Calm the Rhetoric-Be Brave

How can it be that in the most powerful nation the world has ever known there can be so much fear?   When one turns to the news all one can hear is how much fear there is in the United States.  Especially after the San Bernardino attack.  I turned to PBS to get a balanced look at the news and even the wise talking heads there were criticizing the President for not doing more to combat terrorism and calm the fears of the populace.   I had to ask (no one answered) just exactly what one could expect him to do?  Bomb the terrorists?  Check.  Build a coalition to take the fight to them?  Check.  Try to get the regional powers to give a hoot?  Check.  Discover and cut off funding for the terrorists?  Check.  Trample all over civil liberties to spy on citizens to see if they might have nefarious purposes?  Check.  Use more drones to remotely kill people we hope are terrorists?  Check.  People rail on and on about the President not doing enough but no one has any substantial suggestions as to what to do.

President Cruz would turn the sands to glass.  President Carson would kill them all and let God sort them out.  It would be more merciful. President Trump would spy on the mosques (there’s something going on in there, I don’t know).  In the meantime he would deny refugees admittance to safety on the basis of their faith (where have we heard that before)?  Presidents Rubio, Christie, Bush, Fiorina (have I left anyone out) would all just talk tougher.  That might work as well as it did for President Bush the Second when he looked into the camera and said, “bring it on.”  I can just envision portly middle aged men and the NRA fanatics jumping out of their Lay-Z-Boys and pumping their fists in the air and shouting in unison, “YEAH!”  The country would feel safer instantly.

Well, problem is that the President thinks he is talking to reasonable adults.  Truthfully, he has probably figured out by now that is not true but, heck, he only has another year to go so why change now?  Remember when he said he was going to get everyone concerned around a big table and hash our problems out?   Remember how we all said, “suuuuure?”  I think he has caught on by now but he is going to continue to treat us like adults even if we throw ourselves on the floor in a hissy fit. 
So he goes on television and explains what the United States is doing as if he expects us to understand and act as if we have good sense.  He tells us that we live in dangerous times and that we can expect to see these kinds of attacks from time to time.  While there are many that are stopped before death is the result these kinds of attacks from within our own citizenry are difficult to predict as we know from Sandy Hook, Columbine and an endless litany of others.

I am often reminded of the FDR quote, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” and our best marched off into the last existential battle in our history.  What bravery!  Our armed forces today are just as brave but they are denied the internal resoluteness of knowing they are fighting for the salvation of our country and the ideals that make our nation unique in the world.  It is difficult to determine why we are fighting in some forsaken sandbox half way around the world.  Terrorists use bloody attacks on our citizens to dissuade us from interfering in their affairs.  It doesn’t work because no matter what they do it is unlikely to affect us on an individual basis.  Only a tiny fraction will risk life and limb to fight there.  The families grieve and we grieve with them until the next news cycle.  We haven’t even established a tax to pay for the wars fearing a voter backlash.  We just put it on the credit card and try to balance it out by cutting essential services to our citizens.  If it doesn’t cost us anything and we can’t see the body bags we’re cool.  That is until some enemy does something that hits a little close to home then we throw our arms up and wail about why no one is keeping us safe.

Well, we are safe.  At least from terrorists.  I, for one, am not the slightest bit afraid of terrorists when I go to Wal-Mart.  I am a little concerned about the guy next to me with the bulge in his back pocket.  We are 350 million people; they can’t kill even a significant number of us.  If you are worried about terrorists storming your business or other gathering place then you have a problem with irrational fear.  I really don’t believe people are that scared.  I think most are just lemmings dashing off the cliff of hysteria and want someone to hold their hands.

My Take is that people should just man up (or woman up) and be at least as brave as those we send off to die for us.

On another note, after the Paris attacks the local Islamic Council sponsored a vigil to demonstrate solidarity with the French and to denounce radicalism.  I decided to attend because I sensed the discomfort they must feel with so much careless rhetoric flying about.  It was a good time of unity and I was glad to see some well known citizens there.  What I didn’t see were local government officials and anyone covering the event for the news.  The only fear I experienced was a discomfort that some vigilantes might decide to raise a ruckus.  I am glad to report they did not.  Just one note.  If you are going to visit a mosque be sure to wear socks.  I didn’t and felt conspicuous being the only one who was barefoot.

http://www.thenation.com/article/the-us-militarys-best-kept-secret/

Changing The Dynamic

This chart caused no small number of us some consternation for a few reasons. We approach decision making in a rational manner or so we think but some recent research into brain science may indicate that is not always, or even mostly, the case.  The links I have provided indicate that our use of free will may be far less important than we thought in decision making.  To a large degree genetics will control the way our decisions are made.  Other research emphasizes the immense role that social networks influence decion making.

The implications for political elections are mind boggling and it seems that the Bevin campaign made good use of these proclivities, wittingly or unwittingly.  What does this mean for political campaigning?  To me it means that we must be proactive in interfering with those processes that influence voting patterns naturally.  We must step into those social and cultural associations and alter the reward/loss dynamic.  It will be difficult.  Negative advertising is all that it will take to reinforce those patterns but positive advertising will never be enough to change them.  What that will take is physically intruding into those groups and forming new cultural and social affinities.

The Appalachian coalfields used to be solidly Democratic because of the struggles of the party to unionize the mines.  With the diminishing coal related jobs that influence has waned and the increasing focus on cultural issues by the opposition has formed new bonds.  To once again alter those bonds will require more than charts and television ads.  It will require personal relationships.  There are still people there that understand the rationale of voting one's economic interest and it will be necessary to empower them by giving them resources to begin to change those bonds and it is not likely to happen anytime soon barring a cataclysmic event.

If we wish to change the vote then we must change the dynamic.  Return to organizing at the precinct level and win local offices.  Jack Conway, the worst political campaigner I have ever seen, said that campaigns are not won that way any more.  Thanks for that.


 http://video.pbs.org/program/brain-david-eagleman/




http://video.pbs.org/video/2365564819/

Retrospect and Introspect

Five years ago Jack Conway ran a dismal campaign and the result was 6 years of Rand Paul. Then Alison Lundergan Grimes lost the Senate race and gave us 6 more years of Mitch McConnell, the architect of the "just say no" policy of his national party. Now a clueless Democratic Party has allowed a candidate who is the worst campaigner I have ever seen to represent the party. Again he lost and we have a Tea Party governor who had coattails. This is not just a failure of candidates but one that can be laid at the feet of a party that has not emphasized the strengths of the party of the people. By not carrying the message of being the party that supports the common people and by trying to be Republican lite we ran from our strengths. I don't see any party leaders capable of being transformative. As long as we run away from the successes of the party we will not be successful.

The coattails of Matt Bevin carried all but two of the constitutional office candidates into office. The two Democratic candidates who won are Alison Lundergan Grimes as Secretary of State and Beshear for Attorney General. THIS SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED AS THESE TWO BEING THE ONES TO CARRY THE PARTY FORWARD. They ran just as hard to the right and escaped by the skin of their teeth. Along with our legislative leaders these people are damaged goods and must prove themselves worthy of carrying the party banner. The Senate minority leader, a democrat naturally, said the party has moved too far to the left. Nonsense, it is the message. It is no secret that Adam Edelen hopes to run against Rand Paul next year but he better put his big boy britches on because as it is he has nothing to sell.

