Caught Short . . .

. . . for words. . .


A friend recently commented to me that he wished the President had not made those recent comments about race relations to which I, naturally, responded, "Why?"  He said that among all of the problems we as a people, society and world currently face, the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman situation should not be monopolizing our attention. In short, like a popular song on a top 40 radio station, he was just sick and tired of hearing about it.

Like many other conversations with many people, I was quickly distracted from this one and on to other things.  But later that day, after contemplating our short interchange further, I realized what I could have, should have, and hope to tell my friend upon our next encounter.  And, in brief, that is:  the President's remarks were spot-on.  They were NOT political, they were not platitudinous or pompous blather, trite heard-it-alreadies or scolding.  They were simply a from-the-heart reflection and plea for US to reflect on how we treat each other.  Reflect- probably something very few of us do during our busy, self-absorbed days.  He also described how it feels (and felt to him) being a young black man and some of the racist behaviors with which young black men must cope everyday.  He mentioned the history of mistreatment to which black people have been subjected and alluded to the anger that results.  So many things which white people know, but have somehow tucked away and choose not to think about too much. . . BUT SHOULD!

These are things that middle-aged white men such as my friend and myself do not now, nor have in the past, encountered.  If we have a country, and a world, where people must live together, we must, at the very least, be empathetic to these things.  This is every bit as important as the economy, the environment, budgets and spending, foreign policy, drones and (do-nothing)politicos.  This is our world.  It's the only one we've got. We can, and should, certainly make time to help resolve such such relevant and important issues as THE WAY WE GET ALONG! 

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Reasonable. . .

A reasonable, thinking man. I may not prefer he be my president, but I would have him represent me in the Senate . . . if I could convince him to talk sense to ALL the others.

Sen. John McCain, has joined President Obama's call to review "Stand Your Ground" laws in the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin shooting. McCain also believes his home state, which has such a law on the books, should also consider it.

Meantime, other extreme-rightists continue to stand THEIR ground, like
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas who criticized Obama for his comments.  McCain, logically asserted that it is time to try to come together in light of several weeks of what is really exacerbating relations between elements of our society? McCain says he favors discussion rather than condemnation.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

No Shortage. . .

. . . of tragedies in this world. . .


(from wikipedia.com)
". . . (Lee) Morgan was killed in the early hours of February 19, 1972, at Slug's Saloon, a jazz club in New York City's East Village where his band was performing. Following an altercation between sets, Morgan's common-law wife Helen More (a.k.a. Morgan), shot him. The injuries were not immediately fatal, but the ambulance service was reluctant to go into the neighborhood where the club was located. They took so long to get there that Morgan bled to death. He was 33 years old. According to an eyewitness, Miss More (13 years his senior) walked out of the club just before the last set. She returned and the band was already on stage. Lee was trying to get up there, but was talking with some people. He just started to get up the stage, when she entered and called his name. He turned around and she shot him. She then turned the gun on the club's doorman Ernie Holman, who grabbed her wrist and took the gun away from her. She started to scream, "Baby, what have I done?" and ran to him. She was later committed to a mental institution for some time. Soon after, Helen Morgan returned to her native North Carolina. Reportedly she never spoke publicly of the incident, until she granted an interview a month before her death. She died in Wilmington, NC, from a heart condition, in March 1996. . . "

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Please Send . . .

(Thanks to NBC News.com) 
House Speaker John Boehner actually said that Congress should be judged on how many laws it repeals, rather than how many new laws it enacts.

"We should not be judged on how many new laws we create," the nation's top elected Republican said on CBS. "We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal."

House Republicans, after 30-some attempts to repeal all or parts of President Barack Obama's health care reform law, are still trying.

Boehner says this all exists as the result of divided government.  No shit Sherlock!!!  And Boehner is most certainly at the head of the line-on the right of that divided government.

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Issues. . .

Journalist William Rivers Pitt, in his http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/17641-on-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone article called the recent controversy (I call it 'stink') about Rolling Stone magazine's cover featuring alleged terrorist Dzhohkar Tsarnaev the "outrage du jour", which indeed it is.

I'm no journalist mind you, but I must say he expressed the same thoughts that crossed my mind when this developed. The two major points that he (and I) make are that- 1. the fact that the young man is honestly handsome makes the situation seem all the worse to those up in arms;  and 2. there are so many other more important issues that we should be upset about that this is, in truth, a non-issue.

Then in his usual eloquence, Mr. Pitt lists some of those other things like Harry Reid's recent attempt to change the senate filibuster rules, recent abortion legislation in several states,  the Trayvon Martin shooting, Syria, Egypt and the NSA etc. to which I might add big business in politics, the 1%, the banking system, gun laws (related to Trayvon Martin and others) etc. etc.

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Monday. . .

Songwriters Showcase at Brewer's Alley
This Week's Piano Prelude
by Ray Jozwiak- Gonzo Piano
 Monday
July 22, 2013
7:30PM

Monday Night Songwriters Showcase at Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery (take the elevator on the right to the 2nd floor) 
124 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-631-0089 Fax: 301-631-1874 http://www.brewers-alley.com/

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Missed. . .

. . . this one last year. . .

. . . but it is a glimpse into the mindset of another of our 'diligent' public servants' . . .


(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/representative-virginia-fox-on-student-debt_n_1431050.html)
". . . Representative Virginia Foxx (R - N.C.) expressed either tough love or ambivalence toward students who find themselves deep in debt, depending on who you ask.

Foxx, who is chairwoman of the house Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, said on the Gordon Liddy Radio Show that it took her seven years to finish school. She added that over those seven years, she borrowed nothing.

"I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt because there's no reason for that," Foxx continued. "We live in an opportunity society and people are forgetting that. I remind folks all the time that the Declaration of Independence says 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' You don't sit on your butt and have it dumped in your lap."

The Bronx native worked as one of her high school’s janitors before she enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated in 1968, according to her congressional biography.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) responded to her comments on Monday afternoon from the house floor.

"Incredibly, the chair of the Subcommittee for Higher Education spoke last week in North Carolina and said, 'I have very little tolerance for people who tell me they graduate with $200,000 in debt or even $80,000 of debt.' Really?

"It is a sad statement when today's Republican party turns its back on a program that helps millions of Americans fulfill their dreams, and that is named after a Republican Senator, Robert Stafford of Vermont," Courtney said.

Foxx’s spokesperson told The Huffington Post via email, “Congresswoman Foxx is concerned about rising college costs and the burdensome effect a large sum of debt can have on a student's future. She believes the focus should be on making college more affordable and providing students and parents with the information necessary to make informed decisions about college and understand the cost and the implications of those personal decisions. . .”

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet