Master Musician's Festival

Here It Comes

That time of year is rolling around once again when the most important thing in Pulaski County becomes (drum roll please) 'THE MASTER MUSICIAN'S FESTIVAL.” My anticipation of this august (adjective, not month) event began its rise some weeks ago when I started planning for the weekend of festivities and renewal of old friendships. It is sad when funerals become the main occasion for gathering with friends and the festival offers us an opportunity to do this without too much of the grief. Of course, one of the things I do at times like this is recall the ones who shared my life who won't be there this year. I try to keep the memory of how much they loved this festival and the music and it brings it into perspective.

I have several things I want to do this year, chief among them is not losing my camera. I lost it last year but fate returned it to me minus the photos on the card which had been deleted. But that same camera will be making the journey this year, hopefully with a better plan.

This festival was begun by some people with whom I had associated quite a bit but in its formative years I was not present due to some life changes I had going on at the time. I picked up on the festival again in 2000 or 2001 and have missed only one since then. I started basking in the memory of some of the moments that really stick in my mind and thought I might share some of those memories. Mind you, these are not necessarily the shining moments nor the best performances but just some that I recall.

The Amazing Rhythm Aces over at Somersport. A hot July night and there were some just enormous moths doing their thing by being attracted to the lights. They totally bombarded the band. The front man remarked that this was the first big bug venue they had played, that they usually got the “so hot you sweated til your clothes were soaked” venues. Eddie Pennington, who is not an insignificant guy, and his watermelon themed Hawaiian shirt. I learned about “chickin pickin'” Southern Sun and their bluegrass rendition of Pink Floyd's “Comfortably Numb” left me speechless and very impressed. I watched Doc Watson's grandson, I think, struggle with the microphone stand trying to loosen the nut. Doc said, “here, let me get this old sawmill grip on it” and handily loosened it. Vision may have faded but the sawmill grip was still there. I was just in love with Zoe Speaks and the music of Mitch and Carla. They are still making music but not in that combination. Sometimes certain mixes just spark a piece of magic. Jonell Mosser and her brand of blues and the voice that was the sweetest thing since Janis Joplin. She always talked about Townes Van Zandt but she had the soul of JJ. The Bob Margolin band brought a touch of Muddy Waters to Somerset and that will remain the closest we will come to seeing that blues man. Imagine my surprise when some doctors and their ensemble got up and performed very well. I recall a thoroughly sweet rendition of Neil Young's “Harvest Moon.”

The Avett Brothers were a coup. Right after our festival they went viral and hit the big time. Probably won't see them again for a while. I totally missed the call on that one. I did not even know who they were but the kids started showing up well before their set. I wondered what was up and when the band came on I was startled by the antics and what seemed to be shouting in tune. What amazed me more was that the kids knew the words to the songs and sang alone to every one. I was out of the loop on that one. I'm trying to do better.

I adore the Celtic acts. Usually they come from some remote place in Canada but you can hear echoes of our mountain heritage in their music. I get chills just thinking about the hundreds of years that tradition has been alive. Thanks MMF for giving it life. The old blues guys we got to see who have now gone on to that old honky tonk in the sky. What a thrill to have been in their presence. Pinetop Perkins was a million years old and he was the first person I heard refer to the upright bass as “the doghouse.” I thought he was just being funny but I've heard that reference several times since.

I really liked the Thursday night shows when people would dress up and go the the Center for a dash of culture. My first taste of a live orchestra was there with the Louisville Orchestra. Rachel Barton was there to play violin and I was dumbstruck. So that's what classical is all about, I thought. Ms. Barton left the strings of her bow in tatters. I was impressed. And to be in the presence of Odetta was a gift I would have missed if not for MMF and the classical night. She held me captive with her songs of the civil rights movement and of our traditional folk heritage. To think that she sang those songs with Dr. King is to share a piece of history. I really would like to see more of the kind of things that night brought us.

This is by no means a comprehensive tally, just a teaser.

My take on irrepressible anticipation.

Censorship?

