“In Your Face”

The buffoon of the week is Willard Mitt Romney. He earned the honor when he said this at the last debate, “We don’t dictate to nations, we free nations from dictators.” Willard doesn’t know his history as the USA not only help install, but protected and supported with arms, cash and military training, the corrupt dictatorships of General Sani Abacha of Nigeria, Id iAmin of Uganda,Colonel Hugo Banzer of Bolivia, Fulgencio Batista of Cuba, Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, P.W.Botha of South Africa,General Humberto Branco of Brazil. Raoul Cedras of Haiti, Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala, Kai-Shek Chiang of Taiwan, Roberto Suazo Cordova of Honduras, Alfredo Christiani of El Salvador, Ngo Dihn Diem of Vietnam, General Samuel Doe of Liberia, Francois Duvalier of Haiti, Jean Claude Duvalier of Haiti, King Fahd bin’Abdul-’Aziz of Saudi Arabia, General Francisco Franco of Spain, Il Hassan of Morocco, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Yahya Khan of Pakistan, Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez of El Salvador, Joseph Mobutu of Congo, General Manuel Noriega of Panama, Turgut Ozal of Turkey, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran, George Papadopoulos of Greece, Park Chung Hee of South Korea, General Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Pol Pot of Cambodia, General Sitiveni Rabukaof Fiji, General Efrain Rios Montt of Guatemala, Halie Salassie of Ethiopia, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar of Portugal, Anastasio Jr Somoza Jr of Nicaragua, Anastasio, Somoza Sr of Nicaragua, Ian Smith of Rhodesia, Alfredo Stroessnerof Paraguay, General Suharto of Indonesia, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo of Dominican Republic, General Jorge Rafael Videla of Argentina and General Mohammed Zia Ul-Haq of Pakistan.

CD Review of Mike Stout’s, “In Your Face”

by the Elecpencil

 I love reading books that are biographies or about history. I especially love the type of history books that deal not with generals but with the soldiers on the front lines. Not too many history books deal with privates in wars or everyday working-class heroes. No one has written better histories about today’s working-class heroes than Alice and Staughton Lynd. That is because what the Lynd’s have done is sit down with their subjects, interviewed them and gotten something unique called, “Oral Histories” right from the horse’s mouth. To see what I mean, check out their book’s “Rank and File: Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers (1973)” and “the New Rank and File (2000).” If I was writing a history book these are the type of books I’d be proud to write. When it comes to the music, I want to hear the kind of songs I’d write if I only had the talent. I remember Paul McCartney singing, “I want to fill the world with silly love songs.” I’d prefer to write songs or books about what is going on in the world. They’d be the kind of songs or books that celebrate everyday heroes who are trying to make this a better world for all our children.

Luckily, I won’t ever have to struggle writing such books or songs. That is because the Lynd’s have the oral histories of working-class hero books covered and Pittsburgh singer/songwriter Mike Stout has the working-class hero songs covered. I mention the books of the Lynd’s and the songs of Mike Stout together because they form a perfect link. This link isn’t just by coincidence. Mike has been friends with the Lynd’s for a number of years.  He was actually one of the workers featured in the Lynd’s, “The New Rank and File.” Mike has just released his 13^th recording called, “In Your Face.” One of the songs on, “In Your face” is called, “You Old Warrior.” The song is about Staughton Lynd who is not just an author/historian but a working-class hero for the lifetime of social action causes he has been involved in. In the song, “You Old Warrior” Mike rightly calls his friend Staughton, “A beacon light for the rest of us tryin’ to make this world right!” One of Mike’s past recordings, “Heroes of History” featured a song about author/activist Alice Lynd named, “Momma Bear.” Mike like the Lynd’s is an oral historian who gives voice to unsung working-class heroes.

Mike and the Lynd’s are tireless activists for many social justice causes.  One of the songs on the new CD is, “We Are Still Alive.” It is about the Braddock, Pa community activist group, Save Our Community Hospital, which was formed to try to stop the closure of the Braddock UPMC Hospital. Mike sings this about the activists, “And the local people rally, every color, age and creed, throwing stones at this Goliath, and its wrecking balls of greed.” Mike is able to play the role of oral historian for these activists because he attended their rallies providing inspiration in the form of music.

