Jefferson Starship!

 After last night's excursion on the SS Yacht Rock, the current night brought back the memories with a concert from 70's icons, Jefferson Starship at the Astro Theater in LaVista. The front end of the concert featured 3 other 70's hit machines, Firefall, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Pure Prairie League. Great, more yacht rock.

Firefall is/was a kind of country rock band, borne from the ruins of the Flying Burrito Brothers, that had big ass hits like You are the Woman, Just Remember I Love You and a sort of hit in what is one of my favorite songs from that era, Cinderella. The 30-minute set was energetic and well received by the crowd. There's only one original member of Firefall, guitarist Jock Bartley, left in the band, but the veterans onstage were of age to be originals so good for Firefall. They were great.

Atlanta Rhythm Section was next. That band also had hits in the 1970's and none were really my jam. The only original left is singer Rodney Justo, and from what I hear pretty much the rest of the originals are no longer with us due to being shot by cops, falling over tree limbs and drugs. ARS had two huge hits with So Into You and Imaginary Lovers and they did them in their 30-minute set. It was fine but like I said, not my jam.

The last band out was Pure Prairie League, another kind of country rock act with a couple of 70's hits including Two Lane Highway and of course, the monster hit Amie. There are no originals in this band, Vince Gill, the original lead singer on Amie seems to have moved on to better things. But the members of the current band are certainly capable of continuing keeping the music alive, including what seemed to be the world's tallest bassist, Jared Camic. He towered over everyone onstage. Maybe the rest of them are short but wow, that dude is tall. Their 30-minute set contained all two hits including the showstopper, Amie, worthy of a handshake from Paul Hollywood (IYKYK). 

Now look, there are two Jefferson Starships out there. There's Starship, which is fronted by Mickey Thomas and there's Jefferson Starship, fronted by singer Cathy Richardson and original member, 88-year-old David Freiberg. So as far as I'm concerned there's only one. The one we saw tonite.

Jefferson Starship, borne out of the ruins of the Jefferson Airplane, was formed in 1974 by Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg. The hits followed. It was acceptable rock to the masses as opposed to the long jams and weird songs from the Airplane. The hits were many. With Richardson playing the Grace Slick role and of all people, Freiberg played the Mickey Thomas role. Did I mention he's 88? He has to be the greatest 88-year-old singer on earth. His voice is spot on, hitting the high notes of Balin and Thomas. He is amazing. Richardson has the chops and the power of Slick's voice. If you were blind, you'd never know the difference.

All the hits were there. Find Your Way Back, Miracles, White Rabbit, We Built This City (no it's NOT the worst song ever written, hipsters) Jane, Count on Me and of course, Somebody To Love. The crowd couldn't stop cheering after going oh yeah, I know that one. The current band is also perfectly capable of keeping this music alive. Marty Balin is dead, Paul Kantner is dead and Grace Slick may as well be dead considering she's 87 and painting and "retired" from performing in the 80's because as she said then, " all rock n rollers over 50 look stupid and should retire". Ehhhh, maybe 70. 

It was another trip to the past for Max's Mom and me. Hearing the music of a group I last saw in 1978 with Kantner, Balin, Slick and Freiberg was gratifying. Let's hope they keep on going, Christ, Freiberg looks like he'll live to be 100, and Richardson has the sober vibe of Slick. The story she told of Freiberg going to Egypt with the Grateful Dead in 1974 for "some reason" (complete with a shrug from Freiberg) and declining to join the Dead because "I have a Starship to form" was THE most 70's story ever.

Nostalgia is wonderful if you are of a certain age. This foursome concert fit that bill. Wonderful.

Yacht Rock Revue!

 Let's put this out front. I was in radio for years and played what is called "Yacht Rock" constantly to the point I hated every second of Cool Change or Still The One or Afternoon Delight or The Pina Colada song. I still hate them if they come on the radio (who listens to radio anymore?) but as done by the traveling band called Yacht Rock Revue it's even tolerable at worst (Brandy or Danger Zone) and downright enjoyable at best (Africa or Takin It To The Streets).

The two hours that this cover band is onstage passes like that. Led by lead singer and shameless 70's lookin guy, Nick Niespodziani, this band is tight. Nick sings like whoever he's covering. For instance, He sounded exactly like Michael McDonald on Takin it to the Streets and then hit the high notes during Africa. What a voice (tho his voice did get a bit tired at the end). He runs the show like a true conductor. Leaving some songs to people with more appropriate voices as he plays guitar or keyboards. Kourtney Jackson sings the Olivia Newton John song Magic and the Fleetwood Mac song Everywhere while when not singing lead is a great backup singer (as are all of them). Keyboard player Mark Bencuya handled the Steely Dan covers sounding just like Donald Fagen. Peter Olsen handled the vocals on other songs like Lido Shuffle and Baker Street. Now let's talk about sax player David Freeman. Man, he's a pro. He handles the sax solo in Baker Street, Ride with The Wind and other songs. He captivates while onstage. A truly great saxophonist.

The crowd of nerds and dorks dressed in Captains hats, sailor outfits and one guy in a shark costume was sparse. Not exactly a full house at the Steelhouse which may be because the similar Yachtly Crew was in Lincoln last weekend but the crowd that was there was very into it. Max's Mom was really into it and Max's Dad, the aforementioned deejay in the 70's and 80's, tried very hard to hate it and failed. It was good stuff.

This is truly the music old rockers like me love to hate. It's wimpy, soft rock that appealed to haters of disco and haters of hard rock. It served a purpose at the time.

Hey, and it serves a purpose now. It's fun. Though Afternoon Delight still sucks and is unlistenable even by them. Go get a beer during it.

Come From Away!

 

Some of my favorite moments were spent with my parents convincing me to go see theater. On the occasions I did go with them I eventually fell in love with live theater. And the Omaha Community Playhouse was the spark. Hell once, I was in the front row of the balcony watching a weird modern version of Julius Caesar when a guy with a rifle came down the stairs, crouched down beside me as I wondered what the fuck was happening, and shot Julius Caesar dead. Then he ran away. I was mortified yet realized the genius that even community theater actors and directors have in them, Yeah it's like watching AA baseball but ya know what, it's still baseball and it's great.

Come From Away is playing at the Omaha Playhouse thru October 11th. Not familiar with Come From Away? Well, you should be.

Come From Away is a musical about when airplanes from all over the world were rerouted to Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11. 38 planes full of 7000 passengers overtook this small town in Canada and the residents jumped into action to make them as comfortable as possible. The story is of the heavily accented Canadians being saints and the passengers being pissed, until they aren't. We have the two gay dudes named Kevin, the female pilot who overcame the sexism of the industry, the woman whose son is a firefighter in NYC, the Englishman and the divorcee, the Mayor, the townsfolk, the Muslim man singled out as a threat, Beulah the sweet lady who makes everyone feel better, the Africans and a cast of real characters. The story is fascinating, the songs are catchy and the local actors are fantastic singers and thespians.

The set is a bunch of chairs that get rearranged by the actors as the story goes on. A plane, a bar, a bus, customs, libraries. That's about it. And it's handled expertly. It is probably 50% dialogue and 50% songs. This is a one act play that is nothing but fun, until the end when we find things out about the people. Spoiler alert, the woman loses her son in the Towers. That's kind of depressing but man the rest of it is pure joy.

Go see it. You'll laugh a lot. You may even cry. But you will leave the theater saying man those Canadians are fine people. When asked why they were so accommodating, the Canadians say well you'd have done the same for us, to which many Americans on the stage say, would we?

We love you Canada!

Old Age Isn't War, It's A Massacre! Phillip Roth

 

Being old isn't what it used to be. It used to be you got sick, doctors did their best with what they had at the time, and then you died of things that are curable today. It was not ideal and I realize 50 years or less from now the same story will be true. Cancer will be curable, heart problems will be fixable earlier, and once this regime is gone, diseases will once again be eradicated. Everyone is fortunate to be living today with all the fancy equipment. That is if you are on Medicare. If not good luck. Even though this country, thanks to LBJ, looks after its old (think that would pass now?) with Medicare and ignores the rest of the nation claiming Medicare for all is too expensive. Yeah, tell that to 31 of 32 so called civilized nations that have national health care. But then again, we need a trillion-and-a-half-dollar military to protect us like its fucking 1945 (shhhh but it's because congress critters have defense industries in their district building shit the military doesn't even want it)..