Shortly after writing the column referring to the attempt by Central Baptist in Lexington to locate a hospital here in Somerset I was contacted by the paper advising me of a mistake I had made.  It seems that Central Baptist did not use the traditional application for a Certificate of Need but, instead, used a legislative route to attempt to do an end around.  After much lobbying that route failed.  I had written another column to deal with the column written in the paper by the CEO of LCRMC but I was advised that no other offerings about the hospital would be printed.  So, I rewrote the column to lecture people about the necessity of speaking out but I have published the original here as "Pablum".

I expected to get a box full of replies about my request for accounts of actions by the hospital but I got exactly two.  I am continually amazed at the apathy exhibited by the American people who, seemingly, would rather endure discrimination and abuse rather than lift their voices except in matters that do not amount to a hill of beans.

Gotta Go Now!

Time for Renewal

There are reports that the Pakistani Intelligence Agency is detaining citizens who are accused of funneling information to the CIA concerning the traffic in and out of the compound where Osama Bin Laden was found and eventually killed. We might find that difficult to fathom but if we put it in another context it is more believable. After all, we might find it a problem if our citizens were spying for foreign military operatives. However, this only goes to demonstrate the difficulty of the relationship between the United States and Pakistan, which is an indispensable part of our war effort in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is landlocked and our supply lines go through Pakistan. Pakistan is where the militants go to seek refuge and Pakistan has a history of supporting disruptive elements to further its own ends. Very often the goals of Pakistan and the United States are at odds and this has been a major drawback to our effort there.

Soon General Petraeus is to deliver a report to the President on the condition of our war in Afghanistan. Based on that report the President has said that he will begin to draw down troops in that far away land. There is a lot of debate as to how many troops we should remove and what the pace of removal should be. There is debate on whether we should continue with the anti-insurgency strategy or adopt an anti-terrorist strategy which, incidentally, would require far less men and women in the struggle.

Our stated goal has always been to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden and degrade the ability of Al Qaeda to strike us or our allies. We have accomplished the first and now we must decide what strategy will best suit the latter. Many have said all along that in order to prevent Al Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base for training terrorists we must establish a self-sustaining government there that can defend itself from Al Qaeda. The former government of the Taliban worked hand in fist with Al Qaeda but may not be so inclined these days.

When we adopt our future posture I think we must take into account several different concerns. Can we accomplish our goal with the anti-terrorist strategy? What is the cost to the American taxpayer? What will Pakistan do either to help or hinder us. What are the likely outcomes?

General Petraeus himself has said that there is not a military solution for what has become the dual concerns of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We have to always remember that Pakistan is a nuclear armed country that is the prime proliferator of nuclear weapons in the world and that they are focused more on their continuing unease with India that they are with Afghanistan and the United States. Pakistan can be relied on to do what is in their best interests with no particular allegiance to the United States.

We are left with President Karzai and his government on which to place our reliance. That is not a bright outlook. President Karzai has shown little enthusiasm for removing the corrupting influences in his government and his own emotional state has been called into question. Afghanistan remains a country of tribal fiefdoms and its main agricultural crop is the opium poppy. There are some minerals that are there to be harvested and China is busily making arrangements to do just that while we are there spending our resources and lives.

We all want to see the United States emerge victorious and vindicated in the eyes of all the world's nations but that just may not be possible. It may have to be enough to just get out with our honor and our skins. For us to achieve a higher result we will have to have a reliable partner to whom we can turn over power and we just don't have that. Nor is it likely that keeping 50,000 or 75,000 troops there in perpetuity will make a better result possible.

We have spent what will become trillions of dollars and thousands of lives in these two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and we put them on the credit card. The first we did not need to do and should not have done. The second was near success nine years ago when we diverted our attention. There is no prospect of planting a Jeffersonian democracy there just as there was no chance in Iraq. Democracy must rise from the people. It cannot be planted from the top down. There are no good choices left and we have work to do at home. We must not shy from our international obligations but we must be able to discern when it is in our best interests to decline supreme sacrifice.

