My guitar career ended early when I lopped off the top of a finger in a culinary accident.
For folk lovers who haven’t seen “A Mighty Wind” ( the bastard stepchild of the Spinal Tap crew) it’s well worth a watch. One of my favorite movies ever.
I haven’t been a big fan of folk music, partly because it was hard for me to distinguish the artists from their (almost invariably) leftist politics. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, PP & M, Joan Baez herself….
One thing I do like, however, is that they sing actual lyrics that tell a story, as do Traditional Country and the pop ballads of yore.
"You Never Even Called Me By My Name" (the perfect Country and Western song) written by Steve Goodman, a Jewish kid from Chicago and John Prine. Made famous by David Allen Coe.
I prefer, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother", and "London Homesick Blues" sung by Jerry Jeff Walker. Walker and Willie Nelson, are national heroes of Texas.
Both of these classics are on the link below. If these songs don't bring a tear to your eye, you have no heart.
maybe folk? -- Willis Alan Ramsey, "Ballad of Spider John". I love Spider John so much. I used to have my middle school students read O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation" short story and then listen (and read the lyrics at the same time) Spider John, and then compare and contrast the two stories. One of my favorite made-up lesson plans.
I am actually a descendant of Andrew Barton through the Steedman family of South Carolina. There’s another ballad specifically about Andrew Barton himself.
You can probably find both ballads on YouTube or iTunes.
There is a website that explains how Led Zeppelin basically stole everything from folk and blues artists, though I give Page credit for great guitar and RIP Bonham
Love it, Celia! Great melancholy (but also somehow uplifting) song, and I can hear it be a great lullaby!
Traveling back from Belfast, Northern Ireland, today and a fitting send off. The decisions forced upon people to survive in those times were extremely difficult, which is why the Scottish and Irish are steeped in this music, and our American heritage steeped in them.
It is a reminder to us to cherish what has been achieved here in America upon the backs of that hardship.
I think two things made folk singers Lefties: one is spending a lot of time with actual, suffering poor people, which can make *anyone* long for revolution against the rich bastards who lord it over the poor.
The other is that, at least in the 60s, folk was completely intertwined with the hippies, who had been carefully programmed to accept Marxism by teachers and professors who had managed to fly under the McCarthy radar.
Even as leftism is responsible for more poverty and misery than any other political philosophy while capitalism has lifted more people from poverty. We can debate endlessly the responsibilities of the rich vs. those of the poor but falling for simplistic nostrums is the hallmark of idiocy not caring.
Complaining about how bad the system is and yelling for changes that will never happen is a lot easier than identifying what's actually wrong with the existing system and working to change it. Maybe the worst thing about the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act is it seems like they just stopped trying after those things happened.
Capitalism is the only hope the world has, but there are serious problems with the way we practice it. If they would focus on those and do the work, instead of bitching and moaning and deifying they guy who's responsible for a lot of those problems they might actually make the world a better place. But they won't do that/
Problem is that we now practice crony capitalism rather than real capitalism, with politicians getting paid off to squelch competition and vicious monopolists being to flourish because they pay off the right people. We need term limits and lobbying restrictions. For starters.
We also need to somehow end price speculation in our markets. "Value investing" has become a joke, even Warren Buffet no longer practices it, but it needs to be the only type of investing there is. Maybe require pension funds to shift from stocks to muni bonds over the next 10 years so the market doesn't actually crash. Would also provide affordable capital for infrastructure.
Terrible idea. "Value" is in the eye of the beholder. And unbeknownst to most backward looking value investors, value changes over time.
Buying bonds in lieu of stocks (a) will not allow pensions the returns needed to fund their retirement obligations, (b) does not represent new investment in most cases - just a change in ownership and (c) with the amount of debt the U.S. is rolling up, default is increasingly a risk that would devastate the bond market, while stocks can continue to pass through costs and survive financial stress.
Yes, but the fatal flaw in the system is that it can be gamed by the wealthy. How to fix that? There is no doubt it has raised people out of poverty, etc. But it has veered off the tracks with all the corruption.
For starters. Just like the separation of church and state destroyed a power nexus there must be the separation of currency and state. The monoply on the issuance of currency is gas on the crony capitalism fire. War and welfare statism are greatly amplified by central banking.
Bob Dylan had a quote I remember when they asked him why he didn’t wrote angry protest songs anymore “It’s hard to be a bitter millionaire”. Clearly he never met Mr Trump
I listened to (and played for a high school world history class) a Thomas Sowells interview justifying colonialism and imperialism. He made a point so incredibly simple but one that so often eludes us: Instead of asking why there is so much poverty and trying to eliminate it, why not ask what causes wealth and try to create those conditions? (He said it much better than my paraphrase.)
I think the biggest issue with Capitalism is that people don't seem to be willing to vote with their dollar. They will complain about a company, all the while buying stuff from it.
Ask Dylan's manager, I forget his name, Guthermann, something like that. Anyway, he created "Peter, Paul," and especially "Mary," handcrafted her right out of thin air. Made Dylan a lot of money. And himself, of course. My hat's off to him, as one of his ilk.
"The Left" is not a unified demographic any more than "The Right" is. There are certainly people on the left that do in fact want to help those in need. In fact, I think a good chunk of the "Useful idiots" are people who do in fact just want to do the right things...they just haven't figured out for various reasons that the paths they are choosing have been proven to not work.
Something that I notice when I go to message boards full of left leaning people is they say some of the same stuff people around here say. There will be someone saying the same stuff Bruce says, but aimed at the right. They are so sure of their rightness that they don't bother to offer facts, links, or even mention details. They just say it as though it is common knowledge and only an idiot would believe otherwise. I may believe them to be wrong most of the time, but the idea that people on both sides are thinking and feeling the same things does tell us something.
Sghoul: I truly believe the difference between Left and Right today is the determination and willingness to do PERSONAL research.