In his song, “FRANKIE DOMAGALA” Mike celebrates the life of Frankie Domagala who was a union leader at the Homestead steel plant where Mike was a union grievance man. Like the Homestead steel mill Frankie is now deceased. Mike laments not only the passing of Frankie but the passing of the days when workers joined in solidarity to take on the powers that be to save our industrial base. Mike sings, “Like the others who fought, that history forgot, I‘ll make sure they remember his name.”

Unsung heroes like Frankie have gotten their day in each of Mike’s 13 CD’s. Mike is definitely one of the few Woody Guthries of our day. That is why it is more than fitting that Mike praises Woody’s contribution to our nation in the song, “America’s Favorite Sons.” Mike sings, “Your lyrics still speak for the whole working class” and “The power of your words transcends time and age. Your fascist killing guitar, still strumming with rage.” Mike’s backup band, the Human Union features some of the best musicians in the Pittsburgh area. They provide the sonic sparks that help ignite Mike’s fiery lyrics like in the title song, “In Your Face.” Mike wails, “They poisoned all the rivers and oceans, stole your children’s future away. This holocaust might be in slow motion, but the train wreck is real, until you grab the wheel, I’ll be in your face till then.” Mike urges us to stand up and take our country back from what he calls, “the fossil fuel killers” in the timely Rolling Stones-like anthem rocker, “Stop the Frack Attack.”

While we mourn 3,000 who died in a terrorist attack on 9/11 Mike reminds us in the tune, “We Came to Work, Not to Die” that 5,000-6,000 – two 9/11’s, die every year in workplace accidents. He calls out for justice for these workers. In his song, “Triangle Shirt Waist Fire” he reminds us of the 1911 New York fire that killed 146 garment workers (129 being women). The workers died because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits. Mike tells us people in Third World sweatshops still die because their conditions aren’t different from those workers here faced in 1911.

 Mike’s celebrates his late brother Roy’s life in, “The Mayor of Cheapside.” Roy lived in Lexington, Kentucky and like Mike was a printer, an activist and a working-class hero. Roy died after being hit by an out of control car but pushed his girlfriend to safety. The song is one of the best eulogies to a loved one I have ever heard. Mike’s chorus is, “He was my friend, my cultural, political bro. A local star under the radar of the status quo. How much I love him, how much I miss him, you will never know.” There are a few more great tunes I haven’t even got to. I’m here to tell you Mike’s lyrics speak for the working class more than any other musician around today. These aren’t songs; these are the spirit, the souls and the blood sweat and tears of working-class heroes. These are the heroes that have come before us to inspire us by walking (more likely marching and demonstrating) the walk. These were all unsung heroes until a Homer of our day like Mike Stout sang their praises. Unlike Homer Mike’s songs don’t need to be interpreted as they are straight ahead rockers and speak for themselves. They are also, “In Your Face.”

To get a copy contact Mike at: mikestout619@comcast.net Or go to his web site at: www.mikestoutmusic.com 

Check out Mike’s new tunes: “Stop the Frack Attack “and “In Your Face” here.

“Pop music often tells you everything is OK, while rock music tells you that it’s not OK, but you can change it.” ~ Bono

Morons, Weasels, Weenies, Buffoons and Flip Flopping Evangelicals

 

Valley moron award of the week is multiple winner, Editor Frank Robinson of the Warren Tribune Chronicle. He wins for endorsing Josh Mandel over Sherrod Brown as our next senator. Frank says Sherrod has to go because he represents unions and environmentalist. We all know Frank hates the working-class (especially ones who join unions to have democracy in the workplace). Frank also hates clean air and water because conservatives have respiratory systems that require dirty air and dirty water in order to function properly. It was hard to beat out that other valley moron WKBN teabagger radio talk show host, Dan Rivers but Frank edged him out this week. I note that the valley’s other newspaper, the Youngstown Vindicator endorsed, Sherrod Brown. You can see why from their interview with Mandel. In other good news, the Vindicator also endorsed Charlie Wilson over Bill Johnson in the 6th District for congress after interviewing both.