A friend of mine who is of the opposite political persuasion asked me just exactly what successes the Democratic Party has to run on? A fair question given the miserable performance of the standard bearers. I will name a few but, make no mistake, the candidates can't just change the TV sound byte and make it work. It will take a period of messaging and organizing that Jack Conway spurned saying “that's not the way campaigns are run any more.” This is how successful campaigns are ALWAYS run and it showed a remarkable absence of good sense to say that.

The Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, KyNect, whatever you choose to call, it has been a spectacular success and half a million Kentuckians who did not have medical care now do. It has opened the door for entrepreneurship by removing the link between a job and medical care. Primary care doctors are swamped by a pent up demand for previously unavailable health care. The access to preventable care will necessarily diminish the need for more expensive emergency care. Since the advent of the ACA in Kentucky hospitals have been able to reduce the costs of indigent care by $100 million. How on earth does a party fail to capitalize on a success like that? In a move that is stunning democratic candidates ran away from it. Bevin has promised to do away with it and will at least succeed in making it less affordable. Many of those half million don't vote and the GOP knows that. That has to change even if we have to pick them up and carry them to the polls the way we used to.

Give up obeisance to King Coal. Every industry has a life span and the black rock that burns is nearing the end of its lifespan. Technology is making it obsolete. By any measure the transition to other sources of power will generate millions of jobs that will be much better jobs than those that require despoiling streams and driving climate change. Someone has to go sell it to the displaced miners who need hope instead of imaginary employment in an office park built on an old strip mine. The only reason candidates hold on to King Coal is because of the money it puts into campaign coffers. The world is moving on. Get on board.

How on earth can the party that made mines safer places to work, gave us the 40 hour work week, insured a small stipend to retirees and made it possible to earn enough money to escape poverty not capitalize on that? I'll tell you how. BY GIVING UP THOSE VALUES.

It is painfully obvious that many Kentuckians voted against their own interests, I am told of teachers whose pension plan is at stake, considering the cultural and moral values of Matt Bevin to be superior and voted for the man that wants to place pensions into the hands of private enterprise. Well, that is their prerogative and I will not castigate them for that. They should have enough sense to know which is important to them. To be fair it has to be acknowledged that there are genuine ideological differences that cause people to vote the way they do and that does not necessarily make them wrong. It just means that I see it differently and that I think that the message of the party could be better presented and executed.

The issue of gay marriage and the Kim Davis affair is likely what drove a large number of voters. It is inescapable that the Supreme Court ruled the way it did and that the law must be followed in the same way that integration was forced at Little Rock. You don't have to like it but you do have to understand that it is the law and that no governor is going to have the power to negate it. Yes, you can be angry and vote in protest but that will be like cutting off your nose to spite your face as my Mom used to say. The Democratic Party has to draw the link from protection of civil rights for some to protection for all.

My Take is that the Kentucky Democratic Party needs to refine its message going forward and return to some basics of organizing the vote. This does NOT mean moving to the extreme left but it does mean that principles of government being an asset to the people rather than a hindrance as the GOP says have to be shown to be preferable. As we are fond of quoting “elections have consequences” and rightly so. Right now the state party finds itself lost in the weeds much the same as the national GOP is. Their mistakes do not have to be repeated.

Miracle Material—Deadly Diagnosis-----       

written by my niece who is a student at Western Kentucky University who is studying to become a speech language pathologist.  As she writes here these SLPs do much more than just deal with speech problems.  My sister is currently at Cardinal Hill for rehabilitation as a result of stroke.  Her breathing and swallowing reflex rehabilitation fall to the SLPs to correct.  I' very proud of Kennedy who is a student with curiosity and a great work ethic.  She will be an asset to the field.

Miracle Material—Deadly Diagnosis

By: Kennedy McAlpin


One of the most tragic, yet mystifying, occurrences on our planet is
the disease of cancer. It comes in many shapes and forms and in most
instances is unpreventable. However, for one particular type of cancer,
prevention is very easy, making it one of the most frustrating.
Mesothelioma happens to be the type of cancer that can be prevented by
avoiding exposure to asbestos. Unfortunately, asbestos has been flooding
into our country for the last two centuries and continues to do so. It
has made its way into our homes, businesses, pipelines, and more. When
we first began using it, asbestos seemed like the miracle material-
strong and inflammable. However, we have discovered since then that this
miracle material is actually a silent killer. The hope for ridding our
country of this disease can only come from awareness and education,
informing everyone that asbestos is extremely harmful and potentially
deadly for those who are exposed. For those families who are dealing or
have dealt with mesothelioma, finding closure and comfort is extremely
important during times of loss. As a future Speech-Language Pathologist,
my hope is to work with individuals dealing with cancer of all kinds in
order to improve their quality of life through effective speech. As
anyone who has dealt with cancer knows, the quality of life during the
last days of someone’s fight is of the upmost importance to that
individual and their family. For me to be able to help would be the most
rewarding experience. However, completely ridding our country of this
toxic material should be our top priority.


Raising awareness of the dangers of asbestos is the number one way we
can prevent mesothelioma and increase early cancer detection. The use
of websites and scholarships such as these greatly expand our
population’s knowledge on the topic of asbestos and mesothelioma. People
who have been exposed to asbestos need to realize that they are in
great danger. Through portals that can vastly spread information, such
as social media sites and news sources, individuals will be able to gain
information that is vital for early detection and treatment. How can
someone take action towards health problems if they do not realize they
are in danger? If continued publications spread word of this deadly
disease, one day, mesothelioma will be a killer of the past. However, it
is going to take the hard work of very dedicated individuals to bring
this awareness to a rise. Our government officials need to be forced to
take a hard look at the legislation of this country. As of now, asbestos
continues to be imported into our country every day at an alarming
rate. In fact, imports of asbestos increased by 25% in 2011 from the
previous year. Americans are being lead astray, believing that our
country is becoming safer from the dangers of asbestos. This is just not
true. What makes this even more frustrating is that over 50 countries
have already banned the importation and use of asbestos. America is
simply disregarding the obvious fact that there are alternative
materials to asbestos that are affordable and safe. It is my duty and
the duty of other informed individuals to raise our voices against
asbestos.


When originally deciding to become a Speech-Language Pathologist
(SLP), I was unaware of how vast the field exactly was. I assumed that
most speech-language pathologists took on the role of working in
elementary schools helping kids with their articulation. However, after
being in the program for only a few short weeks, I have come to realize
that our realm of work is extremely broad. I have specifically seen the
impact of speech-language pathologists in my anatomy class. Realizing
the broad range of people I have the opportunity to work with has opened
my eyes and greatly increased my passion for the field of
speech-language pathology. When working with geriatrics, SLP’s have the
opportunity to help people who have endured strokes and other health
conditions. However, this can also extend to those who are dealing with
cancers such as mesothelioma. One of the symptoms of mesothelioma is
shortness of breath. When individuals experience shortness of breath
this directly affects their ability to speak. Speech is powered by the
lungs and when the lungs do not have enough power to provide the
adequate amount of air supply for speaking, speech can become disfluent,
choppy, and often times at a level that is too low to hear. Very
quickly, communicating can become very frustrating for an individual
with shortness of breath, chest pains, or chronic coughing. Fortunately,
SLP’s are highly trained in giving therapy that can greatly improve an
individual’s speech when experiencing these symptoms. The ability to
effectively communicate is a daily life skill that we often take for
granted. For someone who is potentially facing their last days with
their family and loved ones, communication is something that should not
be sacrificed. As an SLP, my hopes are to have the privilege to equip
mesothelioma patients with the ability to speak both effectively and
comfortably.


