -3/13/02
• Swansong For The Deputy – 12/5/01
• Ken Kesey: 1935 -2001 – 11/28/01
• What Is Belief? – 8/8/01
• Dismantle The FCC – 6/13/01
• Explaining Robert Downey Jr. & Other Related Mishaps – 5/16/01
• Challenging the Verizon Gestapo: A Study in Technological Fascism – 4/4/01
• 100 Favorite Films – 2/28/01
• Who Killed Napster? – 2/21/01
• The Truth About Willie & The Underground Sharks – 2/14/01
• The Great MTV Hoax – 1/17/01
• Trimming The Fat From The Fire – 1/10/01
• Last Night They Shot John Lennon – 12/6/00
• Compassionate Censorship – 10/4/00
• The “Never” Solution & Other Bizarre Revelations About BLAZO!! – 8/2/00
• Friend Of The Different – The Horrible Truth About BLAZO!! – 7/26/00
• Pigeonholing God & Other Ego-Mad Pursuits – 7/5/00
• Freedom Of Speech Case 1,653: Dr. Laura Vs. GLAAD – 6/14/00
• How The Gravy Train Skids – 4/19/00
• Guns In America: Pop Goes History – 4/5/00
• Past Is Present (The Future Of Comedy By The Numbers) -1/98
• 20th Century Classics – 9/98 – 8/99
• Elvis Presley: The Bad, The Sweet, And The Boogie – 8/96

Reality Check | Pop Culture | Politics | Sports | Music

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Sports

James Campion Sports Bio

• Inmates In Charge – 8/17/93
• Remembering Jimmy V – 5/5/93
• Clubhouse Etiquette – 4/14/93
• The 1993 Phillies: As Animated As They Come – 4/14/93
• In Search Of Reggie – 8/5/93
• The New Jordan Rules – 10/13/93
• Four Quarters To Four Downs – 11/10/93
• Super Bowl III: Setting The Stage For All The Rest – 1/26/94
• Before The Kings: Ali in America 1964– 2/23/94
• Scooter Arrives:Better Late Than Never – 3/2/94
• The Mick’s Last Victory – 3/23/94
• Diary Of A Sports Madman – 5/4/94
• Violence In Sports -5/25/94
• Zen Of The Puck – Rangers On The Brink Of Lost Glory – 6/8/94
• Tyson Sits While Boxing Waits – 6/15/94
• O.J. Simpson: Superstar Images Die Hard – 6/22/94
• A Major League Mess Is Brewing – 7/20/94
• Donnie Baseball’s Last Stand – 7/27/94
• A View Of the Strike From The Front Lines – 8/24/94
• The Face Of Yorktown Football Is Smiling – 11/23/94
• Yorktown Still Unconquered And Unbeaten – 11/30/94
• The Legend And Legacy of Howard Cosell – 4/26/95
• The Top 25 Sports Personalities of the 20th Century – 7/3/96
• Phil Simms Interview – A Man For One Season – 9/00
• Bobby Knight: Macho Thug Or Stupid Brute? – 9/27/00
• Gridlock NY – 11/15/00
• Last Exit To Queens – 11/22/00
• Juggling The Facts About Violence At Peekskill High School – 1/18/01
• Gremlins In The Toy Department – 1/30/02
• When Good Things Happen To Good People – 2/13/02
• The Science Of Greed – 4/10/02
• The Toys of Summer – 8/14/02
• Title Town USA – 6/4/03
• Two-Dimensional Kobe – 7/30/03
• Bucky Dent & The High White Note – 10/2/03
• 50 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time – 10/31/03
• By Any Other Name – 1/14/04
• The NFL Stinks – 1/12/05
• Everything We Wanted To Know About Steroids… – 2/23/05
• Asterisk Nation – 3/15/06
• Hooligans In The Press Room – 9/6/06
• End Of An Era – 10/24/07
• Baseball Through The Looking Glass – 12/19/07
• Beijing Olympics: Let Pestilence Ring!– 8/20/08
• Addio Stadia – 9/24/08
• Where Have You Gone Muhammad Ali? – 2/18/09
• Why We Care About Tiger Woods – 12/9/09
• Lebron James Play Basketball – 7/14/10
• George Steinbrenner III – 1930 – 2010– 7/21/10
• Penn State – Institution Defeats Humanity Again – 11/16/11
• The Life, Myths & Influence Of An American Original – 12/14/11
• N.C. State & The Birth of March Madness – 3/27/13
• MR. RODRIGUEZ VS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 8/7/2013
• MO 10/2/2013
• MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – STILL BROKEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS 1/22/2014
• BUBBA, WASTE MANAGEMENT & PROGENY OF THE WALRUS 2/19/2014
• ? 9/17/2014
• #2 10/1/2014
• YOGI – 1925-2015‏ 9/30/2015
• MUHAMMAD ALI – 1942 – 2016‏ 6/15/2016
• NFL PATRIOTIC NONSENSE HAS TWO SIDES‏ 10/4/2017
• HOW LONG FOOTBALL?‏ 9/11/2019
• CHEATERS PROSPER‏ 1/22/2020
• THE CURIOUS CASE OF AARON RODGERS & “THE WOKE MOB”‏ 11/17/2021
• PAY BALL! 4/4/2022
• AARON JUDGE & THE REVISING OF BASEBALL HISTORY 10/12/2022