We cannot draw down nearly 100,000 troops immediately but we should begin to remove them at a brisk pace that will protect our interests there. It is time for our men and women to come home and help us rebuild our struggling society. There are just no good choices for doing otherwise.

Pablum

Pablum for the People

In any community the fate of the government rests in the hands of the people. Either by their action or by their inaction they make choices that determine the direction that their government takes. If the people go to the polls or make their wishes known by some other method then government will take the direction the majority of them wish. If a substantial number of the people stay home and don't vote or acquiesce by their silence then they will get government that is not responsive to their wishes.

Here in Pulaski County we are not much worse than the rest of the nation in our percentage of voters who actually make the trek to the precinct voting place to make our wishes known. However, we are much worse than other communities in our acquiescence by silence. And the powers that be know that and they depend on it in order to maintain the status quo. They either accept it or suppose it to mean that the community is satisfied with their performance. I'm not saying that we have worse representation or facilities than other people. I saying that it is not as good as it could be and it is our own fault for not demanding better.

Every day we see on the news people who are dying to express their wishes. They would love to have the power to vote on their future but, absent that, they have taken to the streets, risking their very lives, to voice their dissatisfaction. It should cause us to feel shame.

I go to a lot of houses and talk with a lot of people. I hear complements and disagreement but I have never heard anyone tell me to quit talking about these things. Truthfully, it would do no good because otherwise I would explode from keeping it bottled up. I am grateful to the Commonwealth-Journal for an opportunity to engage in this love of mine and I try to not abuse it. My goal is to generate discussion on topics that impact our lives and on which we should have an opinion to share.

I have lots of friends who disagree with me politically and I meet a lot of people who don't and are appreciative of seeing their viewpoint see the light of day. I have managed to get along with all of them regardless of political persuasion because there is no need for being contentious.

I am vitally interested in our local government and how it prepares our county and cities to meet the future. I am upset when I believe that the common person is being disregarded or taken advantage of. Our Fathers were acutely aware of the need for an engaged populace in the survival of the republic.

Whether or not the local tax dollars are being used efficiently has a direct effect on the tax rate and the services offered to the people. It is the duty of every citizen to try to be informed on these matters but it is a sorry fact that most just don't much care until something impacts their lives. It is a truth that most of us are running as hard as we can to make ends meet and we just don't have the energy.

The vision our leaders have for our county and cities is of vital importance if we are to take part in the benefits of living in a free society. The alternative is to slowly sink to the level that will not allow us to be prosperous except for the few. You've heard the old adage, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” and there is truth in that. Do you want some of the grease? I do but I am not going to get it with my mouth closed and standing alone. It is only by speaking out and joining together that we get any of the grease. If we are indolent then it is assumed that we are OK with how things are going. I'm not and you shouldn’t be either.

One of the topics I find almost universal agreement on is our local hospital. I have heard enough anecdotal accounts to write a book but I received only a couple of letters about the column I wrote. I expected more. The CEO responded in the paper and I am glad he did. It shows that he is on the ball to defend his institution. I have no personal enmity toward him but, in my opinion, he simply restated the same old pablum we have been offered in years past. No solid food, just baby food. LCRMC and its parent company, LifePoint Hospitals, are very powerful entities and know a lot of powerful people. They will not be induced to do things differently unless equal power is brought to bear. The only ones who have that power are you, the people. This is true with all efforts to speak truth to power.

So, I repeat my request for verifiable accounts of either satisfaction or dissatisfaction with LCRMC. It us up to you to answer.

My take is that most people are too reticent or just plain, old disengaged. Symptoms that do not make for healthy government.

rmoore@somerset-kentucky.com

W.O.W.