I am able to empathize with family members of mesothelioma patients
as I have dealt with my own grandpa suffering from lung cancer. Thanks
to his ability to speak during his last days on Earth, he was able to
share with me stories from his time serving our country in the Navy.
These are memories that I will always cherish. For those families who
have lost loved ones to mesothelioma, there are no words that can
express my deepest apologies. I cannot pretend to understand the
frustration that comes from knowing that the disease that took your
family member was one that could have been prevented. However, the best
thing to do in order to honor your family member would be to channel
this frustration into a passion for spreading the word about asbestos.
In order to prevent asbestos from taking thousands of more lives each
year, action must be taken right now. Our families are continuing to be
exposed to this toxic material because of lack of awareness and
industries refusing to use alternatives for asbestos.


Although cancer is very mystifying, mesothelioma is not. The cause is
known and prevention has been found. This is one cancer that should be
eradicated from our country. However, word must spread. In order for
word to spread, we must raise our voices to our government officials.
Legislation must be passed that completely bans asbestos from entering
through our boarders. The fact that over 50 countries worldwide have
already stopped importing asbestos and America continues to do so is
appalling. But I refuse to stay silent. Through my awareness, others
will become aware. Through my education, people suffering from this
disease will be able to have a better quality of life during their last
moments with family. Through the inspiration of families who have lost
loved ones to mesothelioma, others will be revived. Not a single person
more should lose their life to asbestos because now, we know.

Living With Death

Living With Death

I thought I would sit down and write
the obligatory left wing, pinko, commie ,bleeding heart liberal response to the latest ho hum mass murder in Oregon.  You know, I really don’t consider myself deserving of all of those adjectives but I suppose quite a lot of you do.  For the time being I would like for us to suspend all of those little catch-phrases we use to avoid talking about the 8oo pound gorilla.  I would like for us to try to find some effective compromise that could result in making these occurrences a bit rarer.  Compromise just means that we recognize that there exists a problem for which we need a solution.  The nature of compromise is such that all parties give up something and nobody gets all they want.
One of the things I am willing to give up is denying private ownership of weapons.  I do not think it is doable but I also do not think there is an unabridgeable constitutional protection of that right.  We limit constitutional protections all of the time.  I am a gun owner and I have no desire to surrender my weapons.  I am, however, under no illusion that they would be any protection against a home intruder.  They are put up and unloaded.  Now, I know some of you sit on the couch watching TV with a pocket gun but I think that’s just weird.  But, if that’s what floats your boat so be it.  You make me nervous and if you show it to me at Kroger I am outta there.
Here are a few things that I think would help that should not be too much of a burden. They won’t stop our murderous impulses but they could reduce mass casualties.

• Ban assault type weapons.  For heaven’s sake!  Why do we need then?  I have a deer rifle that is quite suitable for its purpose.
  
• Limit high capacity magazines.  What rational need is there for a 30 round deer rifle?  Or a 22 round Glock other than to kill a lot of people.  9 rounds should be more than enough.
  
• Limit the number of weapons a person can buy in a year without being a registered gun dealer.  There can be reasonable exceptions for collectors, etc.
  
• Expanded, universal background checks.  Over 90% of the people favor this.
  
• Require liability insurance for all weapons.  Insurance companies are very good at assessing risk.  This will make people mad because people really like not having to be responsible with their wallets.  However, this would probably do more than anything to encourage responsible gun ownership.  Gun manufacturers will hate this because they don’t care how responsible you are.  The NRA will hate it because it is financed by the manufacturers.
  

   Even these modest regulations will not stop all or even most gun violence but over time they may reduce the mass casualties.  Most gun violence is committed by suicides and domestic disputes and these regulations will have little effect on those but we need to start the conversation somewhere.  Also, the effect may not be seen immediately since it will take time to work through the market.
Today President Obama visited Oregon to offer his condolences to the survivors and families and was met by hundreds of gun toting people with placards telling the President of the United States he was not welcome.  It was as shocking as it was nauseating to watch people who should be coming together to console and to grieve being more concerned with their own selfish desires.  In other news today, evangelical Christian and presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson suggested that if the Jews in Germany had been armed they might have not had to endure the holocaust.
Maybe there are some of you that are willing to engage in peaceful and intelligent dialogue on this issue.  It is a hot button topic but try to resist pushing that button and be calm.  If you are interested in seeking solutions either write his paper or me personally ad I promise to engage in a reasonable manner.  There are a few arguments that I have heard that are just slogans and bear no value as arguments without facts enumerated in support.

• Guns don’t kill people, people kill people
  
• Only outlaws will have guns.
  
• Slippery slope.
  
• Takes a good man with a gun to stop a bad man with a gun.
  

You can make these arguments.  Just use facts to support them.
It’s My Take that we can curb gun violence without removing weapons used for sport, protection or collecting if we are willing to be reasonable.  It is also My Take that there are a whole lot of people who are not willing to do that.

A Pastoral Message

A Pastoral Message

In what is perhaps the most significant example to date of how Christian faith in America has degraded into a pseudo-faith evinced mainly by a civil type of religion that is more known for its political views are some of the remarks made concerning Pope Francis' messages in the United States. This Pope has brought a new level of compassion and humility to the Catholic Church that has long been absent and maybe never present. Other than his accessibility to the least of these he spoke in the halls of power of servanthood and fealty to the plight of our fellow travelers. In some cases he was accused of bringing a political message by those who seem to be more familiar with the civil form of religion than the faith form.

Some thought that he should have taken a more vocal stance against abortion. This Pope certainly is not going to come out as Pro-Choice but neither is he going to completely write of a person who, in his eyes, has committed a grave sin. His teaching is that after confession that person should be allowed to take the sacrament which seems to be what The Master taught. This brought a great hue and cry from those who, in the practice of their civil religion, want government to legislate what a sinner and God can do. This is not to say that government may not legislate but it suggests that the matter is best left up to the sinner and God and that forgiveness is far more important than we realize.

He spoke on climate change and seemed to indicate that he believes that is happening largely as a result of human actions. His point was that as stewards of God's creation we have a certain obligation to use it for the common good of His people. He suggested that from those to whom much has been given, much is expected in dealing with the impending crisis. Many who disdain the science and unilateral action complained that he should stick to religious matters that fit comfortably into the practice of civil religion.

I listened to many commentators who struggled to get their heads wrapped around his messages because they just did not have a grasp of what a spiritual message is. I wanted to yell at them to go to church, a church that preaches and teaches love, forgiveness and compassion rather than one that organizes political rallies to show candidates how many votes are there. It is the lack of understanding of the basic message of faith that indicates the civil religion that places faith on a par with government.