Being old catches up with you. If you've avoided doctors forever and then you finally have some sort of emergency and have to go to the ER or the clinic, you realized that probably wasn't smart. I spent a great deal of my life without health insurance and only because of a broken hand did I go and get hit with a bill I couldn't pay without financing. Then I got health insurance but was so used to going oh well, that'll go away, I never used it. Not smart.

When the heat began to become unbearable, and my daily walks with Malibu became a bit harder, and I had to mow the lawn in shifts because my energy was like a video game and ran out quickly, I knew something wasn't kosher. But after fainting at a football game in the heat, throwing up at a baseball game in the heat, and then being unable to walk 3/4of a mile in the 115-degree heat in Vegas, I was taken to the ER where I was diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation. Simply put that means when you take your pulse, it goes beat beat beat......................beat.....beat beat beat. That long pause between beats gets to the point where you say ok, please beat again. Yeah, people live with it as will I.

But this time I needed my heart shocked back into rhythm. They electrocute you basically and your heart beats normally.  Well in my case, it was about 3 days until a fib kicked back in. Then it was a stress test. Somehow, my resting heartbeat was higher than when stressed so that's abnormal. So the next step was a left heart catheterization. Oh great. I spent a lot of years in the insurance industry and read LOT of operative reports of heart caths. They never seemed normal. They usually led to open heart surgery or stents or bypasses and even some heart transplants. Not good.

All of this tortured me for 3 weeks between the stress test and this. I wanted it over. I just knew this wasn't going to be good. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm indestructible, right? RIGHT? Not at all. I knew I was doomed. Sticking a wire into your heart and checking to see for blockages or worse didn't seem normal.

As Tom Petty said, the Waiting is the Hardest Part, and dammit he was right. I stressed for weeks because I'm not used to being sick. I just knew it was gonna be bad, I knew it. 

Let me describe the procedure. They EKG you, they shave you, they put X's in ink on your feet (???), they make you wait. The nurses are saints reassuring you. You do not know if they will put the wire thru your wrist or your groin. Please be the wrist. The doctor came in and said 90% of the time the wrist works. Ok let's see if my bad luck holds.

In the OR, they put you on a table about the same width as your body so don't move. The nurses joked for me to not look down. Oh did I tell you, you are naked except for one of those damn gowns? The doctor came in, made a joke that he'd done at least a dozen of these, some even successfully before he said I am kidding and went in thru my wrist. Could I feel it under twilight sedation? No. And THEN, the dye came out of the wire and honestly, it felt like it set my heart on fire for about 5 seconds. Even under sedation, that was scary. 

After about 10 minutes of this hour-long procedure, the doc said everything looks good, no blockages and the leaky valve wasn't serious. They will just try and shock my heart back into rhythm in a couple of weeks. Good news? Well hell to the yeah, it was. The shocking I've been through so it's all cake now.

Anyway, this whole rant is about getting old isn't fun. Your lifestyle will eventually catch up with you. Even if you have not abused yourself for decades, it will catch up. Nobody is indestructible.

Go to the doctor.

Dolly Parton!

 The first time I saw Dolly Parton I was a small child of maybe 8 or 9. She was in a commercial with her mentor, Porter Wagoner, for a detergent of some sort. Ya know the times, the mid 60's, when if you bought detergent or gas, you got free glasses or in this case you got dish towels. Why do I remember this particular television ad? Well duh, I was just discovering my heterosexuality and Dolly was unforgettable. Up there with Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbara Eden, Diane Carroll and Grace Slick, Dolly got something moving.

I am not going to pretend Dolly's music was my cup of tea, nor am I going to pretend I knew everything about her, but she never left my mind. And she never left America's mind. She never faded away. I mean female icons like Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Helen Reddy all dominated the charts in the 70's but inevitably faded away. But Dolly never did. She made music, movies, TV appearances (never forget her telling Johnny Carson she was on the Tonight Show as often as he was), and philanthropy. She never ever lost the limelight. The only comparable female icon I can think of is Cher who also has never left the spotlight. But Dolly didn't piss people off like Cher may have with her political statements. Dolly was nice and had the impact of a velvet hammer. Cher belted you over the head with a ball bat. But Dolly was smart, a marketing genius, or perhaps she was just what she projected, a freakin saint. Dolly was a blonde, had a huge chest and freely admitted to fixing body parts that had begun to age but she was no dummy. She was smart as a whip and she knew it. She could carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey and you would still walk away going wow what a nice person. Genius.

Dolly passed away today at the age of 80 from a recently discovered cancer (fuck cancer). The world is shocked. Even right wingers are 75% onboard mourning her passing, proof of the velvet hammer. This passing is a big one. I was shocked. I knew that she'd had some health problems and had cancelled a Vegas residency, but her videos of her announcing that kind of stuff made one convinced she would survive anything. But like all of us, she did not.

Christ, Dolly funded the Covid vaccine, she funded libraries and free books for kids, she supported Black Lives Matter (you think our little white asses are the only lives that matter she said), she supported victims of Tennessee fires who had lost everything, she supported schools that were underfunded and mostly black, she told Missouri to fuck off when they defunded her books in school libraries project and funded it herself and she refused to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom when Trump was in office.

When Dolly was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she initially refused because she didn't feel worthy cuz she wasn't a rocker. But she eventually accepted the honor and did a rock record with duets with Sting, Ann Wilson, Steve Perry, Rob Halford, Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks etc... A lot of it was pretty good. Admittedly I listened to the album for the Joan Jetts, the Sheryl Crows, the Paul McCartneys and the Lynryd Skynyrds. But she was great also.

Dolly was a plus for the human race unlike a certain other 80-year-old. I will miss her light in this dark ass world.

Democratic Socialism!

 Democratic Socialism!! It scares the shit out of old white men, currently in power, because it threatens their very relevance. The GOP pisses their pants at its mention. The Democrats, instead of embracing the concept and accepting the new guard, start blathering about leaving the party because it means they are finished. You're old boomers. Your time is over. Accept it. I am to the point where anybody over 70 will never get my vote again. Go away. And truth be told, I'm dangerously closer to 70 than 60 and realize my generation of boomers have become their parents. We used to protest, smoke weed, stand up to the man, march for civil rights, end wars and drive crooked presidents out of office. Now? We want to run over protesters legally, oppose legalizing weed, are the man, suppress civil rights to keep white men in power, supports wars and shrug when a crooked president does something crooked. We are pathetic. We are the Progressive insurance commercial. We've become our parents and not in a good way.

Now some of us had cool parents. Greatest Generation people who may not have understood the hippies and the antiwar movement but accepted it without hollering about it too much. Archie Bunker was real then and unfortunately is even more real today. Archie was a clown to be laughed at. The ignorance was funny. Mike Stivic was also a clown in his own way. A condescending lib. They were all to be made fun of. Haha.

But alas, though the ignorance of the masses remains, the ignorance of the politicians is dangerous. The United States Senate was once considered the "world's greatest deliberative body" full of intellects and the smart people. The House has always been a carnival side show, full of some of the dumbest people on Earth, but the Senate? Even the red states sent smart people, though they be Republicans, and with few exceptions, you could be proud of your Senators. Well then came 1980, and the whole thing changed. A wave of morons swept into office on the coattails of the guy who started this all, Saint Ronald Reagan the First. Christ, Chuck Grassley was elected in 1980, and the old bastard is still there because Iowa refuses to vote anybody out of office. And its only gotten worse/

Dopes permeate the Senate. Evil permeates the Senate. When you have the likes of Tommy Tuberville, Marsha Blackburn, Eric Schmitt, Mike Lee, Tim Scott, Katie Britt, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Pete Ricketts, Cindy Loomis, and whatever that twosome from Idaho is, the body is the same as the House. Hissing possums.

Oh the Democrats don't get off here. When you have the likes of Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Angus King, and even Bernie Sanders all OVER 80 still hanging on, no wonder younger people like Mamdani and Abdul El Sayed win primaries. Democratic socialism! Shhhhh but go real dumb like Trump, over 80, and say "communism" just lke the GOP has done since 1946. When you got nothing, go straight for the C word. And the GOP got nuthin.