Bred animals who accept the enhanced slop they are continually force-fed believe the farmer (whoever he/she/they may be) has their best interest in mind. That they are being groomed or fattened for the kill never occurs to them.
Like Kamala says, my beliefs have never changed (minus her devious subtext). But I stepped out of the barn a few years ago. Then I found the hole in the barbed wire. Almost every day I discover more evidence that the slop I was fed by the Democrat party was pure, unadulterated fertilizer.
In my heart of hearts, I’m still the same old liberal. But now, my brand is ‘Right.’
If we were to collect data I think I would agree that people currently on 'the right' might come off as more educated on the topics they are hanging their hats on. But I don't think I agree that is universal. I know plenty of Trump supporters that believe anything he says. Or people in right leaning forums that can't really back up the things they believe. Fox or Tucker or Beck or Limbaugh or whomever said it so it is gospel.
I also think that right now, "the right" has a lot of traditional lefties who are still more liberal in their thoughts but, as you say, did research and realized their party no longer is serving them. So they are allies for now, and make our numbers seem more willing to learn, but on various issues may disagree firmly. Which is part of why I don't really like the terms. It is an over simplification of categorizing humans...most of us don't fall so neatly into Left/Right.
I agree. There are uneducated demagogues on both sides. I talk (and listen) to both 'sides.' However, I find those who cut the conversation off the moment open debate raises it's threatening head tend to be avowed Democrats.
Diamonds and Rust....so beautiful. I know who it was about, but it always makes me think of one particular old boyfriend of mine. Perhaps that's part of its universal appeal -- every girl can think of a particular guy when she hears it.
Joan certainly did have a beautiful voice! I remember going to hear her in person back in the Diamonds and Rust days. As far as the lefty politics- it's all about siding w/ the victim against "the man". It goes a long way!!
I watched Bari at the All In Summit. She really thinks TFP is a new kind of institution. I believe her when she says building new institutions is her goal, University of Austin is a good example of that, but I think she's not paying attention to TFP right now. And Nelly is probably more concerned with the baby than the site (rightly so).
This weekend Gad Saad posted on X that he is being interviewed by Bari Weiss on her podcast. I posted asking him to ask Weiss about her sneaky censorship program on her loyal subscribers and to let her know that many hundreds are unsubscribing in disgust and disappointment
If he looks at the site it will be obvious to him that they are no longer an example of the heterodoxy Bari is championing. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can keep his opinions to himself :)
I am just very disappointed to watch Bari Weiss’ project devolve into another rag
I keep wondering If she is not paying attention. She is all over the place with her speaking engagements, Debates, interviews , and family. She turned TFPress over to her cronies from the NYTimes , family and young naive interns. She’s responsible but I would so like to have her asked about the censorship and subscribers who are leaving, in a public forum. She is a very public figure and therefore these questions are necessary and appropriate
TFP has become the mainstream media. I listened to Bari’s interview of two republicans who endorsed Harris and were explaining why they would vote for her. Bari sounded like Dana Bash interviewing Harris. She almost never pointed to lies and hatred in their rhetorics and only gently rebuked them for the most outrageous statements. I was not surprised by their position - the converts are always the most zealous ones to show thief loyalty to the new religion. But Bari treated them with such kid gloves that I felt disgusted. I completed a survey TFP sent me and asked why she had not interviewed democrats that endorsed Trump. It could make for a more balanced outlook. Probably very naive of me.
I also watched and agree with you that she is not paying attention. She tells a good story that doesn't match with what they are doing. Specifically, the hiring of Free Press Fellows, who are all from elite universities - yet Bari mentions in her speech the problem with doing this particular thing.
I too do not want to think totally ill of Bari, but she has been contacted directly and called out in comments and on public media pages about these issues and no real response. I find it difficult to believe that she doesn't know what is going on. I think she does and is making her own decisions to plow ahead anyway and pretend all will be well. That is her right, but very disappointing and I have lost significant respect for her as a result.
Exactly. Either TFFP is going in precisely the direction she wants it to, or she else simply doesn't care enough to make the necessary changes.
I know that you and I and others all made efforts in various venues to bring her attention to the issues. She can't be completely unaware, especially since it now appears that their bottom line was actually affected.
She seems to have ignored the warnings, perhaps thinking that it was just a few disgruntled people. So I don't really pity whatever fallout (particularly financial) she is experiencing as a result.
Several months ago, another astute commenter called TFP a ‘bait and switch’ operation. That statement rang true and my sympathy for Bari began to dry up.
Bari will never be poor. If her project falls deeper into irrelevance and subscribers don’t find it worth the $ then so be it. She’s might be looking to unload it in the near future.
"And the song introduces a kind of fatalism, not uncommon in Scottish songs and stories,..."
Try the Scottish folk song Two Babes in the Woods that my grandfather sang to me. Now there was a downer BUT it always put me right to sleep.
"My dears, do you know how a long time ago Two poor little babes whose names I don' know Were stolen away on a bright summer day And left in the woods, so I've heard people say. (repeat*)
And when it was night, how sad was their plight, The sun it went down and the moon gave no light. They sobbed and they sighed and they bitterly cried, And the poor little things, they lay down and died. (repeat)
And when they were dead, the robins so red Brought strawberry leaves and over them spread, And all the day long, they sang them this song: Poor babes in the woods, poor babes in the woods! And don' you remember the babes in the woods.?"
Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, except they came out of it alive. Pretty dark stories and songs were the norm for the young back then. Cautionary tales and wise preparation for real life imo. But Disney has kinda ruined that I think.
Some grim stories served the purpose of teaching lessons to kids. In rural Bolivia, for example, parents scare their children with tales of "El Cuero", a large creature in the form of a hide that will cover children and whisk them away. It's to keep the kids from wondering off too far.
Most people these days think 'nature' is the city park. *Real* nature is dangerous; red, as they say, in tooth and claw. Back in the day, children were in sufficient danger from disease and hunger without adding wandering off into the woods on top of that.