His message about migration was that we should stretch out our arms to those who are fleeing privation. A message totally at odds with what we hear and see from those seeking political power. They claim that is just not workable or practical which is the same thing I once heard an old deacon say about public confession. It is workable and practical if we are willing to, in his words, humble ourselves and share what we have. Still, I expect that his message will fall on selfish and deaf ears. Oh, some will heed and I am convinced that hearing that message was at least partially responsible for the opening of Speaker Boehner's eyes and his subsequent resignation.

Then the Pope blew off a fancy dinner with V.I.P.s and went to eat with the homeless. He went to visit prisoners. Things just unheard of in our status conscious lives and it made the rest of us look like dirty rags.

What I am trying to say is that to one who is in tune with his faith these were mere pastoral messages but to those who practice the civil religion it sounds like blasphemy.

And then he was off to Rome but his message will resonate. Some lives will be changed but most will return to their familiar. But, it is not an alien message. It is preached every day somewhere.

I am not Catholic and never have been. I do, however, profess Christianity but it was not necessary to be a believer to access the wealth in these messages. It should, however, give one a leg up.

My Take is that as a commentator on public affairs I try to steer clear of religious topics for obvious reasons, not the least of which is my profound belief of the propriety of separation of church and state. I violated that rule in this case because of the message of how we are to relate to our compatriots. A lesson for the ages.

The Great Migrations

The great migrations have accelerated their pace. The influx of people from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan (Afghanistan? Really?) are overwhelming the nations of Europe and those nations are not universally welcoming those refugees. Hungary for instance is acting like one of the old Soviet bloc nations which is, of course, what it is. On the positive side, notice that there is no great migration into Russia which should at least show that the democratic nations are more desirable and the Russian holds no attraction to those trying to escape their desperate straits.

Over the weeks they have kept coming. Desperate people who packed up their lives and families with what they could carry and risked great peril crossing from Asia into Europe with many dying in the sea, victims of its whims and their rickety crafts. One has to wonder what would motivate them to risk such danger and loss of life. Why would they pack their children onto boats and float off to somewhere they have never been and have no way of knowing? Did they do so with the expectation that all they had heard of the prosperous West would await them? Have their hopes and dreams been dashed against the ground where they have been rejected?

And what about those nations, small European nations, that have been inundated with the refugees who have brought nothing with them with which to sustain themselves? How can they be expected to meet the crushing demand of the hordes from their limited resources? What of the fear they hold of Islamic people gushing into their lands with enmity for the West in their hearts? How are they to react?

News reports are that it is approximately 120,000 people. Not a million, not ten million. A mere 120,000 but it presages the times to come. By contrast the United States in 2012 had about 40 million inhabitants who were not born here. A little more than half had been naturalized and about 11 million are here illegally. Europe has a population of about 750 million people and the U.S. has about 350 million.

The point is that these are not just immigrants looking for a better life and deciding to give it a go in the Western nations. This is a migration of people fleeing poverty, famine, war, death and destruction and the certain death that awaits them if they do not move. Here in the United States we have forgotten what that is like even though it was just that mindset that led to the great migrations of the Irish, Germans and Eastern European populations. All we can think of is trying to hold onto what we've got and building fences, like Hungary, to keep hungry people out. Or the tongue in cheek (or is it) idea of constructing a moat on the border with Mexico and filling it with alligators. So much of our effort is focused on keeping people out that we can't get a clear view of what the possibilities can be of accepting them and allowing them to revitalize our own society. When I look at the refugees in Europe and the way they are being treated with violence and deprivation I can't help but wonder what kind of impression that will leave on their experience in their new homes. Will they be good citizens or will they be dissidents who will attempt to recreate their homeland in their new home?

Migrations have occurred many times over the millennia. They are no more able to be stopped than the great migrations of Africa or the bison and caribou of North America. They simply are and our sights should be set on how we deal with it and use it to our advantage. The migrants from the Middle East will continue to come as long as the living conditions where they come from prevent the basics of civilized living. The migrants from Mexico and Central and South America will continue until opportunity where they come from is enough to give them a chance to stay home. Migrations have always brought turmoil because they upset the status quo and people don't like that. However, out of that turmoil a new status is created and it is vibrant with possibility where the old one has gone stale. Inevitably there is a cultural change and we do love to hang onto our cultures but it is not the end of the world. We should redouble our efforts to instill in our migrants the values that we hold dear so they can learn them and value them as we do. Should we meet them with gun and club that is the way that we will be met and that is the value system they will learn and peace and prosperity will be denied. It is the same way in Europe and the concentration of migrants is destabilizing but it demands that governments stretch themselves to bring order out of the chaos.

 

When we listen to our politicians speak of what to do about the migration the focus seems to be on how we can stop it and how we can get rid of those intruders who are upsetting the apple cart. In the United States the migrants are meeting a need for labor that is needed, especially in the agricultural industries. If they are legal they pay taxes and support our economic system, if they are illegal it is likely they do not. For now, our migration in the United States has leveled off. It is nowhere near what those who live by fear would have us believe. Now our task is to assimilate them into our great experiment. That is the task facing Europe also.

It should be noted that the world the migrants are moving to is one where democracy prevails. That should tell us something about the people and give strength to the notion that all people want is the freedom to live and the necessities to provide a life for their families. Some day when democracy is the law in their lands of origin there will be no need to migrate.

My take is this. The warring we see in the Middle East and other areas is just an expression of the deeper desire for freedom. It is the rejection of the existing totalitarian governments that has given rise to religious fanaticism. It is a war that we cannot win by imposing domination because the human spirit is indomitable and yearns for freedom. Now, after 100 years of imposing domination, there are no good or easy solutions.

The Currency of Government

I have made no secret of my approval of the progress of the City of Somerset under the Girdler administration but just because I am excited to see the city make strides into the future does not mean that everything that is done is done properly. Here in Somerset-Pulaski County progress has had to come kicking and screaming in small doses. I was talking the other day with some friends who have long since abandoned living here and we agree that there are things going on that we never thought we would see in our lifetimes. Legal liquor sales, nascent entertainment venues, a budding arts environment and other activities that have made our area a destination. But, as I said, these have not come without some humps and bumps along the way that may not have been the best way to do things.

Somerset, being hog-tied from lack of annexation opportunities, has not grown a lot in population but it is still the driving force for development in Pulaski County. Without the presence of a plentiful energy source and sewage facilities the industries located outside of the city limits could not have happened. Pulaski County has an opportunity to play some catch up with a new administration that seems to be open to change. But both have had some run-ins with some citizens who feel that proper practices were overlooked in order to achieve the purposes. They may be right.

Of course, the big news right now is the Kentucky Auditor's report that was just completed covering the city of Somerset. I have not finished reading the entire thing but I am pretty far into it and as far as I can see there are no indications of illegality. There are allegations of impropriety and some steps should be taken to correct the opportunities for those things to reoccur. Mr. Edelen, the Auditor, has interviewed about 30 people and has made some recommendations that the city could take to create a more transparent and less hostile operating environment. With some negotiation these items can be addressed to the satisfaction of reasonable people. With so many instances of illegality in government these days it is good to note that it doesn't appear that anyone in government should go to jail.

