(from Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy by David From)
". . . because so many of the core Trump supporters were in on the scam from the start, they will not be troubled to exit the scam when it finally deflates. I never thought Trump was a real conservative. I always said his tweeting would get him into trouble. I was not pro-Trump; I was anti-media bias. When support of Trump becomes disadvantageous, his top supporters will erase the memory of their support from their consciousness. Trump keeps faith with nobody, and he has recruited an inner circle as faithless as himself. . . But out there in America are tens of millions of people who were not invited into the con. They were duped. Trump duped them by acting out their fears, hatred, and prejudices. . . "
This 'song' was not originally intended to be a song. It was actually the 'break' or solo contained within the composition Third-Hand Intelligence (pre-OHO version) as it was written. I was pleased with the performance and the digital ensemble was simple yet effective. So when I was trying to decide how to bring 'Critic's Choice' (my 2nd album) to a close, this music made sense. Not sure if I'd call it dumb-luck or kismet, but for me, it worked. Give a listen . . .
". . . Judge Says Manafort Led An 'Otherwise Blameless Life.' His Resume Says Otherwise. . . Prosecutors had argued that under sentencing guidelines, Manafort, 69, should serve between 19 to 24 years in prison after he was convicted in August on eight counts of tax and bank fraud. “Manafort acted for more than a decade as if he were above the law, and deprived the federal government and various financial institutions of millions of dollars,” they wrote, stressing that “the sentence here should reflect the seriousness of these crimes.”. . . But Judge T.S. Ellis called a decades-long term in prison “excessive” on Thursday, saying Manafort had “lived an otherwise blameless life.”. . . "
(from Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy by David From)
". . . Trump promised to raise taxes on rich people and to use the money to build roads and bridges. He denounced foreign wars and promised a foreign policy of nonintervention. He excoriated the trade deals you blamed for taking away your jobs. Maybe above all . . . he talked like you and like people you knew. . . Trump did cut taxes for the rich, and saying he would raise them. He did take away the health coverage of millions of people - and tried and failed to take away the coverage of millions more The roads and bridges never bot built. NAFTA's still there in all but name, but a new washing machine costs almost $100 more at Walmart because of Trump's tariffs on imports from China, South Korea, and other trading partners. . ."
(from Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy by Jamie Raskin )
". . . Donald Trump's outrageous lies about the 2020 election mirror the basic form of the Lost Cause myth. According to Trump, he won a landslide victory, but it was stolen from him and from his noble long-suffering supporters after he valiantly led the country to record prosperity and well-being - a claim that conveniently omits the tens of millions of people who lost their jobs and the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives under his administration's lethally reckless mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. . . The lie that Republicans promoted that Trump and his mob were themselves working to stop an election from being stolen is merely propaganda designed to justify the new wave of vote-suppressing legislation the GOP is trying to pass all over the country. That's why the work of the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th Attack, and how we as a country interpret and act upon the committee's findings, becomes such a critical test for us. If we cannot get the past right, we will get future all wrong. . . "
An innocent search to get reviews of my forthcoming album "Grains" led me to this site. I went through all the motions, filled every blank on the form, then was directed to . . .
(from Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy by Jamie Raskin)
". . . I hope January 6 showed conservative America that all the extreme right-wing rhetoric about "backing the Blue" was nothing but propaganda and lies: the only handful of officers they truly advocate for are rogue racists in uniform who abuse the rights of our African American and Latino citizens. We need to continue to diversify, train, and invest in our police forces to protect democracy and our people against criminal and terroristic violence. . . "
Six AM, The buses aren't nearly as crowded As the night before. Someone said there was Music and laughter Behind all the shutters and doors. What was all of it for?
Who needs friends? There's barely a minute for breathing. Everyone here works so hard. There's no party. When I reach my doorstep I struggle to pull out my key. Where's the meaning for me? You see but you're unaware There's life on the other side.
But there's no bridge to cross. I'm looking through the fog For some way out of here. I've baggage here to toss.
Bless my soul! I've read about you in the paper. I've seen your picture somewhere. When you speak it's in volumes and volumes. I can't hear a word that you say. Funny it happens that way.
I've been told That envy's the thing I've been feeling For your kind of work and your play. But to tell you the truth That it's only a wish For a new kind of day, When worry and fear melt away. Could be That a day will come When you just might understand.
I’d like to go away. And go there to stay. But I can’t find the way.
So it goes, But change never really comes easy. Resistance is felt all around. But inevitably something happens That makes the old ship run aground. We all stare in awe of what’s found. Like me you appear to be Looking for some meaning here.