I will admit I am not a folk song person at all. Not that I dislike every last one, just not something I'm likely to sit through very often. The ballad on the Edmund Fitzgerald is, however, one of my all-time favorite tunes. Something about men and the sea does lend itself to those types of songs.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot live at the Universal Amphitheater on a comp tix when I was in the Industry. When that song came up, he threw his hands up the in air and said “I never understood how this became a hit” lol. Sundown is my favorite from him
Yeah! I saw him at UC Santa Barbara in the early 70s. Have you seen the documentary about him that's on Prime? So good. I love "The Last Time I Saw Her Face" and "Early Mornin' Rain." Oh, I'm getting a heartache. :-(
I remember visiting the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point MI, and seeing the Edmund Fitzgerald section- the song droned on -over and over! Now it will be the soundtrack in my mind all day! "Fellas it's been good to know ya!"
My line that haunts is, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" I think everyone can feel the ache of the impending doom of those poor men.
The lyrics are wonderful but DEAR GOD, it is musically the most monotonous song I’ve ever heard. The same line over and over and over, with the only variation in the octave of the last note.
Folk songs are such a cultural unification of specific group experience. I have always felt them to be powerful windows into otherwise unexpressed feelings. Sometimes folks songs are the only way for certain collective voices to be made known. Oliver Anthony's Rich Men North of Richmond comes to mind as a most immediately relevant folk song today.
We are nearing the year anniversary of the brutal massacre in Israel on 10/7 . On 10-8 Hezbollah began raining rockets on Northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas and have t stopped .I post this video to remind everyone why Israel must fight back
I don't know. A lot of people thought when Dylan wrote this in '83 he was referring specifically to Israel under siege from enemies in all directions and referring to the fact that Israel was being framed as the 'bully' even back then. But Dylan denied this and claimed the song wasn't framed for any specific political situation.
Cat Stevens converted to Islam. Dylan became a born-again Christian (and wrote some songs I like a lot during that period), but he backed off from that, some. I didn't listen much to Dylan until around 2006 and then I did a deep dive into his writings, songs, and everything written about him, and visited Hibbing and Duluth in 2007.
He's using "bully" as the term everyone *else* calls the people in an existential battle who will do whatever it takes to survive, even if others (unfairly) condemn them for it.
Dylan was a decent enough folk song writer, not much of a musician. Yet he seems to be the favorite of many. I've long felt Paul Simon is America's best contemporary folk musician on lyrics alone, and he could play rings around Dylan, and most other guitarists.
Couldn’t agree more. There are great songwriters who sing well, play well and write great lyrics. Then there are people like Dylan who was better at some things than others.
"The song "Neighborhood Bully" is a song from the point of view of someone using sarcasm to defend Israel's right to exist; the title bemoans Israel's and the Jewish people's historic treatment in the popular press. Events in the history of the State of Israel are referenced, such as the Six-Day War and Operation Opera, Israel's bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad on June 7, 1981, or previous bomb making sites bombed by Israeli soldiers.[citation needed] Events in the history of the Israelites as a whole are mentioned, such as being enslaved by Rome, Egypt, and Babylon. Events in modern Jewish secular history are noted as well, such as the Jews' historic role in the advancement of medicine ("took sickness and disease and turned them into health"). Historic restrictions on Jewish commerce are mentioned as well.[citation needed] In 1983, Dylan visited Israel again, but for the first time allowed himself to be photographed there, including a shot at Jerusalem's open-air synagogue wearing a yarmulkah and Jewish phylacteries, and tallith. Some described the song as a declaration of "full-throated Israel support",[14] a "Zionist anthem"[15][16] and a "bitter and indignant defense of Israel’s actions".[17] However, when interviewed in 1984 by Rolling Stone, Dylan said that the song was "not a political song" because it did not "fall into a certain political party" while adding that the song might be an expression of heartfelt belief, he didn't "know what the politics of Israel" were, said he had "not really" resolved his views on the "Palestinian question" and stated that "the battle of the Armageddon" will be "fought in the Middle East."[13] In 2001, the Jerusalem Post described the song as "a favorite among Dylan-loving residents of the territories".[18] Israeli singer Ariel Zilber covered "Neighborhood Bully" in 2005 in a version translated to Hebrew.[19]"
As long as the Leftists haven't gotten to the entry yet, it's not too bad. Back in the day (pre-2010, I think), someone did a study and determined that it was as accurate as the average printed encyclopedia.
I always told my students that it was a good place to start when you knew little or nothing about a subject, but any serious research needed to be followed up with other sources. I also warned them that on any subject that was 'controversial,' Wikipedia was not trustworthy, simply due to its editable nature.
Was he originally Jewish? His real name is Zimmerman, isn't it? If so, it might explain his sympathy for Israel. I don't know - just asking since it hasn't been raised.
Just reported out of Japan A Japanese fighter jet fired at a Russian patrol plane that violated Japanese airspace on three separate occasions this morning. The world is on FIRE and the USA ha# no leadership
I'm still waiting to hear who the hell has the US nuclear codes! Obviously the puppetmasters do, but which ones specifically? I guess it doesn't really matter at this point as they are going to do whatever the hell they want.
That was too graphic. I see Joe napping in a rock chair while Michelle and Jill are reaching for the box with the red button to start WWIII scratching each other’s faces and kicking each other. It is fun to imagine, but now I cannot under it LOL.
Robert Malone wrote yesterday that the plane he and his wife were on from, I think, California, was full of military officers that looked and acted like they were going to some...serious military call up.
National Lampoon has a vicious Joan Baez parody I cant even say the title of because it’s so un PC Pull the Triggers….we’re with you all the way/just across the bay” where Kamala went to school
Someone better get busy and write a catchy tuna folk song about the new, very organized, very lucrative slave trade entrenched in America now. Linked below is a Praeger U short basic breakdown of what the Cartels are busy doing in the US. Stupid stupid Woke idiots are worried about black slave reparations from 150 years ago while a brand new slave trade in illegal immigrants is flourishing right under their punk assed noses................