What is Democratic Socialism? It's Finland, or Denmark, or Holland, or Norway or Sweden. Hardly bastions of commies, these countries provide its citizens with basic needs. Health care, income, holidays, a balanced work/life. low crime rates and democracy. Even for the hypocrites who constantly rant about nonwhites yet accept all the benefits of democratic socialism. The white supremacists are all over these countries, but they seldom elect them, unlike here where we elect the old bitter white supremacists to office and then shrug when they act like the racist bigots they are.

It's time for the old white men to get the fuck out of the way. As much as they kick and scream, or threaten to bolt the Democratic Party, they must be ignored. Leave! Go ahead and leave! OR....get onboard and work together to eliminate the threat of another 2 years of Trump ass kissers kissing his ass.

If that happens, because of Democratic infighting over a word, or more likely their refusal to cede power, we are doomed. 

This is the year my friends. We either cut this regime's nuts off, or we let their cowardice win again.

Democratic Socialism? It's simply a word.

No use throwing away 250 years of democracy out the window over a fucking word.

Magic of Motown!

 Who doesn't love the Motown hits? Oh, I'm sure there's some cranks out there who do not but they are wrong. Period.

The Magic of Motown traveling show came thru Omaha last night and though it wasn't exactly a packed house, it was a show full of energy both from the singers AND the crowd. The rotating cast included four male singers handling the Four Tops, Smokey, Sam and Dave, and the Temptations while the three female singers knocked it out of the park with Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, a killer version of R E S P E C T and another killer version of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You performed by a young lady stating how she hoped she did justice to the song, much to screams of "You got this Girl" and other encouraging shout outs. She, of course, like she does every night, killed. It was phenomenal.

The show is a sort of Vegas type tribute show and there is nothing wrong with that because it's all about the music. People of a certain age made up the vast majority of the crowd. Black folk, white folk all singing along and the black folk proving that they got the moves and the white folk do not but nonetheless, they have fun. Watching old white people dance never fails to amuse me and it didn't disappoint yet again.

So much talent on that stage and it's a shame that I don't know any of their names because the Orpheum Theater in Omaha has one of the worst sound systems in existence. If you didn't know the lyrics to the classics, you were left out. The introduction of the cast of singers was garbled and indecipherable. Oh well, all I can say is that one guy doing Smokey and MJ was fantastic. That one woman doing Aretha was kick ass and that other woman doing Whitney was marvelous. Sorry I don't know your names.

Notes:

They used local musicians in this show. Sax players and guitarist were local. Keyboard player and drummer are with the show. All of it was smooth as hell.

Late Arrivals--I mean Ive been there getting there late. But 99% of the time I am in my seat on time. This crowd walked in 15 minutes late, a half hour late and it's a pain in the ass distraction. In this case CPT doesn't mean what it usually does. This time it stood for Creamy People Time or Cracker People Time. Be on time people.

The sound system---It sucks. Sometimes a show will bring in their own sound systems and sometimes they just use whatever atrocity passes for a house sound system. This show relied on the in-house sound people. I'm not blaming them; they only have to work with what they got, but cmon man. FIX IT!

The Magic of Motown-- worth it? Absolutely. The music is timeless. The performers are great. There's a joy in the air listening to these classic hits. What more can you ask for?

If it comes back, I'll Be There and there Aint No Mountain High Enough to stop me.

Anthony Fauci Vs Rand Paul!

 The calling of American hero Anthony Fauci before a Senate hearing led by his arch enemy, a moss haired "libertarian" named Rand Paul (Neighbor-Ky) was bad enough, but when Paul and his fellow blowhards decided to simply use it as an opportunity to appeal to the anti vax, Covid was a hoax, anti-mask morons who make up the GOP base it was a shitshow.

Fauci gave a statement, calling Paul unhinged, and then clammed up, invoking the 5th for the rest of the hearing because he understood it was nothing but a trap to satisfy Paul's weird ass obsession with the good Doctor. Now Paul, a so-called libertarian who hates the feds overreach, did what most "libertarians" do when pushed, they turn into pro federal government thumb breakers ready to throw everyone in prison. Paul warned Fauci of "repercussions" for zipping his lip. I guess that means Paul will go home, dress in his Prussian military threads and think of ways to define "repercussions".

Meanwhile the screeching monkeys of the Senate committee got all their sound bites in. Senator Pussy, aka Senator Hawley, asked Fauci what day it was. Hawley, a fist pumping anarchist, then proceeded to get in his campaign shorts before yielding. Typical Hawley performance. A laughable high school theater production of All The Presidents Men. But in this case, the pussy from Missouri is on the crook's side.

Senator Bernie Moreno, a used car dealer and crypto prick. dropped the F bomb to get the attention he craves. Who the fuck do you think you were? Migawd, these assholes could ask the same questions of their cult master. The irony is out of sight.

But the worst moment was when the "Libertarian" Rand Paul, had Fauci's lawyer, David Schertler, removed from the proceedings for having the gall to bring up the Bill of Rights. Schertler left and Paul lost all libertarian cred. Again.

Look, Fauci is a national hero. He aint perfect, but he saves lives. Which is more than I can say about the libertarian, the pussy and the used car salesman. 

A contempt of Congress vote will come next week which I'm sure that Senate idiots like Tommy Tuberville and the bag of hair Marsha Blackburn will vote yes. Then Fauci can join the list of contempt of Congress folks still to be dealt with. Ya know like Jim Jordan (Greasy-Oh). Christ Ohio, what the fuck is wrong with you electing sex crime cover up artists, couch fuckers, used car salesmen and that wife beater Max Miller (DV-OH). Stop trying to become Alabama, that's Nebraska's job.

Paul released portions, very carefully, of Dr Fauci's diary (Gawd they love diaries over there on the fascist side of the aisle) that would intend to make Fauci look start struck. What Paul left out, I'm sure it was just an oversight, was Fauci's views on what a dangerous idiot Donald Trump was. Fauci was baffled by the President and his obsession with ratings and covering up Covid, which of course Trump thought would make him look bad. You know like the Covid will be over by Easter and the churches will be filled. 

Dr Fauci is 85 years old. He is retired. He has Fuck You money. And he's using it.

Rand Paul is 63 years old going on 126. Unfortunately, he still has a job. And he will use it to grandstand and roll his eyes and blather on. Fascinating!

Oh, and come on Kentucky. Your senators are this dweeb Rand Paul, and some guy who may not even be alive. You can do better than reelecting a "libertarian" fascist or a turtle on life support. Don't try and become Louisiana, that's Nebraska's job.

Yukking It Up With Fascists!!

 There she is, Meet the Press' Kristen Welker, yukking it up with Joseph Goebbels Stephen Miller at the White House Correspondents Dinner last week. This is proof that journalism is deader than Lindsey Graham. When the so called "free press" laughs it up with the very fascists who would jail them for saying bad stuff about the Fascist in Chief, it is deader than Tommy Tubervilles brain. The usual nonsense that is the WHCD usually consisted of a gathering of the Washington "journalists", they jerked each other off, and then the current President would get up and give a funny speech. Clinton was funny, W was funny, Obama was funny and then came the least funny man in the world, no not Greg Gutfeld, but Donald Trump. Trump refused to show up, keeping up his image as a press hater with his foolish followers. until last week. 

Well of course he was supposed to be there in June, and was, but some guy busted in with a weapon, and attempted to "assassinate" uhhhh hell I don't know. So the event failed to launch. RFK abandoned Cheryl Hines, Vance rushed out without Usha, Miller ran out feeling up Katie and Trump peered out from behind a curtain like "wow my fake assassination attempt seems to be going well". Thus, the event was cancelled and rescheduled because the WHC never misses an opportunity to praise themselves.

It was last Friday night. Trump sat there looking glum and playing with his mouth thing, whatever that was. The journalists getting awards, much to the anger of Trump, walked up to him and shook his hand with a fuck you smile. Kaitlan Collins did that, but had no idea what was coming.