Weasel of the week is VP candidate Paul Ryan who recently visited Youngstown. Paul who spoke at YSU and was able to find some time (he’s a good manager of time as he has been able to cut his marathon time in half by just lying about it) to do a quick photo-op washing already washed pans at the St. Vincent DePaul kitchen. This was after the homeless had already eaten and left. I’m not calling Paul a weasel for using charitable organizations for photo ops for personal/political points. I’m blasting his cruel Ayn Rand style budget plans that would both harm the homeless and create more homelessness. The Conference of Catholic Bishops called the proposed cuts in Catholic Paul Ryan’s budget “unacceptable” and “unjustified and wrong,” and said the budget “fails to meet [Catholic] moral criteria. Christian conservatives who would support Paul Ryan are more interested in politics than what Christ had to say.

Weenie wousse of the week is Willard Mitt Romney who flip-flopped on yet another thing. He was scheduled to go on the TV show, “The View” with his wife Ann. Willard decided to hide behind his wife’s skirts and let her go on the show without him. “‘The View’ is fine, although ‘The View’ is high-risk, because of the five women on it, only one [Elisabeth Hasselbeck] is conservative and four are sharp-tongued and not conservative, Whoopi Goldberg in particular, “Romney told supporters at a rally. I remember when conservatives said of Hillary Clinton, “I wouldn’t vote for her for president because I don’t think she is strong enough to stand toe to toe with leaders of other countries like Putin.” In her role as Secretary of State she has proven those naysayers wrong. I used the same logic back at conservatives about Sara Palin. I said, “When Palin became Wasilla, Alaska’s mayor she soon fired the police chief because she felt intimidated by him. If Sara was intimidated by a small town sheriff how in the world could she stand up against Putin?” I now say if Romney is such a wimp he can’t stand up to comedian Whoopi Goldberg how could he be the commander-in-chief of this country. If he had to stand up to the Putin’s of the world he’d pee his magic underwear.

In the past I’ve spoken of my father who is a retired small business owner. Dad would not talk; Steelers vs. Browns, Ford vs. GM (we had some of both), politics or religion. He saw no reason to alienate customers who were helping put food on his families table. That is why I will call those business that put political signs on their establishments buffoons. I believe in standing up for your beliefs but you probably should think about how it might hurt your family. I’m one of the biggest supporters of democracy you’ll find but I’m a bigger supporter of family. I know of a restaurant owner who has a Romney/Ryan sign in his yard and I will never go in his restaurant. I see Romney and angry anti-Obama signs on a used car lot in Brookfield who I will never buy a car from. I saw a woman on Facebook supporting Romney who owns a consignment store that I will never go into again. I do all I can in my personal life (and at a Facebook site) to support local mom and pop businesses and it’s something I believe in. I also believe you are entitled to support any candidate you want but when you support people like Romney/Ryan, Mandel, Bill Johnson etc. you do not have my families best interest at heart. I’m not naive I know most business people are probably republicans but if you rub my nose in it I know you don’t support the best interests of my family so I won’t spend my money in your business that supports your family.

I can’t understand belonging to a political party that actually admits the less people who vote the more they win. They then set out to try and find ways to stop as many people as possible from voting. I’m sorry but I’m a believer in Democracy and keeping people from the polls is just fascist thinking.  Maybe if you had a political party whose platform wasn’t just about greed you could actually gain party members. I’m worried about my kids getting good jobs in the future and Republicans want to elect an ex-Governor who had his state 47th in job growth. Then there is his ruthless business past of making a fortune from closing companies and sending jobs overseas. The GOP called Kerry a flip flopper and doesn’t notice Romney flip-flops more than the burger griller at McDonalds. The GOP blasted Kerry for his service in Vietnam while Willard Mitt sat the war out as a missionary in Paris’s dangerous cafes. Seriously, this is the best candidate your party could come up with?