I've had this argument with them. The only type of slavery they recognize is chattel slavery. Makes it easy for them to ignore the Uyghurs, and people all over Asia and Africa.
And if you point out that illegal immigration is importing human rights violations they honestly don't know what you mean.
Just when I think I have given up expecting intelligence, I find I am angry all over again at the rampant stupidity. Somehow I find myself more depressed over the supposed 'good' people doing and believing insanely toxic things, than I am over the real ahole self proclaimed badasses whom you can at least attempt to fight head on.
It boggles my mind that these Leftists seem to literally *not care* about the human trafficking that is growing ever more rampant due to our unprotected southern border. They want so badly for these immigrants to destroy our 'racist' republic that the suffering is merely incidental--unimportant collateral damage--to them.
And don't get me started on the child porn industry! Leftists have been quietly promoting the "age doesn't matter" philosophy, even as they virtue-signal about pushing laws that criminalize teens having sex with each other, and the media doing their very best to confuse the issue of sex with teens vs sex with prepubescent children. Now we have MAPs (minor-attracted persons) openly meeting, just as NAMBLA used to.
Until a couple of years ago the only person I ever heard say "children are sexual beings" was a NAMBLA piece of shit. Now it's doctrine for these people.
I first encountered NAMBLA while reading a tabloid when I was a teenager--I was shocked that these people were allowed to openly preach committing criminal acts against children.
But it made me aware of the issue of sexualizing prepubescent children, so I've always had an ear open for signs of people doing that. I might have to write about what I've perceived from the Leftists over the years....
So very many real and present dangers facing the young now on so very many scary levels. It's tragic and terrifying and I just want to rage and weep for them.
My guitar career ended early when I lopped off the top of a finger in a culinary accident.
For folk lovers who haven’t seen “A Mighty Wind” ( the bastard stepchild of the Spinal Tap crew) it’s well worth a watch. One of my favorite movies ever.
And FPOD. Yay!
Ack!
Celia, here is one of my favorite ballads by the Limelighters. It always brings a tear to my eye and I'm sure it will yours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4knw_F1yVw
That's awesome! But I think his spirit finally done give up on San Francisco!
It sure has.
Did you write a folk song about your finger accident?
laughed.
Absolutely. Great movie.
Brother John Sellars said, "All songs are folk songs, horses don't write songs."
Re Henry Martin; a wasted battle as the pirates received nothing.
Aha! There it is--the same take I had.
You're not supposed to realize that! LOL
I always assumed that the point was that future ships would be more likely to surrender.
Never assume anything. Future ships would more likely be better armed and sail as a fleet.
True. But in piracy, the point of being brutal to those who resist is to discourage future resistance.
Sounds like politics. Fortunately, for the most part, piracy has failed, alas, not so for politics.
I haven’t been a big fan of folk music, partly because it was hard for me to distinguish the artists from their (almost invariably) leftist politics. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, PP & M, Joan Baez herself….
One thing I do like, however, is that they sing actual lyrics that tell a story, as do Traditional Country and the pop ballads of yore.
What happens when you play a country song backwards?
The guy gets his truck back, his wife back, and his dog back. Yuk yuk yuk.
And the tornado puts his trailer back
But he gets to keep the beer he drank while writing it. Red Solo Cup, I fill you up.
I was thinking more of Patsy Cline.
Clearly you're crazy.
I laughed.
"You Never Even Called Me By My Name" (the perfect Country and Western song) written by Steve Goodman, a Jewish kid from Chicago and John Prine. Made famous by David Allen Coe.
classmate of HRC (Steve Goodman)
Lucky him...
I prefer, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother", and "London Homesick Blues" sung by Jerry Jeff Walker. Walker and Willie Nelson, are national heroes of Texas.
Both of these classics are on the link below. If these songs don't bring a tear to your eye, you have no heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L25xkZntMdM
Try Paul Simon, John Fahey, Emmy Lou Harris, Leonard Cohen or John Prine.
Folk music has much better stories than most other forms of music.
My personal faves -
Whiskey in the Jar (Thin Lizzy version)
Gallows Pole (Led Zepplin version)
American Pie
Over the Hills and Far Away (modern Irish folk song by Gary Moore (it just feels 400 years old), but the Nightwish version is amazing)
Tobacco Island (Flogging Molly, modern Irish punk but if this isn't a folk song I don't know what is)
Long Black Veil by The Band.
Classic!
Bob Dylan - Seven Curses
maybe folk? -- Willis Alan Ramsey, "Ballad of Spider John". I love Spider John so much. I used to have my middle school students read O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation" short story and then listen (and read the lyrics at the same time) Spider John, and then compare and contrast the two stories. One of my favorite made-up lesson plans.
Have you heard Jimmy Buffet's version of Spider John?
No. I love Willis.....(cautiously)...do I want to hear Jimmy Buffet's?
That's the only one I've ever heard, but then I'm a Parrot Head, so...
Buffett also does a nice version of "Railroad Lady". His earlier work delved into some older ballad type songs.
The Wild Rover, hands down!
I am actually a descendant of Andrew Barton through the Steedman family of South Carolina. There’s another ballad specifically about Andrew Barton himself.
You can probably find both ballads on YouTube or iTunes.
Wow! Yes, there's another song that keeps the correct name (Child 160?).
There is a website that explains how Led Zeppelin basically stole everything from folk and blues artists, though I give Page credit for great guitar and RIP Bonham
They did, and add Tolkien in there, but they made it their own.
I wrote an essay in high school about how Stairway to Heaven is about Galadriel! :~)
WE must be kin. My paternal grandmother is a Barton out of Marlin, Texas.
Love it, Celia! Great melancholy (but also somehow uplifting) song, and I can hear it be a great lullaby!