Trump's speech was misogynistic, xenophobic, racist, homophobic and included his obsession with transgenders (whats with these weirdos?). He compared Collins to Dylan Mulvaney, called other politicians clowns, stated his hate for Adam Schiff (very Christian of you), went after late night talk show hosts, and even tried to joke about RFK's penchant for eating roadkill. Silence except from Trumps clapping monkeys in the cabinet. The problem, Donnie, is that your lame ass shit doesn't play with an audience not wearing red hats and being easily amused.

But back to the beginning. Laughing it up by "journalists" with the very people who would put you in a camp as soon as they get Supreme Court permission is a bad image. Independent press? Oh, I know it's ALWAYS been a reach around jerkfest with the politicians and the press, but the threat of Reagan or Bush or W was nothing comparable to this guy, Trump. Those presidents had a sense of humor, gently chided the Fourth Estate and even were self-deprecating. This guy is incapable of anything but lame jokes and jabs at others while comparing himself to Jesus, Lincoln and Einstein. 

I don't know what's going to happen. Journalism may not survive as heads of networks and news organizations cower in fear that Trump could cost them money. So, they kiss his ass, back off on reporting on the crimes he's committed, settle lawsuits, appoint Bari Weiss like sycophants who fire anybody who gets too close to the truth. It is disgraceful what this maniac has done to the cowards of the "free press". And it's disgraceful that the Fourth Estate turns out to be such chickenshits. It is a perfect storm for fascism. November will tell the tale.

Meanwhile the only saving grace is the reaction of the crowd to Trump's attempt to be Bob Fucking Hope. Including his cabinet members after he brings up their weirdness of eating dead whales.

Yuck Yuck!

Trump Regime Math!

 They are from the top left

1) Lt Tyler Feehan of Hawaii' 25 years old

2) Sgt Michael Swinton of North Carolina 30 years old

3) Pvt Isabella Gonzales of Texas 19 years old

4) Sgt Angel Rampersad of New York 28 years old

These four soldiers died due to Iranian missiles and drones hitting them in Jordan and Iraq, respectively.  

This last week, the Pentagon, led by Low T Pete Hegseth, removed them from the casualty list because, ta daaaaa, Trump had declared a ceasefire in April so therefore, they aren't really dead or whatever. Translation....18 dead looks worse than 14 dead so if we just ignore those last 4, everything is kosher ad lets Trump brag that we "only" lost 14 souls in the Iran War as opposed to the "200,000" we lost in Vietnam. Too bad Prez bone spurs wasn't one of them.

These four young people died for the ego of an 80-year-old maniac from the USA, a 76-year-old monster from Israel and a 77-year-old Thumbreaker from Iran. These 3 old men have caused such suffering in the world to satisfy their own ego, insanity and political madness, that they are the Putin, Xi and Kim of the so-called free world and a religious theocracy.

But when it all comes down to it, I don't give a rat's ass about any of the aforementioned creeps. The sooner they are gone, the better. What will the warmongers and whackos whose solution to everything is to bomb the shit out of anybody, do when those 3 are just a footnote in history. Probably try and find a new war criminal to kill more people. But whatever, all political leaders who act like those 6 are pieces of shit and deserve whatever happens to them. Think Khadaffi.

What I do care about are those 4 dead kids, along with the 14 others who died in the Trump/Netanyahu Folly. All should still be alive and those 6 should be in prison.

But they aren't, the 18 are still dead and those last 4 are erased by Whiskey Pete Hegseth from the killed in action list. Hegseth is a despicable human being who prances around a Navy boat like he's auditioning for the Joffrey Ballet. He claims Low T is a problem for troops. No, getting fucking blown up is the problem. The only thing Hegseth ever blew up was the Fox News bathroom. 

Hegseth had to make "sacrifices" to satisfy his evil master. And I guess two women, a black guy and a white guy were cool to bump.

Fuck Pete Hegseth. Fuck Trump. Fuck Netanyahu. Fuck the Ayatollah.

Those heroes deserved more gratefulness from their leaders.

I for one thank them for their service.

Mat Franco!

 Magician Mat Franco won America's Got Talent 12 or so years ago and has a residency at the Linq in Las Vegas. Now years ago, I gave up trying to figure out magic because I don't really want to know. Years ago, Dirk Arthur gave a box. It was a box. The box was empty. Then Abra Cadabra the box got heavy and he pulled a duck out. Where the hell did the duck come from? I was holding the damn box the whole time. It freaked me out and from then on, I don't even try.

Franco is personable, charming, self-deprecating and can zing you with a gentleness that you don't even know you've been zinged. Trust me, he saw me sitting there with folded arms and I regretted it as soon as he commented on my apparent cynical view of his magic. Tip-don't sit in front row unless you are aware he can see you. Oh yeah, I ended up with 3 bags of ramen noodles. 

His magic is absolutely baffling. Now we've seen Dirk Arthur, Penn & Teller numerous times and they were all great. But this guy? Wow. He does card tricks, makes things disappear, finds phones inside of tables, banters with volunteers and much like Penn & Teller calls you out if you screw up his instructions (for instance he asked a volunteer to roll imaginary dice and the guy said he rolled a 14 much to Mat's and the audience's amusement). He calls up a lot of people, kids (a young boy was called up and was funny and quick), adults, men, women, everyone. They say its "Magic Reinvented Nightly" and I imagine it is as volunteers are very unpredictable. This guy is a pro.

I cannot recommend this show enough. It's reasonably priced and if you buy the cheap seats in the back and the front is not sold out you just may get upgraded to the front row. This happened to us. But just don't fold your arms or else.

The Wizard Of Oz At The Sphere....Finally!

I am a cynic. Nothing really impresses me. The hype is always too much and I end up disappointed. Then came this.

After my hospital stay was over, and I was placed on meds, Max's Mom contacted the Sphere to see if the unused tickets could be transferred to Thursday. They graciously said yes.

Off we went to the Sphere to see this classic event. The staff there was helpful in not making us walk up steps but instead let us in the VIP entrance and take the escalator up to the nosebleeds.

The place is phenomenal. Full of distractions, entertainment and things to pose for selfies in front of. The escalator seems to go on forever as you head for steerage. The steps are steep and getting to row 13 was not fun for these old fogies. But we made it and sat, hoping to never get up again. WRONG! Being on the aisle meant constant standing and stepping out onto the steep staircase. Ok great.

The movie begins right on time which is good but also means the late arrivers will bug the shit out of you for a good half hour. What is so hard about being on time? Pet Peeve #1! The place is full of every type of person, the most diverse crowd Ive ever seen. The people in back of us spoke no English. There was a healthy pot full of blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, men, women, children, old people, young people, people dressed as characters. It is great to see. However, why is a small percentage of any crowd such narcissistic assholes? They get up to leave during the film, they come back climbing over everyone to get back, they show up late and climb over everybody. Christ its annoying.

The film experience itself is stunning. This cynic was in from the get-go. The huge screen, the special effects, the tornado scene where the leaves fall, your seat shakes, and the wind blows. It's unlike anything I've been to. And I loved it. The apples fall from the ceiling when the trees pelt the 4 characters. Yes, Max's Mom got one dropped right in her lap. Finally, the poppy scene where it starts snowing drops dishwashing liquid on you. Too bad it almost immediately melts or I'd have preserved it and taken it home. And Margaret Hamilton is the greatest screen villain of all time and I'm not going to argue about it. She just is.

Despite the fact the movie has maybe a half hour cut from it (Its very obvious) it is still as great as ever and the Sphere screen makes it like seeing a concert.

It ended and I wanted to see it again. We sat there to allow the crowd to disperse. I relived my old drunken bar days as workers started yelling you gotta leave. However, it was worth every penny when I saw Max's Mom crying happy tears during Somewhere Over The Rainbow. That made my irregular heart soar like a hawk.

One tip. Do not walk outside. It'll send you into A Fib. Walk thru the Venetian. It's all inside. Had we known that, the hospital stay may have been avoided, however, I'd have never known of my problem.

Would I go again? Of course.

But quite frankly, I would kill to see Metallica st the Sphere. I would only wound to see the Wizard of Oz again.

Go if you can. You will be happy AF.

The Veg!