Reality Check | Pop Culture | Politics | Sports | Music

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Music

• 100 Favorite Albums
• Quadrophenia/Madison Square Garden 7/16/96
• The Artist/Roseland Ballroom 1/11/97
• Counting Crows/The Wallflowers/PNC Arts Center 7/14/97
• Ani DiFranco/Capitol Theater 3/21/97
• Sinead O’Connor/Beacon Theater 8/26/97
• Ani DiFranco/Carnegie Hall 4/6/01
• Counting Crows/William Paterson University 10/19/01
• Ani DiFranco Interview – 4/21/02
• A Conversation With Ani DiFranco Part I– 5/15/02
• A Conversation With Ani DiFranco Part II – 5/22/02
• Angry Ode To The Captain – 11/6/02
• Ode To The Undying Spirit – 12/18/02
• Dan Bern and the IJB/Bowery Ballroom – 3/30/03
• Dan Bern Interview -3/26/03
• Talkin’ Dan Bern Muse Part I – 4/16/03
• Talkin’ Dan Bern Muse Part II – 4/30/03
• Dan Bern/Bottom Line – 10/29/03
• Ani DiFranco/Beacon Theater – 12/10/03
• Peter Blasevick Calls It Quits – 3/28/04
• Dan Bern Interview -10/17/03
• Patty Griffin Interview– 4/7/04
• Patty Griffin Digs Deep – 4/28/04
• Patty Griffin/TownHall 5/8/04– 5/19/04
• Springtime For Bernstein – 5/5/04
• Ani DiFranco In Bloom – 5/12/04
• Jane Siberry/Zankel Hall 3/11/06 – 3/22/06
• Tending Oxygen Bar With Dan Bern – 9/13/06
• Paul Stanley Interview – 10/18/06
• Randy Newman/Carnegie Hall 10/11/06 – 11/8/06
• Eric Hutchinson/Cutting Room 10/17/06 – 11/22/06
• James Brown -1933-2006 – 1/3/07
• Adam Schlesinger Interview – 4/6/07
• Fountains Of Wayne/Yuppie Blues – 4/18/07
• The Nasty, Junky, Funky, Lowdown Country Blues – 5/9/07
• Melissa Ferrick Interview – 6/19/07
• Melissa Ferrick/Union Hall 6/22/07 – 7/18/07
• Eric Hutchinson Sounds Like This – 9/19/07
• Bruce Springsteen/Meadowlands 10/9/07– 11/7/07
• Adam Duritz Out Of The Abyss– 3/26/08
• Lucinda Williams Interview -2/22/09
• Tori Amos Interview – 7/28/09
• The Sins Of Tori Amos -8/12/09
• Alice Cooper Interview – 9/17/09
• Alice Cooper: Cabaret Villain – 9/23/09
• Dan Bern/City Winery – 6/19/10
• Deep Tank to Weird Blood – 9/15/10
• Why The Fuck Isn’t Kiss in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? – 10/6/10
• The Uncommon Bonds of Common Rotation – 11/28/11
• The Invisible Virtuoso – 5/9/12
• The Thin White Jukebox – 6/20/12
• Alice Cooper: American Treasure – 6/20/12
• Dan Bern – Drifter – 6/20/12
• Volume Lens – The Iconic Art of Bob Gruen– 6/20/12
• John Densmore Interview – 4/9/13
• The Doors: Identiy Crisis In The Land of $$$ – 4/24/13
• ALICE COOPER INTERVIEW – 9/4/13
• MOOD SWINGS ON BROADWAY – STEELY DAN AT BEACON THEATER 10/4/13– 10/4/13
• Boy – Taking the process on tour 10/2013
• LOU REED – 1942 – 2013– 11/6/13
• Keith Richards At 70– 12/17/13
• THE BEATLES – THE WEEK – THE LEGACY – 2/12/14
• A Songwriter’s Cyber Showcase – 3/12/14
• ERIC HUTCHINSON’S PURE FICTION – 4/16/14
• TRUTH IN CHARACTER – 8/7/14
• SNAPSHOTS FROM UNDER WONDERLAND – 8/27/14
• SURPRISE, IT’S GINA ROYALE! – 2/6/15
• NICK HOWARD & THE STRANGE BUT REWARDING JOURNEY OF SONG – 4/8/15
• DAN BERN – TRANSITIONS – 4/20/15
• AN OPEN LETTER TO PETE TOWNSHEND ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY – 5/20/15
• RECALLING THE ETERNAL WAVE – A Brief Conversation with the Legendary Brian Wilson – 7/1/15
• COUNTING CROWS: NEXT STOP, AMERICA – 8/27/15
• DAVID BOWIE 1947 – 2016 – 1/20/2016
• SIR GEORGE HENRY MARTIN – 1926 -2016 – 3/16/2016
• ACE FREHLEY LOOKS BACK IN PRIDE – 4/6/2016
• PRINCE ROGERS NELSON – 1958 – 2016 – 4/27/2016
• THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE ROLLING STONES – 6/22/2016
• WHY NOT ALLICE? – 9/21/2016
• VIEWS FROM THE ROAD: THE ADAM DURITZ INTERVIEW – 8/9/2016
• EVOLUTION OF A YOUNG WOMAN AS AN ARTIST – 10/5/2016
• CHARLES EDWARD ANDERSON “CHUCK” BERRY – 1926 – 2017 – 3/29/2017
• LOVE…TO…TURN…YOU…ON – 5/31/2017
• THOMAS EARL PETTY – 1950 – 2017 – 10/11/2017
• STEPHEN KELLOGG – ROAD DIARY AT 40 – 11/15/2017
• Aretha Franklin – 1942 – 2018 – 8/22/2018
• Seán Barna: Impressions Be Damned – 9/18/2018
• STEPHEN KELLOGG & HIS OBJECTS OF HOPE – 4/17/2019
• Rob Thomas: Out of the Pocket – 5/22/2019
• DANIEL JOHNSTON – 1961 – 2019 – 9/18/2019
• ADAM SCHLESINGER – 1967-2020 – 4/8/2020
• “LITTLE RICHARD” WAYNE PENNIMAN – 1932 – 2020 – 5/20/2020
• CHARLES ROBERT WATTS – 1941 – 2021 – 9/1/2021
• ONE ALIEN ALIENATION IN THE ALIEN NATION – 6/16/2022
• JAMES PAUL MCCARTNEY TURNS 80 – 6/22/2022