Traveling back from Belfast, Northern Ireland, today and a fitting send off. The decisions forced upon people to survive in those times were extremely difficult, which is why the Scottish and Irish are steeped in this music, and our American heritage steeped in them.
It is a reminder to us to cherish what has been achieved here in America upon the backs of that hardship.
Joan Baez had a beautiful voice. Diamonds and Rust was my favorite.
But why were folk singers always such execrable lefties?
And was there any bunch more laughably pathetic than the comical trio of "Peter, Paul and Mary?"
I think two things made folk singers Lefties: one is spending a lot of time with actual, suffering poor people, which can make *anyone* long for revolution against the rich bastards who lord it over the poor.
The other is that, at least in the 60s, folk was completely intertwined with the hippies, who had been carefully programmed to accept Marxism by teachers and professors who had managed to fly under the McCarthy radar.
Even as leftism is responsible for more poverty and misery than any other political philosophy while capitalism has lifted more people from poverty. We can debate endlessly the responsibilities of the rich vs. those of the poor but falling for simplistic nostrums is the hallmark of idiocy not caring.
Complaining about how bad the system is and yelling for changes that will never happen is a lot easier than identifying what's actually wrong with the existing system and working to change it. Maybe the worst thing about the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act is it seems like they just stopped trying after those things happened.
Capitalism is the only hope the world has, but there are serious problems with the way we practice it. If they would focus on those and do the work, instead of bitching and moaning and deifying they guy who's responsible for a lot of those problems they might actually make the world a better place. But they won't do that/
Problem is that we now practice crony capitalism rather than real capitalism, with politicians getting paid off to squelch competition and vicious monopolists being to flourish because they pay off the right people. We need term limits and lobbying restrictions. For starters.
We also need to somehow end price speculation in our markets. "Value investing" has become a joke, even Warren Buffet no longer practices it, but it needs to be the only type of investing there is. Maybe require pension funds to shift from stocks to muni bonds over the next 10 years so the market doesn't actually crash. Would also provide affordable capital for infrastructure.
I don't like manipulation in markets - whether by government or speculators.
Terrible idea. "Value" is in the eye of the beholder. And unbeknownst to most backward looking value investors, value changes over time.
Buying bonds in lieu of stocks (a) will not allow pensions the returns needed to fund their retirement obligations, (b) does not represent new investment in most cases - just a change in ownership and (c) with the amount of debt the U.S. is rolling up, default is increasingly a risk that would devastate the bond market, while stocks can continue to pass through costs and survive financial stress.
Yes, but the fatal flaw in the system is that it can be gamed by the wealthy. How to fix that? There is no doubt it has raised people out of poverty, etc. But it has veered off the tracks with all the corruption.
Agree because crony capitalism is fascism, not capitalism.
For starters. Just like the separation of church and state destroyed a power nexus there must be the separation of currency and state. The monoply on the issuance of currency is gas on the crony capitalism fire. War and welfare statism are greatly amplified by central banking.
Bob Dylan had a quote I remember when they asked him why he didn’t wrote angry protest songs anymore “It’s hard to be a bitter millionaire”. Clearly he never met Mr Trump
Clearly, Dylan never met bitter millionaire Bernie Sanders.
BTW, did you know that among all the “protest songs” Dylan sang, not one was about the Vietnam war?
Really? I did not know that. O.O
Blowin' in the wind was not at least a partial Vietnam protest song??
I like that quote, but do you really think Trump is bitter?
I listened to (and played for a high school world history class) a Thomas Sowells interview justifying colonialism and imperialism. He made a point so incredibly simple but one that so often eludes us: Instead of asking why there is so much poverty and trying to eliminate it, why not ask what causes wealth and try to create those conditions? (He said it much better than my paraphrase.)
I think the biggest issue with Capitalism is that people don't seem to be willing to vote with their dollar. They will complain about a company, all the while buying stuff from it.
Bruce, boy am I glad you're back.
Ask Dylan's manager, I forget his name, Guthermann, something like that. Anyway, he created "Peter, Paul," and especially "Mary," handcrafted her right out of thin air. Made Dylan a lot of money. And himself, of course. My hat's off to him, as one of his ilk.
That was back when Lefties actually gave a shite about the working class people.
I wonder if they really did? Or if working class people were ever more than "useful idiots" they could use as an army to gain power?
A deep dark question for sure.
"The Left" is not a unified demographic any more than "The Right" is. There are certainly people on the left that do in fact want to help those in need. In fact, I think a good chunk of the "Useful idiots" are people who do in fact just want to do the right things...they just haven't figured out for various reasons that the paths they are choosing have been proven to not work.
Something that I notice when I go to message boards full of left leaning people is they say some of the same stuff people around here say. There will be someone saying the same stuff Bruce says, but aimed at the right. They are so sure of their rightness that they don't bother to offer facts, links, or even mention details. They just say it as though it is common knowledge and only an idiot would believe otherwise. I may believe them to be wrong most of the time, but the idea that people on both sides are thinking and feeling the same things does tell us something.
Sghoul: I truly believe the difference between Left and Right today is the determination and willingness to do PERSONAL research.
Bred animals who accept the enhanced slop they are continually force-fed believe the farmer (whoever he/she/they may be) has their best interest in mind. That they are being groomed or fattened for the kill never occurs to them.
Like Kamala says, my beliefs have never changed (minus her devious subtext). But I stepped out of the barn a few years ago. Then I found the hole in the barbed wire. Almost every day I discover more evidence that the slop I was fed by the Democrat party was pure, unadulterated fertilizer.
In my heart of hearts, I’m still the same old liberal. But now, my brand is ‘Right.’
If we were to collect data I think I would agree that people currently on 'the right' might come off as more educated on the topics they are hanging their hats on. But I don't think I agree that is universal. I know plenty of Trump supporters that believe anything he says. Or people in right leaning forums that can't really back up the things they believe. Fox or Tucker or Beck or Limbaugh or whomever said it so it is gospel.
I also think that right now, "the right" has a lot of traditional lefties who are still more liberal in their thoughts but, as you say, did research and realized their party no longer is serving them. So they are allies for now, and make our numbers seem more willing to learn, but on various issues may disagree firmly. Which is part of why I don't really like the terms. It is an over simplification of categorizing humans...most of us don't fall so neatly into Left/Right.
I agree. There are uneducated demagogues on both sides. I talk (and listen) to both 'sides.' However, I find those who cut the conversation off the moment open debate raises it's threatening head tend to be avowed Democrats.
I truly believe some of the early folkies like Guthrie were sympathetic to the working class. The current crop of elites? No way.
Diamonds and Rust....so beautiful. I know who it was about, but it always makes me think of one particular old boyfriend of mine. Perhaps that's part of its universal appeal -- every girl can think of a particular guy when she hears it.
Joan certainly did have a beautiful voice! I remember going to hear her in person back in the Diamonds and Rust days. As far as the lefty politics- it's all about siding w/ the victim against "the man". It goes a long way!!
Exemplified by Lennon’s “Imagine.” Beautiful melody . . . Idiotic lyrics. Lennon should’ve stayed Lennon, and not gone Lenin.
Thanks for a nice interlude to a NOT mild Monday ;)
Our remaining groupies on TFP making sure that the real news is being reported on with their comments.
I watched Bari at the All In Summit. She really thinks TFP is a new kind of institution. I believe her when she says building new institutions is her goal, University of Austin is a good example of that, but I think she's not paying attention to TFP right now. And Nelly is probably more concerned with the baby than the site (rightly so).
This weekend Gad Saad posted on X that he is being interviewed by Bari Weiss on her podcast. I posted asking him to ask Weiss about her sneaky censorship program on her loyal subscribers and to let her know that many hundreds are unsubscribing in disgust and disappointment
Go Disa!
If he looks at the site it will be obvious to him that they are no longer an example of the heterodoxy Bari is championing. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can keep his opinions to himself :)
Virtually all commenters above should be TFP's "Board of Directors," or, let's call them "The Cabinet."
I am just very disappointed to watch Bari Weiss’ project devolve into another rag
I keep wondering If she is not paying attention. She is all over the place with her speaking engagements, Debates, interviews , and family. She turned TFPress over to her cronies from the NYTimes , family and young naive interns. She’s responsible but I would so like to have her asked about the censorship and subscribers who are leaving, in a public forum. She is a very public figure and therefore these questions are necessary and appropriate
Disa, yes, all that. And, I should have known better than to sign up for another year, at my age -- that "green bananas" thing.
TFP has become the mainstream media. I listened to Bari’s interview of two republicans who endorsed Harris and were explaining why they would vote for her. Bari sounded like Dana Bash interviewing Harris. She almost never pointed to lies and hatred in their rhetorics and only gently rebuked them for the most outrageous statements. I was not surprised by their position - the converts are always the most zealous ones to show thief loyalty to the new religion. But Bari treated them with such kid gloves that I felt disgusted. I completed a survey TFP sent me and asked why she had not interviewed democrats that endorsed Trump. It could make for a more balanced outlook. Probably very naive of me.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I also watched and agree with you that she is not paying attention. She tells a good story that doesn't match with what they are doing. Specifically, the hiring of Free Press Fellows, who are all from elite universities - yet Bari mentions in her speech the problem with doing this particular thing.
Not paying attention, or she's a grifter. But I'm not ready to believe that about her yet.
I too do not want to think totally ill of Bari, but she has been contacted directly and called out in comments and on public media pages about these issues and no real response. I find it difficult to believe that she doesn't know what is going on. I think she does and is making her own decisions to plow ahead anyway and pretend all will be well. That is her right, but very disappointing and I have lost significant respect for her as a result.
Exactly. Either TFFP is going in precisely the direction she wants it to, or she else simply doesn't care enough to make the necessary changes.
I know that you and I and others all made efforts in various venues to bring her attention to the issues. She can't be completely unaware, especially since it now appears that their bottom line was actually affected.
She seems to have ignored the warnings, perhaps thinking that it was just a few disgruntled people. So I don't really pity whatever fallout (particularly financial) she is experiencing as a result.
Several months ago, another astute commenter called TFP a ‘bait and switch’ operation. That statement rang true and my sympathy for Bari began to dry up.
Bari will never be poor. If her project falls deeper into irrelevance and subscribers don’t find it worth the $ then so be it. She’s might be looking to unload it in the near future.
my feeling exactly RM-W!
"And the song introduces a kind of fatalism, not uncommon in Scottish songs and stories,..."
Try the Scottish folk song Two Babes in the Woods that my grandfather sang to me. Now there was a downer BUT it always put me right to sleep.
"My dears, do you know how a long time ago Two poor little babes whose names I don' know Were stolen away on a bright summer day And left in the woods, so I've heard people say. (repeat*)
And when it was night, how sad was their plight, The sun it went down and the moon gave no light. They sobbed and they sighed and they bitterly cried, And the poor little things, they lay down and died. (repeat)
And when they were dead, the robins so red Brought strawberry leaves and over them spread, And all the day long, they sang them this song: Poor babes in the woods, poor babes in the woods! And don' you remember the babes in the woods.?"
Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, except they came out of it alive. Pretty dark stories and songs were the norm for the young back then. Cautionary tales and wise preparation for real life imo. But Disney has kinda ruined that I think.
Grimm's Fairy Tales are aptly named. The originals not the sanitized versions for today's delicate children
Alot of the old time native kid's stories were also quite grim.
There are some great short film versions of those tales that really skew dark. The Big Bad Wolf with Juliette Lewis is strong
The Grimm TV series was kinda interesting too.
Some grim stories served the purpose of teaching lessons to kids. In rural Bolivia, for example, parents scare their children with tales of "El Cuero", a large creature in the form of a hide that will cover children and whisk them away. It's to keep the kids from wondering off too far.
Most people these days think 'nature' is the city park. *Real* nature is dangerous; red, as they say, in tooth and claw. Back in the day, children were in sufficient danger from disease and hunger without adding wandering off into the woods on top of that.
wow---super sad!
I will admit I am not a folk song person at all. Not that I dislike every last one, just not something I'm likely to sit through very often. The ballad on the Edmund Fitzgerald is, however, one of my all-time favorite tunes. Something about men and the sea does lend itself to those types of songs.
I love that song! It always amazes me that it was written within living memory.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot live at the Universal Amphitheater on a comp tix when I was in the Industry. When that song came up, he threw his hands up the in air and said “I never understood how this became a hit” lol. Sundown is my favorite from him
I love Sundown. I have loved that song for basically my entire life.
I think shipwrecks just reach right into people's souls--something that I think goes way, way back in our DNA.
You may like this song, which records a wreck that occurred during the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMz1pmHNwXI
Yeah! I saw him at UC Santa Barbara in the early 70s. Have you seen the documentary about him that's on Prime? So good. I love "The Last Time I Saw Her Face" and "Early Mornin' Rain." Oh, I'm getting a heartache. :-(
I remember visiting the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point MI, and seeing the Edmund Fitzgerald section- the song droned on -over and over! Now it will be the soundtrack in my mind all day! "Fellas it's been good to know ya!"
Whitefish Bay is a very haunting place. My wife and I went through there on our honeymoon.
My line that haunts is, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" I think everyone can feel the ache of the impending doom of those poor men.
Try "Whiskey Lullaby" by Alison Krauss. It may bring a tear to your eye.
Alison sings like an angel. I love her music.
The lyrics are wonderful but DEAR GOD, it is musically the most monotonous song I’ve ever heard. The same line over and over and over, with the only variation in the octave of the last note.
I can't see the appeal for folk music.
What are your favorite kinds of music?
Folk songs are such a cultural unification of specific group experience. I have always felt them to be powerful windows into otherwise unexpressed feelings. Sometimes folks songs are the only way for certain collective voices to be made known. Oliver Anthony's Rich Men North of Richmond comes to mind as a most immediately relevant folk song today.
We are nearing the year anniversary of the brutal massacre in Israel on 10/7 . On 10-8 Hezbollah began raining rockets on Northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas and have t stopped .I post this video to remind everyone why Israel must fight back
https://x.com/israelifihther/status/1838168981808550266?s=42
And another photo that captures why Israel must exist and defend herself. This must never happen again
https://x.com/ap_from_ny/status/1838065157559156901?s=42
Thanks Disa.
As a famous one-time folksinger wrote:
Neighborhood Bully
Written by: Bob Dylan
Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man
His enemies say he’s on their land
They got him outnumbered about a million to one
He got no place to escape to, no place to run
He’s the neighborhood bully
The neighborhood bully just lives to survive
He’s criticized and condemned for being alive
He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin
He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in
He’s the neighborhood bully
The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land
He’s wandered the earth an exiled man
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn
He’s always on trial for just being born
He’s the neighborhood bully
Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad
The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad
He’s the neighborhood bully
Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim
That he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for hi
’Cause there’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac
He’s the neighborhood bully
He got no allies to really speak of
What he gets he must pay for, he don’t get it out of love
He buys obsolete weapons and he won’t be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side
He’s the neighborhood bully
Well, he’s surrounded by pacifists who all want peace
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease
Now, they wouldn’t hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep
He’s the neighborhood bully
Every empire that’s enslaved him is gone
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon
He’s made a garden of paradise in the desert sand
In bed with nobody, under no one’s command
He’s the neighborhood bully
Now his holiest books have been trampled upon
No contract he signed was worth what it was written on
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealt
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health
He’s the neighborhood bully
What’s anybody indebted to him for?
Nothin’, they say. He just likes to cause war
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed
He’s the neighborhood bully
What has he done to wear so many scars?
Does he change the course of rivers? Does he pollute the moon and stars?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill
Running out the clock, time standing still
Neighborhood bully
Copyright © 1983 by Special Rider Music
Well Dylan denied he wrote that song specifically about Israel, but it sure as heck fits like a custom made glove doesn't it?
Didn't he convert to Islam? Seems like he's trying to make a hero out of the bully.
I don't know. A lot of people thought when Dylan wrote this in '83 he was referring specifically to Israel under siege from enemies in all directions and referring to the fact that Israel was being framed as the 'bully' even back then. But Dylan denied this and claimed the song wasn't framed for any specific political situation.
Cat Stevens converted to Islam. Dylan became a born-again Christian (and wrote some songs I like a lot during that period), but he backed off from that, some. I didn't listen much to Dylan until around 2006 and then I did a deep dive into his writings, songs, and everything written about him, and visited Hibbing and Duluth in 2007.
He's using "bully" as the term everyone *else* calls the people in an existential battle who will do whatever it takes to survive, even if others (unfairly) condemn them for it.
Ah, I was remembering the wrong folk singer.
Dylan was a decent enough folk song writer, not much of a musician. Yet he seems to be the favorite of many. I've long felt Paul Simon is America's best contemporary folk musician on lyrics alone, and he could play rings around Dylan, and most other guitarists.
Couldn’t agree more. There are great songwriters who sing well, play well and write great lyrics. Then there are people like Dylan who was better at some things than others.