 Little did I know as the ambulance pulled up to the ER bay at Sunrise Medical Center what I was in for. Rolled in on a stretcher, a staff of people began to immediately take vitals, told me I was still in A Fib and looked for a room. Wheeled into trauma room 12 to be dealt with I was thinking well this will go away and I'll be back at the hotel in no time. Across the hall was a lady who was not happy she was there and let the nurse know in no uncertain terms. The nurse, Aurora, with the patience of a saint took my blood and a chest x-ray and all the time dealing with the lady who was demanding Tylenol every 5 minutes. I was not really scared, tho Max's Mom was, cuz ya know I am indestructible (haha). Hours went by and it became apparent I was going to be stuck there for a long time. This place was a madhouse. Then it got madder and madder until it appeared to be Arkham. 

The lady across the hall was wheeled out of the room as they had a patient coming in with life threatening problems. A nurse came in and closed the curtain so I couldnt see out into the hallway. The insanity began as a man on a stretcher was wheeled into the room with a paramedic on top of him doing emergency CPR. I heard a conversation right out of the Pitt. Adrenaline, Epi, CPR, blood pressure of 47 over 21 and the inevitable time of death call. The man was found on the toilet and was there for 20 minutes I guess. He was obviously dead from the get-go. It was very freaky to listen to. 

Ya think that was all? Nope. I was wheeled out of my room into a hallway. A friggin hallway with about 50 people also laying there. I had a view of the ambulance bay for hours. I saw what was coming in. It WAS the Pitt. It was ER. Migawd those shows are realistic. The place was so full, the ambulance crews had to wait their turn, turning the ER into a traffic jam. The ambo folks brought people in so often we saw the same ambo crews numerous times. Yes we there that long.

A man was brought in by a male and female paramedic. He began to hit on the female.

"Hey baby you got a boyfriend?"

"No I have 3 girlfriends"

" Wow now that's a party, I wish I had 3 girlfriends, Imagine all that pussy"

"Hey now no P words"

He eventually was wheeled in to sober up I assume. 

A man was brought in puking very loudly into a trash bag. It never seemed to end until he was wheeled into the ER to sober up, I assume.

A female in a party dress was wheeled in counting from 1 to 4 constantly. She was flirting with the very same female paramedic who the drunk man was hitting on. Eventually when was wheeled in to sober up I assume. 1 2 3 4 she eventually got all the way to 10. The male paramedic asked her what lesson she learned this night and she blurted out " not to drink after 7". I had no idea if she meant the time of day or the number of drinks.

A man was wheeled in hitting himself in the face. The cops were with this guy. Eventually he was wheeled in to go to jail.

A woman was wheeled in with a bloody face. She had been beaten up by I assume her significant other. She was eventually wheeled in to probably go back to the son of a bitch.

Remember the woman across the hall who was taken out to make room for a dead guy? She was laying in the hallway right within my eyesight. The nurse, who was also my nurse, who said her name was I don't know it sounded like RageAgainstTheMachine gave the Tylenol lady a shot of Ativan. Within a few minutes suddenly the Tylenol Ativan woman fell out of her bed and face planted as she seized. Allergic to Ativan, I guess. I reacted with an "oh shit".

There were so many people wheeled in it was just like seeing a Vegas show, but the cover charge is way too expensive.

Ok back to me. I laid in the hallway, with Max's Mom all night long. In the hallway of a Vegas ER. Drunks, homeless, heat strokes, domestic violence victims and the mentally ill seemed to be the norm. AND THIS WAS A TUESDAY NIGHT! What must it be like on Fridays or Saturdays? I was laying there in front of the nurse's station where I heard the graveyard shift complaining about other departments, doctors, nurses, and patients. They love their job as much as most people. They don't. The swearing was intense. Fuck you.. I'm pissed...he's a motherfucker ...all came out of these nurses' mouths. It amused me.

Meanwhile a young man laid on a bed in front of us in a hospital gown. He was very polite to everyone. But when he got up to go to the bathroom it was ass crack city. He tried to hold it shut behind him but failed. He apologized constantly. My suggestion was he should pull his black boxers UP so his crack would be gone. He did not.

I am not kidding when I say the Pitt is not preposterous. It's truth. I didn't have a hospital gown; I was still in my sweaty clothes. I hope my ass crack didn't show up but I cannot guarantee it.

My room eventually came thru at about 7 in the morning, so I'd spent 15 hours laying in the hallway of the Sunrise Hospital ER. Hey, I aint any better than anybody else so I didn't get too frustrated. I saw how busy these people were treating the sick people no doubt worse off than me. But man, if this health care system is the best we have, we have failed miserably. It sucks. I do not know the answer, but basic health care should be at least a goddamn right. In this nation it's a privilege and luck of the draw for the rest of people. That's wrong. We can do better.

My inpatient stay was uneventful. Private room in the heart unit. Bland food. Constant attention from nurses named Nikki and Briana who were great and constant doctors explaining my problem to me. But I was there way too long mostly due to the fact I am not special, nor should I be. They finally let us go around 7 pm or so. So, 15 hours in the ER hallway, and 12 hours in a private room. As frustrating as it was, I appreciated the care and dedication of these damn saints. They do the work, they put up with me, and they do it with a smile and jokes. THEY are the greatest. The system sucks.

Anyway, after a silent UBER ride back to the hotel, we crashed. Vending machine pizza, subs and a piece of cake (Yes, the machine made the pizza, and it was good as was the sub) we bought some water and caffeine and zoned out. 

One more day in Vegas to redeem itself.

By the way, this is a picture of the Sunrise ambulance bay on a Wednesday night at 6pm,

We're Off To See The Wizard....Oh Yeah???

 We came to the city I really cannot stand, Las Vegas, Sin City, The City Where What Happens There Stays There, to fulfill Max's Mom's fantasy of seeing the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. It's a fucking 110 degrees here AND the goddamned humidity on Tuesday was Omaha-like. So as much as I despise the Midwest and it's 77 dew points well guess what? Yep, the luck continues and the "dry heat" became Omaha plus 20 degrees. So of course, a 25-minute walk to the Sphere was a minor inconvenience. Yeah, until it wasn't. About 75% of the way I began to feel sick. I had to sit. I walked a bit farther and had to sit. I felt like I was gonna either pass out, puke or drop dead. Or all three. We got to the Sphere and sat on the steps. The security staff, who had initially refused to provide us with any water, suddenly decided that was a bad idea. The cold water that Max's Mom poured over my head woke me up fast and I felt rejuvenated. Ready to go. Right? RIGHT? Here come the paramedics and they insist I get checked out. So this old man, me, gets wheeled on a stretcher into the Sphere and into the first aid room. This is where it all got complicated. They did all the vitals and I was ok. Right? RIGHT? Uh no. The fine paramedics, Michael and Perry hooked me up to the EKG or whatever it is and Michael said "Ive got good news and some really bad news. Oh, for chrissakes, what now? You are NOT having a heart attack, cool, BUT you are in atrial fibrillation and we suggest you go to the nearest ER because you could have a blood clot AND have a stroke and die! What? No, I'm here to take the trip up the Yellow Brick Road and no flyin monkeys gonna stop me. The Sphere medical staff, saints named Michael, Perry and Breann, pounded away at the seriousness of A Fib. 

A Fib. Where your heart valve looks like a used car dealer with the dancing things and the blood aint flowing right. Ok guys, you convinced me and they called the ambulance. Christ, here we go again. Nebraska Wesleyan football game (2022 pass out and trip in ambulance to hospital). Omar and Denise showed up to transport the old geezer, me, to Sunrise Hospital. Pizza boxes between the seats (good for you guys) the ride was smoother than the Lincoln ambo which felt like an old VW bus on a gravel road. They were great. Off I went to the Emergency Room. On a stretcher. Jesus H Christ I hate being old. The doctors checked my vitals and a security guard (looked like Michael Fanone from J6) was suddenly patting me down for weapons. I told him I left them at the hotel and he laughed and offered me  brass knuckles if I needed them. Huh? I soon found out what he meant.

Wheeled thru a Vegas ER is quite the experience. More about that next time.

Little did I know the dead witch under the Sphere was ME.

Lindsey Graham!