Somerset has experienced rapid growth with its venture into sales of natural gas and that has provided necessary revenue for growth that has not come at the taxpayer expense. It is only through the use of this revenue that Somerset has been able to continue its attractiveness and growth without increased revenue from annexation. The downside of this rapid growth is that management practices have not kept pace. What worked when Somerset was a less progressive city is now not up to the task of running a vibrant city with a business enterprise like the natural gas service.

It seems clear that the city should undertake a massive reorganization of its governmental structure that would spread responsibility to other officials, especially elected ones, and which would also establish clear lines of authority in the chain of command. There should be an ethics watchdog that would help prevent problems before they become too large. Perhaps that office could also have a function to assure compliance with ordinances and regulations. Procurement and human resources policies should be established with the purpose of eliminating the perception of favoritism or reprisal.

The city is not alone here. While the auditor only examined the practices of the City of Somerset he could just as well have examined Pulaski County for the same things. The auditor has legislative authority to audit counties but there exists no clear authority for the examination of cities and that has been a bone of contention between the Mayor and the Auditor. Without clear legal authority it is hard to see how the city can be forced to pay for the audit. However, this is a bone best left unchewed for the legislature to take care of.

The government of Pulaski County can also be accused of a lack of transparency and failure to follow best practices as well. The ludicrous nature of the annexation of Pulaski County Park by Burnside, a city miles away, is a point in fact. By annexing only the property owned by the Corps of Engineers, Burnside and the proponents of the annexation fostered the illusion that the annexation met the contiguous property provision of state law. That is patent nonsense and everyone knows it. For that matter it was nonsense to allow the annexation of Lake Cumberland shoreline up to Lee's Ford and it would never have been done without political influence all of which was done out of sight and by people who are not elected representatives of the people of Pulaski County.

I have been supportive in this space of legalizing alcohol sales as a means to create opportunity for progress but I have also been critical of this method of annexation. At the end of the day the will of the people must be done.

My Take is that if we are to have progress then let leaders lead and let the people speak. Any attempt to bypass the people will only breed distrust and trust is the currency of government.

Texas police shooting: Video captures Bexar County death - CNN.com

Texas police shooting: Video captures Bexar County death - CNN.com



at 1:01 the hands go up.  By 1:05 he is on the ground.  He is shirtless with very little clothing on and is not likely to have presented a threat.

Chasing Investment

Recent volatility in the Chinese stock market has had the effect of dragging down the DOW by about 600 points.  Some say it is a needed adjustment.  Paul Krugman makes an interesting point that it is emblematic of too much money chasing too few investment opportunities.  Now, the Chinese market has its own problems but the effect on other markets could be affected by this.

Fair Warning!!  I am not a financing or investment guru but if that is true then what can we make of it?  It seems that perhaps markets are saturated and, under present circumstances, there is no room for growth.  What would happen if that money that is not creating jobs or new opportunity were to be returned to the middle class?  Let's say, in the form of jobs created by government such as infrastructure improvement or clean energy investment.  Then the problem becomes simply one of how the money is transferred from private hands to public hands for purposes of these tasks.  The solution seems to be obvious.  The money was allowed to accumulate in the upper tier by way of tax breaks and low rates of taxation.  Either create ways to encourage that money to move or tax it back to government treasuries.  No doubt this will create a great hue and cry but what else will do the trick?

Seasons of Change

What would you do to feed your family. What kind of desperate act would you commit if your family was in danger of starving. Would you steal? Would you beg? Would you inflict bodily harm upon someone to take their food?

A couple of weeks back President Obama issued a new set of regulations to govern greenhouse gases and a suitable hue and cry ensued. They go a bit further than the previous regulations but not a lot however the issue was seized upon by people from coal producing states and politicians seeking an opening through which to land a jab at the President's party. Even the President admitted that the proposed standards will not be enough to turn the tide of catastrophe alone. If they do not prompt others to follow suit then humanity faces a tough road indeed. Many scientists say we have already passed the point where solutions were easy and that now we will not be able to escape some hardship from the resultant climate change. But, as he said, we must start somewhere and there is always a chorus of exhortations for the United States to step out into the lead. To be sure, they are usually trying to promote war but this may still prove to be a golden moment.

There is very little scientific disagreement that climate change is occurring and that humans are responsible. We can measure by different means how much carbon dioxide has been in the air for hundreds of thousands of years. We can tell the difference between that produced from natural events and that produced from events caused by humans. The extent of our pain is all that remains to be determined but we can look about us and see some of the pain beginning. Drought in California is creating an impossible habitat in which to grow much of the food that feeds America. Fires in the Northwest are almost insurmountable, fed by the arid landscape and they began well before the usual fire season. Heat indexes around the globe are soaring while the icecaps and glaciers are melting at an increasing rate. Climate change will not only result in heat but also in more extreme weather events. Here in our own area it has been a terrible year to try to grow crops and that will result in higher prices and greater food insecurity. The amount of fresh food we personally preserve annually has taken a drastic hit so we will be making up the difference at the supermarket. By the way, have you noticed the price of many food items? This winter our usual supply from California will be interrupted. Have you noticed that it is almost impossible to buy a good orange?

My parents grew up during the depression. My father in Louisville and my mother in Leslie County. Mom's family were subsistence farmers meaning they grew practically everything they consumed. I have heard many times of how by winter's end they would be eating corn mush and eagerly awaiting the first flush of spring greens in the hills. Dad had it a bit tougher because crops don't grow well on the West end of Louisville. His family did fairly well until the great Ohio River flood of 1927 which wiped them out. There was no social safety net and his family never recovered. He told of picking up coal that had fallen from rail cars to sell and to heat with. Food was scarce.

During the dust bowl years of the 1930s some five million people migrated out of a population of 123 million. If you extrapolate those numbers to the present time that would be 15 million people on the move seeking food and shelter. In the 1930s about 50% of the population lived in urban areas. Now it is 80%. As I said, it is hard to grow crops in concrete and blacktop. According to the USDA 17% of Americans live in households that experience food insecurity. That is 50 million people. Now, imagine what it would be like if a large number of those people left the cities to look for food. It is already happening all over the world. People are moving by the millions to escape poverty, hunger or danger. You can't stop that with all the fences in the world. Nor should you want to.

Climate change will make these factors explode. When the land can no longer produce overwhelming bounties of food then people will go to where the food is. When coastal land disappears at high tide those people will leave and go somewhere. When competition for necessities increases so will the violence used to protect them. We think of our society and civilization as being indestructible but the truth is it is held together by a thread. One that, if broken, will allow the unraveling of the web that supports us in our comfort. Climate change has the potential to do that. Already the Pentagon designates climate change as a major danger to national security because people will go where the food is.