War to End All Wars

Recent news has brought up evidence of a conspiracy against mortuaries amounting to a war against that industry. Everyone has heard the old saw that the funeral business is one that people are dying to get into but certain activities by state and federal governments are proving to be detrimental to those employed by this industry. The Association of Mortuaries allege that campaigns to make automobiles safer and efforts by the National Institute of Health to combat deaths by cancer are cutting into their profits and forcing some to close their doors. This has the unfortunate result of eliminating competition thereby driving up costs to the consumer. The Association of Mortuaries demand that those governments cease their efforts to wage war on their industry and the American people. After all, there are thousands of jobs at stake here.

Well, that was just stupid wasn't it? I'm so darned sick of this war and that war. Seems like we've been shouting about some war all of my life. Korea, Vietnam, various little wars in Somalia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan. The war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on obesity and who knows how many things we have elevated to the status of war. I just don't get it.

Now that Senator McConnell has elevated the attempts by the EPA to regulate the amount of toxins that the coal industry can generate to the status of a War On Coal we have a war that we can call our own and not have to share it with everyone in the world. Of course, the coal barons and their henchmen believe that people just don't understand and are out to get them. Those Ivy League pointy headed scientists who try to link the carbon dioxide emissions to climate change are just some Henny Pennys running about shouting that the sky is falling. Heaven knows it does no harm to shove a mountain top over into a hollow burying a stream in the process. Just because the water is yellow and the fish are all dead doesn't mean they are destroying the habitat for humans and who cares about some funny named fish anyway. Are they more important than jobs and keeping the lights on?

Kentucky consistently ranks near the bottom of the states in things like poverty, heart disease, cancer, obesity and life span. We do enjoy some of the lowest electrical rates in the nation due to our almost complete reliance on coal for generation purposes. The reason that coal is so cheap to use is that we don't factor in all of the costs of using coal when we set the purchase price. We don't factor in health care from the toxins emitted by coal burning plants, the habitat and water destroyed by the removal of the mineral from the earth or the cost of not being able to eat the product of our own waters without fear of mercury contamination. Whether one believes it or not the science is clear. Our planet is heating at a more rapid rate than has ever been discovered. Through various means we can chart the global rise dating from the beginning of the industrial revolution until now. How do we factor in the cost of ports and cities lost from rising sea waters? How do we factor in the weather changes that result in more extreme events? If we did this coal would be one of the most expensive fuels we could use.

We know from ice core samples and rock samples that there was a time in Earth's history when carbon dioxide was much more plentiful in our atmosphere. That was great for plants, not so much for creatures. Fortunately, the plants and seas gradually absorbed the carbon dioxide, decayed and entombed it in the ground all the while spewing out oxygen which is good for creatures. Creatures like animals and other people. Now we think we can dig all that carbon up and burn it returning the carbon dioxide to our atmosphere and not have the same result. Hmmmm.

I have noticed that now when some industry is called out for some negative behavior the first thing it does is make it known that its destructive behavior creates jobs and unless it is allowed to continue destroying whatever then people will lose their jobs. Now California is removing chocolate and other flavored milks from their menus and the dairy industry wants kids to go on being fat so those dairy people can keep their jobs believing the kids won't drink milk if it doesn't have sugar in it. Let's call it the War on Cows. Same thing goes for the coal industry and every other industry that is asked to change its way of doing things. Whatever happened to people just being willing to help out if it was for the general good? Nothing stays the same forever.

How about we just declare war on war. We can use the acronym WOW! Pretty catchy, huh? Just remember, you heard it here first.

My take on war, which I don't like in the first place.

SECDEF

SECDEF

What can one say about Bob Gates. He is already referred to as the most well liked Secretary of Defense in our history and I agree. I really like this guy. He took over from Don Rumsfeld whose ham handed administration of the Pentagon and war policy did more than its share to drive the United States from the pinnacle of respectability to whipping boy of the world. Mr. Gates has brought the war in Iraq to a nearly done bad nightmare. He was kept on by President Obama thereby ensuring continuity of leadership during the wind down of Iraq and the ramping up of Afghanistan. He is the only Secretary of Defense to serve Presidents of opposing parties.

He has exhibited a level head when confronted with opposing opinions from the Generals and the civilians who exercise authority over the military. Famously, he encouraged a buildup of troops in Afghanistan and steered a middle course between those who wanted to get out and those who wanted to push on to military victory. Even though he has stated that there exists no military solution for the war in Afghanistan he has been otherwise committed to degrading the capability of the Taliban and Al Qaeda to wage war.

He previously served as Director of the CIA and no doubt learned some valuable lessons from that tenure. Now we will see another Director of Central Intelligence move in to replace Mr. Gates. We can only hope that current Director Leon Panetta will be as astute in his new job in a very difficult time and place.

When NATO, under the leadership of Great Britain and France, was beating the drum for action in Libya Mr. Gates famously stated he could see little benefit for the United States in getting involved. President Obama went ahead and committed US forces under NATO command to that enterprise. It is proving to be a bit more difficult than first imagined.

Secretary Gates recognized early on that the Defense budget was going to have to be cut as part of the belt tightening the nation will have to undergo and offered ways to get it done. He has had the courage to advocate the rejection of some weapons systems he considered unnecessary, against formidable opposition. He has the ability to think globally and recently told the NATO defense ministers that they were going to have to up their commitment to their defense budgets instead of relying on the United States to carry the weight. One of the most difficult things in government to do is eliminate a bureaucracy once it is established. He has advocated eliminating some joint commands and faced considerably hostility from the Pentagon. There can be no doubt that he is a service person’s friend. He has advocated tirelessly for better conditions for our men and women in the field and for better care when they return.

To his credit he was proactive in engaging with the new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and found in her a reliable ally. In return he has advocated increasing the budget and the relevance of the State Department acknowledging that diplomacy will play the final act in our foreign engagements. After the President announced the timetable for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan he, along with Admiral McMullen, said they were reticent about the decision but supported the President since he was the only one who could judge the political as well as the military costs.

We are genuinely blessed to live in a country in which the military is subject to civilian direction. On top of that the military leadership will defend to the death the system that serves us so well. They understand that it is not in their job description to make political judgments.

Now Robert Gates will go to write his book which should be quite informative. He has been in government service for some thirty years and through five Presidents. Mr. Panetta will step up to Mr. Gates' job and his lead General, David Petraeus will occupy the directorate of the Central Intelligence Agency. I think it has been a very astute team.

Into the future we must learn to use the diplomatic route more energetically and avoid becoming engaged in foreign wars except in the most dire of circumstances. Good decisions at the major Secretariats will lead to good results and a prosperous nation. Each of the people mentioned in the column has had the freedom to speak plainly to the President and the competence to carry out the mission once it has been defined. It is the way it is supposed to work and it stands in stark contrast to some previous administrations.

So long, Mr. Gates. The country owes you a debt of gratitude.

My take on SECDEF. Thanks.

Defense Secretary Warns NATO of ‘Dim’ Future - NYTimes.com

Defense Secretary Warns NATO of ‘Dim’ Future - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"


Is this the right question? Should the question be, "why do we need massive militaries.?

Nations Bombing Libya Ask for Help Amid Strain - NYTimes.com

Nations Bombing Libya Ask for Help Amid Strain - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Perhaps we owed it to NATO for joining us in Iraq and Afghanistan but it is being revealed more and more daily that this was another ill conceived adventure. It is just amazing that we will take on these things.

Dumpster Economy

Gloomy economic numbers are the news of the day. While the economists say we have not slipped back into recession most of us really can't tell that we ever got out of it. The major costs to the middle class these days are food and fuel, both of which are consuming an ever increasing portion of the available income. It is obvious to most that there is no rational reason for the increase in fuel prices. Demand is down, supply is up and our refineries are not operating at full capacity. Even the Saudis, who supply much of our oil, are fearful that the high costs will drive demand even lower. Why are fuel prices so high? Ask your friendly Wall Street Banker who has truckloads of dollars ever searching for the highest possible return on investment. That's the American way isn't it? Good old free market capitalism. The worst system in the world except for the others.

Ronald Brownstein, who writes for the National Journal, wrote recently of the pessimism that is abundant in the white middle class workers without a college education as compared to the same education level in the minorities. What he sees is the white worker having to come to grips with competing on the same level as the minorities. The minorities actually see a rosier picture in the future than the white workers because they see it as improved possibilities.

It is a better picture for the minorities but it is still not a good one. It is a bad picture for the white workers but, in many ways, one that is a result of their own actions. The former high wage, low education jobs that were once plentiful in manufacturing have left these shores or moved to the Southern tier of states. What made those high paying jobs possible were the benefits of union organizing. The individual worker has little power but joined with thousands of other workers the power is increased exponentially.

Many manufacturing plants have moved to the South where unions have been traditionally looked upon with suspicion. They allied themselves with friendly state governments that pushed the euphemistically named “Right To Work” laws. The effect of this was to create a hostile atmosphere for union organizing while claiming they could not afford to make a product with labor costs that paid a living wage. State governments that were starving for jobs for a largely uneducated work force were only too glad to take credit for bringing those jobs to their people while, at the same time, making them believe that manna had fallen from heaven. Those anti-union forces joined forces with social conservatives which allowed the anti-union philosophy to be fostered without actually mentioning it in electoral campaigns.

I have always seen the benefits of union organizing to achieve better working conditions and a living wage but that is not actually what I want to focus on here. What I want to elucidate is the alliance that creates a seemingly contradictory situation in which the middle class is induced to vote against its own best economic interests. This is where the white, uneducated worker comes in. This demographic group tends to vote more conservatively on social issues. Traditionally this has been a group that is hard working and only wants to be able to go to work, do a good job and, in return, receive enough in wages to allow him or her to be able to raise a family and create a better life for his children. That aspiration is in desperate danger and that demographic group is in danger of losing the one thing that made the sacrifice possible. The living wage and medical benefits.

For thirty years now we have listened to the mantra of lower taxes leading to job creation and now, after two disastrous tax cuts, we find ourselves at 9% unemployment with the old canard being used again. What we have seen is a monumental transfer of wealth from the middle class to the upper 5% of our population. When we talk about policies that will allow wealth to be distributed more evenly the upper crust starts up a huge cry of SOCIALISM. That is often enough to get the average worker to vote against his best interests. If that doesn't work then they can create a tumult about gay rights or abortion. Voters are seemingly unaware that the people they vote for to defeat these practices are also the ones who are responsible for driving them into the poorhouse. Nothing changes about gay rights or abortion but there is definitely a change in the welfare of the middle class.

The whole point is this. Everyone knows that we are not going to pull out of this economic morass without the American consumer consuming more. The problem is that the middle class has nothing with which to consume. Growing economies are built on the bedrock of increasing markets but what happens when we are consuming with all we have? How can that increase without more resources with which to consume? We saw how the consumer could be induced to spend past the point of sanity in the mortgage crash and we chose to ignore all the signs. And how can the consumer get more resources unless there are policies that encourage the wealth that has gravitated to the upper crust to be more available to the middle class? It is the middle class that has made America great and without that asset our future is dimmed.

So, everyone is shouting about the debt and deficit and rightly so. But one should ask the question how did it happen? For starters look at two huge tax cuts for the rich and two wars fought on the credit card. How patriotic is that?

My take on the future of the middle class. Perhaps not a popular one but one that deserves some thought.

Is Sexting Cheating? Read This Before You Hit 'Send' : NPR

Is Sexting Cheating? Read This Before You Hit 'Send' : NPR: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"


Yes, it is cheating. It is not only a personal betrayal but, in the case of a public official, it is also a betrayal of a trust invested in that leader by the voters. However, it is not a hanging offense and may not affect his or her performance on behalf of the people. I think forgiveness should reign and this should be treated as a learning experience, preferably not to be repeated.

Hospital Response

CEO Mark Brenzel responded to my column printed last week.  While he defended LCRMC he failed to deal with any of the allegations and the unfairness of the Certificate of Need process.  Check out the response in the June 5 edition of the C-J.