 Lindsey Graham, ya know, the guy who said nominating Trump would destroy the Republican Party in 2016, passed on to the great closet in the sky from cardiac arrest (?) last evening. I don't want anyone to die (wink) because of how it affects the people who might actually love the person. That's not fun at all. So, Rest in Peace to Lindsey Graham the man. 

Now the rest of the story. Lindsey Graham was a moderate voice in the Senate until about 2021. remember Jan 6? Graham stood in the Senate and said "I am done" with Trump. Ok. A definite plus. The influence of John McCain was still intact. McCain was Graham's mentor. A great patriot and a great man. But McCain passed in 2018. Graham was still in the McCain camp in 2021 after J6. But then, like Kevin "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to" McCarthy. Graham was met with gawd knows what. Blackmail? Extortion? Death threats? Yeah, probably all 3. That's Trumps M.O. Diss the Prez and he unleashes his goons on you. Goons who work for him or goons who worship him. Doesn't matter. The thugs come out and send their message of violence. Now most are losers who live in storage facilities and don't have the gumption to get a job much less actually do anything, but it only takes one dedicated cult member with a gun. And Graham had secrets. We all know what it was. The closeted Graham didn't have the courage to come out for some reason. Many 71-year-old gay men tend to be less than honest with themselves and everyone else. But that secret isn't anything any longer. Who gives a shit if Lindsey Graham had a Grindr account? Now South Carolina isn't exactly a friendly Gayborhood but there are certainly enough South Carolinian conservatives who have pulled their heads out of their ass and don't care. Right? RIGHT?

Graham went nuts in the last few years of his life. He wanted to bomb everybody. Warmongering became his go to speech. He was a lapdog to Trump, who uses everyone until he doesn't. No prediction on when Trump would have dumped Graham but his death puts an end to that. Right? RIGHT? Trump made Graham's demise all about Trump. "It hurts the SAVE act". One less bootlicker to try and save Trump from impeachment, jail, and justice. That's Trumps take. Me hurt. 

I'd say for Graham to be welcomed to the great beyond by his friend John McCain, who would probably slap him for what he became. But as far that goes, they are probably in two different fictional places.

Soccer and Graham Cracker!!

 While Trump was desecrating the United States on its 250th birthday by speaking in front of Mount Rushmore calling people commies and sticking to the same old garbage speech, I was getting heat stroke at a Kansas City Royals game. Not fun. Neither for that matter was fun. Trump made the heads on Mount Rushmore sick, and the heat made me sick. Happy 250th America. It was fun.

The World Cup has been, as usual, a thrilling event. I love the World Cup. It's the once every two-year World War 3 in which nobody dies, Americans suddenly become soccer "experts" and the corruption of FIFA is front and center. This year's Cup is in North America, of course, and the invasion of black and brown people must drive the Racist in Chief crazy. The Cup has had some upsets, and the Americans moved to the round of 16 which of course made the casual soccer fan all excited because oh I don't know, because we never make it that far cuz quite frankly, we are fair to middlin at the worlds sport. And the team proved it once again by getting blown out by Belgium, ending the fever dream. It's fine, but the Soccer Expert in Chief decided to get into the middle of a red card controversy by calling FIFAs Thief in Chief and demanding the red card be revoked so American citizen and anchor baby Falorin Balogun (born in Brooklyn to non-citizens). FIFA, the corrupt clan that gave Trump the FIFA peace prize (LOL), did what he wanted. The precedent was dangerous that a politician got into the middle of a sports decision. But as stated, the Belgians waffled the USA by destroying them. And as predicted by anyone with a working mind, the MAGATS immediately began to call for the denaturalization of Balogun soon after the game because he didn't score 5 goals by himself or perhaps because MAGATS are racists. Oh well, America, it's not our sport. Our team is Nebraska football. Beats up inferior competition, then when faced with a rated team loses 62-3 (the soccer equivalent of 4-1). We dont suck, we're just fair to middlin.

Graham Platner. This guy is a piece of work. Nominated by Maine Democrats to run against the feckless Susan Collins, Platner was always sketchy on a personal basis. The oyster farmer has a checkered past. There were allegations of domestic violence, alleged sexual assaults, a Nazi tattoo he got in the military, and a stint working for Blackwater in Iraq where some of his Reddit posts were sus. He bragged about killing civilians, used slurs, and whether true or not is certainly troubling. So, at best he's a progressive who likes to brag about shit he didn't do and is an abuser and at worst he's a fucking rapist and war criminal. Neither is acceptable by the way. He needs to go NOW.

That being said the Republican reaction is laughable. As they clutch their pearls and faint onto JD Vance's couch (ewww) expressing their outrage they really are clueless cowards. The fact they support a guy who also may be a rapist and is certainly a war criminal (200 dead Iranian children say so). Yet we have the typical Republican blowhards, Brandion Gill the gay Superman , Peter Ricketts the trust fund baby, Foghorn Kennedy the blowhard, expressing shock and faux outrage that Maine Democrats would nominate this guy. Oh fuck off. He will be gotten rid of by Maine Democrats soon enough and a new candidate can fuck everything up for the clueless Democrats. Gotten rid of by Democrats.

Good thing Platner is a Democrat cuz he will be dealt with and never see the inside of political office. 

If he was a Republican woman beater, alleged rapist and war criminal they'd nominate him for President.

The Constitution Cannot Be Undone With A Signature!

 Those 3 chucklefucks. Gorsuch, the folksy fascist, Thomas, the owning the libs and taking bribes guy, and Alito, the professional Catholic with the whacko spouse all think that if Donald Trump puts his EKG signature on an Executive Order outlawing a Constitutional amendment, hey its ok with us. THREE of nine and probably a 4th in the drunken frat boy Kavanaugh if pushed think a signature of a President (or most likely one particular President) on an EO can do away with the constitution. Think of that type of insanity. These three would have been great on the German high court in 1936. The total lack of loyalty to the country by these three hacks for fascism is upsetting. It's also downright dangerous. 

Alito for all practical purposes is a religious fascist first and an American justice second if not out of the Top Ten. Thomas has spent 35 years on the bench wreaking havoc upon the nation because he is a petty little man pissed at his sexual harassing being made pubic public back in 92. Thomas owns the libs. That's his entire mission. Oh, that AND making himself rich thanks to Harlan Crowe, the Nazi memorabilia collector. Gorsuch is a bit of a contradiction in terms. He's right he's wrong he's wrong again. He has a soft spot for indigenous people's rights but not one iota of a soft spot for those same people and everybody else's rights. He's the guy at the party who charms with his down-to-earth stories that mask his real self. The folksy fascist. 

These 3 are WRONG constantly. And I should know having my law degree from Hudson University in New York City. The fucking Constitution cannot be voided by a thug like Trump. Unless you ask those three twats.

Weird Al!!

 About 35 minutes into the Weird Al Bigger and Weirder Concert a commotion broke out on the floor and people ran away. Was it part of the show? Well, no because as Eat It continued uninterrupted, I saw fists flying and then a couple of burly security guards were dragging, and I mean dragging a guy out of the arena when his pants fell down. They stopped to pull his pants up and if a grown ass man doesn't want to cooperate in pulling his pants up its gonna take a bit of time. Jesus this was more entertaining than the show. Eventually they dragged the guy the rest of the way followed by his shamed kids. Anyway, the point is I did NOT have a brawl at a Weird Al Yankovic show on the old bingo card.

Weird Al is a national treasure and if that makes me a weirdo or a nerd well so be it. The funny thing is I really have no idea about his music. I only know him for the last 40 years going on talk shows and holding his own with anyone. He's a funny, shameless comedian and I love that about him. 

His tour came to town last night and the boy and I went. Both of us, cynical eye rolling types, got into it even as the opener, Puddles Pity Party. Puddles is a giant clown with a baritone voice singing all sorts of tunes and seeking "help" from the crowd and has a Kevin Costner fetish. It was a cool 30 minutes.

Then came Weird Al Yankovic. All the hits were there's complete with frequent costume changes and all sorts of different music. His band is killer. The Nirvana parody, complete with the sweater, the janitor and the cheerleaders, sounded so much like Nirvana I wondered, uhhhh could you tour as a Nirvana tribute band?