I usually think people’s religion is their own business. Conservatives I correspond with have been attacking the Islamic faith since 9/11. I have tried to point out that strict fundamentalist views in any religion can be dangerous. Conservatives keep telling me President (they never say president only Obama) Obama is a Muslim. Since he smokes and occasionally has a beer he certainly wouldn’t be living up to Islamic code I point out. I noted these same conservatives also blasted President Obama for being a member of Rev. Wrights Christian church so I guess they want to have it both ways. Today, fewer than 4-in-10 voters correctly identify Barack Obama as Protestant. About one-quarter of white evangelical voters (24%) and Republican voters (25%) incorrectly identify Obama as a Muslim.

Conservatives in the past also went after John Kennedy when he ran for president because he was a Catholic. The press didn’t focus much on Joe Lieberman being Jewish when he ran for Vice-President. The main stream press for the most part has not gotten into some of the strange beliefs of the Mormon religion that Willard Mitt Romney is a member of. Just the other day Christian evangelist Billy Graham took out an advertisement that urges people to vote for socially conservative candidates which would include Romney. Graham’s Evangelistic Association then removed the word Mormon from its website, where it was listed along with Jehovah’s Witnesses and Scientology as a cult. I guess 94 year-old Billy decided to overlook the Top Ten Mormon Beliefs That Contradict Christianity.  This was done by Graham so the right wouldn’t be accused of voting for a cultist. Billy like all conservatives will compromise their ideals and flip-flop if it means you can make money or win an election even better if it’s both.

A survey by the Pew Research Center shows 74% of white evangelicals support Romney. Romney was opposed in the primaries by some evangelicals due to his “cultic religion.” The biggest problem evangelical leaders now have with Romney has to do with whether or not Romney is conservative enough on social issues. Some of the most hostile evangelical critics of Mormons have even jumped on the Romney bandwagon. An evangelical religious writer noted, “Evangelical leaders worried that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism could suppress conservative turnout are intensifying appeals for Christians to vote.” In a conference call with pastors last week Steve Strang, an influential Pentecostal publisher said, “The fact is that Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and many of our people are very, very uncomfortable about voting for a Mormon, as I am. I supported somebody else in the primary. But, hey, we have no option,” said Steve Strang, an influential Pentecostal publisher, in a conference call with pastors last week.

Mormons might have been a cult to conservative Christians only months ago but Willard Mitt is being embraced as the guy to get that Christian out of the White House now. Among white evangelical voters, two-thirds (67%) say it is somewhat or very important for a presidential candidate to share their religious beliefs. That 67% has decided they’ll vote for Mitt despite him not sharing the same religious beliefs because he shares their conservative views of being against taxes, pro-war, pro-corporate agenda, anti-gay, anti-science, anti-environment, keeping women in their place and being anti-Obama. Jesus Christ struggled in dealings with religious leaders in his time. In the end he found out that they would sell him out for their own greed. Times they aren’t a changing.

Banned Mormon Cartoon

The Racist Views of Mormons Against Blacks.

The Mormon Doctrine of Blood Atonement.

Mitt Romney Theme Song: “No We Can’t”

You’re So Bain

“The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.” ~ Mark A. Knoll

Get Out the War Paint

I’m happy to say (possibly to your chagrin) this is my 250th post!

The Warren Tribune Corporate Owned Rag Chronicle endorsed the Romney/Ryan ticket. The area needs jobs so the “Trib” picked a man who has made a fortune and a career out of eliminating jobs. The editor is so out of touch that the editorial page should replace the comic page.

The area buffoons of the week are Tracie and Jeff the black Republicans who have a talk radio show at WSOM in Salem, Ohio. They are buffoons because they think today’s GOP is the party of Lincoln that freed the slaves. The present GOP is a party that has many members who praise slavery as seen in these 10 examples. Tracie and Jeff it is time to set the alarm and wake up in 2012.

I ran across a study by Norton & Ariely, they look at the 2010 U.S. Census and past figures to see how we as Americans are doing. They have good news for a few of us and not so good news for the majority of us. From 1990 to 2005, the salaries of CEOs’ increased almost 300%, while production workers gained a scant 4.3%. The purchasing power of the federal minimum wage actually declined by 9.3%, when inflation is taken into account. When they compared the drop in wealth from the housing bubble collapse the median household lost more than the top 1%. The median household had a 36.1% drop in their wealth while the wealth of the top 1% of households dropped by just 11.1%. “In the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2010, the top 1% of households owned 35.4% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 53.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 89%, leaving only 11% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers).  In terms of types of financial wealth, the top one percent of households have 35% of all privately held stock, 64.4% of financial securities, and 62.4% of business equity. The top ten percent have 81% to 94% of stocks, bonds, trust funds, and business equity, and almost 80% of non-home real estate. Since financial wealth is what counts as far as the control of income-producing assets, we can say that just 10% of the people own the United States of America.”

The wealthy can afford lobbies to buy “our representatives.” Once they own lawsmakers, we end up with trade bills that export U.S. jobs, tax laws that favor the rich and deregulation with lax laws on pollution for corporations. Then we have Supreme Court decisions giving corporations personhood so they can put unlimited funds in the war chests of politicians who will keep the 10% as owners of this country. “The cats they chase the rats, the dogs they chase the cats and the world keeps on turning yeah, yeah yeah.” Those are lyrics to a 70’s punk song about just accepting the way things are and living with it. I for one won’t accept or believe that the Founding Fathers envisioned a country where  the “Life, Liberty and Happiness” of its people would mean that the wealthiest 10% would own the country.

I am not supposed to mention the facts in this study or comment on it because the 10% that own this country will accuse me of being a class warrior. I plead GUILTY as charged of being a habitual class warrior. The Native Americans in this country lost everything as they did not have solidarity and some of their own braves turned on them and became scouts of the U.S. Calvary. I will continue to point out the traitorous Calvary Scouts among us and do whatever I can to build solidarity and I ask you to do the same. We need to take the country back from this 10%. It’s way past time to fight back………………………………………..now where did I put my war paint?

I worked on the following interactive poetry piece a few years ago. I wanted to do it somewhere like at the old Oakland Stage night where they could show a video of a Mercedes-Benz burning that I got from You Tube while I recited this poem.  I rewrote it from the a cappella song, “Mercedes-Benz” which was written by its singer Janis Joplin and poets Bob Neuwirth and Michael McClure. It was easier for me to just post this video of a Benz burning and post my poem.

 Fry Me a Mercedes-Benz

Oh Lord, won’t you fry me a Mercedes Benz.

My friends all brought torches the rich must make amends.

Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from trust fund dividends.

So Lord. won’t you fry me a Mercedes Benz.

Oh Lord, won’t you give us a Democracy.

Instead of this greedy corpratocracy.

We’re waiting each day to finally be free.

So oh Lord, won’t you give us a Democracy.

Oh Lord won’t you help the middle-class rebound.

I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.

Prove that you love me and turn things around.

Oh Lord, won’t you help the middle-class rebound.

Oh lord, won’t you fry me a Mercedes Benz.

My friends all brought torches, the rich must make amends.

So oh Lord, won’t you fry me a Mercedes Benz.

That’s It.

Janis Joplin: “Mercedes-Benz”

“Down on Me”

“That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” ~ George Carlin

Wall Street VS. Sesame Street

Last Saturday Mrs. E and I took a nice fall drive around Columbiana County. We passed a development consisting of homes that were at least $700,000 or more each. Everyone had a Romney/Ryan sign in the front yard. I guess the signs come standard for wealthy neighborhoods from the Home Owners Association.

The biggest area buffoon of the week is Dan Moadus who is one of the Warren Tribune Chronicle’s Community Columnists. Moadus is a Girard resident and has served several terms as a Girard councilman. The ‘Trib” has endorsed him in the past even though they called him a loudmouth. In Dan’s recent column he said there are people who shouldn’t be allowed to vote because he feels they aren’t smart enough. Sorry Dan but citizens of the USA have a right to participate in the democratic process called, voting. I have proof that voters are way smarter than Dan gives them credit for. That is the fact that Mahoning Valley voters rejected Dan as our next congressman. He is a Teabagger who fooled no one by calling himself a Democrat and running in the primary against 17th Congressional District Congressman Tim Ryan.