So, can the United States step out to lead the way? Can we show the world that we are ready to tackle the most pressing issue facing us today? Will we permit the politicians to use scare tactics and xenophobia for personal gain? Carly Fiorina said in an interview with Katie Couric that everyone agrees that one country acting alone can do nothing so why should we subject our people to unnecessary hardship. That is certainly a true statement but it is going on ten years now since “An Inconvenient Truth” and we have squandered our best opportunities. I cited the dust bowl, the depression and widespread migration of people as instances of economic hardship resulting from ecological and financial disaster. The coming catastrophe will be greater. At what point can we come to think that another nation's polluting of the atmosphere is an act of war against us warranting action to preserve our way of life?

My Take is this. There are many things that can be done but the arguments against taking those steps are short term economic ones. Powerful entities don't want to become irrelevant but they must either by design or by fate. For the number crunchers: In Kentucky there are about 13,000 coal related jobs. There are over 82,000 automotive related jobs. The King is dead.

MoveON Strikes

Advocacy Group to Withold Millions in Donations From Schumer, Iran Deal Opponents World Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News





My Take on this is that Schumer is acting to mollify his base of Jewish support in New York.  I seriously doubt that he will use his considerable influence to try to get fellow Democrats to be swayed to his position.  Polling indicates that American Jews are in favor of the Iran deal by a large margin.  It will be enough for him to let it be known he thinks it is a bad deal.  It may be a less than optimal deal but just about everyone that has a considered opinion says it is the best deal we are going to get.



At the risk of causing a big brouhaha I wonder why Iran achieving nuclear weapons is unthinkable.  Already Israel has nukes.  As does Pakistan which is a far scarier place.  India,  North Korea and maybe General Electric also have nukes.  We live in a world threatened by nuclear annihilation.  We have tens of thousands of warheads just by ourselves and Russia and China also have those kinds of numbers.  If anyone, and I mean anyone, uses one the whole world is likely to blow up.  By far, the greatest risk is India and Pakistan.



People talk about the risk of nukes falling into the hands of terrorists when it is a radical state, Pakistan, whose scientists went about the world purveying technology.



Schumer is doing what he has to do to preserve his political position.  Something less than honorable but that's just the way it is.

todayszaman.com

Today's Zaman, Turkish daily news

As the title of this article indicates, there is a reordering taking place in the central lands of the Middle East, certainly in the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. But the lands of the two rivers have previously gone through many metamorphoses of kingdoms, rulers, geography, religions and cultures -- all of them painful and destructive before emerging into different entities.
It is happening again. Like the previous transmogrifications the current changes will also be painful. But like any “great shaking out” different forms emerge, and one has to hope they will be more acculturated to the region's inhabitants and needs than the previous ones.
The largely US-led wars against Iraq in 1991 and 2003 have showed the fragility of the post-World War I and World War II structures of Iraq and Syria, and perhaps other states, as well as the brutality and misguidedness of superpowers. I want to make it clear that states of the Middle East were no more artificial than scores of other states established after these two wars, and they will probably persist. But the military intervention of the US (and its allies) at a time in which the wars occurred was more than the existing structures could bear.
Since the US was largely responsible for the two wars, it is reasonable to ask what now is the US's position toward not just Iraq and Syria but also toward the Arab countries and towards the three -- Iran, Turkey and Israel -- non-Arab countries of the region?
A starting point of such a discussion is to try and assess why the P5+1 (Britain, France, the US, Russia, China and Germany) thought it necessary to come to an agreement with Iran after years of animosity between them.
It should be clear that the principal reasons for the July 14 agreement were not Iran's nuclear programs. Iran's desire seems that of being able to possess the ability to make and, if necessary, to construct nuclear weapons, if there is to be little change in the P5+1 positions toward countries of the Middle East, especially those surrounding Iran. There was/is the possibility that agreement will be achieved and could continue to serve as a springboard for further geo-strategic and geopolitical change in the region.
Some of the preliminary consequences of the July 14 agreement are already emerging with regard to the US-led “war against terrorism,” especially in Iraq and Syria.
As a result of the July 14 agreement, the P5+1 and the coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) will now acquiesce to Iran's active participation in the diplomacy of Middle East countries. Tehran will no longer be a diplomatic hostile outlier. It will be a rivalrous competitor and recognized as such by the US, Europe, Russia, China and, reluctantly, by the states of the Middle East, including the Gulf Arab countries.
Contrary to the alarmist bellicosity of opponents, the agreement promises over the next decade or so to result in more stability in the Middle East.
Other reasons for optimism are that the agreement raises strong possibilities that state boundaries will be preserved. This is its most important contribution. ISIL's challenge to the boundaries of Iraq and Syria raised the possibility that boundaries between Iraq and Syria, between Syria and Turkey and between Turkey and Iraq would be challenged. The coming military defeat of ISIL indicates this will not be the case.
Despite the now nearly five-year-long war against ISIL and the needless political duplicity engaged in by all of the participants, Iran's participation in global diplomacy will bring some coherence to the jockeying for geopolitical power in the Middle East.
It is clear that the US, Europe, Russia and China, all for different reasons, also see such developments in their interest.
There will be losers and winners. Radicals, dissenters, ideologues, nationalists, etc., will be weakened; conservatives, statists, pragmatists, capitalists and globalists will be winners, as will non-Arab states such as Iran, Turkey and Israel. Minority challenges to states and their borders will now be weakened.
The new reordering of the Middle East will keep the Westphalian ordering of states while retaining new configurations within current state boundaries. Transnational nationalist, ethnic and religious challenges will take place but within state boundaries. This is also true for transnational economic cooperation. Movements such as ISIL will be less tolerated. Non-state actors will be challenged, some of them strongly such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Alawites, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Houthis. Indeed, we can see that the latter is already happening.
The “great shakeout” taking place is a state shakeout by conservative states with conservative ideologies. Iran is not an outlier in this company. It is now an accomplice but a rivalrous and competitive one, and that is what provides some hope.
Certainly rivalry and competition are better than the wars, ethnic cleansing, flight, killing, rape, malnutrition and barbarism of the past five years.

---

*Robert Olson is a Middle East analyst based in Lexington, Kentucky.

THE POWER UNREALIZED

The Power Unrealized and Unrecognized

It seems almost quaint. One of the first papers that I wrote after I began my college experience had to do with the effect of television on Presidential campaigns. There really wasn't that much data since, if I recall correctly, the year was 1966 or 1967. There had been only 4 or 5 elections during the television age but it was obvious that the medium was going to be a mover for politicos. Fresh in our minds was the image of the cool, collected John Kennedy and the perspiring, nervous Richard Nixon. We had no idea of the colossus it would become.

We ran through the 70s and 80s with little change in technique but the foundation was being laid for the colossus it would become.  By the 90s social science had streamlined the messages into 30 second messages that polling told campaign managers would move the numbers.  As data accumulated the science of messaging became more and more like actuarial science and it could be predicted within a few points what a message in a demographic would do.

It was about this time that our experiment in public financing came to an ignominious end and the floodgates of independent money began to provide enormous amounts of public viewing of political advertising.  It became possible to inundate targeted areas with political advertising through the use of cable and satellite channels that could focus advertising on a very specific area enabling manipulation of the message for maximum influence.