In between songs were "interviews" Weird Al had with celebrities galore. It's been done thousands of times but Weird Al asking Madonna what the hell was she looking at as she constantly rolled her eyes. Trust me, it was funny, Paul McCartney told him no to Al staying at his house. It was as funny as the show itself.

Weird Al is a guilty pleasure. But even more so after actually witnessing great parodies, great music, funny skits, fake interviews and a brawl in the expensive seats. What more can a rational human being ask for? 

Oh, I don't know maybe a car crashing into a traffic light box just as people were exiting the arena. I mean how much more fun can I have?

Thoughts!

Look, on the shores of The Grift Pond, there are people putting their hands into the scummy green water and being arrested by "undercover" thugs for vandalism. Yeah, there's not a jury on earth that would convict people of "vandalism" (except maybe in Texas) but Jeanine Pirro, the failure of a wine box DA, will certainly try to please her master, who sits in his room thinking up conspiracies to keep him from King status. It's pathetic. Nobody is vandalizing that stinkin pond except the incompetent cronies that Trump hires to do "projects" as payment for past bribes  contributions to Trump's favorite charity. Himself. 

The SAVE Act, a truly hideous bill that's only purpose is to suppress the vote of women, minorities, immigrants and Democrats to save the Orange King's crooked ass. Voter ID, ok fine you win. Even though we prove our identity when we register to vote, showing a driver's license or whatever at the polls is unnecessary but is not a hill to die on. Enough right? Ohhhhh nooooo, not to Trump and his liars in the Senate. Liars like Mike Lee and Pete Ricketts and Joni Ernst continually crow about "rigged" elections (didnt they all win?). They all know it's bullshit but party over country of course. This SAVE act also forces you to provide a birth certificate on top of the ID. I mean come on. Where the fuck is YOUR birth certificate? Do you know? And what about women born Jane Smith and now are Jane Johnson? Sorry maam, this doesn't match your ID. Go away. Kill that 19th Amendment, kill that naturalized citizen right and only let white men vote. Mail in voting? Oh, the thing Trump himself does? It's banned. That's the goal and we all know it. Suppressed voting in blue states. But not only that, the SAVE act, for some reason, contains anti-transgender parts. No men in women's sports (there are none) and no transgender treatment for minors (there isnt any). What in the UFC fuck is that all about? What does that have to do with voting? Fuck this administration with a fork.

Trump doesn't have the votes for the SAVE act, thus he ran off with his pet bat, Stephen Miller, to meet with Senate Republicans, as cowardly a group as exists. Allegedly it turned into a clusterfuck of yelling and screaming and threats. But afterwards, the Felon in Chief, still didn't have the votes to pass his only white people vote bill. I'm sure the vampire bat is coming up with schemes to fuck the country as we speak.

The peace deal with Iran. In other words, the surrender of America to the mullahs. Trump is a terrible deal maker. Despite his bullshit book with I admit is a great title, The Art of the Steal Deal, Trump couldn't negotiate the end of a one-man parade. He's too lazy. He has no attention span. Plus, he's stupid. Iran gets everything it wants plus an ungodly amount of money to "rebuild" what Trump destroyed with his war he started. Gas prices are out of control, and the midterms are coming up. Trump is so dumb he started this war which blew up in his orange face and now faces blowback not only from the world but by Americans. 30% approval. Jesus H Christ, only the insane back this guy now (my theory has always been 25% of people are insane and can never be brought onboard). The only people who back this scumbag now are paid to do so, are deathly afraid of him and his goons, racists who yearn for an all-white country, or just plain stupid. See, 30%. 

Finally, Mamdani, the Mayor of New York. A Democratic socialist endorsed 8 progressives for various offices in New York. They all won their primaries. 8 for 8. Trump is so envious. Thus, he went right to the "Communist" card thus proving he and his 30% don't know shit about anything. Democratic socialism is just that. It's like democracy and socialism, ya know, like fixing roads and having cops and fire fighters and Social Security and Medicare and a safety net for the growing poor and their kids. We already have that but the real problem is a good curve ball. They don't like the "democracy" part. in fact, the countries these economic illiterates always put forward, Cuba, Venezuela, and the like are actually just what the Trumpers want. Authoritarianism in the name of freedom. They don't want Denmark or Sweden or Germany because of that whole "democracy" thing. They want thugs like Orban and Trump to rule with an iron fist, moving tax money to their buddies and themselves. Mamdani not only faces rants from Trump but from so called "moderate" Democrats who have no real interest in doing anything that jeopardizes their power. Power is a helluva drug, and mainstream Democrats want to keep it. Mamdani, that young whippersnapper, is upsetting the power brokers. Good!

Look the bottom line is any government that contains octogenarians and mental octogenarians is a dying government. But they aren't going to give it up until the voters decide to neuter these ancients. The boomers won't do it. Their own fading dominance is at stake. Gen X won't do it. They are in their money-making years and nothing comes between them and their careers. So, it is up to millennials and Gen Z. Vote you lazy clowns. you HAVE the power to change it all. Getting rid of anyone over 70 is up to you. If you stay home this boomer bunch of jokers will stay in power and nothing changes. You will still owe thousands in loans, never buy a house, never have kids cuz you can't afford them and stagnate in a society run by your senile grandparents. You like that? Christ, I'm a boomer and I hate them politically. Get rid of them, kiddos.

Wicked!

 Wicked began its new tour in Omaha, of all places, and if you've seen it before it is a whole new experience. This was my third time seeing it. The first time I was enthralled, found it fascinating and loved every second. However, the second time I saw it, I was soured. Act 1 was great buy Act 2 seemed to be a walk through, phoning it in so to speak, thus it kind of lost its appeal to me. Then came the movies, which were good, again Act 1 great, Act 2 not so great. I wasn't sure about this third time.

You knew it was gonna be a lot of acrobatics and high flying when before it started, you saw stagehands climbing a ladder to the top of the stage to do their thing. And then it starts with a bubble coming down that contains Ga-Linda, the self-centered egomaniac of the show. She is there to tell the story of how this happened and away we go.

Claudia Bennett makes her national debut as Glinda. A recent grad of USC, she takes her cue from Kristin Chenowith and Ariana Grande in her narcissism. She's got a great voice and a presence that made you believe she was a grizzled vet of theater touring. She plays the role perfectly as she moves from total self-absorption to opposition to The Wizard, a total fascist by the way.

When Elphaba, played by a big voiced Aline Mayagotia, appears onstage for the first time, the crowd reacts with applause and enthusiasm. And then, Ephaba takes control of the play. She is green, she is outspoken, she is tough and she has taken her being bullied into a rage against authority. When she arrives at Shiz University, she is there to watch out for her wheelchair bound sister, Nessarose. When Elphaba and Glinda are assigned as roommates the transformation begins. Doctor Dillamond is a professor, a goat, who is eventually taken away as the Wizard starts a animals should be seen and not heard campaign. The Doc says if animals are put in cages and forbidden to speak, they forget how to talk. Elphaba is pissed and becomes the opposition to the Wizard. Glinda is a coward, refusing to back her friend's activism. 

Ok Ok this play is a metaphor for fascism. Written way before Trump came along, it is a warning to anyone who sees it that authoritarians earn power thru indifference by the residents. Glinda is the epitome' of this unwillingness to speak out, protect her own power while allowing others to be oppressed. Animals and green witches first then Glinda herself.

The Wizard of Oz story is flipped on its head here. What you saw every year on TV was a lie. The Wizard was the villain; Glinda was the chickenshit. The Tin Man was created as a punishment for Boq, a munchkin who had the audacity to fall for Glinda. The Scarecrow was created as punishment for Fiyero, who had the audacity to support Elphaba's resistance. The Lion was an animal staying under the radar and speaking freely. And the Wicked Witch of the West was the revolutionary fighting for freedom. Wow, what a new way to look at it.

The songs are great. Of course, you get Popular and the end of Act 1, the showstopping Defying Gravity. But this particular cast keeps the energy alive. Act 2 was just as captivating as Act 1. The songs were wonderful, the acting was incredible and it works. Maybe it's simply a new cast, a new energy and a new vibe that makes it work. Perhaps the last time I saw it the cast was tired and done. Hey it happens. How can it not?