Baggage - Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano from the new release 'Grains'
OHO? Aha! That's a name that rings bells. Baltimore's answer to Pink Floyd, an American underground icon, a band that came out of nowhere playing music the chroniclers swore was years ahead of its time. OHO sneaks around the musical conventions that have mummified so many others, unleashing sliders where you'd expect curve balls, fast balls where you'd expect change-ups. Part of its their sense of humor, part of it their unerring humanity. Definitely, one of a kind and all in good fun...its got to be. . . The story begins around 1970 at a Baltimore club called "Bluesette." Mark O'Connor, Joe O'Sullivan and Jay Graboski played there in a group known as Quinn. In 1971 Mark, Jay, Jay's brother/drummer Jeff and Trent Zeigen formed Little Hans, a gothic-progressive quartet featuring two keyboardists, guitar and percussion. In 1973 O'Connor with friends Steve Heck and Joe O'Sullivan began a period of crazed experimentation that would lead to their most infamous incarnation OHO. Jay Graboski and fusion drummer Larry Bright were invited to join. This latest collaboration resulted in a debut album "Okinawa". In June, 1974 OHO disappeared into Sheffield studios to record the follow-up, "Vitamin OHO", adventurous, jazz-flecked, elemental, chamber music fusing psychedelic and progressive moves into one fascinating whole. "Dream of the Ridiculous Band" reveal OHO as a highly competent progressive band with hints of Crimson, Genesis and Grobschnitt. By early '77, "OHO House", was intended to move toward a more basic style of music with straightforward arrangements. A handful of songs (including "Trick Or Treat?" featured on this downloadable compilation) were begun before things fell apart. Jay and Mark continued to play through the new wave in Dark Side, Trixy & The Testones and Food For Worms but each of these bands is subject enough for a story of its own. The 1984 version of OHO recorded "Rocktronics", a 7 song EP produced by Jack Heyrman and WIYY DJ Ty Ford for the former's Clean Cuts records. The OHO moniker became synonymous with the word persistence. In 1990, the eponymously entitled "OHO" was released on Sky Records with acid-folk edginess and trademark lyrical unpredictability combining Grace Hearn's stellar, unwavering vocals, bassist/engineer Steve Carr's crystalline production, Jay Graboski's assiduous songwriting and David Reeve's muscular rhythms and was listed as an "editors' choice" for 1990 in CD Review (06/91 Vol. VII Number 10). In 1991 OHO signed with Little Wing Of Refugees based in Kastl, Germany releasing "Vitamin OHO" in 1991 and reissuing "Okinawa" in 1995 and "ECCE OHO" on CD in 199. The 2002 OHO Music (OM052) edition of "Recollections" was also included as a CD bonus in Progression magazine #41, in the Fall 2002 issue. In March 2008 OHO released their retrospective 2 disc CD/DVD "Bricolage" (available at CD Baby) consisting largely of previously unreleased sonic and video material (culled from their 1983-2008 "Mach III" phase), dominated by stunning female vocalization with tough lyrical musings, abundant hook-laden melodies, and intriguing arrangements of their jubilant, jangly folk/prog/rock. . . 21st Century OHO continues as a trio consisting of keyboardist/vocalist, Ray Jozwiak, drummer/percussionist/vocalist, David Reeve, and guitarist/vocalist, Jay Graboski.
Original OHO co-founder Jay Graboski's Just Jay & His Sonic Sphere of Acquaintance 'Steps', OHO's 2016 release 'GAZEBO' (which includes brand-new material and re-imagined OHO classics) and the single 'The Hours' can all be purchased at online music retailers AND be on the lookout for the latest album, over ten years in the making, 'Ahora' coming very soon . . . As "imagination stretches to match the long reach of time," look for much more music from OHO in the future.
". . . It should no longer be a surprise that, after he loses or his candidate loses an election, Trump amplifies false and easily discredited claims of fraud. He did it way back in 2012, when Mitt Romney lost but Trump didn't buy it, again in early 2016, when Sen. Ted Cruz beat him in the Iowa caucuses, and even after he won the presidency but lost the popular vote. . . But unlike his false claims about the 2020 election, his most recent insinuations of voter fraud are being almost entirely ignored. . . One thing that makes these claims harder for some Republicans to swallow is surely that, for the most part, these are votes by Republicans that Trump is baselessly suggesting were not properly cast or counted. . . For some Republicans and many Democrats, there may be another lesson out of the primary season beyond the fact that some Trump candidates are losing. Also losing is the idea that fighting nonexistent voter fraud -- and maybe hurting GOP turnout in the process -- is a winning concept for Republicans moving forward. . ."