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Reality Check

• SIX-OH 9/12/2022
• SADIE – 2006 – 2/22/22 3/2/2022
• SO… I GOT COVID1/15/2022
• NAVIGATING THE CAR DEALERSHIP GAMUT 10/6/2021
• THE DAY MY FATHER DIED11/6/2019
• OPEN LETTER TO MY WIFE IV 6/12/2019
• THIRTY-SIX HOURS10/24/2018
• SALINGER (THE CAT) 2006 – 20188/18/2018
• TWO DECADES – ONE SPACE – ‏6/21/2017
• STUMBLING INTO FATHERHOOD – ‏6/21/2017
• THE BODY EXPERIMENT – ‏6/24/15
• OPEN LETTER TO MY WIFE III – 6/11/2014
• Readers Responses – 4/10/13
• Readers Responses – 9/26/12
• Readers Responses -1/30/13
• Readers Responses -1/2/13
• 12/14/12 -12/26/12
• Open Letter To My Wife PART II – 6/17/09

THE CLASSICS

The top ten all-time Reality Check columns as determined by volume of mail or immediate feedback by the hearty members of the indomitable Check Group.

• Bill Clinton: An Appreciation – 9/1/98
• R.I.P. Woodstock – 8/11/99
• NY Toll Madness 11/18/97

THE 9/11 SERIES

This five-part commentary is now lauded among readers as some of jc’s finest columns in the wake of the events of 9/11. Two of these brutally honest pieces were included in the charity compendeum, “Glory: A Nation’s Spirit Defeats the Attack on America.” (2001)

• 9/11/01 – 9/19/01
• Enemies Of Reason – 9/26/01
• The Folly Of Negotiating With Maniacs – 10/2/01
• Kasbah Rocking – 10/10/01
• Humanity Lost – 10/31/01

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