Anyway, this musical continues thru July 5th here in Omaha. It's worth a see. 

Savannah Bananas!

Normally Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is fill of red clad crazies watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers lose a game they should have won, but last night there was a baseball field there and the barnstorming Savannah Bananas came into town and sold the place out. 85,000 people showed up to watch the crazy brand of baseball played by these talented athletes. No bunting, no walks without a throw around, if a fan catches a foul ball the batter is out (it happened twice) and the fans get to challenge a play once during the game. Theres a guy on stilts who batted and whiffed. They have catches behind the back, back flips amid the fielding of grounders and fly balls, lots and lots of current music I had no idea what it was, an attention deficit reaction that results in an overwhelming sense of overload, and a left field fence 197 feet (Polo Grounds like) from home. Lots of home runs were hit into the leftfield stands including the walk off homer by the Washington Generals of Banana Ball, the Firefighters to win the game.

Look, being a fanatical baseball fan like me can trigger emotions when somebody plays this kind of baseball. But it's fun. For about an hour. After that initial hour, it became tedious. The trick plays became routine, the whole walk thing with all 9 players having to touch the ball leaving the runner able to go as far as he wants. That rule is not exciting because nobody ever gets past first base. The special guests were Eric Crouch, Heisman winner, and Tom Osborne, the HOF coach, who got a huge reaction and Go Big Red chants. It's based on baseball, but it is definitely not baseball. It's a state fair midway of child pleasing activity that quite frankly probably bores adults. Now if you have a kid and you take them, enjoy watching them have fun. They sing along to the music us olds have no clue to. They screech, they holler, they eat horrible stuff and they seem more aware than adults. It's fun for them thus it's fun for their parents. We went with our kid, who is in his 20's, so he's an adult and thus, he became bored also. 

I'm not saying I didn't have fun, I did. That it's a baseball Harlem Globetrotters is not a bad thing. But it's for children and introducing them to the sport is a good thing. I had a similar experience as a kid watching a clown show called the 1964 Chicago Cubs. It hooked me on the sport, the stadiums, the green grass, the strategy and the home runs at Wrigley. Kidding of course. The Bananas do what they do and it's entertaining. Would I go again? Not a chance. 

I will leave the hard-to-get tickets to somebody with young children.

The Firefighters won 3-2. If that matters.

A real game is much more entertaining. To me anyway.

60 Minutes & Pride Month!!

 60 Minutes has been gutted once and for all as Bari Weiss and this Nick Bilton guy fall all over themselves to please the authoritarian asshole. Just in the last few weeks, Weiss and Bilton have 86'd Celia Vega, Sharon Alfonsi and two 60 Minutes staffers for doing their jobs. Reporting on scandals and wars and power grabs and frauds, in other words Trump, Weiss has probably gotten a list of "miscreants" directly from the White House to deep six. Alfonsi was the reporter whose Cecot prison story was delayed because Weiss felt that the story about an El Salvadoran shithole prison, where Trump's goons were sending so called "illegals", including Americans of good standing, gay hairdressers and fathers of children needed some bullshit both sides response from the White House. Alfonsi resisted, publicly, and was then sent packing. At the same time, Vega was let go a year short of her contract expiration and two staffers were also let go. Now that is bad enough.

Scott Pelley, veteran 60 Minutes correspondent, a man with no fucks left to give and a lot of fuck you money, let the 60 Minutes killers have it. Pelley stood up for Alfonsi, Vega and the rest. Pelley, again a veteran reporter and 60 Minutes legend, wouldn't take the let's meet in private later bullshit from typical middle managers to take the pressure off themselves. Pelley continued, refused to accept the corporate horseshit, and pressed on. Weiss and Bilton ran away, plotted, and fired Pelley the next day "for cause". Good luck on that lawsuit you fucking Maga lumps. CBS is now Fox Lite. The Tiffany network of Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Paley and other greats is dead. It's now just another suck up bottom-line oriented parrot of one Donald Trump. Your turn, Bill Whittaker, Leslie Stahl, and Jon Werthheim. Stay or tell them to fuck off. You all have fuck you money. Use it, it's the American dream to tell your boss to GFY cuz you have enough money to survive without them. 

This is Tennessee twat, Andy Ogles, with his Pride Month "wisdom". This seems to be the trend in Hillbilly America, aka red states, of declaring June to be Happy Nuclear Family and Have More White Babies Month instead of Pride Month. We here in Hillbillyaska, aka Nebraska, have a philandering drunken Governor who does anything he's told by former Governor and current Senator Pete Ricketts (Trust Fund Baby-Ne) and declared here in Nebraska to be Happy We Hate Homos Month.

Pillen is a disaster here. He turned a budget surplus into a $600 million deficit. He gave a no bid contract to a female "acquaintance" he "travels" with for $2.5 million. He accepted Trumps order to open "Cornhusker Clink" by closing down a work release minimum security prison and installing a facility to be used for the undocumented. He's often in public in what appears to be an altered state. I personally witnessed him slurring and stumbling over a swearing in ceremony for Nebraska National Guard recruits. Not sure it even was legal with his stumblebum oath.

But Pillen, like most "Christian" fanatics, hates the gays, wants Nebraskans to pray for rain, signs all sorts of anti-trans bills, tries hard and fails to eliminate our Blue Dot, and is obsessed with bathrooms and who uses them. Pillen is running for re-election and will be pushed by Democrat Lynn Walz. However, I am not confident this human lush will lose. The rural voters of our infamous Third District, a vast open wasteland of cows, dying towns and professional Republicans, always just marks in the person with the R next to their name cuz grandpappy voted R and Daddy voted R and by gawd I vote R, it's a family must. Vote against your interests cuz the libtards might say "woke" or something.

It's Pride Month, and all your political denial of that is irrelevant. Enjoy haters, and just hope nobody checks y9our hard drives.

Lucy Darling!

 Trump Trump Trump 24/7 who doesn't need a break? Carisa Hendrix brought her character Lucy Darling to the Orpheum Theater last night and she killed all Trump vibes in the sold-out crowd's minds for a good hour and 40 minutes of hilarity, magic and the greatest crowd work I may have ever seen.

Lucy is the character, a kind of drag queen magician naughty girl who can gut a front row attendee with some of the best insults the person doesn't even know just happened. Lucy began with her story. Australia, Covid, Tik Tok, and the accidental discovery of crowd work when she had no material. Lucy will kill you with a velvet hammer and most people welcome the killing.

She began the show with a short monologue, a slam on the new Omaha skyscraper that looks like a well ya know. We do seem to have a phallic fascination in this state with the State Capitol and this new Mutual of Omaha shaft. Lucy hammered her previous stop in Des Moines by insulting Des Moines (and tonite in KC she will hammer Omaha Im sure). She began her crowd work with a couple who'd only met a month ago yet looked like a couple married for 20 years. She then bantered with a young male music teacher who showed up alone. Poor "Wheel" as he became the theme of the night. She moved on to a young lady with multicolored hair and then realizing the comedy gold in this young guy's play along sweetness she went back to "Wheel" the middle school music teacher. And she never let it go. I think this young man had the time of his life while at the same time dreaded being her muse for the night. Like I said her crowd work is unparalleled. So quick and so spontaneous. It really was phenomenal to watch.

The magic was very good, yet there wasn't much of it. Somewhere during the first act, Lucy mentioned to her piano player, The Hebrew Hammer as he called himself. that the crowd work had gone so well that they were running over the time limit. This may have limited the magic because the crowd howled and screamed and applauded and obviously loved the interaction. But the whiskey bottle magic act was pretty pretty pretty good.

The crowd was energetic, young, gay, and hip. Some of the jokes went over this old straight white man's head but considering Max's Mom and I may have been the oldest people in the theater that's to be expected. A pineapple joke that drew a serious gasping reaction, I looked up in the car going home and THEN I laughed.

Lucy Darling is such a pleasant surprise. You probably never heard of this act. But please see it if you get a chance. She is a treasure.

As she said at one time during the show, "the gay people laughed at that, then the straight people thought hey they're laughing I guess I should too". That's it folks. Funny is funny.