As the new century rolled in money became more and more influential and necessary in order for a candidate to compete with opposition advertising.  No longer was it enough to have a message, a platform to tell the voter what one would do if elected.  That no longer had the power to sway voters the way that targeted advertising or the increasing use of advertising to increase the negatives of the opposition could.  One could be elected without ever explaining what he or she would do if elected.  It was enough to frighten the public about what the opposition would do if elected.  True or not.

 Campaign Donors to date

Norman Braman, in Miami in 2014, is among four donors who contributed a collective $12.5 million to Marco Rubio's "super PAC," Conservative Solutions PAC. Credit Aaron Davidson/Getty Images 

 

The use of Political Action Committees and Public Issue Organizations made it possible to collect huge sums of money to use for messaging and organization.  Corporations and their Trade Groups now spend millions of dollars lobbying Congress for favorable legislation and legislation to allow their campaign contributions to be ever greater. First Congress and then the Supreme Court acquiesced.

Perhaps the greatest impact of all came with the advent of the internet and social messaging sites.  The freedom of access gave anyone with a gripe or an ideology a chance to cast it to a global audience.  Everyone became an "expert" able to comment on any topic as authoritatively as a Harvard lawyer. These avenues of expression opened a floodgate of complaints about the constitutionality of behavior from people with no knowledge of how our political system works or without consideration of how Supreme Court decisions have defined various aspects of the Constitution.

Our last Presidential election in 2012 became the first billion dollar election with many supposedly non-affiliated organizations carrying much of the campaign expenses for advertising. Already fund raising is predicted to dwarf those numbers with many limits having been lifted by the argument that money equals free speech. Never mind that more money equals more free speech with the individual not having enough free speech to be heard. Campaigners claim that the donations to their campaigns will have no influence on them whatsoever but that finds me a bit incredulous. The appearance is that the money is influencing legislation and that campaigners are becoming more and more beholden to those who finance their election. This season is showing that there are large numbers of voters resentful of being denied voice in their government and it is creating a messy political environment. That's OK with me. Democracy is messy when ALL the people have a voice. The problem is the organizations who are paying the price to get to determine the answers.

I no longer know if we have the political will to do what is necessary to return power to the people. Right now we have the opportunity to do what is necessary to reclaim the the prerogative of the people to democratically choose their own direction and the direction of our republic. Social media and what it has revealed to us about the internet has given us the means to allow more people than ever to participate in the governmental process. My misgivings are not with the results of the will of the people but with the powerful interests that want to deny that right. I believe that the collective will of the people will always keep us on the right course and that it is the prostitution of the political process that denies the people the fruits of their existence.

I have never been a great believer in the ability of term limits to change the quality of our government. I believe that the effects of money can corrupt even a first term challenger. The only answer is to return government to the people by prohibiting all campaign contributions and publicly funding elections that are governed by a strict format that will eliminate the outsized power of money.
My Take is that if the people will demand it we can have it.

places in the family tree

Duty Calls

Doing Their Duty

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

Credence Clearwater Revival

Five or six citizens came down to the mall to help guard the recruiters who had been forbidden to carry weapons in their own defense. There were a couple of AKs and everyone had a sidearm. Some had vests with extra magazines in case there was a gun battle. A couple had shotguns with extra shells fixed to the weapon so that they would be ready when the need came. It was a quiet morning and they all were bonded in the camaraderie that had developed among these citizens with a common cause. Shortly after 10 A.M. one of the men knelt and began firing at one of the others, then another. The others ran for cover behind the supporting pillars and began to return fire at the one who had attacked them. By then he had focused his attention on the recruiters and emptied a magazine into the office from his shelter behind a car. A shotgun opened up scattering pellets all over the parking lot and 3 of the citizens began firing at the car with their sidearms. Bullets ricocheted all over the lot and other shoppers began to dive under cars for shelter. Within a few minutes three police cars raced up with lights flashing and sirens screaming. The officers jumped out of their cars, sheltering behind the doors and began firing at....................................who? The gunfire had lasted only a few minutes and already there were wounded people lying in the parking lot.

Yes, it's an imaginary scenario but one that is not so far fetched. All over the country people are showing up at recruiting stations armed to the teeth in a show of solidarity with the recruiters who are prevented by law from carrying weapons. You see, the armed forces have no jurisdiction domestically and that is why we have civilian police. At one time our forefathers who had known first hand the danger of having a military, answerable to a commander-in-chief, that would follow orders to secure the wishes of their commander. They knew how that power could be abused and so they stipulated that our military could not be used domestically except under martial law.

But what about the civilian police force that is designed to be made up of civilians just like us and answerable to us? In this imaginary scenario how would they be able to do their jobs. How would they be able to distinguish between the one who attacked and those who defended? They all look the same and have the same kind of weapons. If they expose themselves how would they know who would fire back and who would not? How would they be able to reach those inside the building if they dared not leave the shelter of their cars for fear one of the armed civilians would be the attacker.

Just as there are good reasons that the recruiters are unarmed there are also good reasons why it is a bad idea for citizens to be packing firearms. While we still have those who insist that we would be a safer society if people were armed police chiefs across the nation have nightmares about how to deal with a situation in which the officers can't tell the good guys from the bad guys.

There are saner heads at work. The military command has asked citizens to refrain from arming themselves and holding forth outside recruiting stations. Those who are working there are instructed to not hold conversations with the armed civilians or encourage them. Our military leaders can see the potential conflicts that could arise from untrained civilians who have no command structure engaging in gunfire in the streets. We should be thankful for those who can make sane decisions in times of tribulation.

And what of those people who have armed up and gone to “do their duty?” Well, firstly they are badly mistaken if they think they are helping. I don't want to paint all of them with the same brush because some of them are very likely self-sacrificing people who are deluded in thinking their service is necessary. I would strongly suggest that if they want to take on an enemy they should enlist but it should be recognized that the armed forces have standards. I suspect that a large number of them are simply people who want an excuse to wear weapons and bulletproof vests in public so everyone can see how bad they are. It may be appropriate for them to be required to take a week or two of classes in proper firearm technique (if they can stand a classroom that long).

My Take is that I see so much these days about someone, anyone lacking “common sense.” If this is what passes for common sense then we need to try something else. Perhaps some “uncommon sense.”

A Weekend To Remember

Put a mandolin into the hands of Sam Bush or a banjo into the hands of Bela Fleck or a cello into the hands of Ben Sollee and it is transformed from a simple musical instrument into a wondrous machine that can transport the listener to places around our globe and even the universe. The magic that these men wield is not only due to their skill at manipulating the instrument but also in their ability to see where the music has not been before and go there taking you with them.

You may recall that I had hopes that Sam and Bela would appear on the stage together and my hopes were magnificently rewarded. They share roots in traditional music having both been members of Newgrass Revival but their musical adventure has taken them far from home. It is no different with a scientist who keeps pushing the boundaries of his craft. These men push the boundaries of their craft. I think that they do what we were privileged to see at the Master Musician's Festival as a way to pay the bills for their trips to those far away places. Not that they don't experience pleasure in playing to a crowd that validates their efforts but their musical spirits are restless. I have read that Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, was not a fan of the playing of Sam Bush and Bela Fleck has taken the banjo from its roots into the realm of jazz and it is a strange journey indeed.