FWIW, here is what Wikipedia has to say:
"The song "Neighborhood Bully" is a song from the point of view of someone using sarcasm to defend Israel's right to exist; the title bemoans Israel's and the Jewish people's historic treatment in the popular press. Events in the history of the State of Israel are referenced, such as the Six-Day War and Operation Opera, Israel's bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad on June 7, 1981, or previous bomb making sites bombed by Israeli soldiers.[citation needed] Events in the history of the Israelites as a whole are mentioned, such as being enslaved by Rome, Egypt, and Babylon. Events in modern Jewish secular history are noted as well, such as the Jews' historic role in the advancement of medicine ("took sickness and disease and turned them into health"). Historic restrictions on Jewish commerce are mentioned as well.[citation needed] In 1983, Dylan visited Israel again, but for the first time allowed himself to be photographed there, including a shot at Jerusalem's open-air synagogue wearing a yarmulkah and Jewish phylacteries, and tallith. Some described the song as a declaration of "full-throated Israel support",[14] a "Zionist anthem"[15][16] and a "bitter and indignant defense of Israel’s actions".[17] However, when interviewed in 1984 by Rolling Stone, Dylan said that the song was "not a political song" because it did not "fall into a certain political party" while adding that the song might be an expression of heartfelt belief, he didn't "know what the politics of Israel" were, said he had "not really" resolved his views on the "Palestinian question" and stated that "the battle of the Armageddon" will be "fought in the Middle East."[13] In 2001, the Jerusalem Post described the song as "a favorite among Dylan-loving residents of the territories".[18] Israeli singer Ariel Zilber covered "Neighborhood Bully" in 2005 in a version translated to Hebrew.[19]"
Wikipedia- the definitive source.
lol 😁
As long as the Leftists haven't gotten to the entry yet, it's not too bad. Back in the day (pre-2010, I think), someone did a study and determined that it was as accurate as the average printed encyclopedia.
I always told my students that it was a good place to start when you knew little or nothing about a subject, but any serious research needed to be followed up with other sources. I also warned them that on any subject that was 'controversial,' Wikipedia was not trustworthy, simply due to its editable nature.
I thought he became a born again Christian for awhile.
Was he originally Jewish? His real name is Zimmerman, isn't it? If so, it might explain his sympathy for Israel. I don't know - just asking since it hasn't been raised.
Yes, Dylan is Jewish. Real name Bob Zimmerman.
Born again in the late 70s, and wrote and recorded 3 albums during that period.
Did he? I didn't know that. Yes, it.'s exactly what Israel has faced and still faces.
Just reported out of Japan A Japanese fighter jet fired at a Russian patrol plane that violated Japanese airspace on three separate occasions this morning. The world is on FIRE and the USA ha# no leadership
I'm still waiting to hear who the hell has the US nuclear codes! Obviously the puppetmasters do, but which ones specifically? I guess it doesn't really matter at this point as they are going to do whatever the hell they want.
Dr. Jill?
What a terrible highly likely possibility................
Well Dr.Jill did attend a cabinet meeting a few days ago…….so, we have that going for us! 😳
And she stayed at a Holiday Inn Express as well.
I can't hear her mentioned without thinking about Whoopie saying she should be the Surgeon General. A job she is just as qualified for as this one :)
Michelle and Jill fight over it while Joe is napping….
That was too graphic. I see Joe napping in a rock chair while Michelle and Jill are reaching for the box with the red button to start WWIII scratching each other’s faces and kicking each other. It is fun to imagine, but now I cannot under it LOL.
Now warmly embraced Dick Cheney
Based on what I've observed of our government lately, I'm pretty sure our nuclear code is "1234"
OK, that was hysterical!
😂
Yikes!
Robert Malone wrote yesterday that the plane he and his wife were on from, I think, California, was full of military officers that looked and acted like they were going to some...serious military call up.
I saw Joan Baez in concert. Many many moons ago. As I recall, she was great
But having gone to college in Appalachia adjacent I really enjoyed bluegrass
National Lampoon has a vicious Joan Baez parody I cant even say the title of because it’s so un PC Pull the Triggers….we’re with you all the way/just across the bay” where Kamala went to school
Bill Monroe is the King!!!
Someone better get busy and write a catchy tuna folk song about the new, very organized, very lucrative slave trade entrenched in America now. Linked below is a Praeger U short basic breakdown of what the Cartels are busy doing in the US. Stupid stupid Woke idiots are worried about black slave reparations from 150 years ago while a brand new slave trade in illegal immigrants is flourishing right under their punk assed noses................
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crVG6eIW_cg&t=168s
I've had this argument with them. The only type of slavery they recognize is chattel slavery. Makes it easy for them to ignore the Uyghurs, and people all over Asia and Africa.
And if you point out that illegal immigration is importing human rights violations they honestly don't know what you mean.
Just when I think I have given up expecting intelligence, I find I am angry all over again at the rampant stupidity. Somehow I find myself more depressed over the supposed 'good' people doing and believing insanely toxic things, than I am over the real ahole self proclaimed badasses whom you can at least attempt to fight head on.
I so appreciate what you are speaking to.
They are too lazy to do their own research. Or, they are afraid that their house is made of glass and research will reveal a pile of stones.
It boggles my mind that these Leftists seem to literally *not care* about the human trafficking that is growing ever more rampant due to our unprotected southern border. They want so badly for these immigrants to destroy our 'racist' republic that the suffering is merely incidental--unimportant collateral damage--to them.
And don't get me started on the child porn industry! Leftists have been quietly promoting the "age doesn't matter" philosophy, even as they virtue-signal about pushing laws that criminalize teens having sex with each other, and the media doing their very best to confuse the issue of sex with teens vs sex with prepubescent children. Now we have MAPs (minor-attracted persons) openly meeting, just as NAMBLA used to.
Until a couple of years ago the only person I ever heard say "children are sexual beings" was a NAMBLA piece of shit. Now it's doctrine for these people.
I first encountered NAMBLA while reading a tabloid when I was a teenager--I was shocked that these people were allowed to openly preach committing criminal acts against children.
But it made me aware of the issue of sexualizing prepubescent children, so I've always had an ear open for signs of people doing that. I might have to write about what I've perceived from the Leftists over the years....
Yes an essay about that would be much appreciated!
Please, write it, speak it, shout it on the street corner! We all need to do this NOW!
So very many real and present dangers facing the young now on so very many scary levels. It's tragic and terrifying and I just want to rage and weep for them.