If you watched the presidential debates you learned that Willard Mitt Romney wants to kill PBS’s Sesame Street and Big Bird’s “entitlements.”  This despite the fact that Sesame Street is an American institution that has won 8 Grammy Awards and 143 Emmy Awards which is way more than any other children’s show. A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched the show by their third birthday. Known as “edu-tainment,” Sesame Street was and is important to millions of children, all over the world who have learned how to count from the Count. The program is known for its educational content, and communicates through the use of puppets, short films, animation and humor. The show has many characters that are from black, Hispanic and other cultures in an effort to teach children about respect, tolerance and it also celebrates diversity. It illustrates how many different types of people make up a community. Those kinds of lessons are things that Republicans hate and it drives them crazy so Sesame Street must be destroyed. They have tried to kill them in the past as in 1970, when a state commission in Mississippi banned Sesame Street because of its “highly integrated cast of children” which “the commission members felt … Mississippi was not yet ready for.” Then in 1981, the Reagan Administration withdrew its funding and the Children’s TV Network and Sesame Street turned to, and expanded, other revenue sources, including its magazine, books, product licensing, and foreign broadcast income.

Romney thinks PBS and Sesame Street are on the public dole so they have to be sacrificed. That way he can afford $2 trillion in additional military spending that the military hasn’t asked for. You can’t get blood out of a stone as PBS is only 0.01 percent of the federal budget. PBS has a $475 million dollar budget and only 15% comes from Congress. Romney said: “The place you put your money is a pretty good indication of where your heart is.” Willard puts his money in his off-shore accounts, which shows us where his heart is beating. He wants us to put our hard-earned tax dollars into more corporate welfare for his Wall Street friends and funds for the military-industrial complex.

Willard Mitt Romney also criticized President Obama for not drilling for more oil and gas on government land. Willard Mitt is the kind of unscrupulous businessman who would pimp out his great-grandmother for a buck. Actually, Romney’s great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, was a polygamist who had four wives at once. That means Willard could have actually used his business skills and done some big time “pimpin” with his own stable. If Willard would have pimped out his four great-grandmothers you can bet he’d pimp out all of our federal and state parks to gas and oil interests. We’ve all seen those oil spills where the ducks are covered in oil. Well, at least Big Bird has long legs so the oil would have to get pretty high to drown him. I’m sure come the Vice Presidential Debate Paul Ryan will be calling Oscar the Grouch a lazy third generational welfare deadbeat. He will point out like all GOP politicians that the poor in our country are better off than the poor in Third World nations. Why in Haiti a family of six live in a garbage can the size of Oscars. I’m sure that will make the homeless I see living under bridges in Pittsburgh, Akron, Cleveland, Youngstown and elsewhere feel a little warmer sleeping in the cold this January. Also, Republican politicians should note that the signs these homeless hold up say things like, “Veteran hungry and will work for food.” You GOP lawmakers seem to think those signs say, “Ban flag burning,” “Protect my Second Amendment rights” or “Stop gay marriage.”

While the GOP hates children’s programs with fictional characters like Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Bert and Ernie they keep trying to sell us their fictional programs. Programs that are reruns that never work like; trickledown economics, lowering taxes to raise revenue, lower taxes for the rich no matter what the costs to the country, deregulation for corporations at the expense of people’s health, cuts to the federal student loan program, bad trade policies, globalization, outsourcing and fighting against alternative energy. The GOP has a great sense of humor as they don’t support global warming, don’t believe in evolution, don’t believe there is racism, believe the Earth is only 5,000 years old and that rape can’t cause pregnancy.

Republicans like Mitt want us to believe we should fear Cookie Monster when the monster we should really fear is…….the GOP.

P.S. Conservatives feel Romney won the debate before it even began. That is because Romney had on a bigger flag lapel pin (I’m not kidding check the sizes out here) than President Obama. The GOP loves symbols like flags and crosses. That is because it is all about the flash without any of the actual commitment.

6 examples of conservative attacks on children’s characters.

27 Romney debate myths.

Sesame Street Elvis Costello: “The Monster Went and Ate My Red Shoes”

Sesame Street: Outdoors With Jason Mraz

Dear Mitt Romney,

Today Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters F & U! ~ Big Bird