Abigail Washburn is a virtuoso banjoist herself using the more traditional clawhammer style of playing and she has a love of the traditional Appalachian music. Bela and Abigail played a few of those old ballads and did a hilarious comedy skit about that. Who knew? Bela said that when Abigail began playing those old murder ballads that he would decide that it was an opportune time to do some banjo maintenance in the basement. You had to be there. But Abigail is not without her own sense of adventure having spent a lot of time in China and speaking fluent Mandarin, or as Bela put it, fluent mandolin. She has written a song in Chinese which they performed. I had not a clue what she was saying but it was beautiful.

To my knowledge there has never been a culture arise that did not develop music as a mode of expression and these people take us there. Their assimilation of those cultures into their own music is homage to those who have gone before and a link to those who will come. I recently watched a KET special that featured Sam Bush along with other luminaries on a trip to Scotland to play with some of the leading musicians of that country that has been so important in the populating of Appalachia. Bela has made trips to Africa to become acquainted with the music of his instrument which originated as strings stretched over a skin covered gourd. He has brought some of those rhythms into his own repertoire and is paying them forward. Of course, the Chinese influence on Abigail is all over her music. She has done tours in China and recorded in that language. Ben Sollee's travels and openness to other cultures has affected his use of rhythms in his own music.

Ben Sollee played while being accompanied by a marimba and percussion. In his performance I was reminded ever so much of the Graceland album by Paul Simon. In my opinion Ben Sollee is in the same league with Paul Simon and they both continually reinvent their music to reflect what they have assimilated from their exposure to other cultures. If Ben Sollee were in New York he would be spoken of in the say way as Simon but he chooses to remain in Kentucky and champion Kentucky causes. I enjoyed this performance by Ben Sollee more than any other I have seen. It is interesting to note the interaction among the four musicians. Sollee once played with Washburn in her Sparrow Quartet and, of course, Washburn is married to Fleck. Fleck once played in the seminal newgrass group Newgrass Revival which included Sam Bush.

Sam Bush probably gave us the most traditional performance of any of these four. His rendition of “Eight More Miles to Louisville” was a real crowd pleaser and foot stomper. While traditional I don't believe I have ever seen anyone do a performance with more glee. From time to time he would stop and hurl a tee shirt into the crowd and then cackle about how the crowd resembled nothing so much as a yard full of chickens going after a hand full of corn.

All in all I would rank this festival at or near the top of any of the Master Musician's Festivals I have attended. I have missed several so I am not an authority on anything other than my enjoyment. What I do know is that my enjoyment can't be contained in the space allotted to me so I have just mentioned these four performers. Bush, Washburn and Fleck were my primary goals to see and I was just plain surprised by the stellar performance by Ben Sollee. I suppose one can't expect to have a top to bottom excellent festival like this every year but I am certainly happy that the Festival Board tries.

My Take is kudos to the board and volunteers for an excellent two days and nights of entertainment that will remain in my memory (I still call it that) for a long time. I hope. More later.

A Woman for Her Time

Gabrielle Gray’s Last ROMP | ModeShift





Gabrielle has proven herself to be a visionary leader and producer of bluegrass music in Kentucky.  Her influence reaches far past the borders of our state and ties the past to the future.  I am sorry to see her leave this post but she most certainly deserves the right to pursue other interests.  I suspect she will not be idle.

Nick Hanauer: Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming | TED Talk | TED.com

Nick Hanauer: Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming | TED Talk | TED.com

Master Musician's Festival 2015

We are coming up on another rendition of the great local music festival, The Master Musician's Festival. This years offering promises to be quite different from last year's which was more rock oriented while this year's will be more into that genre that includes most unidentifiable stuff called Americana. I strongly suspect that many of our country's best musicians fall into the category having rejected the great money machine that is popular music. Even performers who in an earlier day may have been country but no longer fit in with the glitzy outfits and wailing guitars that make up country music these days may drift into this catchall category.

There is a lot to like about our festival. First and foremost is the friendly family atmosphere where it is safe to bring your children out without fear they will be trampled on by crazed crowds. Probably the least favorable thing is that it can be HOT. Even at that there are vendors with ice cold sno cones and other beverages to help keep heat stroke at bay. At the edges of the open area there is abundant shade for those who lack the ambition to approach the crowds at the stage.

My most anticipated act will be Bela Fleck and his wife, Abigail Washburn. Bela is famously revered as the banjo man for Newgrass Revival. Abigail is also well known for her music which is sometimes more traditional. Bela plays with the finger picking style of bluegrass music and Abigail uses the clawhammer style that is more favored by players of Appalachian or mountain music. Both have been here before but not together. Abigail was here with Kai Welch as accompaniment. I attended their workshop and then the stage performance which also featured Ben Sollee on cello. It was magnificent. I am eagerly anticipating seeing the two of them together. Bela's music has taken a decided turn toward jazz since his tenure in Newgrass Revival and their show should be very interesting.

Sam Bush, another former member of Newgrass Revival, will also be performing at the festival. He is widely respected as a mandolin virtuoso. I am sure that I am not the only one crossing my fingers in hope that he and Bela and Abigail will team up for some jam.

Ben Sollee will be back but on the previous day. If you have never heard Ben then you will be surprised at what he can get out of a cello. The cello is not well known as a lead instrument in Americana but Ben has his own take on that. Again, I hope he hangs around for some jam with the others.

Of course, the headliner is Dwight Yoakam. Dwight is native to our state and has been a well recognized name in country music, however, the evolution of country music has left Dwight behind and his music is now more recognized in the open arms of Americana. He has a devoted following and I expect there will be people there from a wide area. He has a new album out called Second Hand Heart and you can expect a rousing final act of this year's festival.

There are many other lesser known but very good performers on the playlist. Check it out on the Facebook page or at http://www.mastermusiciansfestival.org/. Locally grown and known artist, Kevin Dalton, is on the list and he will be playing with musicians that are well known to those who follow the local music scene.

Prior to the beginning of the festival on Friday Somerset Community College will be hosting a homecoming and dedication event. I usually try to make it known that I was in the first class that entered that institution of higher learning in the fall of 1965. In the year prior all of the schools in the county loaded up their seniors and rode them to town for the groundbreaking. Had I not been sixteen or seventeen at the time AND had I been aware that there was some possibility of being here fifty years later I might have paid more attention.

I hope to see lots of you there. If you see me come up and say hello. If I act like I don't know you it is because my memory (I fondly still call it that) just needs some prompting. I am usually pretty honest about whether or not I remember you.

As I have often said, the music is the focus but the people are the fun. Old friendships renewed with the opportunity to get up and dance without fear of too many people bringing it up at work on Monday. Travel light, coolers are permitted but searched. The vendors there are plentiful and provide a wide choice of delectable delights. There will be several vendors there with beer, wine, wine coolers and perhaps a sangria.

This is Somerset-Pulaski County's premier event along with the monthly Somernites Cruise car shows. We get a chance to see some great musicians that you may never get another chance to see live. Sometimes we are lucky enough to catch an act on the way up like was done with the Avett Brothers. You can bet there will be a good time to be had and good music to be danced to.

My Take is be there or be square.